This conclusion is irrefutable

The police car, sirens blaring, sped down the highway.

Lucas was at the wheel, with Ethan still riding shotgun.

This time, Miles wasn't with them,he was back at the Detective Bureau's forensics department, ready to provide tech support with the latest gadgets.

In the backseat sat a young, attractive woman in a white lab coat and gold-rimmed glasses, a faint beauty mark near her eye adding to her feminine allure. The autopsy toolkit next to her clearly marked her profession.

She was the only medical examiner at the East End Detective Bureau—Riley Hill.

Though only thirty, she boasted twelve years of experience, her grandfather, Harry Hill, having been a legendary medical examiner in Gotham.

Since reaching adulthood, Riley hadn't spent her time dating or clubbing like other girls her age. Instead, she chose to learn the art of autopsy from her grandfather, Harry Hill.

Whether it was due to constant exposure or sheer talent, it didn't take long for Riley.

In just five years, she had mastered all of her grandfather's autopsy techniques, even surpassing him in some aspects.

Because of this, the old medical examiner, Harry Hill, finally retired peacefully, passing the torch to the prodigious Riley Hill, who took a position at the East End Detective Bureau's technical department.

Riley's status was somewhat unique.

Not only did she carry the aura of a genius medical examiner, but she also had the legacy of her well-respected grandfather, Harry Hill.

Thus, in the Detective Bureau, aside from Derek, no one really dared to boss her around.

As for her love life, that was a bit more complicated. After all, being a medical examiner, constantly dealing with corpses, was enough to scare off most guys.

...

Ten minutes away from Riverside Middle School, Lucas glanced at Ethan and then through the rearview mirror at Riley, tapping his fingers lightly on the steering wheel as he spoke softly, "This case at Riverside Middle School."

"It wasn't a call we got through dispatch. Instead, the principal of Riverside Middle School, Samuel Reed, directly called Chief Colt to report it."

"The basic details we've got are..."

"The victim is a fifteen-year-old 8th grader named Ella Lewis."

"Since Riverside is a boarding school, all the students stay in dorms. So last night, her roommates saw her in bed when lights out was called."

"But by morning, she was missing from the dorm. Her roommates thought she might have gone to class early, so they didn't think much of it."

"During a break, a few kids who looked like troublemakers snuck off to smoke under an abandoned building and stumbled upon Ella's body."

"They were pretty shaken up and immediately reported it to the school authorities."

"First thing, the school followed protocol and called an ambulance, but she was already gone. Just a formality to confirm death with an EKG."

"Right now, as per Chief Colt's orders, the crime scene has been cordoned off by school security, and the body is temporarily in a body bag, not yet taken to the morgue, so we can look for clues."

"Since the discoverers were students, the whole school is buzzing, and the media got wind of it too."

"With minors involved and the media already on it, if we don't get to the truth fast..."

"That's going to be a real mess!"

Lucas's last words made it crystal clear.

Ethan and Riley knew all too well that any case involving minors would inevitably get blown out of proportion by the media, leading to all sorts of public outcry.

When that happens, even if the truth is uncovered, if it doesn't align with what the public believes, it'll cause a stir and erode public trust.

So, it's not just about finding the truth, but getting it out there before public opinion takes a solid shape and starts setting the narrative.

Riley, fiddling with the lock on the forensic toolkit, furrowed his brow and asked, "Has the body been moved yet?"

"That would definitely interfere with the autopsy. If we want to get to the truth quickly, they shouldn't have touched the body before we got here."

Lucas sighed helplessly and shrugged meaningfully, "No choice."

"Managing to keep the body at the school was already the best Chief Colt could do."

"While leaving the body untouched is best for finding clues and determining the actual cause of death."

"But how could the school just do nothing?"

"Even if it's clear at first glance that the victim has lost all signs of life, they still have to call an ambulance right away to shut up the parents and the media."

"Calling an ambulance isn't enough,they have to handle the body properly, get it into a coffin as soon as possible."

"If they really did nothing and just left the body there waiting for us cops to arrive."

"The media and parents, even netizens, would give the school a harsh lesson in the power of public opinion and the brutality of online backlash."

"Anyway..."

"No matter the specifics of the process, the situation, or the reasons, as long as a student meets with an accident at school, the school can't escape blame!"

"High school isn't like kindergarten,it's impossible for teachers to follow every student around. Parents really need to pay more attention to their kids' mental health."

"Based on past experience."

"Eighty percent of school cases are related to the student's home environment."

"Paying more attention to their kids could prevent some of these tragedies, and that's better than anything!"

"Forget it, no use talking about this now, let's just hope this case isn't too tough to crack."

"Otherwise."

"The media and parents will really give our Detective Bureau a hard time."

Lucas's words made Riley nod in agreement.

Indeed.

To reduce school crimes and incidents, relying solely on teachers and the school administration isn't enough,it's crucial that parents play their part.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ethan, picking up on a crucial detail from Lucas's words, asked curiously, "Lucas."

"Were the other students in the victim's dorm not in her class?"

"Because, according to what you said."

"The others in the dorm thought she had gone to class when they didn't find her in her bed in the morning."

"But during class, these people didn't find it odd that she wasn't there and didn't inform the teacher?"

"You know."

"By that time, she would have already fallen and lost all signs of life,she couldn't have gone to class."

"But why..."

"It took until the break after two periods for some delinquents to find the body?"

"From these deductions."

"It seems the only explanation is that the victim and the other dorm residents weren't in the same class, right?"

"Could living separately have led to her being ostracized by her classmates, ultimately driving her to this tragic end?"

When Ethan finished laying out his deductions.

Lucas, sitting in the driver's seat, was visibly shocked, turning his head in disbelief towards Ethan.

Completely baffled.

What kind of deductive skills and investigative talent does one need to come to such detailed conclusions without even seeing the crime scene?

Based solely on some case details he mentioned?

And this conclusion.

It perfectly fits the elements of reasoning, leaving no room for rebuttal!

It wasn't just Lucas.

Riley Hill, sitting in the back, also widened her eyes in surprise, lifting her half-rimmed glasses thoughtfully...