16 Chapter 16 Suspect_1

Five minutes later, in the warden's office.

Aiden sat down on his chair with a thud, took off his police cap, and placed it on the desk. Then he looked up to see Veronica still standing in front of him, hands bound as if restrained, and gestured toward the guest chair, "Have a seat."

Veronica nodded her head and then carefully took a seat.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?" Aiden asked casually.

Veronica shook her head with a look of restraint.

Aiden stared at her for a while and couldn't help but laugh, "It feels like just overnight, your persona has completely changed."

When they first met, Veronica seemed like a bristled cat, distrustful of everyone around her, ready to lash out at anyone who so much as touched her the wrong way, but now that daunting and hostile aura was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you… want to tell me something?" Veronica asked, looking at Aiden.

"I just got back from the mounted police unit."

"You saw Bruce?" Veronica's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I had a word with him," Aiden nodded, "The kid didn't admit anything, but if you ask me, there's no doubt he got you thrown into jail. Just asked him a few questions and he almost had 'guilty conscience' written all over his face. I'm now more inclined to believe you were framed."

Thinking back to Bruce's pitiful face, Aiden scoffed with contempt.

Veronica was silent for a moment, her right hand gripping her left wrist tighter and tighter, her fingernails slowly digging into the flesh.

"I looked after him like a younger brother, hoping he would grow up to be an honest police officer. How could he... do this to me?" She squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, mixed with anger and disappointment.

"That's exactly the question we need to figure out," Aiden tapped the desk with his knuckle, signaling Veronica to refocus her attention here.

"What?" Veronica looked puzzled for a moment.

"I can tell that he's clearly disturbed by betraying you, whether it's from a guilty conscience or fear of being exposed is another matter, but there must be a reason that made him betray his benefactor to cover for the real culprit," Aiden continued.

"So you're planning to… start with the motive?" Veronica caught on.

"At last, you're thinking straight," Aiden smiled knowingly, "Indeed, the most common reasons that drive a person to take risks are personal feelings, interests, and coercion. The real culprit must have one of these factors. From what you know, within the mounted police unit, who was he close to? Does anyone come to mind who could make him do such a thing to cover for them?"

"Nobody," Veronica shook her head without much thought, "To be honest, the atmosphere within the mounted police unit... isn't that great. A newbie like him without any backing and with a weak character is bound to be ostracized, being handed odd jobs by the veterans is a regular occurrence. I was pretty much the person who looked after him the most in the whole police force."

"Workplace bullying? Then being coerced is also possible," Aiden pondered with his arms crossed, "Does he have any dirt that others might have on him?"

"Not that I know of, and…" Veronica also considered it calmly, "I find it hard to imagine what dirt could be more serious than this."

"Indeed, how is his financial situation?"

"Not very good either. I've heard him say that he comes from a single-parent family, with his mother being a textile worker. In order to attend the police academy, his family had to borrow money from everywhere. The salary of a probationary officer isn't high either, just a bit over four pounds a month, so life is quite tough for them..."

"That means it's all very possible." Aiden pondered with his hand supporting his chin, when suddenly he thought of something else, "Right, do you remember who was assigned to patrol during the time of the incident?"

Veronica understood immediately why Aiden was asking this—it was normal for mounted police to be allowed to carry their service guns only when on duty.

If the suspect was narrowed down to within the mounted police force, then the few mounted officers who were patrolling in the same time slot as her on that day were the most suspicious.

"I remember, very clearly," Veronica answered with certainty.

"An event from over a month ago, you're that certain?"

"After being arrested, I've basically thought back to the events of that day, every single day." Veronica answered earnestly, "Before the mounted police go out on patrol, we gather and form up, so I have an impression."

"That couldn't be better," Aiden snapped his fingers, "Among these people, does anyone have the power to do this kind of thing?"

Veronica grasped his meaning. Making false testimony to pin a serious crime like murder on another person was no small matter. If the real culprit used intimidation to force Bruce Cain to give false testimony, then aside from having some leverage over him, they must possess certain background influence or special skills. If the real culprit used bribery, then they must have a certain level of financial means.

After mentally screening through each individual, she had an answer: "There's one."

"Let's hear it."

"His name is Jaron Lorton..."

Veronica had just begun when Aiden furrowed his brows, "Jaron?"

"What is it?" Veronica asked, blinking in surprise.

"Nothing, I think I've seen the guy around the police station." Aiden waved his hand, "So this Jaron, does he have a lot of connections, or is he rather wealthy?"

"In terms of connections, you could say he has some. His father seems to be a council member in Silvertown, and he himself used a bit of family influence to rise up the ranks in the mounted police, something most people in the police force know, and he often brags about it," Veronica spoke slowly, "As for money, he should have plenty. He's famous in the police department for spending extravagantly, and moreover, he always carries a gold pocket watch that he never parts with. There's his family's crest on the watch, and he often takes it out to show off to people."

"Sounds like the foolish son of a landowner," Aiden commented dryly.

"You could say that. Apparently, his father only became a council member in the last few years. This so-called family he always talks about only started to thrive after his father took office, calling them political upstarts is not an overstatement," Veronica said with a sneer, "The guy himself is a complete degenerate, not short of money at all, but he still goes around his jurisdiction, exploiting his position."

"Sounds like you really despise him."

"I have a reason. He once wanted me to be his mistress, which I rejected," Veronica answered with a stony face, her disgust for the memory apparent, "Besides that, I've also reported him for taking bribes."

"I see." Aiden, recalling the chunky police officer named Jaron busting into the parlor with a nervous face, interrupting his meeting with Bruce, nodded thoughtfully, "This guy, he's not above suspicion."