Chapter 32: They Made Us Do It

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: They Made Us Do It

"That’s right. Fundamentally, we did nothing wrong. The Scott Family shouldn’t have a morally corrupt child.

We’ll discipline Mia properly. We will make absolutely sure she never does something so disgraceful again."

Teacher Scott seemed to be in some kind of trance, his eyes vacant, staring straight ahead, muttering something under his breath.

Captain Lynch had seen a lot, and seeing the state of these two, he quickly guessed the general reason. "No matter what your reasons are, you don’t have the right to take another person’s life."

"Do you know why? Captain Lynch seems to be in a really bad mood," Zoe Sawyer said, standing to the side. She had noticed his dark expression at a glance.

After making sure Zoe Sawyer had her footing and could stand steady, Evan Keller withdrew most of his support and patted her on the head. "You’ll probably understand why when you listen in on the interrogation later.

But your stamina is just terrible. When we get back, I’m going to have Sean increase your training. We only went through two doors and you’re already out of breath!"

’Otherwise, with Zoe’s impulsive nature, she might just charge in again if something like this happens next time.

And the person she runs into might not be someone like Teacher Scott.’

With that in mind, Evan Keller was already calculating in his head. He needed to find Zoe a more professional coach, someone who could hopefully drill some sense into her!

Hearing Evan Keller’s words, Zoe Sawyer was so angry she wanted to hit someone.

’I’ve only been training for a few days!’

’I was running the entire time today without a single break!’

There weren’t many valuable clues in the room. Captain Lynch had his people do a quick search, and after confirming nothing was missed, he led everyone back to the police station.

He figured that while the two were agitated, they should press them immediately. They might be able to get more information out of them that way.

Back at the police station, the group escorted Teacher Scott and his wife to two separate interrogation rooms.

Zoe Sawyer hesitated for a moment, then pulled Evan Keller over to Teacher Scott’s room. After all, based on the situation earlier, he seemed to be the one masterminding everything.

"All right. Tell me everything you’ve done. From beginning to end, don’t leave anything out." Captain Lynch tossed a notebook onto the table in front of him, his voice laced with a hint of intimidation as he stared at Teacher Scott, who was seated in the center of the interrogation room.

Teacher Scott kept his head down, staring at his fingernails without a word, as if he hadn’t heard what Captain Lynch said.

It was a complete contrast to his frenzied state in the abandoned room.

Captain Lynch didn’t seem at all surprised by this behavior. He picked up the test papers Evan Keller had given him earlier and began flipping through them in front of Teacher Scott.

"These are some nice test papers. I’ll take them back to your students. But at the same time, we’ll also be explaining what you two did to the students and their parents. Whether or not your reputations survive after that... well, that’s another story." As Captain Lynch spoke, he slammed the papers down on the table.

It was unclear whether it was the loud SLAM from the table that snapped Teacher Scott out of his daze, or if it was the greater shock of Lynch’s words.

"No! You can’t tell them!" Teacher Scott glared at Captain Lynch, the hatred in his eyes so intense it would have shocked anyone who saw it.

"Then cooperate with our interrogation. Once the case is solved, the files will be sealed. If it drags on, we’ll have no choice but to seek help from the public." The meaning behind Captain Lynch’s words was clear: either cooperate and tell them everything, or the police would appeal to the public for information.

Someone was bound to know something.

But if it came to that, the things they had done would inevitably be exposed.

At that point, what would happen to their reputations among their acquaintances, neighbors, and around the school would be beyond police control.

Teacher Scott had clearly realized this as well. His face turned pale, then red. He obviously understood that Captain Lynch wasn’t just bluffing.

If things really went as Lynch described, the reputation he and his wife had spent their entire lives building would be destroyed in its final Chapter. The thought alone was enough to make him sick with frustration.

But if he confessed everything he’d done, it would still be on his permanent record when the case was closed.

It seemed that no matter what, his reputation was ruined.

Standing outside the interrogation room with Evan Keller, Zoe Sawyer heard Captain Lynch’s questioning and asked doubtfully, "Doesn’t this count as coercing a confession?"

Evan Keller shot Zoe Sawyer an exasperated look. "What do you mean, coercing? Captain Lynch is just stating a fact. If we really get stuck here, we will have to appeal to the public to see if there are any witnesses."

At most, Captain Lynch was just exaggerating the consequences a little.

The students were still so young; there’s no way the police would tell them the details of the case.

He was just capitalizing on the fact that Teacher Scott was obsessed with saving face and his reputation, hoping to use that as an angle to find a breakthrough.

Zoe Sawyer nodded, only half-understanding, and turned her attention back to the interrogation room.

After a period of internal struggle, Teacher Scott finally seemed to give in.

His head hung low, his voice choked with emotion. "We had no choice. They’re the ones who forced us into this."

Captain Lynch and the recorder next to him both perked up. ’Is he finally going to talk?!’

"Who forced you? Tell me everything, from the beginning." Captain Lynch rapped his knuckles on the table, adding to Teacher Scott’s psychological pressure.

Teacher Scott opened his mouth, fell silent for a long moment, and finally sighed, recounting the entire story from the beginning.

"Ever since Mia started high school, the academic pressure on her suddenly increased. On top of that, my wife and I were teaching a class of seniors, so we didn’t have the energy to look after her.

By the time we noticed, Mia was already mixed up with a bunch of young delinquents."

As Teacher Scott spoke in a low voice, he finally laid bare his innermost thoughts and feelings before the police.

It turned out the turning point had occurred three months ago. They had come home early from an evening study hall only to find that their daughter, who was supposed to be at home studying, was nowhere to be seen.

The drawers in her room also showed signs of being rummaged through.

He and his wife had a habit of keeping the family’s bankbooks, cash, and some valuable jewelry locked in there.

As their only daughter, Mia Scott naturally knew about it.

With their daughter missing and their property stolen, Teacher Scott and his wife’s first reaction was that their home had been robbed and Mia Scott had been kidnapped.

Frantic with worry, the couple ran into the hallway to call the police, but their neighbor, an older woman, came over and stopped them, assuring them that Mia Scott was safe.

She told them to grab their things and wait in her apartment for half an hour, promising that everything would become clear.

Having been neighbors for over a decade, the couple was confused, but they trusted that she had never lied to them before, so they did as she said.

After half an hour of anxious waiting, they witnessed a scene that made their eyes bulge with fury.