After exchanging pleasantries, Ethel got to the point.
âItâs quite a coincidence youâre here.
Iâve been wanting to discuss something about your fatherâs case with you,â Ethel stated.
âWhat?â Nicole asked, puzzled.
Ethel seemed surprised.
âI believe thereâs more to meet the eye than what was publicly disclosed.
â
Nicole was taken aback by Ethelâs statement.
Wasnât her fatherâs suicide an established fact? How could there be hidden details?
âWhat⦠My father⦠What you knowâ¦â Nicoleâs heart raced, her words becoming jumbled in her anxiety.
âDonât worry, Miss Lawrence.
I just have some suspicions, so I wanted to discuss them with you,â Ethel reassured her.
âs BunnyBookery Ethel had joined the force recently and was still in school when Nicoleâs fatherâs death was reported as a suicide.
After her own fatherâs sudden death, Ethelâs life spiraled when her mother remarried and left, abandoning Ethel to face creditors who stripped away her familyâs possessions.
Facing the threat of having to drop out, Ethelâs academic prowess and the intervention of her homeroom teacher led her to receive support from the Lawrence familyâs Hope Project.
This lifeline motivated Ethel to work hard and give back to society once she was able.
By the time Ethel entered college in Ardlens, the Lawrence Group had dissolved.
Nicoleâs father, known for his benevolence, had reportedly committed suicide amid allegations of economic crimes, jumping from a building to escape imprisonment.
There were whispers that his charitable acts were merely a facade to mask his criminal activities.
But Ethel couldnât accept these ru mors.
She had once seen Nicoleâs father during one of his visits to rural areas.
His kind face and gentle smile reminded her of her own father, a man of good character.
This personal impression led her to believe in Nicoleâs fatherâs inherent goodness, despite the accusations circulating about him.
Fortunately, the Schultz Group later clarified that the contract fraud case involving the Lawrence Group was the result of an employeeâs sabotage, and the mastermind had been held accountable.
This revelation cast further doubt on the theory that Nicoleâs father had jumped off the building to avoid jail.
After all, an innocent man wouldnât have any reason to be afraid.
Motivated by these inconsistencies, Ethel dedicated her spare time to investigating Nicoleâs fatherâs alleged suicide once she started her police career.
Her inquiries eventually unearthed some intriguing clues.
Ethel led Nicole to her desk and presented Nicole with some surveillance footage.
âMiss Lawrence, please look at this.
â
The footage displayed the interior of the Lawrence Groupâs office building, a place Nicole knew well.
It was dated the day Nicoleâs father had died.
Since it was related to an economic fraud case, all surveillance from that day at the Lawrence Groupâs office had been archived for investigation.
Ethel fast-forwarded to a specific time, saying, âYour father is reported to have jumped at 14:38.
Before that, only your mother left the office.
But at 14:45, someone else appears in this corner.
â She paused the video, highlighting a figure lurking near a corridor.
âThis corridor leads only to your fatherâs officeâ¦â
Nicole was shocked.
She hadnât known there was someone else in her fatherâs office besides her mother on the day he jumped.
Her mother had exited the office before her fatherâs tragic leap.
And notably, this person had been there both before and after her fatherâs death.