Chapter 445 Miscarriage of Justice
Gerald plopped down in the chair, pulled out a pack of the cheapest smokes from his pocket, lit one up, and took a few deep drags.
"Gerald, seriously, is there something you can't tell me?" Jessie asked again.
"I just don't know how to say it!" Gerald sighed, looking all kinds of miserable and helpless.
"Gerald, you can tell us anything. If you're dealing with some crap or getting treated unfairly, I got your back!" Ethan said, looking all serious.
Hearing this, Gerald was a bit stunned. He gave Ethan a weird look, then turned to Jessie and slowly started, "After you left, I did stay in the old house. But as Jared grew up, more stuff kept piling up! When Jared was in college, he had this girlfriend from Bankgok. After graduation, he came back and said he wanted to get married. But I didn't have that kind of cash, and weddings ain't cheap!"
"What’s that got to do with the old house?" Jessie asked, puzzled.
"Jared's girlfriend's family is into business. They wanted us to buy a house in Bankgok and a car before they'd agree to the marriage! Emily and I saved every penny we could, but it still wasn't enough. We had to borrow sixty grand from Curtis!" Gerald explained.
"Curtis seemed decent enough, but how did the house end up being his?" Ethan thought of Curtis and Michelle's smug faces earlier and smirked.
"Because we couldn't pay back the sixty grand, we had to mortgage the old house to him! Eight years ago, he tore down the old house and built a big new one, and he's been living in it ever since!" Gerald said with a bitter smile.
Hearing this, Ethan didn't think much of it. If Gerald really couldn't pay back the money and used the house as collateral, no one could say anything.
After all, even brothers need to settle accounts clearly.
"So that's how it is. So, Jared settled down in Bankgok, bought a house, and a car?" Jessie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded as she asked.
"No. I managed to scrape together sixty grand for Jared's wedding, but who would've thought he'd end up in a lawsuit! Jared's girlfriend, Laura Hall, got pregnant and accused Jared of raping her. I mean, they were about to get married; how could such a thing happen?" Gerald said, tears and snot streaming down his face, clearly feeling deeply wronged!
"How could such a thing happen? What did the court say? If they said it was rape, was it really rape?" Jessie widened her eyes in disbelief. She couldn't be sure of the details, not knowing the whole story, and didn't dare to conclude that Jared was definitely innocent!
"Jared had brought Laura home several times, and people here had seen her. But in court, no one believed they were a couple. Laura seemed like a different person, insisting that Jared had raped her! Her family has connections in Bankgok, and we were no match for them in court!" Gerald was now crying uncontrollably, and even Ethan clenched his fists.
If things were really as Gerald said, Jared had definitely been set up and framed!
"What happened to Jared afterward?" Jessie asked with a frown.
"Jared got slapped with a seven-year sentence. He should be getting out tomorrow. Emily went to the city to pick him up today, so they should be back together tomorrow!" Gerald cried, covering his face. "I really don't know what I did to deserve Jared being so wronged!"
"Mom, we can't just let this slide. There's still time; how about I dig into it?" Ethan stood up and suggested to Jessie.
"Alright, you gotta get to the bottom of this. If Jared really did something illegal, we'll accept it. But if he's been wronged, we gotta clear Jared's and Gerald's names!" Jessie immediately agreed and instructed.
"Jessie, Ethan, what are you planning to do?" Gerald asked nervously, hearing this.
"Gerald, we can't ignore this now that we know about it! Don't worry. Leave everything to Ethan!" Jessie didn't explain but tried to reassure Gerald.
"Will this cause you any trouble? I don't want Jared's issue to drag Ethan into it. Laura's family has some pull in Bankgok; don't stir up trouble!" Gerald nervously advised.
"Don't worry, Gerald. I'm just gonna find out the truth; I won't do anything crazy!" Ethan confidently assured.
With that, Ethan turned and left.
Gerald wanted to chase after him but was called back by Jessie.
"Let him go. To be honest, we now have the means to help you get justice!" Jessie continued to reassure Gerald.
"You guys... By the way, where's Matthew?" Gerald suddenly realized he hadn't seen Matthew and asked in surprise.
"He's not here. His situation is complicated; I'll fill you in later when I get the chance!" Jessie didn't elaborate on Matthew's situation. She didn't know how to explain it, and she couldn't say that Matthew had been missing for years and might even be dead.
Ethan, meanwhile, walked out of the house and took out his phone to call Alexander.
Ethan was determined to dig into Jared's case, and it would only take a few minutes to get the whole story.
Soon, a detailed report on Jared was sent to Ethan's phone.
The detailed report not only included what Gerald had mentioned but also some details that even Gerald probably didn't know.
For example, the reason why Laura, Jared's girlfriend, falsely accused Jared, and another key figure in the case, Enrique Coleman, who was Jared's college classmate and a wealthy heir, had always been at odds with Jared over Laura.
Just by looking at these relationships, Ethan had a rough idea in his mind. The truth was likely as he had guessed, even if there were some discrepancies, it was nothing more than the usual love triangle drama!
What confirmed Ethan was another piece of information: Laura had been Enrique's side chick all these years!
And Laura's family had also thrived in business thanks to Enrique's backing!
If Laura's family had some influence in Bankgok before, they were now among the top families in the city!
All these factors could be related to Jared's wrongful imprisonment!
After figuring this out, Ethan turned and went back into the house.
"Mom, I got a lead. I can confirm that Jared was framed!" Ethan said confidently as he walked in.
"How can you be sure? Did you find evidence?" Jessie asked in surprise.
"At the very least, I can confirm that Jared and Laura were indeed a couple in college. Someone made all the insiders keep quiet, which is why no one was willing to testify for Jared!" Ethan said as he handed his phone to Jessie.
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