Chapter 518 If I Have Evidence
Edward, worried she might struggle, carried her to the dining room for a meal.
He had been running around all day, and his usually clean white shirt now emitted a warm, masculine scent.
Evelyn felt a bit dizzy, not finding it unpleasant at all. Instead, she pressed her nose against his chest and sniffed like a contented kitten.
"What, do you want to eat me up?" Edward lowered his head with a smile, his thin lips brushing against her forehead.
"Even if I did, you should at least take a shower first. You stink."
Evelyn turned her face away in embarrassment. "Aren't you usually very clean? Why didn't you shower this time?"
"Didn't have time. I'll shower after we eat."
Evelyn pursed her lips, feeling warm inside.
The table was filled with exquisite dishes, some of which May had prepared in advance and just needed reheating, so the preparation was quick.
"Wow! May, you're amazing!" Evelyn clapped her hands like a happy schoolgirl as she sat at the table.
"Evelyn, don't flatter me. Your cooking skills are much better than mine! Several of Edward's favorite dishes here were taught to me by you, remember?" May laughed sincerely.
"Really? I forgot." Evelyn felt a bit embarrassed and started eating.
Although she knew May was complimenting her, the words inevitably brought back some unhappy memories from the past.
Edward, understanding the grievances she had suffered before, felt a pang in his heart and gently wiped her lips with a napkin.
Just as he was about to say something, Evelyn quickly stuffed food into his mouth. "Don't say sorry. Didn't we agree not to bring up the past?"
Edward paused, then smiled bitterly and chewed.
It really wasn't as good as Evelyn's cooking.
At that moment, the sound of the front door opening was heard, and three men burst in, making the villa lively like a holiday celebration.
"Wow! Evelyn, you're so unfair! You didn't invite us to such a big feast!"
Simon, who had been looking at case files all day without eating, was starving and immediately grabbed some food to stuff into his mouth.
Peter followed closely, tearing off a piece of roast meat and taking a fierce bite. "I've been interrogating suspects all day, and I'm starving!"
Peter and Simon ate ravenously, quickly consuming more than half of the food, leaving Edward and Bart dumbfounded.
"They really can eat."
Evelyn rested her chin in her hand helplessly. "If Charlie and Aunt Donna saw this, they'd probably strangle them both. Pretend they never had them."
May, seeing them eating heartily, felt happy and quickly invited them to sit. "Come on! There's plenty of food! I also made some pasta. Edward doesn't like pasta much, so I didn't bring it out. Do Peter and Simon want some?"
Simon and Peter nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, yes!"
Evelyn sighed and held her forehead.
Bart couldn't stand it anymore and quietly reminded them, "Peter and Simon, don't just eat. Evelyn had a serious accident. As her brothers, you should show some concern, right?"
Simon and Peter looked at each other and said in unison, "Isn't she eating and drinking just fine? Don't create unnecessary worry!"
Bart was speechless and thought, 'Am I creating unnecessary worry, or are you two just heartless?'
Evelyn leaned against Edward, laughing uncontrollably.
Edward's strong arm supported her slender waist, and he looked at her with gentle eyes.
Her second and seventh brothers were both very busy and rarely appeared together.
When they did, it meant something serious was going on.
Peter burped and then became serious. "Tiffany had a urine test this afternoon, and it's confirmed she's using drugs. Note, using drugs, which is different from abusing medication."
"However, she denies it, claiming she thought she was getting regular beauty injections. The drugs were provided by her beauty doctor, Percy, and she claims she had no idea and was framed."
Evelyn was stunned.
The drugs given to Tiffany were indeed prepared by Percy. He was knowledgeable in pharmacology, so she had never questioned it and trusted him completely.
She never expected he would inject Tiffany with drugs!
Such a large dose was clearly intended to harm her!
"Peter, this has nothing to do with Percy. Tiffany must be desperate and trying to frame him." Evelyn tried hard to defend Percy.
"Evelyn, I know Percy. He was supported by Dad and has a good personal relationship with you."
Peter frowned, his usual playful demeanor with his sister gone as he looked at Evelyn seriously. "But as a police officer, I have to do my job impartially and handle this according to the law. I can't abuse my power."
"Now, Tiffany insists she was framed by Percy. Even if she's lying, we have to follow procedure and bring Percy in for questioning."
Evelyn lowered her long lashes, feeling depressed and silent.
Edward's brows furrowed slightly. He didn't want to see them unhappy, so he held Evelyn's hand in his palm, gently comforting her, and said warmly, "Peter, we understand this is part of the procedure. Do what you need to do."
The way he called "Peter" made Peter feel a bit more favorable towards Edward.
But Evelyn still felt uncomfortable.
She knew Peter was right, but she felt guilty towards Percy. She didn't want anyone around her to get hurt because of her.
They gathered together, and it was rare for the atmosphere to be so tense.
Peter's heart tightened, not wanting to disturb Evelyn, so he said softly, "I have things to do at the station, so I'll head back. Simon, spend more time with Evelyn; it's not often you get to see her."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Evelyn suddenly got up and rushed over, hugging his waist tightly. "Peter, don't go! I didn't ask you to leave!"
Peter quickly opened his arms to return her hug, his eyes moistening.
He was Evelyn's half-brother, and although Evelyn treated him warmly, he wasn't as close to her as Landon was. So, he rarely had the chance to hug Evelyn like this.
Every time he wanted to show his affection for Evelyn, he felt too shy to act on it.
"I thought you were mad at me," Peter said softly, his voice a bit weak, as he gently patted her head.
Evelyn looked up with her bright face and shook her head vigorously. "Peter, how could I be mad at you? I know how hard it was for you to get into the police academy, join the force, and become a captain."
"I shouldn't be so willful, and I shouldn't mix personal and professional matters. Go do what you need to do. No matter what happens, I support your decisions."
Bart watched the intimate interaction between Evelyn and Peter and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Edward's expression.
Sure enough, he looked displeased.
Edward took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but his eyes were red with jealousy.
"Hey, feeling jealous?"
Simon pulled up a chair and sat next to him, stuffing a piece of dessert into his mouth while still managing to talk. "If you can't handle this little bit of jealousy, you'll be driven crazy when you're with Evelyn in the future."
Edward's blood pressure shot up, and he muttered through gritted teeth, "You may be Evelyn's brothers, but she has a man now, and you guys are not young anymore. You should know to keep your distance."
Simon almost choked on his food, clutching his chest and glaring at him. "If Ulysses heard that, he'd probably beat you up."
"He wouldn't," Edward said, raising an eyebrow slightly. "He wouldn't want Evelyn to be a widow."
Simon fell silent.
Peter was indeed very busy; Tiffany's case was no small matter.
After all, she was not only involved in drugs but also had multiple deaths linked to her. If he didn't convict her and seek justice for the deceased, he wouldn't be able to sleep or eat in peace.
After dinner, they moved to the living room to discuss matters.
At that moment, Peter's phone rang; it was a call from a colleague at the station.
After the call, his expression darkened noticeably.
"Peter, what happened?" Evelyn asked with concern.
Peter looked at Edward with a complicated expression. "Edward, Patrick has hired Mugden's top lawyer to represent Tiffany. He's at the station now, demanding her bail."
"He thinks he can just bail her out? Does he think the police station is his personal property?"
Bart was furious. "Some lawyers are truly unscrupulous, taking on any case! They talk about equality before the law, but they're just slaves to money, the scum of humanity!"
"Mugden's top lawyer?"
Edward and Evelyn exchanged a knowing look. "Is it Gordon?"
"You know him?" Peter was surprised.
"We've known him for a long time," Evelyn said with a cold smile.
"Yes, from the Wellington Group," Edward said, his brows furrowed.
Gordon was ruthless and cunning, not someone easy to deal with.
"Tiffany's crimes need to be confirmed quickly. If it's just drug use, with the Wellington Group's influence and Gordon's defense skills, she might actually get bailed out."
Simon looked at Edward seriously. "Edward, I've reviewed your mother, Amanda's case files. After twenty years, the evidence chain is incomplete. If you want to charge Tiffany with murder, the chances of winning are slim."
Evelyn's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Edward's stern profile.
He had really done everything he could to avenge Amanda.
"Also, in Kimberly's case, the actual killer was Lloyd, and Tiffany was an accomplice. But if Gordon defends her and shifts all the blame to Lloyd, she might only get a ten-year sentence at most, not the death penalty," Simon added, presenting another harsh reality.
The air suddenly became heavy, making it hard for everyone to breathe.
"Peter, we have recordings of Kimberly's conversations with Tiffany and Debra. Can't that convict Tiffany?" Evelyn asked anxiously.
Simon shook his head helplessly. "Those were obviously recorded secretly and can't be used as evidence."
Evelyn's body went limp as she leaned powerlessly against Edward. She hadn't felt this frustrated and hopeless in a long time.
Edward held her close, his large hand gripping her trembling shoulder, and said calmly, "I understand. Even if I find the accomplices who helped Tiffany harm Amanda back then, I only have witnesses. But what if I say I have physical evidence?"
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