Chapter 534 The Situation is Not Optimistic
At this very moment, in Mugden.
Jennifer stood alone in front of the police station, gritting her teeth before stepping inside.
"Miss, are you here to file a report?" a female officer greeted her.
Jennifer nodded hard and asked softly, "Excuse me, is Peter here?"
...
Peter had been working for two days and nights straight and was now fast asleep in the duty room.
When he heard that Jennifer had come looking for him, he sprang up from bed and went out to meet her.
Inside the office.
Jennifer and Peter sat facing each other. The girl's fingers were interlaced and twisting together, her knuckles turning red from the pressure.
"Jennifer, what brings you here to see me so suddenly? Did something happen?" Peter studied her carefully, though his tone was full of concern.
Although they were half-siblings, and Jennifer was gentle and timid, always following behind Evelyn since childhood, overshadowed by Evelyn's brilliant presence, Peter had never played favorites. He always treated her like a full sister. Whenever he came back from business trips with gifts, whatever he brought for Evelyn, he would bring the same for Jennifer.
It's just that as they grew older, they spent less time together. Jennifer was also a shy and reserved girl who would never reach out to family like Evelyn did. So on the surface, their relationship didn't seem as close.
But whether it was Evelyn or Jennifer, they were both his family. He cared about them equally.
After a long silence, Jennifer slowly raised her eyes to meet Peter's sharp gaze:
"Peter, I want to come forward as a victim and testify against Randy for sexual assault."
Peter's pupils suddenly contracted. "Jennifer, what did you say?"
"I want to... accuse Randy of sexual assault." As Jennifer spoke these words, her heart ached as if it were bleeding.
Peter pressed his lips tightly together.
He was an excellent detective with professional investigative skills and strong psychological resilience. But when it happened to his own family, he had to be extra careful.
Though more than anyone, he wanted to severely punish that beast Randy!
"Jennifer, does Joyce know you came here? What about Evelyn? Does she know?"
Jennifer shook her head, her voice distant. "Peter, if I had told them, do you think I could still come see you? To be honest, last night I went to see Evelyn and Edward. After I told them my idea, they firmly rejected it."
Peter's eyelashes trembled slightly as he said in a deep voice, "They won't let you do this because they're afraid you'll get hurt. You're my sister too, and my feelings for you are the same as theirs. Do you think I would agree to let you do this?"
"You will."
Jennifer's starry eyes were filled with determination and heavy trust in him. "Because you're a police officer. You'll be fair and impartial, enforcing the law justly. You'll definitely spare no effort to catch criminals and seek justice for victims!"
Peter's heart pounded violently, his blood boiling.
But soon, calm rationality took over, and he sighed with a heavy heart. "Jennifer, I'm truly proud of you for being brave enough to stand up and fight against evil. But your case happened a while ago, so the evidence chain might not be strong enough. Plus, Randy only attempted it with you - there was no actual physical harm done. The chances of sentencing him are still pretty low."
Jennifer's brow furrowed tightly, her breath catching painfully in her chest.
"I've handled a few rape cases before. Because of the complicated relationships between victims and suspects, gathering evidence is actually quite difficult."
Peter clenched his teeth bitterly. "Add to that the Alexander family pressuring the victims, making them unwilling to tell the truth - this puts us in a very difficult position!"
"Jennifer, I'm not trying to discourage you, but even if you come forward, this case won't generate much public discussion. You might even get yourself into trouble. I think Evelyn and Edward considered this, too, which is why they tried to stop you. So don't blame them - they're just trying to protect you as much as possible."
The office fell into an oppressive silence.
"Peter, then what can we do to deal Randy a heavy blow? Are we really completely helpless against him?" Jennifer asked anxiously.
"Tomorrow I'll arrange for someone to talk to the victims and their families again. I'll tell them the entire investigation process won't be made public, and the police will protect their safety to the greatest extent possible. Let me take your statement first."
As Peter was about to stand up, Jennifer grabbed his arm. "Then... what are our chances of success? Yesterday, Evelyn and Edward already went to see those two girls, but the results weren't good. If even amazing people like Evelyn and Edward couldn't persuade them, can you really do it?"
Peter understood she wasn't questioning the police's ability - she was just speaking without thinking in her anxiety.
He never made empty promises to comfort people, so he could only tell her honestly, "To be honest, our chances aren't great, but if we don't try, we'll have no chance at all. Right now there's another big problem - the heat around this incident is already dying down, and the Alexander family is frantically controlling comments and deleting posts. Without media attention and public concern, the victims won't have the courage to speak up. If we could trigger a huge public outcry, that would encourage the victims and put enormous pressure on the Alexander family."
"A public outcry?" Jennifer stared in surprise.
"Jennifer, many things aren't as simple as you think."
Peter patted her thin shoulder, his gaze falling on her clear eyes with affection. "You're Dad's daughter, yet those bastards from the Alexander family dared to harm you. Other girls, facing such a powerful family, are just helpless prey. After I finish taking your statement, go home and wait for my news."
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