Because Eric’s circumstances were still being kept from the rest of the household, Ernest chose to receive them at Crimson House.

Hadley was already awake. She led them into the small parlor, shut the door firmly behind her, and instructed the servants not to interrupt.

She gave Melba clear instructions to keep Joy busy if she happened to wake, making sure the child wouldn’t wander downstairs.

In the parlor, Ernest’s fatigue showed plainly. With a weary gesture, he signaled to Cristian.

“Go on.”

Every gaze settled on him.

Cristian gave a brief nod.

“After you left last night, the forensic team collected Mr. Scott’s blood for analysis.”

The test results revealed the presence of sedatives in Eric’s body.

That finding supported his statement about remaining unconscious for an extended period—a detail that weighed in his favor.

“There’s more. We traced the identities of the two dead men,” Cristian added.

Both turned out to be from Lunville, not locals.

Given the short time frame, the investigation had only uncovered that they were unemployed drifters and known troublemakers.

Whether they had any ties to Gifford or Bianca was still uncertain.

“That has to be Gifford!” cried Hadley, clenching her fists.

“Who else could it be?”

She could not understand why two strangers from another city, far away from home, would be mixed up with Eric.

“They even used sedatives!” Hadley exclaimed, biting her lip.

“They meant to frame him, isn’t that clear?”

“Yes,” said Ernest with a firm nod.

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“Hadley has a point.”

He then shifted his attention to Cristian.

“What is your judgment?”

“I agree,” replied Cristian after a pause.

“Although…”

His training as a lawyer forced him to weigh more than one possibility.

With his brow furrowed, he shook his head.

“There’s no way we can prove it.”

No signs existed except for Eric’s and the two men’s fingerprints at the scene.

The building was too old to have cameras anywhere other than at the entrance.

Cristian let out a weary breath.

“Unless real evidence turns up, Mr. Scott’s chances look grim.”

Despite the sedatives found in his system, when the authorities discovered him, he was awake and holding the weapon in his hands.

“Evidence?” echoed Hadley in a low voice.

“Are you suggesting we need to find something that links this to Bianca? Or Gifford?”

Cristian gave a slow nod.

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