Chapter 82: Going to the Police Station
Vivian Lowell turned around and saw Rachel Faulkner, her eyes heavy with sleep.
It was just past six o’clock.
’Doesn’t she usually get her beauty sleep until nine?’
Wary, Vivian Lowell put on a smile. "Rachel. Morning. I have some business at the company, so I have to go in a little early. I didn’t wake you, did I?"
"Not at all."
Rachel Faulkner shook her head, looking languid. She ambled down the stairs, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "That person who jumped from the hotel last night, have they found out what happened?"
"It scared me to death. I had just gotten back from dropping off Mason Grant when I saw someone jump from the roof. THUD! It was so gruesome!"
After speaking, Rachel Faulkner even pressed a hand to her chest, as if she were terrified.
"..."
Vivian Lowell glanced at Julian Faulkner.
Seeing Julian Faulkner frown, as if trying to figure out how to deal with Rachel, Vivian took the initiative. "Rachel, the police are still investigating what happened last night."
"If you were scared, Julian has a private doctor, doesn’t he? Why don’t we have him come over, check you out, and prescribe you something?"
The moment she heard about seeing a doctor, Rachel Faulkner quickly shook her head. "No, that’s okay. I just had a nightmare last night and didn’t sleep well, so I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep."
"I hate seeing doctors and taking medicine. Anyway, Julian, Vivian, since you two have things to do, you should get going!"
Rachel Faulkner yawned, walked quickly into the kitchen, and said to Ms. Shaw, "I’d like some noodles. Ms. Shaw, could you make me a bowl? I want thin noodles!"
"Of course."
Ms. Shaw replied immediately.
Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner paid Rachel no more mind and left.
They arrived at the police station at exactly seven o’clock.
Vance Wyatt was already waiting at the entrance with a lawyer from the Faulkner Group.
"President Faulkner, Mrs. Faulkner."
Lawyer Jennings nodded politely. Vivian Lowell subconsciously glanced at Vance Wyatt.
’That "Mrs. Faulkner" from Lawyer Jennings must have been Vance’s idea, right?’
’Vance is getting better and better at his job!’
The group entered the police station.
Lawyer Jennings was highly professional. After a brief discussion with the police, he indicated that they could go in and see the "vicious dog woman" who had assaulted people the night before.
Before they entered the room, Lawyer Jennings gave Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner a quick rundown of the law.
"Malicious assault constitutes the crime of intentional injury. The sentence is less than three years in prison, criminal detention, or public surveillance. If it causes serious injury, the sentence is three to ten years in prison."
"President Faulkner, Mrs. Faulkner, are your friends’ injuries severe?"
Vivian Lowell’s brows furrowed as she looked at Lawyer Jennings.
"One has a shoulder injury that required stitches and is still hospitalized. The other two were bitten by the dog. One wasn’t serious, but the other also needed stitches."
Lawyer Jennings nodded, understanding the situation. "Legally speaking, their injuries would only be classified as minor. However... when we file the lawsuit, we can provide some other materials."
"We should be able to push for a longer sentence for her. President Faulkner, Mrs. Faulkner, what do you think?"
Julian Faulkner thought for a moment and said, "Let’s go inside before we discuss the specifics."
"Understood." Lawyer Jennings straightened the files in his hand, then entered the interrogation room with Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner to see the vicious dog woman.
The vicious dog woman’s surname was Ward.
When the couple had previously opened their cat café, she had worked there as a barista and also helped care for the cats.
As for the vicious dog, she had gotten it from somewhere after the fact. It seemed to be a country dog raised as a guard dog, and it was quite aggressive.
Pushing open the door to the interrogation room, Vivian Lowell stepped inside and saw several bright incandescent lights.
It was an interrogation tactic.
If a suspect was uncooperative, they could shine the lights in their face continuously or use sleep deprivation tactics.
Sooner or later, anyone would break.
The incandescent lights were still on. The vicious dog woman, Ms. Ward, was huddled in a corner shielding her eyes, looking utterly wretched.
It was a stark contrast to the menacing figure Vivian had seen on the security footage, storming into the pet hospital with the dog.
Seeing someone enter, the vicious dog woman looked up.
When she realized they weren’t police officers, she became wary. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Neither Vivian Lowell nor Julian Faulkner answered. They sat down in chairs to the side, letting Lawyer Jennings handle the negotiation with the woman.
"These two are friends of Eleanor Rhodes, the director of Tanya’s Pet Hospital—the young woman you injured yesterday."
Lawyer Jennings stood over the woman, looking down at her. "Ms. Ward, I am their legal counsel. I’m here to inform you that we intend to sue you for intentional injury."
"You could be facing a prison sentence of around ten years! Of course, if you cooperate and explain a few things, we might consider asking the judge for leniency."
Lawyer Jennings was very professional.
After saying this, he produced documents regarding the crime of "malicious assault," as well as video footage and photos from the scene at Tanya’s Pet Hospital, and the injury reports for Eleanor Rhodes and the other two doctors.
Vivian Lowell watched from a distance.
Just when she thought the crazed woman would at least jump up and deny everything, the woman merely gave the photos a cursory glance.
"Oh, she’s not dead? What a shame."
The woman sneered and looked toward Vivian Lowell, her gaze chillingly cold, like that of a reptile.
The woman said, "Go ahead and sue. It’s only ten years. I’m in my thirties now. When I get out, I’ll only be in my forties. I’ll still be able to get my revenge."
"You killed my son. You expect me to wag my tail and beg you for mercy?"
A chill went through Vivian Lowell’s heart.
"Revenge?"
She looked at the woman and said, "Your cat café failed because of your own problems! Scheming to abandon your cats at our pet hospital’s door, only to ’adopt’ them back and sell them to recoup your losses—that was your own lack of morals!"
"And about your son! I’ve already had someone look into it. You owed the hospital three hundred thousand."
"Even if no one had pulled his oxygen tube, the hospital would have cut off his medication anyway!"
"In your situation at the time, it was already impossible for you to scrape together the medical fees to continue his treatment. How dare you have the audacity to blame me and Tanya?"
Vivian Lowell laughed in anger.
She clenched her fists. She really wanted to go over and slap this woman!
"..."
Beside her, Julian Faulkner had been sitting quietly, accompanying Vivian.
Sensing that Vivian’s emotions were spiraling, he reached out and gently squeezed her clenched fist.
"Don’t be angry. She’s not worth it."
Julian Faulkner’s tone was gentle. After he spoke, he looked at the woman, his tone suddenly shifting as he said coolly, "And what makes you think you’ll have the means to get revenge after you’re released from prison?"
"Your husband and son are dead, and you’ll have a criminal record. With that alone, you’ll have a hard time even finding a job."
"Besides, I will suggest to the police that you remain a suspect with motive. They can fit you with an electronic tracking device."
"The moment you try anything, the police will arrest you immediately. The rest of your life will be spent living in the shadows."
"I suggest that if you don’t want to live like that, you should start talking. Tell me what I want to hear. If you do, I might consider giving you a bit of a break."