Chapter 859
Once inside, Hector flipped on the lights.
Lucas still didn’t move. He wanted to see exactly where Julian was.
The next second, as the lights came on, the room lit up brightly. And there he was—Julian, completely unrecognizable after just a couple of days. His hair was a tangled mess, sticking out like a bird’s nest. He was still wearing the same clothes from the day he got arrested. A vacant grin sat on his face as he muttered, “Mom and Dad are coming for me. I’ll get out of here for sure. You’ll all see. I won’t let any of you off the hook… heh heh…”
Julian lay curled up on the floor, body pressed tightly against the corner wall.
The reason they hadn’t seen him earlier was because he’d been positioned just outside their line of sight, which had led to the confusion.
Desmond had seen Julian before. He remembered once, both Julian and Lucas had attended Grace’s birthday celebration. Back then, Julian had been full of confidence and swagger. Maybe it was because he’d always been so sheltered by his family, but he’d even dared to challenge Lucas publicly. He went as far as to question the authenticity of Lucas’ gift, never doubting his own. Admittedly, Julian had been a real presence at that event. But now? Desmond couldn’t even reconcile the two versions of the man in his mind.
Lucas raised a brow in surprise. “Did you interrogate him with force?”
Desmond also looked up, curious. It was the only explanation that made any sense. How had it only been a few days, and yet he looked like this?
When they’d investigated Julian before, there hadn’t been any signs of mental illness in his family. So, this current state – was it really something he’d done to himself? Desmond found that hard to believe.
But Hector shook his head, his expression difficult to read. “To be honest, we really didn’t do anything to him.”
Hector might’ve been a citizen of Millford, but he still believed in handling things peacefully. He never mistreated the suspects they brought in. His dream growing up had been to help people clear their names, not to add to the number of wrongful convictions. Because of that, he actually hated violent interrogation methods even more.
Hector let out a sigh. “Mr. Carter, you probably don’t know the whole story. That day, right after we separated him from Miss Walton, he just… changed. He’s been rambling ever since.”
Hector shook his head. “We’ve been trying to get in touch with his parents, because this isn’t sustainable. Our station’s not a care facility; we’re not equipped to deal with someone mentally unstable long-term.”
Desmond was still stunned. So, Julian’s tolerance for pressure was really that low? This little bit of fallout and he’d just snapped?
Lucas still wasn’t convinced. What if Julian was faking it? After all, no one in this world could be trusted completely. Not even the people closest to him. With that in mind, Lucas turned to Desmond and gave a quiet order: “Go in there. Figure out whether he’s really lost it or just pretending. Be thorough. Leave no room for error.”
Desmond nodded. “Understood, sir.”