"Mr. Cadwell?"
"Oh." Not just anyone could beco the chief of police before the age of forty. Simon Cadwell had already seen from their previous interaction that Jeff Quinlan and Nathalie Quinlan’s relationship was strained. He glanced surreptitiously at the indifferent girl, quickly made a judgnt, and his face turned cold. Creating distance from Jeff Quinlan, he said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "How co Mr. Quinlan seems to be more knowledgeable about the case than the chief of police himself?"
Jeff Quinlan detected the mockery in his words, and his body tensed. He didn’t understand why Simon Cadwell had been so warm and cordial towards him just a mont ago and had suddenly changed his tune, not giving him any "face" in public.
But Simon Cadwell was the district chief of police. Even though he wasn’t a high-ranking official, he held significant power. Suppressing his sense of humiliation, Jeff Quinlan forced a stiff smile.
"I’ve only heard things here and there, nothing amounting to understanding the case. I was just worried about Nathalie... If I’ve said anything to offend you, Mr. Cadwell, I hope you won’t mind."
Seeing that he kept bringing up Nathalie, Simon Cadwell stopped paying attention to him. He stepped past Jeff Quinlan and walked up to Nathalie with a full, friendly smile: "You must be Nathalie Quinlan, right? I’m Simon Cadwell, responsible for this area."
Nathalie Quinlan nodded her head. Compared to Jeff Quinlan, her response was plain and calm: "Mr. Cadwell."
Simon Cadwell turned to ask the officer next to her, "Is the transcript done?"
The officer hurriedly replied, "It’s all done."
Turning back to Nathalie, Simon Cadwell spoke politely, "Thank you for your support in our work, Miss Quinlan. We’ve got those hoodlums under control, and we’ll be checking their records to see if they have any priors."
"We owe you a debt of gratitude for today’s assistance. Without your courageous actions, who knows what trouble those people could have caused for the public safety here. I will make sure to pass on word to your school to properly promote this spirit of bravery."
"I didn’t do much; there’s no need to bring the school into this."
Quickly, Simon Cadwell said, "Right, my mistake. We’ll just send a letter of comndation to your school instead of making it a whole school-wide announcent."
Jeff Quinlan, listening on the side, felt utterly confused and interjected, "Nathalie was being brave? What are you talking about? Wasn’t she causing trouble and fighting?"
Simon Cadwell couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. As if he hadn’t heard a word, he walked over and patted Nathalie’s shoulder, behaving like a genial elder, "It’s getting late, and since the transcript is finished, you should head back, Miss Quinlan. Would you like us to give you a ride?"
Nathalie Quinlan saw the Phaeton car parked outside. She took her single shoulder bag handed over by the officer, slung it casually over her shoulder with three parts wild and one part roguish air: "No need. I’ll walk."
"Alright, then. Be safe on your way."
Simon Cadwell waved goodbye, watching her leave before turning back to Jeff Quinlan with a profound look: "Mr. Quinlan, you’re a smart man. There are certain things I’d rather not say too openly. The Quinlan Group has had its fair share of dealings with us. Let offer you a piece of advice."
Jeff Quinlan was still sowhat dazed, not understanding why Nathalie had already left, and subconsciously asked, "What’s that?"
Simon Cadwell t his gaze with a aningful look, speaking deliberately, "When it cos to life, you have to look at the bigger picture! Don’t lose the waterlon while picking up sesa seeds."
He had seen the Phaeton outside, which was a Zachmann Family car, and among the people who had called him today included so from Beijing’s power circles.
That was a level he couldn’t even reach, and yet the Quinlan family was acting as if they wanted to make it clear they were disentangling themselves from such connections, as if they were afraid of being involved.
What fools!
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