CHAPTER 504: CHAPTER 297 THE PROBLEMATIC FADILI_3

The principal was a white man in his fifties, wearing presbyopic glasses, with gray-white hair and a serious expression that suggested he was not an easy person to talk with.

He received Dean and his colleague with cold indifference.

Dean cut straight to the chase, "Mr. Principal, may I ask if you have any impression of Teague as a student?"

The principal nodded, "A profound one!"

Oh?

Dean’s eyebrows raised slightly. "Could you elaborate?"

The principal was not as uncooperative as the sheriff had said.

After a moment of thought, he began, "Before that incident, I actually didn’t have much of an impression of Teague. It was a rather severe case of bullying. Teague was stripped by classmates, locked in the restroom, and photographed. In the end, it was Miss Tori who discovered the incident. She destroyed those photos and suppressed the matter. It was during the holidays, and the school wasn’t very crowded. The only ones who knew about it were Teague, the few male classmates who bullied him, and Miss Tori. Tori was a very kind person."

At this point, a look of regret flashed across the principal’s face. "Although she was angry with the students for bullying Teague and had a talk with them, she didn’t report the incident to me. However, Teague’s father somehow found out and came to me to complain about Miss Tori."

"What?"

Officer Nellie, confused, blurted out her question.

Dean also looked at the principal puzzledly.

How could someone, after their son was helped by a teacher, go to the principal to complain about that very teacher?

The principal’s face showed helplessness as he continued, "Tori believed Teague’s timid nature was related to his parents’ neglect, so after she took Teague home, she took the opportunity to talk with them. As a result, Mr. Fadili felt Miss Tori was interfering with his freedom to educate his child. He also believed that Miss Tori’s care and concern for Teague would cause his son’s personality to remain weak, completely stripping him of the courage to fight back. It was because of this incident that I developed such a deep impression of Teague as a student."

"How could Mr. Fadili be such a person!" Nellie exclaimed, feeling a surge of anger and a chill in her heart for the deceased Miss Tori. To blame someone caring for his son’s timidity! Such bizarre logic!

Dean, however, showed no emotional fluctuation. The world is vast, filled with people who repay kindness with ingratitude; he had long since grown accustomed to it.

Next, Dean and the principal chatted briefly more, then he and Nellie took their leave.

「It was nearing evening.」

Continuing to find Teague’s classmates to gather information was no longer appropriate at this hour.

Officer Nellie awkwardly invited Dean to her place. "My apartment is quite big, Detective Dean. Why don’t you just stay at my place? I really want to learn about microexpression analysis from you."

Dean gave her a sidelong glance. If you want to learn about microexpressions, why mention how big your bed is? He could practically hear the subtext in her words.

As a man of integrity, Dean was not one to behave inappropriately.

He shook his head. "Most home invasion murders are premeditated, so anyone with a motive to kill is a suspect. Let’s go. We’ll visit Mr. Fadili’s home again."

Nellie did not argue this time. The principal’s words had shattered her previously benign impression of Teague’s father. Given Fadili’s peculiar logic, who knew what kind of person he truly was? He might even have been capable of killing Miss Tori.

The town wasn’t large. In less than ten minutes, the two drove their police car to Fadili’s house.

Before they could get out, Nellie suddenly pointed at a passerby ahead. "Detective Dean, look! Isn’t that Teague’s father, Mr. Fadili?"

Dean focused his gaze. Fadili was carrying a bag, looking around furtively, and hurriedly walking out of town.

Dean’s eyes narrowed slightly as he whispered, "Find a place to park, and let’s follow him!"

The obedient Officer Nellie parked the police car on the side of the road, and the two of them discreetly tailed the amateurish Fadili out of town.