Over the past few weeks, the investigators sent by Spade and the Duke asked Ashton this question a lot. None of them was able to get a reliable answer.
It was actually beneath Spade to approach the criminal personally because, as Emperor, he only needed to order his subordinates to do things for him. This was why, while he was focused on the investigation, he never did the interrogation himself.
Spade's patience had run out, and he couldn't wait any longer, especially when he heard that the threats against Arren hadn't been lifted. He needed to know who the enemy was right out of the suspect's mouth.
Sure, he might have gotten a clue from the Duke, but that wasn't enough. He wouldn't feel at ease knowing that someone was hiding like a fucking mouse on his turf. Spade would not tolerate any enemies right under his nose.
