Chapter 327 - The Raid

"Korea?" Jackson asked with confusion. Why was his brother suddenly asking him to go to Korea?

Emerson immediately started explaining the incident with Avaleigh, including how her group member was murdered and how her father was the main suspect.

"The last few days, the police have been investigating the case non-stop, trying to find solid evidence to request for extradition, but they didn't have any luck until today..."

A few hours ago, Avaleigh had decided to go buy some groceries again and called Albert to drive her. Over the past few days, he had unofficially become her private driver because she trusted in him.

As she sat in the front passenger seat, she began to think of her father and decided to look through some of the photos that Steven had captured of the man. It had been over a decade since she last saw him and he looked a lot more tired and frail than she remembered.

Just as the car stopped at a red light, Albert glanced over and saw the photo in Avaleigh's hand. The first thing he noticed straight away was the dragon tattoo on the man's arm.

"That tattoo!" he exclaimed. "I've seen it before!"

Avaleigh immediately lifted her head and looked at Albert with curiosity.

"That day, after I dropped you off at the hotel, he boarded the taxi after you," Albert said with confidence. "He had exactly the same tattoo. Even his hat was the same as the one in this photo and he had the same build."

"A-Are you sure?" Avaleigh asked with a slight stutter. That would mean her father didn't leave until just after she got back to the hotel. Was he really in Mimi's room that entire time? If he was, then he was definitely the killer.

"I'm pretty sure. I saw him again the other day when you dropped your shopping outside the supermarket. He helped you pick up your lemons and was acting strange," Albert said. 

He then furrowed his brows with confusion, "Why do you have a photo of him?"

Avaleigh took a deep breath and replied, "This is my father and he is the lead suspect in Mimi's murder. Turn around, we need to go see Officer Liang right away."

Emerson recalled how Avaleigh discovered a connection between her father and Albert and continued to explain what happened next, "After Avaleigh met with Officer Liang, she looked through Albert's camera footage again and asked forensics to sweep his car. On the floor of the backseat, they discovered a small drop of blood that matched Mimi's, and when they compared the man's tattoo to the maintenance worker and the photos of Avaleigh's father, they were a 95% match even though the images weren't clear. Officer Liang is currently working on doc.u.mentation to send to Interpol, and Interpol will send a request to Korea to have him arrested and extradited. But, Officer Liang said there is a chance the extradition will be rejected. After all, he killed a Korean citizen, and a high profile one too. If that happens, he may be arrested and tried in Korea instead."

Emerson paused for a moment. "We are almost certain he is the killer, but he is still Avaleigh's father. If he gets tried in Korea, he will likely get the death sentence. I know how she feels. I hate my mother for what she did to you and your mother, but I would rather she rot in prison than to have her sentenced to death."

"With your connections at Interpol, can you ask them to hold off on the arrest and attempt to bring him back to Hong Kong yourself?" Emerson asked.

All these years, this was the only thing he had ever asked of his brother.

"Who is this woman to you? I don't even know her. Why should I help?" Jackson couldn't help but ask.

Emerson glanced at Avaleigh who was sitting in the living room with her head down and his heart broke. She had no idea he was on the phone with his brother. Moreover, she had no idea that Emerson's brother was ex-Interpol. All she could think about was her father. Did he really kill Mimi? Why did he kill her? What would happen to him now?

"She is very special to me... My heart breaks when she is sad..." Emerson replied.

Jackson smirked. His brother obviously liked this girl, but why was he being so cryptic with his answer? Was he still unsure? Or was he holding back?

"Do you love her?" Jackson asked straightforwardly.

Emerson glanced at Avaleigh again and his heart began to race. The last few days, she had been cooking dinner for him every night and he had been finishing work on time so he could spend those few hours with her. Although nothing was official between them, there was an ambiguous vibe whenever they were together. It felt almost like a husband returning home to his wife. Even the security guard downstairs greeted Avaleigh as Mrs. Wu. The only time when reality hit was when it got late and he had to return to his other home. But, he respected her and did not take advantage of her; he wanted to protect her, care for her...and love her.

With a slight quiver in his voice, Emerson replied, "I want to love her."

"OK, I'll go," Jackson responded straightforwardly. This answer was enough for him. As an older brother, he was going to support his brother. Besides, he wanted to make sure that Emerson had 100% moved on from Halia.

After he hung up the phone, he turned to the three people in the room and said, "Let's go to Korea. While we're there, I need to look for someone..."

Halia, Natalie, and Sean were a bit curious, but they had no objections, so they immediately booked a flight out that night.

Just as they checked out and stepped out of the resort to flag down a taxi, a SWAT team surrounded the building and carefully made their way inside. The captain collected the key card that Halia had left for him and headed into one elevator with a team of men. After he scanned it, he threw the key card out so more men could catch another elevator.

Halia, Jackson, Sean, and Natalie glanced behind them as the taxi drove off. "Something big must be happening at that resort. Lucky you left in time," the taxi driver commented. The four looked at each other and smiled. Jose Gabriel Santos was going down!

But, unbeknownst to them, when the elevators reached the bas.e.m.e.nt floor of the resort and the doors opened, all the SWAT team saw was a round room filled with storage and cleaning equipment, from floor to ceiling...

There were no men guarding the floor...

...no children playing...

...and no golden door...