Chapter 66 Kicking The Door Open
Thinking back to the human trafficking case, Kendall casually asked, "Helen, Joe, and John, have they been tried yet?"
"Not yet." Mark explained to Kendall in detail, "Although Ruby Road Police and other colleagues successfully netted this entire ring of human traffickers, the cases they are involved in are numerous and span many years.
Just organizing and investigating everything will take a considerable amount of time.
But don't worry, with so many cases tied to their hands, and human trafficking being such a heinous and wicked act, the death penalty is absolutely unavoidable for them. "
———
Mark's words came true. Two years later, Helen, John, and Joe all stood trial and were immediately sentenced to death, with all their assets confiscated.
After the three were caught, their identities as human traffickers were exposed.
In this modern age of advanced information, the families and relatives of the three were all affected.
Not only were they mocked and shunned in society, but even their children attending school suffered bullying and verbal abuse from their classmates.
Their extended families avoided them, and their neighbours hated them to the core.
During the two years they were waiting for trial, Helen, John, and Joe were held in prison, and not a single person came to visit them.
The other inmates in the prison, upon learning that these three were incarcerated for human trafficking, looked down on them immensely.
Although they were all criminals, there was a clear hierarchy of contempt even among inmates!
Committing acts that destroyed families and abducted girls and children was absolutely despicable and utterly inhumane!
They would never commit such heartless crimes!
The three were constantly bullied by other inmates in prison, being beaten and starved was a common occurrence, and they lived a life where no one would answer their cries for help.
It wasn't until the judge pronounced the death sentence two years later that their wicked lives finally came to an end.
———
The call with Mark gave Kendall a clearer understanding of Olivia's desire for a divorce. Filing a lawsuit through the court was currently the safer method.
With each new lawsuit, the past records would make the court increasingly likely to grant the divorce. However, there was one catch, each lawsuit had to be spaced six months apart.
'Spending half a year waiting for an uncertain outcome?'
Kendall mentally ruled out the court ruling route first. It didn't matter that James didn't want a divorce now, she had a way to make him agree to the divorce.
Kendall pulled up the contact information for the private investigator on her phone and asked him to send over all the information he had recently gathered on James.
Kendall had hired this private investigator some time ago specifically to look into James's affairs. Olivia hadn't contacted Kendall recently, so Kendall hadn't actively contacted the private investigator.
The private investigator had been diligently working with the 10,000 dollars Kendall transferred to him in advance. Upon receiving Kendall's message, he immediately sent over all the information he had collected on James.
James, a native of Orapolis, worked for a state-owned enterprise, was 35 years old, held an executive position in the company, and his mother died in an accident years ago, followed by his father's passing due to illness.
James had excellent grades since childhood, enrolled in a reputed undergraduate university, successfully pursued his master's degree, and joined the state-owned enterprise after graduation. His life was smooth sailing, and he was always referred to as 'that perfect son' by everyone.
In the eyes of his colleagues, James had outstanding work ability, a good personality, high emotional intelligence, and a clean private life, making him a rare good man.
Yet, this man with an apparently clean record secretly harboured the wicked habit of physically abusing his wife. The private investigator had followed James repeatedly over the past few days but found no unsavoury private activities.
After sending the information to Kendall, he asked, "Should I continue following him?"
Kendall replied concisely, "Keep following him for now."
Continuing the tail meant getting paid. The private investigator smiled upon hearing this. "Got it!"
James's daily schedule was very fixed. Kendall had run into him twice when she went out.
The man was reaching the age where people tend to gain weight, yet he maintained a very fit physique.
He was tall and imposing, carrying a briefcase, dressed in a suit, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine, completely spotless.
Seeing Kendall coming out, James even took the initiative to nod kindly at her, his expression warm, looking like a friendly neighbour.
But his surface pretence couldn't fool Kendall.
Kendall had seen through the micro monitor how he treated his three-year-old daughter when he got home.
The same face, but the expression was completely different.
It was filled with disgust and coldness, making it seem highly likely he would become violent at any moment.
The time for the variety show recording was drawing near, which meant Kendall's entry into the program was fast approaching. Kendall didn't want to drag this matter out for too long, so she checked the updates from the bear monitor and the private investigator every day.
In the dead of night, Kendall was suddenly jolted awake from her sleep.
The room was quiet, and completely dark.
Kendall felt an inexplicable unease. She turned her head and suddenly noticed her phone screen lighting up.
The phone, which was set to Do Not Disturb, had a bright screen quietly displaying an incoming call from an unfamiliar number.
Kendall picked up the phone and instinctively answered the call. The line was very quiet, and no one spoke for a long time, but if she listened carefully, she could hear faint, messy sounds. Kendall froze, then suddenly sprang up from the bed with a quick movement.
"Mrs. Olivia?" Kendall called out, but the person didn't respond and quickly hung up the phone.
Kendall and Olivia had added each other on number previously, and Kendall had given her phone number to Olivia.
However, Kendall did not know Olivia's phone number because Olivia said James sometimes checked her phone.
If anything happened, she would take the initiative to contact Kendall.
Kendall strongly suspected that this call came from Olivia.
Kendall turned on the room light and walked all the way to the balcony. She leaned out and glanced around. It was already 2:30 AM, and the light in Olivia's apartment was still on.
The ominous feeling in her heart grew stronger. Kendall walked toward the living room while calling the private investigator. The call connected, and the private investigator answered sleepily. "Hello?"
Kendall was already walking through the living room to put on her shoes by the entrance. "What time did James get home today?"
"Ah, I think it was 1:30 AM... He went to a cocktail party with his leader after work, then went to a bar with colleagues, and ate late-night snacks after that. He seemed to have drunk a lot of alcohol..." The private investigator's voice was groggy.
Hearing this, Kendall no longer hesitated. She immediately left her apartment and walked to Olivia's door, banging on it. Kendall's knocking was heavy.
After a few minutes, James's impatient voice came from inside. "Who is it?!"
Kendall ignored him and continued to knock.
The persistent banging continued without stopping. On a normal day, James would be highly vigilant and always mindful of his image. But tonight, he had been drinking, and the knocking interrupted him in the middle of an act of violence.
James, full of malice, shuffled over in his slippers to open the door. He was going to see which lowlife was banging on his door! He would break their hand!
James squinted, opening the door while shouting furiously. "Who are you?!"
Kendall stood outside the door. Seeing James's malicious appearance, she knew her suspicion was absolutely correct.
Kendall didn't answer. She lowered her gaze to the gap of twenty to thirty centimetres in the doorway, and simply raised her foot and kicked!
Bang!
James, standing behind the door, was instantly slammed in the head by the door. The enormous force of the impact sent him staggering back several steps!
The door swung wide open, with no obstruction, and Kendall stepped inside.
(End of Chapter)