Chapter 19: The Crucial Phone Call

Benjamin's face was dead serious as he said, "A female officer once went into the village for an investigation. She got betrayed by one of the trafficked women, raped by all the men in the village, and then killed. Olivia, Henry's call is spot on!"

Olivia couldn't believe it. "How could anyone do something so awful, and after twenty years, it's still not fixed," she thought.

"Mr. White..." Olivia started.

"Don't say another word. This isn't something you can get involved in. Just stay in touch with the local police and report any updates right away!" Benjamin said firmly.

Olivia had no choice but to agree and went back to the office, only to find William missing. She asked a coworker about it.

"William? He went out with Mr. Phillips. They're on a business trip to Silverpeak City!" the coworker replied.

Hearing this, Olivia felt a bit weird. Henry had told her not to go to Pinecrest Village, yet he went himself. This gave her a new perspective on him.

He was actually someone who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the cafeteria to arrange for lunch when Autumn came. He probably didn't want Olivia's parents to think she wasn't doing well in Emerald City.

But when it came to work, Henry was super strict with Olivia. He wasn't just tough on her but on everyone, including himself.

With this in mind, Olivia contacted the local police in Pinecrest Village. A day later, she boarded a train to Silverpeak City.

After some prep, Henry took William to Pinecrest Village and found the husband who had bought Aurelia, the guy she called the cripple.

Before entering the village, Henry noticed a few people sitting on small hills at the village entrance, just chatting.

It was early spring, and it had snowed recently. Chatting on the hilltops in such cold weather seemed odd.

"Mr. Phillips, this is Marshall Banks' home. He had polio as a kid and couldn't find a wife even at thirty, so he bought one. She ran away a couple of years ago but left him with a daughter who looks quite pretty!" the village leader, Everett Stevens, eagerly introduced to Henry, who was checking out the village streets.

"You seem to think that trafficking women is no big deal. Is that right?" Henry said coldly, making Everett's scalp tingle.

"Mr. Phillips, that's definitely not okay. I know trafficking women is illegal!" Everett stammered.

After that, Everett didn't dare to say more and led Henry and William straight to Marshall's home.

Surprisingly, Marshall's home wasn't as poor as Aurelia had described. The three-room house was clean, and the yard was piled with corn, showing a decent living condition.

"Marshall, come out. We have guests!" Everett called out.

Footsteps sounded inside, and Henry could tell from the sound that the person was using a crutch. Soon, a man in his sixties appeared before Henry and William.

"Everett, why did you bring the police to my house?" Marshall asked, his voice full of suspicion.

"These two officers are from Emerald City. Something happened to Aurelia!" Everett replied.

At the mention of Aurelia, Marshall's expression became agitated.

"What happened to her? She insisted on going home back then and lied about going back to get a divorce. I knew she was lying!" Marshall said, looking very sad.

Henry broke the news to Marshall that Aurelia was dead.

"Dead?" Marshall was stunned but quickly pulled himself together.

Henry watched him closely and noticed a subtle sigh of relief. Henry's eyes narrowed; Marshall was definitely suspicious.

Just then, Henry's phone rang. It was Olivia. Henry frowned slightly and took out his phone.

"William, fill him in on the case details. Also, we need to see Aurelia's daughter; it's part of the procedure," Henry instructed before stepping outside.

Henry's words seemed to put Marshall at ease. William didn't think much of it and recounted the whole story.

Meanwhile, outside, Henry carefully scanned the surroundings and noticed someone watching him. He then walked towards the village entrance.

"What's up?" Henry asked as he answered the phone.

Hearing Henry's voice, Olivia quickly spoke up, "Mr. Phillips, I found out that Aurelia's so-called crippled husband is actually a human trafficker. He lured her to Pinecrest Village with a fake job offer. Since Aurelia is quite pretty, he decided to keep her as his wife!"

Holding the phone, Henry stopped without showing any emotion. When he turned around, he saw several people hiding in the nearby alleys, and he understood the situation.

"Got it. Prepare all the materials and wait for me to sign them when I get back. William and I should return to Emerald City tomorrow," Henry replied calmly.

After hanging up, he walked back into the village. Not far ahead, he saw Everett leading William towards him.

"All done?" Henry asked.

William nodded and shook the folder in his hand. "All done. The notice has been signed. Everett said Aurelia's daughter is in high school in town. We just need to talk to her, and we can go back."

Following the procedure, there shouldn't be any issues. Henry nodded and thanked Everett.

"Thanks, Everett. We'll head to the town police station now," Henry said.

Everett nodded with a smile. After they left, his face gradually darkened. He didn't go home but went straight to Marshall's house.

"Go hide for a while. Don't come back until you hear from me!" Everett instructed Marshall.

Henry drove back to the town police station, with a van following them the entire way. William was unaware of this. After learning about the situation at the police station, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Good thing we didn't slip up earlier, or we might not have made it out of the village!" William said, visibly shaken.

Henry looked at the documents, his face unusually serious.

"The fact that they dare to do this so openly means someone local must be protecting them!" Henry said, turning to the town police chief, Lyle Schmidt, who quickly waved his hands.

"Henry, don't look at me. I've only been here for three months. I can get into any other village, but every time I go to Pinecrest Village, Everett is always waiting at the entrance, more punctual than me!" Lyle explained defensively.

Lyle was Henry's classmate from the police academy. He used to be a detective but had to take a desk job after being seriously injured on a mission. So, he ended up as the town police chief.

"By the way, your team member should be here any moment!" Lyle added.

Henry frowned, suddenly having a bad feeling. Just then, the door opened, and someone walked in.

"Olivia, what are you doing here?" Henry asked, surprised to see her.

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