Chapter 267 He Was Dead!

Alexander's POV

Our contact's voice crackled through the phone. "Mr. Hudson, we're closing in. The dock is just ahead."

I could feel adrenaline pumping through my veins. After everything Scott had done—falsifying paternity tests, lying to Katherine, manipulating our lives—we were finally going to get answers.

But as we turned onto a dilapidated street, my instincts told me something was wrong.

The neighborhoods had been deteriorating with each turn, and now we found ourselves in what appeared to be the most impoverished area I'd ever seen.

"Stop the car," I ordered, scanning the surroundings.

People were lying on the ground, some clearly intoxicated, others perhaps dead. The stench of garbage and human waste permeated the air.

"Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Hudson, you should stay back," our security lead advised as we exited the vehicle. The team immediately formed a protective circle around us.

Amidst a narrow opening in their arrangement, my gaze landed upon a motionless body sprawled on the ground. Dark, viscous blood was steadily pooling beneath it, spreading slowly like an ever - expanding, macabre stain.

As I cautiously inched closer, my heart pounding in my chest, desperate for a clearer view, an overwhelming jolt of pure horror shot through every fiber of my being.

In an instant, I recognized the lifeless form.

It was Scott!

The sight of his motionless body, bloodied and still, left no room for doubt. He was dead!

Katherine, beside me, let out an involuntary gasp. Her eyes widened in sheer terror, and in a split second, she immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, her entire body going rigid as she fought to stifle the scream that threatened to escape.

Shaken to my core, I quickly stepped back towards Katherine, my movements almost robotic. Gently, I guided her trembling form to lean against me.

I wrapped my arm tightly around her. "What the hell is this place?" I demanded.

Our local contact stepped closer. "This is a notorious slum area in Phuket. People die here every day—gang violence, starvation, disease. See those people lying around? Most are already dead. There's been gang warfare here for days. Police don't even bother coming. Many fugitives hide here because no authority wants to deal with this zone. I'll have them bring the body closer for identification."

Katherine gasped softly beside me. I pulled her closer, shielding her from the grim reality surrounding us.

Two men cautiously approached, carrying Scott's body between them. They laid him before us at a respectful distance.

A single knife wound to his abdomen had been fatal.

His eyes were open, staring lifelessly at the sky, his face frozen in what looked like surprised horror. His gaunt appearance made him almost unrecognizable from the man I remembered.

I quickly moved to block Katherine's view. At the same time, Katherine covered Ryan's eyes.

Just then, Ryan wriggled a bit and exclaimed, "Is that person dead?!"

"Yes, Ryan. You're a little man now. Please don't look at these gory scenes, okay? Right now, what we need to do is search his body for anything useful, and then find a place to bury him," I instructed, turning Katherine away from the gruesome sight.

After a thorough search, one of my men reported back. "Nothing valuable, sir. Just a damaged phone. No wallet, no cards, nothing else of interest."

Ryan, ever observant, questioned, "No bank cards? He must have had money if he'd been gambling at casinos all this time."

"Nothing, sir," the man confirmed. "If he had anything valuable, the locals would have taken it already. The phone is only here because it's broken."

Despite everything Scott had done, seeing him end this way was disturbing. I squeezed Katherine's hand reassuringly, and Ryan reached for her other hand.

"Katherine, don't dwell on it," I said softly. "Let's head back."

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Mom, there's something strange about this. We located him just an hour ago, and by the time we arrived, he was already dead. There must be more going on here that we need to investigate."

I agreed with Ryan's assessment. Scott's convenient death raised too many questions. Who else was involved? Who had been financing him?

Katherine composed herself and suggested, "We should report this to the police. At least we can find out if it was gang-related."

The local police station was as depressing as I'd expected. Peeling paint, flickering lights, and officers who looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. They barely glanced at our report before filing it away.

"So, tourist man dead in slum area. Probably robbery. We make report," the officer said dismissively, pushing the paperwork aside.

I slammed my hand on the desk, causing several officers to look up. "I said, I want to know the cause of his death. You'd better give me a timeline."

The officer's demeanor changed instantly when he realized we weren't ordinary tourists. Perhaps it was the security detail waiting outside.

"Yes, sir. We will investigate immediately. We will have results soon," he assured me, suddenly attentive.

Back at our hotel, Katherine took a call from Kevin while I ordered room service. She gave him a sanitized version of events, carefully omitting the more disturbing details.

"Don't worry, Kevin. We're fine," she assured him.

I noticed her scratching her arm repeatedly during the call. As she hung up, I handed her a glass of warm water.

"Katherine, are you feeling alright? You look flushed," I said, concerned.

Ryan looked up from his tablet. "Mom, your face is really red. Do you have a fever?"

"I don't think so," she replied, shaking her head. "I'm just tired from today. And I didn't sleep well last night."

I assumed she was shaken by seeing Scott's body and exhausted from our journey. "Get some rest. We'll stay the night and head back tomorrow. I'll arrange for a helicopter to pick us up instead of dealing with commercial flights."

Katherine nodded and lay down on the bed. Ryan and I settled at the small table, discussing who might have been backing Scott and making arrangements for the helicopter.

"Dad, I think we should check Selena's recent transactions," Ryan suggested, his voice low. "She had both motive and opportunity."

I nodded, impressed by his intuition. "Good thinking. Can your team access those records?"

Ryan was already typing. "Working on it now."

Suddenly, a retching sound came from the bed. Katherine had bolted upright and was now rushing to the bathroom. I hurried after her, holding her hair back as she vomited repeatedly.

When she finally stopped, I placed my hand on her forehead and was alarmed by the heat radiating from her skin.

"You're burning up," I said, helping her back to the bed.

Ryan checked her temperature with the hotel's thermometer. "104 degrees! Dad, this is serious."

Katherine curled into herself, shivering despite the tropical heat. "It hurts," she whimpered, her voice barely audible. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her body trembled uncontrollably.

I'd never seen her like this, and it terrified me. I scooped her up in my arms, her skin burning against mine.

"Call the car. We're going to the hospital. Now."