Chapter 958 Where Is Your Search Warrant?
On the other hand, Elise was busy cleaning the front yard with her two children just when they were interrupted by Gale, who barged into the place with several police officers. After they walked right through the door, they immediately made themselves clear that they were after Jamie without even bothering to greet Elise. “Where is Jamie Keller?” The senior inspector right beside Gale asked arrogantly.
“Who is Jamie Keller? We don’t know this guy at all.” Alexia opened her eyes and looked at her brother while trying to play dumb. Jamie had dropped by a few minutes earlier, but Elise, having learned what happened from Narissa, quickly told him to hide in the basement while the children stood aside and watched. Therefore, they had an idea of what was going on and knew what must be done.
“A child who lies has to be punished, little girl.” Gale bent over and stared at Alexia with a sinister smile. Irvin immediately stood in front of her and threatened the man, warning, “Don’t you dare lay a finger on my sister!”
Gale chuckled coldly and shifted his gaze to Elise. “Mrs. Griffith, you’re a smart woman, so I’m just going to cut the crap and tell you what’s going on. Jamie is an important suspect that the police are after. We’re here because we discovered that he’s always seen around this area. Thus, we’d appreciate it if you could hand him over to us.”
Elise plunged the shove into the soil and dusted her hands. “Didn’t you hear what my daughter just said? We don’t know anyone whose name is Jamie Keller, so leave now.” She reacted with an irritated look on her face, knowing the Mesdran police were notorious for taking advantage of those who didn’t dare to stand up to them.
Furthermore, Cittadelians suffered from a severe deprivation of their rights in Mesdra as a result of the police’s particular discrimination toward them. For that, Elise reckoned she mustn’t show weakness in front of them as she was determined to let them know that she was no pushover.
“Stop kidding me, Mrs. Griffith. Do you think we’re just going to take your word for it? The police have evidence, so cooperate with us. Otherwise, we will search the house by ourselves.” Gale pushed the glasses on his nasal bridge with an ambiguous smile on his face, acting like a villain who looked smart but was cunning on the inside.
“What are you guys going to do if I don’t agree to it? Are you going to barge in?” Elise walked to the stairs and stood in the middle in an attempt to assert her dominance.
Gale smiled and winked at the senior inspector right next to him. The next second, the inspector immediately understood his signal and proceeded to threaten Elise, believing there was no one else in the house besides her and the children. “Listen, lady. We have the right to search any place where we think a suspect could be possibly hiding, so you must cooperate, or we’ll have to take you back with us!” He then raised his hand and beckoned his subordinates over. “Search the house now!”
Soon, more than a dozen police officers rushed into the residence’s compound from the outside, charging at Elise and the children as they were ready to barge into the mansion. However, just when they got to the stairs, they saw a silhouette appearing right behind Elise and the kids. In that instant, everyone was overawed and stunned by the intimidating aura the figure gave off and stopped in their tracks.
Despite only wearing his pajamas, Alexander radiated a menacing aura with his emotionless expression and chilly gaze. He then sluggishly walked closer to Elise and shifted his gaze from one police officer to another, but even though he was just one man, no one seemed brave enough to mess with him.
Having intimidated the officers with his presence, Alexander looked up and stared at Gale and the senior inspector standing from a distance away. “I see that you want to search my house. Do you have a warrant from the embassy?” Alexander’s terse reply was brief yet powerful, for those words clearly showed that Gale and the cops would have to go through the embassy to get to him. You guys are wrong to think that you can just bully every Cittadelian.
When Gale and the senior inspector heard Alexander’s response, their faces changed, but ironically, that was precisely what gave their fear away. While they would have been lucky to get away with it if they had dealt with someone who didn’t know the law, it seemed that Alexander was about to make them regret their insensible decision.
As Alexander expected, they set out in a rush without applying for a warrant from the embassy. Therefore, they would be considered trespassing should they insist on barging into the mansion. Furthermore, with Alexander’s influence and power, he could easily make everyone involved lose their job with just a word.
Meanwhile, Gale quickly changed his tune and smiled apologetically at Alexander. “We’re friends, Mr. Griffith. I’m sure you would hate to see my company suffering from a huge loss, wouldn’t you? Just let us in so that we can search for the person we want. Regardless of any charges pressed against Jamie Keller, I promise that you and your family will not get dragged down.”
“Who are you calling a friend here?” Alexander put his hands in his pocket, refusing to play along with Gale.
Gale’s smile stiffened on his face. He felt so embarrassed that he wished he could just dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it.
How heartless! You’re only nice to people you think are useful to you, Alexander. However, don’t you know that making one more friend is going to be helpful for your business empire? What good is it going to do you to oppose me? Hand Jamie over to me, and I’ll be indebted to you. Then, when I become BJ Biotech’s president, I’ll be sure to repay you. Isn’t that worth considering? It’s not something hard to understand, or perhaps Cittadelians are simply just not smart businessmen.
While Gale and the senior inspector were still discussing what they should do, Alexander immediately threatened them to leave. “I’m going to give you two minutes. When the time is up, I want all of you to disappear from my place, or I will call your captain and have him handle this matter.” Alexander flashed the phone in front of him, his eyes filled with a chilly aura and determination.
Gale and the senior inspector exchanged eye contact before they mutually agreed that they should avoid the conflict with Alexander. “Fall back!” The senior inspector ordered his subordinates to retreat.
In the meantime, Gale turned around and walked away, only to double back shortly after. “Mr. Griffith, we may no longer be friends now, but I’d still like to warn you something. Harboring a criminal is a serious felony in Mesdra. The police will monitor every move the Griffith Family makes based on the sources they receive. Stay optimistic; I bet you’re going to need it.” Gale finished his sentence and walked out the door with the police. Nevertheless, he left a few of them outside the Griffith Manor before he took one last glimpse of the house and left.
Meanwhile, Jamie was sitting in a chair in the basement, his sweat dripping down his forehead like rainfall. “How long have you been running?” Paul curiously asked.
“For about an hour,” Jamie answered while catching his breath. His escape was met with difficult challenges and setbacks when he saw roadblocks on almost every street. To create less commotion, he had no choice but to travel on foot. When he saw a chance, he sprinted as fast as he could and made his way to the Griffith Manor, or he might have needed to spend the night on a random tree he could find along the way.
Upon noticing Paul’s improved health, Jamie added, “Well, guess what? I tried digging for evidence that might testify against Gale, but look where I got myself—I have to go into hiding just like you.”
Curious about Jamie’s story, Paul asked, “You might have saved me when I fell out of ‘convenience’, but why are you risking yourself to stand against Gale? Don’t patronize me with your cock-and-bull story, though—I don’t believe anyone would ever risk his future for no good reason.”
When Gale plunged the blade through Paul’s body, he had also broken the man’s heart. Paul no longer believed that anyone was trustworthy after being betrayed by Gale, whom he once considered someone close to him. Therefore, he couldn’t help but doubt Jamie’s motive even though he had saved his life in the past.
