Chapter 292

Eight o’clock in the evening.

Metzker’s Bar.

“Cheers!” The people of the Robbery and Murder Division’s 1st Squadron raised their glasses in celebration.

This time, the case had a lot of twists and turns, and the murderer was still a highly intelligent pervert, so there was an invisible pressure on everyone from top to bottom.

Among them, the one under the most pressure was naturally Luke, who had just become the acting squadron leader.

Therefore, Luke definitely needed a good drink today.

The vice squadron swept a glance at the crowd: ”In the past, when Susan was here, I always felt that she didn’t fit in, and now that she’s gone ……

Captain, you should ask Reed to add some new team members.

I like a livelier atmosphere.

Jackson is good, but we’re still a little understaffed.”

Luke put his glass down, “You’re right, I’ll mention it when I debrief with Red tomorrow.”

Jenny was concerned, “By the way, have either of you heard from Captain Susan, how is she doing?”

Susan wasn’t the type of person for pleasantries and shushing, plus it had been a busy time, Luke hadn’t really bothered to say hello.

The lieutenant laughed, “Don’t worry, Susan’s transfer to the Directorate’s Internal Affairs Department can be said to be like a fish out of water, I can’t think of a more suitable department for her.”

Blackie said, “Why talk about sad topics, we should talk about something happy.”

As Xiao Hei’s words fell, Jackson curiously said, “Captain, this time the investigation of the headless female corpse case is very difficult, if we successfully solve this case, will you be able to change your job as well?”

The vice squad bristled, “What are you thinking about, if it was that easy, I would have been the captain long ago.”

Xiao Hei asked the same question, “But I remember that Captain Susan was transferred soon after.”

The lieutenant shook his head, “Susan has a lot of seniority, she is the head of the internal affairs department, and her transfer to be the deputy director of the robbery and murder division is more than enough, what can Luke compare with her.”

This old man’s speech really owes a beating, but Luke is also too lazy to bother with him, it’s not a crime.

In his previous life, Luke had seen similar people within the system, commonly known as the old man.

Who is the hardest person to get along with in a unit?

The old man who doesn’t want to get ahead.

His direct supervisor can’t decide whether he stays or goes.

Higher level also do not talk to him in general.

To put it bluntly, which unit does not have a little bit of cat and mouse, the rabbit is anxious to bite people.

Of course, compared to those old greaseballs who ate idle food, the vice squad still had its merits, although his temper stank, but he was experienced in handling cases and never wore out his welcome, Luke still hoped that he would stay in the squad.

At least in the short term, he could play a not insignificant role in the team.

After this case, Luke also had a new plan for the team, in which the vice team also had an important role.

The reason why the case of the headless woman’s body has a series of twists and turns, in addition to the real culprit, Henry, who is cautious and cunning in committing the crime, and the agent, McKell Arthur, who interferes with the direction of the police’s investigation, there is also an important reason why Luke reduces the number of outgoing investigations and stays on the team to sit on the team.

It was also this move that caused Agent McKell Arthur to always get ahead of the game and lynch several people involved in the case.

Luke realized this, immediately adjusted the investigation, back to the front line of the investigation, and soon caught the agent McKell Arthur, restored the rhythm of the previous investigation, successfully locked the real culprit Henry case was solved.

If Luke did not adjust in time, still like Susan in the police station, not to mention the real murderer Henry, I guess even the agent McKell Arthur can not be caught, he this acting captain’s ability will be questioned by others.

Even with Reed’s support, Luke’s life will not be easy.

After catching the real culprit, Henry, Luke was relieved while at the same time had been considering the way to investigate the case in the future.

First of all, it is definitely unrealistic to sit in the police station like Susan, Susan has him as a unique and trustworthy general, but he doesn’t have ah.

Not to mention the First Squadron, the entire Robbery and Murder Division didn’t have anyone who could replace him.

He was not destined to be as comfortable as Susan.

Secondly, Luke was now the captain of the 1st Squadron, if he continued to go out to investigate cases like before, could he still fulfill the duties of a captain?

The main responsibility of a captain is to carry on the leadership, tell the team members about the tasks set by the leadership, divide the work reasonably according to the ability of the team members, summarize the information, and adjust the direction of the investigation in a timely manner, and so on.

In the past, due to underdeveloped communication technology, the clues from the team members’ separate investigations had to be gathered at the police station, and the captain stayed at the police station to summarize the information and make timely adjustments and arrangements for new investigative tasks.

But now is different, the means of communication is very developed, a chat group can solve all the problems, no matter where Luke is in the world can be the first time to receive the clues, timely adjustments to the investigation of the case, in the chat group to release new tasks.

In other words, Luke being on the front line of the investigation does not affect his ability to exercise the powers and duties of a captain.

At the same time, letting the vice team sit in the police station, there was something in the police station that he could totally cope with.

Xiao Hei interrupted Luke’s thoughts, “Captain, I want to take a few days off.”

“A few days, you think you’re me?

Take two days off backwards.”

“I’ve got something going on and I’d like to take a few more days off.”

“What is it?”

Blackie scanned the crowd and took a sip of his beer, “I’m getting married.”

“Wow!” The crowd looked at him in unison.

“Why that look? I’ve said it before.”

“So, you’re trying to take a vacation to prepare for the wedding.”

“No, Julian and I are going to get a license first, as for the wedding …… we haven’t thought about it yet.

I was hoping to have the wedding as soon as possible, so we can watch the videos and pictures when the kids are older.

But Julian has a different idea, she …… is a little bit show pregnant, although I think she is still very beautiful, but she thinks she is too fat, want to wait for the child to be born and then make up the wedding.

We are still discussing, but, ultimately, it may be Julian said.

After all, it’s the women who really care about the wedding.”

Luke nodded, “OK, I’m granting leave, so you can come whenever you want.

Congratulations.”

“Congratulations, Marcus.” The others followed with congratulations.

The lieutenant a thumbs up, “Marcus, you’ve grown a lot, how can I put it ……

Finally a bit like me.”

Blackie laughed, “Is that a compliment?”

“Haha ……” The crowd let out a burst of laughter.

The following morning.

Detective Bureau, Deputy Director’s Office.

“Knock knock.”

“Come in.”

Luke pushed his way into the office, “Chief, I’m here to report.”

Reed wore his eyes, looked at Luke, and pointed to the chair across the room, “Sit down for a while, wait for me to finish reading this document, otherwise, I’ll have to read it again from the beginning in a while.”

“You get busy first, I’m not in a hurry.”

Luke took a disposable paper cup and poured himself a cup of coffee, drinking it while looking out the window.

After a while, Reed took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, “Got Henry Rogers’ statement?”

“Yes.” Luke found Henry Rogers’ statement from the binder and placed it in front of Reed.

Reed put on his glasses again and looked over the statement carefully, “Good job, we can save a lot of work and money with this statement.”

Reed put down the information, “This is the first case you’ve solved since you became a lieutenant, how does it feel?”

Luke said, “This guy is tough and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”

“Captain not only means power, but equally responsibility, and it’s good that you realize that.

It may not be easy to get used to initially, and you can tell me if you encounter troubles and resistance.

I’ve come from that step as well.”

“Chief, I do have two things I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Go ahead.”

“After Captain Susan left, our team is a bit understaffed, can you assign some more manpower to Squadron 1?”

“Of course, I’m already looking for candidates.

The Robbery-Murder Division is the elite of the entire LAPD, not just anyone can come in.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“And the second thing?”

“I’d like to talk about Marcus, he’s been in the Robbery-Murder Division for quite a while now, and he’s got good abilities, but he’s still a regular detective.

I’d like to recommend him for promotion to detective.”

“Marcus.” Reed muttered, and was silent for a moment, “I’m well aware of Marcus’s abilities, he does excel in certain areas, and is an indispensable part of the team.

But his shortcomings are also obvious, he’s not steady enough, easily emotional, and is rather impetuous in his actions.

These shortcomings make it difficult to entrust him with important tasks.”

“Marcus is getting married.”

“Are you kidding?”

“No. He asked me for a leave of absence to get a license from his girlfriend.”

“Are you sure he’s serious and not just a three-minute headache?”

“He is serious, his girlfriend is pregnant and he wants to take on the responsibilities of a father, I’ve seen the changes in him.

Progress is great.”

Reed was silent for a moment and nodded, “OK, as long as he gives me the wedding invitations, I’m on board.”

Luke smiled, “It would be his honor.”

Reed turned his words around, “The headless woman’s body case has been getting a lot of attention from the media and the public, with all sorts of news and gossip flying around, I’m going to hold a press conference this afternoon.

I’d like you to attend as well.”

“Why?”

“You are now the captain of the Robbery and Murder Division’s First Squadron, no longer a nobody, it’s time to shine with a new identity.

Whether you like it or not, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to deal with the news media in the future, it’s part of the job.”

“OK, you’re the boss.”

Five o’clock in the afternoon.

A simple lectern was set up in the backyard of the Detective Bureau.

The police officers were responsible for maintaining order, and the invited TV reporters arrived at the backyard one after another with their ‘long guns’.

CBF TV reporter Pari Jones was among them.

She was a minor celebrity within the Los Angeles news industry, and was the first reporter to broadcast the news of the closure of the headless woman’s body case, and her news content was borrowed and relayed by many journalists.

This also gave her the capital to stand proud of her peers.

Since the last natural gas suicide case, she hadn’t heard of any new cases related to the headless woman’s body case, and she hadn’t heard of any major actions by the police, so that news she had gotten earlier should be true.

Herson Sweeney, the victim of the natural gas suicide case, should be the real culprit of the headless woman’s body case.

She was the first one to broadcast this news, and the role of the police to hold a press conference would only be to confirm her news, and at most to add some details about the solving of the case.

Parley Jones’s confidence indirectly confirms the effectiveness of police secrecy.

When discovering Lorna Post, Luke not only asked for a low-profile case in order to avoid being noticed by the suspect, Henry, but also gave a gag order to the surrounding residents, which seems to have worked well.

Of course, this kind of secrecy is also time-sensitive, it is impossible to keep a secret for a lifetime, Luke can only make a time difference.

At 5:30 PM, the press conference officially began.

Reed mounted the podium, and a burst of camera shutter sounds rang out around him.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I’m Deputy Chief of Detectives Reed, and all of you in the media should be no strangers to me.

To make a long story short, the reason for today’s press conference is mainly to announce the results of the investigation of the headless female corpse case.

There were a total of four victims in the case of the headless woman, three of whom were female victims and one male victim.

All three female victims had their heads brutally cut off. At present, the police have recovered their bodies and have also appealed to their families to come and identify them as soon as possible.

The male victim did not have his head cut off, and the manner of death was disguised as a gas suicide, which was also a homicide.

The name of the real killer is Henry Rogers, who has been apprehended by the police and has confessed to the crime.”

As Reed’s words fell, the reporters in the room looked different, this was different from what they knew beforehand, and different from the news they had reported before.

Especially the originator, Pari Jones, she did not expect another real murderer named Henry Rogers to appear, then her previous report would not be a joke.

Parry Jones hesitated for a while, or endure, since the police held a press conference, it must be tangible evidence, this time on the spot questioning, and so hit their own face.

Parry Jones has scruples, but other reporters do not care.

An Asian female reporter asked, “Chief Reed, I got a message earlier that the murderer was Herson Sweeney, also the husband of one of the victims, who committed suicide in fear of being arrested by the police.

Why did it turn out to be his murder again?

Also, he and the other three victims did not have the same characteristics or the same manner of death, so why was it concluded to be the work of the same killer, and can you tell us why?”

“Good question, tough one, haha.” Reed laughed and pointed to Luke on the side, “Professional things, it’s better to get professional people to answer.

Let me introduce you all, this is the acting captain of the Robbery and Murder Division’s Squadron One, Luke Lee, and my right-hand man.

I don’t think you’re all strangers to him, and he’ll be answering the next questions.”

Luke stepped up to the lectern, “Uh, I’m not really used to facing the press, so everyone can just ask any questions they have.”

The Asian female reporter said again, “Captain Lee, can you answer my previous question?”

“Of course, like you said before, Herson Sweeney is different from the other three victims in terms of gender, characteristics, and manner of death.

That’s because they were killed for different reasons.

The killer killed the three women to fulfill some sick psychological need.

Whereas he killed Herson Sweeney, forced him to write a confession and disguised it as a suicide, he did it so that Herson Sweeney would take the fall for his crimes.

Let the police mistake Herson Sweeney for the murderer, and the real killer would get away with it.”

The Asian female reporter continued, “At one point there was a news report that described Herson Sweeney as the real culprit in the case of the headless woman’s body, may I ask if this information came from the police here?”

“No, I will not disclose the case to any reporter in private, I treat all the media equally and will only announce the progress of the investigation of the case in a press conference.

Why similar news would be circulated is beyond me.

At the same time, I also hope that all my friends in the media will broadcast the news in the spirit of objectivity and facts, instead of broadcasting some unconfirmed false news for the sake of ratings.”

The Asian female reporter said, “Thank you for your answer, I have no more questions for now.”

“You’re welcome, does any other reporter friend want to ask a question ……”

Under the podium, Pari Jones had silently exited the crowd.

Her face became very ugly, why did it turn out like this?

Could it be that Luke deliberately deceived himself?

It wasn’t right, Luke had never told her any inside information or news related to the case.

This news was obviously paid for by her.

Could the cowboy bartender have lied?

But why would he do that?

What was in it for him?

Had …… Luke and the cowboy bartender conspired to lie to themselves?

But how did Luke know he was following him? And how did he know that he would seek out the cowboy bartender for information?

Parley Jones felt a sudden chill.

Could it be that all her actions had been prejudged by Luke?

This was too ……

Parley Jones was at a loss for words.

She calmed down, thought about it, and then seemed somewhat relieved.

Who was Luke?

Captain of Squadron One of the Robbery and Murder Division.

The elite of the police force.

What he was best at was tracking, investigating, forensics, and recognizing conspiracies and tricks.

Although he himself was an excellent reporter, he was certainly no match for him in this area, no one was more specialized than him.

Parry Jones was a bit chagrined, and completely gave up the idea of extracting information from Luke, it was really not easy to take advantage of him.

Every time with him on the side of their own losses.

Parry Jones sighed softly, first through the immediate this pass say it, she has been prepared to be scolded, the priority is to keep their jobs.

The press conference is over.

Luke returned to the Detective Bureau with Reed.

“Chief, I didn’t make any mistakes, did I?”

“You made a good point and explained yourself well. Also, now that the press conference has been held, the procedure for closing the case needs to be tightened up.”

“I understand.”

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, it’s fine to ask me or the vice squad, that old man may have a bad temper, but his heart isn’t bad.”

“I know, the vice squad has also helped me a lot during this period of time.

In addition, when the closing procedures are done, I am going to take a few days off, I’ve been under a lot of pressure this time, I need to relax.”

“As long as you get your work organized.” Speaking of which, Reed seemed to remember something, “By the way, free up a day this Saturday.”

“What’s up?”

“I’m going to organize a sea fishing trip, so you can join me.”

“Okay, I’ve been wanting to go out on the sea for a while too, there’s no better way to relax.

But what’s the theme this time?”

Luke guessed that sea fishing sometimes had its own special reasons besides expanding his network and meeting more like-minded people.

For example, the last time he himself was invited to sea fishing, it was because of Jackson.

“Welcome party.”

“Whose welcome party?”

Reed held out his right hand and pointed it toward Luke, “You.”