Chapter 294
“Bang Bang!”
The SWAT team leader, April Musa, took the hammer and hammered twice hard against the fish’s head, “Luke, this big guy can’t just be left like this, it has to be slaughtered as soon as possible, or else the meat won’t be fresh anymore and it’ll be hard to sell it at a good price.”
Luke sat on his butt on the deck, gasping for breath, “I still have some experience in killing people, I really don’t know where to put the knife in this thing.”
April Musa said, “I have a friend who is a fishing boat captain, I occasionally go out with him to catch tuna, it’s exciting and I learned how to handle tuna from him.”
Luke laughed, “Man, then what are you waiting for, handle this big guy and I’ll buy you a drink some day.”
Then, April Musa skillfully operated, bleeding, cutting the tail, cutting the blood vessels, arteries, destroying the cerebral cartilage, removing the gills and internal organs ……
Finally, the fish was cleaned and chilled in ice water.
April Musa was already tired and sweating after handling the tuna.
One hour later.
The yacht returned to the dock, and the bluefin tuna once again caused a sensation.
The yacht that Luke and the others rented was mainly for entertainment, and sea fishing was only a leisure activity, not a professional sea fishing boat.
With this kind of yacht without professional equipment to catch tuna is really an accident.
This bluefin tuna is not small, a conservative estimate of two to three million U.S. dollars, if the meat quality is good, it can be sold at a higher price.
In line with the idea of equal benefit, Luke underwrote all the costs of this sea fishing.
Normally, the cost of a sea trip is AA for everyone, averaging out to a few hundred dollars per person, not much to say, not much to say.
Generally very few people would take the initiative to treat and cover all the expenses of sea fishing, money was only one aspect, the deeper reason was more complicated.
However, Luke’s case was different this time, everyone was out on the water together and he was the only one who caught tens of thousands of dollars of bluefin tuna.
He was also the main character of the party, and if he covered the cost of the sea fishing, no one else would think twice about it, and all of them were happy to appreciate the favor and dabble in the joy.
The crowd split the catch and went home.
Luke saw the crowd off and worked with Reed on the bluefin tuna.
Reed knew the director of the marina and entrusted him to help with the bluefin tuna.
The first step was to take photos and records, weigh the bluefin tuna at 670 pounds, mark it, identify the quality of the tuna, and price it.
The bluefin tuna was big enough to be slaughtered in time to ensure high quality, the quality of the meat was excellent, and the pricing was $60 per pound for a total of about $40,000 dollars.
Luke was happy with the price, he was supposed to be attending the party, and he was able to make a quick buck on the side, so to speak.
After disposing of the tuna, Luke didn’t continue to wave outside, but returned home.
He also had a date with Daisy tonight.
Because of the last hotel clandestine photo incident, it made both of Luke a bit uncomfortable, so he simply dated at home this time.
Occasionally, dating at home was quite flirtatious.
Back at home, Luke placed the fish cargo in the kitchen sink and went to take a shower himself first, having tossed and turned in a sweat in order to get the tuna on board.
After taking a shower, Luke checked the Sleuth System, the original system reserve was 156,000 dollars, now it became 116,000 dollars.
Sea fishing realized.
For this, Luke was not very surprised, professional fishing boats using professional tools may not be able to catch such a large bluefin tuna, Luke caught bluefin tuna this time is really luck.
However, it was also a good means of realizing money, both getting benefits and showing his face.
In addition to the system reserve, Luke had $1.25 million in the stock market, which now had a market value of about $1.27 million, a small profit.
In addition, he had $280,000 in cash. (after taxes)
If he added the money gained from selling the bluefin tuna, Luke already had over three hundred thousand dollars in cash.
It wasn’t Luke’s style to just make money and not spend it.
Moreover, with the twists and turns of the headless woman case, Luke had consumed a lot of energy and had to take a few days off to spread out.
Luke was ready to rent a luxury RV and go to the wilderness for a few days to feel the scenery of nature.
Luke began to browse the caravan rental website, the caravan is mainly divided into three major categories, class A caravan is the largest, the advantage is to live comfortably, can live at the same time several people, but the disadvantage is that driving, parking is not convenient.
Class B motorhomes are the smallest, with the advantage of being cheaper and more flexible.
Class C caravan between type A and type B, moderate size, can live two to three people.
Luke carefully compared some, too big to use, too small to live uncomfortable, and ultimately chose the C-type luxury caravan.
Luke browsed the photos and videos of the RV online, including the full set of wilderness amenities, refrigerator, cookware, appliances, etc. It was like a small mobile home.
He loved the RV and had always dreamed of traveling in it.
This time, it was finally going to come true.
Of course, the price is not cheap, the rent is $280/day.
After booking the RV, Luke started to prepare dinner, vegetable salad, steamed grouper, and a pot of seafood stew, a bottle of red wine.
At seven o’clock in the evening, Daisy arrived at Luke’s house and packed a pizza and a side of fries.
Candlelight dinner for two officially began.
Daisy looked at the assortment of seafood on the table and asked, “You went sea fishing?”
“Is it that obvious?”
Daisy laughed, “You only prepare a table of seafood when you’re sea fishing, usually it’s meat-based.”
“That’s right, I did sea fish, and in addition to all this seafood on the table, I caught a 670 pound bluefin tuna.”
“Seriously?”
Luke took out his cell phone and flipped up a picture, “I was so tired today trying to catch this big guy that my hands are peeling off.”
Daisy gave a surprised look, “Wow wow, you really caught it!
It’s so big and it looks so fat, the meat should be good.”
Luke said, “Hearing you say that, I suddenly have some regrets, I should have split some on the spot, fresh bluefin tuna must be delicious.”
Daisy spread her hands, “No need to regret, this seafood is already enough for us to eat, the tuna can’t be eaten even if we bring it back, it will be equally not fresh until tomorrow.”
Luke picked up his glass of red wine and clinked glasses with Daisy, “Next time I’ll take you sea fishing with me, it’s a good way to get away from it all.”
“That’ll have to wait until I have time.”
“Still busy these days?”
“The usual. As for you, how does it feel to be captain?”
“It’s quite new at first, having my own office and more freedom.
But the pressure of investigating cases has also increased ……”
“That headless female corpse case?”
“You’ve heard about it.”
“You understand, this kind of case is easily talked about.”
“That’s right, this case is getting a lot of attention from the media and the public, so not only do I have to deal with the murderer, I also have to deal with the reporters.” Luke sighed lightly.
“It’s good that the case is over.
By the way, I’m going to go camping for a few days, do you want to come along, just as a break.”
“How do I go?”
“Rent an RV.”
“When are you going?”
“Tomorrow.”
Daisy frowned slightly, “That’s too tight, you’re not being sincere with this invitation.”
Luke spread his hands, “I’m improvising, the bluefin tuna made me a lot of money, and I don’t feel comfortable not spending some of it.
Wanted to take a trip on the spur of the moment.”
“I’m not as dashing as you are, and I have an appointment tomorrow.
SORRY, can’t accompany you.
But I can help you along with the RV selection later.”
Luke said, “I’ve just made a reservation.”
Daisy was a little surprised, “Wow…… you’re not like you used to be.”
“Why?”
“Uh …… if it was before, you would have asked my opinion before picking out an RV.”
Luke laughed, “I just browsed the caravan website and saw a caravan that I really liked, so I just booked it offhand and didn’t think about it that much at the time.”
The more confident you are, the more decisive you are.
If it was before, like Daisy said, Luke indeed might have looked ahead and thought for a long time, and considered more things.
Nowadays, he did exactly what he liked, how he pleased.
Of course, this change in attitude, apart from the emotional aspect, was more due to Luke’s own hard power.
He is now worth more than a million dollars, but also promoted to the first squadron leader of the robbery and murder division, rich and status.
The bottom of speaking and doing things is naturally sufficient.
The next morning.
After the two ate breakfast together.
Daisy drove to work.
Luke, on the other hand, went to the supermarket to purchase and stock up on food for the next camping trip.
The rest of the seafood was taken away, and he bought some lamb, beef, vegetables, staples, and fast food to prepare food for a few days.
He then drove to Fleming’s Car Rental and met the motorhome he had reserved.
It was a light gray Ford motorhome with a Mercedes chassis, driving in the front and living in the back, simple kitchen, bathroom, dining table, and two beds.
Luke walked into the caravan to actually visit, the caravan is almost exactly the same as the website video, he liked the layout of the caravan, the caravan’s decoration is very new, clean and clean, you can directly turnkey stay.
Luke paid the final payment directly, put the things bought in the supermarket into the freezer, and then drove the caravan to start their own journey.
In fact, the idea of traveling in an RV has been more than one day.
Luke had also long checked out camping tips around Los Angeles.
The location Luke selected was Big Bear Lake, not far from Los Angeles, probably only an hour or so’s drive.
Luke was going to go and stay near there for a few days to get a taste of nature.
Under the guidance of the navigation, Luke arrived at the Big Bear Lake campground after twelve o’clock at noon.
The scenery here is beautiful, the facilities are relatively complete, you can pay to rent a campsite camping, the cost is not expensive three days and two nights is only 140 U.S. dollars.
But the shortcomings of this place are also very obvious, was developed traces are very obvious, around the campground can see a lot of cars, the lake can also see a lot of tourists, you have to walk a long way in order to feel the serenity of nature.
This was not what Luke wanted, this was a large park.
Luke wanted to feel real nature, not an overdeveloped attraction.
Luke asked the campground administrators if tourists could continue deeper, but there were no more well-established campgrounds and more wildlife further on.
The administrator advises Luke not to go alone because of the danger he is likely to encounter.
Danger.
Other than a super agent like McKell Arthur, Luke didn’t think anyone could pose a danger to him.
As for wild animals, the only ones that could threaten Luke were black bears, wild hogs, and poisonous snakes, and since Luke was traveling in an RV and sleeping in it at night, those three animals didn’t pose much of a threat to him.
So what was there to worry about, Luke drove into the heart of Big Bear Lake.
The further the road went, the more winding it became, but the more beautiful the scenery became, Luke’s car didn’t drive fast, while walking, enjoying the scenery along the way, he was the only car around, and he didn’t worry about getting into a car accident.
About another hour of driving, Luke only saw two cars during the period, although it can not be said to be cut off from human society, but it can almost be described as sparsely populated.
There was a fork in the road ahead, and Luke turned onto a dirt road and drove for a while, coming to a more open area, perfect for a campground.
The campground is surrounded by tall fir trees, Luke feels that Big Bear Lake is not far from here, but because there is no road repair, the car certainly can not drive through, Luke can only walk.
Luke got out of the car, the air was fresh, birds and flowers, his mood felt much more relaxed.
He decided to camp here, using the RV as a wall, opened the canopy and moved out the seats and folding table.
Luke brewed a pot of coffee with cake and nuts and looked out over the surrounding landscape, enjoying a peaceful afternoon tea.
It was very restful.
In this highly developed society, people were so busy that they seemed to have an abundance of material life, but their spiritual life was becoming more and more scarce.
Take Luke for example, with a job that consisted of solving crimes, either dealing with corpses or suspects, it was inevitable that some negative emotions would accumulate inside, and he needed to vent them through other means.
Drinking, eating good food, and applauding for love all belong to good ways.
The most extravagant way, on the contrary, was this kind of wild camping, a life that only those with money and leisure could enjoy.
This is the real life.
Of course, in fact, many people give up some unnecessary desires, can also get this kind of enjoyment.
For example, house, car, marriage, climbing.
But try to ask how many people can do it?
After afternoon tea, while it was still dark, Luke took a turn around and walked about a mile or so before he saw Big Bear Lake.
Luke stood at the edge of the lake, the blue waves sparkled, Luke picked up a stone and hit the water, the stone floated a long way in the water.
Tall fir trees reflected in the clear lake water, there were birds skimming in the sky, and the beauty of the surroundings was breathtaking.
Sunset, the afterglow reflected in the lake, like a layer of gold dust, especially dazzling ……
While it was still dark, Luke returned to the caravan and started cooking dinner.
Dinner was also very simple, pan-fried lamb chops, pan-fried fish steaks, vegetable salad, with a bottle of champagne.
Luke would have liked to eat outside, but there was a light drizzle in the sky, and even though there was a canopy, the weather turned cold, so Luke returned to the RV and enjoyed the view out the window as he finished his meal.
Los Angeles summer less rain, Luke kinda like rainy days, listening to the pattering rain, feel very comfortable.
After the meal, Luke simply cleaned up, made a pot of black tea, opened the tablet and played a movie.
“Clatter ……”
It was still raining outside.
This is the benefit of housing a car, Luke comfortably drank tea and watched a movie without being affected in any way.
But if he were living in a tent, I’m afraid it would already be stormy.
So it was worth spending some money.
“Oooo……”
Suddenly, a hissing sound of an animal rang out.
The sound was low and penetrating.
Although Luke was unfamiliar with the wilderness, he instinctively thought that it was probably a black bear.
After all, the nickname of this Great Bear Lake was not for nothing, if there was no bear, it would be abnormal.
However, Luke didn’t care too much, he didn’t have to worry about black bears at all in the RV, it was safe.
“Ooooh ……”
There was another roar, and the bear roar seemed to be closer.
Could the black bear be coming this way, because of the lights of his RV?
In a fit of curiosity, Luke looked out through the window and noticed a figure in the distance, running this way.
Not a bear.
Like a human figure.
FUCK, how could a person pop up in the wild at night?
That could be more intimidating than a black bear.
Instead of worrying about the bear, Luke raised his guard because of the person’s arrival, and instinctively felt for his sidearm in his right hand.
Was this guy trying to use the bear to act pathetic and trick his RV into driving?
He couldn’t have been so unlucky as to go out and meet a robber, could he?
There were many similar scenes in the movies.
If that’s the case, then you’ve got the wrong guy.
Come one, Luke does one, come two Luke catches a pair.
Luke went to check the other windows of the car and didn’t see any more silhouettes appearing.
Could he have been overly concerned?
The silhouette seemed to notice the bright light over here as well, and ran in the direction of the RV, shouting as he did so, “Help me!
Help me!
There’s a black bear chasing me back there!”
Luke kept his eyes on the figure and the black bear behind the figure.
The black bear’s body looked bulky, but it was actually faster than the human running, and it was already getting closer and closer.
If it was a bitter trick, this was too realistic, wasn’t it?
Luke believed a few points, could not see death, but he also did not want to open the door, so he turned on the headlights of the caravan and pressed the car horn.
“Tick-tock ……”
The loud car horn sounded, the black bear was scared to stand upright on its hind legs, the bear’s eyes stared straight at the caravan, not daring to come closer and seemingly not wanting to leave.
That person has also run close, is a white man, looks about sixty years old, not tall, very thin, behind the back of a hiking bag, the body stood all over the mud, looks very woeful.
“Thank …… you …… for saving me.” The white man thanked through the window, coming up for air.
Luke also stared at the white man through the window, feeling that the other side is somewhat familiar, the caravan, in addition to the front and rear lights, the side is also lighted, the other side of the face to see is still relatively clear.
Luke opened the door of the RV: “Come in.”
The man was a little surprised and froze for a moment, “Thank you, I’m a little dirty …… may dirty your RV.”
“That’s okay, come in first.” Luke waved his hand.
“Thanks.” The man entered the RV and stood just inside the doorway, as if he was afraid of dirtying the floor of the RV, “Sir, thank you for your help, my name is Walker Corral.
Without you, I could have already fed the bears.”
“Judge Walker, you’re wet, you’d better wipe off first.” Luke handed him a towel, “Would you like some hot coffee?”
“Thanks.” Walker took the towel, then reacted and looked at Luke with some surprise, “You know me?
Yes, you look somewhat familiar.
Let’s see …… Acting Captain of Squadron One of the Heist and Murder Division, Luke Lee.”
“It’s me.” Luke responded, making a pot of hot coffee, “Judge Walker, how did you get chased by a bear?”
“Uh, it’s a little complicated ……,” Walker said lustily, “Promise me you’ll never tell anyone about this, I’ll get a laugh out of them.
Thank you for taking me in.”
“I haven’t promised to take you in, so why are you out in the wild in the middle of the night?” Even though it was someone he knew, Luke remained wary.
Walker thought for a moment, “I’m here to camp.”
Lying.
A clear sign of lying, which indicated that the other person was not good at it.
This made Luke’s vigilance increase again, how a judge with status and position who was whisked around by a black bear on a rainy day felt a bit abnormal.
Moreover, Reed had invited Walker to yesterday’s sea fishing party, but he had declined under the pretext of traveling out of town.
A voice rang in Luke’s head, [Triggered an encounter experience, encounter card activated, used].