Chapter 441
Eight o’clock in the evening, Tapioca Bar.
It was a bar located near a black neighborhood.
The bar was already crowded at this time of the day, with people sitting at the bar.
Luke also walked into the bar, his eyes scanned around and locked onto the figure of a black man.
Luke walked over to the round table in the corner and sat down across from the black man, who was none other than his informant, Annelec Lauer.
“Hey Boss, thanks for last time, I’ll pay you back for that bail as soon as I can.” Anlek Raul’s tone was filled with gratitude.
Luke said, “My uncle was the one who handled the bail last time, I heard that you were left halfway out of his car?”
“Yes, but I don’t blame him, no one wants to sit with a burglar.”
Luke explained, “My uncle also works in a supermarket and a guy used to go to his supermarket before to buy zero dollars.
One time he was unable to stand it anymore, so he stepped in to stop the other guy and accidentally injured him.
Because of this incident my uncle was arrested by the police, and almost suffered a big loss, so he is more sensitive to this kind of thing, not against you.
It’s also my fault for being negligent, I shouldn’t have let him bail you out.” That being said, Luke couldn’t think of anyone else for a moment.
“I understand, and I don’t want to make zero dollar purchases, but I really need the money.”
“What happened?”
Annelec Lauer looked a little complicated, “You’ve already helped me a lot, I’ll take care of it myself.”
Luke wasn’t one to rush things, and asked with a turn of phrase, “You went to Zero Dollar Buy again this morning?”
“I ……” Annelec Lauer stammered, a little embarrassed, “How did you know?”
“You went to Rogier’s Supermarket?”
“Yes. I’ve had a bad day.
I had just finished choosing something and was calculating ……
There was a shooting at that supermarket, and if I hadn’t run fast, I’m afraid I’d have to ask you to help me collect the body.
Compared to that murderous pervert, I feel so cute.”
Luke pursued, “You saw the shooter?”
Annelec Lauer nodded, “Sort of, but he wrapped himself up so tightly and heavily armed that I didn’t dare to look at him much.
Even if he were standing in front of me right now, I wouldn’t recognize him.”
“Now this case is under my investigation, you carefully recall all the circumstances at that time, if you can provide valuable clues, I will help you apply for informer’s fees, which can make your hands a little looser.”
“Woohoo, this is a high-profile and big case, a lot of people are talking about this case.
I didn’t realize that you were the one investigating the case, otherwise, I would have taken the initiative to tell you.”
“It’s not too late.” Luke pulled out a picture of Darci Jordan, “Have you seen this man around the supermarket?”
Annelec Lauer looked closely at the photo, “I haven’t seen him.”
Luke continued, “Have you ever seen a young white man wearing a gray baseball cap, he would have been wearing a beige sweatshirt and blue pants.”
Annelec Lauer recalled for a moment, “Yes, I think I did see someone dressed like that. And there weren’t many white people in that neighborhood, so it did stand out.”
Having a go, Luke continued to inquire, “Did you get a good look at him?”
Without answering, Annelec Lauer took out his cell phone, “After the shooting, I ran outside the supermarket.
I didn’t leave right away, it was a big deal and I was curious, so I hid in a corner with my cell phone and I think I got a shot of the guy you’re talking about.”
Annelec Lauer flipped out the video and handed it to Luke.
Luke took the phone and examined it closely, and saw a young white man wearing a gray baseball cap.
The white man’s outfit was consistent with Antoine Powell’s description, and he was in such a hurry that he didn’t notice Anlek Raul taking the video, and one of the frames just happened to capture the young white man’s appearance.
It was very young, should not be an adult, and the look on his face was a little complicated, nervous, excited, and seemed to be a little confused.
Luke returned the cell phone to Anlek Raul: “Send the video to me in a while, this drink is on me tonight.”
Anlek Raul laughed, “So I got credit?”
“That’s right, you’re a lucky guy.”
A voice rang in Luke’s head, [The Strange Encounter Card is activated and has been used].
The following morning.
Luke arraigned Darcy Jordan immediately after arriving at the Robbery and Murder Division.
Compared to yesterday Darci Jordan had a few points less brash and more indignant in his eyes.
Luke sat across the desk and asked, “Are you still used to living here?”
Darci Jordan compared a middle finger.
Luke wasn’t angry and took out a picture and put it in front of Darci Jordan, “Recognize him?”
Darci Jordan scanned it and didn’t answer.
Luke smiled, “Any idea why you’re here?”
“Because that son of a bitch gunman set me up.”
“So do you want to catch him or not?”
Though he knew Luke had ulterior motives, there was no way Darcy Jordan could refuse, he was looking forward to catching the asshole who set him up sooner than Luke was, “Is it the white guy in the picture who’s setting me up?”
“We’re not sure yet, all we know is that he’s been in the neighborhood of the supermarket where the shooting took place, do you know him?”
“Yes, I know this white trash.”
Luke asked, “Is it one of the two men you confessed to earlier?”
“No.”
Luke “……”
How many fucking people have you offended?
“What’s his name?”
“Brown Bryant.”
“What’s the relationship between you two?”
“I went to the same middle school as this asshole.”
“Luther King III Middle School?”
“Yeah, by the name you can tell it’s a one black school, I can’t figure out why that white boy is running my school, fucking white trash.”
“Did you have a problem with Brown Bryant?”
“Yes. Every time I saw this white man I always felt that there was something wrong with the way he looked at me, and once I just couldn’t hold back and beat him up.
This kid is a hard bone, neither shouted pain, nor begged for mercy.
But he that look …… I can never forget.
I didn’t have any more conflicts with him after that, I didn’t expect this bastard to hold a grudge so much, he’s dead and it’s going to be bad.” Darci Jordan hated his teeth, if it wasn’t for Brown Bryant setting himself up, the police wouldn’t have gone to his house to arrest him, and he wouldn’t have been arrested for drug harboring anymore.
“Yesterday I asked you who you’d offended, and I made a point of giving a physical description, why didn’t you say his name?”
“Come on, I’ve offended so many people that this white boy doesn’t even rank.”
“Looks like you didn’t lose out on getting caught at all.
Do you know his contact or home address?”
“I’ve hit so many people that a diary wouldn’t be enough if I had to memorize every single one of them, and I’m not in the habit of keeping a diary.”
“What class is he in?”
“We’re both on the same floor, if I remember correctly he’s in 11th grade class 4, the class with the most white guys.”
“Does he have classmates and friends who are closer?”
“I don’t know, this white guy is usually a loner, he’s not in his right mind at first glance.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the pervert shooter, a lot of white people are perverts, much more so than us blacks.
And yes, he is a pervert.”
“You two might have another chance to meet, you can tell him that yourself.”
Darcy Jordan clenched his fists in a death grip, “I’ll bust his leather swallows, I will!”
Luke cried a little, “Have a good time.”
Luke got the news he was looking for and returned to his office, slapping his hands together and drawing stares, “Guys, I got a hit on that suspicious white youth Antoine Powell was talking about that showed up at the supermarket.”
Matthew spread his hands, puzzled, “How did you find out?”
The lieutenant was also a bit taken aback, “That’s right, we’re obviously the ones lining up in that regard.”
Luke said, “I have an informant who happened to be near the supermarket, and after the shooting incident in the supermarket, he fled outside the supermarket, and because of curiosity, he shot a video, which just happened to capture some of the people who escaped from the supermarket, including that suspicious white youth.
That informant happened to be short of money, so he wanted to approach me for some informant’s fee.”
Luke then played the video, “I asked Darci Jordan to identify the screenshot of the video, and he recognized the identity of the white youth.
The white youth’s name is Brown Bryant, and he attends Luther King III Middle School, 11th grade 4.
Matthew, check his details.”
“YES, Sir.”
The Vice Squad looked over the video carefully and got the age, appearance, hat, shirt, and pants right, and said with some envy, “You’re a lucky guy.”
Luke gave the lieutenant a thumbs up, “That means you’re on the right track with your investigation.”
The lieutenant sighed, “It’s just that I’ve had terrible luck.
Send me the video later, I want to see where this guy ran off to, maybe I can track him down through it.”
“As you wish.”
A few minutes later, Matthew contacted a teacher at Luther King III High School and confirmed that Brown Bryant was indeed a student in eleventh grade 4, but hadn’t shown up for school today.
The teacher provided his mother’s cell phone number and home address.
Luke greeted the crowd, “Guys, pack up your gear, we’re moving.”
“YES, Sir.”
Custer neighborhood.
Luke found the home of the suspect, Brown Bryant, based on the address he had reserved at the school.
The neighborhood was not far from Rogier’s Supermarket, and the neighborhood was average, with most of the residents being black residents, with a portion of Mexican descent, and almost very few white residents.
Brown Bryant’s family lived at number 308 in the neighborhood.
This is a gray bungalow, from a distance it looks a little shabby, but the yard is cleaned fairly well.
A black man was banging away with a hammer to repair a wooden fence.
Jackson frowned slightly, “Are we in the wrong place?”
Luke glanced at his cell phone and said, “The address is correct.”
Jackson guessed, “Could the suspect have put in a fake address at the school?”
Luke also thought that was a possibility and called Blackie to get out of the car with him to check it out.
Luke walked closer and asked, “Hi sir, is this the Cascade neighborhood?”
The black man put down the hammer he was holding and got up, “That’s right, what can I do for you?”
“Do you know Brown Bryant?”
The black man clapped his hands together, “Tell me, what kind of trouble has this bad boy gotten himself into?”
Blackie was curious, “What’s your relationship to him?”
“I’m his father, stepfather to be exact.”
“We’re here to see Brown Bryant, do you know where he is?”
“I don’t know, the little bastard snuck out of my car yesterday morning and never came back.”
Blackie pulled out a picture, “Is this your son?”
“Yes, if he admits it.”
“It seems like you father and son didn’t get along very well?”
“That doesn’t seem to concern you guys, does it? Who the hell are you guys? What’s the business of finding him?”
Blackie flashed his badge, “We’re LAPD.”
The black man showed a look of determination, “What did this kid do again?”
“What’s your name, sir?”
“Ronnie Bryant.”
“Have you been to the Rogier’s supermarket near the neighborhood?”
“Yes, that supermarket is very nice and I heard the owner behind it is a Korean.
They are really more talented than the blacks when it comes to business, we often shop at that supermarket and have made a lot of money by that supermarket.”
“Yesterday morning there was a shooting in that supermarket, did you know that?”
“Yes, I know, but that has nothing to do with me.” Ronnie Bryant froze and his mouth dropped open, “Did you guys come after him because of the supermarket shooting.”
Luke said, “Sir, you don’t have to be nervous. Someone has seen him near the supermarket. We’re just looking for him to find out what happened at the supermarket at the time. That’s all.”
“Whether you guys believe it or not? But I really don’t know where he is right now.”
“When was the last time you saw it?”
“Yesterday morning, no, the night before to be exact.
I saw the car gone as soon as I woke up this morning, and I don’t know when he drove off. This kid doesn’t know the first thing about respect. I’ve done my best to teach him.”
“Sir, you say Brown Bryant took your car.”
“Yes, I’m afraid the bad boy has probably sold it.”
“Can you tell me about your car?”
“Sure, it’s a white Volkswagen, my daughter loves that car.”
“What’s the license plate number?”
“4let694.”
Luke wrote down the license plate number and sent it to the chat group.
Typed note: “We’re at Brown Bryant’s house, he may have left in this car, check the track of the car’s movements.”
Luke put his phone away and continued, “Sir, does Brown Bryant have any other relatives besides you?”
“Sure, and his mother and sister, if he admits it.”
“I’d like to talk to them.”
Ronnie Bryant shook his head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Brown Bryant’s mother is also his guardian, and I think she has a right to know all about it.”
Ronnie Bryant stepped aside, “OK, make yourselves at home!”
Luke and Blackie walked to the door of the house and Ronnie Bryant followed when he saw this, “I’ll open the door.”
Ronnie Bryant opened the door and yelled, “Honey, the LAPD is here. They want to talk to you and it’s best not to bring the kids out.”
After a moment, a white woman came out of her bedroom, “What are the cops doing here?”
Ronnie Bryant gave a helpless look and pointed to Luke and Blackie, “You might as well ask them yourself!”
Luke sized up the other woman, brown hair and a plump body, “What’s your name, ma’am?”
“Delissa Bryant.” The white woman asked rhetorically. “Sir, are you police?”
Black flashed his badge again.
The woman’s eyebrows locked together, “What do you want with me?”
“To be exact, we’re here to see Brown Bryant. Since you are his guardian, we wanted to talk to you first.”
“My son, what happened to him?”
“Do you know where he is?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“I think it was the night before last, he went back to his bedroom early and hasn’t come out since. When I got up the next day, he was gone.”
“Did he contact you during this time?”
“No. What happened to him? If you guys don’t tell me what the hell is going on? I’m not going to answer any more of your questions.”
“There was a shooting at Rogier’s Supermarket yesterday morning, are you aware of that?”
“Yes, I know, but what does that have to do with my son?”
“An eyewitness claimed to have seen him at the supermarket, and we’d like to approach him to ask for some information.”
“What do you mean ask for some information? You guys suspect he had something to do with the shooting.”
“You don’t have to be nervous, it’s just a routine inquiry, we’re going to line up and question everyone who’s been to the supermarket.”
Delissa Bryant breathed a sigh of relief, “But I really don’t know where he is.”
“Does he have a gun?”
“No. He’s not 18 enough to buy a gun.”
“Does he have any closer friends?”
Delissa Bryant hesitated a little, “I’m not really sure.”
“Has he ever been to Rogier’s Supermarket?”
“Yes.”
“Has he ever had a run-in with anyone from that supermarket?”
“No, absolutely not.”
“Has he come and gone with anyone closer recently?”
“Well, I did see someone come to him recently.”
“What was that person’s name?”
“I don’t know, only that it was a white man about thirty years old.”
“Can you say anything about his physical description?”
“He wore a black hat, was about five-foot-eight, and looked pretty strong.
I can’t remember much else.
Brown is big and doesn’t like me to ask too many questions.”
Ronnie Bryant added, “That would be a truck driver.”
Luke asked back, “How do you know?”
“I saw him wearing a T-shirt with a trucking association logo on it.”
Luke nodded, “Were you able to contact Brown Bryant?”
“Can’t.”
“Does he have a cell phone?”
“No.”
“Has he ever run away from home before?”
“No.”
“If he comes back, I want you to be the first to contact me.” Luke pulled out a business card and handed it to Brown Bryant.
Delisa Bryant showed a nervous look, “My son couldn’t have been the gunman who attacked the supermarket, he doesn’t have the guts.”
Luke said, “You’re right, we don’t think he was the shooter either.
I just wanted to ask him if he had seen the shooter, and preferably give us some clues about the shooter, that’s all.”
Delissa Bryant sighed in relief, “When he gets home, I’ll be sure to have him go to the police station and tell you all about it in person.”
Just then the bedroom door opened and a little black and white mulatto girl came out, “Mommy, is Brown Bryant in trouble again?”
“Ollie this is none of your business, get back in the house right now.”
The little girl spread her hands, “I knew this would happen.
He’s been trying to get out of the house for a long time and took the only car in our house. Mom, thank you for having a wonderful brother.
I love him to death!”
Theresa Bryant’s face grew harder, “Shut up and hurry back to the bedroom.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, thank you for your assistance.” Luke snorted and left with Blackie.
Blacky got into the car and saw Ronnie Bryant back in the yard continuing to repair the wooden fence.
With some emotion, he said, “I’m suddenly a little glad I grew up in a single parent home.
I love my old mom, she’s the greatest woman in the world.”