Chapter 628
Figueroa Supermarket.
Val was pushing a cart to display the goods, and on top of the end of the shelves hung a television that was broadcasting a news channel.
The news was broadcasting the news of the hijacking of the cruise ship, and after seeing the image of Luke, Val couldn’t help but stop in her tracks with a look of concern on her face.
Behind him came a black employee who was also standing next to Val watching the news on the TV, laughing to himself. This kind of thing will never happen to me because I can’t afford a ticket on one of these luxury cruises, haha ……”
Val gave a silent gesture and continued to stare intently at the news.
The black employee commented as he watched the news, “I think I know this guy on the news, yes, Luke Lee, he seems to be a very good LAPD officer, how did he join the FBI?”
Val replied, “He was originally a criminal investigation consultant for the FBI.”
“How do you know that?” The black employee looked aside at Val and noticed the other man put his right hand under his chin in a pose, the black employee frowned, “What the hell kind of look is that?”
Val laughed, “Don’t you think we both look alike?”
“You and Luke Lee?” The black employee stared at the TV for a closer look, “Well, you do look a little like him, but he looks more manly, and a tough guy at first glance.”
“No No No,” Val wiggled her fingers, “It’s not that I look like him, he looks like me. I’m his uncle.”
“Are you kidding?”
Val said with a serious look on her face, “His mom is my real sister, and believe me, it doesn’t get any more real than that.”
“Geez! This is so surprising. I can’t believe you have such an awesome nephew!” The black employee gave a puzzled look, “So why did you come to work at the supermarket?”
Val was stumped for words and wanted to say that it was his own interest, but the words came out of his mouth.
“Ringing ……” Well at this time, his cell phone rang, relieving him of his embarrassment as he pushed the cart to the other man, “I’m going to take a call.”
“Well, who let you have such an awesome nephew. But, you really didn’t lie to me?” The black employee was still a bit disbelieving.
“Of course.” Val pointed to his cell phone, “See, the call is from his mom.”
Val smiled and stepped aside, pressing the answer button, “Hi my dear sister, what can I do for you?”
Yes, I saw the news too.
You’re right, this is a day to celebrate.
Okay, I got it ……”
Seven o’clock in the evening.
Palisades neighborhood.
A black SUV with FBI characters on it pulls up in front of Luke’s house.
The door opens and Luke steps out of the car, says hello to the driver and watches the black SUV leave.
Luke opened the door and walked into the yard, which had a cleanly mowed lawn that he had hired a professional gardener to come in and take care of every once in a while.
In the past, Luke often mowed the lawn at his mom’s house, but his new home is too large, there is no comparison between the two, if he personally take care of it, it will take at least half a day’s time.
If you want to live in a mansion, you don’t just have to be able to afford it, but you also have to be able to afford the later maintenance.
Luke dragged his suitcase to the door and just opened the door to his room when the lights in the living room came on.
“Surprise!”
Linda, Robert, and Val popped up.
Luke laughed, “What are you guys doing here.”
Linda laughed, “How could we not come to celebrate my son becoming an American hero?”
Val said, “That’s right, my manager found out about it and gave me a special half day off.”
Robert came over and hugged Luke, “My dear boy, you are the pride of our family!”
Linda came over and looked Luke up and down, “How are you? No injuries, right?”
Luke smiled, “It’s fine, I’m fine.
As a matter of fact, the cruise ship hijacking wasn’t as dangerous as I thought it would be, and everything is under control.”
Val said, “Don’t stand in the doorway. Dinner is ready, so let’s eat while we talk.
I only had a burger for lunch and I’ve been hungry for a long time.”
Luke dropped off his bags, washed up briefly, and when he arrived in the dining room, the table was already full of hearty food, “Where’s Jack? How come we haven’t seen him?”
Linda spread her hands, “He’s at home.”
Luke asked rhetorically, “What’s wrong with him? That’s not like him.”
Val laughed, “Haha, that brat lost it. No, to be precise, he got dumped.”
Robert bristled, “That’s not something to be happy about, why are you so excited?”
Val said in a serious manner, “Losing love is a necessary part of a man’s growth, and only those who have experienced losing love can become real men.
Although you may suffer temporary pain, in the long run, it’s a rare experience for Jack as well.”
Linda came over with a plate of salad and poked Val right in the face, “No, you’re just simply gloating. If you don’t have a girlfriend yourself, you don’t want anyone else to have one.
Besides, Jack is just having trouble with his girlfriend, it’s not a breakup.”
Val hurriedly shook his head, “No No No, I don’t lack a girlfriend at all, the female employees and female customers of the supermarket all like me, and there are even several who have already confessed to me.”
Linda teased, “My dear brother, this is not the time to sleep and dream, hurry up and eat.”
Robert said, “I kinda like Maggie, I hope Jack and her make up soon.” He raised his glass.
“Families, let’s have a toast to Luke.
To the American hero who saved hundreds of passengers.”
“Cheers!”
The crowd toasted and began the day’s dinner.
Luke, who hadn’t eaten much after a busy day at the FBI office, chucked a steak and took a big bite.
After the four of them had eaten for a while, Robert put down his knife and fork and took a sip of his red wine, “Luke, tell us about the cruise, I can’t wait to find out what happened.”
Val chimed in, “That’s right, I also want to know how you rescued hundreds of passengers on the cruise, it was incredible.”
Linda also looked at her son with a relieved look on her face.
Luke didn’t spoil the fun either and began to tell what the cruise said had happened ……
The crowd chatted until late in the evening before dispersing.
The following morning.
Luke sat in his pajamas in the courtyard drinking coffee and browsing the Los Angeles news on his cell phone.
The cruise ship hijacking case still dominated the headlines, Luke felt that there should be a push from the CBS TV station behind this, after all, this time, they obtained first-hand interview information.
Nami Inoue also made a big splash with this interview, her beautiful appearance and professionalism left a deep impression on the citizens of Los Angeles.
“Ringing ……”
Luke’s cell phone rang, and Chief Reed’s number was displayed on the screen.
Luke, who had originally thought of taking a day off to adjust before reporting to the police station, pressed the answer button, “Hello, Chief.”
“Luke, when did you become the Deputy Director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division?”
Luke replied, “It was when the cruise ship was hijacked, and Supervisor Ayesha Garde felt that it might be a case of a terrorist attack, and that this status would be more appropriate for handling a terrorist attack case.
However, it’s only nominal and won’t affect my work at the Detective Bureau.”
“That’s good, where are you now?”
“At home.”
“You kid took so many days off and you still have the nerve to stay at home. Hurry up and report to the police station, I want to see you within an hour.”
“Chief, don’t be so petty, I just arrested a gang of robbers, let me take another day off.”
“I want you to rest too, but there’s a case that needs you to investigate.”
“What case?”
“Two days ago, there was a murder case.”
“Since it’s been two days since the murder, who is in charge of investigating the case?”
“The Second Squadron.”
Luke said, “Then what’s there to worry about, Captain Kling of the Second Squadron has a lot of experience in handling cases, so why should I be involved in the investigation of the case?”
“This is a bit complicated to say the least, come to my office and let’s talk face to face.”
“Okay, you’re the boss.” Luke hung up his cell phone, simply packed up, and drove to the detective bureau.
Luke drove his car into the parking lot, and as soon as he stepped out of the car, he was greeted warmly by the crowd.
“Captain Lee, it’s been a long time.
I saw your news, great job, especially the footage of taking down the robbers at the restaurant, super cool.”
“Guys, good morning.” Luke smiled and greeted as well.
“Hey, America’s great hero, I heard you’re transferring to the FBI.”
“Don’t be silly, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Luke, you’ve made a big splash this time, all the TV stations are showing your news.”
“Is there any less news about me? You should have gotten used to it long ago. Haha …… “Luke chatted with the crowd for a while, promising to buy them a drink at the bar in the evening, before heading to the director’s office.
“Knock knock.”
“Come in.”
Luke pushed the door open and walked into the office, “Chief, I received your summons and came immediately.”
Reed stood up and walked over to the couch, inviting Luke to sit down, “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, let’s get right to the case.”
Reed nodded, “The scene of the crime is at 104 Wilson Community, the deceased are homeowner Blanche Kerouac and her boss, Garian Coffey.
Garian Coffey is the current chairman of the Coffey Corporation, you’ve heard of the company.”
Luke said, “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much about it.”
“Coffey Company was established sixty years ago, originally it was just an investment company, after sixty years of development, it has spanned across many fields such as finance, real estate, technology, shipping, tourism, sports, charity, and so on, the company is very large in scale.
Moreover, the Coffey family has a very good relationship with the LAPD, and last year alone they gave the LAPD three million dollars in charitable donations.
The last two days on TV have been all about your news, so they are very optimistic about your ability and want you to take over the case investigation.”
Luke revealed a bitter smile, fame was certainly a benefit, but sometimes it also brought with it a corresponding responsibility.
“What about Klin’s side? I don’t want him and the Second Squadron to think that I’m stealing their case.
If it affects the relationship between the two squadrons, I’d rather not take over the case.”
“On the Second Squadron’s side, I’ll communicate and won’t make things difficult for you.”
Luke stroked his chin and still seemed to be a bit hesitant, “I don’t really like the way Coffey interferes in the work of the police department.”
Reed continued, “Me too, so I refused at first.
However, as a sign of sincerity and apology, Coffey Corporation is willing to put up a million dollars as a reward for solving the case.
I’m going to have Squadron 1 and Squadron 2 form a joint investigation team so that Squadron 2 won’t have too much to say.
Of course, the investigation of the case will still be your main focus, and I’ll have Cline cooperate with your actions.”
Reed added, “When the murderer is caught, I’ll make up a long vacation for you.”
Luke laughed, “That doesn’t sound too bad.”