Chapter 673
To be exact, Luke had once handed out a key in Henrik Laurie’s robbed purse that happened to unlock the same door.
Luke searched the two robbers and retrieved a key from the long-haired robber’s pocket that was identical to the one he had found in Henrik Lawley’s robbed purse earlier.
This was interesting.
Why would Henrik Laurie have a key to the door lock here?
Luke sighed softly, it was true that things got more complicated when politicians were involved.
After clearing his mind, Luke stepped out of his room and saw Henrik Laurie sitting along the road drinking coffee.
Luke walked over and greeted, “Mr. Henrik Lawley.”
Henrik Lawrie put his coffee cup next to him and got up, “Officer Lee, thank you again for saving me. The next time I see the chief of the LAPD, I’ll be sure to have a nice drink with him.”
Luke nodded, “Mr. Lawrie, can you tell me about the situation when you were kidnapped?”
“Sure, that night ……”
“I should say the early hours of December 11th, yes, I will always remember that day.
I was under a lot of stress because it was a critical time in the campaign and I was losing a lot of sleep.
That night was no different, I couldn’t sleep and was upset, so I wanted to find a place to have a drink.
After that, I left the hotel alone and took a taxi to a nearby bar.
The environment of that bar was average, but the atmosphere was very relaxing, and I felt much better because I had to work the next day, so after having a drink I was ready to go back to the hotel to rest.
As a result, I was robbed just after I left the bar.
My money, watch, and cell phone were all taken by the other guy, and I was worried for a moment that he would kill me.
Luckily, he was just begging for money and let me go.
I was terrified and kept running down the alley, not far from a parked car with two smoking next to it.
I ran over to get help and tried to borrow their cell phones to call the police.” Henrik Laurie paused for a moment and sighed, “However, something I didn’t expect happened.”
The two men recognized me and asked me if I was Henrik Laurie, and I said yes.
I thought they would help me …… but they held me hostage with a pistol and pushed me into the car, then I was knocked out by them.
When I woke up again, I was caught in this house.
They told me to call my wife for two million dollars ransom, and said they would kill me if they dared to call the police.”
Luke listened to the other party’s description, feeling half-true, other than that, the call girl thing he did not mention, Luke did not poke, it does not make much sense.
“How many robbers were there?”
“I only saw two.”
“Do you recognize the two men who just killed the robbers?”
“No.”
Luke pulled out a picture of Will Stout, “Do you recognize him?”
Henrik Laurie looked at it and gulped, “Looks a bit familiar, yes, I’ve seen him in the bar and we talked for a while.”
“Did he know you were Henrik Laurie?”
“Yes, he said he was a supporter of mine and said I would be successful in my campaign, so I bought him a drink. He’s a nice guy.”
“Do you think he had something to do with the kidnapping?”
“How could it be? We just ran into each other by chance. He had nothing to do with the two men who kidnapped me.”
Luke stared at Henrik Laurie and pressed, “Did you know him before?”
“No.”
“And never seen him before?”
“No.” Henrik Laurie shook his head, glancing slightly sideways.
Luke kept his eyes on the other man, vaguely aware that Henrik Laurie was showing signs of lying.
He should have met and known Will Stout before.
But why refuse to admit it?
Did Will Stott know something private about him? That’s why Will Stott was killed.
“Officer Lee, can you take me back to the hotel? My wife should be dying to see me.”
Luke said, “I’m afraid I can’t right now, I still need to go back to the police station to make a statement. I’ll send someone to take you back to the hotel when the statement is done.”
“I’m a bit tired now, is it okay if I go back to the police station tomorrow to make a statement?”
“I will have someone prepare a rest room for you at the police station.” After Luke finished speaking, he said to Jenny at the side, “Take Mr. Henrik Laurie back to the police station to rest.”
Jenny made a gesture of invitation, “Mr. Lawrie, follow me.”
Henrik Lawley nodded somewhat helplessly and after looking at Luke again, he got into his car and left.
Luke, on the other hand, called a person from the technical team and pointed at the paper cup that Henrik Lawrie had just drank coffee from: “Take this paper cup back for identification.”
“Okay, Captain Lee.”
The following morning.
Robbery and Murder Division, Interrogation Room 1.
The Vice Squad and Blacky walked into the interrogation room one after the other, a white man handcuffed to the interrogation chair was none other than Logan, who had appeared at the kidnapping scene last night.
The Vice Squad sized him up and asked, “What’s your name?”
Logan looked at the two men, unimpressed, “Shouldn’t you have already found out?”
“That’s right, you’re a murderer.” The lieutenant wasn’t going to spoil him, and socked him right in the face.
“I was on a mission.”
“A mission issued by a mental hospital?”
“No. My name is Logan Burnham, I’m with the Secret Service, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, and I was given a superior assignment to rescue Henrik Lawrie.
And I did it.
It’s despicable that your people followed us and tried to take credit for it.”
“You should know that the kidnapping of Henrik Laurie was investigated by our detective bureau.”
“So what? I didn’t block your investigation, but it’s obvious …… that we were one step closer to rescuing Henrik Laurie.”
“How did you know the location of the kidnappers?”
“We found out, none of your business.”
“We found two million dollars in the robber’s room, where did that come from?”
“OK, it’s okay to tell you guys.”
The robbers made a blackmail call to Henrik Lawrie’s wife and Mrs. Lawrie broke the news to us.
We installed a tracker in the case containing the money at the time of the transaction …… The rest you know.”
The lieutenant pulled out a picture of Will Stout, “Do you recognize him?”
Logan Burnham thought about it and shook his head, “No.”
“He was shot in his home in the early hours of December 13th and his body was put in the freezer.
And the bullet that killed him came from your gun. How do you explain that?”
Logan Burnham sighed, “Come to think of it, this same person made blackmail calls to Mrs. Lawley claiming they had kidnapped Henrik Lawley for ransom.
I then tracked him to his home and tried to take advantage of the opportunity to free Henrik Lawley, but there was no sign of Henrik Lawley. He had a weapon in his hand at the time, and we shot him in self-preservation.”
“How many times did he demand a ransom?”
“Twice, for one hundred thousand dollars each.”
“How was the ransom paid?”
“I gave him the money in person.”
“Why didn’t you track him to his home the first time?”
“Lost him.”
“Isn’t it too cheap to kidnap a future governor and demand only two hundred thousand dollars?”
“The ransom was set by the other party, we had no reason to raise the price.”
“Then why was it demanded in two installments?”
“I have no idea.”
“And why take the ransom face-to-face, isn’t the robber’s guard too low?”
Logan Burnham shrugged, “So, he’s a fake robber, just trying to pit a fortune.”
The vice squad still felt that something was wrong, he had dealt with too many kidnapping cases, and how this kind of ransom demand was out of the ordinary.
At the same time, the Heist and Murder Division lounge.
Henrik Laurie was sitting in the lounge, coffee in his hand, looking out the window, not knowing if he was looking out of his mind or in a daze.
“Cluck ……”
The door to the lounge opens and Luke and Jackson walk into the lounge.
Henrik Laurie got up and asked, “Officer Lee, can I go back to the hotel now?”
Luke shook the papers in his hand, “Sorry, have to finish my statement.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
The three sat down at the lounge desk, Luke stared at the other man and asked, “What’s your name?”
Henrik Laurie smiled, “Is that so formal?”
“Yes.”
“Henrik Lawley.”
Luke looked serious, “I asked for a real name?”
“Henrik Lawley” froze, “What else would my name be if not Henrik Lawley?”
“I ask again, what is your name?”
“If you doubt my identity, you can have my wife.”
Luke shook his head, “Don’t hold your breath, the only one who can save you now is you.”
“I don’t know what you mean, perhaps, I need to get a lawyer.”
“Your lawyer, or the one Mrs. Lawrie got?”
“Is there a difference?”
“What do you think Mrs. Lawrie would do if she knew that you made up the kidnapping?”
A few short words: “Henrik Lawley”, sweat already running down the sides of his forehead, gulped and said, “I don’t like that joke.”
“Remember your coffee cup in the wee hours of the morning? We made an identification.”
“Henrik Lawrie” sighed softly, “We look almost identical, how did you find out?”
“We caught the man who robbed you outside the bar, and we also recovered your watch and your purse, which contained a key.
It was the key to the lock of the door of the house where you were hidden. Shall I go on?”
“Henrik Lawley” bit his finger: “Does Mrs. Lawley know about this?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Please don’t tell her, they’ll kill me if she finds out I screwed this up.”
Luke repeated his previous question, “Who are you?”
“Henrik Laurie’s double, Farrek Burr.”
“Where is the real Henrik Laurie?”
“He’s sick, just out of surgery in New York.”
“How long have you been working for him?”
“For about six months now. Mostly helping him attend occasions he finds dangerous or pointless.”
“Why did you direct this kidnapping yourself?”
“I’m tired of living like this, I don’t want to be restricted, I don’t want to be a stand-in for anyone, I want to be free. Besides, I needed a fortune.”
“So, I looked at this opportunity, but the plan didn’t go well, first I met someone I knew in a bar and was robbed just after I left the bar. What’s even more depressing is that the media reported my disappearance, leading to the kidnapping becoming public knowledge.” Farrek Burr sighed, “If the media hadn’t made a big deal out of it, I’m sure Mrs. Lawrie wouldn’t have called the police, and as long as she obediently delivers the ransom, all the problems will be solved.”
Luke laughed, “You’re right, it’s true that Mrs. Lawley wouldn’t have called the police. But he’ll probably have the Secret Service just take you out, just like they did your two companions.”
“She won’t, her husband’s health hasn’t fully recovered yet and she needs me to hold up the fort. When this is over, I’ll naturally leave.”
“Then you still won’t get the money.”
“You’re right, I still imagine them to be too kind.”