Chapter 679
January 4th morning.
Larson’s Pawn Shop.
A black Challenger pulls up to the curb and Luke and David step out of the police car.
David laughed, “You know what? I’ve suddenly found the feeling I had when we were partners together again, haha.”
“Give me a break, I don’t want to wipe your ass again.” Luke waved his hand.
“But you have to admit, you’ve learned a lot from me too, haven’t you?”
Luke asked back, “Kicking in doors?”
“Haha ……”
Both laughed.
Luke’s eyes scanned the area, locked onto Larson’s Pawn Shop, and said, “We’re at the place.”
“I bet this is definitely a stolen goods collection den.” David finished speaking and took the lead in walking towards the pawn shop.
The United States was the only country in the world that had a pawnshop before it was even founded, and it was always on par with banks.
After more than two hundred years of wind and rain, the United States of America had become the most developed country in the world in the pawn industry.
Many pawnbrokers engage in black business, such as collecting stolen goods.
Such people usually have a gang background, and the police normally won’t touch them.
After arresting this stolen goods den, a new one might appear the next day.
Therefore, as long as what they do is not very excessive, the police seldom lay down their deadly hands to rectify the situation.
There was an old white man sitting inside the bulletproof glass counter of Larson’s Pawn Shop, watching Luke and David walk into the store and asked, “Good morning, gentlemen.”
David flashed the badge on his belt, “LAPD!”
The old man put on his glasses and looked at Luke and the two of them and asked, “Two officers, what is it that you came to our pawn shop for? If you want to pawn items, I will definitely give you the best price.”
David pulled a photo out of his pocket and put it in the mouth of the counter, “Have you seen this watch?”
The old white man picked up the photo and looked at it, shaking his head, “No, I haven’t seen it.”
David craned his neck and spoke in a stern tone, “Look, I’m not here for a routine inquiry.”
We have information that the watch is at your pawn shop.
If you’re lying, we’ll apply for a search warrant and you should know the consequences ……”
Most pawnshops were directly or indirectly engaged in gray business and simply couldn’t withstand a search.
The old white man picked up the photo and looked at it again carefully, “Just a moment, I’m not here every day, it’s possible that someone else collected it, let me look at the pawn records.”
David grunted, “Don’t make me wait too long.”
The old white man walked over to the side of the counter, turned on the computer, and after some manipulation said, “Yes, I found the records. Our pawn shop did acquire a watch a few days ago when I was on vacation, not that I was responsible for it.”
“When?”
“December 29th.”
“Who was the pawnbroker?”
“There is no record.”
“Then think carefully, and don’t try to fool me with that bullshit about you not being there, understand?” David’s tone was unkind, and he was already losing some of his patience.
The old white man thought for a moment and replied, “As I recall, the people who came to pawn it were two black men, a man and a woman, both not very old.”
The man was wearing jeans and a gray top with a hood.
The woman had an exploding head and a full figure. That’s all I remember.”
Luke’s eyes scanned the roof, “Do you have surveillance here?”
The old white man shook his head, “No. However, the convenience store next to us has surveillance, you can try there.”
David waved his hand, “Bring that watch.”
The old white man said, “I don’t know why you guys are investigating that watch, but that watch was legally acquired by us and we paid for it ……”
“Shut the fuck up!”
The watch was a relic of a police officer.
The constable died and his relics showed up at the pawn store.
I have good reason to suspect that his death had something to do with your pawn store.” David waved his hand and said to his men aside, “Take this old man back to the police station.”
“Wait, I’ll bring you the watch.” The white old man immediately softened and rushed back to the store, after a while holding a delicate box in his hand, after opening the box, inside was a Rolex watch with a dark green dial.
David took the watch and asked, “How much was this watch pawned for?”
“Five hundred dollars.”
David cursed, “You’re a black bastard!”
He was sure that this white old man acquired it with the absolute knowledge that it was stolen goods, and said with some boredom, “Take this old smoothie back to the police station.”
The old white man was somewhat abashed: “I’ve already given you the watch.”
“If I let you off so easily, Jones will definitely not be happy when he finds out.” David instructed his men on the side, “Interrogate him properly, this guy might not know the person who pawned the watch.”
“Understood, I will take good care of him for Boss Jones.”
And then, Luke went to a convenience store not far away to pull up the surveillance from December 29th and saw a pair of black men and women who fit the suspect’s profile, taking screenshots of their facial features.
Despite having a clearer image, they still couldn’t be identified.
Luke had the images sent back to the station for comparison with the facial database.
David asked, “What do we do now?”
Luke replied, “Facial recognition, matching will take some time, investigate the other leads first.”
“Come on, by the time the facial recognition database is matched, the suspect may be long gone. I have a better idea.”
“What way?”
“Come with me.” David waved his hand and called out to the crowd, “Guys, get in the car. We’re going to visit our friends in the neighborhood gangs.”
David got in the car, turned right at the intersection ahead, and drove some more distance before turning into a narrower street.
There were a number of vehicles parked on both sides of the street, and there were a number of groups of black people gathered together to talk, smoke, and barbecue.
A few police cars drove into the neighborhood, immediately attracting many black people to watch, David parked the car in front of a bar, and then jumped down from the car, looking at the black people gathered over, laughing: “Good afternoon, bastards. Come on over here, all of you, and stand in two rows so I can get a good look at you.”
The rest of the officers got out of the car one after another, each wearing bulletproof vests and holding weapons in their hands, looking warily at the surrounding gangsters.
The surrounding blacks looked indignant and screamed, “Fuck! You’re the assholes, why did you come to our territory?”
“We’re not cowards and we’re not afraid of anyone.”
“You fucking bald head, shut the fuck up.”
“This asshole looks so arrogant, can someone tell me who he is?”
The commotion outside attracted more people.
A bald black man smoking a cigar walked out from the bar and looked at David and his party with a stony look on his face, “Isn’t this Vice Squad David?”
Why are you suddenly making such a big scene?
I hate it when people come to my place to cause trouble, and so do my brothers. Why don’t we put away our weapons and go to the bar for a drink.”
David teased, “You guys don’t water down your drinks, do you?”
“Just come in and taste it.”
“If it’s not good, I’ll smash the bar.” David laughed and ordered a few words to the surrounding officers before entering the bar with Luke.
The black man smoking a cigar breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Luke, “What’s the officer’s name?”
David said, “His last name is Lee, he’s my partner.” Turning to Luke again, he said, “This is Dawuda Burke, he’s in charge of this neighborhood.”
The cigar-smoking black man led the two men to the bar and whispered, “Lieutenant David, I respect you, and I expect some respect from you.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to contact me privately about something? Why does it have to be such a big deal?”
“Jones is dead.”
Doruda Burke’s mouth dropped open, “Dead! Is that true?”
“Do you think I have to play such a cheap joke on you?”
“My God …… this is so ……” Douda Burke didn’t know how to express himself and took a deep breath, “What can I do for you? ”
David pulled out a picture of the two suspects, “These two are hanging out in your neighborhood, help me find them.”
“Why do you need to find them?”
“These two assholes sold Jones’ watch to Larson’s Pawn Shop. I suspect they had something to do with Jones’ death.”
Dauda Burke sucked in a breath of cold air and took a closer look at the photo, “I’m sorry, I don’t recognize them.”
David tapped his finger on the photo, “Help me find them.”
“I can try, but I can’t promise.”
“Fuck! Don’t come with me on this, don’t think I don’t know about your relationship with Larson’s Pawn Shop. If you can’t find those two assholes, you know what the consequences will be.”
“But I really don’t know them?”
“Then go find them.”
“Give me some time.”
“How long?”
“Two days.”
David wiggled his fingers, “I’m only giving you one day, and tomorrow morning, I want to see these two assholes. If you don’t find them, you know the consequences. Don’t give me conditions, you just do what I say.”
“Time is too short ……”
“Then do it now and wait for your news.” David said, getting up and leaving the bar.
Luke followed him out of the bar, his eyes scanning the gangsters around him and seeing no suspects.
Dauda Burke watched the two men go out and was silent for a long time, his face changing and changing.
A black man wearing a gold necklace walked in, “Boss, those damn cops are gone.”
Daouda Burke violently grabbed the glass on the bar and smashed it hard on the floor: “Fuck! This damn bald head! I’ll get him sooner or later!”
The black man with the gold chain asked, “Boss, are we going to do anything?”
“Gather all the brothers.”
The black man wearing a gold chain was shocked and asked, “Boss, are you preparing …… to go to war with those cops?”
Dauda Burke glared at him, “That’s right, I’m going to let you carry TNT on your back and blow up the LAPD. What do you think?”
The black man with the gold chain took a step back and said with some embarrassment, “Boss, you’re so funny.”
“You idiot.”
Dawda Burke picked up the photo on the table and slammed it in his face, “Have the brothers find the man in the photo, now, right now!”