Chapter 137
Metzker’s Bar.
Reed had a small get-together with the Heist and Murder Division’s Squadron One.
L.A. get-togethers were usually AA, and occasionally someone would buy for a reason, such as a promotion, a raise, a birthday, and so on.
The last gathering was to celebrate Luke’s promotion to detective, and he was the one who paid for it.
This party was to celebrate his promotion to the rank of police officer, no surprise it should still be him paying the bill, everyone can come is to give face, money is a small matter.
The one thing Luke doesn’t lack right now is money.
This is really not bragging, he now has more than two hundred thousand dollars.
Never mind the fact that people in Los Angeles had high incomes, but it was a very small number of people who could come up with that much cash.
The crowd was seated around the long oval table, with Reed sitting at the top seat, his glass signaling, “Luke, congratulations on your promotion to the rank of police officer, another step forward.”
“Thanks.” Luke took a sip from his glass as well.
Blackie said with some envy, “Chief, I’m still a year older than Luke, I’m still a first class detective, when will I be promoted to the police rank.”
“Don’t be in a hurry, do a good job, you have a chance, uh huh.” Reed encouraged.
The lieutenant laughed, “If the mind you put on the women would be on the cases, you’d probably be in the police rank promotion with Luke.”
Blacky was disgruntled, “Lieutenant, I’m going to have to disagree with you on that one, I helped a lot with Courtney’s murder, and I’ve always been convinced that Boris was the killer.
No one is firmer than me on this point, it’s you guys who are wavering instead.”
The lieutenant bristled, “You decided that Boris was the murderer, neither from the point of view of evidence nor from the point of view of reasoning, but simply because you hated Boris.
Boris will not be convicted because of your distaste, but because of the evidence, understand?”
Black argued, “I don’t have evidence, but I did rely on reasoning …… that’s right, I relied on reasoning to find him guilty.”
The lieutenant shrugged, “It’s good that you believe it yourself.”
Susan interrupted the two, “Gentlemen, can we change the subject? After work it’s time to talk about something light and pleasant isn’t it?”
“I agree.” Luke changed the subject and asked, “Does everyone know of any fun places to go? I’d like to go out with Daisy on our next vacation.”
Blackie said, “What kind, maybe I can give you some suggestions.”
Luke laughed, “Something in the category of being able to get close to nature, like going camping in a scenic place, taking a boat out for sea fishing, something a little farther away would be fine, as long as the leader is willing to grant a vacation.”
Blackie thought about it, “Forest Park would be nice, it’s 50 miles from the city, the camping spots are easy to find, the scenery is beautiful, and there’s Cooper’s Canyon Falls nearby, where you can also swim, the only thing you have to watch out for is bears.”
“Sounds good, I’ll give it a try.” Luke was longing for the scenery of nature, as for the black bears he didn’t really care, the American black bear was the least daring bear in the world.
As long as you open your arms, show a very large appearance, and make the commotion a little louder, there is a good chance that he will be scared away.
There’s an old American saying that brown bears just lie down and black bears just fuck.
The lieutenant took a sip of his whiskey, “Speaking of sea fishing, I’ve only been there once, and that’s something for old men, not for me.
You can ask Red though, the guy loves it.”
Reed grinned, “Lieutenant, it’s not that you don’t like it, it’s just that the technique stinks.”
The lieutenant waved his hand, “I just can’t stand those crappy rules, those assholes even care how many hooks I bring, I can’t hardly catch a fish and I have to let it go because of the season.
Know how I was feeling?”
Reed laughed, “Of course I know, the fish you can catch is different every month, it’s normal, I release some fish all the time, I think it’s fine, you can think differently.”
The lieutenant declined, “No, you might as well take Luke, he might not like it.”
Reed looked aside to Luke, “Have you sea fished before?”
“No, that’s why I wanted to try it, I’ve seen some of the sea fishing roundups and I thought it would be fun.”
Reed thought about it, “It’s good to be interested, I’ll ask the sea fishing party organizer some day, if he agrees, I can take you along.”
Luke was a little surprised, “You still go to the sea fishing parties?”
“Basically every week, I don’t attend them often, maybe once a month.
The number of people each time is also uncertain, it costs a total of 1500 dollars to rent a boat, sometimes we will ask the crew to help drive the boat, sometimes we take turns to drive the boat, and the mood will feel different when we go to the big sea for a turn.
The purpose of such gatherings is mainly to reduce the cost of sailing.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad, who are the organizers?”
Reed laughed, “You’ve seen it before.”
This statement made Luke slightly stare, vaguely guessing what was going on, and not pursuing the question.
“Ringing ……,” Black’s cell phone rang and answered, “Hey baby ……
I’m really partying with my coworkers.
Of course, how could I lie to you?
David is there too, should I put him on the phone.”
David kept his mouth shut and didn’t say anything or retort.
“OK, I’ll be back in a bit.” Blackie hung up his cell phone, “She’s good at everything, just too clingy.”
David said, “You kid know what you’re getting into, Luke has never initiated a call from his girlfriend.”
Luke glanced at him, “You’re in a position to talk about me? You’re the one who can’t handle relationships, perfunctorily.
“I think it’s fine, we all have our own lives, so we can date once in a while, and enjoy both the relationship and the single life.”
Xiao Hei stared with wide eyes, “You’re right, this is the feeling I want. Do you teach me how it’s done?”
Luke “……”
Is it stupid, you believe everything you say?
The following afternoon.
Malaboia High School, a co-educational day high school offering grades 9-12.
The school has a full range of teaching and athletic facilities, including science, biology, chemistry, and physics laboratories, a gymnasium, weight room, basketball court, and library.
At 3:00 pm, school is already over.
Some students went to AP elective classes, some came to the library to read books.
Little fat Jack then asked Maggie to come to the library to study, said study, what the little fat man thought in his heart is not known.
The two whispered in whispers as they read.
“Maggie, why do you always read psychology books?”
“Because I took psychology as my elective, what about you?”
“Math and Computer Science and Chinese Language and Culture.”
“You’re very talented in those two areas.”
“Haha, I should thank my dad for that.”
“Isn’t your dad in LA? You didn’t even show up for your birthday last time.”
“That’s right, my dad went to another state for good, but we’re very close as father and son. To be honest, I kind of miss him.”
“Even though your dad can’t be with you, your grandpa, mom, brother and uncle love you very much.
I can see that you are very happy.”
Thinking of Val, Little Fatty felt that he should add, “My uncle …… is not very appealing, but he has tried his best.”
“I can see that.” Maggie shrugged.
“Click ……”
The library lights went out.
Although it wasn’t dark yet, the library was dimly lit because of its design, and the two switched to a window seat.
“What’s with the sudden power outage?” Maggie frowned slightly.
“Pfft ……,” the chubby little man laughed.
“What’s wrong?” Maggie asked back.
“Suddenly I remembered the night of my birthday, and I don’t know where I got the courage to just kiss it.
To be honest, I’m a little regretful now.”
Maggie tilted her head slightly sideways, “What do you mean by that? It seems like you resent me.”
“No, that’s not what I meant, I was thinking I should have chewed gum ahead of time to make a good impression on you.
If we could have done it at another time, no one would have bothered us and our first kiss would have been a little more perfect.”
“Oh, don’t mention it, I’m dying of embarrassment. I can’t even look at your mom, we actually kissed in front of her. If it was my dad, he’d go crazy.”
“Haha ……” Little Fatty laughed and suddenly asked in a serious manner, “Maggie, when are you going to take me to see your dad.”
“Wait for the right opportunity.”
Little Fatty was a little disappointed.
“Bang!”
A gunshot broke the tranquility of the library.
“Ah ……”
“Get down!”
“Run ah.”
“Bang Bang Bang!” Another burst of gunfire.
Little Fatty was shocked and grabbed Maggie: “Maggie, someone’s shooting, let’s hurry and find a place to hide.”
Maggie looked out the window, “The library is a glass door, it won’t be able to block the shooter at all, I just heard the gunshots are still far away, we can take advantage of this gap to escape.” Maggie craned her head and watched as the chubby little man on the side took out his cell phone, “What are you doing with your cell phone?”
“Calling my brother, he’s a cop, he’ll definitely come to save us.”
“Your brother can’t come over right away even if he’s Superman, we need to run out of here first. Instead of wasting time on making phone calls, we should save ourselves.” Maggie picked up the books on the shelf and planted them in her book bag.
The little fat man looked baffled, “What are you doing?”
“As long as the paper is thick enough, bullets won’t be able to penetrate it, and carrying it on your back will save your life.”
The little fat man was surprised, “How did you think of that, it’s awesome.”
Maggie asked back, “Are you just going to keep watching?”
The little fat man hurriedly responded, took the book and planted it in his own book bag, and then zipped it up, “Shouldn’t this be carried on the front?”
Maggie was the opposite, “I suggest you carry it on your back, we’re not fighting a shooter, we’re running away.”
“You’re right.” The little fat man also carried the backpack on his back.
“Let’s go.” Maggie took Little Fatty’s hand and ran towards the door.
“Bang Bang Bang!” Another burst of gunfire rang out.
The library had long been in chaos, with some people hiding under tables, others behind bookshelves, and still others desperately running out the door.
The two ran to the door of the library, where Maggie was looking out.
The little fat man saw a chair sitting next to him and lifted it up so hard and slammed it down so hard that the chair legs were smashed off, he picked one up and held it in his hand and waved it around, “Maggie, go to the back, I’ll protect you.”
“Thanks.” Maggie looked at the wooden stick in the chubby little man’s hand, “We’re not fighting, we’re running away, usually shooters prioritize those with weapons, are you sure you want to take this?”
“Really?”
“At least I think so.”
“You have a point.” Fatty dropped the wooden leg and took Maggie’s hand, “Maggie, I’ll scout ahead and you follow.”
“Jack, this is not the time to shake hands, this will affect the running speed. You’re not physically agile enough to follow, I’ll scout ahead.” Maggie finished and took the lead out of the library.
The little fat man was a little touched, and at the same time felt something wrong, how could he let a girl take care of him.
“Bang!”
The sound of gunshots started again, couldn’t care less about thinking about it.
Little Fatty ran after Maggie.
Maggie chose paths that were covered and tried not to run to crowded places, trying to stay away from the blacks as much as possible.
“Bang!”
With the sound of a gunshot, the two ran out of the campus without any danger.
Maggie looked around, observing the situation around her.
The little fat man sat down on the ground with a tired butt, “Maggie, you’re amazing.”
“Jack, you should lose some weight.”
Little Fatty “……”
Robbery-Murder Division.
First Squadron Office.
Luke was reviewing the information Matthew had sent over.
The name on the profile was Cabin Portia.
The same petty thief who stole Luke’s Harley, and the person Luke was suing for damages.
Luke wasn’t going to send it to Daisy, but was going to take it to her in person.
Something like a computer would have traces if you used it, there was no point in looking for that trouble, and it wasn’t really an emergency anyway.
“Ringing ……”
Luke’s cell phone rang.
Picking up the phone, it was Little Fatty’s number, “Hello.”
“Older brother, there was a shooting at our school.”
“Really?”
“You listen carefully?”
“Bang!” Luke vaguely heard a gunshot, “Where are you? Is there danger? Is anyone hurt?”
“I’ve run from the school, no danger for now. I didn’t see anyone hurt, but I heard other students shouting murder!”
“I know, hide in a safe place, better run in the direction of your home, I’m rushing there now. Keep me in touch if anything happens.” Luke said, striding into the captain’s office.
Seeing Luke barging in without opening the door, Susan frowned, “What’s wrong?”
“There are gunshots at Malaboa High School, and it’s suspected that someone has been killed.”
Susan stood up, “Can you confirm that?”
“My brother goes to that school and he just called. Captain, I’d like to go over and check on him.”
“Is your brother in danger? Does he need backup?”
“Not for now.”
“You go ahead and take Marcus over there and keep in touch.”
“Okay.” Luke said and left the office.
Twenty minutes later, Luke found the little fatty, comforted him for a few moments, and told him and Maggie to go home.
Only then did he return to Malaboa High School.
By now, the area around the school was under martial law.
Patrol officers arrived at the school a few minutes after the gunshot.
There were tons of police cars around and it was already packed with patrolmen.
Deputy Reed and Susan also arrived on the scene.
Luke found David, “What’s the situation?”
“From what Chief Reed is saying, I think he’s letting our team take over the case.”
“When will the attack be organized?”
“I don’t know yet, I haven’t heard any gunshots when I arrived, most of the students have run out, there should still be very few hiding in the corners of the school. It’s a complicated situation right now, the shooter could have run away, or he could be hiding in those students.”
Luke craned his head to see Reed, Susan and a few others conferring over there, and by the looks of the clothes the special ops guys had arrived, and they were going to be the main force searching the campus, and
“How many school Y shootings is this year?”
David sighed, “Sixteenth, if we go by that number it’s likely higher than last year’s 34. This fickle society.”
Luke pulled out his pistol, “Someone ran out.”
“LAPD!”
“Walk out with your hands on your head.”
“Don’t run around.”
“We’re not gunmen, we’re students.”
“For your safety, don’t make any unnecessary movements, we’ll verify your identity.” A police officer shouted.
Several patrolmen then began to frisk the young men and women who claimed to be students.
A black male student was somewhat resistant: “I’m a student, not a suspect, so who are you to frisk me.
I refuse.”
“This is a special time, in order to ensure your safety and the safety of the people around you, the police have the right to search your body in an emergency. Please cooperate.”
Saying that, the male police officer pushed the black male student and started to search him, when suddenly he shouted, “He has a gun!”
As the words fell, all the officers collectively pulled out their guns and aimed them at the male student being searched.
Seeing so many guns, the black male student was immediately under dumbfounded.
“Tick tock ……”
Some yellow liquid flowed down his feet to the ground.
“Don’t shoot, there’s no bullets in my gun! I’m just holding it for fun.” The black male student shouted.
The officers around him had already held him down.
Some stepped back in disgust.
“FUCK, this kid pissed himself in fear.”
“Haha ……” sparked a roar of laughter around them.
Reed shouted, “All be serious, this is no time for jokes.”
“Luke, interrogate this kid immediately.”
“Yes sir.” Luke responded and had the patrolman escort the black male student with the gun aside.
Luke looked at the male student and took the gun from the patrolman, checking the magazine, touching the barrel temperature, and smelling it, “What’s your name?”
“Karim Andes.”
“Were you the one who shot up the school?”
“I didn’t shoot, I didn’t do anything, the magazine was full, I didn’t fire a single shot.”
Luke said, “You can reload even after you shoot, it’s not like having a gun full of bullets is going to clear you.”
Luke raised his chin and said to Blackie, “Smell him for the smell of gunpowder?”
Blacky grabbed his arm in some disgust and sniffed, “It only smells like urine now.”
Modern pistols have very little gunpowder residue, even if the gun is fired, it’s hard for the nose to smell it, and there’s still a need to make the relevant identification.
“Karim, why do you carry a gun?”
“For protection, as in today’s case.”
“Wouldn’t it be a mess if all the students carried guns to school. Whose gun is this?”
“I got Dad’s.”
“Your dad acquiesced?”
“No, he didn’t know.”
Luke asked the patrolman to take him for a gunpowder residue test.
Blackie asked, “Do you think this guy has a problem?”
Luke shook his head, “Not much of a problem, if he really was a murderer, he wouldn’t have used his own gun, he would have disposed of the pistol long ago, there’s no way he could have had it on him for the police to catch.”
Black nodded, “Is this kid stupid? Why couldn’t he just drop the gun and run.”
Luke explained, “He can’t throw it away, no matter where he throws it to that corner of the campus the police will be able to find it, and if someone else picks up the gun and kills someone with it, he will become a suspect as well. So, the best thing for him to do is to muddle through and bring it out.”
Blackie gave an expression that made sense, “Makes sense.”
Luke, on the other hand, was not as optimistic as him, judging from Fatty’s description, the suspect should have lost power before the gunshot.
In other words, the school’s surveillance probably didn’t capture the murderer’s course of action, and such a situation would be troublesome and complicated.
Just like the black boy with the gun just now, who dares to guarantee that he must not be suspected?
The situation inside the school would only get more complicated.
Those students hiding in a corner of the school waiting for help could very well be the suspects in disguise.
This makes the search much more difficult.
More importantly, they must be screened one by one and not let the suspects go.
Suddenly, Reed’s voice rang out, “Prepare for a strong attack!
Action Bureau is the main focus, other officers are covering, pay attention to screening the identity of the suspects, pay attention to safety and avoid accidental injuries.
Action!”