Chapter 239
“Do you have two cell phone numbers?”
Luke continued to confirm his identity, had he made a mistake and the dead man was not the son of the owner?
“Yes.”
“Was the other cell phone number, 626 836 542*, used by Quinnell?”
“Yes.” The woman seemed suspicious as well, “What’s the problem? Who the hell are you?”
“Doesn’t Quiniel have a Captain America shield tattooed on his shoulder?”
“Yes. What the hell are you trying to say?”
Luke reconfirmed, “Are you sure you’ve seen Quinnel today?”
“Hoo……” the woman sighed, “What department are you in? What do you want?”
“I’m LAPD, Lieutenant Luke of the Robbery Murder Division, and I think we need to meet.”
“Robbery Murder Division?
Jesus Christ, what happened to Quinnell?”
“Didn’t you just meet him? Why don’t you ask him?”
“SORRY, I lied, I thought you were ……,” Maureen Yagot lusted.
“Thought I was what?”
“I thought you were from Child Protective Services or the Foster Care Center.”
Luke sounded a little off, “What’s your relationship with Quinnel?”
“I’m his guardian.”
“You’re not his mother?”
“I never claimed to be his mother, but I think of him as my own son, like my own son, no different.”
“Are you related to Quennel by blood?”
“No, he is in foster care with our family and has been for more than two years now, and although he is not related by blood, I have always called him my eldest son.
Yes, he belongs to our family.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Uh …… does that question have to be answered?”
Luke asked differently, “Have you seen him today?”
“No. What’s wrong with Quinnell? I have rights as his guardian ……”
“I’m busy, I’ll be in touch later.” Luke simply hung up his cell phone.
Luke didn’t say much to this so-called guardian, nor did he ask her to go to the police station to identify the body.
Luke felt the need to visit the home where Quinnel was fostering, he was worried that if he said too much, this woman might destroy some clues about Quinnel.
Beside him, Blackie asked, “What’s the situation?”
“Get in the car, I’ll tell you in the car.”
There are no orphanages (orphanages) in the United States, and children must all be given to families for adoption.
Which is further divided into adoption and foster care, and Quinnel should belong to the latter.
Half an hour later, Luke arrived at the address registered in the cell phone number.
At this time, it was already dark.
The residents in the neighborhood had already lit up their lights.
Luke parked his car at the curb and walked to the door with Blackie.
“Knock knock ……” Blackie knocked on the door of the house.
After a moment, the door opened.
In the doorway stood a young white boy of about ten years old.
Luke asked, “Hey man, what’s your name?”
“Carter.”
“Does Quinnell live here?”
“Yes.” The little boy shouted into the house, “Mrs. Yagot, there’s someone looking for Quennell.”
As the words fell, a black woman came out and dragged the little white boy, Carter, into the house, “Carter, you go back to dinner first.”
She then asked, somewhat guardedly, “Who are you people?”
“I’m Detective Marcus from the Robbery-Murder Division, and this is Lieutenant Luke.”
The black woman didn’t pay any attention to Blackie, who was talking, but instead looked at Luke, who was off to the side, “Did you make the call just now?”
“Yes, we’re here to see Quinnel.”
“SORRY, I lied, Quinnel isn’t home. I was looking for him too.”
“Why did you lie?”
“Uh …… this is a little complicated.”
“That’s okay, we have plenty of time, can we talk inside?”
The black woman hesitated and stepped aside, “Please come in.”
Luke entered the house and surveyed his surroundings.
The black woman, Maureen Yagot, said, “I’m sorry, there are more children in the house and the room is rather messy.”
The room was indeed rather cluttered with a number of children’s toys and clothing.
There were five other people sitting in the dining room, one of which was a middle-aged black man who stood up and walked toward the living room, and there were four other people sitting at the table, a black boy, a black girl, a white boy, Carter, and an Asian girl.
The Modern family.
“Who are you people? What’s the business of coming to my house?” The black man asked.
“LAPD, we’re here to see Quinnell, what’s your name?”
“Michael Yagot. Why are you looking for Quiniel?”
“We’re investigating a criminal case, he belongs to the people involved, and we’re looking for him to get some information.”
“I knew that this kid would get into trouble sooner or later.” Michael, the black man, sighed and spread his hands.
Maureen pointed to the table, “Michael, you go take care of the kids for dinner, I’m here.”
“OK, I don’t want to care about that kid’s shit either, as long as he doesn’t interfere with our lives.” Michael turned to leave.
Maureen walked over to Luke, “Lieutenant Luke, what kind of case is Quinnell involved in, I’m her guardian, I have a right to know.”
Luke didn’t reply and walked over to the coffee table and picked up the photo on it, there were seven people on the photo, besides the Argotts, there were five children, including Quennel.
The dead were identified.
“Mrs. Yagot, where is Quennel’s room? I’d like to see it.”
“SORRY, I’m afraid I can’t take you to Quennel’s room if you don’t tell me what happened, and I have a right to know.”
Luke asked back, “When was the last time you saw Quennel?”
“I ……,” Maureen Yagot hesitated.
“You don’t want to say, or you can’t remember. That’s not like a responsible guardian.” Luke turned to Blackie, who was on the sidelines, and said, “Call the foster care center.”
“Please don’t, I’m not being irresponsible, but Quinnel doesn’t want to be confined, he doesn’t want to be in charge, and I’ve left him a bed, so he can come home to eat and sleep whenever he wants.
It was his own request, he wanted to be free.”
Blackie pressed on, “If he didn’t like it here, why didn’t he ask the foster care center for a different foster home.”
“It’s not that he doesn’t like my house, but he doesn’t like all the foster homes, he’s not an adult yet, even if he leaves from my house, he’ll have to go back to the foster center just the same waiting to be taken in by another foster home.
That situation would be even worse for him.
We treat him well, have never abused him, and he eats the same as my own children.
If he went to another foster home, it would probably be worse than here.
Please believe me, Quinnell is not a very easy child to live with and I have done my best.”
“Do you have any other foster children in your home besides Quinnell?”
“Yes, both Carter and Lily the Asian girl you just saw, they are no different than my children, ask if you don’t believe me, I have never abused them.”
Luke didn’t say a word, he walked straight to the table and looked at the food on the four children’s plates, without saying a word he turned and went back into the living room.
The food on the four children’s dinner plates was the same, which meant that the foster children had some security in their lives.
As for whether or not they were treated differently, Luke didn’t see much point in pursuing that.
It wasn’t unheard of for people to treat foster children as if they were their own, but it was rare.
It was impossible for people to be without selfishness, even if they were all biological, they were still equally close and distant, not to mention being in foster care.
It was acceptable to have differences, and as long as there was no abuse, it was good enough in Luke’s mind.
Maureen pressed on, “Lieutenant Luke, what’s wrong with Quinnel?
I really do care about him. And the person who cares about him the most in this world, otherwise, I wouldn’t have adopted him.”
“Quiniel is dead.”
“Dead!” Maureen wore a shocked look, “God, please tell me this isn’t true.
He was so young, how could he suddenly die?”
“That’s why we came to investigate, I hope you can assist us in our investigation and provide some valuable clues.”
“SORRY, my mind is a little messed up, I can’t accept …… right now,” Maureen sat down on the sofa with a disheveled look on her face.
Luke took out the photo, “I’d like you to identify Quinnel’s body.”
“Okay.”
Luke handed her the photo.
Maureen took the photo with trembling hands, her voice choked, “Yes, it’s him.
I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.
I still remember when he came to my house ……
I shouldn’t have promised him.
Shouldn’t have let him leave the house.
It’s my fault.
I don’t deserve to be his guardian ……”
Michael, a black man, sent his four children inside and came over to ask, “I think I just heard something happen to Quinnell?”
Maureen threw her arms around her husband, “Quinnell is dead, he’s dead.”
“Damn, I knew this would happen, sooner or later he’s going to get himself killed.” Michael complained.
Luke asked back, “Why would you say that?”
“A fourteen year old black boy who doesn’t go to school and doesn’t come home, what good can he learn?” Michael looked aside to Blackie, “This detective, you should know.”
“Do you guys know where he lives?”
“No, he doesn’t come home most of the time, and even when he does occasionally, he eats something and goes back to the house, rarely interacting with us.
We want to help him, we want to understand him, but he doesn’t want to communicate with us.
No one can help a person if he is not willing to open his heart.
We’ve done what we need to do.”
Luke asked the initial question again, “When was the last time you guys saw him?”
“It must have been about ten days, he came back to get his clothes, used the washing machine, we had dinner together, and no one was there the next morning.
In all, we said less than five words combined.
Quinnell, how have you been?
Say hello to your siblings.
Quiniel, what would you like to eat? I didn’t know you were coming back or I would have prepared your favorite waffles.
We all miss you, you should come back and stay.” Michael sighed and asked rhetorically, “You know how he responded?
He just smiled and didn’t even say hello.”
“When was the last time you contacted him?”
Maureen said, “Right after you called, I called the cell phone number he uses, but it didn’t go through.”
“Other than that one time, when was the last time you contacted him or he contacted you?”
“Uh ……,” Maureen thought for a moment, “I think it’s been four or five days, and I wanted to ask him how he was doing. Do you want to come home for dinner?
He said he was doing fine and would take care of himself, then hung up.”
“When I called earlier, why did you say you’d just seen Quinnell?”
“SORRY …… I shouldn’t have lied to you guys.” Maureen pointed to the back of the house.
“But there are other kids in foster care, and if the foster care center finds out about Quinnel.
They might reevaluate my eligibility to adopt these poor kids.
I love them and don’t want to lose them.
They need my care too.”
Luke shook his head, “That’s not a good enough reason for you to contact the foster care center if you guys contacted the foster care center right after Quiniel’s problems, that’s Quiniel’s problem, not yours.
Your problem is hiding the fact that Quiniel is not at home, that is your problem.”
Both Mr. and Mrs. Argot were silent.
Luke said, “If no reasonable explanation is given, then I will assume that you are hiding something and you will be investigated as suspicious.
Quinnel is dead and no matter how you explain it, as his guardians, you are responsible.”
Maureen sighed, “The government gives a monthly grant, I don’t have a job and I’ve been staying at home to take care of the kids, I ……
We need this grant.
Please, don’t tell the foster care center.
We didn’t expect things to turn out the way they have, Quinnell is not like the other kids, we really tried our best.”
“No!”
Black shook his head, revealing an angry look, “It was your selfishness and greed that killed Quiniel.
By not living in a foster home, Quiniel has violated the foster care regulations, and you should have informed the foster care center and the child protection agency in the first place.
You guys deliberately hid this matter in order to get the government’s aid money, leaving a fourteen year old child to face this complicated society alone.
He died.
It has a lot to do with you guys.
You are not a qualified guardian at all.
Much less worthy of fostering those poor children.
Foster families need love, and your conscience doesn’t hurt when you only stare at Quiniel’s grant?”
Myk grinned wide and indignant, “You shouldn’t say that about us, you don’t know us.
We’ve adopted a lot of kids, but none like Quiniel.
We’ve tried very hard to make things right with him, but he’s never been willing to take us in.
We’ve been as kind as we can be.”
Luke asked, “Why doesn’t Quinnel want to stay here? What’s he thinking? What is he doing?”
Maureen replied, “I’ve asked him, but he won’t say.
My guess is that he may have been abused in other foster homes.
I have done things poorly …… but I have never abused Quinnell.
It has been much better than most foster homes in that regard.”
Although Quinnel’s foster family was found, the pair of irresponsible guardians were also not aware of Quinnel’s recent situation and failed to provide valuable clues, Luke wanted to find out the reason for Quinnel’s murder, he could only delve deeper into his situation.
“What about Quennel’s family of origin?”
“Quenniel’s mother was a drug addict and abandoned him at an early age.
Perhaps that’s what caused Quennel to be withdrawn, and he’s changed foster homes several times before this.”
Black asked, “What about his father?”
“He doesn’t have a father.”
Kuro retorted, “How can a person not have a father? It’s not like he’s a Komodo toucan.”
“Detective, you’re asking the wrong person. The column for Quiniel’s biological father is empty, even the foster care center doesn’t know, so how could I possibly know.
You should ask Quiniel’s mother.”
Blacky sighed, “This damn …… world ……”
Luke interrupted Blackie, “Where is Quennel’s room?”
“Second floor, I’ll take you there.” Myrk led the two Luke’s up to the second floor, walked to the end of the east side and knocked, “Carter, I’m going in.”
“Cluck ……” Michael opened the door.
A young white boy stood up from his bed, “Uncle Yagot, what happened to Quinnel?”
Michael mused slightly, not knowing how to answer, “Carter, we’ll talk about that another time.
Two officers are going through Quiniel’s things.
Come on, I’ll take you downstairs.”
Luke turned to Carter and asked, “Are you staying in this room too?”
“Yes, Quinnell and I are staying in this room.”
“GOOD,” Luke said to Michael who stepped aside, “Mr. Argot, you can go out now.
Let Carter stay, just to help us distinguish which are Quennel’s belongings.”
“As Carter and Quiniel’s guardian, I feel I should stay.”
Black glared at the other man, “I think I should call the foster care center.”
“OK, I’ll be out.” Michael waved his hand, glanced at Carter, and turned to head out of the house.
Luke surveyed the small room, to the right of the entry door was a closet.
Against the window there were wooden beds at the top and bottom, with two small desks, one at the head of the bed and one at the end of the bed, of which the one at the end of the bed was a bit cluttered with a number of books.
The desk at the head of the bed was very clean, holding only a pencil holder and a desk lamp.
“Your name is Carter?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can you tell me which of Quennel’s things?”
“Sure.” Carter looked a little formal and pointed to the bed, “Originally Quinnel slept on the bottom bunk, then he was gone a lot, so I switched with him and he agreed to let me have the bottom bunk.
He sleeps on the top bunk.
The clean desk at the end of the bed is his, and we both share the closet, but he doesn’t have many clothes left, so it’s set up in the upper left corner.”
“Thanks.”
Luke and Blackie then split up to search Quinnel’s belongings, with Blackie searching the closet and Luke searching the desk.
Luke opened the drawer of the desk, which contained some toys, all of which were models of the Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, etc., which looked like cheaply made versions by the workmanship.
Luke asked, “Does he like the Avengers a lot?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his favorite superhero?”
“Iron Man.”
Luke recalled, “Then why does he have a tattoo of Captain America’s shield?”
“That one was cheaper, he couldn’t afford the cost of an Iron Man tattoo.”
Luke associated the limited edition sneakers that Quinnel was wearing on his feet when he died with the idea that he should have made a windfall, and blessedly, that windfall could very well have been the reason why he was killed.
Luke also found a book, Human Weakness, in the drawer.
It wasn’t a surprise that there were books in the desk, but it wasn’t normal that there was only one book.
“Is this book Quennel’s too?”
“Yes, he loved the book and would often read it.”
“Have you read it?”
“No, he wouldn’t let me touch the book, I didn’t want to get into trouble.”
“How is the relationship between the two of you?”
“Uh …… He’s a bit of a loner, not too talkative, but he’s not bad, older than me, but he doesn’t bully me.
It’s been great to have a housemate like that.”
Luke picked up the book and flipped through it, noticing that there was a photo tucked inside, a photo of a black woman, the photo looked a little old, it must have been some years old.
The woman in the photo had short hair and looked to be about in her twenties.
Luke pointed to the photo and asked, “Who is this?”
“I don’t know. I saw Quennel looking at this photo one time, and when I asked, he wouldn’t say.”
From what was already known, Quennel didn’t seem like a book lover in any way; in other words, it might not be the book he was looking at, but the picture of the woman wedged inside the book.
Luke turned to Blackie at the side and asked, “Any luck?”
Blacky was in a low mood and shook his head.
Luke handed the photo to Blacky, “What do you think is the relationship between the person in the photo and Quinnel?”
Blacky took the photo and looked at it, “It’s an old photo, the woman in the photo was in her twenties then, she should be older now, I think it should be Quinnel’s mother.”
Luke looked aside at Carter, “Has Quinnel ever mentioned his mother to you?”
“Never.”
“Who was Quinnel closest to in this family?”
“I think it’s me, but we’re also just casual friends.”
“Do you know what has happened to Quiniel lately? Or how he’s changed?”
“He rarely comes back these days, and the last time he did, he went to bed without saying a few words.
If you ask me, you might as well ask his best friend.”
“Who’s his best friend?”
“Derek Yasso.
They’ve known each other since they were in the foster care center and are very close.
I’ll bet he’d be the most knowledgeable person in the world about Quinnel.”
“Do you know where Derek Yasso lives?”
Yarpo neighborhood.
A black car pulls up to the curb.
Two men get out of the car and mutter something in whispers and walk to the door one after the other, “Knock knock ……”
A few moments later, the door opens.
A white man with a large beard opened the door and surveyed the two men at the door, “What can I do for you?”
“Does Derek live here?”
“Yes. Who are you guys? What do you want with him?”
The black man flashed his badge, “LAPD!
We’re investigating a case and we need to see him for some information.”
“What case? Is this kid in trouble again?”
“Is he home?”
“Yes.” The bearded white man walked into the house and yelled, “Derek, you boy get down here.
Why are the cops at your door looking for you?”
No one in the house responded.
“Bang!”
A sudden sound rang out from behind the house.
Two police officers pulled out their guns and ran behind the house to see a white teenager getting up from the ground and running off into the distance.
“LAPD!
Stop or I’ll shoot!”
The white teenager doesn’t look back and continues to run forward.
“Bang Bang Bang ……”
The two LAPD didn’t hesitate to shoot.
The sound of gunshots resounded through the night sky.