Chapter 318
“What is he? Why?”
“He’s a more radical liberal who supports women’s boxing, legalization of solo products, same-sex marriage, dispensing with the death penalty, and cutting police funding. He has a completely different philosophy than the one who gave the award.
He planned this incident to deal with the awarding one, so that he would lose the public’s trust and lower his approval ratings.”
“Which means that several award recipients were just used as ‘revenge tools’.”
Frank nodded, “You could say that.”
Luke thought for a moment, “But why do I get the feeling that they seem to be targeting me as well.”
Frank smiled, “It’s true.
Except for the one presenting the awards, you do get the spotlight.”
“Why? It was my first time in D.C., and I rarely expressed my ideas, and I didn’t target the liberals.”
“It’s true that you haven’t targeted them, but some of your behavior has caused them big trouble.
For example, the ‘Kneeling’ case, where the suspect, George (Floyd), was kneed by an officer and was taken to the hospital for treatment for breathing difficulties, and a lot of people accused the LAPD of violent law enforcement, and that one got so big that there were protesters all over the country, and that’s what they pushed for behind the scenes.
That night, George was stabbed again and it was you and the LAPD that saved George.
I realized the magnitude of the problem. George couldn’t die without causing the LAPD and the citizens to go against each other.
Reed and I discussed it and spread the false news that George was killed, so that the person behind the scene would think that George was dead and would not send another assassin.
This matter is in your hands.
You did better than I expected afterward, not only calming the situation, but also cracking down on the demonstrators and crushing the Liberals’ plot.”
Luke said, “I didn’t think about it that much at the time, just solving the case and restoring stability and peace to the city.”
“I know, but some people don’t want to.
They’ll get citizens out on the streets and orchestrate demonstration after demonstration until they get what they want.
I also got closer to the one who gave the award through this incident.
That guy isn’t likeable, but at least he won’t support cuts to the police budget, and I’m responsible for the entire LAPD.”
Luke wondered, “What’s going to end up happening with this?”
Frank laughed, “That depends on how far that guy wants to go, it’s none of our business.
We just manage the security and stability of Los Angeles.”
“I see.”
Frank took out a business card, “You can call me if anything happens.”
“I will.”
Luke took the business card and handed Frank his own as well, “Sir, at your service.”
Frank put away his card, “OK.
Let’s go out.
You’re the star of the night, you can’t disappear for too long.”
Eleven o’clock at night.
Luke returned home, washed up and leaned back in his chair on his bed, weighing the pros and cons.
He had received a medal of the highest honor, and although the process had been a bit choppy, no substantial harm had been done.
As for the people who had counted on him, they had all been captured as spies and were probably not going to have a good time, and Luke had gotten his revenge.
Overall the gains outweighed the losses.
More importantly, Luke was recognized by Frank.
Before, Luke had no direct contact with Frank except for the awarding of titles and receiving awards, and even when he joined the yacht club, it could only be said that he was in the circle, but he did not cross paths with each other, and most of the time, he passed the word through Reed.
This time and Frank alone talk, for Luke is extraordinary significance.
Like Frank said, D.C. was behind them, and L.A. was their home base.
October 28th morning.
“Hello, this is the 911 emergency center.”
A shaky voice rang through the phone, “I need to call the police, I’m super scared right now ……”
The operator asks, “Can you speak louder? I can’t hear you.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t go any louder, he’ll hear you ……” The cell phone sounded like a young woman’s voice.
“Who is he? What happened?”
“I don’t know him either, he killed my friend, there’s blood everywhere ……”
The voice broke and the operator was a little hard of hearing, “Where are you now? Are you in danger?”
“I’m in the closet, I’m afraid to go out, he’s right outside.”
“Is this your cell phone?”
“Yes.”
“Can you say your address code?”
“Let’s see …….”
“Have you been drinking?”
“Drank last night.
Hey, I’m sober now, there’s blood all over the house, and I saw an arm in the bedroom doorway, there should be someone lying there, probably dead.”
“Was there anyone else in the house?”
“Yes, I can feel him right outside, probably disposing of the body, please, hurry up and call the police for me.”
“What’s your name?”
“Suri Shamali.”
“Suri, calm down, I need you to recall the address.”
“My friend brought me here, I think it’s 105 Prendergast Community, on the east side of the neighborhood, there’s a black pickup truck parked in front of the door ……” The woman’s voice became more and more alarmed.
“I can’t say anymore, I heard footsteps, he’s coming ……”
Detective Bureau, gym.
The gym wasn’t crowded at this point in time, only a handful of people.
And most of the people who could come to the gym at this point in time were the middle and upper echelons of the police force.
Luke was practicing on the mountaineering machine on the east side of the gym and Reed was practicing on the treadmill on the side.
Reed looked at the mountain climbing machine, “What’s the point of this thing? Might as well practice on the treadmill with me and we can have a friendly competition.”
Luke shook his head, “No, you’re a dozen years older than me, and I don’t want to be told I’m winning.”
Reed was unconvinced, “Running is about physical fitness and endurance, there is no absolute relationship with age, if you can run fast when you are young, then it would be better if everyone compared their age in the future, and there would be no need for track and field competitions.”
Luke turned off the climber and laughed, “As you wish, what are the stakes?”
Reed said, “The loser buys the next drink.”
“OK, no problem.”
Luke also switched to a treadmill and adjusted to the same speed jogging as Reed.
The two chatted as they ran, “Chief, when are you going to add to our team.”
“What kind of rookie do you want?”
“Can I pick my own?”
“I’ll send you a list with the candidates’ information, you can pick from the list.”
“Thanks Chief, that’s a sweet idea.
So, I’ve decided that no matter who loses or wins this run.
It’s all on me.”
Reed laughed, “Are you running out of steam and giving yourself a head start.”
Luke said, “Trust me, I can run all day at this pace.”
“Ringing ……,” Reed was about to say something when his cell phone rang.
Reed turned off the treadmill and stepped aside to answer the call.
“It’s me ……”
A few moments later, Reed finished answering the phone and said, “Luke, there’s no way to race today.”
“What happened?”
“The 911 Emergency Center received a call from a woman named Suri Shamali, according to her there is a suspected homicide inside the residence at 105 in the Prendergast community, there is a black pickup truck parked outside the residence, the killer hasn’t left yet, and she herself is hiding in a bedroom closet.”
“OK, I’ll take someone there now.”
Reed reminded, “Saving lives is important.”
“I understand.”
Half an hour later.
Luke led the team to 105 Prender Community.
Several police cars were parked on the side of the road, a cordon was drawn around the house, and several police officers were on guard with guns.
There were a number of residents gathered around to see what was going on.
When Luke got out of the car, quite a few police officers looked at him, most of them had watched the awards ceremony in D.C. and probably watched it more than once.
Luke was a big celebrity now.
“Hey Captain Luke, I watched your awards show, three times.” John, the old rookie, came over and greeted him with a smile.
Luke asked, “How have you been?”
“Not too bad.”
“Tell me about the scene.”
“I was patrolling the neighborhood when we got the call from dispatch and arrived at the scene about ten-five, we didn’t dare rush into the house first because we were worried about the safety of the hostages.
The occupant of the house is Jaime Robinson, who rents the house, and according to the surrounding neighbors, he seldom goes out during the day and is sometimes a bit rowdy at night.
He rarely interacted with the other residents and didn’t party, known only as a white guy with gray hair that was a little curly.
We called out but there was no response.”
“Sure there’s anyone else in the house?”
John nodded, “Yes, there was someone in the house talking, swearing and threatening us not to come near.
He should have a gun and is a violent asshole.”
“Where are the hostages?”
“I don’t know, and I’m worried, this situation …… might not be too promising.” John sighed.
“Which room is the suspect in?”
John pointed to the room with the curtains drawn on the west side, “He’s shouting in that room, and vaguely some movement can be heard, and we’re not sure at this point if it’s the suspect or the hostages that are in there.”
“Thanks man.”
Luke patted John on the shoulder and turned to his men on the sidelines, “You all heard that, what are your thoughts?”
Blackie said, “The guy pulled the curtains, most likely because he was worried about being sniped by the police, I’m guessing he’s in the room 80% of the time.”
Jackson said, “That only means he’s been in that room, there’s no way to prove he’s in the house right now.”
The situation inside the room is unknown, and to some extent it will affect the judgment of the police.
All that is known at this point is that there was at least one suspect and one victim in the room, the victim being a girl named Suri Shamali, and the identity of the suspect is unknown at this time.
It is also unclear whether the occupant, Jaime Robinson, is the suspect or the victim.
The more critical point is that there may not be only one suspect.
At this point, if forced to break in to free the hostages, there are many unpredictable factors, the risk is too great, not only the hostages are in danger, but also the officers will be in danger.
Luke had someone find a megaphone, flipped the switch, and was about to shout when he hesitated.
He himself has been too popular lately, it’s better to keep a low profile, looked at the several team members around him, and handed the megaphone to Blackie: “Marcus, you shout.”
“I …… “Blacky had surprise written all over his face, “Is that okay?”
Luke encouraged, “Hey, you’re a detective now, have some confidence in yourself.”
“You’re right, I’m Detective Marcus now.” Black took a deep breath and took the megaphone.
“Ahem ……
Listen up inside, this is Detective Inspector Marcus, Squadron One, Robbery and Murder Division.
You are now surrounded by the police.
I know you’re in there, and I know you’re holding a hostage.
Let me know if you have any claims.
Do not harm the hostage, do not make any dangerous moves, open the door, put your hands on your head and step out of the room ……”
Marcus was shouting for the first time, in a loud voice, and was a little nervous at first, but then it became more and more effective.
Marcus asked in a low voice, “Well?”
Luke gave a thumbs up, “Very good. Continue.”
Marcus continued to shout, “Listen up inside, we’ve found out who you are and are clear on what you’ve done, the reason the police haven’t publicized your name is to protect your privacy ……”
“With a click …… the door opened.
A curly haired white man stepped out and looked out with a bewildered look on his face, “Woah even woah woah …… what are you guys doing and why are you stopping my house.
Hey hey, don’t point a gun at me ……
I’m unarmed.”
This sudden move took the police by surprise as well, “LAPD!”
“Hands up.”
“Don’t come any closer, put your hands on your head and get on the ground.”
“Keep your hands where I can see them ……”
The curly-haired man looked a little nervous at the police heckling and stumbled, “Hey …… I’m a good guy …… I don’t have any weapons.
I only came out when I heard the shouting ……”
Black shouted, “Hey, don’t you come any closer, put your hands on your head and get down!”
“You can’t order me around like that, this is my house, you’re the ones who have offended me, get out of my house right now.” The curly haired man was disturbed with a touch of anger and waved his hands around wildly.
“Damn it, put your hands up!”
“Freeze!”
The curly-haired man’s movements made the police a little nervous.
“You’re the ones who should put down your guns, don’t step on my lawn, and leave …… immediately,” the curly-haired man pointed his right hand at the police, and his left hand crossed his arms, only a few centimeters away from his shirt pocket.
This action made the police even more nervous.
“Raise your left hand.”
“Put your hands on your head and get down.”
The curly-haired man took a few more steps forward, looking more and more agitated, his left hand in his shirt pocket, “You broke into my home and trampled my lawn.
I’m going to report it, and you have no right to do so ……”
“Bang!” An officer fired.
The stun gun hit the curly-haired man.
The curly-haired man shuddered and fell to the lawn, and the man went quiet.
Two officers stepped forward, cuffed him, and searched him.
An Apple cell phone was pulled from the left shirt pocket.
“No weapons.”
Luke stepped forward and asked, “What’s your name?”
The curly haired man slowly came back to his senses and breathed heavily, “Uh, that hurt me …… I’ll sue you guys.”
“You should be grateful that we didn’t use real guns.
Answer the question I just asked.”
“Jaime Robinson.”
“You live here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know Suri Shamali?”
“No.”
“Think carefully.”
“Never heard of him really.”
“Who else is in the house?”
“No one.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m the only one.”
“The police were on the scene twenty minutes ago, why didn’t you come out?”
“I didn’t hear them.”
John added, “That’s impossible, we shouted.”
“I was playing a game and it was loud in my headphones.”
John said, “We also heard you talking and threatening to take us out if we entered the house.”
“Like I said, I was playing a game, a shooter game. I was talking to the people in the game, not to you guys at all.”
John “……”
Luke gathered his thoughts and felt that something wasn’t right about the situation, but he didn’t take Jaime Robinson’s word for it completely and asked, “Are you sure there’s no one else in the house?”
“No.”
“There was no murder?”
“Absolutely not, I was just playing a game, how could something so horrible happen.”
“Then why would someone call the police and say there was a homicide at your house?”
“I have no idea.”
“Can we search your home?”
“Can I refuse?”
“No.”
“Don’t break my personal belongings, especially my computer.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.”
Luke then had Jaime Robinson taken into custody in a police car and turned to a couple of his team members and asked, “What do you think?”
Jackson said, “Could the person who reported the crime have the wrong address.”
Jenny said, “It’s true that the victim could have given the wrong address when she was nervous and scared.”
Luke thought about it and arranged the tasks, “Ramon and the patrolman are in charge of guarding outside.
The rest of you follow me in through the front door.
Everyone must be careful.”
“YES, Sir.”
The crowd put on their bulletproof vests and entered through the front door to search.
“Living room secure.”
“East side secure.”
“Bathroom secure.”
“West side room secure.”
Soon under Luke’s leadership, the crowd searched the house and did not find any suspicious people or obvious bloodstains.
Luke didn’t immediately pass judgment, putting away his pistol and preparing to take a closer look at the house.
Luke focused on the west bedroom, the house was a mess, holding beds, closets, computers, takeout boxes, and a smell filled the air.
Luke checked all the closets in the room and found no other people.
It was a little embarrassing to pounce on such a large group of people.
Jackson said, “At least forty to fifty minutes passed from the time the victim reported the crime to the time he entered the room, could the suspect have cleaned up the scene?”
Luke shook his head, “According to the victim’s statement, there was blood everywhere in the room and people were injured, even if the suspects could have cleaned up the scene in such a short period of time, the smell of disinfectant would have remained.
But the house only smelled of smelly socks and dirty clothes, this was not the scene of the crime.
Even if something happened, it’s different from what the victim described.”
Jackson turned on his computer screen, “It is indeed a popular shooter game, which I also play occasionally.
If the occupant, Jaime Robinson, wasn’t lying, and he did play the game all the time and didn’t hurt anyone, then this is not a crime scene.
Could the victim have gotten the wrong address then, as I guessed earlier?”
Luke glanced at his watch, “If that’s the case, then we’ve already wasted too much time ……”
One more minute and the hostages would be in more danger.
The atmosphere was once again gloomy.
Black shrugged, “Guys, don’t be nervous, it’s probably just a prank.
Some assholes just like to report false alarms, maybe it’s the same this time.”
Luke instructed, “Jackson, take your men and search the neighborhood to see if there are any black pickup trucks parked in other yards.
Marcus, contact the 911 answering center and investigate the police records and calls.”
“YES, Sir.”