Chapter 60
David tapped Luke on the shoulder, “Report back to the captain, I’m going for a smoke.”
Luke laughed, “You’ve learned to be lazy too.”
“Yay, Mr. Luke.” David waved from his back and exited the surveillance room.
Luke called Susan to report the situation, from what he saw at the scene there would have been two people who took Lawn.
One person was responsible for distracting the patrolmen, and one person took the opportunity to transport Lawn.
Luke finished his report and exited the surveillance room, David still hadn’t returned.
Luke called and realized that the other man had run downstairs for a smoke.
Luke went downstairs and found David, “Hey man, what’s going on?”
“Smoking is banned inside the hospital, I just wanted to get some air ……” David exhaled a smoke ring.
“That’s not like the David I know.” Luke shook his head.
David was cranky and reckless, but he was attentive in investigating the case, and his behavior of smoking and lazing around in the middle of the investigation was more like Marcus and Luke’s style.
David was silent for a moment and threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it, “Are you hungry? Let’s eat something first.”
The last time David was in this mood, it had to do with his wife.
Luke swept around and asked in a low voice, “Lindsay had another accident?”
David pursed his lips and flickered his eyes, as if he had something difficult to say.
Luke thought carefully and his expression changed slightly, “That nursemaid?”
David didn’t dare meet Luke’s eyes, “Look, I can’t be sure, it just feels ……”
“Have you contacted her lately?”
“She won’t answer my calls.”
“David, you’re not an indecisive person, you should settle this Lindsay thing once and for all, either throw her into rehab or get a divorce. Otherwise, sooner or later you’re going to get dragged down by her.”
“I know, it’s just …… not as easy as you say ……”
Luke nodded, not wanting to get too involved in the couple’s business, “Now what do you want? Come with me to meet Lindsay, or ……”
“I’ll call the captain and take the rest of the day off.” David finished, looking over at Luke who was off to the side, “Hey, if that’s okay ……”
Halfway through his sentence, David sighed and couldn’t say anything after all.
Luke didn’t ask either and watched David leave.
“FUCK!”
An hour later, a black Dodge pulled up near Lindsay’s house.
Luke sat in the passenger side checking his pistol and said to Marcus, who was driving alongside, “You stay here, I’ll go up with Jenny.”
“YES, Detective Luke.”
Marcus was happy with the arrangement, but didn’t like Luke’s commanding tone.
Luke, Marcus, and Jenny were all detectives with the same rank, but someone had to lead.
Neither of these two were comfortable enough for Luke to do it himself.
The two walked up to Lindsay’s door, Luke ducked to the right side of the door and Jenny knocked.
“Knock knock ……”
“Ta-da ……” Luke could faintly hear footsteps, but no one answered.
Jenny knocked again, “Knock knock …… Anyone there?”
“Who’s out there? What can I do for you?”
“Hello, I’m here to see Lindsay.”
After a moment the door opened and a black man in his fifties stood in the doorway, “You’re looking in the wrong place, there’s no such person here.”
The black man spotted Luke, “What the hell are you?”
Luke flashed his badge, “LAPD, we’re looking for Lindsay to find out something.”
“I told you, there’s no such person here.”
“When did you move here?”
“Four days ago, the last tenant was evicted by the landlord because she couldn’t pay the rent, and I’m not sure if her name was Lindsay.”
“How do I contact the landlord?”
“I can give you my cell phone number 626 846 4572,” after finishing, the black man admonished, “Hey, don’t mention my name, I don’t want any trouble.”
“I know, thanks.”
The black man nodded, closed the door and went home.
Jenny said, “It doesn’t look like Lindsay had a good time, does that count as a motive for the crime.”
“Maybe.”
The two had just turned to leave when they heard a heckle.
“FUCKYOU!”
“Damn you!”
Luke whipped his head around to see Marcus in a scuffle with someone on the highway.
Luke pulled out his pistol and rushed over to back him up, “LAPD, stop this right now or I’ll shoot.”
Jenny ran to the other side with her gun, forming a siege.
Hearing Luke’s warning, both the brawlers and Marcus stopped, each taking a few steps back.
A man in a leather jacket held up his hands, “Don’t shoot.”
“Whoa whoa, if it isn’t Harry from Drag Race. Your leather jacket is emblazoned with skulls, congratulations.”
“Officer Luke, no offense, this nigger messed with me first.”
“FUCK, do you want to die?” Marcus was sensitive to that word.
“Shut up both of you, Marcus you stand away.
Harry, I’m arresting you for assaulting a police officer, a procedure you should be familiar with, don’t get me in trouble and don’t get yourself in trouble.”
Harry shot Marcus a hard look and said in annoyance, “Officer Luke, before you arrest me again, you’d better ask your colleague what he did.”
“I will.” Luke held Harry’s arms down, handcuffed him, and pushed him into the car.
Luke directed a black coworker aside, “Marcus, why were you two fighting?”
“I just wanted to get out of the car and have a cigarette, this asshole rushed over and went straight for me, he hit me first.”
“Harry’s no fool, I can’t believe he would dare attack a police officer for no reason, you two have had any more contact since we last met at the motel?”
“No, this is the second time I’ve seen him.”
“Then why did he beat you up? If the situation had been critical earlier, I would have just shot him, I don’t believe he wasn’t afraid to die.”
Marcus helplessly said, “Although I have never seen him …… but, I have seen Julian.”
“Julian?” Luke muttered, there was something familiar about the name, but couldn’t respond at once, “Harry’s girlfriend?”
“Yea, a hot black lady, I’m courting her, she’s really nice. She likes me too, Harry’s going to get dumped, soon.”
“Whew ……” Luke sighed, “So you’re stealing Harry’s girlfriend?”
“They’re not married, I have the right to pursue whoever I like, it’s a fair fight and obviously Harry lost. Julian liked me better and Harry got annoyed.
I’ve seen this kind of guy a lot, the sore loser.”
Luke didn’t bother with his antics and turned the conversation around, “Now what do you want to do? Charge him with assaulting a police officer, or release him?”
Black spread his hands, “I haven’t thought about it yet, what do you suggest?”
“Leave this matter to me, OK?”
“Yeah, leave it to you.”
Lukla opened the car door and sat down next to Harry, “Hey, I talked to Marcus and probably heard about your feud.
You two can settle any grudges you have privately, I don’t care.
But right now we’re on a mission, and what you just did is likely to cause us to fail our mission.
If I wanted to, I could arrest you right now for assaulting a police officer.”
Harry calmed down as well, “SORRY, I didn’t know you guys were on a mission, that nigger tried to steal my girlfriend.
I was pissed off and thought he was on vacation.”
Luke continued, “Harry, we’re kind of acquaintances, I don’t want to make things too ugly, I just talked to Marcus and he agreed to give you a chance and not charge you with assaulting a police officer.
But …… you have to do us a favor and make up for the mistake just now.”
“Want me to do what?”
“Find someone, you’re in charge of this area, it won’t be hard for you.”
“Who?”
“Lindsay.”