Chapter 619
Money was a good thing.
But Luke wasn’t the poor kid who had just come to Los Angeles anymore.
He had a career of his own and was well known in the industry, with more and more ways to make money, he didn’t need to rake in any money into his pocket.
As for the reasons for turning Penny down, there were two main points.
He was satisfied with his current relationship with Lilith, with cooperation, in-depth communication, and not interfering in each other’s lives.
The second point was that treasure hunting was a dangerous job that also involved huge interests, team members had to trust each other, otherwise it would be easy to cause unnecessary disputes due to conflict of interests, and even killing and taking the treasure could happen.
Penny and Luke had only met twice, the other party could not fully trust Luke, likewise, Luke did not fully trust her.
Since he was not happy in his heart, why should Luke condescend himself.
After dinner, Luke excused himself and left.
Penny looked at Luke’s back, her gaze cloudy and uncertain, not knowing what she was thinking.
At ten o’clock the next morning, the sky was clear and there was not much wind or waves.
The sound of an announcement rang out from the cruise ship: ”Distinguished passengers.
The cruise ship is about to arrive at the port of Atlantic City, please rush to the right exit of the cruise ship for passengers disembarking at this port.
Welcome to this cruise, thank you.”
The announcement was then repeated two more times.
Luke heard the announcement and boarded the deck as well, with two of Hamedi Shaw’s bodyguards following not far beside him.
The cruise ship traveled quickly through the sea, and because of the large size of the cruise ship, the deck didn’t feel too bumpy.
Luke stood by the side of the cruise ship and watched it enter the harbor.
There was a small boat in front of the cruise ship that seemed to be leading the way.
There were people standing on the pier in the distance, looking toward the cruise ship, some looked like staff, some looked like passengers.
The cruise ship came to a slow stop, but not quite close to the dock.
The passengers who had been standing on the dock were slowly approaching the cruise ship in a small yacht.
Escalators were lowered from the cruise ship, the yacht docked next to the cruise ship, and the passengers climbed the escalators to board the cruise ship.
Luke watched every customer who boarded the cruise ship to see if there were any suspicious people.
Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure.
A trainee reporter from CBS TV, Naomi Inoue.
All the passengers boarded the deck, and Luke asked the two bodyguards behind him, “Did you get everything?”
One bodyguard shook his cell phone, “Don’t worry.”
“If these men approach Hamedi Shaw on purpose, you know what to do.”
The two men nodded and then left the deck.
Luke, on the other hand, walked over to Naomi Inoue and greeted her, “Hi beautiful, good morning.”
“Luke, what are you doing here!” Inoue Nami’s fair cheeks revealed a look of surprise.
“That’s what I wanted to ask.”
“I’m traveling here, did you board the ship in New York Harbor?”
“Yes.”
“Let me guess.” Nami Inoue blinked her big, soulful eyes, “You went to New York to investigate a murder and division case?”
Luke laughed, “You’re not going to follow me again.”
“If I wasn’t on vacation, I would have followed you to New York. The murder of the mayor’s wife in New York is big news.
I can’t wait to hear the inside story.”
Luke spread his hands, “Looks like I have dinner tonight.”
Naomi Inoue waved, “I’ll see you later, I’m going to check on my room.”
After seeing Nami Inoue off, Luke went to find Hamedi Shaw, the guy was swimming in the pool.
Upon seeing Luke, he took the initiative to swim over and wiped a handful of water from his face, “Luke, want to have a contest to see who swims across the river first.”
“A bet on what?”
“The one who loses, it’s on the house tonight.”
“Unfortunately, I have a date.”
“Wow wow, you made a new friend on the cruise so quickly.”
“Just happened to run into an old friend.” Luke made a perfunctory comment and asked rhetorically, “Have you seen the pictures of those new passengers?”
“Yes, they showed them to me as soon as they got back.
Didn’t recognize any of them.
That Asian beauty among the new passengers is quite pretty, though.”
Luke raised one eyebrow, “Good eye, I’ll keep an eye on her for you.”
“You know I didn’t mean that.” Hamedi Shaw shook his head and lost his smile, “What are you going to do next?”
“It’s simple, stay in your room as much as possible, the less contact you have with outsiders, the safer you’ll be.
Be sure not to get out of the bodyguard’s sight.”
Hamedi Shaw sighed, “OK, I’ll do as you say.”
Luke stood up and looked at Hamedi Shaw in the water, “You should lose some weight.”
“Haha …… The people around me will only pay attention to the gold coins in my pocket, no one will care about my body.”
Eight o’clock in the evening.
Silver Cloud cruise ship, Chinese restaurant.
Luke and Inoue Naomi walked into the Chinese restaurant together.
There were not many people in the restaurant, only a few scattered tables of customers.
The two sat at an outdoor table for the sake of conversation, and a waitress handed over a menu.
Naomi Inoue gestured to hand Luke the menu, “You order today, and let me try some authentic Chinese food as well.”
Luke took the menu and teased, “I hope you brought enough money.”
Most of the Chinese food in the United States had been modified according to the habits and tastes of the locals, only some dishes had been changed more than others, while others retained their original flavors.
Luke ordered a few dishes that foreigners seldom ate and only ethnic Chinese would order, and these dishes were also the least altered.
Among them, he still focused on Cantonese dishes, considering Inoue Naomi’s lighter taste.
The two opened a bottle of red wine.
After the waiter left, Luke sized up Inoue Naomi, who was wearing a beige long dress, with her chest revealing a touch of snow white and her shapely figure hidden.
If white beauties were passionate and hot, East Asian beauties had a delicate beauty.
As the sea breeze blew by, Inoue Naomi stroked the long hair around her ears and couldn’t wait to say, “Luke, can you tell me about the New York murder and body-splitting case?”
“Why are you so excited? It’s not like you haven’t covered homicides before.”
“It’s the wife of the mayor of New York!”
If someone else had asked, the odds were that Luke wouldn’t have said anything, but there was a certain foundation of trust between him and Inoue Naomi, having worked together before.
He swept his eyes around, saw that no one was close, and briefly talked about the case.
After listening, Inoue Naomi was a bit overwhelmed and regretful, “This is a big case that the whole world is concerned about, I really wish you would have contacted me at that time.”
“I thought about contacting you at first ……
However, the identity of the deceased was too special, and the FBI director personally issued a gag order.
The entire case has been kept under wraps, and those reporters were all afterthoughts.
Even if I contact you in advance, I won’t be able to broadcast some sensational news.
I’ll let you know the next time there’s suitable news.”
“You have to keep your word, don’t perfume me.
The supervisor said that as long as I work harder, I’ll soon become an official reporter.”
“I never lie to a beautiful young lady, wait for my news.”
Seeing Inoue Naomi smile, Luke changed the subject, “What did you do in Atlantic City?”
“Traveling.”
“Traveling alone?”
“I’ve wanted to visit Atlantic City for a long time.
Originally, I planned to come with my boyfriend.
However, we broke up two months ago, so I came alone.
How about you? Returning to LA on a cruise ship alone too?”
“I’m with a friend.”
Inoue Naomi asked in a small voice, “Are you here to investigate a case?”
“No. A friend of mine is also going from New York to Los Angeles.
However, he’s having some trouble and is worried that someone might turn on him, which is why he wants to come with me.”
Nami Inoue stood up and sat down next to Luke, curious, “What is this trouble you call it? There’s not going to be an attack on the cruise ship, is there?”
The two of them were close enough that Luke could smell a faint body odor and smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s a small matter.”
Knowing Nami Inoue, something that could make Luke go out would not be a small matter.
She tried, “Will the regular passengers be in danger?”
“No.” Luke shook his head and teased, “If you’re scared, you can come and stay in my room tonight.”
Nami Inoue laughed softly, “You should have said so earlier, then I could have saved a fortune on the cost of the room.”
Outside the dining room, a black figure walked by, his footsteps not quick enough to see Luke and Inoue Nami’s table just out of the corner of his eye.
He didn’t linger, returning to his room, closing the door behind him, entering the toilet, and turning on the faucet.
He pulled the satellite phone out of the toilet’s hanging bag and dialed a number.
A few moments later, the satellite phone rang with a voice, “Got it?”
“Not yet.”
“Did you find the target?”
“No.”
“You boarded the ship this morning, why haven’t you found the target yet?” The voice on the other side was a bit disgruntled.
The man in black explained, “After I boarded the cruise ship, I first familiarized myself with its environment.
It was only in the afternoon that I started looking for the target’s location, but I haven’t seen the other party.
I feel that the other party should be prepared, and the mission is more difficult than expected.”
“Hey, don’t make excuses for your incompetence.
You took the deposit, you have to get things done, that’s the rule.”
“I saw a very dangerous man on the ship, and I’m worried he’s going to be bad.”
“What man?”
“LAPD, Captain of the Robbery Murder Division, Luke Lee.
He specializes in homicide investigations and is well known in the LAPD system for solving many homicides.”
“You must have misread that, and since he’s an LAPD officer, what was he doing on a cruise ship?”
“I don’t know.
But he was standing by the side of the ship when I boarded.
I’m sure he saw me.
And, I had a feeling that he was looking for me.”
The opposite voice was grave: “You think he was hired by Hamedi Shaw for protection?”
“That’s a strong possibility.”
“Because Luke Lee is on a cruise and you don’t think you’ll be able to complete the mission?”
“No. Even if Luke Lee is here to protect Hammady Shaw, I’m sure I can kill Hammady Shaw.
But Luke Lee is the most famous detective in Los Angeles, and if I kill Hammady Shaw, I’ll probably get caught by him.
He’s solved a lot of big, tough cases, and he might find you behind the curtain, too.
That’s what worries me.”
“Then be careful and do it when he’s not around.
I’ll add another hundred thousand dollars when it’s done.
Besides, you’re probably looking at it the wrong way, and the other guy may not be a cop.
Don’t scare yourself.”
The man on the other side grunted, disgruntled, “Buck up, I don’t want him to come to Los Angeles alive, understand?”