Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Luke pressed on, "Has Daisy met Gordon?"

"Of course."

"How many times?"

"They met at my mother's funeral."

Luke nodded, roughly understanding their relationship.

Given Luke's understanding of Daisy, she probably wouldn't have a very good impression of her own father and a so-called brother she had only met once.

"Why do you say that only Daisy can save your son?"

"Daisy is a lawyer, she has the ability, and besides, Gordon was framed—an innocent person shouldn't be treated like this."

Luke said, "You should trust the police."

Lawrence shook his head, "From my decades of experience, not all police are trustworthy."

Luke laughed, "Then why don't you hire a lawyer for Gordon?"

"I don't really trust lawyers either, but Daisy is different, she's Gordon's sister, and I'd rather trust her."

"Don't you think that this approach will make Daisy very uncomfortable? I mean, if Daisy wasn't a lawyer, what would you do? You'd still need to hire another lawyer, right?"

Lawrence sighed, "You're right… Actually, I'm having financial difficulties and can't afford to hire a good lawyer right now."

"The police can provide you with a public defender for free."

Lawrence shook his head, "Come on, the free lawyers not only lack abilities but also won't do their due diligence. If we rely on them, Gordon could end up in jail and also face huge compensation.

It would ruin this family."

Basically, Lawrence was looking for a free lawyer.

Maybe Daisy, the cheap older sister, would even have to pay the bail.

Daisy's father really wasn't reliable.

Luke picked up a glass of liquor from the bar and downed it, a hint of drunkenness appearing on his face.

He seemed to ask casually, "Why did you and Daisy's mother divorce?"

"Good question." Lawrence took a sigh, "Daisy's mother was too controlling.

Everything in the house had to be her way, I had to do everything she said, even misplaced shoes could lead to her shouting. I felt very oppressed.

I was mentally troubled at one point, I went to see a psychologist. They stressed the seriousness of the issue, said it could turn into severe depression and suggested I change my living environment.

So I proposed a separation.

Daisy's mother was furious, she thought I was making excuses, that it was all my fault.

She blasted me with criticism and then proposed a divorce.

At that time, I was also mentally distraught and didn't handle it well.

Our conflicts escalated, eventually leading to divorce.

Looking back, we were both to blame, neither of us was calm enough.

It was Daisy who actually got hurt the most, so I've always felt very guilty towards her.

I really had no other choice but to come and ask for her help."

Luke drank another glass, the drunkenness intensifying on his face, "So what was your intention in finding me today?"

"Well, I'm getting on in years and feel a bit suffocated by all these issues.

I just wanted someone to talk to, to feel a little lighter in my heart.

Thank you for listening to me ramble for so long." Lawrence's words were simple, but he also had his own sly motives.

His relationship with Daisy had always been bad, even strained.

But in his eyes, Daisy's brother was innocent, and Daisy shouldn't hate her brother.

He had no money to hire a good lawyer and didn't want his son to go to jail and pay fines, so he wanted to ask Daisy to handle the lawsuit.

But with no contact for years, he didn't know how to approach her, so he tried to find out more about Daisy's news and situation.

That morning he had been unexpectedly discovered by Luke, without enough mental preparation, nor a good plan on how to face Daisy.

That's why he asked Luke not to tell Daisy about their encounter.

He went home and thought it over for a day, still unsure how to face Daisy.

He knew very well that Daisy might not want to see him or be willing to help Gordon.

If he met Daisy rashly and presented his request, it might backfire.

Then he thought of Luke.

Luke was Daisy's boyfriend, and if he told Daisy about this, it might be more effective than if he approached her directly.

At least Daisy wouldn't flatly turn him down, considering her boyfriend's feelings.

That was also his purpose in meeting Luke today, to explain the situation to him, and to have him communicate with Daisy first, testing out her attitude.

Even if it didn't work out, there would still be room for a buffer, and it wouldn't result in an outright rejection from Daisy.

Luke poured himself another drink, his eyes beginning to look a bit glazed.

Seeing Luke slightly tipsy, Lawrence cursed under his breath and hurriedly said, "Luke, aren't you a cop? What do you think should be done about Gordon's case?"

Luke asked for another whiskey and spoke slowly, "Investigations are all about evidence. Without a complete understanding of the people involved, the physical evidence, and the situation at the scene, I'd rather not comment."

Lawrence sighed, "You're a cop, so of course, you'd side with the police. I can understand that.

That's why I want to ask Daisy for help.

Do you think Daisy will agree to be Gordon's lawyer?"

Luke answered noncommittally, "I don't know."

"Can you speak to Daisy for me? Persuade her to meet with me."

Luke laughed, "You two are father and daughter, why do you need to go through me, a third party, to meet? Don't you think that's even more awkward?"

"Aren't you her boyfriend? How can you be a third party?

Gordon really needs help now, and both he and I would appreciate it."

Luke took another sip, "Sorry, I've had a bit too much to drink today, my head isn't very clear, let's talk about this another day."

Lawrence was somewhat dissatisfied, "I'm talking about something very important, and you keep drinking."

Luke said to the bartender behind the counter, "Buddy, remember to take me home later."

The bartender, while wiping glasses, joked, "No problem, I'll toss you on the police department's doorstep."

"I can't handle this right now, I need to rest." With that, Luke lay his head on the table and fell asleep.

"Fuck, I can't believe Daisy ended up with a drunkard for a boyfriend!" Lawrence grumbled, waving his hand and walking away.

The bartender called out, "Hey, you haven't settled your tab."

"Put it on his bill, consider it his treat to me."

After Lawrence had completely left, the bartender knocked on the counter, "He's gone, that will be thirty US dollars."

Luke pulled out forty dollars and handed it over, "The rest is your tip."

"Thank you."

Luke was pretending to be drunk.

His purpose was simple, he didn't want to get involved in Daisy's family affairs, nor did he want to be Lawrence's messenger.

Because once entangled in this matter, Luke would find himself in a difficult position.

From Daisy's perspective, her relationship with her father and stepbrother wouldn't be too good.

She probably wouldn't want to be a free lawyer, and by Luke bringing this up, though unintentionally, he would still be creating confusion for Daisy.

Even if Daisy didn't say it aloud, she might still blame Luke in her heart.

Besides, Luke didn't want to reject Lawrence outright.

After all, he was Daisy's father, and if Daisy felt compassion and wanted to save her brother, Luke couldn't be the villain in between.

If their father-daughter relationship improved, Luke would be in an even more difficult position, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Better to just pretend to be drunk, and people tend to forget things when they're drunk.

If Lawrence brought up the matter again, he would just say he'd forgotten because he was drunk.

Truth didn't matter; what mattered was that Luke now had an excuse.

Tonight, Luke had learned quite a bit about Daisy, which could be considered a small gain.

After careful consideration, he thought he should still give Daisy a heads-up.

Some might think, why pretend to be drunk then? Isn't that superfluous?

Not at all.

If Luke had agreed to help Lawrence with the message, it would make Daisy feel like he was siding with Lawrence.

The wrong impression would have been set from the start.

Moreover, once Luke agreed to Lawrence, Daisy would know, and she'd be put in a passive position.

By pretending to be drunk, Luke hadn't agreed to Lawrence. By telling Daisy privately, the initiative would be in Daisy's hands, enabling her to respond with composure.

This would not only benefit Daisy but also avoid offending Lawrence, killing two birds with one stone.

As for when to tell Daisy, he hadn't decided yet.

He would find the right opportunity to talk to her.