Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

"Only then do I feel secure."

After I could handle cases on my own.

I once wanted to sue him, to get back the child support and alimony that my mother and I were entitled to.

But my mother always urged me not to, saying that such a man wasn't worth it.

To ignore him was to show him the greatest contempt.

I really don't know where he got the nerve from.

He even thought I would represent him for free, which is just wishful thinking."

Luke patted Daisy on the shoulder, "It's all in the past now, you have me by your side."

"You're right, I'm no longer that little girl who cries all the time.

I'm a lawyer," Daisy said with confidence and aloofness in her tone.

After hearing all this, Luke felt some unease, as Daisy was not only expressing her resentment towards her father but also her mistrust of men.

This was a bittersweet revelation for Luke, the good news being that he now understood Daisy's issues, and the bad news, that these issues were not easily overcome.

Luke's feelings towards Lawrence soured even more.

This old scumbag had done wrong, and to some extent, it also implicated him.

The effect wasn't direct but indirect.

Daisy's mistrust of men was because of her father.

If a woman couldn't even trust her own father, how could she easily trust other men?

Having so much happen on his first day at work, Luke was also tired and fell into a heavy sleep.

...

The next morning.

Daisy went to work as usual, seemingly unaffected by last night's events.

Neither of them brought up the matter again.

The issue seemed to be put to rest, and having learned of Daisy's thoughts, Luke had no more reservations about Lawrence and decided to cut him off completely.

After breakfast, when Luke arrived at the office, David's desk and chair were already empty.

Some people, you might feel indifferent about when they are around.

But once they leave, it can make you feel emptiness inside.

That's how Luke was feeling right now, a hard-to-describe sensation.

Perhaps that's the price of growing up.

At ten o'clock in the morning.

Susan strode into the office and clapped her hands, "Guys, we just got a call. There's a suspected robbery in the Caleya community.

Get ready and meet downstairs."

The deputy asked, "No more information than that?"

Susan replied, "If you want more details, you'll find them at the scene."

The deputy spread his hands, "Who's got our Susan Queen irritated this time?"

...

Five minutes later, everyone was kitted up and ready.

Luke sat in the passenger seat of the Ford Explorer.

Black let out a sigh while driving, "You know? I've been feeling really down lately."

"Because of Julian?"

Black curled his lip, "What else? David?"

"Who knows, maybe you're a masochist."

"Next day off, I'm thinking of buying a car, want to come with me?"

Luke was puzzled, "Why all of a sudden you want to buy a car?"

"Didn't I tell you? I've been very unhappy lately, so of course, I need to cheer myself up."

Luke "..."

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Caleya community.

It was a middle-class neighborhood with nice environment and facilities. Two patrol cars were parked in front of a house.

Two patrol officers were setting up a police cordon.

Black pulled out his badge, "I'm Marcus from the Robbery and Murder Department, and this is Deputy Chief Luke. How's the situation here?"

A middle-aged white patrol officer exclaimed, "Wow, Detective Chief Luke, weren't you a chief? How did you become a deputy chief?"

"Hey, John, I heard you did pretty well on your probation. Congratulations on becoming a full-fledged officer."

John grinned, "Thanks, but how did you know? Did you deduce it somehow?"

Luke smiled, "Let's have a drink sometime, and I might consider telling you, but for now... I need to know the situation here, OK?"

"Sure." John pointed to a young white patrol officer beside him, "His name is Jackson Beach. We were in the same class, and he did even better than me. Let him fill you in."

Black grumbled, "You talk more crap than I do. I don't care who it is that reports to us.

All I want to know is what's happening here."

Luke smoothed things over, "Never mind him, he just got dumped."

John clenched his fist in solidarity, "Buddy, be strong, you'll get through this."

"You do talk too much," Luke cut him off. Turning to the eager young officer, he asked, "Your name's Jackson Beach?"

"Yes, Deputy Chief Luke."

"Give me a clear and concise report of the situation here."

"Alright." Jackson Beach paused for a moment before speaking, "We received a call and arrived here first thing.

The caller is Mark Castle, a pipefitter.

After we entered the house, which was unlocked, the scene was very messy, much like a robbery.

Moreover, I found bloodstains in the house and immediately reported the situation.

That's all for now."

Luke asked, "What's the homeowner's name?"

"Brown Kenneth."

"Have you made contact with the homeowner?"

"Not yet."

"Get me the person who called it in; we'll want to talk to him shortly." Luke finished speaking and prepared to enter the house to inspect.

Black muttered, "That middle-aged rookie does talk too much."

Luke chuckled, "Just like you."

Luke approached the house door, checked the lock which showed no signs of damage, and turned to Black, "Can you pick this type of code lock?"