Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

"Ding-a-ling…" A ringtone sounded.

Luke checked his phone and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen.

He pressed the answer button, "Hello, this is Luke."

"I am Daisy's father, Lawrence Miller."

Luke was surprised; he had already blocked him, but the old man had used a different phone to call.

"What do you want?"

"I know you and Daisy might not like me, but I'm truly out of options. Gordon's situation is really bad right now, and I must find a way to bail him out.

I hope you can help me."

"You've got the wrong person; I'm powerless to help."

"This afternoon, I approached Daisy.

But she refused to help me... She's still angry about the past, but after all, Gordon is her brother, and Gordon is innocent.

I hope you can persuade her. No matter how she treats me is fine, she can scold or hit me, as long as she helps Gordon.

She is too angry right now to listen to me, I hope you can talk to her.

After all, we are still a family.

I'll say it again, if you can help me, I'll be grateful to you for life."

"I don't need your gratitude." Luke hung up immediately, and once again blocked the number.

Then, Luke called Daisy's mobile phone.

After a while, the phone connected, "Hello, this is Daisy."

"Did Lawrence look for you?"

"Yes, that old bastard turned up at my law firm making a scene."

"Where are you? It sounds noisy."

"I'm at the Connaught bar near the law firm."

"I'm coming over to find you."

"No need, I still have to go back to the law firm to work overtime; I've been held up today."

"I'll see you in a bit." Luke hung up and drove straight to the Connaught bar.

...

Twenty minutes later, Luke arrived at the Connaught bar.

Daisy was sitting at the bar, drinking.

Seeing Daisy drinking on an empty stomach, Luke brought over some snacks, "Eat something, drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your health."

"Actually, you didn't have to come, I'm really fine."

Luke ordered a beer, "Of course, I know you're a strong woman and can take care of yourself.

But I wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't come to see for myself."

"Thank you." Daisy grabbed Luke's hand and asked, "Did Lawrence contact you again?"

"Yes, he used a new number to call, and I've blocked him again."

Daisy gave a thumbs up, "Well done."

Luke took a sip of his beer, concerned, "Did he come to the law firm to find you?"

Daisy nodded, "This morning, he called me, and I refused to meet him over the phone.

As a result, he showed up at the law firm in the afternoon, acting pitiful to gain my sympathy.

He said he regretted the past, was sorry to me and my mom, wanted to make up for his previous mistakes to earn my forgiveness, and hoped to see me more often to fulfill his duties as a father.

He had the audacity to say that, although he was the one in trouble, he acted as if I couldn't live without him as a father." Daisy sighed lightly, took a sip of her drink, and continued,

"No matter how nice his words were, I still refused him.

Initially, he didn't give up and started talking about his so-called 'brother' Gordon.

He said he had always wanted to acknowledge me as his sister, how pitiful Gordon is now, needing my help, and kept saying it was all his own fault, but Gordon is innocent.

His mind is only filled with his own son, Gordon, Gordon, Gordon…

If Gordon is innocent, what about me?

Has he ever truly cared about me?

Would he have come to me if Gordon hadn't run into trouble?

Thinking of this, I became even more angry and explicitly told him I would never be Gordon's lawyer."

At this point, Daisy asked back, "Do you know what he said next?"

Before Luke could reply, Daisy continued, "He actually asked me for money to help bail out Gordon.

I flatly refused, without any room for negotiation.

After being rejected again, he became frustrated and started creating a scene.

Yes, this is the Lawrence I know."

Luke said, "If he goes to the law firm causing trouble again, let me know, and I'll deal with him."

"I didn't indulge him; I had the security throw him out right away. He's been blacklisted by the law firm, it's not possible for him to enter the law firm again.

Don't forget, I'm a lawyer."

Luke and Daisy clinked glasses, "It's good to clear the air in person, he should give up this time."

"You're right, knowing he's not doing well makes me feel relieved."

Luke smiled, "Let me drive you home."

"No, I mentioned earlier, I still have to return to the law firm to work overtime."

"You're in a bad mood today, take a break for the day."

Daisy shook her head and sighed, "Because of his visit, my work was delayed, and I need to complete the tasks I'm supposed to finish to be able to sleep at all."

"Then what time do you finish work? I'll come and pick you up."

"Let's contact by phone." Daisy stood up, kissed Luke on the cheek, "Talking to you has made me feel a lot better."

After watching Daisy leave, Luke didn't rush to leave either. Since he was already there, he might as well have a drink and relax before leaving.

Luke sipped his drink while observing the people in the bar.

People of all sorts, each with different identities, each with their own lives.

Sometimes, Luke also yearned to experience the lifestyles of others.

A middle-aged white man entered Luke's line of sight and sat at the bar diagonally opposite him, ordering a beer.

The man appeared to be about forty, dressed in a white shirt that bore sweat stains on the collar. Since entering the bar, his eyes hadn't left his phone.

Luke had exceptional observation skills, and with just a glance, he recognized the man.

To be precise, he didn't know this man, nor had he ever met him, but Luke had been to his house and had seen his photographs.

The father of the kidnapped Betty—Brown Kenneth.

Why was he here?

According to his previous statement, shouldn't he still be on his plane?

If he had arrived in Los Angeles, shouldn't he have gone straight to the police station?

Why was he in a bar having a drink?

Moreover, looking at the man, he seemed disinterested in drinking, his eyes constantly fixed on his phone, occasionally scanning the crowd in the bar.

From Luke's experience, he seemed to be contacting someone important or waiting for a call or message.

He instinctively thought of the ransom call.

During the previous case discussion meeting, the main issue debated was the suspect's motive.

If it was a real kidnapping, the suspect would make a ransom call.

However, both Lee Mei and Brown Kenneth denied receiving any such calls.

The deputy team leader felt Lee Mei was lying.

Now, it seemed more likely that Brown Kenneth was the one lying.

From Luke's experience, the man's demeanor seemed like he was here to make a ransom payment to the kidnappers.

But he didn't have a backpack, which suggested that the transaction had possibly been completed already.

He was waiting for the release of the hostage.

If the kidnapper really released the hostage, that would be a win for everyone.

But if the kidnapper had no plans to release the hostage, then once the money was received and the purpose achieved, it was very likely that they would kill the hostage.

This was a double-edged sword.

Luke took a photo of Brown Kenneth and sent it to Susan, briefly explaining the situation.

Susan's reply was simple, "Proceed as you see fit, clarify the situation as soon as possible."

Luke carried his glass and sat down next to Brown Kenneth.

Brown turned his head to glance at Luke, then continued to look down at his phone, muttering, "Hurry, hurry… It's going to be okay, Betty will be fine."

The voice was very soft.

However, Luke understood lip reading.

From his mutterings, Luke increasingly believed that he had already made the ransom payment.

"Bang, bang!" Luke tapped the table with his right hand, raising his chin toward Brown Kenneth.

Brown looked at Luke, "Do you need something?"

Luke lowered his voice, "Mr. Kenneth, don't look at me when you speak."

"How do you know my name? Are you… the contact person?"

Luke responded with a question, "What do you think?"

"I have already placed the money at the designated location, please release Betty. As long as you don't harm Betty, I'll agree to any demand."

"Did you report this to the police?"

"No, I don't trust the police any more than you do, and I won't cooperate with them."

"Where did you place the money?"

"It's in the trash can behind the Weiden steakhouse, in the alley you specified. Didn't you find it?

I really did put it there. Two hundred thousand US dollars, unmarked."

"When did you place it?"

"Twenty minutes ago, right at eight o'clock."

Luke continued to question, "Do you remember our agreement afterward?"

"I remember, place the money at the designated spot and then leave immediately. Once you have the money, you would release my daughter and tell me to wait for a call." Brown seemed nervous, his hands involuntarily grasping his glass.

Luke silently calculated in his mind; it had been twenty minutes since the money was placed. Even if he went to the restaurant now, it would take at least ten minutes, which meant by the time he got there, thirty minutes would have passed since the money was dropped.

Many things could happen in thirty minutes; there were too many uncertainties.

Of these, two possibilities were the most likely.

The first, the kidnapper had already taken the money and fled.

The second, the kidnapper was wary of picking up the money immediately and was still watching, waiting to ensure there were no police before taking the money.

At this moment, if Luke rashly went to the money drop location, he could potentially be seen by the kidnappers lurking in the shadows, putting the hostage at risk.

Upon analysis, getting to the money drop location now held more risks than benefits.

He had discovered that Brown had already played his part; there was no need to take further risks. After all, causing the death of the hostage because of his actions would be counterproductive.

It was better to wait it out.

Besides, if the father of the hostage had chosen to trust the kidnappers with the money, it was worth waiting a bit longer. If the kidnappers truly released the hostage, the police would have no need to worry.

Subsequently, Luke relayed the interrogated information to Susan, leaving the decision to her.

Credit for any success would be shared by all, but if there was blame, the leader would take it.

Brown Kenneth took a deep breath, gathering his courage to ask, "I have paid the ransom, when will you release my daughter?"

Luke did not answer, finished his beer, and left.

It was too crowded here, and he couldn't reveal his identity.

A long-forgotten voice echoed in his mind, "After completing an 'adventure' experience, the 'adventure card' has been activated and used."