Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Modern Mom Maternity Center.

At the reception desk, a forty-year-old Asian woman sat.

The plump woman was browsing TikTok, and the system recommended fitness videos featuring young, handsome white men with sculpted muscles. She watched and salivated at the sight.

Like.

"Ding-a-ling..." A ringtone sounded.

"Hello, this is Mary." The big sister picked up the handset and spoke in less-than-perfect English, "You've reached the Modern Mom Maternity Center. I am delighted to take your call. How may I assist you?"

Over the phone, a man's voice asked in Chinese, "Can you speak Chinese?"

Very much so, the woman replied with a hint of her hometown accent, "Sir, I can speak both English and Chinese. What do you need?"

"Well, I am from China. My wife is pregnant, and I've heard that the medical and welfare benefits are better in America. I am thinking of having her give birth in California, is that possible?"

"Of course, America is a free country. Anyone can come here to have their children, and any child delivered in an American hospital automatically becomes a member of the United States of America." The plump woman got into her persuasive mode.

"And how much would that cost?"

"We have three packages here: forty thousand, sixty thousand, and eighty thousand US Dollars. You can choose based on your needs."

"Is there any difference?"

"Of course, accommodations, meals, medical check-ups, and services vary with different price points. I will send you detailed information and photos of the maternity center later."

"Is there any discount available?"

"That's already the lowest price."

"Um, I know Mrs. Kenneth; she referred me here.

She said she knows the owner of your maternity center and mentioned getting a better discount."

"You are a friend of Mrs. Kenneth?"

"Yes."

"Since you are a friend of Mrs. Kenneth, you can enjoy a ten percent discount. That's the lowest possible price."

"Thank you. I also wanted to ask, what is Mrs. Kenneth's relation to your maternity center?"

"Mrs. Kenneth is a close friend of our boss. She stayed here for her maternity period. She is a graceful and kind woman; she always brings delicious pastries when she visits the center.

I believe your wife will be as elegant and noble as her.

Choosing to have your child born in a free country is definitely the best decision."

"Hehe." The man on the other end of the phone laughed, "That's really enticing."

"Sir, I look forward to meeting you and your wife soon."

"Really?"

"Of course..." Mary said, but then something felt off. The voice didn't seem to be coming from the phone.

Looking up, she saw two men walking in through the door, one a handsome young man with black hair and a black man.

"Was that you on the phone?" With her experience, she guessed these two were not customers and sensed something was up, "Who are you, and what brings you to our maternity center?"

Luke flashed his badge, "LAPD, I need to speak with the person in charge here."

Mary breathed a sigh of relief, "What do you really want? Why did you pretend to be a customer to deceive me?"

"We want to know some information about Mrs. Kenneth."

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Mrs. Kenneth hasn't been here for a while, and I'm not very familiar with her."

Luke waved his phone, "You were not saying that a moment ago. Should I play it back for you?"

"That was just a small technique to get closer to the customers. If a customer mentions a mutual acquaintance, I can't just tell him I'm not familiar; that would drive the customer away, wouldn't it?"

Luke said, "I want to see the person responsible here."

Mary spread her hands, "I am the person in charge."

Marcus responded, "You're joking, right? You're just a receptionist."

Mary shrugged, "I indeed am just a receptionist, but I'm married, and my husband is the boss of this place.

Moreover, what's wrong with being a receptionist?

The job is easy. I answer calls, handle deliveries, and we hardly have any walk-in customers during the week. I like this job a lot.

If I could do this job, why hire someone else?

If I were to hire a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, curvy white girl, I wouldn't be comfortable. What do you think?"

Marcus "..."

With this attitude, Mary clearly wasn't very afraid of the police. There's an old saying, "Different strokes for different folks."

Luke pulled out a few business cards and laid them on the desk, "This is Shakira, an investigator from the Tax Bureau; this is Captain Binsey from the Fire Department, and this is Agent Capel from the Immigration Office. Pick one."

Mary stared at the three business cards, unable to take her eyes off them. Her previous ease had vanished. She looked at Luke, trying to ingratiate herself, but she wasn't sure what to say.

Luke tapped his fingers on the table, "Why not choose?

If you have trouble deciding, I can call them all here.

Then you can have a talk with each one of them. I believe it would be quite interesting."

Mary cowered, her chubby face filled with a smile, "Ah Sir, I misspoke earlier. Considering we share the same ancestor, please give me another chance."

Marcus corrected, "What 'Ah Sir'? I am Detective Marcus from the Robbery and Murder Department, and this is Deputy Luke."