Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Dave took the initiative to greet, "Officer Luke, good morning."

"How's your recovery?"

"It's no longer a big issue. I came to make a statement and wanted to ask about the progress of the case. Did you catch that bastard?"

"We don't have any leads on Steven yet," Luke responded, looking towards the white BMW. "Got a new car?"

"I've had this car for several years now, mostly kept in the garage. The Mercedes is still at the police station, so I switched to this one."

"I've always wanted to buy a car. How does it drive?"

"Not bad, all-wheel drive, good visibility, and also very comfortable. Want to give it a try?" Dave pulled out the car keys.

"I'll pass. It's a nice car, but it's beyond my budget." Luke sighed lightly, then turned to Marcus beside him and said, "Take Mr. Dave to make his statement."

"Why don't you go?" Marcus was somewhat unhappy.

"I need to make a call to my babe. Any problem with that?"

Marcus squinted his eyes, "Taking up my challenge?"

"Don't keep Dave's lawyer waiting, go." Luke waved them off.

Watching the two ascend to the detectives' building, Luke walked over to the BMW and examined it closely, even patting the trunk of the BMW.

He then dialed Susan's number, "Captain, are you free to talk?"

"Just saw off the Whites, it's just me now. Go ahead."

"I've just noticed something that might be related to the Taser gun robbery, but it's just my guess, and there's no definite evidence."

"Where are you?"

"Downstairs at the Detectives' Bureau."

"Why don't you come up and talk?"

"This matter might be related to Dave's lawyer, and he just went upstairs to make his statement."

"Give me five minutes."

"Okay."

...

A few minutes later, Susan came downstairs.

Seeing that there was hardly anyone around, Susan handed Luke a cigarette, "What's the issue with Dave?"

Luke pointed to a parking spot not far away, "Tony Will's homeless friend mentioned that a wealthy man often visits Tony, a man dressed in suits, driving a white BMW X5.

Dave just arrived in a BMW X5, and the car is his own."

Susan slightly furrowed her brow, "Assuming your deduction is right, Dave is not only Steven's lawyer but also knows Tony Will. What role does he play in this case?"

Luke analyzed, "First possibility, Dave might be unrelated to this case, merely knowing these two people. Two suspects knowing a common person doesn't necessarily make him a suspect.

The second possibility, Dave could be their accomplice.

That would explain the previous act of Dave being kidnapped by Steven, possibly staged by both of them, and it also explains why Steven didn't kill him but just locked Dave in the trunk 'to fend for himself'."

Susan leaned toward the second possibility and pressed, "Dave is a lawyer, wealthy, reputable, and with status. Why would he do this?"

Luke pondered, "Could it be that Steven has something over him? Or perhaps there is some special relationship among the three of them."

Susan approached the white BMW X5, "There are at least a few hundred similar cars in Los Angeles, this alone can't prove his involvement in the 'Taser gun robbery'."

Luke suggested, "We could investigate privately, continue looking for evidence."

The police had been searching for Tony and Steven, but hadn't found any trace of either, nor any leads on Alyssa.

Dave, however, was close at hand; if they could link him to the case, they could follow the trail to the other suspects.

Susan agreed with Luke's plan, and the two casually returned to the Robbery and Murder Department.

To avoid alerting Dave, Luke did not probe further but sat at his desk, diligently researching.

An hour later, Dave finished his statement and left. Susan gathered everyone for a meeting.

Luke laid out his assumptions.

Everyone was somewhat astonished after hearing the story.

"Wow, the lawyer who wet his pants turned out to be the final big boss; I like your idea," Marcus smiled and then frowned,

"But there's one thing I don't understand. That day it was us who saved him in the desert. If we hadn't found the Mercedes, he would likely have died trapped in the trunk."

Luke guessed, "He might have heard the rescue vehicles and then locked the trunk."

"His hands were cuffed behind his back; it's a difficult position to lock anything from there."

Luke continued, "Handcuffs are different from tape. Dave could handcuff himself and completely shut the trunk before putting them on."

Marcus paused for two seconds, "It seems to be the case, so it looks like we were all fooled by this bastard."

The deputy analyzed, "He successfully diverted attention with his little wet pants trick, making the police lower their guard towards him. While people were laughing about his wetting himself, he had already succeeded."

Marcus was very upset; fortunately, his dark complexion hid his embarrassment, "I hate lawyers, all of them are tricksters."

"Since everyone agrees with Luke's speculation, the next focus of our investigation is Dave. We need to find evidence related to him and the case." Susan set the tone, directly assigning tasks,

"Matthew, gather all information on Dave.

Raymond, trace that white BMW X5 through road surveillance.

Marcus, Jenny, contact BMW for the car's recent driving records.

Luke, David, go to the bank and investigate the large capital flows related to Dave."

"Yes, captain."

Last, Susan cautioned, "Everyone be smart about this. If Dave realizes we're investigating him, it's not only going to spook him, but he might also turn the tables on us."

The deputy laughed, "Captain, you've changed.

But, I like it."

...

On the outskirts of Los Angeles.

A dimly lit basement.

A woman with long golden hair curled up in the corner, a wall lamp illuminating her profile, revealing a pitiful beauty that evoked a desire to protect her.

"Creak..." first came the sound of the door opening.

"Tap tap..." then the sound of footsteps echoed.

"No no no..." Alyssa hugged herself, her long legs trembling continuously, a tear slid from her eye.

"Creak..." the sound of the door opening again.

"Alyssa, I'm back. I bought your favorite dessert," the man stood at the door, holding a delicate cake box in his left hand.

The man placed the box aside, changed into slippers, his actions casual as if he were a husband returning home from work.

"Alyssa, would you like to eat now, or shall we talk for a while?"

Alyssa lifted her head, gathering her courage, "Dave, why are you doing this? Are you going to kill me?"

Dave walked over to the bed, crouched down, and said in a gentle tone, "I've never thought of such a thing, Alyssa. I love you. As long as you don't do anything foolish, I won't hurt you."

"What do you really want? To keep me locked up forever? Is this what you call love?"

"No, you're not calm right now. Once you've calmed down, we can start planning our lives anew. Change locations, change identities, start the life we want."

"Are you insane? That's impossible. The police might be looking for me, and if caught by the authorities, you'll go to prison.

If you let me go now, I can pretend nothing happened,"

Dave laughed, "Alyssa, you're already dead. The police top brass won't waste too much expense on a dead person. At most, they'll stop looking for you in half a month. I know them too well."

"Why would the police think I'm dead?"

"Just a little trick."

"Even if the police stop looking for me, Steven won't give up."

"Come on, stop bringing up Steven.

He took forty thousand US dollars from me and ran off, possibly enjoying himself somewhere in Mexico right now.

He doesn't care about you at all."

"Why did Steven run away? What exactly did you do?"