Chapter 195 Advisor (big chapter)
Daisy handled the bail procedures for Val.
Val walked out of the gate of the police station dejectedly.
Luke's grandfather Robert, who paid the bail, was waiting outside the gate.
In the United States, there are not many people who can put out tens of thousands of dollars in bail at once, and Robert is still very powerful.
Val sighed, not daring to look at his father, "Sorry, I screwed up again..."
As imagined that the storm did not come, Robert patted Val on the shoulder,
"It's not your fault, it's a problem in this society. Everything is measured by money, but things that should be serious are muddled.
In the final analysis, it is the inaction of the judiciary, the nonsense zero-yuan purchases, a group of slackers with taxpayers' money, they are the culprits of this matter, and they condoned the crime.
You are just doing your job. "
Robert did not blame Val this time, but affirmed his behavior.
Robert was a little angry when he heard this at first, and instinctively wanted to beat his son, thinking that this kid was causing trouble again.
But he was very surprised to learn that his son was working in a supermarket now, because based on his understanding of Val, it was impossible for this kid to work as a shopping guide in a supermarket.
This is a huge change for Val, and in a sense it's good.
As a father, he would love to see a similar change in Val.
Of course, it’s not that Robert supports beating. He also thinks beating is wrong. As a supermarket employee beating someone in the workplace during working hours is a sign of immaturity.
May bring certain risks to the company.
Not so with Val.
Robert understands his son. It is already a great change for him to work in a supermarket. If he does not support him at this time, then there may be no chance to change in the future.
Wall's question now is not whether he can do a good job, but whether to do it.
As long as Val is willing to do it, Robert will encourage him instead of accusing him of various problems, which will dampen his enthusiasm in the initial stage. According to Val's character, he will definitely return to the normal state of being lazy and lazy.
At that time, it will not be a question of whether it can be done well, but Val just gave up.
Val was stunned, and stared at his father with wide eyes. It was the first time that his father encouraged him in so many years.
Val worried that Dad didn't understand the situation, "Dad, although it was true that the **** did it first, I did beat him, and he falsely accused him of intentionally hurting him."
Robert said, "I know that the kind of **** who robs the supermarket is really hateful, if it were me, I might do the same.
Moreover, no one can do it well at the beginning, as long as you are willing to do it and learn, I believe it will get better and better. "
Val's eye circles were red, and he was a little moved.
Obtained the affirmation of his father, he felt that all the efforts during this period were worthwhile.
Linda laughed, "What a picture of father and son loving each other, I haven't seen it for a long time.
NO, I have never seen it. "
Robert smiled, and looked at the brown-haired beauty next to Luke, "Hey, you must be Daisy.
It's even more beautiful than I imagined, thank you for coming to help Val. "
Daisy said, "Luke also often mentioned grandpa, saying that he is a cool old man with money."
"Hehe, I like this metaphor, it's very vivid."
Linda glanced at her watch, "I haven't eaten since noon, and my stomach is almost flat.
I suggest changing to a different place and filling your stomach first before discussing about Val. "
Then, Luke found a fast food restaurant.
In the private room, Luke asked solemnly again, "Val, there are no outsiders here. To be honest, are you sure the other party did it first?"
"Of course, I'm sure. He strangled my neck first. I know the seriousness of this matter, and I won't lie about this issue."
Luke nodded, "OK, after dinner, let's talk to the person in charge of that supermarket."
Val hesitated, "The beating has nothing to do with the supermarket, it's entirely my own behavior."
Daisy interrupted Val, "I still say what I said before, you are an employee of the supermarket, and the place where you beat someone is also in the supermarket, whether it is at the supermarket's behest or not, they are jointly and severally responsible for this matter.
It’s not something you can carry if you want to. "
Val was a little worried, "If I find a supermarket...will I lose my job?"
Daisy said, "We went to the supermarket not to find trouble, but to face a solution together.
Escaping cannot solve the problem, since the supermarket has been involved.
Only through timely communication and the formation of a unified consensus between the two parties, can this problem be better resolved.
In addition, if this matter is not resolved, even if you carry it yourself, you will still lose your job in the supermarket.
If you are defined as intentional harm during working hours and places, don’t say it’s this supermarket, other supermarkets, or even companies in other industries may not dare to ask you.
So the problem now is not to consider work, but to try my best to prove that my behavior is self-defense. "
The credit system of the United States is still very powerful.
Why are there so many homeless people in America? Are they all poor and can't afford to rent a house?
Not necessarily.
Poor is only one aspect.
Even if the economy improves and some people have some money, it is difficult for them to rent a house.
The reason is likely that they have defaulted on rent before, as long as there is a default record of rent arrears, it will be recorded in the credit system.
All landlords can be found.
Basically all landlords will check the customer’s credit history before renting out the house. Once there is a record of breach of contract and rent payment, many landlords would rather leave it vacant than rent to such a person.
In this regard, the United States has done a good job, and the interests of both landlords and tenants can be guaranteed to a certain extent.
This is also the reason why many middle-class people in the United States are in a slump. Once there is an economic problem or a record of breach of contract, his overall credit will be hit, which is joint and several. Many simple things will become very difficult. Difficult.
In other words, if Val is convicted because of this incident, finding a job in the future will become a luxury for him.
Robert also realized the seriousness of the problem, "Since both Luke and Daisy have said so, let's go, there is nothing to hesitate.
Although you have brought some troubles to the mall, it is also to safeguard the interests of the mall. From another perspective, shopping malls also need responsible employees like you.
If every employee is as responsible as you are, there will be no so-called zero-dollar purchases, let alone such absurd legal measures. "
Robert patted his son on the shoulder, "Val, be tougher, straighten your back like a man, you did nothing wrong.
I will support you from behind. "
Val was a little moved and nodded, "I see."
Robert shook his head and continued to exhort, "NO, you don't understand. When you enter the supermarket, you must hold your head high. When the employees in the supermarket look at you, you must go forward without fear.
Yes, let all employees know that you did nothing wrong, that you are a hero.
On the contrary, if you go to the supermarket with your head down and timid, it will make the employees look down on you, thinking that you did something wrong and they are right.
This **** world is like this, mostly snobs. "
Val raised his head and responded loudly, "I see."
Robert gave a thumbs up, "Very good, I am proud of your growth."
…
Figuero supermarket.
Val walked into the supermarket with his head held high, followed by Luke and Daisy.
Many employees saw him, some nodded, some showed surprise, and some whispered.
A black supervisor in uniform comes up, "Val, are you okay."
"Well, I'm only on bail temporarily."
The black supervisor shook his head and sighed, "You are too impulsive."
Wal originally wanted to admit his mistake, but thinking of his father's words, he didn't respond.
Daisy said, "Hi, I'm Val's lawyer, what's your name?"
"I'm Thomas, the supervisor of the supermarket."
"We want to see the person in charge of the supermarket and talk about Val."
The black director Thomas looked at Daisy, then at Val, "Okay, wait a moment."
The black supervisor took out his mobile phone to contact.
After a while, hang up the phone and wave, "Come with me, the general manager is waiting for you in the office."
Soon, a group of people came to the general manager's office.
The general manager is a middle-aged Caucasian man, not tall, with a big back, wearing a black suit, looking very elegant.
The man stood up, asked everyone to sit on the sofa next to the coffee table, and introduced himself, "I am Katu Portia, the manager here, and you are Val, right? I have an impression of you."
Then, he looked at Luke and Daisy again, "What do you call them? Who is Val's lawyer?"
Daisy said, "I'm Daisy, Val's lawyer, and he's Val's family."
General manager Kathu said to the black executive beside him, "Thomas, please serve coffee to the guests, thank you."
After Thomas left, the general manager Katu asked, "Val, how is the situation now? What is the purpose of your coming to me?"
Daisy briefly introduced some situations, then changed the topic, "Val is an employee of the supermarket, and he had a conflict with the suspect in order to protect the property of the supermarket.
He belongs to self-defense. I want to ask the supermarket how to deal with this matter. "
Katu pondered for a moment, "As far as I am concerned, I sympathize with and support Val.
But from the perspective of the supermarket, it is inconvenient for us to directly participate in the case, otherwise the suspect may sue the supermarket together.
Once the supermarket becomes the defendant, the compensation is likely to be sky-high.
So I hope that this matter can be resolved by Val personally. Of course, he is an employee of the supermarket, and we will not give up on him. We will give him some support behind the scenes. "
Daisy will not be easily fooled, "What kind of support will the supermarket provide?"
Katu thought for a while, "Moral and economic."
"This statement is too general, I think we should talk about the specific content of the agreement." Daisy took out the paper and pen, and pretended to be listening attentively.
Katu glanced at Val, and continued, "As long as it can be proved that Val is acting in self-defense, we are willing to provide him with full legal fees, and at the same time, provide him with paid vacation compensation during this period."
Daisy asked, "What if he can't prove that he is self-defense?"
Supermarkets also have difficulties in supermarkets, I hope you can understand. "
Daisy looked at Val, who was in a daze without a clear expression.
Daisy looked at Luke again, who nodded slightly.
Daisy said, "We agree to this agreement, but a written agreement must be signed, otherwise the interests of my client cannot be guaranteed.
At the same time, there is one more thing to add. If my client is in self-defense, the supermarket cannot dismiss him for this reason afterwards. "
"Nono, I can only promise verbally, and there is no way to sign a specific agreement." Katu resisted a little, obviously not wanting to take more responsibilities.
Daisy shook her head, "Do you think the supermarket can stay out of this matter?
impossible!
Before, when we negotiated a settlement with the suspect, the other party kept talking about the supermarket.
The reason why the suspect framed Val was to obtain compensation from the supermarket.
From this perspective, Val is taking the blame for the supermarket.
Supermarket and Val are now part of both prosperity and loss. "
Katu fell silent, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression.
Daisy continued, "Don't think that you will be involved in this case because you signed the agreement.
From the moment the suspect robbed the supermarket, the supermarket had been involved in the case.
Only if you give Val enough support, will he be willing to charge forward without reservation.
If the supermarket cannot even do this, then when we negotiate a settlement, we will no longer take into account the interests of the supermarket, but only consider the personal interests of my client. "
Daisy added, "We're a team now, and I hope you understand that."
Catu sighed softly. What the beautiful lawyer said had some truth. It was really hard for the supermarket to stay out of this matter.
In addition, what he is more worried about is that if the supermarket is really too clear with Val, although it can avoid joint and several liability, it may affect the enthusiasm and sense of responsibility of employees.
There is zero yuan purchase again, let alone blocking it, employees may watch the fun from the sidelines.
Once this happens, it will be terrible.
"OK, I can sign the agreement on behalf of the supermarket. As long as Val is in self-defense, the supermarket will fully bear all the costs related to the case. At the same time, Val is on paid leave during this period."
Daisy looked at Luke, then at Val, and saw that neither of them had any objections, "OK, I'll draft the agreement."
"Dong Dong..." The office door rang.
Catu said, "Come in."
The black supervisor walks in, holding a tray with four cups of coffee on it.
"Thomas, thank you."
"You're welcome." Thomas distributed the coffee to everyone.
Usually, this kind of work is not necessary for him to do, but today is different. It is not convenient for too many people to participate in this kind of occasion.
Luke took a sip of coffee, "Does the supermarket have surveillance backup? I want to see the surveillance video."
Katu said, "After the incident, the police in charge of the case took away a video. I have also watched the surveillance video, and indeed there is no picture of the conflict between Val and the robber."
Luke said, "Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean there are no clues."
Catu reminded, "Not only me, but also the police."
Luke flashed his police badge, "I am the deputy captain of the Robbery and Murder Division. In terms of investigation, the Robbery and Murder Division is the leader of the entire lapd, and I am the leader of the Robbery and Murder Division.
If there are any unsolved cases in Los Angeles, the one with the best chance of solving them is me. "
"Wow…"
Katu smiled and leaned back on the sofa, this guy...
Really bragging.
However, the Robbery and Murder Division is really bluffing, and since it can be the deputy captain, it should have some means.
I didn't expect Val to have such a relationship.
Katu took out his laptop from the table, clicked on a video, "Please watch it."
Luke began to look at the video, the first video is the video of the suspect Harbot entering the supermarket, he pushed a shopping cart and started grabbing items in the supermarket.
Of course, there are many monitoring blind spots, and it is impossible to see every move of the robber.
During the monitoring, Luke also saw Val, who was obviously dissatisfied.
After taking the items, the suspect calculated with a calculator, then pushed the shopping cart and left the supermarket, walking into a blind spot.
At this time, Val also chased after him.
Because it is a blind spot, the subsequent pictures are no longer visible, but judging from the reactions of the surrounding crowd, the two should have clashed.
Daisy knew that Luke had the ability, and asked, "Did you find anything?"
Luke asked back, "If the suspect's misdemeanor is turned into a felony, can it help Val get away with it?"
Daisy thought for a while, "Of course, the sentencing for misdemeanors and felonies is very different.
If there is evidence to convict the suspect of a felony, I believe the suspect should be willing to negotiate a settlement with us.
We do not submit evidence of a felony. He admitted that Val was acting in self-defense. The two parties reached a tacit agreement in private, and the matter was resolved. "
Catu said, "We checked again, and the items the suspect robbed were only $940, which did not meet the standard of a felony."
Luke pointed at the suspect in the video, "What if you add this pair of shoes?"
Seeing everyone looking over, Luke continued, "I carefully compared the videos of the suspect entering and leaving the supermarket. Although he was wearing black shoes, the patterns of the two pairs of shoes were different.
If you look closely you can see that he left with gray horizontal stripes on the side of his shoes.
I guess that the suspect should have changed a pair of shoes after entering the supermarket, but the color of the two pairs of shoes is similar, and the surveillance video is not very clear, so neither the police nor the supermarket found out.
In addition, the suspect himself may have forgotten this, and did not include shoes when counting items.
If you add the value of the shoes, he should have stolen more than $950.
is a felony! "
The two pairs of shoes are similar in color and style, which means that Luke's observation skills are far superior to ordinary people, and it is difficult for ordinary people to see the difference at a glance.
Hearing Luke's words, Katu hurriedly leaned in front of the laptop, zoomed in on the part, and compared the videos carefully, with a look of surprise on his face, "Really, why didn't those patrolmen find out?"
Luke thought to himself, if every policeman was as good as me, California wouldn't have such absurd zero-dollar purchase laws.
Val said proudly, "My nephew has solved many major cases, which are not comparable to those of the police."
Katu said, "Actually, I have another idea. Can the evidence be handed over to the police and the suspect convicted of a felony?"
Daisy said, "Yes yes yes.
But in this way, it is impossible to reach a private settlement with the suspect, and the other party may still sue Val for intentional harm.
According to California law, the biggest possibility is that both of them will be imprisoned, and the suspect may still sue the supermarket for civil compensation.
Is this any good for supermarkets? "
Katu thought for a while, but he didn't hide it. Just like Daisy said, the relationship between the supermarket and Val is a mutual prosperity, "I hope to convict the suspect of a felony. This can be regarded as a lesson, and it is also a lesson for other zero-yuan buyers warn.
We have zero-yuan purchases every week in our supermarket, which not only affects the normal work of the supermarket, but also affects customers' shopping.
Although insurance can be claimed afterwards, the supermarket will also suffer certain losses.
Not only Val, I also hate these people who buy for zero yuan.
Our annual insurance expenditure alone is a lot of money. I don't want to let the suspect go so easily. I want him to go to jail.
I believe this is also a warning for other zero-yuan purchases.
At least, they will think about the fate of this suspect before buying for zero yuan.
Taking a step back, even if they choose to buy at zero yuan, they dare not choose our supermarket easily, and may choose other supermarkets.
It means a lot to Figuero Supermarket. "
Kato's idea Luke understood, but he was not very interested.
He came here only for his uncle, as for the long-term interests of the supermarket, it has nothing to do with him.
Daisy said, "I can understand your feelings, but as I said just now, if the evidence is submitted, even if the suspect's misdemeanor becomes a felony, it still cannot prove that Val is in self-defense.
Strictly speaking, these are two cases.
Reconciliation is a win-win situation. "
Katu looked at Luke who was on the side, "You are the deputy captain of the Robbery and Murder Division, and you can see the suspect's problem at a glance. There should be other ways to prove that Val is a legitimate self-defense, right?"
Luke said, "Didn't Lawyer Daisy say that? With the evidence just now, the suspect can reach a settlement. Why bother to find other evidence?"
Catu said, "Of course it is necessary. The suspect robbed more than $950, which can be punished as a felony. If a settlement is reached, it is tantamount to indirectly letting him go.
Also, it would help the supermarket a lot if he could be convicted of a felony. "
Luke laughed, "First of all, I am not in charge of the investigation of this case. It has nothing to do with me if the suspect is a misdemeanor or felony. All I care about is Val's safety.
As for the interests of your supermarket, it has nothing to do with me.
One more thing, if your supermarket has anything to do with me, then this supermarket will not be at the discretion of the general manager.
Instead, I take over. "
Catu could tell that the deputy captain of the Robbery and Murder Division obviously didn't take himself seriously.
People don't say whether they can find it, but they don't want to waste that time.
Katu was not only not angry, but became more amiable, and said with a smile, "What's your name?"
"Luke."
"Deputy Luke, on behalf of Figuero Supermarket, I would like to ask you to help investigate this case."
Luke stretched out two fingers, "This is not one case, but two cases."
"That's right, you have already found evidence to convict the suspect of a felony, and I believe you can also find evidence of Val's self-defense.
I want to hire you as a security consultant for the supermarket. Please help me investigate the relevant evidence. What do you think? I am very sincere. "
Luke said, "Be more specific about your sincerity?"
Katu thought for a while and proposed, "If you can convict the suspect of a felony and prove that Val is in self-defense, the supermarket is willing to pay you $30,000 in consulting fees."
Luke smiled, this is much faster than getting money in the robbery and murder investigation.
The money I have saved is almost ready to consider buying a house.
(end of this chapter)