Chapter 256 Accident
It was past six o'clock in the evening, and Luke got off work on time.
He walked down the detective building, thinking about what to eat tonight as he walked.
Walking near the Mercedes-Benz, I saw a beautiful figure standing beside the car, with a tall figure, long legs and a thin waist. It was Ortie from the Pinkerton Detective Agency.
"Isn't this Miss Dean? What a coincidence?"
"I came here specially to thank you, and I'm about to call you." Orti shook the phone in his hand.
"Thank you for what?"
"Last time you reminded me about the thief, I checked, and there is indeed a problem with that guy.
You helped me and I want to thank you personally. "
"It's a matter of little effort, I understand, just eat."
Orti said, "I've already booked a restaurant, you won't have the heart to let me eat alone."
Luke guessed that other colleagues were about to get off work, and he didn't want to entangle with Orti any longer.
Although it wasn't something shady, he didn't want too many people to know about his relationship with the Pinkerton Detective Agency for the time being.
"I usually don't accept temporary invitations, but if it's Miss Dean, I'd like to make an exception." Luke opened the door of the passenger cab and made a gesture of invitation.
"It's an honor." Orti sat in the passenger cab.
Xiao Hei came down and was about to say hello after seeing Luke. He happened to see this scene, and his hands stopped in mid-air...
What's up with this guy? Who is that pretty girl? Supermodel?
I bought it from Karma, and he picked up girls behind my back again?
Scumbag!
Xiao Hei showed envy on his face, and shook his head again. I have a family now, and I am different from this kind of scumbag.
Nothing to envy.
I am not envious at all.
real.
…
In the black Mercedes.
Luke didn't see Xiao Hei's expression clearly, and he wouldn't care if he did.
There is no such thing as the best of both worlds in this world. It is impossible for people to take advantage of both. Since you have chosen the stability of your family, you must cut off the colorful world outside.
"Where is the restaurant?"
"Just down the block, there's a Venezuelan restaurant called Carriga. Do you like Venezuelan food?"
"I'm just going to try it out."
“The restaurant I brought to you is the most authentic in Los Angeles. The restaurant owner and chef are also Venezuelans. It’s hard to find it in other places.”
"cool."
Luke drove to the restaurant. Orti had already reserved a seat. The waiter was also a Latin girl with a curvy figure. Although her appearance and figure were not as good as Orti's, she was considered a proper model.
No way, this is racial talent.
The two sat by the window, Orti handed the menu to Luke, "What do you want to eat?"
"You can order as you please."
Orti opened the menu and reported the names of several dishes. Luke felt that they sounded like Mexican dishes.
Soon, his idea was confirmed.
The dishes served include tortillas, fried plantains, fried dumplings, braised beef, seafood rice, and beef rib soup.
The dishes are not very beautiful, but they are more affordable and taste good.
During the meal, Luke didn't mention the thief. One more thing is worse than one less thing. Luke didn't want to do work for himself.
Seeing that Luke has been silent, Orti raised his glass, "Deputy Luke, I toast you, thank you again for your help."
"Miss Dean, you have already invited me to dinner, so don't say thank you again."
"You are right, we will have more opportunities to cooperate in the future, so I will not be polite to you." Orti took a sip of red wine.
Luke still didn't answer.
He always felt that it was not simple for this woman to invite him to dinner.
Because there is not much communication, the meal is eaten relatively quickly.
After the meal, the two left the restaurant.
Luke did not take the initiative to send the other party home.
It's not that Luke is fake and lofty, who doesn't like beautiful girls?
But if the girl was so easy to pick up, she would have been picked up by other men long ago, and she wouldn't take the initiative to come to her.
Orti didn't intend to take a taxi and went directly to the passenger cab.
After getting in the car, Luke was embarrassed to drive the other party out of the car and asked, "Miss Dean, are you going home now? I'll see you off."
"Actually, I came here today, and there is one more thing I want to tell you."
"What's up?"
"This afternoon, I received an entrustment from a client. The case is not complicated, and the commission is very considerable. I thought of you at the first time, and I thought it was just a matter of giving you a try."
Luke smiled, "How much is the commission?"
"$20,000."
Luke politely declined, "I've been busy recently, and I don't have time to take on the case for now. Let's talk about it next time when I have a suitable opportunity."
Orti did not give up, and asked, "Are you dissatisfied with the commission?"
Luke saw it. If he didn't make it clear, this girl would not give up. "There is part of the reason for this. I hope that the commission price of the entrustment will be more than 50,000 US dollars."
Orti said, “It’s not that there are no large commissions, but they are relatively few.”
"I'm willing to wait." Luke didn't feel that his asking price was too high. You must know that the commission of 50,000 yuan would be 30% of the commission and the tax would be paid. It is estimated that there will be more than 20,000 US dollars left.
Orti persuaded, "Deputy Luke, you may not know much about the detective industry. Some cases with lower commissions are easier to investigate, and the pay and benefits are actually more cost-effective."
"Money is only one aspect, and ordinary commissions are not challenging for me." Luke will not be easily fooled by her.
Even if he doesn't do anything, he still has an annual consulting fee of 320,000 US dollars. Why bother with some low-priced cases, it will only lower his grade.
Orti said, "I suggest you listen to the content of the case first, maybe you will be interested? If you are not interested after listening, it is not too late to refuse."
"No, I stick to my principles."
Orti sighed softly, with a smile still on his face, "OK, although the first cooperation was not settled, at least we got to know each other better."
"You are right. Cooperation itself is based on mutual understanding and trust." Luke started the car and sent Orti home.
On the way, Luke also asked about the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and Orti would answer him one by one.
Actually, for Orti’s visit today, Luke is somewhat psychologically prepared. Just like grandfather Robert said, capitalists’ money is not so easy to get.
You take the money, and the other party wants you to do things.
However, the contract between the two parties clearly states that as long as Luke registers in the detective agency, he can get an annual consulting fee of 320,000 yuan.
Accepting the entrustment is entirely voluntary.
This is also the reason why Luke refused directly without listening to the content of the commission.
He just wanted to see how the Pinkerton Detective Agency would react if he refused?
It was impossible for Luke to trust each other unreservedly in the first cooperation.
In fact, it’s not just Luke, Orti is also testing Luke, both of them are testing each other’s attitude and bottom line.
This situation is like a spring. If you are strong, it will be weak, and if you are weak, it will be strong. As long as it does not collapse, the tougher the attitude, the easier it is to take the initiative.
Although the two parties are cooperating, there will be a distinction between primary and secondary.
If Luke is too talkative, Ortie will take the initiative and arrange commissions at will. What about Luke's job?
He doesn't want to be led by the nose by a woman.
He hopes that with the cooperation with Orti, he can take the absolute initiative.
Of course, it’s not that he won’t accept the commission. First, the price of the commission must be suitable; second, he must have time; and third, he must accept it.
You can choose not to entrust me, and I can also choose not to accept the entrustment.
You have the right to suggest, and I have the right to make decisions. This is the basis for everyone's cooperation.
…
It's past eight o'clock.
Luke ate a sandwich, a glass of milk, and a cup of coffee, and got ready to go to work.
As soon as he left the door, he saw his neighbor Marshall put the suitcase into the car.
Although Luke is too lazy to meddle in his own business, he is still vigilant, relatively speaking, he pays more attention to this neighbor, "Mr. Smith, are you going away?"
"Yes, the company asked me to go on a business trip. Just in time for me to come back, and the house has been decorated."
"Where are you going on a business trip?"
"New York."
"Good luck on your journey."
"Thanks."
The two got into their cars and left.
In the car, Luke was also thinking about Marshall, wondering who the other party was, should we check?
From the intuition of a policeman, the other party should have no malice towards him.
Besides, people have gone to other states, even if they do something illegal, he can't control it.
The car drove to the police station and happened to bump into Xiao Hei who had parked the car.
Xiao Hei walked to the Mercedes-Benz and asked curiously, "Where did you go last night?"
"I haven't gone anywhere, I'm at home."
Xiao Hei squeezed his eyes, gossiped, "I've seen it all." He gestured an S-shaped curve with his hand, "That girl with a great figure, what's your relationship?"
Luke smiled, "A suitor."
"Are you chasing her?"
"Is she chasing me?"
"Really? Are you not attracted to that kind of girl? I don't believe it."
"You should care more about Julian." Luke patted him on the shoulder and walked into the police detective building.
At 9:5, Susan had a meeting as usual.
Although Susan has meetings every day, Susan has one advantage, that is, she doesn't talk nonsense.
After the meeting, Luke began to look through the previous case files. Although the last case was not complicated, it involved more.
After Luke solves a case, he will reorganize the case and summarize the experience and skills in solving the case.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Reid came to the Robbery and Murder Division and called Luke to the conference room.
Luke took the initiative to ask, "Director, what do you want from me?"
Red said, “I had a friend whose roof was leaking, and he hired a construction team to fix the roof, and the builder had an accident while he was working, fell off the roof, and died.
That friend is not at home, only his wife is there.
His wife is freaking out...
I would like to ask you to go over and see the condition of the deceased.
Accident? suicide? Or he killed? "
"What's the name of that friend of yours? Where's the address?"
"I'll send it to your phone later."
"OK."
After the two finished talking, Luke left the meeting room, reported to Susan, and rushed to the scene of the accident with Xiao Hei.
…
Acre Community.
This is an upscale white neighborhood.
Almost every household has a swimming pool, which is the kind of house Luke has always wanted, but he can't afford it for the time being.
However, Luke believes that with his earning speed, he will also have a luxury villa of his own in the near future.
Many residents in the community watched the excitement, some stood in the yard, some chatted on the street, and some walked towards the west of the community.
A family in the southwest corner of the community has a police car parked outside and a cordon has been pulled up.
Several uniformed patrolmen have arrived at the scene.
Usually, after a crime occurs, the patrol police are the first to arrive at the scene, and report to their superiors after judging the situation at the scene.
If it's an easy case, they handle it themselves.
Only major cases will be handed over to the Robbery and Murder Division.
Luke flashed his police badge and asked a white patrolman with a higher rank, "I'm Luke, the deputy captain of the Robbery and Murder Division. What's going on here?"
The white man was big and round, with his hands on his belt, "Deputy Luke, we haven't reported to the police yet."
"We were performing a mission nearby. When we heard that a murder case happened here, we came over to take a look." Luke said perfunctorily, "How do people die?"
The white patrolman introduced, "The deceased was a construction worker. He fell from the roof and died. The ground has been hardened. It is likely to be an accident."
Luke glanced at the roof. There are more than two floors, including the attic on the top floor, and it is about ten meters high.
Based on Luke’s experience, as long as you don’t fall down on your vitals, such as the head and cervical spine, the possibility of falling directly to death at this height is not very high, and it is more likely to be disabled.
"Where is the reporter?"
The patrolman pointed to a white woman in her forties, "That's the one, Mrs. McCoss."
Luke took a look. Mrs. Mikos was tall, about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a white dress, with a anxious look on her face.
"Hello, I'm Luke, Deputy Chief of the Robbery and Murder Division.
Are you Mrs. Michaux? "
"It's me, Luke's deputy, thank you for coming here." Mrs. Mikos hurriedly shook hands with Luke.
"Ma'am, I heard you called the police?"
"Yes."
"What is your relationship to the deceased?"
"My house leaks in winter, and I repair it every two or three years. I'm not busy during this time, so I hired a construction team to repair the roof..." Mrs. Mikos took a deep breath,
“Today is the second day of work. I was drinking coffee on the second floor when I suddenly saw a figure from the window, and then heard the sound of ‘bang’!
I was terrified and ran out to check.
A worker was found falling on the ground next to the swimming pool, that scene was horrific...
I didn't dare to approach, then two other workers came over and checked...
Said he was dead.
God, I didn't expect this to happen. "
Luke looked at the two construction workers standing aside, "Are you the deceased's co-workers?"
An Asian man said, "Yes, I was getting repair materials below, and I rushed over when I heard the noise. I touched Adams's nose, and he was dead."
"Did you see him fall off the roof?"
"No."
Luke looked at another Mexican man, "Where were you?"
“I was on the roof, working with Adams.
I was busy with my head down, and Adams said I was a little dizzy.
Because the weather is relatively hot today, I would like to say to rest for a while before continuing.
As soon as I raised my head, I saw Adams fall straight down..." The Mexican man's eyes were red, and he said with some self-blame, "If I found out earlier, he might not have died. "
Luke learned about the general situation and asked, "Where is the body?"
A patrolman leads Luke to the backyard.
I have to say that the house here is really big, and the swimming pool is also beautifully built.
Beside the swimming pool, lay a white man. The man's head and arms had signs of falls, but the blood was not too much.
Luke guessed that the deceased should have died soon after falling down, which is consistent with the witness's description.
Luke squatted down and observed closely, and saw that the deceased's lips were blue, his mouth smelled of bitter almonds, his upper body was dry, his pants were wet, and there was a faint smell of urine.
Based on Luke’s experience, the deceased did not appear to be wounded by a fall, but was poisoned to death, most likely possessing highly toxic cyanide…
I have been thinking about new cases today, sorry for the late update.
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(end of this chapter)