The case of the stolen necklace seemed like a farce, but fortunately the farce was over.
After John and Lucy leave, Luke and Lilith return to the club.
…
Milka Tea Restaurant.
Because of the stolen necklace, Luke and Lilith didn't have a good meal at noon. Now that the matter is over, both of them are a little hungry.
Lilith brought Luke for afternoon tea.
Two cups of black tea, a plate of fruit, as well as waffles, sandwiches, rolls, butter puff pastry, white asparagus cake, etc.
Every tea dessert is exquisite, gorgeous, and small. Luke’s favorite is the chocolate mousse with gold foil. He has seen a lot of gold, but this is the first time he has eaten it in his mouth.
Lilith put down the tea cup and asked with a smile, "How does it taste?"
“Not bad, the chocolate tastes very pure, I like it.”
Lilith suggested, "How about we have Spanish food tonight? A Spanish chef just came to the club, let's try his cooking skills."
“OK, it’s been a long time since I had paella and jamon Iberico.
These two dishes are my favorite. "
Lilith said, "But there is one more thing that needs to be done before dinner?"
Luke put down his fork and wiped his mouth, "A case of stolen auction items?"
"Yes.
I just called to inquire. The police investigation is not going well. The longer it is delayed, the more troublesome it will be. "
Luke quipped, "It's not easy to feed you."
Lilith held Luke's hand, "I know it's really hard for you to investigate two cases in a row, but you are the only one who can help me now.
After the investigation is over, you can stay at the club for a while and relax. "
“Sounds good. Is the membership fee expensive here?”
"that's not important.
You are my VIP, it is always free. "
“It’s one yard, one yard, and I still prefer to pay for it myself, so that I can live more comfortably.”
“OK, your survey hiring fee is more than enough to cover the membership fee, so don’t worry at all.”
Luke took a sip of black tea to moisten his throat and said, "Tell us about the case of stolen auction items."
Lilith took out her tablet from her bag, then stood up and sat next to Luke. She opened the tablet and found a video, "This is the surveillance video of last night's auction."
The two of them were sitting very close to each other, and Lilith had a faint smell of perfume on her body.
Luke doesn’t like the smell of perfume that is too strong, as it is pungent. The perfume on Lilith’s body is very light, like a mixed floral scent, very fresh and nice to smell.
The video started to play, and Luke recovered his mind and began to check the auction surveillance.
The camera is placed in the corner of the auction house. This angle is very good and can capture most of the auction space.
The auction venue is about 200 square meters, with a higher auction platform in front and some tables and chairs at the back for guests to sit. There are not many people in the entire auction venue, only about forty people in total, excluding service staff. , there were only about thirty guests attending the auction.
Luke also saw Lilith in the video, “Were you also there when the auction items were lost?”
"Yes.
This is also what makes me very depressed. I was clearly at the scene, but I didn’t know who stole the auction items. Do you think I am a fool? "
Luke joked, "That's the most charming fool I've ever seen."
Lilith curled her lips and said, "Don't tell others about this. If you tell me, I won't admit it."
In the video, everyone is seated and the auction officially begins.
The first auction item was an oil painting. The paintings were messy on a one-meter square paper. Luke didn't know what he painted. Maybe it was the so-called Impressionism.
After the auctioneer announced the starting price, guests came to the auction stand one after another to inspect and observe the oil painting.
Luke frowned slightly, "This auction seems a bit casual."
Lilith said, “The people participating in the auction are all guests of the club, and it is a small-scale auction, so it is not as strict as a large auction house.
This is also a characteristic of club auctions.
Some people like to bid in large-scale auctions, while others like this kind of small-scale exchange meetings. There is no conflict. "
Luke understood. To put it simply, this kind of small auction would be more 'humane' and make it easier to exchange some benefits.
For example, if the wife of the mayor of Los Angeles wants to auction one of her paintings or collections, it would definitely be more appropriate for this occasion.
At the same time, once security problems occur in this kind of auction, it will also be a blow to the club's credibility, and it will lose many potential customers and some old customers.
Lilith pointed at the screen with her slender fingers, "Luke, this is the auction item that was stolen."
Luke looked at the screen. It was a green gourd-shaped porcelain with very exquisite workmanship. There was also a pair of red-crowned cranes painted on the lower belly of the gourd. The painting was very agile, and the two red-crowned cranes seemed to be able to fly out of the bottle at any time.
“Chinese porcelain?”
Lilith nodded, "It is enamel. The fine bisque fired by JDZ is sent to the palace and baked with colored glaze by the royal painter. It is specially used for the royal family to enjoy. The painting skills are extremely high and the processing level is very high. Strictly control it, and break it into pieces immediately if there are any defects. There are only a few of them in existence, and each piece is a rare fine product, worth a lot of money."
Luke was a little surprised, "Do you know anything about porcelain?"
Lilith said helplessly, "As the person in charge of the club, this is my first time in charge of an auction, and I have learned about every auction item.
Furthermore, after the green gourd enamel was stolen, I did some more homework. "
At this moment, the surveillance video suddenly ended.
“The auction is out of power.”
“Man-made or accidental?”
“It rained heavily last night, and there was thunder and lightning. I thought it was an accident at first.
But the maintenance personnel said that the power distribution room had been tampered with and the power outage was also man-made. "
“How long will the power outage last?”
“About five minutes or so.”
“Did anyone use a mobile phone for lighting?”
“According to regulations, mobile phones are not allowed to enter the auction venue during the auction.
Moreover, it rained heavily that night and the sky was very dark. About three or four minutes later, someone shouted, "Where's my enamel gourd bottle?" Who has seen my auction items? Tommy, it was your club employees who took it away..."
Lilith sighed, "I knew something had happened at that time. After I got the call, I asked the staff. Because it was too dark at the time, the auction house was a bit chaotic. No one tampered with the auction items. Everyone claimed that they had not moved them. But the auction items just disappeared.”
“How big is that auction item?”
“The enamel painting is 19 inches high, 2 inches in diameter, 4.7 inches in upper belly diameter, 9.5 inches in lower belly diameter, and 4.7 inches in base diameter.”
“Did anyone leave the auction site during the blackout?”
“Yes, according to police, two club employees and six guests left the venue.”
Luke asked, "Is it possible that these people took away the enamel?"
Lilith nodded, "The police thought so too, but due to the power outage, the surveillance did not capture the picture.
This is also the most difficult part. The six guests cannot all be thieves, and we cannot treat them as suspects. This will affect the reputation of the club. The progress of the investigation is very slow, and I am a little helpless, so I invited you to come. . "
Luke finished the black tea and wiped his mouth and hands with a wet wipe. "Let's go to the auction venue and have a look."
The two walked along the green path for a few minutes and came to a three-story building. The first floor was a coffee shop, the second floor was a small cinema, and the third floor was the auction venue.
Pushing open the two heavy wooden doors, Luke saw the auction house in the video. He entered the auction house and looked carefully, recalling the locations of the guests and auction items in the video.
“Did you hear any suspicious noises that night?”
“After the power outage that night, because there were many people at the venue, there was some chaos...” Lilith thought for a while, “Does thunder count?”
Luke asked, "When did the police arrive? Did they find anything at the scene? Which department was responsible for the case?"
“It was nine o’clock when the power went out. When I noticed that the enamel color was missing, I immediately called the police.
Half an hour later, patrol officers from the Van Nuys District of the Canyon Division arrived at the club.
The person responsible for investigating the case is night shift detective Nicolin Yarrow. "
Luke was a little unfamiliar with the name and glanced around, "Have they conducted a thorough search of the auction venue?"
Lilith sighed, "They searched all the places where the enamel could be hidden, but nothing was found."
Luke checked the tables and chairs, but found no hiding space.
He checked the cabinet on the auction table again and opened the door. The space inside was quite empty.
Luke tapped his fingers on the bottom of the cabinet and asked, "How thick is the floor?"
Lilith replied, "I don't know either, but it must be solid. The police have also checked this cabinet, so there should be no problem."
Luke walked off the auction stage, walked to the window and looked down. This was the third floor, which was not very high, and asked, "Did you open the window last night?"
"Yes."
“Is it possible for the enamel to be put down through the window?”
Lilith shrugged, "It's impossible. Considering safety issues, these windows are fixed and can only open six inches at their widest. That enamel color can't get out at all."
Luke tried it, and found that the window could only be opened six inches, was strong, and showed no signs of damage.
Then, he continued to look around the auction venue and saw the ventilation duct on the roof. He climbed to the roof on the table and knocked on the ventilation duct. "Have the police searched this place?"
“Yes, no enamel was found. And the ventilation duct is very narrow, only 25 inches, which cannot accommodate normal people at all.”
"Jingle Bell…"
Just when Luke was about to say something, Lilith's cell phone rang, "Sorry, I have to answer a call."
Luke nodded, "I'll go take a look outside the auction venue."
Lilith watched Luke Luke leave the auction house and pressed the answer button, "Hey, Penny, good afternoon."
A woman's voice came from the mobile phone, "Hi, my dear sister, I heard that there is a little problem at your club."
“The club belongs to the family, and my grandfather just asked me to take care of it temporarily. Did the news reach you so quickly?”
“Yes, there are always some ‘enthusiasts’ who like to spread gossip everywhere.
Do you need my help? "
“No, I will take care of it.”
"you sure?"
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“As a sister, I want to remind you that managing a club is not as simple as hunting for treasure on an island. It requires professional management knowledge and rich experience, as well as some small skills in employing people.
If you need anything, you can call me for consultation at any time.
I don’t want to see my dear sister make a mess just after taking over the club, and may even face claims from guests.
If this matter gets out, the entire Fenn family will be disgraced..."
“Penny, I’ve already taken care of the club matters, you should just worry more about your own affairs.” Lilith snorted, hung up the phone, and muttered,
“A nasty old woman.”