20

Chapter 20: Does the Old Man Drink?

"Mr. Broughton, there are two officers downstairs who said they were looking for you."

"Let them come up."

"OK."

Locke hung up the phone from the security desk on the first floor of the Xingchen Building and opened the door. He expected this, figuring they'd either come last night or this morning at the latest.

In the elevator, Kate Beckett looked at George Stacy and couldn't help but ask, "George, do you think this is Locke?"

George thought for a moment and nodded. "Gwen's classmate."

Kate knew about Gwen. Everyone in the New York Police Department did. From elementary school to college, Gwen had been a top student, earning scholarships every year. If Gwen didn't use her scholarship money to help her three younger brothers, it would have been hard for George, even as a sheriff, to support his family of five.

Kate smiled. "It seems this Locke is quite rich."

"Locke is an orphan."

"..."

An orphan who could afford to live in the Xingchen Building? Kate was a little taken aback.

Ding!

When the elevator doors opened, Locke, wearing a casual suit and sunglasses, greeted them with a smile. "Mr. Stacy," he said, shaking George's hand. "Excuse me, is it necessary for you to personally intervene in a theft case?"

George introduced Kate and then said, "It's not just a theft. May we come in?"

Locke smiled. "Of course, please come in!"

He invited George and Kate to sit on the sofa. He thought Kate Beckett looked like a future senator, so he decided to make a good impression.

"What can I get you to drink? Bourbon, perhaps?" Locke asked politely.

Kate looked at George, who asked curiously, "Where did you get your wine from?"

Locke laughed, grabbed two glasses of water, and placed them in front of George and Kate. "Just kidding. How could I possibly have wine?"

George looked around, noting the empty wine cabinet. But his eyes caught sight of a trash can filled with broken glass near the bar. Clearly, someone had just smashed it.

Locke coughed lightly and changed the subject. "Mr. Stacy, you didn't come here to check if I was drinking, did you?"

George glanced at Locke. While it was clear that he had been drinking, George decided to let it go. Locke lived alone, was responsible, and had good grades. It wasn't a big deal.

George asked, "Where was your car stolen?"

"From the underground parking lot," Locke said. "Last night, I found a good pizza place online. I was going to drive there for a late-night snack, but when I got downstairs, I found my car was gone. I called the police right away. You know, that car was just paid for by the insurance company, and I hadn't had time to change the license plate."

"What time was this?"

"About nine o'clock," Locke said. He pulled out his phone and showed George his messages with Gwen. "After I called the police, I complained to Gwen. It was around 9:25 PM."

George read the messages:

"Locke: Gwen, my car is gone again."

"Gwen: ??"

"Locke: The car was stolen (crying)"

"Gwen: How come? Where are you?"

"Locke: At home. The car was stolen from the underground garage. The police have been called. Don't worry."

The timestamp confirmed it was around 9:25 PM, which matched the time of the Fast and Furious event that concerned the NYPD.

Locke added, "Then I talked to Gwen on the phone. She said she would come see me today after her interview at Osborn Bio."

George nodded, returned the phone to Locke, and considered a possibility. Wesley and the unidentified woman must have followed the Sin Hunter to Fifth Avenue. The Sin Hunter then took the car, just as Locke was about to go out.

George said, "If you had gone down earlier, you might have run into them. That could have been dangerous."

Locke nodded. "I know. I watched the live broadcast of the chase at home."

His advanced driving skills allowed him to multitask effectively, and the performance of the Audi R8 made his story plausible.

George looked at Kate. "Did you get the surveillance video?"

Locke interjected, "It's broken."

He explained, "The underground garage was getting a new intelligent motion sensor monitor a few days ago, and it hasn't been installed yet."

The doorbell rang.

Locke excused himself and went to answer it. "Mr. Broughton, you have a visitor, a classmate?"

"Let her come up, thank you."

Locke turned to George. "It must be Gwen. Has she finished her interview already?"

George smiled. "The interview at Osborn Bio? Actually, she went to report today. She's been preparing for Dr. Connors' lab since last year."

Locke admired Gwen's dedication. He was glad he had his own advantages to rely on.

As Locke waited for Gwen, he felt a mix of relief and anticipation.