Chapter 66 Agreement

Detective Bureau.

Luke walked into the office feeling refreshed.

During this time, he had been trying hard to adapt to life, work, and relationships in Los Angeles, which was quite stressful.

This boat trip had released his pent-up emotions, and his whole state was different.

He hadn't been at work for two days. After chatting with David for a bit, he inquired about the follow-up on the will case.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his mind, [Congratulations, host, for successfully capturing two drug dealers and seizing one kilogram of drugs. You are rewarded with 10 lottery chances.]

An options menu appeared in his mind, with the warehouse interface on the left and the lottery interface on the right.

Lottery!

The pointer stopped, highlighting a section that read $1,000.

He continued the lottery...

After ten consecutive draws, he won $9,000 and a detection card.

This time, there were no new function cards.

This was his third time winning a lottery. The first time had the highest winning rate.

The first time also had ten chances, winning two cards and $8,000 cash.

After taxes, he paid off David's debt, leaving over $3,000.

During the vacation, renting the Rolls-Royce and the cruise cost him more than $2,000, leaving only $300 for emergencies.

The second lottery yielded two cards and $18,000.

It hasn't been cashed in yet.

Adding the $9,000 from this draw, the total is $27,000.

There are currently four reserve cards in the detective system's warehouse.

Encounter Card, 2 pieces.

Bulletproof Card, 1 piece.

Detection Card, 1 piece.

"Creak…" The office door opened.

Susan walked in holding some files, "Everyone, the meeting will start in five minutes in the conference room."

Luke tidied up briefly, grabbed his notebook, and walked into the conference room.

Everyone was present.

Susan said, "As you all know, Assistant Prosecutor Carter and I have been negotiating with Dave these past two days, and we have reached a preliminary agreement. He has provided some leads on Tony Will."

"Tony Will's real name is Tony Smith, and he is Dave's uncle." (Note: Why did the suspect only change his last name and not his first name? Mainly for reading convenience. Foreign names are already hard to remember, and changing to a new name might confuse everyone. Changing only the last name does not affect the logic. Please don't dwell on this.)

Susan displayed Tony Smith's information on the projector.

Name: Tony Smith

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: May 12, 1976

Social Security Number: 623-53-7748

Address: Heim City, Los Angeles County

In the United States, counties are larger than cities and contain multiple cities.

Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the United States, with nearly ten million people, and its seat is Los Angeles City.

The deputy team leader put on his reading glasses, "I have been to Heim City, a very beautiful small town.

There is a local delicacy called 'Kuta,' which includes fish, lamb, onions, and a special spice, and it tastes great."

Jenny wasn't interested in the deputy's talk about 'delicacies' and suggested, "We can contact the Heim City Police Department; they might have more information on Tony."

The deputy shrugged, "I mentioned it's a small town; to my knowledge, there is no police department. Their police affairs are likely outsourced to the county police department.

We can directly contact the Los Angeles County Police Department, but... based on my understanding of them, don't get your hopes up."

Los Angeles County is larger than Los Angeles City, and theoretically, the county police department has jurisdiction over a broader area than the city police department.

But in most cases, the city police department autonomously manages city affairs.

The county police department has limited funding and manpower and is reluctant to take on extra work.

The county police usually only manage rural areas that haven't formed cities within their jurisdiction.

Some small towns outsource their police affairs to the county police department due to budget constraints, but they have to pay a fee.

Luke asked, "Why did Tony use a fake identity 20 years ago?"

Susan shook her head, "Dave doesn't know either; Tony never mentioned it to him."

The deputy pursed his lips, "This guy is very cunning; maybe he just doesn't want to say. Besides Tony's identity, what other valuable clues did he provide?"

"He said that Tony goes to a place in the Los Angeles suburbs every year, where he might have hidden something."

"What is it?"

"He doesn't know either."

The deputy grumbled, "This guy has no sincerity; why did we reach an agreement with him?"

Susan said, "I mentioned it's just a preliminary agreement. If his clues are worthless, he won't get a plea deal."

Luke asked, "Where is the specific location of that place?"

Susan said, "Dave also can't pinpoint the exact location; we plan to take him there for identification."

Marcus laughed, "We'll see that pants-wetting guy again; I kind of miss him."

...

The next morning.

Several police cars drove into Highway 73 from the Los Angeles suburbs.

In a black Dodge, David was driving, Luke was in the passenger seat, and Marcus and Dave were in the back seat.

Marcus looked out the window, "Highway 73 again; it reminds me of the last time we entered the desert. Were you really in the trunk when Steven was driving?"

Dave shook his head, "No, I was lying in the back seat at the time. Want me to demonstrate?"

Marcus frowned, "Dare to lie on my lap, and you're dead."

Dave smiled and looked out the window, "Can we open the window?"

Marcus said, "You can see outside just fine through the window; it won't affect identifying the location."

Dave asked back, "I just want to feel the outside world."

David said, "For safety reasons, we can't open the window. If something happens to you, we'll have to write a report."

"Wow, you're so thoughtful." Dave shook his head, stopped talking, and continued staring out the window, "Hey, slow down, it seems to be around here."

Luke picked up the radio, "This is Group 7A1, requesting to reduce speed, over."

The convoy slowed down.

After a few more minutes, Dave said, "Stop, it should be around here."

"This is Group 7A1; the suspect has found a potential target location. Pull over."

...

The cars stopped by the roadside.

Other officers got out to survey the surroundings.

This time, a dozen officers were dispatched, including personnel from the robbery and murder division, patrol officers, and marshals.

After confirming the area was safe, Luke took Dave out of the car, "Can you be sure this is the place?"

Dave walked around for a bit, pointed to the east side of the road, "See that rock face? There's a bush on the west side of the rock face; it should be near that bush."

They went to the rock face Dave mentioned and found a bush.

Susan surveyed the area, "This bush covers a large area; can you be more precise?"

"I've only been here once, and I stayed in the car without getting close, so I can't be sure."

Susan nodded and went to discuss with the tech team.

Dave's gaze swept around and finally landed on Luke, "Officer Luke, can I talk to you?"

Luke glanced at him, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I actually want to ask you for a favor."

"Why me?"

"I feel you're the easiest to talk to."

At first, this sounded like flattery.

But Luke thought about it and agreed.

David and Marcus were unreliable.

Susan and the deputy had intimidating faces.

Raymond rarely spoke.

Jenny was the most righteous in the team and wouldn't care about Dave.

"Let's hear it."

Dave licked his lips, "I want to see Alyssa; can you ask if she's willing to visit?"

Luke took a bottle of mineral water from the box, "Want some?"

"No, thanks."

Luke opened the bottle and took a sip, "I can't help with that."

"I know my actions hurt Alyssa; I want her to come so I can make amends."

"Who knows, it might be a second injury. I don't want to be your accomplice."

"I won't hurt Alyssa..." Dave explained, "At least not intentionally. I want to change her situation, pull her out of the mire."

Luke said, "Then stop disturbing her."

Dave sighed and continued, "You should have investigated Alyssa's situation. If she was doing well, would she still be dancing in that kind of place?"

Luke shrugged, "That's her choice, not mine."

"You're right.

But I care. I don't want her to live that life anymore."

"Dave, you're about to go to prison; think about yourself." Luke refused again, "I won't ask about visitation."

The tech team started working, using various instruments to survey the area.

A tech team member with a long rod detector shouted, "We found something here."

A group gathered around. The tech team and Susan discussed, then began digging.

Marcus curiously walked over.

Luke stayed to watch Dave.

Raymond stood by, expressionless.

"OK, Officer Luke, you're right. Asking Alyssa to see me was too much. I want to ask you for another favor."

Luke glanced at him, "Why should I help you?"

"Consider it a favor I owe you."

"You're about to go to prison; what good is a favor to me?"

Dave confidently said, "I'm a lawyer."

"You're not anymore."

Dave pointed to his head, "But my connections and experience are still there; that's what matters."

Luke pondered, "What do you want?"

"I really want to help Alyssa, give her some money. Can you pass it on?"

"Why don't you hire a lawyer to talk to Alyssa? If she gets compensation, she might speak for you in court. You should be an expert in this."

"You're right. I used to do that often; no one does it better than me. That's why I know Alyssa won't agree. She won't speak for money, and I don't want to force her."

"Then why give her money?"

Dave sincerely said, "I don't give her money to reduce my sentence.

I just want her to live well, not fall back into old habits, not go back to dancing. Just thinking about those men watching... drives me crazy.

If she goes back to dancing, I can't promise I won't escape.

I want her to live the life she loves without worrying about money."

Luke looked at him, speechless.

Humans are complicated beings.

If a woman treated him this way... life would be worth it.

"I'll think about it." Luke didn't make a final decision.

"Thank you."

Luke nodded, thinking of warning Paul that Dave still wanted Alyssa back at the club.

Asking for trouble.