Chapter 5: Nobody Dislikes Gossip

Chapter 5: Nobody Dislikes Gossip

John sadly recounted today's encounter. During his patrol this morning, he responded to a domestic dispute call and arrived to find a couple arguing. The husband was a burly man weighing close to 120 kilograms, and he privately told John that his seemingly delicate wife, who was not even 160 centimeters tall and probably weighed less than 50 kilograms, was abusing him.

Amused, John comforted the husband and didn't think much of it, resolving the situation with a simple mediation before leaving.

However, in the afternoon, he and his instructor, Talia Bishop, received another call from the same location. When they arrived, they witnessed the supposedly delicate wife riding on her burly husband's back, stabbing his neck with an ice pick over ten times. By the time they subdued her, the robust husband had passed away due to blood loss.

John looked utterly dejected. "I held onto his neck, but I couldn't do anything. I could only feel his life slipping away, even though we had just talked face to face not long ago."

"I thought I was mentally prepared, but when faced with something like this, I realized I wasn't."

Jack put his arm around John's shoulder and smiled. "I thought you might feel guilty for not being able to help or blame yourself for the husband's death. If that were the case, I would have used a bunch of reasoning to console and persuade you, letting you know that it wasn't your responsibility."

"I'm glad you don't see it that way. I lost consciousness when my parents passed away, and it took several days for me to wake up. So, all I can say is, let time heal everything."

John gratefully gave Jack's shoulder a tight squeeze.

"Thanks, buddy. Sometimes, you really make me feel like you're not just a young man three years older than my son, but an old friend I've known for years."

Jack's gaze swept over the two girls nearby.

"Is this old man taking advantage of me?" The girls burst into laughter.

"Come on, tell us," Jack pointed at Lucy with a beer bottle, "how was your first day? Did Officer Bradford let you off easy in the end?"

Appearing flustered by the sudden question, Lucy hesitated for a long time before uncertainly speaking, "Officer Bradford doesn't seem to be intentionally targeting me. I think he's a person with a soft heart."

Hannah nodded. "He's indeed someone with a tough exterior but a kind heart. If you feel like he's being difficult with you, it's only because he doesn't want to let any unqualified rookies off the hook. Doing street patrol in Los Angeles is a very dangerous job, and inadequate skills can cost you your life."

"So, Lucy, how did you discover he's a good person? You were clearly frustrated with him in the morning." Jack's mouth curled into a mischievous smile.

After hesitating for a long time, Lucy finally opened up cautiously, "I don't know if this is touching on his privacy, but I don't want this to be known to anyone other than the four of us."

"We swear," everyone loves gossip, and the three of them raised three fingers simultaneously.

"Today, while we were apprehending a street Drug dealer, a homeless woman appeared. She looked like a drug addict. Officer Bradford spoke with her for a few moments and ended up giving her all the cash he had on him. After we returned to the car, I asked him what happened, and he said that woman was his wife, who had been missing for over a year, and he seemed really sad."

"Oh my God," Hannah exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. "That must be Isabella."

As everyone's gaze turned towards her, Hannah continued, "Tim Bradford's wife is named Isabella. She used to be an undercover DEA agent and unfortunately got addicted to Drug during a mission. She ran away from home a year ago."

She seriously warned Lucy, "If Tim doesn't bring this up to you proactively, don't do something foolish. Many colleagues at the department have been secretly helping to find Isabella. Tim is the only one who thinks he has kept this secret well hidden."

Lucy nodded earnestly, and the others turned their attention to Jack, who was studying the beer bottle.

"What's the matter? Why are you all looking at me like that?" Jack pretended to be clueless.

"Aren't you supposed to share your experiences today? We've told everything," Lucy said, slamming the table in frustration.

"Angela threatened me not to tell anyone , so unless you all buy me a second round of drinks."

"Beautiful ladies, four more bottles of Budweiser," John immediately called over the nearby waitress.

Jack leisurely took a sip before starting his tale, "Today, we arrested a pair of lesbian burglars....."

"Finally, Angela emptied an entire bottle of disinfectant and threatened to kill me if I dare talk about it."

John and Lucy burst into laughter, but Hannah grabbed Jack's neck, her eyes showing fierceness. "You're already calling Angela by her name so casually. Things are progressing quickly between you two."

Jack choked on his drink and didn't catch the subtle change in John and Lucy's expressions.

The party eventually came to an end, and Hannah, who was a little slow to catch on, noticed the awkward atmosphere at the end. She turned to the copilot's seat where Jack sat. "John and Lucy, are they...?"

Jack nodded, "You're right. They started dating during their last two months at the academy. Originally, they thought they could keep it a secret until graduation, but Zoe ended up picking both of them for the Wilshire Police Station."

Hannah wrinkled her small and cute nose, muttering, "Why do everyone like people so much older than themselves?"

Nervously touching the back of his head, Jack didn't dare to continue the topic.

The two fell into silence for a while until Jack broke the awkward atmosphere.

"I saw Rick Hunter and Didi McCall's names on the honor wall today. Do you know them?"

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