Chapter 105 - Back-to-Back Encounters
The reward for this mission wasn’t much. Luke speculated that it was probably because he hadn’t apprehended Sergei.
If he had caught the criminal, he should’ve gotten more than 100 experience points.
Since the man had already run away, however, Luke decided to take a break.
He had been busy the whole day walking around and then watching video footage. He was pretty exhausted.
But it had definitely been worth it. At the very least, Elsa and Dustin took him more seriously now.
Not everybody could crack a case in a single day.
Luke did have some skills despite the fact that he had been transferred through connections. He wasn’t as useless as they thought.
By the time he returned home, it was already past eight, and night had fallen.
Selina was watching TV in the living room. She sat up when she saw Luke. “Hey, you’re back! So tell me, how does it feel to work a case in Beverly Hills?”
Luke replied helplessly, “I haven’t taken a shower or eaten yet. I’m dizzy after walking for half a day and watching video footage for hours…”
Selina quickly cajoled him. “I bought sandwiches and Dr. Pepper for you. You’ll be energized after you have them.”
Luke said insincerely, “I can’t thank you enough. I’ll take a shower first.”
Fresh out of the shower a few minutes later, Luke sat down on the couch and had the sandwich which Selina had heated up in the microwave.
He had been too busy working the case to eat today, and was already starving.
Selina knew better than to talk to him right now. She even turned down the volume on the TV.
Luke finished the sandwich in a couple of minutes and had a mouthful of Dr. Pepper. He burped in satisfaction. “Alright, what do you want to know?”
Selina asked, “Is it beautiful? Are the manors swanky? Do they all have hundreds of maids and servants? Right, do they all have a white-haired butler who says ‘can I help you, sir’ the moment you enter?”
Luke didn’t know what to say. “You’re talking about the movies. The house I went to only had two caretakers and one security guard. It’s only roughly the size of Robert’s house, although it’s better decorated.”
Selina remarked disappointedly, “So the movies lied?”
Luke chuckled. “Did you think they were all real? Well, the house I went to wasn’t as extravagant, at least.”
Selina snorted. “I thought that everybody in Beverly Hills is rich.”
Luke said, “They are. The house I visited today is worth two million at least, not counting the decor and furniture. She definitely isn’t poor.”
Selina asked, “Huh? Is she beautiful?”
Luke answered, “Yes. She’s not bad-looking naked.”
Selina was surprised. “She met you naked?”
Luke nodded and said, “Yep. She even showed us her butt.”
Selina wasn’t convinced. “Are you joking?”
Luke said, “Not really. When we arrived, her body was floating in her pool, naked.”
Selina’s eyes bulged. “So… unbelievable? Come on, tell me everything about this case.”
Luke nodded at the TV and said, “It’s on the news.”
Selina turned around, only to see pixels floating in a pool next to a familiar face.
After a brief daze, she turned up the volume and exclaimed, “Katie Winterster? You saw her body?”
Luke nodded lazily.
Thanks to the TV, he didn’t have to keep talking. He pondered how to find the dealers who had sold the weed to Jenny, and how he could loot them.
Selina asked him again, “Did you find the murderer?”
Luke nodded and said, “Keep it to yourself. It’s confidential for now, because the murderer ran away.”
Selina was amazed after hearing what Luke had to say. “You just got here and you’ve already solved such a big case. Your partner won’t dare underestimate you now, right?”
Luke looked at her and said, “What about you? How was your first day at work?”
Selina sniffed and said, “It’s okay. I’m a gorgeous lady, after all. But I think Donald treats me like a little kid.”
Luke shrugged and said, “You’re still young, after all. When I see Elsa, I can feel a generation gap.”
Selina burst into laughter and kicked him. “She’s already 32. Of course there’s a generation gap.”
Ignoring the violence, Luke asked again, “How do you feel about your partner? He’s not hard to get along with, is he?”.
Selina thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. However, I do feel that he’s too slow.”
Luke frowned. “Huh?”
Selina said in a low voice, “I don’t think he’s as smart as you are. He was still asking questions when even I had noticed something wrong.”
Luke asked, “What was your case?”
Selina said, “The death of a gangster. I knew from the suspect’s face that he was guilty, but Donald still asked questions for a long time.”
Luke looked at her and asked, “You didn’t interject, did you?”
Selina shook her head. “Why would I? You told me to say and do less, and watch and listen more, so I kept silent.”
Luke nodded and said, “I don’t think Donald was wrong. He might have known that the suspect was guilty, but there was no reason for him to show it. It’s possible that he wanted to make sure first. According to Elsa, Donald is most famous in the Major Crimes Division for how reliable he is. You better not try to outsmart him. Let’s just get used to the environment here and the way they work first.”
Selina wasn’t silly, but she wasn’t wise in the ways of the world, either. It was possible that someone might set her up if she stood out too much.
To Donald, she was a new partner. Luke didn’t think that Donald would help her unconditionally just because she was pretty.
Luke, on the other hand, had proven his abilities today and hadn’t competed with Elsa for credit. That was how he had made his partner happy.
Dustin had to know something, too, or his attitude toward Luke wouldn’t have changed. Still, Elsa would be considered as having made the greater contribution to the case after it was solved.
Luke was only a newcomer, after all.
He had confidence as well as the system, so he wasn’t upset about how unfair it was. If Selina were in his place, however, she might argue with her superiors.
Luke talked to Selina a while longer about how important it was to keep a low profile, before they returned to their respective rooms and went to bed.