"Received."
Luke got out of the car and walked to the door of the gray-roofed house, peeking inside where several people in cleaning uniforms were assigning cleaning tasks.
"Hi, good morning. I just moved to this neighborhood and ca by to say hello."
A white man ca over, "I'm the manager of Carter Cleaning Company, Joyce Carter. The hoowner is not at ho."
Luke asked back, "Why are you cleaning when the hoowner is not at ho?"
Joyce Carter said, "This is the hoowner's request. He ca to the store yesterday to schedule the service. He also told us the key was under the doormat at the door, and that we should let ourselves in to do the cleaning."
"I just moved in, and my house needs cleaning too. Can we talk outside?" Luke guessed the kidnappers had most likely fled, but as a precaution, the house still needed to be searched.
"Of course." Joyce Carter readily agreed.
Once outside the house, Luke directly showed his badge, "LAPD, we are investigating the owner of the house. This house is very likely the cri scene, so nothing inside can be touched. Get your people out quietly, do you understand?"
"Okay."
The Carter Cleaning Company people left the house.
Luke led the team to search the house but did not find any suspicious individuals.
Little Black said, "What did I say earlier? These kidnappers have already fled. They hired the cleaning company to clean, which was actually to destroy evidence.
Fortunately, we arrived just in ti. If we were ten minutes later, just ten minutes, everything here would've been destroyed.
Even if so residue of clues could be found, they couldn't be used in court."
The deputy captain sneered, "If Jim wasn't in the police car, I'd think all the credit belonged to you, kid." ntioning Jim, the deputy captain asked, "Luke, what about Jim?"
Luke thought for a mont, "Let him go."
"Why?" Jackson showed a puzzled expression, "This guy is inherently dirty, and even if he led us here, it doesn't prove he is unrelated to the kidnapping case.
What if he is also a participant in the kidnapping case, and we let him go and he runs away?"
"You're right, there is indeed that possibility, but Jim must be released." Luke explained, "These kidnappers are very cunning. They don't retrieve the ransom themselves but have Jim's n retrieve it to avoid risk.
The gang of robbers will definitely be watching Jim.
If Jim is captured by the police, it indicates the hostage's family has reported it, and the gold is gone, the kidnappers will surely flee.
Every decision carries risks. To ensure the safety of the hostage, we can only release Jim.
If Jim does run away, I will take the responsibility."
Luke waved his hand, "Don't just stand there, call the tech team to investigate the scene."
"Yes, sir."
Luke arranged the tasks.
The deputy captain patted his arm, "Luke, let's talk over there."
Seeing his heavy-hearted expression, Luke asked, "Is there a problem?"
"This case gives a sense of déjà vu from the start.
As the case progresses, the feeling grows stronger." The deputy captain said with a serious face, recalling,
"Ten years ago, I was involved in investigating a kidnapping case, led by the FBI, with us assisting.
The victim of the kidnapping was a ten-year-old girl, and the abduction took place near a park by her ho.
The victim's father was a diamond rchant who received a ransom call from the kidnappers asking for diamonds worth five million US Dollars.
Each diamond needed to be over two carats, with good color and high clarity.
The little girl's father loved her dearly, and he imdiately prepared diamonds worth five million US Dollars as requested.
A day later, the kidnappers called again, requesting the diamond transaction to happen at night.
That night, the kidnappers changed the transaction location multiple tis, ultimately having the hostage's father leave the diamonds by a roadside trash can.
Half an hour after the hostage's father left, a xican man took the diamonds by the trash can.
The FBI arrested him imdiately and interrogated him about the hostage's whereabouts.
But the xican man did not admit to being the kidnapper. He claid he was instructed by a black market rchant to pick up the diamonds here.
The FBI followed the lead to the black market rchant, and their testimonies matched. He also denied involvent in the kidnapping case, only stating that soone contacted him to cash in a batch of diamonds.
The FBI did not fully believe their words, continuing intensive interrogation while investigating the kidnapping case.
But after that, the kidnappers never contacted again."
Luke listened attentively, nodding, "The modus operandi of these two cases is indeed quite similar, one extorting diamonds, the other demanding gold, all transferring the most dangerous ransom delivery phase to black market rchants.
What happened to the kidnapped little girl?"
"The FBI couldn't find the whereabouts of that little girl.
It's said not long after, the girl's father died from a grief-induced illness.
You're doing the right thing, Jim indeed should be released." The deputy captain sighed, with a trace of determination in his tone,
"That guy is back again, this ti I must catch him!"
Luke said, "It's us."
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