Reborn: The Rookie Detective

The next morning, Jack received a text message from the bank informing him that the $5,000 bail he had paid had been returned. Only then did he belatedly remember the poor father and son.

He seemed to have forgotten about it after posting the bail; it seemed that the guy named Daniel Lawson had been behaving himself. Jack remembered that his son's name was Jacob.

Because of the subsequent shooting with the drug dealers in the parking lot and his rescue of Commander Gray, he had been worried about the aftereffects of the shooting and hadn't thought to contact him. He hadn't expected Lawson's case to be resolved so quickly.

So Jack called him and learned that because of his good record, a kind judge, and Angela's positive words during her testimony, Lawson had only been sentenced to one month of community service and was now out of legal trouble.

After thinking it over, Jack decided to drive over to visit the father and son. After all, he'd already done a good deed, so he figured he might as well show some concern and prevent the guy from acting recklessly again.

On the way, he bought a bunch of milk, cereal, and other food. Remembering the very old and worn-out children's bicycle he'd seen at the door, Jack spent another $100 on a brand new one and drove back to the white two-story house.

It was a mid-range neighborhood on Genesee Street. Jack noticed that while most of the residents were blue-collar workers, there weren't many African Americans around. The streets were a bit old, but very clean and tidy.

Upon seeing Jack in casual clothes, Daniel Lawson still looked somewhat nervous. His son, Jacob, clung timidly to his father's pants, seemingly recalling that nightmarish morning.

Jack smiled and put down the large bag he was carrying. "It's alright. I'm relieved to know you didn't go to jail. I also brought a gift for little Jacob; it's in the trunk."

Lawson looked grateful and thanked him repeatedly. Seeing this man, so young and worn down by life, Jack felt a pang of sadness. How similar his own father, who had died young in his previous life, was to him.

They took a blue children's bicycle from the trunk, unwrapped it, and pushed it in front of little Jacob. Seeing the child happily riding it around the yard, both men smiled with relief.

"So, what are your plans for the future?" Jack asked.

Lawson's face now showed less sorrow, and his eyes seemed to hold a glimmer of hope: "I'm planning to sell my current house and move to Salt Lake City. My father runs a car repair shop there, and he'd be willing to take in me and my son."

Jack casually asked, "Have you found a buyer?"

Lawson shook his head: "The economy is really bad right now, and this isn't exactly a great neighborhood. The bank gave me three months; if I can't repay the loan on time, they'll take the house back."

Jack hesitated. Regardless of his and Hannah's future, constantly living at her house wasn't a good idea, especially if they ended up as a couple..

Although he didn't have much money right now and had previously been averse to loan-based consumption, he is willing to invest in real estate in advance.

Besides, he was now a full-fledged LAPD officer, and banks were generally more willing to offer better loan terms to police officers.

Actually, he hadn't given up looking for a suitable rental opportunity during this time. Real estate agents had introduced him to some places, but none had caught his eye.

This particular house, however, really interested Jack. He politely asked Lawson if he could show him around. Lawson, looking surprised and somewhat incredulous, quickly gave Jack a tour of the house.

The house wasn't large, with two floors, four bedrooms in total, plus a living room and two bathrooms, totaling about 200 square meters. There was a small basement that could be used as a storage room or later converted into a gun storage room. If one of the rooms next to the living room was converted into a closed kitchen, it would basically meet Jack's needs.

Most importantly, the house had a large backyard — the place where little Jacob was currently riding his bike — a good 70 or 80 square meters, which gave him a lot of ideas.

"So, would you be willing to resell this property to me?" Having made up his mind, Jack no longer hesitated.

"You're not kidding, right?"

Lawson's face lit up with joy. He was currently unable to pay his mortgage. If the bank foreclosed on the house, auctioned it off at a low price, or even pursued him for the remaining balance, it would be a double blow to his current financial situation.

Jack smiled and shook his head: "Don't get too excited yet. You need to find a real estate agent to quote a price, and I'll see if it's reasonable. Then I'll ask a friend to help with the appraisal, since I don't know much about this."

Lawson was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, immediately contacting a real estate agent on his phone.

Jack also took out his phone to contact Nolan, since Nolan was the only person he knew familiar with the industry, making him the best choice.

After agreeing with Nolan to come over after work that evening to help him view the property, Jack went to the bank that afternoon to apply for advance approval for the formal loan.

He roughly looked up the entire process online; it was quite complicated, but fortunately, there were transfer management companies; as long as he paid, everything could be handled.

"I've checked the house structure and the plumbing and electrical wiring, and there are no problems. This house is less than ten years old, so there's very little that needs repair. The asking price of $450,000 is also reasonable; considering the surrounding land prices, you got a bargain," Nolan said with a smile after the inspection.

Jack felt relieved, but also felt a pang of sympathy for Lawson. In this country, a once happy and fulfilling middle-class family had almost no chance to recover due to some misfortunes.

But that was all he could do; he hoped that this father and son could start a new life in Salt Lake City with his meager help.

"So you're moving out soon?" Hannah, who had just finished exercising and was covered in sweat, immediately wore a resentful expression when Jack came in that evening.

Jack smiled and patted her head, deliberately ruffling her blonde hair — this expression was really unsuitable for her sweet personality.

"I need a home of my own," he said, teasing her when he saw her still looking unhappy.

"I will need a mistress in the future too. I wonder if someone's interested."

Hannah's face flushed crimson, and she clung tightly to his arm. Smelling the floral scent of her sweat, Jack couldn't help but think of something.

It wasn't that he disliked Hannah's scent; after so much training and roughhousing, he'd gotten used to it. In fact, at times, that scent, brimming with female hormones, was quite alluring.