Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

"Thomas Colley." The white man stared at the badge, "Sir, I haven't done anything illegal."

"No need to be nervous, we're not here for you, we just want to ask you about some things."

"In that case, I'm relieved. After all, who hasn't done something wrong when they were young? Let's sit down and talk." Thomas Colley gestured him to sit.

"Thank you." Luke pointed to House No. 406, and asked, "Mr. Colley, do you know the owner of that house?"

"Yes, we had a drink together last year."

"Does he still live in that house?"

"No, he moved to Las Vegas, that guy is more carefree than me, it's enviable."

Luke asked, "Is anyone living in that house now?"

Thomas Colley thought for a moment, "Recently, it seems a tenant has moved in, but I haven't seen them. Last night, it seemed like the lights were on in that house.

Oh, and the tenant drives a black Chevrolet, but don't ask me for the license plate number, I can't remember."

"How many people are living in that house?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't be too many."

"Have you heard any unusual sounds?"

"No."

Luke took out a photo of Walda Becker, "Have you seen him?"

Thomas Colley looked at the photo and shook his head, "No."

Luke then switched to the photo of the kidnapped little girl Milia Kuni, "What about her?"

"Haven't seen her."

"Have you ever been inside the house across the street?"

"Yes, last year the owner invited us for drinks and a house tour."

Luke asked, "Do you still remember the layout of the house?"

"Of course, I'm not old enough to have dementia."

Luke pulled out a blank sheet of paper, "Mr. Colley, could you draw a layout of that house?"

"I never learned to draw, it won't be very good."

"It's fine, just a rough layout will do."

Thomas Colley took the paper and pen, recalled for a moment, then drew a rough sketch of the house layout, "I remember it should be like this."

"Thank you."

Just then, Jackson came over, "Captain, the SWAT team is here."

Luke nodded, indicating he understood, and then said to Thomas Colley, "Mr. Colley, thank you for your cooperation."

Thomas Colley asked in return, "Are there criminals in that house? Should I avoid it then?"

Luke replied confidently, "Don't worry, we'll handle it."

Thomas Colley joked, "If you catch the suspect, will you give me a bravery medal?"

"Certainly, I'll hand it to you myself." Luke smiled and left Thomas Colley's yard.

Afterward, Luke met with the SWAT team leader to discuss tactics for searching the house.

Twenty minutes later, the police confirmed the operation plan. Luke oversaw the operation, the SWAT team prepared to enter the house for a search, and Company A was in charge of covering.

After the team members arrived at the designated location, Luke gave the command, and the SWAT team used a battering ram to break open the door.

"Bang!"

"LAPD!"

"Clear!"

"Clear."

The SWAT team's operation was very professional, and the search progressed quickly without encountering any resistance from suspicious persons.

Luke stood in the yard, listening to the sounds from inside the house, but there were no gunshots.

This was both good and bad news.

The good news was that with no gunshots, there wouldn't be any injuries or fatalities, but the bad news was that the victim Milia Kuni might not be in the house.

"Buzz..." the walkie-talkie crackled, "We've found a suspicious person in the basement."

"It's a little girl, matching the victim's physical description."

"Is the hostage in danger?"

"No obvious injuries found."

"Any sign of the kidnappers?"

"None."

"Roger that." Luke breathed a sigh of relief; rescuing the hostage meant the mission was more than half successful.

As for the two kidnappers, they could be caught slowly, and the little girl might also provide some valuable clues.

Soon, Luke saw a white girl in the house. The girl was young, appearing to be only eight or nine years old, bearing some resemblance to Lydia Kuni.

Luke greeted her in the most gentle voice possible, "Hello, I'm Luke, in charge of this operation.

Are you hurt?"

The little girl looked a bit frightened, curled up, "No, sir. I'm really thirsty, I want to see my mom."

Jenny handed over a bottle of mineral water, "We've already informed your mother, she'll be here soon."

The little girl cried, "Thank you, thank you so much.

I thought I'd never see my mom again."

Luke examined the little girl, "Can you tell me your name?" Get full chapters from noᴠelfire.net

"Milia Kuni." After saying her name, the little girl opened the bottle of mineral water and drank eagerly.

"Can you describe how you were kidnapped?"

The little girl gripped the water bottle tightly, her body trembling slightly.

Luke comforted her, "Don't be afraid, there are police officers all around, we will protect you.

Tell us about the kidnapping and the characteristics of the suspects, so we can catch them quickly and ensure your safety."

Milia Kuni slowly raised her head, with a hint of determination in her eyes, "On the night of July 10th, my mom and I were coming home. As soon as we entered our home, two people suddenly appeared and grabbed me and my mom...

One of them covered my mouth and nose. When I woke up, I was in this house."

"Did you see what the suspects looked like?"

Milia Kuni shook her head, "No, they always kept my eyes covered."

"Did you hear their voices?"

"Yes, they told me not to move, not to shout, and not to try to escape.

They said as long as I behaved, they would let me go in a few days.

If I tried to escape, they would kill me."

"When was the last time you saw them or heard them speak?"

"It should have been last night."

"What time?"

"I don't know, I've been kept in the basement, I don't know how much time has passed. I just feel it was at night."

"Can you still recognize their voices?"

Milia Kuni hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, "I can, I carefully listened to every word they said, and I'll never forget it."

Luke took out his phone and played a recording.

["Have you ever been inside the house across the street?"

"Yes, last year the owner invited us for drinks and a house tour."

"Do you still remember the layout of the house?"

"Of course, I'm not old enough to have dementia."

"Mr. Colley, could you draw a layout of that house?"

"I never learned to draw, it won't be very..."]

Before the recording finished playing, Milia Kuni shivered, shrank back, and said in a terrified voice, "It's him, he's the one who kidnapped me."

Thomas Colley!

The same neighbor Luke had just spoken with.

While talking to him, Luke had noticed signs of lying, sensed something was off, and recorded his voice.

Luke had sent this voice recording to Milia Kuni's mother, Lydia Kuni, to identify, but she had no recollection of it and hadn't communicated with the other kidnapper.

However, Luke still felt that Thomas Colley was problematic and had someone keeping an eye on him.

Now that Milia Kuni had confirmed his identity, they could proceed with the arrest.

Luke took out his walkie-talkie, "Marcus, Thomas Colley is the kidnapper, prepare for action!"

"Understood, Captain."