Chapter 1292 - 571: Search
Lilith asked, "Should we go talk to the cleaner Mary now?"
"Since she lied, she won't easily change her story, and we have no evidence to prove the necklace was stolen by her." Luke thought for a moment and continued, "Besides, Mary cleaned the room yesterday morning and should have seen the necklace at that time. If she really stole it, it should have been moved yesterday."
Lilith said, "I just checked the work schedule. Because there was an auction last night, some employees needed to work overtime, and Mary was on the list.
They should have finished their night shift around eleven at night, and according to the rules, they would have stayed in the dormitory last night. Mary will take her vacation after handing over the shift at noon today."
Luke said, "If Mary hasn't left the club yet, it means the necklace might not have been moved."
Lilith asked, "Should we call the police and search Mary's dormitory?"
"We could, but I wouldn't recommend it." Luke explained, "Although the employee dormitory is the property of the club, the right to use it has been given to the employees, and searching the dormitory still requires a warrant.
Although I can tell Mary lied, without evidence that she stole the necklace, getting a warrant might be difficult.
Also, even if I manage to get a warrant with someone's help, once the police enter to search, it will be hard to keep this quiet. Are you prepared for that?"
"No, I still want to keep it as secret as possible. The club already had one theft, and if another happens, the impact will be too negative.
One plus one equals two is just theoretical; in reality, the impact of one plus one is far greater than two." Luke considering the matter from Lilith's perspective earned her trust, "Luke, what do you think would be the best way to handle this?"
"When does Mary hand over her shift?"
"At half past eleven, completed by eleven fifty."
Luke said, "Then let's wait until she leaves the club to take action. We won't need a warrant then."
…
Noon.
Mary finished her shift, returned to the dormitory to change clothes, then went to the employee parking lot and drove off in a red Toyota.
The car drove out of the club, and Mary stepped on the accelerator, speeding up a bit more.
After passing the intersection ahead, Mary breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face.
"Woo woo..."
Suddenly, a police car dashed out from the side, chasing Mary's car and sounding its siren.
"Fuck! Those damn cops are fishing again." Mary was sure she hadn't seen a police car earlier; they must have been hiding somewhere.
She had been driving a bit fast, and she wasn't sure if she was speeding, but based on the usual practice of those cops, she was likely to get a ticket, cursing, "Those damn bloodsuckers."
Despite being angry, Mary turned right and parked on the side.
The police car behind also stopped, and two officers stepped out, the driver being a white male, and the passenger seat occupied by an Asian female officer.
The white male officer habitually touched the rear of the red Toyota, then walked to the driver's side, "Ma'am, please open the window."
Mary reluctantly rolled down the window, forcing a smile, "Sir, is there something wrong?"
"You were speeding, please give me your license, and do it slowly."
"Sorry, my daughter is sick, and I'm rushing home." Mary handed her driver's license to the white officer.
"No matter the reason, safety must be a priority."
"Yes, sir.
I'll be more careful in the future. Can you give me a chance?" Mary said in a pleading tone.
The white officer sniffed, "Ma'am, please step out of the car."
"Why?"
The white officer repeated sternly, "Ma'am, please turn off the engine and step out."
Mary, feeling helpless, got out of the car, "I need a reason."
"Have you been drinking?"
"I haven't. I just got off work, it's impossible."
"I'm going to search your car."
Mary protested a bit, "Why? You don't have the right to do that."
"I smell something illegal, please cooperate."
"Oh my God, you're making this up, there's nothing illegal in my car."
The Asian female officer also approached, "Ma'am, please cooperate."
"I think you're targeting me on purpose? Just because I'm black?"
"No, no one is targeting you.
I smelled something illegal, so I'm required by law to check your car.
It's my right, please cooperate.
This is your third warning, I won't say it a fourth time." The white officer said sternly, in a commanding tone, "Open the trunk."
Tears welling in Mary's eyes, "This is discrimination, I'll report you.
I've never done anything illegal, never..."
"That's your right, but now I must perform my duty." The white officer glanced at the Asian female officer, "Lucy, search her."
Mary glared at the two with a wronged look, but under the authority of the police, she dared not resist.
The Asian female officer, Lucy, was responsible for searching Mary.
The white officer proceeded to search the car.
The white officer first searched the trunk but found no illegal items. He then started searching the car's interior and found a black bag under the passenger seat. Opening the bag, he found a tin box for cookies. Inside was a luxurious necklace, a blue gemstone in the center, flanked by white diamonds.
The white officer put on gloves and held up the cookie tin, "Ma'am, is this your property?"
"Yes."
"Is the necklace inside the box also yours?"
Mary, tears in her eyes and looking helpless, slowly nodded, "Yes, it's mine. Is there a problem?"
The white police officer asked, "Ma'am, how should we address you?"
"Mary Larson."
"Ms. Larson, where do you work?"
"At the Bargers Club."
"What a coincidence, we just received a report from the Bargers Club. A guest of the club lost a sapphire necklace," the white police officer said, checking his phone. "The lost necklace is identical to the one you're wearing. Ma'am, I'll ask again, is this your necklace?"
Mary Larson couldn't hold back any longer and cried, "Oh my God, did you come here specifically to arrest me?"
The white police officer said, "Ms. Mary Larson, we suspect you are involved in the theft of a necklace from the Bargers Club. We need you to assist the police with the investigation."
...
Near the Bargers Club.
A racetrack was built here, and nearby there was a vintage-style cabin resembling a western bar.
Whenever horse races were held, the place would be crowded with club guests.
However, at this time of year, few guests would come here, and the area around the cabin was desolate.
A police car drove up and slowly stopped by the roadside. Two officers got out of the car, escorting a black woman toward the cabin.
Luke heard the commotion, came out of the cabin, and greeted the two officers, "John, Lucy, is this the thief you've caught?"
John said, "Yes, we found a necklace with sapphires in her car, identical to the missing item reported by Ms. Finn."
Mary looked at Luke with a complicated expression before quickly lowering her head.
Luke said, "Lucy, take her inside."
"Yes, sir."
Luke handed John a cigarette and asked, "Was everything smooth?"
"Of course, I'm no longer a rookie.
The recent incident was no challenge for me."
John described the arrest process and handed the necklace found in Mary's car to Luke.
Luke opened a tin cookie box and examined the sapphire necklace, noting its resemblance to the photo.
After finishing the cigarette, Luke and John entered the cabin.
Luke pulled up a chair next to Mary and asked, "Hey, we're meeting again."
Mary looked up at Luke, "Are you a cop?"
Luke nodded and pointed to the tin box of cookies beside him, "Where did that necklace come from?"
"I..." Mary pursed her thick lips, "I found it."
"Hey, I hate being lied to; you've already deceived me once, and I don't want it to happen again."
"I'm not lying to you; I really found this sapphire necklace. I told the officers the same thing, I swear I'm not lying."
"Where did you find it?"
"In the trash can in Cheryl Garnasi's bedroom."
"Trash can?"
"Yes."
Luke didn't notice any obvious signs of lying on her face and continued to ask, "When did you discover it?"
"Yesterday morning while cleaning. I cleaned out the trash completely, and there was a black bag in the trash. When I opened it, this necklace was inside."
"Your job isn't easy, so why did you go through the trash?"
"Trash is relative; what rich people discard may be unimaginable luxury for the poor," Mary said self-mockingly. "I go through all the guests' trash, and as far as I know, I'm not the only one who does that, many cleaners do the same. Also, we do find some valuable items. Although, I've never found something as precious as a sapphire necklace before. I swear I found it, it wasn't stolen. I thought the guest didn't want it, so I kept it, and I didn't break any laws."
Lucy said, "Such a large sapphire, even for wealthy people, is very precious. It's impossible they would throw it away in the trash. Your explanation doesn't hold up, and if they discarded it intentionally, why would they report it missing? We wouldn't have come to arrest you."
Mary Larson shrugged, "I don't know, but I'm telling the truth."
Luke said, "Even if what you're saying is true, and you picked up the sapphire necklace, why did you lie when I asked at the villa this morning if you had seen a sapphire necklace?"
"I..." Mary Larson paused for a moment, "This sapphire necklace is so beautiful, the first time I saw and touched it, I... I think anyone would be tempted."
"Click, click..."
Footsteps sounded outside, and Lilith pushed the door open and walked in, "Luke, did you find that sapphire necklace?"
Luke didn't answer, directly handing the cookie tin to her.
Lilith opened the tin, and upon seeing its contents, a hint of joy appeared in her expression. She reached out to pick up the sapphire necklace, but Luke stopped her and handed her a pair of gloves.
Lilith put on the gloves and picked up the sapphire necklace for a closer look, her brows furrowing slightly. She turned on her phone's flashlight to inspect the sapphire, and after a while, she said, "Luke, there's something wrong with this sapphire necklace."
Luke nodded, "I noticed too, there's damage on that sapphire."
Mary Larson hurriedly said, "Ms. Finn, I didn't damage the necklace, it was like that when I found it."
Lilith glared at Mary Larson and pulled Luke aside, "The issue isn't just that. I feel... this necklace seems to be a fake."