Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

The necklace theft case was like a farce, but fortunately, this farce is over now.

After John and Lucy left, Luke and Lilith returned to the club.

...

Milka Tea Restaurant.

Because of the necklace theft, Luke and Lilith didn't have a proper lunch. Now that the matter is resolved, both were a bit hungry.

Lilith brought Luke for afternoon tea.

Two cups of black tea, a plate of fruit, scones, sandwiches, bread rolls, cream puffs, and white asparagus tarts.

Each snack was exquisite and delicate. Among them, Luke's favorite was the gold-leaf chocolate mousse; he's seen plenty of gold, but eating it was a first.

Lilith put down her teacup and smiled, "How's the taste?"

"Not bad, the chocolate flavor is quite rich, I like it."

Lilith suggested, "How about we try Spanish cuisine for dinner? The club just hired a Spanish chef; let's taste his cooking skills."

"OK, I haven't had Spanish seafood paella and Iberian ham in a long time.

Those two dishes are my favorites."

Lilith said, "But before dinner, there's one more thing to handle."

Luke put down his fork and wiped his mouth, "The auction item theft case?"

"Yes.

I just called to inquire, and the police investigation isn't going smoothly. The longer it drags on, the more troublesome it will become."

Luke joked, "It's really hard to have a meal with you."

Lilith held Luke's hand, "I know, having you investigate two cases in a row is indeed tiring, but now only you can help me.

After the investigation, you can stay at the club for a while and relax."

"Sounds good, is the membership fee here expensive?"

"That's not important.

You're my VIP, always free."

"I still prefer to pay my own way, feels more comfortable that way."

"OK, the fee for hiring you this time will more than cover the membership fee, no worries at all."

Luke took a sip of black tea to soothe his throat, "Tell me about the auction item theft."

Lilith took out a tablet from her bag, then stood up and sat next to Luke, opened the tablet, and found a video, "This is the surveillance video from last night's auction."

The two sat very close, and Lilith had a faint perfume scent.

Luke didn't like overly strong perfume scents, finding them irritating; Lilith's perfume was light, a blend of floral scents, very fresh and pleasant.

The video began to play, and Luke refocused his attention to review the auction surveillance.

The camera was placed in the corner of the auction house, a good angle capturing most of the auction space.

The auction house was about 200 square meters, with a high stage at the front, and some tables and chairs at the back for guests, not very crowded, with only about forty people in total, about thirty of them being auction guests excluding the staff.

Luke also saw Lilith in the video, "Were you at the scene when the auction item went missing?"

"Yes.

This is what's frustrating, I was on-site but didn't know who stole the auction item, you might think I'm a fool."

Luke teased, "You're the most charming fool I've ever met."

Lilith pouted, "Don't tell this to others, I won't admit it."

In the video, everyone was seated, and the auction officially began.

The first auction item was an oil painting, a one-square-meter mess on paper, Luke couldn't tell what it was, perhaps this is what they call Impressionism.

After the auctioneer announced the starting price, guests went up to the stage one by one to view and inspect the oil painting.

Luke slightly frowned, "This auction seems a bit informal."

Lilith said, "The auction attendees are club guests, a small-scale auction, so it's not as strict as large auction houses.

It's a characteristic of the club's auctions.

Some prefer large auctions, others like this kind of intimate gathering, there's no conflict."

Luke understood, simply put, these small auctions are more 'personal,' facilitating some interest exchanges.

For example, if the Mayor of Los Angeles' wife wants to auction a painting or collectible, it's more suitable in such a setting.

Simultaneously, any security issues at such auctions would impact the club's reputation, losing potential and loyal customers.

Lilith pointed at the screen with slender fingers, "Luke, this is the auction item that was stolen."

Luke looked at the screen. It was a green gourd-shaped porcelain piece, exquisitely crafted, with a pair of red-crowned cranes painted on the base, artistically lively, as if ready to fly out of the bottle at any moment.

"Chinese porcelain?"

Lilith nodded, "It's enamelware, made with high-quality porcelain from Jingdezhen, painted and fired by court artists, exclusively for royal appreciation. The artistic skills are exceptionally high, with strict control over processing. Any defects are immediately discarded. These are rare in existence, each piece is a prized masterpiece, very valuable."

Luke was a bit surprised, "You know about porcelain too?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire.net

Lilith sighed, "As the club manager, it's my first time handling an auction, so I've researched every item.

And after the green gourd enamelware was stolen, I did some homework as well."

At this moment, the surveillance video suddenly ended.

"What's going on?"

"The auction had a blackout."

"Was it deliberate or accidental?"

"The rain was heavy last night, with thunder and lightning. At first, I thought it was an accident.

But the repair personnel said someone tampered with the power room, that the blackout was deliberate."

"How long did the blackout last?"

"Around five minutes."

"Did anyone use their phone for lighting at the time?"

"According to regulations, it's not allowed to bring phones into the auction venue during the auction.

Besides, it was raining heavily that night and very dark." After about three to four minutes, someone shouted, "Where's my enamel vase? Did someone see my auction item? Tommy, did your club staff take it away...?"

Lilith sighed, "I knew something was wrong at that moment. After the power returned, I asked the staff. Due to the darkness, the auction had some chaos, but no one touched the auction items. Everyone claimed they had not moved them, yet the item was nowhere to be found."

"How big was that item?"

"The enamel vase is 19 inches high, with a mouth diameter of 2 inches, an upper belly diameter of 4.7 inches, a lower belly diameter of 9.5 inches, and a base diameter of 4.7 inches."

"Did anyone leave the venue during the blackout?"

"Yes, according to police statistics, two club staff and six guests left the venue."

Luke asked, "Is it possible that those people took the enamel vase?"

Lilith nodded, "The police think so too, but because of the blackout, the surveillance didn't capture any footage.

That's the hardest part. It's impossible that all six guests are thieves, and we can't treat them all as suspects—it would affect the club's reputation. The investigation is progressing slowly, and I'm a bit helpless, which is why I invited you."

Luke finished his tea, wiped his mouth and hands with a wet wipe. "Let's go take a look at the auction venue."

The two walked along a shady path for a few minutes, arriving at a three-story building. The first floor housed a café, the second a small cinema, and the third was the auction venue.

They pushed open the heavy wooden doors. Luke saw the auction venue as shown in the video, entered, and carefully inspected, recalling the positions of guests and auction items from the footage.

"Did you hear any suspicious sounds that night?"

"After the blackout that night, because there were many people at the venue, it was chaotic..." Lilith thought, "Does thunder count?"

Luke asked, "When did the police arrive? Was there anything found when examining the scene? Which department is handling the case?"

"The blackout occurred at nine o'clock. As soon as I noticed the enamel vase missing, I called the police right away.

Half an hour later, patrol officers from the Van Nuys district of Canyon were at the club.

The case investigation is handled by the night shift Detective Chief Nicolin Yaro."

Luke found the name unfamiliar, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings. "Did they conduct a thorough search of the auction venue?"

Lilith sighed, "They searched all possible hiding places for the enamel vase, but found nothing."

Luke checked the tables and chairs, finding no hiding spaces.

He then inspected the cabinets on the auction platform, opened the doors, finding the inside space sizable but empty.

Luke tapped the bottom of the cabinet with his fingers and asked, "How thick is the floorboard?"

Lilith replied, "I don't know either, but it's certainly solid. The police checked this cabinet; there should be no issues."

Luke walked off the auction platform, moved to the window and gazed downward. This was the third floor, not very high. He asked, "Was the window open last night?"

"Yes."

"Is there any chance the enamel vase was lowered out the window?"

Lilith shrugged, "Impossible. Considering safety concerns, these windows are fixed, and can only open up to six inches, so the vase definitely can't fit through."

Luke tried it himself; indeed the window could only open six inches, was sturdy, with no traces of damage.

Then he continued to survey the auction venue, noticed the ventilation duct on the ceiling, stepped onto a table and climbed to the roof, tapping the duct. "Did the officers search here?"

"Yes, and found no enamel vase. Moreover, the duct is very narrow, only 25 inches wide, so a normal person couldn't pass through."

"Ring ring..."

Luke was about to say something when Lilith's phone rang. "Sorry, I need to take a call."

Luke nodded, "I'll go check around outside the auction venue."

Lilith watched Luke exit the auction hall, pressed the answer button, "Hello, Penny, good afternoon."

A woman's voice came from the phone, "Hi, my dear sister, I've heard your club had a little problem."

"The club belongs to the family; Grandfather just had me take care of it temporarily. How did the news reach you so quickly?"

"Yes, there's always some 'enthusiastic people' who love to spread gossip everywhere.

Need my help?"

"No, I'll handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm very sure."

"As your elder sister, I must remind you, managing a club isn't as simple as treasure hunting on an island. It requires professional management knowledge, rich experience, and some HR techniques.

If you need anything, you can always call me for advice.

I don't want to see my dear sister take over the club and make a mess, potentially facing customer claims.

If this issue gets out, it would shame the entire Finn family..."

"Penny, I've already handled the club's matter, focus on your own business." Lilith snorted lightly, hung up the phone, muttered,

"Annoying old woman."