Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Luke stared at Flory Wayne and said, "Mr. Wayne, how about bringing your daughter out? We need to have a good talk."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea."

Luke took out a photo of the deceased, "Do you know her?"

"Yes, she was my daughter's classmate."

"She's dead."

"I'm very sorry, but it has nothing to do with me."

"But according to the evidence we've found, Lacy Wayne is somewhat connected to this case, and we want to get to the bottom of it. That's why we're here."

"I don't think Lacy is involved in this matter."

"Then it's even simpler. Please have her come out to talk. If she's not involved in this case, we won't need to search the house, and I'll leave directly with my team."

"Do you mean what you say?"

"Of course."

Flory Wayne hesitated for a moment, glanced at the officers in the yard, and said reluctantly, "Alright, come in, but don't bring too many people."

Luke entered the house with Black and Jackson.

There were two people standing in the living room: one was Lacy, the person involved in the case, and the other looked like her mother.

Lacy's mother frowned, "Dear, what are they here for?"

"They're investigating the murder case of Ali Bergman."

"Then they should go to Ali Bergman's house. Why are they here?"

Flory Wayne sighed, "They think Lacy is connected to this case."

"How is that possible? They must have made a mistake."

"I also think they've made a mistake, but I can't convince them.

They have a search warrant and want to talk to Lacy."

"No, I don't think there's any need to talk. They'll only scare Lacy; she's just a student." As a mother, she instinctively shielded her daughter.

Flory Wayne also looked at his daughter, "Dear, what do you think?"

"I don't know, my mind's a bit muddled..." Lacy's voice choked, looking helplessly at her parents, her expression pitiful.

"Sweetheart, it will be okay." Lacy's mother hugged her daughter and then said to her husband, "Make them leave. They're scaring Lacy."

Flory Wayne said helplessly, "They have a search warrant. If we don't cooperate, things will only get worse." Flory Wayne walked over to his daughter, "Lacy, don't worry, your mom and I will be by your side.

Just tell them what you know.

Your mom and I will always support you."

However, Flory Wayne's words didn't ease Lacy; instead, her expression became more serious, "Will they take me away?"

Flory Wayne comforted, "You have nothing to do with Ali Bergman's death, just explain clearly, and they have no reason to take you away.

Don't worry, your mom and I won't let them do that."

Luke spoke kindly, "Your father is right. You just need to talk to us. Once things are clear, we'll leave."

Lacy asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"How about we sit down and talk?" Luke walked to the sofa and sat down, signaling Lacy to sit across, and continued asking, "Do you know Ali Bergman?"

"Yes, she's my classmate and my friend."

"Do you know she was murdered?"

"Yes, I heard about it."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"It should be the afternoon of November 15th, after school, right?"

Luke said sternly, "Lacy, you can choose not to answer, but you mustn't lie, understand?"

Lacy nodded.

Luke continued asking, "On the night of November 15th, did you go to Ali Bergman's house? Think carefully before answering."

Her mother sat down next to Lacy, encouraging her, "Dear, just tell the truth, there's no need to be afraid."

Lacy's face turned a bit pale, and after hesitating for a moment, she said, "I can't remember."

Upon hearing this answer, Lacy's parents' expressions changed.

Previously, they always believed in their daughter, thinking she had nothing to do with Ali Bergman's death, even when a group of officers came to search.

But now it's only been a few days, how could she not remember?

What is she hiding?

Could it be...

The couple exchanged a glance, both showing worried expressions.

Flory Wayne spoke, "Officer, my daughter is a bit nervous.

I want to talk to her alone to calm her emotions."

Luke leaned back on the sofa, observing the family of three, "Mr. Flory Wayne, don't you think it's a bit late for communication now?

Since I brought people here, I must have found solid evidence.

So, my advice is for Lacy to assist with the police investigation. I can offer her a favorable plea deal.

That's the best outcome."

"Shut up! My daughter couldn't possibly commit a crime!" Lacy's mother shouted angrily, holding her daughter tightly in her arms.

Luke said, "If you refuse to assist with the investigation, then we'll search ourselves. If we find solid evidence, it will be even more unfavorable for Lacy Wayne."

Lacy's mother said, "We want a lawyer."

"Of course, but a lawyer can't obstruct a police investigation." Luke showed the search warrant again and told the officers beside him, "Search the house, yard, garage, and car."

"Got it, Captain."

With Luke's order, everyone split up to act.

Flory Wayne and his wife took their daughter into the bedroom.

Realizing the family's stance, Luke knew waiting around was pointless, so he joined in the search.

The reason Luke chose to investigate Lacy first, rather than the other two girls with suspicions, was mainly because Lacy was the one responsible for disposing of the body and doing the dirty work, making it easier to find evidence related to the case.

Moreover, she's quite young, and it's probably the first time she's encountered such a situation, so in her panic, she might not have handled things cleanly.

Luke first entered the garage, where there was a black Toyota car, which was most likely the vehicle used for transporting and disposing of the body.

Luke first opened the car door to check inside and didn't find any obvious tools for the crime. Then, he checked the dashcam and found that the videos had been wiped.

Luke removed the dashcam's memory card and said to the officer next to him, "Give it to the tech team and see if they can recover the videos inside."

"Okay, Captain Li."

Then, Luke started checking the trunk. It was empty, with no items stored inside.

Generally speaking, most car trunks store some tools or items.

Clearly, these items had been removed, likely for the purpose of transporting the body.

Upon carefully checking the trunk, Luke found a strand of long golden hair. He had just observed that Lacy's family of three all had dark hair, so this hair obviously did not belong to them.

And the victim Ali Bergman's hair was precisely golden.

Luke called over the tech team to collect the strand of golden hair, as it was crucial evidence.

"Captain, I found something." Jackson's shout came from not far away.

Luke walked out of the garage and saw Jackson standing in the eastern corner of the yard, holding a shovel.

Jackson's shout had drawn the attention of the others as well.

Jackson explained, "I was searching the yard and noticed that this patch of grass looked different from the surrounding area, so I used a shovel to dig it up and found a black bag."

As he spoke, Jackson crouched down, lifted the bag from the pit, and casually opened it, "I think I found some tools related to the crime."

Luke also walked over and looked into the bag: rope, duct tape, a sponge ball, a black hood, and a blue dress, white sneakers.

These items were stained with something, possibly vomit, clearly used.

Luke patted Jackson on the shoulder, "Well done."

Jackson smiled.

Little Black smirked, "Lucky rookie."

Jackson teased, "Your tone is full of envy.

If you work hard and seriously, you can be like me."

Little Black responded with a middle finger and turned away.

Luke entered the living room of the house and saw Lacy's family of three again.

"Okay, I think we should talk again."

Lacy's mother crossed her arms, "No, we won't answer any questions until the lawyer arrives."

Luke sat down on the sofa, unfazed, "Then I'll talk, and you listen.

I searched the car, and although the dashcam's footage was erased, it can still be recovered through technical means.

I'm very interested in the content inside.

Furthermore, I found a strand of golden hair in the car trunk." Luke looked at Lacy, "You know whose it is, don't you?"

Lacy trembled slightly, feeling a bit faint, and sat down supported by the sofa.

Luke continued, "An officer dug up a black bag in the yard; if I'm not mistaken, it should be your tools for the crime.

It likely contains your biological evidence, and even if you don't speak, this is enough to convict you."

Lacy's parents showed expressions of worry and panic.

"Listen, you're not the only one involved in this case; even if you don't talk, others will.

And once the police accept their statements, it will be very unfavorable for you.

Furthermore, there's only one advantageous plea agreement, so I hope you cherish this opportunity." Luke looked at Lacy's father again, "She's still young, maybe lacking the courage.

But as parents, you should know how to weigh things and know what's best for her."

Flory Wayne clenched his fists tightly, then relaxed, "Captain Li, it's not that we're unwilling to assist the investigation, can we wait a little longer, our lawyer is arriving soon."

Luke held up three fingers, "You have three minutes; if you maintain this attitude,

then I'll take this newly found evidence and talk to the other two suspects, perhaps they'll be more willing to assist the police investigation.

Hope your lawyer can help you regain a plea agreement."

Luke stood up and headed towards the outside of the house.

"Wait." Seeing Luke was about to leave, Flory Wayne became flustered and hurriedly chased after him, "Captain Li, please give us another chance, I beg you."

Flory Wayne turned to his daughter again, "Lacy, it's time to talk.

You're still a minor, and as long as you actively assist the police investigation, the charges won't be too severe.

That plea agreement is very important to you, understand?"

"It shouldn't have been like this..." Lacy finally couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into tears, "We never intended to kill her, it was just a prank, but we didn't expect... she just died."

Luke pressed on, "What do you mean by prank?"

"A few days ago, we agreed to go to Dawson's Bar, it's a very famous bar and we were all looking forward to it.

But on November 15th, Ali Bergman said she was sick and didn't want to go.

Sharon Frank was a bit upset; she thought Ali Bergman wasn't sick, but was making an excuse to decline, actually wanting to meet Yarn Columbus.

Although Ali Bergman never said it, we all knew she was dating Yarn Columbus.

Sharon Frank was very angry, feeling it was a betrayal, as if our sisterly bond over the years couldn't compare to a man she just met a month ago.

So, she decided to pull a prank.

We knew Ali Bergman was home alone and also knew her house's code, so we sneaked into her house, disguised as kidnappers, and put her in the car trunk, just to scare her and take her to the bar to have fun.

I even brought her a set of clothes she often wore."

"Did she get into the bar?"

"No, we got too excited after arriving at Dawson's Bar.

We forgot about her...

When we came out of the bar, we remembered her, and when we opened the trunk, she was no longer breathing..." Lacy's voice choked, shaking her head,

"We never thought it would turn out like this, it was just meant to be a joke, a prank."