Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

The chubby kid sighed lightly, "I kind of regret coming here. Can we still change restaurants now?"

"Why? This restaurant seems pretty nice."

"I suddenly feel I have no appetite. Eating and then getting beaten feels like a bad deal."

"What's wrong? Val having a girlfriend is something to be happy about."

"You're right, if it were in the past, I would be happy too, but now...

I just got dumped.

I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I just can't be happy."

Luke patted his little brother's cheek, "The human heart is complicated; don't think too much about it. Enjoy your meal, I won't beat you."

"Are you pitying me? I feel even worse inside now."

Luke "..."

Ugh, what a jerk.

The chubby kid asked, "Should we go and say hi?"

Luke retorted, "Do you think Val would want to see you now?"

Flipping through the menu, the chubby kid said, "Actually, I'm a bit worried about Val's wallet. Eating here could cost him his week's wages.

If they keep dating, he might have to take out a high-interest loan.

That's not a long-term solution."

Luke shrugged, "Maybe the other person is paying."

"Then Val would be a kept man." The chubby kid sneaked another glance and shook his head, "I'd rather believe he won the lottery than believe he's capable of that.

No wealthy woman would like Val's type."

"Hey, don't talk about your uncle like that." Luke glared at the chubby kid, "If mom hears that, you'll be in trouble."

"Speaking of mom, I think I should keep a memento." The chubby kid took out his phone and snapped a photo, smiling, "Do you think this photo can exchange for anything from mom?"

Luke spread his hands, "A meal of fried chicken and pizza."

The chubby kid pouted, "I thought the same.

You're the only one who treats me well.

No one else would take me to such an expensive restaurant."

Luke took out his phone, "Can you say that again? I want to record it."

The chubby kid chuckled, "Next time."

"There won't be a next time." Luke wouldn't bring him to such a restaurant again.

It's expensive, and it's odd for two men to dine here.

After ordering, the chubby kid didn't stay idle, taking pictures with his phone.

Eating at such a pricey restaurant without posting on Facebook would be a loss.

Soon, a series of exquisite dishes were served, and the chubby kid took photos before tasting them.

In recent years, Luke had eaten at many high-end restaurants, and he thought their dishes had three characteristics: good ingredients, complex preparation, and exquisite presentation.

Luke valued the ingredients the most.

Take a pan-fried steak for example, different beef breeds, different parts, and different cooking methods can make a world of difference in taste.

Luke used to think very expensive beef was a scam, but after trying it, he realized the meat was indeed good: tender and not gamey, making ordinary beef taste coarse, tough, and dry in comparison.

Good food can lift your spirits, making the chubby kid temporarily forget his displeasure.

Both brothers had big appetites. Unlike other dating couples, they ate without reservation, ordering dishes equivalent to those at a four-person table.

Almost done, Luke looked back at Val's table. He and his female companion were chatting happily, seemingly oblivious to the brothers' presence.

Luke sipped his red wine, "I should go say hi."

The chubby kid swallowed his food, "Didn't you say Val probably doesn't want us to disturb him?"

"First, I said Val probably doesn't want to see you.

Second, we've eaten almost enough, giving Val plenty of private space without disrupting their date.

Third, you'll see in a moment."

…

On the other side of the restaurant.

Val was all smiles, waving his right arm and chatting enthusiastically with his date.

His date was a blonde woman with short hair and big eyes, wearing large blue earrings and a black dress.

A waiter walked over with a bottle of red wine, "Madam, sir, here's your wine."

Val glanced at the waiter, "We didn't order any wine."

The waiter pointed to a window seat, "It's from Mr. Lee at table 12."

Val turned around and saw Luke waving at him, with a chubby kid next to him sporting a mischievous smile.

Val was momentarily stunned before reacting, waving back, and telling the waiter, "Leave the wine here."

The blonde woman asked, "Are they your friends?"

"Those two rascals are my nephews."

"Do you want to go over and say hello?"

"No need, they're close family, I'll contact them later."

The blonde woman raised her glass toward Luke's table, "They knew we were eating at this restaurant?"

Val explained, "I didn't tell them.

Probably a coincidence."

The blonde woman nodded and said nothing more.

On the other side, the chubby kid was startled, "I saw clearly this time, Val's date is quite pretty."

"Don't keep staring, it's rude."

"Was that bottle of wine expensive?"

"It's not too bad."

The chubby kid pouted, "Didn't Val make any gesture of thanks?"

"I didn't expect him to; the wine wasn't even for him." Luke recalled how he felt the first time he dined in a high-end restaurant: a bit constrained, a bit uneasy, and very unaccustomed.

So, there's no need to expect much from Val.

Understanding family is what truly matters.

After finishing the meal, Luke took the chubby kid and left the restaurant.

As they reached the restaurant entrance, a waitress hurried after them, "Mr. Li, please wait a moment."

"What is it?"

The waitress held a box in her hand and said, "This is a gift from Miss Julio Eaton at table 7 for you both.

It's our restaurant's special cheesecake."

"I know this cake; it's said to be the restaurant's signature dessert, very famous, beautiful, and expensive, and a lot of girls like it." The chubby kid took the cake and asked Luke, "That Miss Julio Eaton should be Uncle's companion. Shouldn't we thank her?"

"Some other day." Luke added silently in his heart, if there's another chance to meet.

"I'll go get the car. Wait here and don't get lost."

"Come on, I'm not a kid." The chubby kid, holding the cake, went down the restaurant steps, couldn't help but glance back, forcing a smile,

"Just like that...

It's time to let go."

"Meow..."

A cat's meow sounded as a sleek, cool black Hellcat drove up.

The chubby kid put the cake in the trunk and sat in the front passenger seat, "Take it easy, I don't want to present Mom with a damaged cake."

"As you command."

Luke gently pressed the accelerator, though trying to accelerate slowly, there still came a roar unique to the engine oil car, carrying an indescribable beauty of violence.

Luke handed the black key to the chubby kid, "This key is for you."

"What do you mean?"

"When you come of age, I can lend you this car, drive it to school, and no girl will dislike you."

"I thought you were going to give this car to me?"

"No, this car doesn't suit you, to be precise, your age."

"Then what kind of car suits me?"

"One with more space."

"Then why don't you buy a bigger one?"

Luke laughed, "I have a Raptor, and besides, I have a nice big house."

The chubby kid was speechless.

"Kiddo, don't be shy, I've been there at your age." Luke teased and then said seriously,

"I know you're very sad...

but I still hope you can get over the breakup soon."

"I will." The chubby kid put the key back on the armrest, "Thank you for staying with me today and treating me to a big meal.

The key is yours for now, I'll borrow it when I can drive."

"OK, I just want you to be a little happier."

"I won't be sad for long, after all, I still have you and Mom, Grandpa, Val, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma...

I know you all love me."

...

The next afternoon, the weather was sunny with a gentle breeze.

The Luke family welcomed a guest, a slender, curvy Latin beauty.

Orty Dean from the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

"Orty, long time no see." Luke opened his arms and went up to greet her.

"Luke, congratulations on your new home, it's beautiful." Orty handed Luke a delicate gift box with the Ray-Ban logo, "This is for you."

"Thank you." Luke opened the box and inside was an exquisite pair of sunglasses, with a gray alloy frame and dark green lenses, looking very high-end and stylish.

"Very nice." Luke took out the sunglasses and tried them on, "Very comfortable, I really like them."

"They suit you well." Orty turned to look around the yard, "Your new home is beautiful, I like the style of this house, and the big trees around the yard."

"Come on, let me show you around."

Luke led Orty on a tour of his new home, the yard, living room, kitchen, dining room, game room, and most areas.

Then, he took her to the yard gazebo for afternoon tea.

Luke poured her a cup of tea, "This is Maofeng green tea from China, give it a try and see how it tastes."

Orty picked up the teacup, mimicking Luke, smelled the tea aroma, and took a sip, "The taste is very mild, with a special fragrance, I really like it."

"Take some with you when you leave."

"Thank you." Orty put down the teacup and asked, "Have you been busy with work lately?"

"The usual."

"Wanna go on a vacation?"

Luke smiled, "Are you going with me?"

"I'd like to, but unfortunately, I can't leave Los Angeles for a while." Orty switched topics, taking a document from her bag, "The agency received a commission, the location of the commission is in Las Vegas, interested?"

"What's the specific task?"

"The client is a deputy manager of a hotel, a few days ago, his hotel received a letter saying that on Thanksgiving, a big gift would be given to the hotel." Orty took out her phone, showing Luke a photo.

The photo showed the letter's content; although the language wasn't threatening, it was written in red paint, and at the bottom of the letter was a blood-red skull, giving a creepy feeling.

Luke shrugged, "Could it be a prank?"

Orty said, "The hotel executives initially thought so too, assuming it was a prank, but after careful investigation, they have yet to find the person who delivered the letter.

The next day, a similar letter appeared again in the deputy manager's office." Orty swiped her slender fingers across the phone screen, revealing another letter.

The content was the same, still with a blood-red skull logo, but this time blood-red tears were flowing from the skull's eyes.

Orty continued, "It's hard for outsiders to enter the deputy manager's office; the hotel executives realized the seriousness of the problem's commonality. They fear that on Thanksgiving, the hotel might be attacked, causing huge losses, so they want to hire you to investigate this matter."

"How much is the commission?"

"The initial commission is 200,000 US Dollars. If you can identify who wrote the threatening letter before Thanksgiving, the hotel will pay an additional 300,000 US Dollars."

"What if there's no attack on Thanksgiving?"

"Then the 200,000 US Dollars will still be paid."

"Sounds pretty good."

Luke accepted the assignment; whether he could catch the person who wrote the threatening letter or not, he would still make enough money to buy a Hellcat.

Speaking of Las Vegas, he does have a few nostalgic memories.