Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Could it be that someone wants to deal with me, and since it's not easy to do it in Los Angeles, they lured me to Las Vegas?

Thinking of this, Luke felt a growing sense of crisis.

Since becoming a police officer, he had arrested many dangerous criminals and offended even more people.

Luke calmed down, analyzed the situation carefully, and thought that while this was possible, it wasn't very likely.

Luke had arrived in Las Vegas yesterday morning, and thirty hours had passed since then. If someone were targeting him, the sooner they acted, the better; delaying action increased the chance of Luke becoming alert.

Just like now, trying to make a move against Luke had become even more difficult.

If it wasn't to get rid of Luke, then someone deliberately moved him out of Los Angeles. In other words, someone was up to something in Los Angeles, something that might be related to him.

Luke believed that this possibility was greater.

Thinking of this, Luke took out his phone and dialed the number of his deputy.

"Deputy, it's me."

"Luke, aren't you on vacation? How come you have time to call me?"

Luke didn't answer and asked instead, "How are things at the team?"

"Pretty good."

"Any new cases?"

"Not yet.

Even if there were, the cases would be solved smoothly under my leadership.

You don't need to worry, just enjoy yourself."

Luke "..."

From the deputy's response, there didn't seem to be any issues at work.

Could it be personal matters?

Luke dialed Linda's number.

"Hi, Mom."

"Luke, why are you calling suddenly? Is everything going well out there?"

"Pretty well, how's everything at home these past few days?"

"All good, why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just heard from a colleague that there are gang conflicts in Los Angeles these days, try to stay in as much as possible."

"I understand.

I just had a video call with your grandfather and Val this morning, they're both doing well, I'll call them and let them know later."

"Has the little guy's mood improved these past days?"

"Not bad, at least he's in the mood to go out. He just sent me a message saying he'll be staying over at a classmate's house tonight."

Luke frowned slightly, "Which classmate?"

"George, the short white kid with freckles. They hang out a lot together."

"Did he just text you without calling?"

"No, he didn't."

"When did he send the message?"

"Over two hours ago, is there a problem?"

"No, just wanted to find him for something, I'll contact him myself."

"Alright, take care out there."

"I will." Luke said and hung up the phone.

The little guy's movements were a bit suspicious.

Could it be that someone is targeting the little guy, which is why I was led to Las Vegas?

Luke pondered and thought it unlikely. He knew the little guy too well; his social circle was simple and unlikely to cause big trouble.

Even if he did make a mistake or offend someone, with his big brother around, it should not be a big issue.

It's not probable that someone would go to so much trouble to deal with him.

Could it be that someone kidnapped the little guy to threaten me?

Luke thought this was a possibility.

If the little guy was really in trouble, the person who sent the text should not be him, he must have been held for at least two hours.

Theoretically, the kidnappers should have contacted me by now.

Or perhaps, the target wasn't me?

Besides myself, what other unstable factors surround the little guy?

Suddenly, Luke thought of someone—Maggie.

As Luke knew, Maggie's family moved to Los Angeles three years ago. She lived with her father and had been stable for those three years.

A while ago, Maggie's aunt came, and recently she left suddenly.

Is there a connection between the two?

Thinking of this, Luke immediately contacted Orty, Matthew, and his subordinates at the FBI to help investigate Maggie's details.

Luke didn't rashly contact the little guy; if he's fine, there's no need to contact him.

If the little guy was indeed controlled, contacting him actively could alert the other side.

"Ring ring ring…"

At this moment, Luke's phone rang.

Luke glanced at it; it was an unfamiliar number.

He hesitated for a moment, then pressed the answer key, "Hello."

"Brother, it's me." The little guy said in Chinese.

Luke hesitated briefly, "How's the weather today?"

"The weather's nice, quite sunny and pleasant," the little guy replied.

This was a code they had agreed upon to prove the little guy's safety.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief, "Whose number is this?"

"It's George's, I'm at his house now."

"Why did you suddenly go to George's house?"

"I just wanted a change of scenery to clear my head."

"Then why did you call me on George's phone?"

The little guy lowered his voice, "I feel like something is off…"

"What's off?"

"I feel like I'm being followed."

"How did you notice?"

"There's a black Honda parked outside George's house. I think I've seen this car near our house too."

"Are you sure it's the same Honda?"

"Yes."

"What's the license plate number?"

"6ueb298."

Luke was slightly surprised. How did his younger brother develop such strong counter-surveillance abilities? Not only did he notice the car following him, but he also thought to use someone else's phone to make a call—something he hadn't been taught.

"Who taught you these things?"

"Maggie did."

"Why did she teach you that?"

"She said you're a cop and might have enemies, so I needed to learn how to protect myself."

"What else did she teach you?"

"Maggie knows a lot. Do you remember the shooting incident at our school?

When the gunshots were fired, the whole school was in chaos, but it was Maggie who led me out.

She was super calm, super cool then."

"Why did you and Maggie break up?"

"Can I not talk about it?"

"Was it a matter of principle or a common relationship issue?"

"Just a small conflict. Honestly, I never thought she'd break up with me."

"So, she might have broken up just to break up with you."

The chubby one was silent for a moment and then asked, "Do you think there's another reason Maggie broke up with me?"

Luke pursued, "Do you think your being followed has anything to do with Maggie?"

"I don't know..." the chubby one said, as if realizing something, "Could it be that Maggie got into trouble, and that's why she left Los Angeles?"

Luke said, "I don't know either."

"Big brother, when will you come back to Los Angeles? Can you help me find Maggie? I'm really worried about her."

Luke said, "For now, worry about yourself first.

Later, I'll send someone to protect you and mom. You don't need to worry about Maggie; I'll investigate."

The chubby one anxiously said, "How can I not care? What if Maggie is in danger?"

"Listen, don't act recklessly right now.

First, we can't be sure that Maggie is in trouble. It's possible I guessed wrong.

Second, if you are being followed, they might be trying to find Maggie, and acting rashly could put her in more danger.

I've said it before, I'll handle Maggie's situation.

What you need to do is protect yourself and mom so that I can have peace of mind. Understand?"

The chubby one was silent for a long while, "I understand. I'll take care of myself.

You focus on finding Maggie, don't worry about us."

"OK, it's settled then," Luke said and hung up the phone.

The chubby one wasn't kidnapped, just followed, which relieved Luke.

It can also be mostly confirmed that Luke was pulled out of Los Angeles likely because of Maggie.

Luke speculated that Maggie should be safe now. If she were in danger, she would most likely seek help, which might be why he was removed from Los Angeles.

Also, if the other side achieved their goal, there would be no need to keep following the chubby one.

Luke didn't contact Maggie directly. He was waiting for a call from Orty or Matthew to see what they found out before reaching out to Maggie.

Soon, there was a response from Matthew.

Maggie was born in New York City. Her parents divorced, and her mother stayed in New York while she moved to Los Angeles with her father.

Her father's name is Walker Karen, an elevator repairman with no criminal record, owning a black SUV with license plate 3lra198.

Speaking of the black SUV, Luke suddenly remembered something.

Not long after Luke moved into his new house, he hosted a family gathering where Maggie also came. That evening, Maggie's father arrived driving a black SUV, and Luke smelled disinfectant on him.

This information was quite basic. Luke didn't see any issues with the father-daughter duo.

After a while, Orty also called, and her information was similar.

FBI Senior Agent Armand Hains was the last to call.

After the call connected, he said, "Minister Lee, the person you asked me to investigate, I've checked."

Luke asked, "Do you have her detailed information?"

"Sorry, I couldn't find her information in the system."

"What about her father's information?"

"None as well."

Armand Hains paused for a moment and said, "I suspect my clearance might not be enough."

Luke asked, "Does Minister Lynn Brouss have sufficient clearance?"

"This might involve other departments, so it's better to consult your chief."

"Understood." Luke acknowledged and continued, "Armand, I'm currently in Las Vegas. My family in Los Angeles is being followed and might be in danger. I need you to send agents to protect them.

Be on the lookout for a black Honda with license plate 6ueb298.

I'll provide more details after I contact the chief."

"Do you need us to arrest the stalkers?"

"Not for now. Just protect them discreetly."

"Understood, I'll handle it immediately."

"Who exactly are you?" With this question lingering, Luke dialed the number for Aysha Gard, the chief of the FBI's Los Angeles office.

"Hello, this is Aysha."

"Chief, this is Luke."

"What's going on?"

"I've run into some trouble..." Luke briefly explained the situation.

"Are you in danger in Las Vegas?"

"Not at the moment."

"I'll send you the contact information of the FBI agents stationed in Las Vegas so you can reach out to them directly."

"Thank you."

After a while, Aysha Gard said, "I checked Maggie's information.

Her real name is Maggie Baruch.

She and her father joined the witness protection program three years ago."

"Chief, what case led them to join the witness protection program?"

"After joining the witness protection program, all their information is managed by the Marshals Service. I can't access it here.

It's for the witnesses' safety."

Luke said, "If I'm not mistaken, their identities may have been exposed and they're being targeted."

Aysha Gard said, "I'll contact the Marshals Service to see if they have any contingency plans."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Luke couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't expected Maggie to have such an identity. But upon reflection, it made sense and explained the series of events.