Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Inside the vacation house.

A Black woman and a White man were sitting at the dining table, drinking coffee.

Both of them were agents from the Witness Protection Unit, the Black woman named Jerry and the White man named Tom, obviously both were using code names.

White agent Tom spread his hands, sounding a bit dissatisfied, "The witness has already been relocated, what are we still doing here?"

Jerry looked out the window, "The leader's orders were clear, we're here to assist Minister Lee in capturing those assassins."

Tom glanced at his watch, "How much longer do we have to wait, two hours, three hours, or a day…

I think waiting around for the assassins is kind of foolish."

Jerry retorted, "Do you have a better idea?"

Tom said with frustration, "Sabina Dodd and Sidney Burn messed things up, now they've moved with the witness, leaving us to clean up the mess.

Do you think that's fair?"

Jerry took a sip of coffee, pursing her thick lips, "Why didn't you say that when the leader was here?"

"The leader has always been biased towards Sabina, you know that, saying anything wouldn't have mattered." Tom felt a bit disheartened.

"Then stop complaining…"

"Zzz…" The radio on the table buzzed, Luke's voice coming through, "This is Zero, a gray Buick van has been spotted heading towards the vacation house.

All units proceed to the designated ambush locations immediately, and be safe."

Tom pouted and asked Jerry, "How many suspicious vehicles have been spotted now?"

"Fourth or fifth, I'd say."

"Exactly, anything approaching the vacation house is considered suspicious."

Jerry opened the door of the vacation house, "Let's move."

"You go ahead." Tom pointed at the table, "This is my ambush spot, I'm not going anywhere."

"Suit yourself." Jerry was somewhat speechless, Tom's alertness was poor, perhaps that's why the leader didn't let him participate in the witness relocation.

Jerry exited the vacation house, hurried towards the woods on the right side.

She hid behind a dense, bushy tree, eyes fixed on the direction of the road.

The van didn't continue along the road but turned onto the path leading to the vacation house, making Jerry both nervous and excited—it was really happening.

There were nine agents ambushed around the vacation house, which meant the assassins were walking right into a trap.

Jerry wanted to warn Tom, but it was already a bit late; if Tom came out now, he might be spotted by those in the van, and for the time being, staying inside the vacation house posed no immediate danger.

Jerry speculated that before the assassins reached the vacation house, Luke would take action.

The van stopped by the path, the rear door opened, and people got off, each holding a weapon—practically confirming they were the assassins targeting the witness.

Jerry's eyes were fixed on them while waiting for Luke's command.

Suddenly, Jerry's eyes widened, showing a look of shock.

As the fifth suspect got off, he carried a rocket launcher on his shoulder, aimed it at the vacation house, and fired a rocket.

"Boom!" A loud explosion erupted.

The vacation house was blown open with a massive hole, roof flying, flames shooting high, smoke billowing, and screams coming from inside.

"Haha, got it! Did you see that?" The assassin who fired the rocket pumped his fist victoriously.

Jerry watched the direction of the vacation house, knowing clearly whose screams those were, but she couldn't go to rescue them now—only wait for orders.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, gripping the rifle tightly, teeth clenched, eyes radiating a murderous aura.

"Leave no one alive!"

The leading assassin shouted, rushing towards the vacation house with four subordinates.

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out.

Luke immediately shot dead the driver remaining inside the Buick van.

And that gunshot was also the command.

The surrounding agents opened fire, unleashing a barrage on the nameless assassins.

"Rat-tat-tat…" Gunfire echoed throughout the forest, birds were startled into flight, and wild animals scampered away.

"Arghhh…" The five assassins let out screams, quickly losing combat capability; some were riddled with bullets, while others loudly begged for mercy.

"Ceasefire!

Leave survivors!" Luke commanded again.

"Drop your weapons!"

"Hands on your heads!"

The agents approached the five assassins with guns drawn.

Jerry quickly rushed to the vacation house.

The battle went smoothly and ended quickly.

The only regret was that the witness protection unit's agent Tom was injured by the rocket.

Luke was also somewhat speechless, as Tom hadn't followed his instructions to head to the ambush location.

Luke hadn't expected the assassins to be so aggressive, going so far as to use rockets.

The good news was the ambulance arrived in time, saving Tom's life.

The leader of the assassins wasn't severely injured; after a simple bandage, Luke interrogated him.

He admitted he came to Los Angeles under orders, aiming to eliminate Maggie and her father to prevent Maggie's father from testifying in New York.

The person who ordered him was the co-founder of the cryptocurrency exchange platform company facing trial.

Luke successfully thwarted the assassins; his mission was complete, and the subsequent protection of Maggie and her father was left to the Sheriff's Department, given their expertise in witness protection.

...

November 28th.

Today is Thanksgiving, also a day for family gatherings.

In the morning, Luke called his family in New York to say hello.

Tonight, he invited his family in Los Angeles to celebrate Thanksgiving together.

Thanksgiving is as important in America as Christmas; the most important dish is the turkey. Whether it's tasty or not is beside the point, but it must be there.

Last night, Luke put the turkey in the refrigerator for marinating.

Around noon, he started roasting the turkey, which takes four hours, so by around four in the afternoon, it was ready to eat.

In the afternoon, family members arrived one after another, each bringing some food.

Linda brought her homemade cornbread, Grandpa Robert brought a piece of Iberian ham, Uncle brought a box of homemade cranberry sauce, and the little chubby one hugged two bottles of cola.

These foods were obviously not enough, so Luke and his family prepared pan-seared tuna, beef stewed with potatoes, apple pie, vegetable salad, and the last dish was the little chubby one's and Val's favorite caramelized sweet potatoes.

After the meal, there was fruit, grapes, and strawberries, with chocolate cake for dessert.

At five in the evening, the family sat around the dining table, holding hands after praying, and the dinner officially began.

Robert raised a glass of red wine, "Thank God for bringing our family together, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The little chubby one also filled his cola and took a big gulp.

"Can we start eating?" Val picked up a piece of caramelized sweet potato, "Wow, did you see that? It's stringy." Val put the sweet potato in his mouth, looking satisfied, "Oh my God, I love this flavor."

Not only Val, everyone there picked up a piece; Americans love sweets, and this dish suits their taste.

The little chubby one ate two pieces in a row and then raised his glass of cola and said, "Big brother, thank you for saving Maggie."

Luke laughed, "Jack, it's thanks to your quick thinking and alertness; in a way, you saved Maggie."

"Stop praising me; I know my own weight," the little chubby one added, "I mean my body weight."

"Haha..." Everyone laughed.

The little chubby one then showed a serious expression, "Big brother, why did Maggie break up with me? I'm asking for the real reason."

Luke thought for a moment, "I think... it's mainly for your safety. The hitman wouldn't just target the witness; they could also harm those close to them."

"So Maggie didn't sincerely want to break up with me, and once things are over, we could be together again."

"There's that possibility," Luke replied ambiguously.

The little chubby one immediately got excited, waving his fist, "I knew it, I knew it would be like this."

He stood up, "Today is a good day; shouldn't we play some music?"

I'll go get the speakers."

The Luke family's speakers are in the living room, while they're having dinner in the yard. If it were before, Luke might not have let the little chubby one mess around, but today... as long as he's happy.

The little chubby one happily ran into the house.

Robert seemed to sense Luke was hiding something and asked, "Is there any other issue with Maggie?"

Luke answered, "Maggie is under protection by the marshal service, and can't contact the outside world; I don't know her exact situation.

But she should be safe, and if in danger, she'll contact me."

Linda pursued, "Do you think Maggie will get back together with Jack?"

A mother knows her child best, and Linda naturally knew what her younger son was concerned about now.

Luke was silent for a moment, "I think it might be difficult."

Val also put down his fork, asking, "Did Maggie truly want to break up with Jack?"

Luke shrugged, "I don't know.

I think Maggie is worried about implicating Jack, afraid he might be in danger."

Linda said, "As long as Maggie's father testifies in court, won't the danger be eliminated?"

Luke said, "I hope so too. But a lot of things are not that simple; many cases are more complicated than imagined, and some witnesses will live in witness protection plans for a lifetime.

If, I mean if, for safety reasons, Maggie might adopt a new identity and location to start a new life.

She wouldn't be able to contact anyone she knew before."

Everyone at the table was silent.

Linda also liked Maggie, but she didn't want her son to face danger.

Val suggested, "We should tell Jack; the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and he'll be more hurt then."

Robert nodded, "You're right, why not let you tell him."

Val shrugged, "I don't know much either; Luke is more suitable to tell him."

Just then, the little chubby one walked out of the house, "What are you going to say?"

"Black Friday."

Linda and Val spoke in unison.

The little chubby one laughed, "Haha, I'm looking forward to Black Friday too, where are we going shopping tomorrow?"

Robert shook his head, "This won't do, you should tell him the truth."

"Tell me what?" The little chubby one spread his hands, seeing no one respond, his face fell, "Is it about Maggie?"

The little chubby one looked at Luke, "What happened to Maggie?"

Luke said, "Maggie didn't have anything happen, but the case involving her father is complicated, and the witness protection plan might continue for a long time.

Also, her and her father's identities have been exposed, so they might change to new identities."

The little chubby one lowered his head, remaining silent for a long time, finally asking, "Will they leave Los Angeles?"

"There's that possibility."

"Can I still keep in touch with Maggie?"

"I'm not sure either." Luke was just giving his brother a heads-up; he wasn't sure about the specifics either.

After quite a while, the little chubby one lifted his head, his eyes red, and said with determination, "I... am willing to wait for her.

Yes, as long as we love each other, nothing can stop us from being together."