Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Inside the black SUV, Little Black muttered while driving, "This governor candidate gives speeches by day and seeks escorts by night, he's truly full of energy."

Jackson, sitting in the passenger seat, shrugged, "Henrik Laurie's wife is in the adjacent bedroom, why would he still look for an escort?"

"Haha…" Little Black laughed, as if hearing a joke, "No matter how much someone likes bread, occasionally they'll want to try something new.

Buddy, you'll understand when you get married."

Jackson stared out the window, somewhat lost in thought, "I still can't understand why a governor candidate would sneak out of a hotel at night, look for an escort, and go to a bar alone.

It completely doesn't fit his image."

"Everyone has two sides, and these politicians even more so. They put on a facade during the day, and let loose at night, it's perfectly normal." Little Black paused for a moment, then asked, "Speaking of letting loose, I was reminded of that escort, Sharan Sunda, she's got such a good demeanor, I never expected her to be in this line of work."

Jackson said, "Perhaps, she has her own difficulties."

Little Black said, "Actually, I'm more curious if her doctor boyfriend knows about this."

Jackson shook his head with a chuckle, "Your interests are always so novel."

"People need to maintain a certain level of curiosity, don't they? Otherwise, what's the point of living?"

Amidst idle chatter, the car arrived at the entrance of Nasim Bar.

Luke and the other two got out of the car. The surrounding streets were a bit rundown, with just an old sign hanging outside the bar, and there was a faint smell of urine wafting around.

Jackson frowned slightly, "The bar at the Four Seasons Hotel is much better than this."

Little Black said, "The most important thing about a bar isn't the environment, but the atmosphere. Some people just like this kind of bar atmosphere; it makes them more comfortable and relaxed."

Jackson glanced at Little Black, "Suddenly realizing you know a lot."

Little Black patted him on the shoulder, "Take your time to learn, rookie."

Luke ignored the two, observed the surroundings of the bar, and then walked inside.

The bar wasn't lit, and it was somewhat dim, but one could still vaguely see the layout, and the decor was quite simple, somewhat resembling a western style.

Behind the bar counter, a middle-aged Mexican man was wiping glasses, "Good afternoon, gentlemen, what would you like to drink?"

Little Black joked, "Your bar really knows how to save, can't even bother to turn on the lights."

"Very few customers come to the bar this early." The bartender turned on the bar lights but it still wasn't very bright, "The three of you look unfamiliar, is it your first time at our bar?"

Luke showed his badge, "LAPD, we're here to investigate a case, and we would like your bar to assist us."

The bartender sighed, "Meeting police first thing in the morning, that's not a good omen."

"Don't be so hasty." Luke took out twenty US Dollars, "This is your tip."

"Thank you, to be honest, it's the first time I've seen such a generous police officer." The bartender nodded with a smile, "Officer, is there anything I can help you with?"

Luke took out a picture of Henrik Laurie, "Have you seen this person? He came to the bar yesterday wearing a white baseball cap, around two in the morning."

"I vaguely remember, he was wearing a shirt and trousers, usually, bar visitors aren't dressed so formally, this guy looked like he had money, really stood out." The bartender pointed to a table diagonally across, "If I recall correctly, he sat there, ordered a beer or rum, I can't remember exactly."

Luke turned and looked at the spot the bartender pointed to, "Did he come alone, or was he with someone else?"

The bartender thought for a while, "Seems like he was... no wait, I vaguely recall another person was there...

Sorry, there are too many bar guests, I can't remember everyone's situation."

Luke said, "I'd like to see the surveillance footage of your bar."

"I can't decide on that, I'll have to inform our boss."

"Then go inform now, while the bar is empty, we can check the footage and leave, it won't disrupt your business."

The bartender nodded, "Sounds fair enough."

...

The bar's surveillance room was in a somewhat narrow room.

Little Black looked at the rudimentary equipment and complained, "I was right, this bar sure knows how to save, only two cameras for the whole bar, one inside and one at the entrance."

"Better than none," Jackson sat down, opened his laptop, and started examining the surveillance footage.

Since they knew the general time Henrik Laurie had come to the bar, it was easy to find his surveillance footage.

Around two in the morning, Henrik Laurie's figure appeared outside the bar, Jackson reviewed the footage repeatedly, confirming, "He entered the bar alone."

Then, Jackson switched to the indoor bar surveillance for the same time, Henrik Laurie entered, ordered a drink, and sat at the table diagonally across, his gaze occasionally scanning around, as if searching for someone, or perhaps just admiring the surroundings.

Jackson said, "From the footage, you can see several bar patrons checking out Henrik Laurie. Could they have already recognized who he was?"

Luke said, "No one would think a governor candidate would come to a place like this. His shirt and trousers made him stand out, so it's normal to get looks."

Jackson asked, "Why didn't he change clothes for a night out?"

Little Black chuckled, "Maybe all his clothes are the same."

"Guys, there's a new find." Jackson pointed at the screen, "Around 2:15, a white man with a drink sat at his table, they sat together for ten minutes, and it looked like they knew each other.

Could Henrik Laurie have come to the bar just to see this person?"

Luke said, "Get a clear screenshot of that white guy."

Jackson worked the controls and eventually saved a fairly clear screenshot that roughly captured the white man's appearance.

Luke took a picture with his phone, "Keep watching the footage."

According to the footage, around 2:30, Henrik Laurie stood up and left the bar.

Jackson switched to the outdoor surveillance, "He left alone; that white guy remained in the bar drinking.

Wait, after Henrik Laurie left, he didn't hail a cab by the roadside but headed into the alley next door.

What's he going there for?"

While Luke was pondering, Little Black spoke up, "A person leaves the bar in a hurry to head into an alley nearby, there are usually four possibilities.

If it's two people, they're likely going to play poker.

If it's one person, then it's either to puke, do drugs, or take a piss.

Henrik Laurie only had one drink, so it's unlikely he was drunk, making the probability of vomiting low.

That leaves only two possibilities: urinating or taking drugs."

Luke gave a thumbs up, "Very logical analysis."

Jackson replayed the video, scrutinizing it, and said, "After Henrik Laurie left the bar, I noticed another figure who also went into the alley.

That's right, Henrik Laurie might have been followed."

Luke asked, "Was it the white guy who was drinking with Henrik Laurie earlier?"

Jackson said, "No, the one following Henrik Laurie out of the bar appeared to be a black man. The surveillance footage isn't clear, and the lighting is dim, so the features are hard to make out, but it seems like this black man has a tattoo on the back of his neck."

Luke also checked the video, which was indeed somewhat blurry, and said, "Send the video to the tech department and have them process it."

"Understood."

Luke left the surveillance room and returned to the bar counter.

The bartender asked, "Officer, would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you." Luke took out his phone, brought up the screenshot of the white man who was drinking with Henrik Laurie, and asked, "Do you recognize this man?"

The bartender looked at it and said, "It's not very clear."

"You should complain to the boss, the bar's surveillance is too poor. Take another good look."

"Hamill, I think it's him."

"Does he come to the bar often?"

"About once or twice a week."

"What's his full name?"

"I don't know."

"Where does he live?"

"I haven't inquired."

"How can I find him?"

"Sorry, I really don't know. He usually comes alone, and I don't pay much attention to him.

If you want to find him, you can come to the bar at night, he usually comes after ten."

Luke took out the screenshot of the black man who followed Henrik Laurie out of the bar, "Do you recognize him?"

The bartender shook his head, "No, this photo is too blurry, I can't make out the features."

Luke pointed at the back of the black man's neck, "What about his tattoo?"

"There are many customers with tattoos at the bar, I don't have any impression."

Luke put away his phone and left a business card, "If you think of any clues, remember to contact me."

"I will."

Leaving the bar, Luke and the two others returned to the car, Jackson turned and asked, "What do we do now?"

The young black man said, "Do we even need to ask? Of course, we need to find those two guys."

Jackson shrugged, "I understand that, I mean, how can we find them?

Why don't you come up with a plan?"

Luke interrupted the two, "Assign a few officers to come to the bar for surveillance tonight. If they encounter these two people, bring them back for questioning."

The young black man suggested, "Should I stay here to watch?"

Luke thought for a moment, "We've already shown our faces earlier, it might be more appropriate for Raymond to watch."

"OK, you're the boss."

...

The next morning.

At the detective bureau.

Luke arrived earlier than usual and first went to Reid's office to report on his work.

Later, he returned to the Robbery and Murder Department to convene a meeting with the team.

Luke looked around at everyone and said, "Folks, let's talk about the progress of the investigation."

Jenny replied, "Everything is normal at the Four Seasons Hotel; neither Hans Dragon nor Mrs. Laurie have received any extortion calls."

Luke frowned, this kind of normalcy is rather abnormal.

Raymond said, "Last night, I had people keeping watch at the Nasim Bar but didn't find the two suspicious individuals in contact with Henrik Laurie."

Luke said, "That white man who drank at the same table with Henrik Laurie is a regular at the bar and is likely living nearby.

Tonight, continue the surveillance with your people. If you can't find the white male himself, ask the bar patrons if they know him."

"Understood."

"The tech team processed the video and sent two clearer videos." Jackson stood up and played the video on the projector.

The deputy team leader put on his glasses and, pointing to the projector, said, "I feel like the tattoo on the black man following Henrik Laurie looks familiar."

Jackson asked, "Deputy, do you know this man?"

"I don't know him, I just said his tattoo looks familiar, it's very similar to a gang tattoo pattern.

But which gang it is specifically, I can't remember."

Port said, "There are hundreds of gangs, big and small, in Los Angeles, and many have specific tattoos. Determining which gang's tattoo this is will take a lot of time."

The deputy laughed, "Why not ask David?

He should be more familiar with these gang members."