Bell had to be in some kind of trouble.
She was a great driver, and the license plates on her cab could be switched out. She didn’t race all the time, either. How could the police have caught her?
Luke remembered the unlucky officer who had been with her, and felt that he had his answer.
Putting the thought out of his mind, he returned to his apartment and began to craft equipment.
He finally completed a few pieces in the evening.
One of them was very small. It was a backup device that he intended to install on the A8 that had the money.
If he succeeded, it would be practically impossible for the A8 to run away.
The other two devices were a little like landmines, except that the damage would be centered on the vehicle and not the people inside.
What Luke was really worried about was the women’s racing skills.
Based on the files that Elsa had obtained, at least one of the women, presumably the lady driver he had seen before, was as adept at driving as Bell was.
Luke still vividly remembered her unique, electrifying eyes.
In the end, it was appearance and wealth which mattered most.
Why was Dr. Bruce Banner’s life so miserable, and Tony Stark so popular? The only reason was that the doctor was both ugly and poor.
Night had fallen by the time Elsa knocked on Luke’s door after work.
She came in, her head aching, and said, “Do you know what Bell did? She was involved in illegal car-racing, ran multiple red lights, and destroyed public property.”
Luke asked, “Did she crash into a building?”
Elsa said, “…Not exactly, but she broke a fire hydrant in the middle of the street.”
Luke was speechless. “Can we get her car released?”
Elsa said, “It was troublesome, but I did it. Here’s the paperwork. She can claim the car at the Transportation Bureau tomorrow.” She gave Luke a sheet of paper.
Luke accepted it and asked again, “Anything else?”
Elsa said, “NYPD hasn’t given in yet. They’re also asking us to share intelligence with them first.”
Luke was amused. “Why? Because Berit has a pretty face?”
Though Elsa was more or less on par with him in looks.
NYPD had a good plan, but LAPD wasn’t stupid, either.
LAPD had expended a lot for Sergei’s case; it was NYPD’s turn to do the same for the bank robberies.
Berit hadn’t exactly been friendly toward Luke and Elsa so far.
Luke shook his head and said, “I’ll take another look at the robbers. It’s been a long day. You get some rest.”
Elsa followed his advice and returned to her own apartment.
Luke made a call as he went out. “Bell, are you home?… This is Jessi’s home, not yours? Okay, I have news on your baby. Don’t you miss him?… Hehe. That’s the spirit. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
Bell arrived quickly. However, the person who came with her made Luke’s eye twitch.
Shoot! Why was the harbinger of disaster here, too?
Bell laughed and ran to Luke. “Where is he? Where’s my baby?”
Luke stared emotionlessly at the guy next to her. “Who’s this guy?”
The young man stretched out one hand with a smile. “I’m Watson. You must be Jessi, right?”
His face gloomy, Luke ignored the hand and said, “Bell, can you have him go away first? I don’t want anything to happen to us.”
The young man was dumbfounded.
Bell smiled. “Watson, go back to your mother’s place first. I’m busy right now. Also, he’s just a renter; my boyfriend Jessi is black. Is that clear?”
Watson left with the same hapless look on his face.
Luke didn’t know what to say as he watched Watson walk away.
Finally, he gave the sheet of paper to Bell. “Take this and go claim your car at the Transportation Bureau. By the way, I may need your car in a day or two.”
Bell was amazed when she looked at the paper. “Not a problem. I’ll go get it immediately.”
Luke said blankly, “They would have gotten off work by now, right?”
Bell grinned. “Alright, stop pretending. This isn’t a regular document at all. Look at the signature – ‘Major Crimes Division’! Anyone with this sort of certification will be able to get their car whenever they want. Haha, I didn’t expect to see something like this in real life. I heard that this is a privilege only informants have. Wait, you don’t want me to be an informant, do you?”
There was hesitation on her plump face.
Luke rolled his eyes. “Forget it. By the way, if you work for the guy who just left, your car may burn to ashes next time.”
Bell was stunned. “How did you know?”
Luke chuckled. “The first time I met Watson, he tried to commandeer my bike, only to cause a car pile up. You better stop hanging around someone like him. Has it never occurred to you that you’re particularly unlucky whenever you’re with him?”
Bell thought for a moment, and was creeped out.
She realized that it was true that she had been unlucky ever since she met the guy. She lost her car, had a fight with her boyfriend, and had almost been killed by a bunch of robbers.
Luke said, “You better get your car back as soon as possible and make sure it’s good to go. I need you to help me catch some tough criminals who’re good at driving.”
Bell was stunned. “Tough criminals who’re good at driving?”
Luke chuckled. “You didn’t catch the news? The criminals who robbed two banks in Manhattan had a BMW 760Li.”
Bell exclaimed, “You’re after those women,
too?”
Luke was puzzled. “Huh?”
The news hadn’t mentioned that the robbers were women.
How did Bell know that the robbers were female? Oh, right, they had held her at gunpoint yesterday.
Bell smiled bitterly. “I was caught by the police while I was chasing them.”
Luke said in amusement, “It’s time to get your revenge. Keep your chin up.”
Bell nodded and said, “I’ll go get my car. I have to get my baby back and fix it up as soon as possible.”
They said goodbye and went their separate ways.
Luke rode his bike to the warehouse where the robbers were hiding. He knocked out five gangsters on his way with the iron balls, and earned 65 experience and credit points.
He stopped his bike a hundred meters away from the warehouse and activated his bugs.
There was nothing to be heard. Luke activated the electronic reconnaissance function on his fake phone, before he pressed on.
He found a familiar window, and climbed inside.
He observed the warehouse, only to discover that the A8 which contained the money was covered with a dark plastic tarpaulin and parked in an inconspicuous corner.