The Christmas break in America was usually two weeks long, and ran from 22 December to 5 January in the new year.
Many people also took annual leave during this time, which meant that they got a one-month holiday.
In the end, Catherine said that she would consider it. Even if they did visit L.A., they would celebrate Christmas at home first.
Luke said that it was fine, and declared that he would pay for their trip.
Robert wasn’t happy. “You think you’re rich now, boy?”
Luke gloated. “Haha, I just received a two thousand-dollar reward for cracking a case. How does that sound?”
Robert was defeated. He didn’t know what to say.
Shackelford was too small a town. There was barely any reward money here, unless he ran into drug dealers.
“Fine, you can pay for our trip.” Robert gnashed his teeth and gave the phone to Catherine.
Catherine was amused as she watched the two men bicker, and hung up after exchanging a few more words with Luke.
“Why are you always fighting with Luke?” asked Catherine with a smile.
Robert snorted. “That boy is getting arrogant! I’ll have to teach him a lesson in L.A. this time.”
Catherine was lost for words for a moment. “Fine. The both of you can do whatever you want.”
There was something that Robert didn’t tell his wife.
What sort of case could lead to a two thousand-dollar reward?
A victim might give the officer who cracked their case money as a token of appreciation. That would be for a regular case.
If the money was from the police department, however, two thousand dollars was certainly a lot. It would definitely have been a tough case.
Robert was worried that Luke might’ve pissed off some troublesome gang or people now that Luke was no longer under his protection.
Of course, Robert didn’t know that Luke’s capability was beyond his imagination, or that Luke would soon be reaping more reward money again.
Luke hung up the phone. He shook his head at Selina, who was also making a call.
Selina must be talking to her family, too.
They were both apart from their families and busy at work. The holiday season would be a difficult time for them.
Thankfully, he and Selina still had each other.
After Selina hung up, Luke asked, “Did Sandra ask you to go home, too?”
Selina nodded. “Yes, but it’s not that easy. The police department’s not paying us for nothing. Maybe next year.”
Luke chuckled and rubbed her head. “Alright, let’s have dinner.”
Selina’s mood lifted at the mention of food. “What are we having today?”
Luke asked, “Was the roast chicken delicious?”
Selina nodded quickly. “Yes. Are we having that again?”
Luke shook his head. “No, it’s something new. It’s my special honey chicken today.”
Selina exclaimed, “What?” Why did he bother making something new, when the previous dish was delicious enough?
By the time Luke brought out the honey chicken, however, Selina’s complaints had completely disappeared.
She took a deep breath of the fantastic smell of the fragrant meat.
Luke grinned inwardly.
The honey chicken wasn’t actually made with honey, but with char siu sauce.
Char siu sauce looked just as appetizing on chicken as it did on char siu; and the crimson chicken smelled sweet and appealing.
Even Luke, who didn’t like sweets, couldn’t hold back anymore.
Luke quickly cut the chicken and gave Selina a leg first, while he had the chicken breast.
“Well, it doesn’t taste bad, but the chicken breast is a little tough. I should probably cook them separately next time,” Luke remarked, not entirely satisfied with his cooking.
It took Selina a while to reply, because she was too busy devouring the chicken leg. “Well… I think… I think this is… this is more delicious… than the chicken before.”
Luke said helplessly, “Don’t talk with food in your mouth.”
In the end, he only had one third of the chicken, and the rest went to Selina’s stomach.
He shook his head with a smile when Selina grinned happily. He threw the dishes into the kitchen, too lazy to wash them.
Everybody was on holiday!
Hearing the laugh track for the boring soap opera on TV, Luke felt homesick for the first time.
More and more people took leave in the next few days. Even the Major Crimes Division was half-empty.
Detectives were still human, and also had families.
Even Elsa, who struck Luke as an iron lady, flew back to Miami on 22 December for the holiday. Luke was quite jealous.
Miami was a warm place where people could swim even during Christmas; there was sure to be plenty of gorgeous girls and guys out and about.
Well, Los Angeles was also alright. It was much better than New York, at least.
Since Elsa was on vacation, Luke simply signed up for duty on the 22nd and 23rd.
That way, he wouldn’t have to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas, unless there was a major incident.
Donald had also taken leave, so Selina simply applied for duty alongside Luke.
Selina brought up the fact that they would probably be celebrating Christmas by themselves in their apartment.
Luke, however, chuckled at that. “Excuse me, but I have a date on Christmas Eve, and I might not be home that night.”
Selina was stunned. “What? A date? With who?”
With an indecipherable look on his face, Luke said, “Jimena.”
Selina thought for a moment, before she said, “Your ex-girlfriend? Why is she in Los Angeles?”
Luke shrugged and said, “She’s studying at a small college in Los Angeles.”
Selina found that odd. “Did she contact you?”
Luke shook his head. “Not exactly. It was a pure coincidence. You remember the case Elsa took from Donald? The victim was called Kiyoshi, or something like that.”
Selina nodded. “I do. Donald was pretty relieved that you guys took that tough case.”
Luke was speechless. “Then why did you tell me that Donald was angry, and that you put in a good word for me? You even asked me to reward you with noodles, didn’t you?”
Selina said, “Huh? Did I? I don’t remember now. Let’s go back to Jimena. How is she related to the Japanese guy?”
Luke continued with his explanation. “When I was investigating the Japanese guy’s workplace, I noticed that he had been renovating the last few floors of Nakatomi Plaza, and Jimena’s a receptionist there.”
Selina said, “Hm, wait, is that her part-time job?”
Luke said, “To be more precise, it’s an internship organized by her school. Nakatomi Corporation makes a lot of money. Jimena’s college asked if any of the students wanted to work at the company, and Jimena volunteered. I heard that the pay for interns is very good.”