Luke didn’t actually expect a reward from Takagi, even if the latter had given Luke his card and called him his lifesaver.
He knew very well what the Japanese were like.
The people of this country were modest, trustworthy, polite, and respectful, and attached great importance to social hierarchy.
However, they also had the potential to overturn anything that stood above them, and might burst out on a rampage and turn into bloodthirsty beasts that weren’t bound by any sort of code of conduct.
They also recorded their deeds and passed them down as tales through the generations.
They were a highly complicated and controversial people.
Thus, Luke didn’t expect much from Takagi. While the man had bowed to him, it might have been out of polite habit, and didn’t necessarily mean that he really thought highly of Luke.
All of a sudden, Takagi appeared on camera. “We’re going to transfer the bonds out and upgrade our vault’s security measures. I would like to point out, however, that the power system in Los Angeles is terrible. The blackout in the central district was the reason why the robbers were able to overcome the vault’s final electromagnetic protective measure. We will be suing our power supplier.”
Luke and Selina looked at each other in bewilderment.
After a long time, Luke finally commented, “So that’s how the robbers opened the vault. I was wondering how they got it open without getting the code from Takagi.”
He also knew that it had been the FBI’s idea to cut off the power, since it was hardly possible for regular people, who didn’t even know where the power hub was, to do so.
Only the FBI or police could’ve forced the power supplier to shut down the power.
After Luke told her what the FBI did, Selina laughed out loud. “Will they have to pay damages?”
LAPD shrugged. “LAPD has me, and McClane has his wife, so who can Nakatomi Corporation blame in this case, except the FBI, who barely contributed anything?”
He knew why the FBI had been unfriendly toward him.
They’d made numerous mistakes and hadn’t helped at all. It was possible that whoever was in charge of the case would be demoted.
Luke would be happy to see that happen.
The man’s idiotic subordinates had fired a barrage at him from the helicopter, and Luke would’ve been killed if he hadn’t reacted quickly.
It was already good of him not to ask for an apology or compensation from the FBI.
Luke chatted with Selina for a while before they each took a shower and went to bed.
The next day, Catherine called Luke to tell him that they were leaving for Los Angeles the following day.
Luke was naturally happy about his family’s visit. He promised that he would cover their plane tickets and accommodation fees.
Selina was also delighted.
Robert was like family to her, too, since she started her job under his command at the beginning
Selina volunteered to pick up Luke’s family at the airport, and to look for a hotel for them.
It made things easier for Luke since Selina was willing to help.
They had to be on duty in a couple of days, so they could take turns keeping Luke’s family company.
As Luke made plans for the holiday, his phone rang with a call from Dustin. “What did you do to Takagi? He says that he’s going to give you a million dollars as a personal reward.”
Luke was caught by surprise. “What?”
Dustin smiled. “That’s right, a personal reward from him, not from Nakatomi Corporation. You’re going to be a millionaire, Luke.”
Luke frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that.
Thinking for a moment, he asked, “What will our department get?”
Dustin said, “Nakatomi Corporation is willing to donate 500,000 dollars to our department to upgrade our equipment, like the walkie-talkies for the officers.”
Luke was lost for words. Was Nakatomi Corporation mocking the police? Detective John had let the police know what was going on by chucking the body of one of the robbers out the window instead of contacting them on the walkie-talkie.
Before that, the operator had treated John’s call for help on the walkie-talkie’s emergency channel as a prank call, and had summarily ignored it.
Had it not been for Luke and John, a lot of hostages would’ve died, and a lot of people in LAPD would’ve been punished for it, including the operator.
Of course, American emergency operators were infamous for being unreliable.
That was probably because too many people called 911 as a lark, inevitably leading the operators to regard some real emergency calls as a practical joke.
After a brief silence, Luke asked, “Boss, what’s your suggestion?”
Dustin scratched his head.
Money mattered more than anything else in America. Could he tell Luke to refuse it?
But if Luke accepted it, it would be like a slap to the face for LAPD.
So, Dustin suggested, “If possible, can you keep the matter of Mr. Takagi’s personal reward between the two of you?”
Luke thought for a moment and said, “Alright, boss, I’ll try.”
He found the card that Takagi had given him and gave the man a call.
A moment later, a man said over the phone, “This is Takagi. Who is this?”
Luke replied, “Luke Coulson, the detective. You remember me, right?”
Takagi’s voice immediately turned warmer. “Of course, Mr. Luke. I was going to contact you.”
Luke chuckled. “Mr. Takagi, it’s nice to speak to you again. My colleague tells me that you want to give me a personal reward, is that right?”
Takagi said solemnly, “Yes. This is just a small amount of money. You must take it.”
Luke was amused. He knew that it was inappropriate for him to accept the money, and was well aware that it certainly wasn’t a small amount.
Pondering for a moment, Luke said, “Mr. Takagi, could you change your personal reward? My family is coming to Los Angeles tomorrow, and will be staying for a week. Can you help arrange their accommodation and have them taken around on tour during the week?”
After a brief silence, Takagi said, “That is too small a thing to repay you with.”
Luke chuckled. “Mr. Takagi, I’m a police officer. It’s just my job.”
Takagi, however, also chuckled. “No, Mr. Luke, I know very well that the American police is not obliged to protect any one person. It was not your responsibility to save me.”
For a moment, Luke was stunned. He hadn’t really given it a lot of thought.
He had always considered it his duty to save those in need, and he had saved a lot of them.