Well, as someone who didn’t read comics, Luke was under the impression that it was Alfred who made Batman’s equipment.
Luke was quite confident in his capability.
After all, he could now jump from the third floor of a building without getting hurt.
All he needed to do was streamline certain movements so that his body could take the impact.
He continued working late into the night. Selina checked on him at midnight, but got bored and left. She wasn’t interested in crafting.
Luke took a shower and went to bed at two in the morning.
On January 4, when most people were still enjoying their break, Luke returned to work with Elsa.
Elsa greeted Dustin and gave him some gifts she got in Miami, which weren’t very expensive but quite thoughtful.
Then, Elsa and Luke left the police department.
Luke asked, “What’s the case this time?”
Driving the car, Elsa said, “This case has to be kept confidential.”
Luke asked, “How confidential?”
Elsa said, “Don’t say anything unless the boss asks you.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Got it.” It was possible that Elsa wanted to keep the case under wraps for personal reasons.
Elsa finally said, “The victim in the case is Sheerah. She’s sort of a friend of mine, and is a singer who became popular in the last few years.”
Luke asked, “Oh, do I know her songs?”
Elsa was lost for words. “Forget it. All you need to know is her name. Are young people nowadays not interested in celebrities anymore?”
Luke chuckled. He had always been more interested in songs, movies and TV series themselves than in celebrities.
Elsa continued, “She’s in some kind of trouble, and hearing strange noises at night. She thinks that she might be haunted by a ghost.”
Luke was at a loss. Shouldn’t she have looked for a psychic?
Elsa shook her head. “She’s at an important stage of her career. If a gossipy psychic tells other people that she’s insane, it won’t look good for her.”
Luke said, “But we’re the Major Crimes Division, right? Her situation isn’t really a case we would work on.”
Elsa nodded her head. “That’s right, so I’ve only been looking into it as a personal friend. However, the day before yesterday, she told me that she lost something.”
Luke asked, “What is it?” It had to be something valuable in order for the Major Crimes Division to get involved.
Elsa said, “It’s her diamond pendant, which she bought for 1.3 million at an auction.”
Luke nodded. That was certainly valuable enough.
The Major Crimes Division was officially known as the Robbery and Homicide Division.
Since Sheerah had lost something so expensive, she could demand an investigation because it might’ve been a burglary.
Elsa said, “Also, she said that she felt something the night she lost the pendant; she couldn’t move at all, or wake up. It wasn’t until the next morning that she finally realized that her diamond pendant in the safe was gone.”
Luke asked, “Why didn’t she call the police?”
Elsa said, “For the same reason – how would she explain it? Those police officers certainly wouldn’t keep it a secret for her.”
Luke nodded his head.
The case was troubling for Sheerah, but good for him and Elsa.
Working on cases like this was a way to make friends with the upper class.
When something happened to the rich, they would usually ask detectives they trusted to quietly investigate first before deciding to call the police.
For example, a certain magnate called the police when he lost something, only to discover that it was someone in his family who had stolen it. It had been quite embarrassing for him.
So, a personal connection with a detective was useful.
Takagi was friendly toward Luke for perhaps the same reason.
Very soon, Luke and Elsa arrived at a small stadium.
Luke was a little stunned. “Why are we here?”
Elsa got out. “Because she has a fan meeting here today. That’s what stars do. No matter how much they suffer, they can’t stop appearing in public, or they might lose their popularity.”
Luke shrugged but didn’t say anything.
Elsa was obviously very familiar with Sheerah. Security took one look at her face and let her through the back door.
The security guard who led them in had them wait for a while, since the fan meeting was coming to a close.
Luke looked around backstage curiously.
It wasn’t nearly as interesting as what happened on stage.
Items were scattered haphazardly over the floor, including clothes, makeup, accessories, and various odds and ends which served some unknown purpose.
Elsa coughed and said, “Stop ogling.”
Luke could only shift his gaze, because he happened to be staring at some lingerie.
The star couldn’t have only just taken them off, right?
A moment later, there were cheers from the front, and Elsa stood up. “She should be saying goodbye.”
Elsa and Luke went to the stage corridor, only to see a blond retreating with a bunch of security guards.
Luke, however, felt that something wasn’t right.
Was the situation getting out of control?
There was no telling what started it, but some fans were climbing over the guard rails to get to the star.
People tended to go with the flow. If too many fans mobbed her, she might be in trouble.
Luke frowned. “Something’s wrong. Do we need to help her?”
Elsa noticed that the audience was about to burst onto the stage like a flood.
She quickly said, “Let’s help her. Don’t be too rough.”
As she spoke, she quickly rushed toward the star.
The security guards were obviously very familiar with Elsa. Though surprised, they didn’t shove her away.
Elsa pointed at Luke and shouted, “My colleague and I will help you. Hurry up and get out of here!”
The security guards could only nod. There was no time to speak.
The audience was reaching out like zombies to grab at them.
Instead of going up to Sheerah, Luke simply walked out in front of the security guards and started pushing aside the fans who were in his way.