It wasn’t because they were heartless, but because they had limited time as detectives
In American TV series, many detectives would never give up until they got to the bottom of a case.
But the truth was that detectives weren’t allowed to do that at all.
Pursuing one case meant that there were other cases that weren’t being investigated. Their boss would have their heads if they obsessed over a single case.
Even if they might be interested in a particular case, they could only investigate in their spare time.
That was also the difference between police detectives and private detectives. The former were supposed to maintain order in society, while the latter were hired to investigate specific cases.
Then, Selina asked Luke about his trip to Paris, and looked at the photos of him and Elena.
Selina was quite jealous.
She said in disappointment, “Why wasn’t I part of this fun trip? I want to shop in Paris and sunbathe in Marseilles too.”
Luke chuckled. “I’m off to Vegas in a few days. Want to come with me?”
Selina was delighted for one brief moment, before she shook her head. “I doubt I can. I’m very busy right now.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s alright. We can go somewhere later. Did I tell you that Elsa might get a promotion?”
Selina thought for a moment and nodded. “I’ve heard whispers, but how does that have anything to do with me?”
Luke said, “If she’s promoted, I can apply for you to be my partner again.”
Selina was surprised. “But didn’t you say that we should establish our own network of connections first in the next few months?”
Luke said, “Elsa and I are quite close. I can make use of most of her resources as long as I share the credit with her. We were shut out in the Major Crimes Division back in Houston, but Dustin and Elsa are both on our side here. It’s not a problem for us to be partners again!”
Selina grew excited. “Really?”
Luke said, “Yes. I’ve talked to Elsa about it, and she has no objections, as long as she can become my boss.”
Selina asked, “How long will it take? A year?”
Luke said, “It’ll be two months at most, or maybe a month if she’s lucky.”
Selina exclaimed, “Oh, that’s great!”
Luke chuckled. “Are you happy now? Get up and wash the dishes.”
Selina complained, “I just realized that I’m still full. I still need to rest a bit more.”
Ignoring her lousy acting, Luke rose and said, “Anyway, it’s your job. I’m going to take a shower.”
By the time he finished his shower, Selina had already done the dishes in the kitchen.
Luke shook his head with a smile and started doing online searches again on his laptop.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day, Luke and Selina drove their own cars to work.
Selina was reinvigorated, because she had had breakfast cooked by Luke that morning. There was even a new batch of cupcakes for her to bring to work.
Naturally, she was in a great mood.
After they entered the police department, Luke saw Elsa at her desk. She had obviously recovered from her jet lag.
She greeted Luke when he went over.
Luke put the paper bag he was holding on the desk and said with a smile, “Homemade cupcakes for you as a snack.”
Elsa was a little surprised. She wasn’t a foodie, but she couldn’t help but try one of the cupcakes.
But she regretted it several minutes later.
Privacy and distance were appreciated in America, but who was Elsa? She was one of the most experienced detectives in the Major Crimes Division. She had groomed five detectives in this division, who were sort of her students, and she and the rest were close as well.
But when friends got too close, they could become unscrupulous.
Elsa didn’t consider the cupcakes a big deal, but other people certainly did.
Dustin happened to pass by the desk. Noticing the cupcakes in the bag, he picked up one and said, “Thanks for breakfast, Elsa. I didn’t have anything this morning.”
Elsa didn’t realize how bad the situation was yet. She was only thinking that the cupcake tasted pretty good.
Then, Billy Wang, a Chinese detective, leaned in and said, “Oh, I didn’t have anything, either. Thanks, Elsa.” He reached out to take a cupcake.
Another female officer named Melinda also came over and said, “Elsa! You remembered that I love cupcakes! Thank you!” She grabbed one of the cupcakes and fled.
That wasn’t the end of it. Several more detectives joined in.
They said similar things, and poached the last two cupcakes in the bag.
The detectives who came late could only scatter without cupcakes.
But one of the detectives, who was more shameless than the rest, exclaimed, “Elsa, bring more next time! I brought a dozen donuts last time for everybody in the office.”
Elsa couldn’t have felt any more regretful. She only had one of the cupcakes! These jerks!
More importantly, it was quite delicious and could sell for three to five dollars each at the shops. Was it the same as cheap donuts?
Bad decision! That was the only thought in her head.
Had she known how good Luke’s homemade cupcakes were, she would’ve kept them to herself instead of leaving them out.
Those detectives who had robbed her of the cupcakes were all people she was very close to, and she couldn’t ask for anything from them in return. That was the most heartbreaking thing for her.
She finally glanced at Luke and said, “Couldn’t you give the cupcakes to me when they weren’t around?”
Luke smiled but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t his fault that Elsa couldn’t protect the cupcakes that he had given her.
After Elsa finished her lone cupcake, Luke asked, “What’s our new case?”
Elsa tossed the case file at him, and Luke read it.
“It really is a tricky case.” Elsa explained, “The victim is one William Johnson, who was shot in the head in his car. He was in the real estate business. According to our files, he’s linked to multiple extortion and injury cases. The word is that he was also involved in several murder cases in some old buildings which he owned.”
Luke read the file and Elsa’s notes, then said, “So, he was the leader of a gang, and it was only a matter of time before he was killed?”