Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

It was past eight in the evening.

At a crossroads in the city of Los Angeles.

At the northeast corner was a convenience store, fronted by white plastic tables and chairs.

A white man and an Asian woman sat at a table chatting.

A police car was parked nearby, and the passenger side door opened as a middle-aged man in a police uniform stepped out.

If Luke had been there, he would have recognized him as John, the old rookie from the west precinct.

John greeted them with a smile, "Hey, isn't this Detective Jackson? I heard you just cracked a big case."

Jackson replied with a smile, "Yes, it was a series of car bombing robberies and killings, two of which occurred at Kabool Mountain, and another at Santa Monica Beach.

There was more than one criminal, one cunning and the other brutal.

If it weren't for being involved in the investigation, it would be hard to imagine the true identity of the culprit."

The Asian woman spread her hands in exasperation toward John and complained, "come on, he just told me about it, and now that you've brought it up, I bet he'll tell it again."

John chuckled, "Honestly, I wouldn't mind hearing it, I'm a detective fan myself, my favorite being the great detective Poirot, a short, big-bearded old man, very interesting."

Jackson hurriedly suggested, "When do you get off work? Let's have a drink together, it's been a long time since the three of us had a drink."

John shook his head, "I can't tonight, I'm on the night shift. You two go ahead, I'll make it up next time."

"Sizzle..."

John's radio crackled to life.

The dispatcher's voice came through the radio, "A shooting incident has occurred in the Yacai community on Suwei Street.

The assailant is reported to be a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, armed with an M4 rifle, with two casualties reported, all nearby officers please respond immediately."

"Unit 7A15 is nearby; we're on our way to assist."

"The suspect is dangerous, be careful."

"Roger that."

After John spoke, he sighed, "sorry, I have to go."

The Asian woman, looking worried, stood up and pulled out a gun from her lower back to check it, "John, I'll come with you, log some overtime for me." She patted Jackson on the shoulder, "Buddy, see you another time."

Seeing his two former colleagues getting ready to leave, Jackson felt uneasy and stood up too, "I'm coming with you."

John turned around, "Are you sure?"

Jackson's eyes widened as he asserted confidently, "Of course, just like old times, we'll fight side by side."

John smiled, extended his right hand, and they shook hands, "Buddy, welcome back to the team."

The female officer joked, "Jackson, I hope your shooting isn't as bad as it used to be."

"Don't worry, my aim is very deadly now, during this case I even shot the culprit, also a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy.

Despite his young age, he's a tough character.

So, never underestimate the young," he said as they got into the police car and headed for the crime scene.

...

Three minutes later, the squad car entered the Yacai community.

Four people were in the car; a black female officer was driving, John sat in the passenger seat, and Jackson and the Asian female officer, Lucy, were in the back.

Many people in the community's houses stood at their windows, but few dared to come outside.

Jackson, keen-eyed, pointed toward the side of the road not far away, "Hey, there's a woman lying over there, looks like she's bleeding from an injury."

The black female officer parked the car on the side of the road, and all four, fully armed, got out.

A white woman lay by the roadside, shot several times, blood everywhere, her face also smeared with blood, making for a ghastly sight.

Asian female officer Lucy checked her neck, "She's still breathing."

Jackson pointed toward the direction of the door, "Hey, there's a man who's been shot over there too."

John walked over with his gun drawn, checked the man's neck, then shook his head.

The black female officer radioed in, "There's a woman shot on Suwei Street in the Yacai community, she's critical, please send an ambulance immediately."

"Roger that."

The wounded woman seemed to hear the voice, slowly opened her eyes, and said with difficulty, "Save... save my daughter."

"What did you say?" Lucy asked, leaning closer to hear better.

"My daughter… Save her."

Lucy inquired, "Where is your daughter?"

"She drove off in an Audi Q5. That female shooter is after her, stop her, don't let her hurt my daughter."

"What car is the shooter driving?"

"White... Honda sedan." The woman breathed more out than in, struggling to speak.

The black officer asked, "Which direction did they drive off in?"

"East, the shooter has a gun, she's very dangerous, she wants to kill my daughter… please… you must."

"We will," Lucy assured.

"My husband… is he… is he still there?" the woman cried and choked.

Lucy shook her head, "I'm sorry… please accept our condolences."

The woman sobbed softly, "She's crazy... just started shooting, why does she want to kill us? Why?"

The black officer said, "Don't get agitated, we will save your daughter, just rest now, the ambulance is on its way."

The black female officer then directly instructed, "Lucy, you stay here.

John, Jackson, get in the car with me."

The three got into the car, the black officer turned on the siren and lights, and they sped through the streets unimpeded.

Jackson looked back and asked, "Will she be alright?"

The black policewoman shook her head, "I checked just now, her injuries are severe, the bullet hit a vital area, I estimate... she might not make it to the hospital."

Jackson sighed lightly, the atmosphere inside the car was somewhat oppressive.

Only John's voice could be heard through the radio, as he kept in contact with other colleagues via the radio, sharing information on the suspect's location.

This was the biggest advantage of the police arrest, once the suspect's car was identified, nearby patrol officers would assist in the arrest, reporting the direction of the suspicious vehicle.

Minutes later, Jackson's police car finally caught up with the suspect's car.

In the distance, a white Honda sedan could be seen speeding along.

Faint gunshots could also be heard.

Jackson observed carefully and saw a hand holding a handgun sticking out of the Honda's driver's window, firing ahead.

The black policewoman said, "Hold tight, I'm going to intercept."

John, sitting in the passenger seat, quickly grabbed the upper right handle, "Do we have to do this?"

"The gunman keeps shooting, it's easy to cause accidental injuries on the highway, and the suspect might know the police are chasing her, which would likely make it harder to catch her later.

I've seen too many cases slip through, I don't want that happening to me."

John swallowed, "Alright, you're right. Johnson, hang on tight."

The black policewoman stepped on the gas, and the car's speed accelerated again, exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, rapidly approaching the left rear of the Honda.

The Honda in front seemed to notice, swerving to the left, blocking the policewoman's attempt to intercept.

John reminded, "If you can't intercept, slow down. The guy up ahead is using a spike strip, let's not get accidentally hurt."

The black policewoman slowed down.

From above, if a helicopter were looking down, it would see three cars in a chase: the first, an Audi Q5; the second, a white Honda sedan; and the third, a black police car.

A few hundred meters ahead of the three cars on the right side, a police car was parked, an officer opened the trunk, taking out a spike strip.

"Whoosh," the Audi raced past.

The Honda also approached speedily, and just then, the officer threw the spike strip onto the road.

"Pop!" The right rear tire of the Honda ran over the spike strip.

"Bang!" It blew out instantly.

The car began to sway from side to side, it was clear that the Honda was pulling to the right, not easy for the driver to control, forcing her to slow down.

The black policewoman stepped on the gas again, catching up and directly hitting the left rear side of the Honda.

"Bang!"

Both vehicles were moving fast, and after the collision, the Honda immediately went out of control, pivoting and directly crashing into the right-side greenbelt, hitting a railing.

Jackson, John, and the black policewoman got out of their car, guns in hand, and approached the Honda, "LAPD, put your hands up, don't make any sudden moves."

"Don't move!"

"Put your hands where I can see them."

The three officers surrounded the driver's compartment, peering through the window to assess the situation inside.

A girl about sixteen or seventeen years old was sitting in the driver's seat, her head seemingly banged up, hands on the dashboard, and below in the passenger side lay two guns, an M4 rifle and a black handgun.

Jackson recognized the girl immediately; she was the sister of the Santa Monica beach robbery-murder suspect; the last time they met, she had left a profound impression on him.

Jackson remembered her name, Anna James.

Jackson and John, guns in hand, aimed at Anna while the black policewoman opened the car door.

"Put your hands on your head, get out."

Anna said, "I'm injured."

"Stop the nonsense, get out immediately." The black policewoman was unsympathetic.

Jackson, also with his gun aimed, dared not relax, having seen this girl's father throw grenades, the whole family was notorious.

"Get out!"

Anna grunted but still complied with the police's orders, putting her hands on her head and getting out of the car, lying on the ground.

The black policewoman held her down and swiftly handcuffed her.

Jackson holstered his gun, "Search her, see if she has any other dangerous items on her."

Anna turned to look at Jackson, "I know you.

You're the damned cop who took away my brother."

"That's right, I'm the detective in charge of your brother's robbery-murder case." Jackson glanced at the weapons in the car, "Last time, we confiscated your family's weapons, where did these guns come from?"

Anna sneered, "Our house has plenty of guns, you only took some of them."

Jackson frowned, "Why would you shoot to kill?"

Anna replied, "You should know why my brother would rob and kill, it's because that woman Hope seduced my boyfriend, which led to everything that happened afterward.

It was Hope who ruined my father and brother.

She deserves to die."

Jackson looked at this woman, thinking she was unreasonable, "Even if you had issues with her, why kill her parents? They were innocent."

"Aren't my brother and my father innocent too? They did it only to protect me.

Now I've lost them.

It's all that woman's fault, and I want her to feel the pain of losing loved ones as well."

Jackson shook his head, "You are insane."

"John, she's dangerous, be very careful." After finishing, Jackson ran forward to check on the Audi.

After the Honda was intercepted by the police car, the Audi also stopped at the roadside.

From a distance, Jackson could hear a piercing cry.

Moving closer, a white girl was sitting inside the driver's seat crying; her right shoulder was wounded by a gunshot, and her face and neck were also cut by glass, but at that moment, she seemed too absorbed in her crying to care about the pain.

Jackson looked at the scene, unsure of how to provide comfort, simply stood silently beside her.