Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Luke took out his phone and opened a photo. In the picture was a piece of torn cotton cloth with the same cloud pattern on it, and the bloodstained words 'Lowly people should not live in this world.'

The hand towels provided by the restaurant closely resembled the cotton cloth found in the mouth of the deceased Nancy in both material and cloud pattern.

Luke guessed that the murderer might have visited this restaurant, or at least had some sort of connection with it.

Luke sent the restaurant name and address to Little Black, with a message, "Arrive within twenty minutes, or don't bother."

Daisy, sitting next to him, handed over the menu, "I've ordered already. What would you like?"

Luke took the menu and glanced at the waitress nearby, "Do you have any recommended dishes?"

The waitress said, "I recommend the baked snails, freshly flown in from France."

Luke had tried baked snails before and he did not like them very much.

The waitress was experienced and seemed to notice Luke's disinterest in the dish, so she continued recommending, "You could also try the caviar, which is imported by air from the Bear's country."

Whether it was because of the hand towel or her recommended dishes not suiting his taste, Luke had lost his appetite.

Luke put down the menu and pointed to the hand towels beside him, "Your restaurant's hand towels are very nice. Can they be purchased elsewhere?"

The waitress smiled and said, "No, they are specially made for our restaurant. If you like them, you can take one as a souvenir."

"I see. Let's just order these for now."

"Certainly, sir," the waitress nodded, took the menu, and left.

Daisy noticed something was off with Luke, "What's wrong? The restaurant isn't to your liking?"

"The case I'm investigating may be related to this restaurant."

Daisy whispered, "Is it serious?"

"No, I suspect the killer may have dined here, and I've sent a message to a colleague who I estimate will arrive soon."

Daisy took a sip of water, "Looks like the killer has good taste."

"Sorry, I can't join you for this meal, but I'll make it up next time."

Daisy leaned forward on the table, "Is this payback for me leaving halfway through our last time in Las Vegas?"

Luke laughed, "You caught me."

"We're even now, and I don't feel so guilty."

The restaurant was quick to serve their dishes.

It wasn't long before the waitress brought out the first course, pan-seared foie gras with scallops.

Daisy took a bite and nodded, "It's not bad. Don't you want to try?"

"No." Luke frowned slightly, his attitude firm.

Daisy licked her lips, seemingly thinking of something, "Is the killer very brutal?"

"It's better you don't know too much."

Daisy said, "Actually, the way chefs cook animals in various ways is quite cruel to them as well. Once you understand that, it gets easier."

Luke thought to himself, that's because you haven't seen the actual crime scene; humans and animals are ultimately different.

Just as the second course was served, Little Black strode quickly into the restaurant.

Luke was surprised, "How did you get here so fast?"

"I've already refused you once, how could I make you wait a second time.

Besides, I've been keeping an eye on this restaurant for a while now, hearing that the dishes are fabulous," Little Black said eagerly, then glanced at Daisy,

"Wow, Miss Miller is here too. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Not at all, please take a seat," Daisy gestured to the seat beside her.

Luke didn't speak but handed the hand towel to Little Black.

"Thanks." Little Black took it and wiped his face, sensing that something was off, "I'm really not disturbing you, am I?

Is this blue lobster? Wow, I've never seen one this big."

Luke said, "I didn't invite you here for a meal."

"Then why did you ask me to come?" Little Black looked puzzled, glanced at Daisy, then whispered to Luke,

"You're not short on money and need my help with the bill, are you? This restaurant is expensive, and I didn't bring that much cash with me."

Luke pointed to the hand towel, "Take a closer look."

He wasn't trying to be mysterious, but felt that Little Black's observation skills were a bit weak. As his partner, Luke felt it was his duty to train him.

Little Black picked up the hand towel and examined it for a while, "You've used this?"

Luke "..."

Daisy also laughed, "You're right, he has indeed used it."

Little Black waved it off, addressing Daisy, "It's okay, we're the best partners, very close. We have the best relationship in the entire Robbery and Murder Department."

Daisy nodded, "I can see that, you two do seem very compatible."

As his own partner, Luke didn't want Little Black to be embarrassed in front of Daisy, so he showed him the photo on his phone.

Little Black's mouth fell open, "OMG, this hand towel is the same as the one found in the victim's mouth!"

Daisy looked upset, "The killer stuffed the hand towel in the victim's mouth?"

"That's right, and then burned her to a crisp, to be exact."

Daisy "..."

Luke reminded Little Black, "That's enough," then comforted Daisy, "Don't take it to heart, there's still a difference between humans and animals."

Daisy pressed her forehead, "Can you call the waitress to see if we can cancel the remaining dishes?"

Luke called the waitress over.

The waitress approached with a smile, "Sir, how may I assist you?"

"Please cancel the rest of the dishes for our table."

"Do our dishes not suit your taste?"

"Personal reasons."

"Alright, I'll cancel them for you right away," the waitress operated the tablet for a moment, "Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"The bill, and please ask the manager of your restaurant to come over, I have some other matters to discuss with him."

"Is it about the dishes?"

"No."

"Okay, please wait."

Soon, the waitress came with the bill. Luke paid and also gave a tip.

Luke escorted Daisy out of the restaurant.

Little Black asked, "Did I mess up?"

"No, you helped me save some money."

A man in a black suit approached, "Sir, I am the restaurant manager Alex Mitchell. I heard a waiter say you were looking for me."

Flashing his badge, Marcus said, "I am Detective Marcus from the Robbery and Murder Department, and this is my associate, Deputy Chief Luke."

"What can I do for you gentlemen?"

Reaching for the towel on the table, Luke asked, "These towels, besides this restaurant, can they be bought anywhere else?"

"No, they are custom-made for our restaurant. Is there an issue with this towel?"

Showing an image on his phone to Alex, Luke inquired, "Is this towel from your restaurant?"

After a careful examination, Alex asked, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Is it?"

"Yes, it is."

"We are investigating a murder case. The killer stuffed the towel from your restaurant into the victim's mouth to prevent them from crying out before killing them."

"That's horrible!" Alex gasped, realizing the severity of the issue, "I swear to God, Deputy Chief Luke, our restaurant has nothing to do with this."

Luke got straight to the point, "We need to see the surveillance footage."

"Do you have a search warrant?"

"If necessary, we will apply for one. However, your restaurant may have to suspend operations during the investigation."

"No, no need for a search warrant. I'll take you to the monitoring room."

The so-called monitoring room was, in fact, the manager's office.

Luke and Marcus pulled up surveillance footage from the previous few days, looking for anyone involved in the case or any suspicious individuals who may have visited the restaurant.

Twenty minutes later, Luke spotted a familiar figure.

Nancy.

She was wearing a blue dress, sitting in a corner of the restaurant, elegantly enjoying a French meal.

According to prior assumptions, Nancy should have been kidnapped by the suspect on July 7th.

However, she seemed neither coerced nor in distress in the video, appearing quite natural and enjoying herself.

This struck Luke as incongruent.

It was utterly inconsistent with her identity.

Dining here would cost her nearly half a month's salary,

Luke was not being prejudiced. It was just the reality of the situation.

An average person wouldn't dream of spending half a month's salary on a single meal, and the dress she was wearing was also not cheap. She looked as if she had made up carefully, which was nothing like the Nancy Luke knew.

A double life?

Or perhaps someone had invited her out.

There's an old saying in China, "When a woman goes bad, she gets money."

Could it be that Nancy had indeed begun an illicit affair?

Luke continued to scrutinize the video, hoping to find the person who had dined with Nancy.

After repeatedly watching, Luke confirmed that Nancy had been alone the entire time, only interacting with the waiter throughout the meal. She hadn't come into contact with any men, or women, for that matter.

Why would she dine alone in such a costly place?

Her demeanor did not suggest she was waiting for someone either.

Pointing at the computer screen, Luke asked the manager, "Please bring the waiter who served Nancy over, I would like to ask him a few questions."

It was possible that there were blind spots in the surveillance, and if Nancy were determined to avoid the cameras while interacting with others, it wasn't impossible.

Minutes later, a white male waiter was ushered in, in his twenties, and about as tall as Luke, with a pronounced nose and somewhat handsome.

Introducing himself, Luke turned the questions over to the waiter, "What's your name?"

"Danny Monka."

Pointing at Nancy in the video, Luke asked, "Do you remember this customer?"

"Yes, she was an elegant and generous lady."

"Did you have any interaction with her?"

"I recommended a couple of dishes to her, poured her wine, and she gave me a one hundred US dollar tip."

"One hundred dollars?"

"Yes, that was the largest tip I received this month, so I remember it quite clearly."

"Did she have a companion?"

"No."

"Did she have contact with anyone else?"

"I don't recall any."

"Were there any suspicious individuals around her, or someone who seemed particularly attentive to her?"

"I didn't notice."

After some thought, Luke asked, "Did she take any of the towels from the table with her?"

"Yes, she asked if she could take one and I told her she could keep it as a memento if she liked."

"In your memory, is there anything else significant about this particular guest?"

"No."

Luke showed photos of the persons involved in the case to the waiter for identification, but Danny did not recall any of them.

Replaying the video, Luke noticed Nancy indeed placing a towel into her bag.

The day's findings were entirely at odds with Luke's previous assumptions. There had been no kidnapping, no coercion, and not a single suspicious figure appeared throughout; only Nancy, alone, quietly savoring her meal.

It wouldn't have been strange for someone else.

But such circumstances weren't normal for Nancy, considering she was not alone; she had a family to feed.

Her household income was not enough to afford dining in such a place.

Perhaps the police's approach to the investigation had been flawed.

On July 7th, Nancy's home wasn't burglarized, there was no robbery, and Nancy herself was not abducted; it was she who had taken the valuables and driven off in the car.

She may have even deliberately staged the scene.

If Luke's guess was correct, Nancy must have used the money from selling her jewelry to pay for this extravagant French meal.

In other words, it might have been her 'last lunch.'

At that moment, she must have been contemplating suicide.

There was no dramatic affair, no supposed robbery, but a suicide scam staged by Nancy herself.

Looking again at the surveillance video of Nancy dining, the sense of leisure was gone, replaced instead by a sense of bleakness...