Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Brown and Luke exchanged looks and said, "His mobile number is 626 836 485*."

Luke sent the mobile number to the chat group and continued to ask, "Describe the characteristics of the two men claiming to be LAPD, such as their appearance, vehicle, handguns, or any other details that could help identify them."

"They were driving a black car, it was very dark, and I couldn't see the license plate number; it seemed to be a Ford sedan.

Uh... both of them were using handguns. I can still remember what they looked like, I could recognize them from their photos."

Luke countered, "Do you have any surveillance here?"

"No."

That posed a problem, as there were plenty of LAPD officers, and it would be too inefficient to have Brown identify each one.

Moreover, if the two men were impersonating LAPD officers, then identification would be futile.

Soon after, a squad of people arrived to provide support.

Matthew was in charge of cell phone tracking.

Raymond and Jenny were responsible for investigating surveillance around the community.

Luke, meanwhile, was sketching the two black men claiming to be LAPD according to Mr. Brown's description.

This was the first time Luke had used this skill since learning it, and he wasn't sure how effective it would be.

…

The next day.

The squad was early to reach the detective bureau.

The unit had not taken any cases recently and was raring to go after a break.

The identity of the deceased had been roughly confirmed; it was probably Kunni'er.

The clues in the case were quite scattered and even involved Kunni'er's friend Derek, whom the police had been searching for. The team members investigated separately.

It wasn't until after four in the afternoon that Susan convened a case summary meeting in the conference room.

"Guys, it's been nearly 24 hours since the incident happened, and besides identifying the victim, I hope there are new developments," Susan pointed to the name on the whiteboard,

"Let's first discuss Kunni'er's investigation."

Jenny said, "We checked the hotel surveillance; Kunni'er did indeed stay in room 707 at the Hilton, checked in on July 26th and left at noon on August 2nd.

During that period, he met two people at the hotel, one of whom was his good friend Derek.

The other was a black woman in her forties."

As she spoke, Jenny put up a video screenshot, "We still haven't found any information about this woman, nor are we clear about her relation to the deceased."

After seeing this photo, Luke immediately thought of the photo found in Kunni'er's book; the two photos differed by over a decade. Also, there was a significant change in appearance; the former was a young woman, and the latter looked worn and exhausted. From Luke's experience, it was likely a drug user.

And once a person starts using drugs, they're ruined.

This ruin refers not only to their mental state but also to the physical deterioration, which greatly alters their appearance.

If it weren't for Luke's extraordinary observational skills, it would be hard to tell at first glance that they were the same person.

"Do you guys remember the photo I found inside Kunni'er's book? It should be the same person."

The lieutenant, wearing glasses, compared carefully, "Yes, they are the same person.

If that's the case, I suspect this woman might be Kunni'er's biological mother."

Yagate spoke, "Previously, Kunni'er was fostered in the Yagate family. He had no money, which is evident from his tattoo.

His favorite was Iron Man, yet he chose a cheaper Captain America's shield to tattoo on his body.

Moreover, from the actions of Mr. and Mrs. Yagate, it's clear they wouldn't have given Kunni'er any money.

Yet before his death, Kunni'er had been living in an expensive five-star hotel and wearing limited-edition sneakers, which indicates a sudden wealth."

"I suspect that this money might be linked to his suddenly reappearing mother," Luke added straightforwardly.

"From what we have already learned, his mother is likely a drug addict.

If her appearance brought Kunni'er some unexpected wealth, then I speculate, this money might be related to drugs.

Everything to do with drugs is dangerous.

The cunning and brutality of drug dealers need no further explanation.

Assuming this so-called windfall came from drug dealers, Kunni'er would inevitably face retaliation from them."

The lieutenant combed his sparse hair with a comb, "This speculation is interesting."

If Kunni'er had always been in contact with his biological mother.

His biological mother was an addict, and might have even been involved in drug trafficking, receiving huge benefits from drug dealers.

This angered the drug dealers.

To escape the drug dealers, Kunni'er's mother fled to Los Angeles to seek refuge with her son, and to make amends, she gave him money, helped him rent an expensive hotel, and bought him valuable clothes.

Later, the drug dealers discovered their whereabouts and brutally murdered them.

If that's the case, I'm afraid Kunni'er's mother also had little chance of surviving," Jackson said.

"What about Derek then? What role did he play in the case, and why was he targeted?"

Luke had considered this earlier, "If Kunni'er did obtain something valuable from the drug dealers, I guess it's either illicit money or a unique item.

The motive for the drug dealers to hunt down Kunni'er and his mother might not only be for revenge but also to retrieve the lost items.

Derek either knew about it or knew where the stolen goods were.

He's a crucial person," Matthew said.

"I tried to locate the mobile number you provided, but the phone has been deactivated and can't be located," Susan mentioned another issue.

"I've confirmed with other departments, last night, no officers went to Derek's house on a mission, nor was anyone arresting Derek.

The two individuals last night were likely not LAPD but suspects pursuing Derek.

They might also be the killers of Kunni'er.

Is there any progress in the investigation into these two people?"

Jenny replied, "We checked the community surveillance at Derek's house and identified a suspicious black Ford sedan.

However, the license plate belongs to a cloned vehicle, and we can't track the owner's identity.

The driver of the car was aware of anti-surveillance tactics, wearing a mask and a hat, making it impossible for the cameras to clearly see their faces, but it's safe to assume they were black males," Susan said seriously.

"The focus now is to identify these two individuals posing as LAPD officers. They might not only be the murderers but are also tarnishing LAPD's reputation.

This could have a severe impact on the entire Los Angeles Police Department."

The deputy head shook his head, "These two individuals came prepared, intentionally avoiding planned surveillance, making it difficult to ascertain their identities."

The room fell silent for a moment, then Luke said, "I might have a way to try."

All eyes turned to him curiously.

Susan asked, "What method?"

"I studied forensic sketching for a while. Last night I talked with Mr. Brown, and with his assistance, I drew two sketches of the suspects, which might help in identifying them," the deputy was surprised.

"You can draw forensic sketches?"

Hope shrugged, "Why am I not surprised at all?"

The deputy smiled, "Let's see them. While it might not be accurate, it could at least give us a clue.

If we ever come across them, maybe we could recognize them.

Of course, that's if your sketching is of a certain level," Luke admitted.

Honestly, it was his first time drawing, and he wasn't confident, but an ugly wife eventually meets her parents-in-law, and since he had drawn them, he couldn't just keep hiding them.

Luke walked over to the projector and placed one of the sketches on it.

Hope took a glance. Although he knew Luke had sketched the portraits, this was his first time seeing the finished product. He nodded,

"Not bad at all, you can tell he's black at a glance, quite realistic," he added, his expression growing serious as if he had remembered something,

"Wait, this looks like someone I've seen...

This portrait reminds me of someone..."

Before Hope could finish, Jackson also chimed in, "You're right, I've seen this person too.

This guy was on the news, he's quite a celebrity on the news networks now," Luke was puzzled.

"What are you talking about?"

Hope said, "Luke, are you sure you didn't get influenced by seeing the news and then drew it like this?"

"What are you talking about, I've been either checking the case or drawing forensic sketches today, I had no time to watch the news."

Hope picked up the remote and turned on the TV in the conference room, "Then you should see this, it's big news..."