Chapter 1343: Speculation, Dreams
Given how Brad did things, it was hard for him to win Lukeâs acknowledgement.
Dustin, who was in the middle, had tried, but Brad had been too focused on returning to New York.
No matter how capable a minor detective in Los Angeles was, there was no need to take him into account.
Luke, on the other hand, politely and decisively refused to get close to Brad. Dustin tried several times, but to no avail.
Neither of them liked the other, which wasnât something Dustin could resolve on his own.
Dustin confirmed Lukeâs suspicions. âBack then, Brad lost because of support from the higher-ups. The person whose side he was on didnât become the mayor of New York. Otherwise, he wouldâve long become commissioner or even a politician.â
He smiled self-deprecatingly. âIâve always thought that it was a good thing for my old boss to have such ambitions, but when I was the one whose interests were sacrificed, I realized that I wasnât that unaffected.â
Luke didnât think much of it. âYouâre not his father. If his father might not be willing to give him money all the time, how can you always let him have his way?â
Like him and Dustin, werenât they in the same boat? Nothing in the world was simple.
If Dustin was someone who would sacrifice Lukeâs interests for his own personal needs, Luke would also fall out with him.
It wasnât that he would feel sorry about losing out on the benefits, but if he followed a boss who only cared about himself, he would be pushed out as a scapegoat sooner or later.
Dustin shook his head. âThatâs not what I mean. Itâs justâŠâ
He was silent for a long while before he said in a low voice, âMaybe he wants to prove himself too much.â
Luke didnât say anything.
He had helped Dustin because Dustin was sincere when dealing with Luke.
Brad was a high and mighty figure who didnât even bother to look at the young detective. What ambitions he had had nothing to do with him!
Dustin knew what Lukeâs position was, so he skipped over this and continued, âBrad has changed a lot. If this was a year ago, he might not have taken the risk. However, heâs still 50-50 against Nelson. Heâs already lost once in the competition for the position of Chief of Department a few years ago. He canât afford to lose the position of commissioner.â
Luke understood what Dustin was doing.
He wasnât trying to excuse Brad, but was analyzing the possibility of Brad framing him.
Brad was also very impulsive.
Brad, who had been Nelsonâs rival for more than ten years, was completely capable of setting him up.
The person who would benefit the most from Nelsonâs bad luck was Brad.
Brad had motive and the means, and a lot to gain from the results.
In the eyes of Dustin and Luke, these two old detectives, it was more than 80% likely that Brad was behind this.
They didnât need evidence or investigation to come to this most likely conclusion.
Luke asked, âWhat are you going to do?â
Dustin shook his head. âNothing. When Brad takes action, he wonât leave any evidence behind. Actually, thereâs no need for evidence. In any case, the Soderbergs wonât let him climb the ladder.â
âThen letâs just watch silently.â Luke clinked beer bottles with Dustin.
âŠ
That night, Luke took a cab with Dustin and Jennifer.
Looking at the driver who greeted Luke with a fist bump, Dustin smiled. âYou two really know each other.â
Bell looked at him and shrugged. âCanât he have a black friend?â
Dustin was unmoved. He shook his head and kept smiling. âGenerally speaking, most of the âacquaintancesâ he mentions are people he detains.â
Bell: âŠ
She couldnât say anything to that.
Based on her illegal car modifications, speeding, and so on, she was qualified for several years of jail time.
Luke was amused. âBoss, sheâs my friend. She helped John last time.â
Dustin nodded with a smile. He took out a card from his pocket and slipped it into the cash tray. âContact me if you need anything in the future.â
This time, Bell didnât smile cheekily. Pleased, she took the card and put it away. âThank you very much, Mr. Bieber.â
This card only had Mr. Bieberâs name and a phone number on it.
She now had another âbackerâ in NYPD, and it was Lukeâs boss.
For someone who loved racing when she had nothing to do, it wasnât bad to have more supporters. What if NYPD made off with her car one day?
When Luke was dropped off first, he hinted to Bell that on no account should she charge Dustin a âdailyâ cab fee.
Bell gave him a âdo you think Iâm a pigâ look.
Only an idiot would extort money from Lukeâs boss.
Just because the Detective Bureau was usually in charge of major cases and homicides didnât mean that they didnât have the authority to issue tickets.
Luke waved goodbye with a smile, but mumbled inwardly,?
Who the hell knows if youâll go crazy! You wanted to charge John 500 during the explosions last time. Do you think that Officer John is someone easy to deal with?
If it wasnât for Bellâs excellent driving skills and her help, John wouldâve slapped her with a fine.
Couldnât find her? As if.
The only reason someone couldnât be found was because they werenât a target.
Who the hell knew which yellow cab was hers, out of the tens of thousands in New York?
But John had seen her face, and with a sketch and the label of âsuspect,â Bell would be âcaughtâ in less than three days.
After seeing Dustin and Jennifer off, Luke entered the house.
His 20th birthday passed peacefully.
âŠ
In the next few days, Luke remained busy with his own plans.
First of all, he personally arranged everything for Carter Slade.
After questioning the old man, he chose a remote, abandoned church on Staten Island.
After buying the church under an alias and repairing it, it became the old manâs new home.
As for how he was going to cross the water in an emergency situation, the old man simply retorted lightly, âHow do you know that my horse canât run over water?â
Luke was stunned. âCan it?â
âAs long as I need it to.â
Luke:?
âŠB*stard!
?He wasnât expecting that!
Fine, let him posture. In any case, Luke wasnât a jealous person.
However, when he thought about riding a black horse with flaming ears, nose, and hooves, galloping over water like it was flat land, he felt inexplicably moved!
This was completely different from wearing a suit and soaring through the sky; it was another type of thrill.
How about⊠he asked Carter Slade to let him try riding Little Black? But while the old man looked gentle, he was very stubborn. Luke had tied Little Black up twice, and the horse didnât like him.
But one always had to have a dream. Who knew when it might come true!
In any case, it was Scapegoat King Big Dipper doing all this, not Batman; he could be as shameless as he wanted.
In this world, how could he be a scapegoat if he had any shame?