The next day, Luke and Selina left for work before eight o’clock to avoid the terrifying morning rush in New York.
They walked into the hall and saw two detectives walking out.
The man who was leading the way was called Joe Lambert.
Behind them was a woman with short, curly blond hair called Connie Kowalski.
Luke and Selina stepped aside and said, “Good morning, Joe, Connie.”
However, the two detectives stopped, and the middle-aged man stretched out his hand and gave Luke a half-hug. “No need to be polite, we’re colleagues now, Luke.”
Luke patted his shoulder and said, “Of course, Joe.”
Only then did Joe say, “We still have work to do. Let’s get a drink after work. How about in two days?”
Luke smiled. “Sure.”
The four of them said their goodbyes again.
That was what being a detective was like; there was no time for idle chit-chat.
Of course, the two of them didn’t exchange greetings with Luke and Selina for no reason. They were the colleagues who had been with John McClane yesterday.
Now that they knew Luke’s background, they naturally had to get to know him.
Otherwise, how they treated him would be the deciding factor when they ran into a situation later.
Several people greeted them when they entered the hall. They were all people who had been with John yesterday.
They nodded and went to Dustin’s office.
Inside, Dustin was talking to someone.
Luke was about to wait at the door, when Dustin waved at him. “Come in. There’s a case here that I need the both of you to follow up on.”
Luke and Selina greeted Dustin politely.
With other people around, they couldn’t act too casual. They had to uphold Dustin’s authority in front of his subordinates.
Dustin nodded. “Walter, John killed another suspect yesterday. The suspect’s family has come to the police station to complain about his abuse of power.”
Walter said, “Director Hammer, you know that the guy had a bomb on him…”
Dustin raised his hand. “I know. Do you think I want to send John home? But even if this is for his future, the best is for him to rest for a couple of days until the department comes up with a verdict so that we can send the family packing.”
Walter had nothing to say.
Dustin then pointed at Luke and Selina. “You, Detective Luke Coulson, and Detective Selina Hayek will take a look at the case today. They happen to be familiar with the place, right, Luke?”
Luke nodded.
As for what that place was, he wouldn’t ask.
Dustin was new, and compelling these veteran officers to obey him as his subordinates wasn’t easy. Also, this Walter Cobb was a veteran lieutenant who was only one rank away from becoming a captain.
Walter looked at Luke and Selina, then at Dustin. He could only agree. “Alright, I’ll show them around first.”
After Walter left, Luke winked at Dustin; it wasn’t easy for him to lead this team.
Dustin sniffed and threw a file at him. “Don’t be careless. Also, make sure Walter doesn’t get killed.”
Luke bowed and said, “Yes, sir.” He then left without another look at Dustin’s face.
Selina put the paper bag on a chair not far from the door and left with a smile.
Seeing the two of them follow the dark-faced Walter, Dustin sighed and closed the door, before he picked up the pastries which Selina had brought.
He took one out and took a ferocious bite, then cursed in a low voice. “Damn it, it’s still my people who are useful. These b*stards are a pain in the ass.”
Naturally, “these b*stards” were referring to the detectives here.
It was never easy to be a chief.
On the other side, Luke quickly flipped through the file as he followed Walter. “Inspector Cobb, are we headed over now?”
Walter Cobb was a middle-aged Caucasian man, and he had led the operation with John yesterday. The most eye-catching thing about him was his neat and thick mustache.
The suit, tie, and white shirt he was wearing were of average quality. Although they weren’t clean and tidy, they did show that he wasn’t a slovenly middle-aged man like John McClane.
In fact, if Dustin hadn’t come out of nowhere, Inspector Cobb might have become the chief of the Detective Bureau.
Given Walter’s seniority in the Detective Bureau, strong-willed Dustin still had to talk reason with him since he, as a newcomer, couldn’t suppress Walter.
Walter looked at Luke as he walked.
Seeing that he was reading the file, Walter couldn’t help but curl his lip. “Kid, just reading the file won’t solve anything. I’m told that you’re very good at fighting?”
Luke raised his head and smiled at Walter. “Normally, I prefer to reason with people.”
Walter’s eyebrows twitched. Initially feeling impatient, he calmed down. He stopped and turned to look at Luke. “Really? That’s not what John said.”
Luke gave the file to Selina and said, “I’m a police officer; we represent the law. So, I usually try legal measures first when dealing with a suspect.”
The corners of Walter’s mouth twitched, and he suddenly patted Luke’s shoulder. “Kid, based on your words, John should be calling you sir in five years.”
Luke smiled. “That doesn’t seem like a good thing.”
Walter: “Oh?”
Luke said, “As a commanding officer, you have to worry about your subordinates all the time. Inspector Cobb, you know what it’s like.”
Walter’s face fell. “It’s fine as long as you don’t make Dustin worry in the future.”
Luke smiled. “I’ll do my best not to cause any trouble for you.”
Seeing how serious Luke was, Walter could only snort.
Thinking of the b*stard who caused trouble for him every time he did something, his emotions were a little complicated.
After this first round of sounding each other out, the three of them went to the parking lot.
Walter’s partner, a detective in his forties who wore glasses and was called Ricky, was waiting for them there.
After greeting Luke and Selina, Ricky left with Walter, and the two of them followed behind.
They hadn’t gone far, when their cars got stuck on the road.
Bored, Selina took out a cake from the food box in the back and took a bite. “Hm, the traffic here is really something.”
Luke shrugged. “This is New York, and this is Manhattan.”
Selina asked, “What if there’s an emergency, and we’re caught in a traffic jam like this?”
Pondering for a moment, Luke replied, “Why don’t I put two bicycles in the car?”
Looking at the traffic outside, Selina thought for a moment before she nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Bicycles are still the most practical.”