David patted Luke on the shoulder, "Report to the captain, I'm going for a smoke."

Luke laughed, "You've learned to slack off too."

"Yeah, Teacher Luke." David waved over his shoulder and left the surveillance room.

Luke called Susan to update her on the situation, deducing from the scene that likely two people had taken Lorne.

One was tasked with diverting the patrol officer, while the other took the opportunity to move Lorne.

After reporting, Luke left the surveillance room and David still hadn't returned.

A call later, Luke found out David had run downstairs for a smoke.

Luke went downstairs and found David, "Hey, buddy, what's going on?"

"Smoking's banned in the hospital, I just wanted to get some fresh air..." David blew a smoke ring.

"That doesn't sound like the David I know," Luke shook his head.

David, typically abrasive and reckless, was diligent in investigations, and the behavior of sneaking away for a smoke was more Marcus and Luke's style.

David was silent for a moment before tossing his cigarette butt to the ground and stomping it out, "Are you hungry? Let's get something to eat first."

The last time David was in this mood, it was about his wife.

Luke glanced around and asked in a low voice, "Is there trouble with Lindsay again?"

David pursed his lips, his gaze flickering, seemingly hiding something difficult.

Luke thought carefully and his expression shifted slightly, "That nurse?"

David couldn't meet Luke's eyes, "Listen, I'm not sure, I just have a feeling..."

"Have you been in touch with her recently?"

"She won't answer my calls."

"David, you're not a man who hesitates. You should resolve Lindsay's situation thoroughly, either get her into rehab or get a divorce. Otherwise, she's going to drag you down sooner or later."

"I know, it's just... not as easy as you say..."

Luke kept it brief, not wanting to get too involved in their marital issues, "What do you want to do now? Go see Lindsay with me, or..."

"I'll call the captain and take the day off to rest," David replied, looking towards Luke, "Hey, if it's possible..."

Halfway through, David sighed and ultimately couldn't finish his thought.

Luke didn't ask further, simply watching as David walked away.

"Fuck!"

...

An hour later, a black Dodge pulled up near Lindsay's house.

Luke sat in the passenger seat checking his handgun, and said to Marcus who was driving, "You stay here, Jenny and I will go up."

"Yes, Detective Chief Luke."

Marcus was pleased with the arrangement but disliked the commanding tone of Luke's voice.

Luke, Marcus, and Jenny were all detectives of the same rank, but someone always needed to lead.

Not entirely trusting these two, Luke decided to take charge himself.

As they reached Lindsay's front door, Luke hid to the right of the door while Jenny knocked.

"Bang bang…"

"Tap tap…" Luke faintly heard footsteps, but no one answered.

Jenny knocked again, "Bang bang… Anyone there?"

"Who's there? What do you want?"

"Hello, I'm here to see Lindsay."

After a moment, the door opened, and a man in his fifties, Black, stood in the doorway, "You've got the wrong place, there's no one by that name here."

Noticing Luke, the man asked, "What exactly are you?"

Luke flashed his badge, "LAPD, we're here to speak with Lindsay about a matter."

"I told you, there's no one by that name here."

"When did you move in?"

"Four days ago, the previous tenant was evicted by the landlord for failing to pay rent, whether she was Lindsay or not, I'm not sure."

"How can I contact the landlord?"

"I can give you his mobile number, 626 846 4572," the man said, and then cautioned, "Hey, don't mention my name, I don't want trouble."

"I know, thanks."

The Black man nodded, closed the door, and went home.

Jenny said, "It seems Lindsay isn't doing well. Could this be a motive for crime?"

"Maybe."

As they turned to leave, they heard a burst of cursing.

"fuckyou!"

"You damn bastard!"

Luke turned to look and saw Marcus tangled up with someone on the road.

Luke pulled out his pistol and rushed to help, "LAPD, stop right there, or I'll shoot."

Jenny, with her gun drawn, ran to the other side to encircle the area.

Hearing Luke's warning, the brawlers and Marcus stopped and stepped back a few paces.

A man in a leather jacket raised his hands, "Don't shoot."

"Wow, isn't this Harry from the street racing gang? Your jacket has a skull on it now. Congratulations."

"Officer Luke, no offense meant, but this *n-word* started it."

"Fuck, do you want to die?" Marcus was sensitive to that word.

"Both of you shut up, Marcus, step back.

Harry, I'm now arresting you for assaulting an officer, you should be familiar with the process. Don't make trouble for me or for yourself."

Harry glared hard at Marcus and said angrily, "Officer Luke, before you arrest me, you might want to ask your colleague what he did."

"I will." Luke grabbed Harry's arm, put handcuffs on him, and pushed him into the car.

Luke turned to his Black colleague, "Marcus, why were you two fighting?"

"I just wanted to get out of the car to smoke a cigarette, and this jerk came over and started hitting me first."

"Harry isn't stupid. I don't believe he would assault an officer without any reason. Have you two had any contact since the last time at the motel?"

"No, this is the second time I'm seeing him."

"Then why would he hit you? If things had been critical just now, I would have shot him. I don't believe he's not afraid to die."

Marcus helplessly said, "I might not have met him before… but I've met Julian."

"Julian?" Luke muttered to himself, the name seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it, "Harry's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, a sexy Black lady. I'm courting her, she's really great. She likes me too, and Harry is about to get dumped, very soon."

"Huh..." Luke sighed, "So you're saying you're stealing Harry's girlfriend?"

"They're not married. I have every right to pursue someone I like. This is fair competition, and obviously Harry lost. Julian prefers me, and that's why Harry's pissed off.

I've seen plenty of these sore losers."

Luke, uninterested in the personal drama, changed the subject, "What do you want to do now? Press charges for assaulting an officer, or let him go?"

Marcus shrugged, "I haven't decided yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Leave it to me to handle, okay?"

"Yeah, it's all yours."

Luke opened the car door and sat next to Harry, "Hey, I talked to Marcus and roughly heard about the grievance between you two.

You guys can settle your personal issues privately. I don't care.

But we're on a mission right now, and your actions could have jeopardized it.

If I wanted to, I could arrest you right now on charges of assaulting an officer."

Harry calmed down, "Sorry, I didn't know you were on a mission. That *n-word* is trying to steal my girlfriend.

I was furious. I thought he was on holiday."

Luke continued, "Harry, we're acquaintances, and I don't want to make things too ugly. I just spoke with Marcus, and he agreed to give you a chance, not to sue you for assaulting an officer.

But… you owe us a favor, to make up for your earlier mistake."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Find someone. This is your turf, shouldn't be too hard for you."

"Who?"

"Lindsay."