Additionally, there is a deeper reason.

The person who likely benefited the most from Courtney's death is probably the original author of the novel, who knows the content well and has a motive for murder.

...

After work.

Luke and Little Black went to the canyon substation to pick up the car.

Rookie cop John, wanting to thank Luke and Little Black for helping him catch a car thief, offered to buy them drinks at the bar.

But they declined.

Little Black couldn't wait to ride off on his Harley.

Luke was heading to Daisy's place tonight.

Hanging out with a pretty young lady sure beats drinking with a middle-aged dude.

When Luke arrived at Daisy's, she hadn't come back yet.

Luke cooked while waiting for her.

Western food is relatively simple to make: frying steak, baking a half-processed pizza, making a vegetable salad, boiling shrimps, and popping open a bottle of red wine.

In his past life, Luke had also bought whole-cut steaks, but they never turned out very tasty: the texture was tough and chewy.

The steaks at Western restaurants were decent, but Luke always felt they were synthetic.

Since being in Los Angeles, he'd eaten steak frequently and had gained some experience, discovering two secrets to frying steak, the first being the heat.

This he already knew.

The second, the quality of the meat.

There's a big difference in whole-cut steaks.

After finishing dinner, Daisy arrived home.

After a quick wash-up, she helped Luke set the table.

Luke quite enjoyed this domestic lifestyle.

It'd be even better if Daisy weren't so busy.

The two chatted while they ate.

Though 'eat in silence, sleep in speech' is a good habit,

given their busy work schedules, if they didn't talk over dinner, it would eat into their poker-playing time.

And that wouldn't do.

Daisy asked with concern, "Did you find the Harley?"

"I was just about to tell you. The case is solved; we got the bike back this afternoon. It's now up to you."

"Can you tell me about the case?"

"Of course, you're my lawyer now." Luke briefly recounted the case.

"Modification cost $12,000?" Daisy seemed surprised.

Luke chuckled, "Yes, that guy really put a lot of effort into it. If it were me, I would have had a tough time parting with it."

Daisy sipped her red wine with a thoughtful expression.

Luke pressed, "How are you planning on suing him?"

"I will hire a detective to investigate his situation. If his family's financial condition and personal resources are average, then we'll lower the compensation amount.

If his family is well-off, we can raise the claim amount appropriately."

"I agree." Luke wasn't one to turn down money.

"Besides, I think we can also sue the auto repair shop owner. From my experience, his shop is likely up to no good. I suspect he would be quite willing to pay a settlement to avoid court."

"Good idea." Luke thought he should switch to law; the profession seemed tailor-made for him, "But the Harley was found by Marcus, and the auto shop owner is his friend, so it's probably best to drop the claim against him."

"OK, then we'll increase the claims against the car thief. How about $40,000?"

Luke was very satisfied with that amount, "Can we actually get the full amount?"

"It's unlikely, but raising the claim can to a certain extent increase the compensation received, of course, as long as it is within a reasonable range. If the claim is too exaggerated, it may also annoy the judge."

Luke nodded, "Then let's go with $40,000."

"I'll prepare the lawsuit materials tomorrow. Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Luke." Daisy extended her hand.

"Looking forward to the good news." Luke shook her hand and suddenly had a bold idea, "I've thought of tonight's theme for our exercise, Miss Lawyer."

...

Early in the morning, a super cool modified Harley drove into the Robbery and Homicide Department.

The sound system on the Harley was great, playing a hip-hop song, "Black Buddafly Bad Girl

black eyed peas - my hump..."

Little Black sat atop his Harley, removed his black sunglasses, and looked around with an air of smug satisfaction, feeling like the brightest kid in Los Angeles.

The bike was really cool; he made up his mind that after buying the Cadillac, he'd save up for a Harley.

He wanted to have two treasures like Luke: a big one and a small one.

Little Black parked his bike and swaggered into the building to the beat.

"Hi, Detective Marcus, we meet again."

Marcus turned his head to see Port, that annoying lawyer from the day before, "What brings you here again?"

Port smiled, "It's something you wouldn't want to know."

Little Black may not be quick on the uptake, but he wasn't stupid, "You here to bail out the Green Arrow guy?"

"That's right."

"Bailing out that freak won't be easy, considering he even stabbed corpses."

"Don't worry about that, he's prepared a hefty bail, more than enough." Lawyer Port said with a knowing look.

Little Black pursed his lips, "Just watch, that jerk will end up back here sooner or later. My word."

Port just smiled and did not argue. On this point, he and Little Black had no conflict.

If everyone stopped committing crimes, he'd be out of a job.

10 a.m.

Robbery and Murder Department.

Luke yawned.

There were always dozens of days every month when he didn't want to work.

The day before yesterday, Reid had given him a metaphorical shot of adrenaline.

Yesterday he was full of energy, thinking they had caught the culprit, ready to take them down in one fell swoop.

However, in the end, they merely arrested a pervert who mutilated corpses; the real murderer was still without a trace.

And just like that, his enthusiasm deflated.

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