"Ding-ling-ling..."

Luke's cell phone rang.

He glanced at it, seeing a call from an unknown number to his backup phone card.

He pressed the answer key, "Hello, who's this?"

There was a moment of hesitation on the other end before a man's voice replied, "I saw a banner at the corner of Viotti Avenue and Staven Street asking for witnesses... It had your contact details on it, is it legit?"

Luke gestured for silence to those around him, "I am Captain Luke Lee of the Robbery and Murder Department, and yes, that banner was indeed put up by us.

Between 10:30 and 11 PM on September 15, a criminal case took place at that intersection, and we're looking for witnesses to the case.

Were you near the intersection at that time?"

"Uh, I happened to be in the area just after 10 PM that night and indeed saw a man and woman scuffling by the roadside.

However, I'm not sure if they're the ones you're looking for."

"What's your name, sir? And do you recall the exact time?"

"Tommy, just call me Tommy. It was around 10:40 PM, I guess."

"Describe the two individuals."

"A young woman, blonde, Caucasian, it was a bit far so I didn't get a clear look at her face, scantily dressed with a nice figure.

As for the guy, I didn't pay much attention at the time, probably Caucasian too, wearing a black baseball cap, his body was obscured by a car, so I couldn't see him very clearly."

"Were they talking beside the car?"

"Yes."

"Was the car running at that time?"

"Yes, the tail lights were on."

"Tommy, I need you to describe that car in detail." The car could very well be the suspect's vehicle.

Tommy fell silent for a while before asking back, "The banner mentioned a reward for providing information on the case, is that true?"

"It's true."

"Great, my financial situation isn't so good right now, I could use the money."

"As long as you can provide valuable information, the money is yours."

"How much exactly would I be able to get? And is it in cash?"

"Between one thousand and three thousand US dollars, both cash and check are okay."

"Captain Lee, there's a big difference between one thousand and three thousand dollars, I'd like a specific figure, not to be strung along.

Because usually in these situations, you only get one thousand US dollars, which is the lowest amount.

I want to clarify that first."

Luke realized that this guy was not some concerned citizen; he was purely after the reward.

Since the incident happened at night and the location was somewhat remote, there were very few passersby, making this the first eyewitness to call in so far.

Luke had no choice but to acquiesce; fortunately, Reid was quite supportive, and the budget for this case was fairly substantial—three thousand dollars could still be afforded.

"Tommy, we should meet in person, it's more appropriate to talk about this kind of thing face to face."

There was hesitation on the other end, "Listen, I don't want any trouble and I don't want to get involved in a criminal case... I just happened to see it, and I want to help that girl..."

"I understand, there's no need to be nervous.

Making this call proves that you are a responsible and caring citizen of Los Angeles, and on behalf of the LAPD, I thank you." Luke made his position clear before he got to the point,

"The more valuable the information you provide, the more reward money you can get, there's no doubt about that."

"How can I get three thousand dollars? There must be some criteria, right?"

"If the information you provide helps us to confirm the identity of the suspect, you will get three thousand US dollars."

"Does what I just told you count?"

"The police are already aware of what you've just said, and there's nothing substantially new.

Of course, if you could give a detailed description of that suspicious vehicle, including its color, model, and license plate, that would be a valuable lead."

Tommy said, "It was probably a black sedan.

I was also driving by at the time, and I was moving pretty fast, so I didn't catch the plate number, nor was I paying much attention.

But my dashcam might have captured it."

"OK, as long as you tell us the plate number, and the police verify it to be the suspect vehicle, the three thousand dollars will be yours."

"Indeed, my dashcam captured it, but the resolution isn't great, and since I was driving fast and the lighting was bad,

I couldn't make out the license plate clearly when I checked just now.

Can I still get three thousand dollars?"

Luke patiently explained, "I suggest that you first submit the dashcam video to the police. If your dashcam captured the victim and allows the police to obtain some useful leads from the video, you can get one thousand US dollars.

If you can provide a clear license plate number, you will get three thousand dollars.

If the video doesn't show a clear license plate, the police will use technical means to enhance it. If that leads to a clear license plate number, you will receive an additional sum of money.

"How much?"

"Between five hundred and one thousand US dollars." Luke felt like he was negotiating a deal rather than investigating a case, but that was very Californian.

"Do your words count?"

"Of course, we can sign a contract first.

Where are you now?"

"I'm right downstairs at the detective bureau."

Luke walked over to the window and looked out. A black man was standing in front of the detective bureau, on the phone, constantly looking around and appearing somewhat nervous.

"Walk into the building; I'll have someone come to meet you."

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