Los Angeles Detective

The case of the stolen necklace seemed like a farce, but fortunately the farce is over.

After John and Lucy leave, Luke and Lilith return to the club.

...

Milka Tea Restaurant.

Because of the stolen necklace, Luke and Lilith didn't have a good lunch at noon. Now that the matter is over, both of them are a little hungry.

Lilith brings Luke to afternoon tea.

Two cups of black tea, a plate of fruit, as well as muffins, sandwiches, rolls and puff pastry, white asparagus pie, etc.

Every refreshment is exquisite, gorgeous and small and exquisite. Among them, Luke's favorite is the chocolate mousse with gold leaf. He has seen a lot of gold, but this is the first time he has eaten it in his mouth.

Lilith put down the teacup and asked with a smile, "How does it taste?"

"Not bad, the taste of chocolate is very smooth, I like it."

Lilith suggested, "How about we have Spanish food tonight? A Spanish chef just came to the club to try his cooking skills."

"OK, I haven't had paella and Iberico ham for a long time either.

These two dishes are my favorite. "

Lilith said, "However, before dinner, there is one more thing to deal with?"

Luke put down the fork and wiped his mouth, "The case of the stolen auction item?"

"Yes.

I just called to inquire. The investigation by the police is not going well. The longer it drags on, the more troublesome things will become. "

Luke teased, "It's not easy eating your meal."

Lilith held Luke's hand, "I know it's really hard for you to investigate two cases in a row, but now only you can help me.

After the investigation is over, you can live in the club for a while and relax. "

"Sounds good, is the membership fee expensive here?"

"that's not important.

You are my VIP, always free. "

"One yard is worth one yard. I still like to pay for it myself, so that I can live more comfortably."

"OK, your survey employment fee this time is more than enough to pay the membership fee, so don't worry at all."

Luke took a sip of black tea to moisten his throat, "Tell me about the case of the auction item being stolen."

Lilith took out the tablet from her bag, then stood up and sat next to Luke, opened the tablet, and found a video, "This is the surveillance video of last night's auction."

The two sat very close, and Lilith had a faint scent of perfume.

Luke didn't like the smell of too strong perfume, which was pungent. Lilith's perfume smelled very light, like a mixed floral fragrance, very fresh and nice.

The video started to play, Luke withdrew his mind and began to check the monitoring of the auction.

The camera is placed in the corner of the auction house. This angle is very good, and it can capture most of the space of the auction venue.

The auction venue is about 200 square meters. There is a high auction platform in front, and some tables and chairs are placed in the back for guests to sit. There are not many people in the entire auction venue. There are only about forty people in total, except for the service staff. , there were only about thirty or so guests who participated in the auction.

Luke also saw Lilith in the video, "Were you there when the auction item was lost?"

"Yes.

This is also what makes me very depressed. I am clearly at the scene, but I don't know who stole the auction item. Do you think I am a fool. "

Luke joked, "That's the most charming idiot I've ever seen, too."

Lilith curled her lips, "Don't tell others about this, I won't admit it if you tell me."

In the video, everyone sat down in their seats, and the auction officially started.

The first auction item was an oil painting. It was a mess on a one-meter-square paper. Luke didn't know what he painted. Maybe this is the so-called Impressionism.

After the auctioneer announced the starting price, guests came to the auction platform one after another to check and observe the oil painting.

Luke frowned slightly, "This auction seems a bit random."

Lilith said, "All the guests participating in the auction are the guests of the club, and it is a small-scale auction, so it is not as strict as a large auction house.

This is also a characteristic of club auctions.

Some people like to bid in large auctions, while others like this kind of small-scale exchange meeting, there is no conflict. "

Luke understood. Simply put, this kind of small auction will be more 'humane' and easier to exchange benefits.

For example, if the wife of the mayor of Los Angeles wants to auction off one of her own paintings or collections, it must be more appropriate on this occasion.

At the same time, once there is a safety problem in this kind of auction, it will also be a blow to the reputation of the club, and many potential customers and some old customers will be lost.

Lilith pointed at the screen with her slender fingers, "Luke, this is the auction item that was stolen."

Luke looked at the screen. It was a green gourd-shaped porcelain with exquisite workmanship. There was a pair of red-crowned cranes painted on the lower abdomen of the gourd. The painting was very agile, and the two red-crowned cranes seemed to be able to fly out of the bottle at any time.

"Hua Guo Porcelain?"

Lilith nodded, "It's enamel color. The high-quality bisque porcelain fired by JDZ was sent to the palace and baked with glaze by the imperial painter. It is exclusively for the royal family to enjoy. The painting skills are extremely high, and the processing level is very high. Strict control, if there is any defect, it will be smashed and dealt with immediately. The number of surviving pieces is rare, and each piece is a rare boutique with a high value."

Luke was a little surprised, "Do you still know porcelain?"

Lilith said helplessly, "As the person in charge of the club, this is also the first time I am in charge of an auction, and I have learned about every auction item.

Also, after this green gourd enamel was stolen, I did some homework. "

At this moment, the surveillance video suddenly ended.

"what happened?"

"The auction has lost power."

"Man-made, or accidental?"

"Last night it rained heavily, there was thunder and lightning, I thought it was an accident at first.

But the maintenance personnel said that the power distribution room was tampered with, and the power failure was also artificial. "

"How long has the power outage been?"

"About five minutes or so."

"Did anyone use a mobile phone for lighting at the time?"

"According to the regulations, it is not allowed to bring mobile phones into the auction venue during the auction.

And it was raining heavily that night and it was very dark. After about three or four minutes, someone shouted, "Where's my enamel gourd bottle?" Who has seen my auction item? Tommy, the staff of your club took it away..."

Lilith sighed, "I knew something was wrong at that time. After I called, I asked the staff. Because it was too dark, the auction house was a bit chaotic. No one moved the auction items. Everyone claimed that they hadn't moved. But the auction item just disappeared."

"How big is that auction item?"

"The enamel is 19 inches high, 2 inches in diameter, 4.7 inches in the upper belly, 9.5 inches in the lower belly, and 4.7 inches in the base."

"Did anyone leave the auction during the blackout?"

"Yes, according to police statistics, two club employees and six guests left the venue."

Luke asked, "Is it possible that these people took the enamel?"

Lilith nodded, "The police thought so too, but because of the power outage, the surveillance didn't capture the footage.

This is also the most difficult part. It is impossible for the six guests to be thieves, and we cannot treat them as suspects. This will affect the reputation of the club. The progress of the investigation is very slow, and I am a little helpless, so I invite you here . "

After drinking the black tea, Luke wiped his mouth and hands with a wet towel, "Let's go to the auction venue."

The two walked along the green path for a few minutes, and came to a three-story building. The first floor was a coffee shop, the second floor was a small theater, and the third floor was the venue for the auction.

Pushing open the two heavy wooden doors, Luke saw the auction room in the video, entered the auction room to check carefully, and recalled the location of the guests and auction items in the video.

"Did you hear any suspicious noises that night?"

"After the power outage that night, because there were a lot of people in the venue, it was a bit chaotic..." Lilith thought for a while, "Does the sound of thunder count?"

Luke asked, "When did the police arrive? Did the investigation find anything? Which department is in charge of the case?"

"It was nine o'clock when the power went out, and when I realized that the enamel was gone, I immediately called the police.

Half an hour later, patrol officers from the Van Nuys District of the Canyon Division arrived at the club.

In charge of the case investigation is Night Shift Inspector Nicolin Yarrow. "

Luke was a little unfamiliar with the name, and glanced around, "Did they conduct a thorough search of the auction venue?"

Lilith sighed, "They searched all the places where the enamel might be hidden, but found nothing."

Luke checked the table and chairs, but found no hiding space.

He checked the cabinet on the auction stage again, and opened the cabinet door. The space inside was not small and empty.

Luke tapped his finger on the bottom of the cabinet and asked, "How thick is the floor?"

Lilith replied, "I don't know, but it must be solid. The police have also checked the cabinet, so there should be no problem."

Luke walked off the auction stage, walked to the window and looked down. This is the third floor, not very high, and asked, "Did you open the window last night?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible to let the enamel come down the window?"

Lilith shrugged, "Impossible. Considering safety issues, these windows are all fixed, and the widest width can only be opened six inches. The enamel can't get out at all."

Luke tried it, and the window did open only six inches, and it was solid and showed no signs of damage.

After that, he continued to look around the auction venue and saw the ventilation duct on the roof. He climbed to the roof on the table and knocked on the ventilation duct. "Have the police searched here?"

"Yes, no enamel was found. And the ventilation duct is very narrow, only 25 inches, and it cannot accommodate normal people at all."

"Jingle Bell……"

When Luke was about to say something, Lilith's cell phone rang, "Sorry, I have to answer a call."

Luke nodded, "I'll take a look outside the auction venue."

Lilith watched Luke Luke leave the auction house, and pressed the answer button, "Hello, Petunia, good afternoon."

A woman's voice came from the phone, "Hi, my dear sister, I heard that there is a little problem in your club."

"The club is family owned, and my grandfather just asked me to take care of it temporarily. The news reached you so quickly?"

"Yes, there are always some 'enthusiasts' who like to spread gossip.

Do you need my help? "

"No, I'll take care of it."

"you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"As a sister, I would like to remind you that managing a club well is not as simple as hunting for treasure on an island, it requires professional management knowledge and rich experience, as well as some small skills in employing people.

If you need, you can call me anytime.

I don't want to see my darling sister mess up the club when she first takes over and possibly face claims from guests.

If this matter gets out, the entire Finn family will lose face..."

"Penny, I've already taken care of the club affairs, you should worry about your own affairs." Lilith snorted softly, hung up the phone, and muttered,

"Nasty old woman."