Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

"It wasn't that long ago, just like when you last got divorced, ha ha..." The white man burst into laughter.

Upon hearing the noise, Luke came out from the office and saw that the deputy looked somewhat displeased. He advised, "Jeff, I was just looking for you.

Come in and talk."

"No, I think I'm safer standing by the door." Jeff Brandi threw a file onto the table, "This is the case file from last night's incident.

Get me a copy of the files for the two letter-carved cases you guys are handling, too. We'll each investigate our own cases."

Luke instructed Jenny to photocopy the other two cases' files and then addressed Jeff Brandi, "There's been new developments in the case. Let's keep in touch."

"We'll see." Old Jeff shrugged, "Honestly, it's not really my habit."

Luke walked over, "Sit down and have a coffee, let's discuss the case."

Old Jeff glanced at the deputy, sat down at a distance, and began, "The first ones to find the body were the patrolling officers, who initially thought it was a traffic accident or an incident. It was only upon closer inspection of the victim that they discovered the letter carved on the deceased's face and a stab wound in the chest. The case was then handed over to our Squad Three.

The intersection where the incident occurred had no traffic light or surveillance, and no witnesses have been found so far.

None of the victim's belongings were missing, which suggests it might be a premeditated murder driven by vengeance.

The victim was only 17 years old, attending a private high school, of Indian descent. According to the victim's mother, her child was a good student, both academically and behaviorally. As of now, no clear suspects have been identified."

Afterwards, Luke also gave a brief overview of the previous two letter-carved cases.

Old Jeff listened noncommittally, and once Jenny had photocopied the files, he picked them up and was ready to leave.

Luke courteously walked him to the door.

Old Jeff patted Luke on the shoulder, "Buddy, how about we make a bet on who'll catch the killer first?"

"What's the bet?"

Old Jeff replied, "The loser buys drinks."

"Shouldn't it be the winner who treats?"

Old Jeff shrugged, "I've been a bit tight on money recently."

Luke laughed, "You might want to consider running a tab, then."

"See you at the bar." Old Jeff walked away with a smile.

Luke wrinkled his nose, closed the office door, and asked the deputy, "Does this guy often drink during the day?"

The deputy shook his head, "If that bastard could quit drinking, he would have been the chief of the Robbery and Murder Department long ago.

An incorrigible fellow."

...

Luke opened the file to start reviewing the details of the suspected third 'letter-carved' victim.

Name, Amir Modi

The time of death was around ten in the evening. The fatal wound was a stab wound in the chest, which is also why the case was transferred to the Robbery and Murder Department; it would have been handled by patrolling officers if it were just a traffic accident.

The file recorded some details of the crime scene, and there were photos and videos from the scene as well.

Luke had a general understanding of the case but found no obvious leads.

Luke decided to conduct separate investigations; the deputy took some people to the crime scene.

He went to talk to the victims' family to gather information.

...

Gimore community.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Luke and Port drove to the home of the victim, Amir Modi.

As Luke got out of the car, he faintly heard sobbing.

Port took the lead, walked up to the door of the victim's home, and knocked, "Dong dong."

The door opened, and an Indian man stood there with red eyes, showing a sorrowful expression, and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Port showed his badge, "LAPD, I'm Detective Port from the Robbery and Murder Department, and this is Captain Lee."

The Indian man was taken aback, looked carefully at Luke and Port, and said, "Officers, I don't think I saw you this morning."

Luke said, "The Squad Three was in charge of the investigation this morning. We're from Squad One.

We've also investigated two other murder cases before this, where the victims had letters carved on them. I suspect there might be some connection between the three cases."

"Did you catch the murderer?" The Indian man blurted out, and after asking, his expression became sorrowful, "Of course not, if you had, my son wouldn't have died."

"Sorry... We want to catch the killer as soon as possible, too."

The Indian man stepped aside, "My name is Nirmala Modi. Please come in and talk."

In the living room, a woman dressed in Indian attire was holding her head and crying, "Wuu wuu..."

"This is my wife..." Nirmala Modi patted the woman on the shoulder, comforting her, "Don't cry, Vishnu will watch over Amir."

Nirmala Modi took his wife into a room, closed the door, and sighed, "My wife still can't accept what happened... It was so sudden."

Luke asked, "Last night, why did Amir Modi come home so late?"

"He was attending after-school tutoring classes."

"Does he often cycle home so late?"

"Usually, I pick him up in my car, but if I can't make it, he rides his bike. The tutoring center is not far from our house.

I was busy last night..." Nirmala Modi looked regretful, "I failed to take good care of him..."

"Has he been acting unusual lately?"

"No."

"Has he offended anyone?"

"No, he's a well-behaved kid who mostly focused on his studies. His daily routine involved studying, club activities, tutoring classes, then home.

His life was very regular."

"Did he have a girlfriend?" From Luke's experience, problems with teenagers this age were likely related to women.