Seeing that Luke and Selina didn’t think it was a big deal, Sonia said in an even lower voice, “So, if HQ asks you to help with the investigation, you better run as far away as possible.”
Luke nodded. “Got it. Thanks.”
After they drove out of the police department, Selina clicked her tongue. “This thing is pretty big. Even Sonia warned us not to get involved.” “Elsa said the same,” said Luke.
Selina: “Okay, then what do we do?”
“We work the minor cases we have as usual,” Luke said casually as he drove.
Their so-called minor cases weren’t urgent, but they weren’t necessarily minor at all.
Luke and Selina examined the crime scene and talked to the neighbors as per standard procedure, before they drove home.
After lunch, Luke was about to go to the airport to pick up Claire, when his phone rang.
Luke picked it up and said a few words, and there was a conflicted expression on his face.
Putting on a thin blouse, Selina asked, “What’s wrong?”
Luke didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You’ll have to pick up Claire on your own. I need to go in for training.”
Selina was at a loss. “Training? Is it the anti-terrorism exercise?”
Generally, training was an interim measure in the light of certain emergency situations, or a mere formality, commonly referred to as — a meeting. Recently, the police department had sent out the notification that the officers had to participate in a last minute anti-terrorism exercise in batches, but it wasn’t Luke or Selina’s turn yet.
Luke said with a bitter smile, “Police school training.”
Selina was blank. “You’re going to be a teacher? Isn’t it too early for that?” Naturally, she was saying that his face was too tender. Luke: “To be a student.”
Selina: “You must be joking! Who can possibly teach you?” Luke: “It’s Dustin’s arrangement. He told me to make up for my lack of police school training, or we won’t be able to continue peacefully like this whether we go to New York or stay here.”
Enlightened, Selina nodded. “That does make sense. Dustin is really thoughtful.”
Luke chuckled and said, “That’s right. After my training is over, the both of us have to take the detective exam.”
“What?” Selina turned pale.
“Dustin is so thoughtful he didn’t forget about your detective exam,” said Luke with a smile. Selina was full of despair. “I haven’t studied. If I go, won’t I just hand in a blank paper?” Luke winked at her. “Don’t forget, you still have to get a college degree too.”
Selina was stumped for a moment, before she responded, “You’ll take care of it for me?”
Luke chuckled and jerked his chin at the backseat. “Don’t forget this guy. Give him all the materials, and then…”
Enlightened, Selina patted her forehead. “That’s right! I can get Gold Nugget to help me look for the answers.”
Luke nodded with a “the kid is learning” expression. “I’ll give you a list of possible questions before the exam. It won’t be easy to get full marks, but you’ll pass without any trouble.”
Selina: “Darling, you’re a genius.”
After talking about how they were going to cheat, they each drove a car out.
Selina went to pick Claire up in the police car, and Luke drove to the police school outside the city in the secondhand Ford.
Los Angeles had one of the biggest police departments in America, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was the fourth largest police department in the country. Thanks to their hard work, a police school was set up in the greater Los Angeles area to the east of the city.
The police school was further east of Monterey Park, and it would take about an hour to reach there from the west side of Los Angeles. Naturally, Luke had no time to pick up Claire.
In the car, Luke called Catherine to make sure that Claire had gotten on the plane, and that Robert had received the satellite phone that had been delivered to them.
After giving Catherine a few reminders and trading barbs with Robert, Luke hung up.
When he passed the east side of Los Angeles, he noticed a lot more patrol cars on the streets than usual.
He also spotted many policemen in plain clothes near Monterey Park Cemetery and the overpass.
He shrugged and simply drove on.
That was the eastside police department’s problem, not his.
After he reached the police school and showed his badge, he was let in.
The place was quite nice. There was a park not far away that had several ponds in it.
Life here was more peaceful and comfortable than in the city.
Of course, that wasn’t the case for newbies in the police school.
Their days weren’t easy as they trained for months and strove to be promoted as official police officers.
Law and order in Los Angeles had been deteriorating in recent years. However, young people with good education were becoming less interested in a career as a police officer. Hence, the number of trainees at the police school was shrinking.
For example, Sonia’s partner Alessandro, who was as weak as a chicken, had become a detective in the Major Crimes Division despite the fact that he had some ailments on record.
Luke became a detective at just eighteen, but the Internal Affairs Division didn’t come after him either.
There were fewer and fewer capable detectives, and the Internal Affairs Division could only surrender to the pressures of this new situation.
Parking the car in front of the office building, Luke went in to find the person in charge of training at the police school.
It was a white middle-aged man with gray hair, who was called Remick.
Accepting Luke’s documents and reading them for a moment, he asked strangely, “You’re already a level three detective?”
Luke’s expression didn’t change as he nodded. “Yes.”
Remick smacked his lips, put down the documents, and wrote Luke a note. “Turn right after you leave this office, go straight out of the building, and report to Coach Peterson with this note in the big classroom on the first floor of building No. 2.”
Luke accepted the note and said, “Okay, thanks.” He then walked out.
Remick finally made a call. “Hey, boss, why did a level three detective come over for training? Did someone make a mistake?”
A moment later, there was a flabbergasted expression on his face. “Are you sure about that? But… I already told him to report for training…”
The person on the other end of the call wasn’t too bothered. “Then go over and tell the coach about Detective Luke’s actual circumstances. Don’t really train him as a newbie.”Remick: “…Fine, you’re the boss.”
Hanging up the phone, he mumbled as he got up, “Are you serious? Even police training is a formality now? We’ll have to rely on these immature brats to keep L.A. safe in the future? Eastside’s boss is going to step down soon; you sure you won’t end up like him?”
Grumbling inwardly about his irresponsible boss, Remick put on his coat and walked out of the office.
Until his dumbass boss stepped down, he at least had to carry out whatever sh*tty orders the man gave him.
On Luke’s side, he soon found his Coach Peterson.
Actually, he showed up at a rather awkward time.
In the big classroom, Coach Peterson had just said solemnly, “There’s no special treatment or leniency here; no mistakes are allowed. Understand, newbies?” Luke opened the door at that exact moment.
All thirty men in the classroom looked at him, before they turned back to look at Peterson again.
