"Riing, riing..."

Luke's cell phone rang, it was a call from Blackie.

"Hey, this call couldn't have come at a better time; we've made a discovery here and were just about to notify you."

"What discovery?"

"We found a body near where we ditched the car."

"Badman Pole's corpse?"

"No." Luke replied, countering, "Have you found any leads on Port Misius?"

"Not yet, but I've come across another situation."

"What situation?"

Blackie played coy, "You'll know once you get here."

"Where?"

"Burna Motel."

Luke frowned slightly, "You went looking for the driver Badman Pole's wife?"

...

Half an hour later.

Luke and David drove to the Burna Motel.

When they saw Blackie, David couldn't help but curse, "Fuck, when can you change that stinky habit? If you keep this up, you'll end up dead at the hands of a woman someday."

Blackie spread his hands, feigning innocence, "You've got it wrong, I wasn't here looking for a woman. I just happened to pass by while digging for info on Port Misius."

David glared at him, "You think I'm an idiot? This place is so remote, and you just 'happened to pass by'?"

Blackie conceded, "You're right, I really came to see Laura Pohl and her son, but it's not what you think. I just felt they had it tough and wanted to help them.

You've got to believe me."

David said, "If you want us to believe you, then do something legitimate."

Luke stepped in to mediate, "Marcus, you said you had a discovery on the phone; what's the situation?"

"You'll find out once you take a look inside."

Luke didn't waste words and went straight into the motel to find Laura Pohl's room.

"Knock, knock..."

The door opened.

Standing at the door was the little boy.

"Hi, boy..." Luke had just greeted when he noticed a blue bruise on the child's face, clearly swollen.

"Are you okay?"

The child looked down, "I'm fine."

"Where's your mom? I'd like to talk to her."

The little boy opened the door wider, stepping aside.

Luke entered the room and saw Laura Pohl sitting on the couch, also with her head down, "Officer Luke, you're here, too?"

Luke was puzzled; was she talking without looking at people?

On getting closer, it appeared Laura Pohl also had injuries on her face, "Laura, lift your head."

Laura Pohl slowly lifted her head, her face bearing shades of blue and purple, and her eye was also swollen.

"What happened?"

"Just some minor issues."

"What kind of minor issues?"

"I went to the supermarket, got into a conflict with someone, and fought. The other person got it worse than me. I'm fine; it'll heal in a few days."

"Hey, boy, could you go play with Marcus for a bit? I want to talk to your mom alone."

The little boy nodded and followed Blackie out.

David closed the door, observing the situation in the room.

Luke sat down next to the couch and continued to inquire, "Laura, what really happened? I'm a cop, don't fob me off with a lame excuse."

"Officer Luke, I'm not lying to you, it really was just a fight."

"Who hit you? What's their name?"

"I don't know, and I don't plan to report it because I hit her too. You know... sometimes women's fights can get crazy."

Luke nodded, "Shall we change the subject then?"

"How is your family's financial situation?"

"It's okay, I suppose. I'm a housewife, so we rely on my husband's income alone."

"How much does Badman Pole make in a month?"

"About five thousand US dollars."

"Does he have any extra income, like bringing home large sums of cash?"

Laura Pohl pursed her lips and replied crisply, "No."

"Think again. Money that's not yours won't ever truly be yours, and it can even bring calamity."

"Really, there's none."

Luke left a business card, "Call me if you need to."

"Thank you." Laura Pohl saw them out of the room.

David asked in a low voice, "Do you think she's hiding something?"

Luke thought for a moment, "Badman Pole had a close relationship with Congresswoman Layli Harry, he was not just her driver but also did other tasks for her.

Such as bribing gunmen, orchestrating a staged attack.

Layli Harry wouldn't meet with the gunmen directly nor handle the financial aspect.

From my analysis, Badman Pole likely took kickbacks.

If Badman Pole encountered danger, he would surely leave that money for his wife and child."

"This money isn't clean, but once it's in your pocket, no one wants to give it up easily."

...

The two left the hotel and saw Little Black and Laura Pohl's son chatting.

Luke waved his hand and got into the black Dodge car.

After a while, the little boy returned to his room.

Little Black also got into the Dodge car, "How did your chat go? Did Laura say anything?"

"She's tight-lipped." Luke countered, "How about your chat with the boy?"

Little Black sighed, "I did learn some information, but… it's always like this, I feel guilty."

David shook his head, "Bullshit, quit patting yourself on the back, you're heartless."

Little Black seemed to be afraid of David or maybe he just didn't care, "I was talking to Jaden. The one who hit him and Laura is Laura's brother."

"Why?"

"Jaden isn't too clear on the details; he only knows that Badman Pole left a lot of money at Laura's brother's house, and last night Laura tried to get the money, but her brother refused, and they fought.

That bastard also hit Jaden." Little Black's tone carried a hint of anger.

David glanced at Luke beside him, "Looks like you were right; it's definitely connected to the dirty money." He then looked at Little Black, "Do you know where Laura's brother lives?"

"Yeah, Jaden told me. He trusts me a lot." Little Black seemed downcast.

Luke took out his phone and contacted Susan to apply for a search warrant.

...

One hour later.

The trio arrived in a poor neighborhood.

Little Black got out of the car, looking around and spreading his arms, "No one knows this place better than I do, no one."

Luke and David ignored him, checking their handguns.

Little Black walked up to a shabby house and knocked, "Bang bang…"

"Creak…" The door opened, but it was still latched with a chain lock, and a man in his thirties peeked out, "Who are you looking for?"

"Are you Rob Keller?"

"That's me, what do you want?"

Little Black flashed his badge, "LAPD, open up. We need to talk to you about some things."

"I didn't call the police." Rob Keller was resistant to opening the door.

"Open the door, don't make me ask a third time."

The door opened, Rob Keller pinching his nose, "Did that bitch Laura Pohl send you guys?"

"Isn't she your sister? Is that how you should talk about her?"

"She ceased being that the moment she asked for money."

"Did Badman Pole leave a large sum of cash at your place?"

"No, she's lying, I don't owe her any money. You can leave now." Rob Keller tried to close the door.

David moved forward and pushed the door open with a shove, "This is a search warrant, take this damn chain off, or I'm kicking it down."

Whether it was the search warrant or David's intimidating presence that did the trick, Rob Keller eventually opened the door.

Luke said, "Did Badman Pole leave some dirty money here for safekeeping? If so, you'd better bring it out quickly; don't trouble yourself."

Rob Keller hesitated for a moment, "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"If you won't talk, we'll have to find it ourselves. Marcus, keep an eye on him."

"I'm more than happy to."

Then, Little Black watched Rob Keller in the living room, while Luke and David began to search the house.

They needed to search through the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms—every nook and cranny.

In the spare bedroom, David found a large backpack hidden in a secret compartment of the wardrobe, "I've found something over here."

Luke walked over to check.

He unzipped the backpack to find stacks of green bills inside, a good thirty bundles of them.

David exclaimed, "Wow… driving sure pays these days, I'm considering switching jobs."

"Fuck!"

"I @#￥%..."

Suddenly, the sound of a scuffle came from outside.

Luke drew his gun and rushed out of the house, only to see Little Black and the homeowner Rob Keller in a fistfight.

More precisely, Little Black was on top of Rob Keller, pummeling him.

"Stop! Marcus, stop it."

Little Black was going wild, raining down punches on Rob Keller.

Luke put away his gun and pulled him off, "Marcus, cool it!"

David came out holding the money bag, "Fuck, what the hell are you doing?"

Rob Keller lay on the ground, wiping the blood from his face, "This crazy motherfucker. We were just talking, and he's gone and beaten me up."

David turned to Marcus, "Marcus, why did you hit him?"

Marcus spat, "This asshole had it coming."

David then looked down at Rob Keller, "Your turn."

Rob Keller caught his breath and leaned on the sofa, pointing at Little Black, "That asshole asked me if I was the one who hit Laura Pohl. I admitted it.

Then he asked why I hit her son Jaden.

I told him the little shit bit me first, then he snapped and started beating on me.

I'm going to sue his ass, I'm getting a lawyer!"

David sighed, "Luke, take Marcus outside.

I'll handle things here."