"Do you play guitar?"
"Yes, I haven't always been this destitute... to be precise, I just went bankrupt recently. Last year, I was a middle class with a house and a car. Then I lost my job, my wife divorced me, my credit cards maxed out, and everything I owned became the bank's.
I couldn't even afford my daughter's college tuition anymore.
I had to move into a tent, which was uncomfortable at first, but now, thinking back, it's actually pretty nice. I have more free time to do what I want to do. Isn't that the ultimate pursuit of mankind?"
The number of homeless individuals in America is substantial, about over half a million homeless people, making up 1.7‰ of the total population. There are three main sources of homelessness.
The first kind is drug abuse and alcoholism.
The second kind, illegal labor.
The third kind, the middle class.
Americans are inclined to spend money in advance, buying things whether they are needed or not.
Moreover, most people use credit cards and don't carry much cash, making it easy to go bankrupt when economic problems arise.
With a poor record, it becomes more difficult to find a job, and even renting a cheap house is hard; landlords don't prefer to rent to someone with a bad credit history.
Once the middle class goes bankrupt, many men become homeless.
It's not that they want to be homeless, but they have no other choice.
Mammoth debts make it hard to recover.
America is unfriendly to the middle class.
"Jamie, I believe you'll get better," Luke comforted.
"Thanks, I'm quite happy now," Jamie replied.
Luke gazed at him, then changed his tone, "I sympathize with your ordeal, but that's no excuse for lying."
Jamie leaned back, stammering, "I... didn't lie."
Luke spoke confidently, "I am a police officer, and I deal with criminals every day.
Those people are very good at lying, but you're different, you're not like them.
I know you're a good person who just wasn't thinking straight for a moment. I'm willing to give you a chance to correct things. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Jamie was stunned, embarrassment showing on his face as he looked down.
His right hand trembled slightly, either from fright or too much drinking.
Seeing that he did not reply, Luke changed his question, "You just mentioned you have a daughter, do you have a good relationship with her?"
"Yes, I used to have a great relationship with my daughter. Every week, I would drive her out for fun, along with her mother. We were a happy family of three, at least that's what I thought," Jamie nodded to Luke.
Luke pointed to a body not far away, "That female victim isn't much older than your daughter. She also has a father who's probably anxiously waiting for her to come home right now. I believe you can understand that feeling.
But he… will no longer get that chance.
All we can do is solve the case and find the murderer of the girl, maybe that will bring some comfort to her father.
Can you help us? I mean, help a father anxiously waiting for his daughter to come home."
"I'm willing," Jamie raised his head, perhaps thinking of his daughter, his eyes slightly red, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have lied."
"Everyone makes mistakes. You still have a chance to correct yours, and it's not too late."
Jamie nodded, took a deep breath, "I saw it, last night... no, actually around 2 AM today, I saw a black pickup truck arrive at the beach.
Two strong men got out, carrying something that they threw into the sea. I was sitting at the entrance of my tent, drinking beer. It was rather far and dark, so I couldn't see clearly what they threw, but instinctively felt it wasn't anything good.
But I was too indifferent to care. What was there to fear when I was already in such a state?
After they had thrown the object, they seemed to have noticed me.
The two exchanged a few curses and then started walking towards me, and that's when I realized things were bad.
I thought of running, but I had drunk too much and couldn't run fast; they quickly caught up to me.
One of them held a gun to my head and asked loudly, "What did you see?"
After a standoff, they took out a thousand US dollars, threw it on the ground, and told me to take the money and keep my mouth shut or they would kill me.
And if I told the truth to the police, the money would be confiscated.
They left, and the body disappeared.
Until this morning, when the body washed back ashore, I decided to call the police.
sorry, I shouldn't have hidden this information."
Having said that, Jimmy took out ten crumpled green bills from his pocket, "This is the money they gave me; I originally wanted to buy something for my daughter... uh... but obviously, it doesn't belong to me."
Luke thought for a moment, then glanced in Susan's direction, "Keep it, it belongs to you now."
"Although the police department has its regulations, rules are rigid, people are flexible, warm. Keep this money, buy something for your daughter." Los Angeles Police Department doesn't lack such a small amount; rather than it being lost forever, it's better given to someone who needs it more.
Of course, Luke wouldn't reach into his own pocket to cover this money, just a word with Reid and Susan, and there are plenty of ways to deal with it, no big issue.
"Thank you, thank you so much," Jimmy pocketed the money, visibly relieved.
"Jamie, did you get a clear look at the faces of those who dumped the body?"
"It was very dark at the time, and they were quite far away. I didn't get a good look initially, and when they chased after me, I didn't dare to look back. Just knew one was black and the other was white.