Little Black shrugged, "The car is just a means of transport, I really don't care.
But since she can afford such an expensive bicycle, she must be wealthy, likely a new target for the robbers.
"Good question, we need to find her before the robbers make their move." Luke sent a dashcam video to the chat group, gathering ideas to confirm the woman's identity.
Actually, locating this woman wasn't all that difficult. The video featured road signs, and with some time the community where she lived could be identified, followed by a verification of her identity.
However, what the police needed to do now was race against time; a minute's delay meant an extra minute of danger for her.
Fame and wealth went hand in hand, and since the woman was wealthy, she likely had some renown. Luke was hoping someone would recognize her.
If no one recognized her, they would have to determine her place of residence through the surroundings in the video and proceed to identify her from there.
As for using facial recognition databases, that depended on luck and was not very reliable, serving only as an auxiliary method.
Before long, Jenny walked over, "Captain, I think I recognize the woman in the video."
"I wish I had a friend like that, but clearly she's not.
Her name is Muriel Balldini, a very famous businesswoman in Los Angeles. She's been on numerous magazine covers and has quite a personality.
She advocates for gender equality and calls for environmental protection to reduce exhaust emissions;
She's approachable, doesn't have a private office in her company, no nanny at home, and even lacks bodyguards and a driver.
She's wealthy and has a very independent streak."
Little Black asked, "She publicly stated that she doesn't have bodyguards?"
"Oh no, no wonder she's a target for the robbers, and then that damn bicycle, it's even more expensive than my car, utterly pretentious.
Is she a vegetarian?"
Jenny shrugged, "I can't remember clearly, but you can ask her yourself."
"No, I don't really like dealing with people like her." Little Black had mentally labeled her already.
Jenny shook her head, smiling, "Then Muriel Balldini will be very, very disappointed."
Little Black said, "You better not tell her; I don't like seeing women cry."
Luke ignored them both, first contacting Matthew to have him check Muriel Balldini's information in the police system while he also searched for her online.
As Jenny had said, this woman was wealthy, commonly wearing sportswear and cycling to work. Her photos matched the dashcam video closely.
It could be confirmed that she was the robbers' new target.
Luke's primary concern now wasn't capturing the robbers but ensuring the new target's safety.
The robbers being out of the house was itself a bad omen, likely indicating that they had already taken action.
Luke surmised four possibilities.
The first possibility was that the robbers had already made their move, possibly even successfully kidnapping Muriel Balldini, although the police were yet unaware—this scenario was the worst.
The second possibility was that the robbers were currently in action. Contacting Muriel Balldini at this moment might put her at risk or even lead to her being silenced by the robbers.
The third possibility was that the robbers were still planning and preparing, not yet carrying out the kidnapping. This situation was most advantageous for the police, allowing them to set up a capture.
The fourth possibility was that the robbers had abandoned their plan and fled. This situation would be tricky for the police.
Different situations required different approaches.
After some discussion, Jenny volunteered to go check out Muriel Balldini's home.
Matthew had also obtained detailed information on Muriel Balldini, confirming her home address.
The Sterling community.
This was an upscale neighborhood with a beautiful environment, well-built homes and yards, and various luxury cars parked in front of garages.
A black Mercedes G-Class entered the community, with Luke driving, Jenny in the passenger seat, and Little Black in the back.
Luke rarely used a Mercedes for task execution, partly to avoid scratches and more so because it was conspicuous.
But this time was different. In a neighborhood filled with luxury cars, Luke's Mercedes G-Class wouldn't draw attention, whereas driving a Ford SUV would.
The car stopped next to a beautifully built villa, its yard peppered with flowers—this was Muriel Balldini's home.
By now, it had grown dark, and lights were on in the villa.
Seeing lights was a good sign.
Luke parked the car and turned to ask, "Jenny, are you ready?"
"Good. If anything unusual happens, call for backup immediately."
"I understand." Jenny took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and got out of the car with a stack of documents.
Marcus suggested, "Captain, want me to get out and hide in the yard as backup?"
Luke thought for a moment, "Not necessary right now. Jenny is just scouting. The more people go, the more likely we are to expose."
As they talked, Jenny approached the door and pressed the doorbell, "Ding-dong..."
After a while, the video intercom rang, "Who is it?"
"Is this Miss Muriel Balldini?"
"My name is Jenny Ravens, the new community relations officer, just officially took charge today.
I know you. I've seen your magazine interviews, know you're a very busy person, so I thought I'd come over this evening to see and hear your thoughts on the community."