"I replied 'no', it was Lee Warwick who took the initiative to invite me."
Luke said, "If I'm not mistaken, Lee Warwick probably claimed during her statement that it was you who asked to go to her house."
"She's lying, it was her who invited me."
"Do you have any evidence?"
"When I stopped the car, she was the one who said it inside the car."
Luke nodded, "It seems now, to prove your innocence, we need to find the car that was stolen from you first."
"If we find that car, can the audio from the dashcam prove my innocence?" Danny Carter showed a hint of hope.
"No." Luke shook his head, "You were playing poker at Lee Warwick's house, not in the car. So the dashcam can't fully prove your innocence."
Danny Carter was somewhat annoyed, "Then what's the use of finding the car?"
"It can prove that Lee Warwick is lying." Luke analyzed, "Although I'm not clear on Lee Warwick's testimony, the police have arrested you believing you have a strong suspicion.
So, in her description of your actions, there will definitely be some expressions of criminal intent.
For example, she tells you explicitly that she has a boyfriend, as a way of rejecting you, but you don't care.
Second, after you dropped her off at her home, it was you who actively requested to come into her house, not her inviting you.
In the evening, you insist on going to her house despite knowing the victim has a boyfriend, that's your criminal intent.
And the criminal intent, if allowed to develop, could form your criminal motive."
Luke paused, then continued, "As long as we can find the car's dashcam and prove that Lee Warwick is lying, then your criminal motive cannot be established.
Conversely, if Lee Warwick has lied, both the police and the prosecution will doubt all her statements and evidence against you.
The police and prosecutors are human too, nobody likes to be deceived.
And since the police and prosecutors have discretion, once they start doubting Lee Warwick's words, they will be more inclined to accept your testimony.
Eventually, they may drop the charges against you due to insufficient evidence."
Danny Carter managed a bitter smile, "So it's not about who is better, but who is worse."
Luke said, "You can be bad, but don't play dirty with the police and prosecutors."
Daisy understood all this too, it's just that as a lawyer, she had a different way and angle of thinking compared to Luke.
These words coming from Luke were more convincing.
Because Luke was a policeman himself, he had conducted investigations this way and was familiar with the police's investigative processes and psychology.
Danny Carter said, "But the police haven't found my car."
Luke said, "I will help you find the car."
"Are you confident you can find it?"
Daisy said, "Even if we don't find the car, we still have us, we can prepare for both possibilities."
Danny Carter looked towards Daisy at his side, "I don't want to go to court."
Daisy said, "We can settle out of court, have Lee Warwick drop the charges."
"What kind of settlement?"
"Compensating the other party."
"Haha…" Danny Carter scoffed, "In the end, she's just trying to extort money from me."
"Many similar cases are settled with compensation to minimize impact, which is best for you and the team."
"Nonono, I don't want to give the hard-earned money I've made to that woman. That's the reason I hired you.
Moreover, if I opt for a settlement now, wouldn't that be admitting to her accusation?
How would I face the people around me, the fans, and how would I represent Los Angeles on the field?
I will not compromise."
Danny Carter's tone was a bit excited as he looked towards Luke, "Luke, please, you must find that car, no matter the cost, I'm willing to pay."
Luke repeated his promise, "I'll do my best."
Inside a black Mercedes G500.
Daisy got into the driver's seat and shook her head, "He's being irrational. Settling is the best option."
Luke questioned, "If you had the intention to settle from the start, why did you bring me into this case?"
Daisy wagged her finger, "For a lawyer, going to trial is the most advantageous, but in the case of this particular one, settling is the best for the client.
If the client isn't willing to go to court, settling can solve the issue once and for all.
As for you, you're important whether it's in court or in a settlement.
As long as you find information favorable to the client, we'll be able to take the upper hand in negotiations and minimize the amount of compensation."
Luke said, "Just finding the missing car of the client, the contents in the dashcam could make the police and prosecution drop the case, it's the same effect, and it will save the client some money."
"Don't think about saving money in this case.
Even if the police consider not pressing charges, Lee Warwick might still sue Danny Carter in a civil case for compensation, since civil litigation doesn't require as strict evidence as criminal litigation," Daisy sighed.
"The most important point is that Danny Carter is a public figure, the longer this case drags on, the greater the impact on him.
If it drags on for three to five years, regardless of the outcome, Danny Carter's career will be ruined."
Luke said, "I'm not against settling.
If Lee Warwick really initiates a civil lawsuit and demands compensation, for the sake of ending this farce quickly, we could settle.
But the condition is to first prove that Danny Carter is innocent.