In the evening, Luke and Ortijo met at a Japanese restaurant.
Japanese-style private room, wooden tables and chairs, tatami mats, and the waitress was also wearing a kimono.
To be honest, it had quite the authentic feel.
After ordering, the waitress first brought a pot of sake and a pot of oolong tea.
Luke picked up the teapot and poured a cup of oolong tea for the other person, "How's this? The restaurant I found is not bad, right?"
"I've been to Japanese restaurants before, but it was all about sushi or teppanyaki. Sitting on tatami mats for the first time feels quite strange.
Also, those service uniforms have a vintage feel." Ortijo seemed interested in the restaurant, her large pretty eyes filled with curiosity.
Luke took a sip of oolong tea, "How is the investigation going?"
Previously, two unidentified people impersonated members of the Robbery and Murder Department to 'investigate' the oil painting heist.
Luke speculated that those two might be detectives aiming to find the oil painting and claim the reward.
Luke had met the deputy director of the museum, Shukri Brad, to inquire which detective agencies had been commissioned.
He learned that the museum had hired three detective agencies: Pinkerton Detective Agency, Stanley Detective Agency, and Cardon Detective Agency.
Shukri Brad had only met the receptionists from the three agencies. He hadn't seen the detectives who were responsible for the investigation.
Luke thought about meeting the heads of the three detective agencies but was worried about alerting them, and he didn't have substantial evidence to suspect that the 'fake detectives' were from these agencies.
To be cautious, he asked Ortijo to help gather information. She had extensive connections in the Los Angeles detective industry and might be able to identify the two 'fake detectives.'
Ortijo said, "Among the three detective agencies that accepted the reward, one of them is our Pinkerton Detective Agency.
I can assure you that nobody from the Pinkerton Detective Agency impersonated a detective.
As for the other two detective agencies, we know people there too. We asked them to identify based on the two police sketches you provided, and they didn't recognize anyone matching the characteristics."
"Knock, knock." The door sounded.
The waitress from the Japanese restaurant pushed the door in, carrying a wooden tray with small dishes.
The waitress placed the small dishes on the table, turned around, and left, closing the door.
Luke said, "These two people might have disguised their appearance."
Ortijo nodded, "I know.
The people assisting with identification are experienced detectives. If it were one of their people, they should have recognized them."
"Then maybe I was wrong." Luke slightly frowned, if the two fake detectives weren't detectives, then who were they?
"Don't be anxious, I haven't finished talking.
How could I not put my heart into what Captain Luke ordered?" Ortijo revealed a playful expression, "I asked quite a few people to help with the identification, and one detective thought the two looked familiar, much like two detectives from the Navis Detective Agency."
Navis Detective Agency?
Luke slightly frowned, could it be that the deputy director of the museum, Shukri Brad, lied, that the ones they commissioned were not just the three detective agencies?
But what was the point of such a lie?
Could it be that Shukri Brad knew that this agency's people were impersonating detectives and deliberately covered for them?
Luke felt that such a possibility was small. Police and detective investigations do not interfere with each other, and in terms of the level of investigation and the resources they could mobilize, the police's ability to solve cases is far superior to that of detectives.
Of course, detectives also have their advantages; each has its own methods.
If the police were unable to solve the oil painting heist for a long time, the Getty Museum might approach detectives to find out about the painting, then buy it back through intermediaries.
In short, where there is sunlight, there will be shadows.
Ortijo took out a blank envelope from an exquisite blue leather bag, "This contains information on those two individuals."
Luke took the envelope, caught a faint fragrance, opened the letter for a glance, and put it away.
More dishes were gradually being served, and the two chatted as they ate.
Luke also took the opportunity to ask about the detective industry, such as which methods detectives typically use to investigate someone's information.
Ortijo's answer was also simple, detectives are not as mysterious as imagined, nothing more than eavesdropping, tracking, interviewing, and checking data...
These methods, they know, and Luke knows too.
Originally, Luke wanted to ask Ortijo whether she could find detailed information about potential buyers of the painting.
After careful consideration, he decided it was not appropriate. The detective circle in Los Angeles was only so big, and while Ortijo might be familiar with people in the detective circle, she might not be familiar with the four potential buyers.
Moreover, the detective's investigation methods might not be very sophisticated, and Luke also worried about leaking information, so he chose not to mention it.
The assistant captain's suggestion was more prudent.
However, having identified two suspected fake detectives, it wasn't a fruitless night.
Luke rearranged tasks, assigning Marcus, Jenny, and Raymond to investigate those two individuals suspected of impersonating Robbery and Murder Department detectives.
Originally, Luke speculated that the two fake detectives were likely detectives who had accepted the museum's bounty, investigating in the guise of police agents.
Now it seems that it might not be that simple.
Luke and the assistant captain each took a person and proactively approached the four potential buyers for a conversation.
Among them, Luke is responsible for visiting Ruth Morgan and Albus Stone.
The assistant captain is responsible for visiting Dom Wood and Buddy Cardis.
The clues about Ruth Morgan mainly came from Matthew's investigation.