The Crime System

The Maimed Case

Luke Sullivan was startled awake by his phone ringing.

"Hello? Officer Sullivan, where are you? How come you still haven't arrived? The entire unit's waiting on you!" came Bella's urgent voice.

"What's up? Go where?" he answered lazily.

"No way?" Bella sounded surprised. "Didn't you get the text? The Maimed Case! The whole team is at the office for a meeting! Hurry up and come... hurry..."

The line shut off, and Luke now saw the phone notification. Due to a sudden case today, everyone was required to be at the police station at exactly 8:00 am for a meeting to analyze the situation. The entire team must be there.

Looking at his watch, it was almost 8:30 am.

Luke was rather agitated. Yesterday he hadn't gotten any sleep, today he finally got some shut eye, but how come there was another case out of nowhere? With a name like the "Maimed Case," too?

At first, he was much too lazy to go. But after thinking about the name "Maimed Case," it sounded somewhat interesting. After much contemplation, he rose from his bed and headed for the police station.

When Luke entered the office, it was just like yesterday. The lobby was packed with worried faces. Everyone was crowded around a white table, currently focused on listening to team leader Priscillia's case introduction.

Captain Jake was also there. After seeing Luke arrive late, his expression darkened.

Vice Captain Vincent smiled at him, as if waiting to see Luke make a fool of himself. But as soon as Luke accepted the coffee given to him by Bella, Vincent's smile instantly froze.

"This time, if we do not catch the culprit quickly," Team Leader Priscillia pointed at the whiteboard, "the culprit could repeat the offense within a short amount of time, and this tragedy will repeat!"

Luke had just sat down as team leader Priscillia finished up her introduction, letting Captain Jake talk. Captain Jake first praised the lightning fast speed at which the unit closed the York Case, followed by pointing out the importance of solving the Maimed Case as quickly as possible. The speech ended with a motivational speech calling everyone to attention and to quickly solve this case.

Luke listened carefully for a long time, but couldn't understand a single thing. The only thing he understood was when the tasks were distributed. He was assigned to the Victim Investigation group.

The meeting had just finished, and Luke was about to ask Bella for details when his way was blocked by Vincent.

"Hehehe..." Vincent smiled darkly as he patronized him, "What's up, Sullivan? Just now you were so late. Did you look for evidence yourself? Did you find anything, Mr. one-man army? Can you solve the case by tonight while you're at it?"

Luke stood there, unfazed by Vincent's taunt. "None. Of. Your Business!" he spat out, each word dripping with disdain. He tried to leave, but Vincent blocked his path again.

"Halt!" Vincent barked, shoving a form in Luke's face. "Luke Sullivan, as your vice captain, I'm just being fair! Today you didn't clock in for work, and didn't ask for the day off from any leaders. Not to mention, you arrived at the investigation meeting half an hour late. According to the rules, I must mark you down for absence!"

"What!..." Luke thought to himself. Was that all? Just an absence? He couldn't be bothered to care, but he could sense the surprise emanating from Bella Lane and the others. They knew how rare and severe it was to be marked absent in their police station.

Luke knew the system well. Their Special Crimes Unit's attendance wasn't as simple as signing a card. Each team leader personally noted their attendance, considering field work and overtime. It allowed for some flexibility.

He belonged to Team A, so Raymond Larson, his team leader, usually managed his attendance. But with him hospitalized, that duty had fallen to Vice Captain Vincent. Despite the strict rules, there was usually some leeway. But today, Vincent clearly had it out for him.

The consequences of absence were no joke in their department. One absence meant losing a month's salary and kissing the Yearly Model Investigator title goodbye. Two absences led to public denunciation, and three meant transfer out of the Special Crimes Unit. Vincent's actions reeked of revenge.

But Vincent wasn't done. With a smirk, he pulled out another slip. "Oh, also, last night you went crazy and smashed one of our computer monitors. Here's the bill, 1,800 dollars! I've already asked the higher-ups, and they all agreed that you should pay it! Later just submit the money to the Finance Department...Hey..."

Seeing Luke reach for his coffee cup, Vincent hastily retreated. "You...You better watch your attitude! If you go crazy again, I'll report you for assault. The office has cameras, don't be rash..."

Bella Lane couldn't stand it anymore. She jumped to Luke's defense, arguing that he hadn't smashed the computer. But Vincent and his cronies were quick to shut her down.

Luke couldn't help but smile at the brewing fight. Calmly, he approached Vincent. "Vice Captain, we have an old saying back in my hometown, 'always leave a way open for yourself, and victory will be yours.' Do you want to push it this far?"

Vincent's response was defiant, so Luke decided to push back. "Alright! I ain't afraid of you. Since you aren't afraid, then you and I can have a standoff, and see who lasts longer!"

What followed was a heated exchange of threats and insults. Luke let loose a barrage that left not just Vincent, but the entire investigation team stunned. They'd never heard such crude language in their professional lives.

Just as Luke was about to continue, Captain Jake Sheldon burst in, his face a mask of dismay. He berated them for fighting when they should be focusing on catching criminals.

To Luke's surprise, the captain canceled his absence but insisted he pay for the computer. That's when things took an interesting turn. The captain proposed a bet: if Luke could solve the Maimed Case in a week, he'd pay for the computer.

Vincent, ever the opportunist, jumped in, offering to take the captain's place in the bet. "If Luke Sullivan can solve this case within the allocated time, I'll pay the computer fee!"

Luke couldn't resist the challenge. Slamming his hands on the table, he declared, "Alright, stupid Vincent, no going back! Within a week, I will definitely solve this case, this Maimed Case!"