When the Internal Affairs Division's investigation reached its conclusion, they failed to uncover anything else. Instead, they discovered one thing for certain: Lake had no illegitimate income whatsoever. In fact, he regularly donated a sum of money to social welfare institutions in various places every month.
By the end, even some of the female investigators couldn't bear to continue digging.
That was what...
a softhearted female investigator had secretly revealed to him.
Lake really wanted to laugh.
He wasn't surprised in the slightest that the Internal Affairs Division couldn't find any clues.
After all, Lake hadn't become a detective because he wanted to blackmail the blackmailers. He had become a detective because he wanted to build his own intelligence network while blackmailing the blackmailers.
The priorities were very important.
In a word.
Lake had come prepared. He hadn't been caught completely off guard.
Besides...
That so-called regular donation to orphanages had definitely been handled by the cheat. After all, any irregular or illicit money had been handed directly to the cheat in cash. During the last lottery draw, he had even used his own salary. That money was legitimate and visible, so it definitely couldn't simply vanish.
But that wasn't important.
What mattered was that, because Lake had come prepared, the Internal Affairs Division's investigation had undoubtedly reached an impasse.
That was precisely why Lake had been assigned by the chief to give the opening speech at the Police Academy. If the Internal Affairs Division had even the slightest evidence, this would never have happened.
Unfortunately, Internal Affairs had no evidence at all, yet they were unwilling to close the case.
The reason...
Lake had some personal grievances with the investigator leading the investigation this time.
To put it simply.
It involved a story about a hat.
Lake wasn't proud of it. God could testify for him that the woman had clearly said she was single at the time.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Come in!"
On the top floor of the NYPD building, Lake pushed open the office door and greeted the current NYPD chief, who was sitting in his chair. "Chief."
Chief Burt looked up at Lake as he entered and gestured toward the chair in front of the desk. After Lake sat down, he said, "The speech was excellent. That fellow Curtis said the new recruits were practically boiling with enthusiasm. Even I was fired up after watching the video."
Lake said, "Thank you for the praise, Chief."
Humble?
Could you eat that?
Chief Burt clasped his hands and pointed at a file in front of him. "The Internal Affairs Division's investigation report is out. What do you think of the result?"
Lake said, "I haven't accepted a single cent of dirty money."
He had always robbed the blackmailers and taken illicit money. Accepting bribes simply wasn't his style.
Chief Burt didn't open the investigation report in front of him. He picked it up and, under Lake's watchful gaze, tossed it into the trash can beside him. "Congratulations, Detective Edwin. Your suspension ends today."
Lake stood up. "Thank you, Chief."
Strictly speaking, this shouldn't have been announced by Chief Burt sitting before him. It should have been announced by Inspector Montgomery, the head of their Homicide and Major Crimes Division.
But...
Chief Burt shook Lake's hand and said, "This is what I can do to help you within the scope of my duties. If not for you, Jonathan wouldn't have made it back from the battlefield alive."
Jonathan had been Lake's comrade when he enlisted. During an operation on an overseas battlefield, Lake had saved his life. Only later had Lake learned that Jonathan's father was the very Chief Burt standing before him.
Lake said, "It was what I should have done, Chief. Jonathan and I were teammates."
Chief Burt nodded and sat back down.
Seeing this, Lake said, "Chief, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Chief Burt nodded without saying anything more.
Lake turned and left.
Major Crimes Division floor.
The Major Crimes Division occupied an entire floor on the third level of the police headquarters, allowing it to respond to calls as quickly as possible. All three Major Crimes squads were based there.
Ding!
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Lake was about to step out when a woman he had never seen before, dressed in civilian clothes and seemingly belonging to law enforcement from her bearing, said "Excuse me" and brushed past him.
She entered Inspector Montgomery's office.
Lake blinked.
"Hey, brother!"
"Esposito!"
Esposito, who worked in Major Crimes Two under Detective Beckett and had a trace of Mexican ancestry, came out of the nearby coffee room carrying a cup of coffee. He greeted Lake, then looked curiously at the back of the civilian-clothed woman entering Inspector Montgomery's office. "Who's that?"
"No idea."
Lake shrugged as he spoke. Then he moved his nose, backed away, and said, "Jesus Christ, brother, what is that smell on you?"
Westerners might naturally have stronger body odor, but shouldn't they pay more attention to personal hygiene? Lake himself bought deodorant in all sorts of scents—orange, apple, and banana.
"We spent three days staking out the car. We just caught that Afghan driver who was working with the terrorists. What do you think?"
"...You really should take a shower."
"It's working hours."
"Believe me, if the inspector smells you, he'd rather send you home to shower than let you stay here and contaminate the air."
"..."
Lake spoke to Esposito with utmost sincerity, then pointed toward a vacant area. "George and the others aren't back yet?"
Esposito said, "Not yet. They finished gathering evidence against the Dacia Crime Family. They probably went to arrest them."
"Impressive."
Lake praised him.
The Dacia Crime Family was a small criminal organization. There were at least twenty such organizations in New York. However, the Dacia family had powerful backing.
According to rumors...
The Dacia Crime Family was one of the many small-time gangs under Kingpin, the overlord of Hell's Kitchen.
Kingpin's name resounded throughout New York's entire law-enforcement community. After all, any hotheaded rookie who had just joined law enforcement would dream of arresting Kingpin someday once they learned who he was.
Unfortunately...
Everyone knew Kingpin was evil and ruthless, but he had money. A few years ago, it wasn't as if no one had tried to arrest Kingpin. Yet every time apparently conclusive evidence reached court, Kingpin's lawyers—hired at million-dollar salaries—could find loopholes and convince the judge not to admit it.
Kingpin might not kill law-enforcement officers, but he dared to target members of the jury. Moreover, Kingpin had unusual connections with City Hall and even New York State Hall.
Most detectives from the other precincts avoided Kingpin like the plague. Only the three detectives from headquarters didn't.
Perhaps that was why Lake, Beckett, and George had been able to become the three great detectives of the headquarters' Major Crimes Division.
Lake said to Esposito, "The Dacia family is small, but taking them down should make things uncomfortable for Kingpin for a while."
Esposito said, "Isn't that exactly what our Operation Hair Removal is for?"
Lake burst out laughing.
Last year, when Lake, George, and Beckett had been drinking together, they had brought up the ultimate prize of New York's law-enforcement world—Kingpin. After going back and forth, the three of them had devised a plan codenamed Operation Hair Removal.
P.S. Squad One's George—taken from Marvel, George Stacy!
P.S. Squad Two's Beckett and Esposito—taken from Castle!
Before you continue