Chapter 469: While the Village Road May Be Slippery, Perils from the Heart Could Be Worse
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
BAC referred to blood alcohol content, the measurement of the alcohol concentration in the blood. In the US, the legal limit on a person's blood alcohol content while driving was .08 percent.
Frank and York were definitely over the limit. It appeared as though Li Du had good intentions, but he had actually set them up.
Some male police officers came forward to pull them away, but they still resisted. Frank pushed the police officer and shouted, "I will comply with the investigation, but first let me find out about our—"
The police officer who was pushed was now angered; American police did not care about civilized enforcement after being assaulted.
Frank's action was considered an assault on the police officer. The officer pulled out his revolver and yelled, "Squat down! Hands on your head! Or I will act with violence!"
York and Frank were now terrified and could only squat down despondently, with their hands on their heads.
Li Du squatted down beside them. "Why were you guys so agitated? This is a police station, not your California territory. Better not throw any more tantrums here!"
Frank glared at him viciously. "Son of a b*tch—I knew it! I knew it! You planned all this, you're with the three d*mn cheats!"
Li Du innocently spread his hands out. "What're you saying? This has nothing to do with me. I still have no idea what exactly happened."
Before long, the truth was out.
The three of them were indeed cheats but not just any cheats. They were from the Gulf Islands and had worked either at the museum or taught archaeology at the local university—they really knew a thing or two about appraising artifacts.
After arriving in America, their educational qualifications were not recognized and so they were not able to find good jobs. They had been recruited by Ma Zhi-an to engage in fraud and cheat fellow countrymen. The scam this time had been initiated by Ma Zhi-an. He had paid special attention to the Chinese people in Arizona in search of making a quick buck.
He had heard of Li Du and knew that he was a rising star in the storage auction trade in Flagstaff, having bought many flashy cars within a short span of time. He deduced that Li Du had likely bought many valuable items at auctions. After meeting Li Du in Phoenix, he realized that his chance had arrived.
In the beginning, he worked hard to maintain his relationship with Li Du, gaining his trust with sincerity by sharing relevant news. For this part of the scam, the auction in Page was key. Zhang Kai, the one who had shared news with Li Du, was also a member of their team. The fake famille rose porcelain ware had been placed in the storage unit by Zhang Kai.
The reason for Zhang Kai sharing the news was to gain Li Du's trust, as well as to have a reason to introduce him to the three appraisers. After Li Du had gotten the famille rose, Ma Zhi-an introduced the three men under the pretext of admiring the porcelain ware. This was all part of the scheme.
According to plan, there were two reasons for them to appraise the famille rose.
The first was to demonstrate their abilities and gain Li Du's trust. The second was the possibility that when Li Du suffered the disappointment of realizing the porcelain ware was fake, he might have been more willing to reveal the other valuable items he had on hand.
They had a foolproof plan, built upon the basis of gaining Li Du's trust. They had actually succeeded for a while.
But Li Du was too cautious, and had not given them all of his antiques to look at.
They had been planning on continuing with the plan and staying in Flagstaff to get ahold of Li Du's antiques—how could they have known that someone had called the police on them?
Frank and York were in a panic, and asked the police officer, "Are they not appraisers from Christie's? Then what about the items they have in the vault at Chase Bank?"
Hearing that a bank was involved, the police were on the alert. The next morning, they contacted the bank.
They learned that the Flagstaff JP Morgan Chase Bank did not have any partnership with Christie's to provide complimentary storage for auction items, and no Christie's staff members had gone to the bank to deposit anything.
Frank exploded. "Impossible! We just went yesterday to deposit our item! Look, this is the deposit slip—there's a company stamp of the bank on it!
JP Morgan Chase Bank had assigned a staff member to assist in the investigation of this matter. Luo Qun brought the employee to Frank and York. "This is the employee in charge of the safe at the Chase Bank on Highway 95. Have a chat with him."
On seeing this pint-sized black senior, Frank shouted, "Not him, not him! He was not the one who helped us deposit the armor!"
The senior spread his arms wide and said, "Apologies, both. I'm in charge of all matters to do with the safe. If I wasn't there, then there was no way of putting anything inside. Neither of you would be able to enter the bank's safe."
"We did not enter the vault," York said, "but we were told that the vault and safe aren't inside the bank, right?"
The senior laughed, "I can't tell you where the vault and safe are located, but they are indeed in the bank."
Frank and York finally understood—they had been duped!
They exchanged glances and then fell into despair.
"No! This can't be true!"
"Help us investigate those three jerks—they stole our stuff!"
Luo Qun said, "Rest assured that we will investigate this. We are in the midst of that right now. What was it that they had gotten from you?"
"A Polish nobility's winged hussar armor! The nobility's silver winged hussar armor!" Frank shouted. "It's worth millions, help us get it back!"
Luo Qun asked, puzzled, "There was no winged hussar armor amongst the things in the car."
"Not in the car, in the vault! In the bank's vault!" Frank explained hurriedly.
Luo Qun was still confused. "Huh?"
Frank was annoyed. "Can we get a smarter cop here? F*ck, I f*cking hate you d*mn Chinese! You Chinese bugs, d*mn locusts! Why did you not stay in the East instead of coming over to the US—"
York covered his mouth hastily; to be scolding a police officer in a police station—that was really seeking death!
As he tried to stop Frank, he said, "Madam, Madam, my buddy here has anger issues. Please forgive him, he's having a fit."
Luo Qun hated all forms of racial discrimination. Before Li Du had helped her get ahead, she had suffered much in the police station as a Chinese woman. When she heard Frank, she laughed loudly in spite of her anger. "Save those words for use in court! Drunk driving! Assault of a police officer! Racial discrimination and verbal abuse of a police officer! Let me warn you—you guys are dead meat!"
York was also fired up now. "Well what about our winged hussar armor?"
"Ask the prison warden after they let you inside," Luo Qun sneered. "They'll find it for you."
York knew that one had no choice but to bow before a low beam, and so he controlled his temper and said, "Madam police officer, please accept our apology, we know our mistake now. Please help us check on the item that we've lost, alright?"
Luo Qun had a serious attitude toward her work. Although she was furious, she still responded, "Of course, I will go ask around for news right now. If they have really stolen your that armor, we will help you get it back."
"Winged hussar armor—the nobility's silver winged hussar armor," York added.