Who is Elvis Cole from L.A. Requiem and what is their importance?

Elvis Cole is an LA-based private detective who owns his own agency with longtime friend Joe Pike. Cole is a skilled investigator with a penchant for using bad jokes to appear harmless to possible adversaries. He is physically attractive, well-conditioned, and disarmingly warm and friendly.

He has a long-term girlfriend, a lawyer named Lucy Chenier, who has moved to Los Angeles from Louisiana with her son Ben in order to be closer to Cole. Their relationship at first appears to be rock-solid. Cole supports Lucy's professional ambitions, and she in turn supports Cole's devotion to a job that does not have regular office hours. They are attentive, loving, and patient with each other. However, Elvis's loyalty ultimately lies with Pike, and when Pike faces trouble, Cole drops everything, including his relationship with Lucy, to aid his friend and partner. The arrival of tough, sexy Detective Samantha Dolan further complicates Cole's personal life. Although he never acts on his attraction to the smart, resilient woman, he nevertheless grows more intrigued by her the more he works with her on the intense investigation.

Ultimately, Cole is driven by a desire to discover the truth. He wants to help give Frank Garcia justice for his murdered daughter, and will not tolerate a wrongful incarceration of his friend Pike.