Chapter 89: Fred’s Big Business
Chapter 89 Fred’s Big Business
Inside the Blackpool Detective Agency, Jones was tied up in a chair, his eyes purple and blue, his white shirt stained with nosebleeds everywhere.
Fred was sitting across from him at the table, he had a knife in one hand and a fork in the other and was patiently cutting the grilled steak in front of him.
He tasted a piece of the moistening roast and seemed to be getting a little tired of it, so he picked up his teacup and took another sip.
But just as the tea reached his mouth, Fred couldn’t help but spray it out.
“Pfft!”
He wiped his lips and opened the lid of the teacup to look inside, and the original lime green tea leaves had actually faded in color.
Fred was so angry that he smashed the teapot on the ground, only to hear a thud as he cursed with his mouth open, “Fuck! This group of treacherous merchants, even dare to pit me!”
Speaking of this, Fred also lost his interest in eating, he leaned back in his chair and looked at Jones who was already a bit delirious from the beating.
“Tell me, what did you come looking for me today?”
Jones gasped for breath, raised his head and spoke, “No …… nothing, today Inspector Hastings received a report that a Frenchman was lost in the precinct. When I think about it, you are probably the only one who does this kind of business. I came over to ask if you had anything to do with the case.”
Fred ran his tongue over his shredded meat-stuffed teeth, “Wow …… you’re pretty smart. Yes, I did catch a fat Frenchman, but it’s none of your business, so you can go home now.”
“It’s really you!”
Jones just wanted to stand up, but the gun on his head made him sit back down again.
He fought back the aches and pains in his body and tried to reason with Fred in the most level-headed tone he could muster.
“Take my advice, and hurry up and let the man go. Inspector Hastings is now in the ascendancy in Scotland Yard, he is deeply appreciated by Sir Peel, and even Director Rowan has to be courteous to him.
Didn’t I convey his request for Clemens last time? He’s asked you to keep quiet lately and not to do any more of that business for a short time. Although the St. Giles disappearance case seems to be closed, in my opinion, Inspector Hastings should not give up yet.
Besides, even if you didn’t listen to our advice and had to get indentured servants, you could have gone to other areas to look for them! Why did you pick Inspector Hastings’ precinct, aren’t you just bumping into his gun?”
When Fred heard Jones use Clemens as a banner, he warned, “Kid, do you think Clemens can do anything? That I have to do whatever he tells me to do? To tell you the truth, my old man’s business is bigger than he thinks!
I’ve got hundreds of men who depend on me for their livelihood. If I don’t open, are you going to let them drink Thames water?
If you want me to let the Frenchman go, it’s not impossible. You pay three thousand pounds now, and I’ll let you take him back.”
“Three thousand pounds?!” Jones said angrily, “Fred, you’re just sitting on your hands! An indentured servant sold to North America is only thirty or forty pounds, you open your mouth and charge me for three thousand, if you like money so much, why don’t you just go to the financial city and rob a bank?”
Fred shrugged, “Rob a bank? I would like to rob it, but I don’t have the strength!
Also, if you can’t come up with three thousand pounds, then I’m sorry. If you don’t give out this money, there are people who are willing to give it out. To tell you the truth, that Frenchman is worth that price. Someone paid good money for that man’s life.
The middleman told me that if I got the fat man back to France alive, I’d get a commission of two thousand five hundred pounds, and even if I only delivered the body, I’d get fifteen hundred pounds for my trouble.
It cost the other man so much that I only asked you for three thousand pounds before I was willing to break the contract, and really valued our past friendship and good cooperation.” Jones thought Fred was swindling him, and he couldn’t help cursing.
“Fred, you are killing yourself! It’s obvious that as long as we smooth out this period of time, we can continue doing business as usual again, and Duke Wellington will not be able to hold out much longer!
Once the Tories are gone, Inspector Hastings will have no one to turn to, and we can fuck him up any way we want! And you, you’re going to send us all in there for the sake of a small fucking profit!”
“A little profit?” Fred heard this and walked up with one eyebrow raised and gave Jones a mouthful.
Only a snap was heard and Jones was smacked upside the head.
When he came back to his senses, he saw that Fred was holding a white check in front of his eyes.
“Look closely, Rothschild Bank, a big trusted name, five hundred pounds, and that’s just the deposit for the capture. Do you still think I’m teasing you now?”
Jones was not surprised to see the check, and his mind slowly cleared.
“What’s the story with that Frenchman? What makes him worth so much money?”
Fred pouted, “That I don’t know. All I know is that the gold man behind it pays generously and does things quickly, much better than you poor bastards in the Greater London Police Department.
It’s only when I make a deal with you that I have to advance you a commission for dozens of guns and a measly amount of stolen goods. Gee, if it wasn’t for the fact that you can cover my indentured servitude business, I wouldn’t bother to continue trading with you.”
Saying this, Fred gave a nod to his minions at the side, signaling them to untie Jones.
He took a bunch of bills out of a drawer and counted a few out of them and stuffed them into Jones’ shirt pocket, followed by the rest of those into Jones’ pants pocket.
“Sergeant Jones, don’t get too upset about today. The twenty pounds in the blouse is considered my reparation to you, and the two hundred pounds in the pants pocket is a filial tribute to Clemens.
You go back for me and tell him that I’m going to take the cargo out to sea in a while, after all, this time the owner has spent a lot of money and is in a hurry.
If Clemens still has some accumulated stock on hand, send someone to me as soon as possible in the next few days, so that I can take the things out together then.”
Jones originally had a belly full of fire, but looking at the chest bulging with tickets, he could only swallow the blood in his mouth into his stomach.
“All right, I promise you. But I also have to give you a heads up, if you insist on doing this deal, you’d better be careful.
Finally, next Wednesday Inspector Hastings will lead a team to Liverpool to take part in the security of the opening of the railroad. Shall we choose that day for the transaction?”
When Fred heard this, a smile finally grew on his sleepless face.
He patted Jones’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Older brother, wouldn’t it be fine if you had spoken like this earlier? What’s the point of taking a beating for nothing?”
(End of chapter)