Back at the Cathedral, Tom Hagen, during the time Wayne was away from the reception room, must have received some new instructions from Bishop Corleone.
In any case, the Cathedral only intended to keep the most crucial “Master of Prying Windows” from the assassination case, along with the captured minor leader, and the corresponding evidence.
As for the spoils and the remaining captives, the Cathedral currently wasn't concerned, implying that Wayne should “handle them himself.”
Wayne hadn't expected his connections to be so unexpectedly strong, and he felt much more relaxed now, not bothering with formalities.
Holding the wrapped oil painting, he walked over to a line of carriages guarded by Agents.
Inside one of the carriages, Inessa skillfully unwrapped it and examined it for a while, a little puzzled: “It doesn't seem to be the work of a great painter, nor does it show any signs of containing Extraordinary power…”
Wayne didn't bother arguing with her. “This is much rarer than a great painter's work. I'm going to hang it in my office when we get back.”
The temporary stronghold had now been burned to ruins. If they paid off the Landlord, the Detective Agency, after deducting the protection fees Mr. Moliere had paid earlier, would barely have any book income from this trip.
But fortunately, Mr. Basque was generous. He had his butler leave a message at the Cathedral, saying that the Beaton Family, upon learning that the Detective Agency's temporary stronghold in Richmond was rented, had already reached an agreement with the property owner, so the Detective Agency didn't need to handle it anymore.
Just as he was wondering whether to find an Agent to rent another place and wait to see what Bishop Corleone's “rest for a few days” meant, Mr. Russell's lawyer already came looking for him.
Mr. Russell had previously mentioned investing in Wayne's fast-food business, and in addition to actual funds, he would also provide an idle property he owned in Richmond as the new store's location. Coincidentally, Wayne had now completed the investigation of the assassination case, and the remaining tasks were just desk work like writing reports. Since he was free anyway, he could go and arrange things for a while.
Mr. Russell, after all, was a man of big business. Any idle property he casually offered looked quite spacious. This place was originally a bar with average business. The property owner had failed in an investment and mortgaged it to Mr. Russell.
The previous bar operator was clearly dissatisfied about not being able to renew his lease when it expired. When the lawyer brought Wayne to view the property, he even rushed over, still wanting to fight for it and planning to reopen the bar.
People in the city were, after all, more civilized than those in the west. Seeing that a fight was definitely not going to break out, Inessa unenthusiastically waved her hand, signaling the Agents to get down from the line of carriages.
Originally, Doug was already preparing to persuade that guy to leave, but Wayne unintentionally overheard that this guy and the original staff lived nearby and were considered “old neighbors” here. He even asked him or the bar's original employed waiters to consider whether they wanted to continue working at the new store.
The valuable items in the bar had already been cleared out; what remained belonged to the “unwanted” items, so it wasn't a mess everywhere.
And Wayne wouldn't be picky about the free venue.
In fact, he was quite satisfied with the place. There was a small basement behind the bar, which served as a not-so-reliable “refrigerator” and also a wine cellar. It was good for temporarily holding people. The upstairs could be tidied up a bit to become the staff's dormitory. With a bit of squeezing, they might even be able to partition off a room for “what to do with it, still haven't decided.”
Inessa quickly confirmed the internal situation. Connal followed behind her, preparing to observe the surrounding terrain.
Then she thought for a moment, “The cellar can't hold so many people. What do you plan to do with those captives?”
Hmm…
The captives currently in the Detective Agency's hands should be considered “one group,” but they were actually “two batches.” One batch was those who set fire to the place themselves during the previous investigation, and the other batch was brought back from the Indigenous people community.
The latter had both dead and alive, and several of them had been identified as accomplices who were wanted along with the captured minor leader, but unfortunately not all of them were caught. The former were “all alive” and “all free.” Both batches of people were Extraordinary Persons, not very high-ranking, but quite skilled in their work.
Wayne had now successfully “submitted his homework” to Bishop Corleone, and his curiosity was largely satisfied. He wasn't very keen on continuing the investigation, and he was also a little greedy:
“Some of those from last night, we'll send them to the Police Station later, and some to Father Tyrrell. The rest can just squeeze in for now; this basement is at least more spacious than a slave ship.”
He also had Doug make a trip to deliver a message to the Beaton Family's Elder. If he was interested, he could have a qualified person come to the Detective Agency to take the captives away. It would be a reciprocal gesture, and he could offer a friendship price.
The batch of people from last night had harbored murderous intent towards Wayne, so he wouldn't keep those who had bitten him. The batch who set the fire earlier were a bit troublesome. He would observe for a while to see if they could be sold. Otherwise, he would keep them to “atone for their crimes.” If that still didn't work, he would just have to send them to Father Tyrrell.
Bishop Corleone said that unauthorized wild Extraordinary Persons could be sent to the Church for disposal or kept for use, but he didn't say they could be executed by themselves—doing so didn't feel like a good habit for the Detective Agency. At least Wayne knew that a certain well-disciplined army didn't mistreat captives, but they were incredibly fierce in battle.
Father Tyrrell's side was actually also part of the “Church.” The Exorcist Association itself was even more professionally aligned. Sending the “people who had bitten” captives there could at least earn Inessa some contribution or exchange for some Extraordinary materials. Given Inessa's standing, the concessions from his side might be even greater.
This was a minor matter; once decided, they could start working.
With a few instructions, Connal led the captives to be imprisoned into the basement. Doug, along with Sanders and two Agents, prepared to send off the remaining captives, while Liam was responsible for taking another carriage to the Police Station.
The first two groups were fine. The batch of captives who set the fire had been very well-behaved since Inessa caught them, and they wouldn't run around now. The survivors caught last night were still tied up in the carriage and could be driven away directly.
But the last carriage almost caused trouble.
At this moment, the Agents had already begun moving the evidence and last night's spoils into the bar. Although Mr. Russell's lawyer was clearly not someone who usually did manual labor, when he saw even Wayne personally move a painting out of the carriage, he also rolled up his sleeves, preparing to help a little “just for show.”
Liam's carriage, coincidentally, was about to be taken to the Police Station. Inside were the bodies from last night that could or could not be exchanged for bounties—those Extraordinary materials had already been extracted and were waiting to be divided—and then Mr. Russell's lawyer, nearby, lifted the tarpaulin, his pupils constricted, and he almost “croaked” on the spot.
The former bar operator, at this moment, happened to return again with a freckled girl, followed by a classic high school girl's scream as if she had seen a ghost:
“Ah—!”
It almost attracted the attention of the entire street…
Fortunately, Willie quickly blocked the front of the tarpaulin, and Ryan also rushed over to explain, “We are private detectives investigating a case. These are all being transported to the Police Station. Please do not panic, and please keep it confidential for the police until the case results are made public.”
The freckled girl clutched her chest, swallowing saliva, looking terrified, as if her legs were about to give out. The guy next to her was a little better, but not by much.
Wayne had originally thought that once they both recovered, they would probably run away, but to his surprise, when he walked over to apologize, the former bar operator, who had previously seemed uninterested in being a staff member, became interested after calming down:
“Sir, you just mentioned hiring staff. Is that still valid?”
Wayne nodded, “Of course.”
Another slightly trembling small hand was raised, “I… I'm also here to apply.”
Hmm?
Wayne pondered for a moment, then nodded again, “Welcome, but our store has a ‘probationary period.’”
