Chapter 602: The Plan
Wayne’s plan to freeload on meals went smoothly.
There were actually quite a number of modern methods for data verification. Besides Benford’s Law, there were also methods to evaluate whether the correlation of relevant data deviated from the normal range, or if the fluctuation range was abnormal, and so on.
Wayne didn’t understand some of the more profound concepts too deeply, but that didn’t stop him from simplifying the concepts and speaking eloquently, bringing the conversation to a halt precisely when Tax Officer Quinn was about to finish work.
Then he pretended that he might be quite busy for the next few days, but happened to be free that evening.
Tax Officer Quinn’s curiosity was still piqued, so he took the opportunity to invite Wayne, who then readily accepted. Wayne’s carriage, carrying a packaged small specialty from the workshop, followed along.
Tax Officer Quinn lived in a brick and stone “small Western-style house.” While it couldn’t compare to those of the wealthy, it still had a few servants and a small courtyard, and the neighborhood environment looked quite good.
Unfortunately, houses in this area usually didn’t circulate on the market, and even real estate agents were no help. It was hard to say whether the prices were high or low, but outsiders generally couldn’t buy them.
America’s system was similar to that of the Windsor Kingdom. Although senior officials only had executive power in politics, their income was often higher and more stable than that of equivalent-level council members.
Even without considering the social resources they could influence, in terms of personal income alone, their positions were generally at the top of the local middle class, comparable to local renowned doctors or senior lawyers, serving as a benchmark for those who nominally “make a living by personal professional ability.”
After entering the door, it was the usual social routine: meeting and greeting family members, presenting gifts, chatting for a while, and eating together.
Wayne, of course, mainly conversed with Tax Officer Quinn. The head of the household at this time adopted a posture of eager learning, and Mrs. Quinn’s impression of Wayne also seemed good. Therefore, after dinner, he didn’t spend much effort. Taking advantage of the brief interval when the Quinns were discussing family matters and the servants had temporarily withdrawn, he found an opportunity to have a short private chat with Miss Quinn.
Perhaps there truly was some strange law of conservation in the world. Wayne had initially thought that dealing with Tax Officer Quinn would be the most difficult, but the plan went very smoothly.
And Miss Quinn had seemed quite admiring of Wayne at the ball before, so he felt she should be easier to talk to. Unexpectedly, it was she who presented Wayne with various “unexpected” challenges.
Wayne: Miss Harley, we have investigated what you did to the gang members. I hope you won’t act on your own again.
Miss Harley: (Surprised) Mr. Wayne is indeed impressive… Don’t worry, there’s no need to be concerned about my safety. Those gang members shouldn’t be able to discover me.
Wayne: You probably don’t understand the current situation. Continuing to use your Extraordinary Person abilities will not only attract the attention of the Church and exorcists, but also very likely cause irreversible damage to your health.
Miss Harley: It’s okay, as long as I can punish those bad people, I don’t mind these things (serious face).
Wayne: In fact, our Detective Agency already has a plan for the gangs in the Dock Area. Your actions will add unnecessary variables to the situation.
Miss Harley: I understand. I will seriously consider it first, then act carefully, and I won’t cause you any trouble.
“Hey, why are you so unyielding?”
The Quinns were only speaking in low voices in the outer corridor at this moment, looking like they could finish at any time. Then Tax Officer Quinn might call Wayne into the reception room or similar place to continue talking. Until he left, Wayne would likely find it very difficult to have another private moment with Miss Harley today.
Time was limited, and Miss Harley seemed quite pleased that her “haunting activities” had worked, and was about to leave happily. So Wayne’s hand went directly past Miss Harley’s ear and pressed against the wall, blocking her path:
“Listen, out of courtesy and respect for your good intentions in fighting crime, I chose a relatively subtle way of speaking. Now I’m telling you, no matter what your reason is, I want you to stop any unnecessary personal actions against the Dock Area gangs. Do you understand?”
Their faces were now very close. Miss Harley’s hands reflexively covered her chest, adopting a defensive posture.
However, her thoughts still seemed to be somewhere else: “But…”
Wayne looked directly into her eyes, and just in case, even opened his simplified vision. He leaned in slightly, “I don’t want to hear ‘but’ right now. I want you to say ‘yes’.”
Miss Harley’s face seemed to flush gradually due to the close proximity, and finally her gaze darted away and lowered: “Yes.”
Hmm…
Why does the atmosphere feel weird…
Feeling that Miss Harley seemed open to communication again, Wayne withdrew his hand, stepped back a bit, and added a slight clarification:
“If you really want to help, you can find an opportunity to contact Inessa at the restaurant run by our Detective Agency. She will tell you the situation, and such interaction would also seem more in line with etiquette. Our Detective Agency welcomes Extraordinary Persons with a sense of justice like you to help or join, but we don’t want our rhythm disrupted by you.”
Miss Harley seemed to have a stubborn streak, “But I still think those people should be punished…”
Wayne looked over: “Mere ‘fright’ doesn’t count as punishment, and simply targeting gang members often doesn’t eliminate the gang. What our Detective Agency wants to do is more thorough than that. If you’re interested, you can ask Inessa or Lina then. You should have met them at the ball.”
Tax Officer Quinn was already starting to walk back, and the servants who had previously avoided their private conversation were probably about to come and clear things. The conversation between the two in the dining room quickly ceased. Wayne returned to his seat, while Miss Harley composed herself, regained her elegant posture, and left with her head lowered.
Actually, according to his original plan, even if Miss Harley was willing to be recruited, she would probably be placed in Lina’s intelligence group.
However, after a short conversation, Wayne felt it would be better to let her interact with Inessa for a while first. Otherwise, directly throwing Miss Harley to Lina, that “child king,” to lead, he just felt she might bring out a bigger problem child than Emma…
Afterward, Wayne followed Tax Officer Quinn into his study. Wayne quickly figured out how Miss Harley, a rich young lady, had managed to find the residences of those gang members.
Many reports and documents piled up on the desk, along with some tax returns awaiting review. As long as one knew the person’s name, the tax officer had more detailed and timely information than the Police Station—after all, in those days, the police didn’t necessarily update citizens’ residences promptly when there were no cases, but some taxes had to be declared regularly.
Therefore, Wayne quickly came up with two new ideas: “Mr. Quinn, I happen to know the person who submitted this tax return. He’s a leader in the Sailor Gang in the Dock Area. His actual income should be higher than the amount written on it.”
“So?” Tax Officer Quinn asked.
“Illegal income is often higher than legal income. Since City Hall levies taxes, can we also levy taxes on profitable illegal activities?”
Tax Officer Quinn was clearly greatly shocked, “Wayne, your idea is truly… unique. While I also wish it could be this way, the current city tax law and police force are probably far from capable of achieving this level.”
Well, this approach was indeed too advanced.
Wayne didn’t continue the conversation, then began to introduce his other idea:
“I was just speaking offhand. Let’s go back to our previous topic. Actually, many real-world data points have inherent connections with each other, not just applicable to tax verification. For example, if we were to study the arrival times of steam trains, we might discover some specific patterns.
“Perhaps City Hall could provide guidance on this, optimizing the train operating company’s schedule arrangements, proposing the construction of some ancillary facilities, and so on. If transportation efficiency can be improved, the city’s tax revenue should also increase accordingly.”
Tax Officer Quinn was clearly moved, “That’s a good idea. If the suggestion is feasible, it might even lead to a proposal worthy of commendation.”
Wayne was still a bit curious about the secret station from before, and it would obviously be more convenient for a tax officer to access internal intelligence and data than for a Detective Agency.
If he could guide Tax Officer Quinn to discover that secret station and let him investigate, it would probably be easier to figure out what it was used for.
It wasn’t that he wanted to cause trouble; it was just that the place wasn’t too far from the workshop, so it was safer to confirm it slightly, to avoid “trouble coming to his door” later.
At least figure out who the other party was, so he would have a direction if he ever needed to pull strings.
