It was an average day in Locus Bay, Jon walked in with some fruit.
"Hey Tom."
"Hold on Jon, I have to talk to you."
"Alright, what?"
"Could we have this conversation in private?"
"Look, I didn't tell 'em-"
"Copper got another search warrant, my wife and I had an argument last night."
"He didn't fine anything?"
"No, but that's three warrants, my wife his throttling me, now I want to know what you know."
"Alright, where do you want to talk?"
Nook looked at Boris, pretending to look at shovels when he was really focusing on their conversation. "The docks,"
They headed down past the flowers to the pond, fish swam around, none of them worth catching.
"What did you tell them?" asked Nook.
"Look, they wouldn't let me leave."
"Don't give me that crap, now I know Jon the Human is no god damned snitch, Gulliver maybe, Kapp'n obviously, but not Jon, what happened?"
"Look I all I said was you were getting some extra cash on the side and Redd wanted a slice, I told them it was Redd, Bud told them it was Redd, everyone told them it was Redd. I mean he controls the Black fucking Market, your just an easier target, you know the pigs, they have to get someone."
"God damn it Jon I trusted you!"
"Look, I'll fix it."
"You're in dept to me more than just cash now."
"Okay I'll do my best to get you out of this shit, I'm not going back to the station, and if you get hauled, I'll help out your family and run your business 'til you get back, man I'm asking you to trust me."
"I did and you double crossed me."
"Hey I didn't tell them shit, it was Gulliver!"
"Alright, I'll forgive you, but you got to do one thing."
"Yeah what?"
"You got to take care of Gulliver." The fish swam down into the depths, away from view; a bug flew off from a patch in the tree.
"You have got to be kiddin' me."
"It doesn't end there, you have to take care of anyone who is a danger to my business."
"Dude you're talkin' crazy, I mean what happened? You wife is pissed at you? So fucking what!"
"Listen I have a good family, I have a good life, I'm not letting this shit bring me down! I stuck this town on the map, it was all me! I'm the only god damned man with a shop in this town!"
"Alright, now listen Gulliver is a good man, they cops took advantage of him, now I'm no cop killer, but if anyone's threatening your business, it's the five O's."
"Yeah, your right, but I still need a fucking favor done, now you've heard of Crescent point right?"
"Yeah, three towns east of here, what about it?"
"Wendell's a honey head, he's more addicted to my shit than anyone I know, and he's got a business to pay for it, too. Or at least he did until the pigs shut it down."
"What was the business?"
"He painted for a living, and he traded his paintings for food."
"Yeah I know I have some of his originals."
"Yeah well people like Redd used his paintings to send threat letters, he'd wait outside their house and then 'e'd say something like, 'Yo Redd wanted me to paint this for you.' The thing is they basically were used to inform everyone working for him about business."
"So he's our enemy."
"I don't care about that shit, but the cops busted him there, they couldn't make anymore arrests, anyway he helps business, he doesn't have the money anymore, now that his job with Redd is over."
"So what can I do?"
"He's on town arrest, bust him over here and I'll give him a job."
"Alright, later."
The two arrived back at Nookway, Jon dropped off some stuff and grabbed some bells from the Register, and Boris was still there. Jon grabbed a train ticket from the rack and headed off; he crossed the bridge and ran passed the message board. He ran up the stairs.
"Oh Hey Jon! Where you headed?" asked Porter.
"Crescent Point."
"Alright train will here in a few minutes."
"Hey Porter." Said Don Resetti.
"Oh hey Don, you leaving?"
"Nope, just needed to talk to Jon."
"Sorry Don, my ride's coming soon."
"Listen Jon, you know what's up and I know what's up, cut the fucking crap and walk with me."
"Woah woah woah." Said Porter, "Please keep you language to a minimum."
"Fuck off nigger!"
"Hey shut you mouth!" yelled Jon.
"Whatever, just to let you know this doesn't please Redd, I was going to offer it painless."
"What'd I ever do to you? What'd anyone do to Redd? No seriously say it in front of Porter, actually fuck it kill me, the cops will be all over you!"
"You think I'm that stupid?"
"The train will be here any minute, if you kill us, you'll never escape, but thanks for the threat, because I'm carrying a tape recorder."
"Fuck you think I would be stupid enough to over look that?" he grabbed a gun from his jacket and aimed at Jon, he nearly pulled the trigger before a huge chunk of lead blew apart his brain.
"Holy shit!"
"Son of a bitch," said Leopold.
"Fuck, Leopold?" asked Jon.
"Expert fox hunter, thank you!"
"Christ, we got to get out of here." said Jon.
"What about me? I'm on duty nearly twenty four seven!
"Alright, We grab the bullet and run, oh god I hear the train, look distressed, swear and shit, say he was depressed and shot himself, no that won't work, ah fuck the trains coming closer, he Leopold got the bullet? Pocket it and run, Porter yell and shout, oh fuck the conductor spotted us, crap Leopold run! Porter follow my lead." The train approached, Jon threw up his arms and yelled help a few times. Porter yells and jumps around too.
"So let me get this straight, Don and Redd were arguing, then Redd fired at Don and blew the top of his off." asked Copper.
Porter stared up at Copper, "Yeah."
"Then he took off?"
"That's right."
"What were they arguing about?"
"Something about how Redd didn't pay Don off, so he grabbed his gun and pointed at him, so Redd shot him."
"Right after he shot him, he took off?"
"Yeah."
"Didn't do nothing afterward?"
"Nope."
Booker walked in and the two began talking, "Yeah his story checks out so far." Booker looked at him, "No it doesn't, CSI didn't find a bullet, there's no bullet in the body, he said Redd took right off."
"Ah fuck." He turned to Porter and looked down at him, "Alright your stories full of holes now tell us the truth!"
"I did tell you the truth."
"No you didn't, now we'll be here as long as it takes."
"Leopold was arrested; I have to appear as a witness."
"FUCK! You know you'll be asked why he wanted to shoot you."
"There has got to be a way out of this, our economy depends on it."
"Our economy depends on this case, our economy depends on the lawyers and what questions they ask me, we have to blackmail them."
"Ah god, not blackmail, I fucking farmed honey meth, that's it. I was just your average guy with a personal business, now I'm your average crime king."
"Alright I don't want to do it any more than you did, but the bastard Porter couldn't take Copper."
"Alright now no one knows why he wanted to take you out, we can make something else up."
"They'll see right through it, we have to use blackmail."
"Ah fuck me. Fuck me."
"Hold on Jon, I have to talk to you."
"Alright, what?"
"Could we have this conversation in private?"
"Look, I didn't tell 'em-"
"Copper got another search warrant, my wife and I had an argument last night."
"He didn't fine anything?"
"No, but that's three warrants, my wife his throttling me, now I want to know what you know."
"Alright, where do you want to talk?"
Nook looked at Boris, pretending to look at shovels when he was really focusing on their conversation. "The docks,"
They headed down past the flowers to the pond, fish swam around, none of them worth catching.
"What did you tell them?" asked Nook.
"Look, they wouldn't let me leave."
"Don't give me that crap, now I know Jon the Human is no god damned snitch, Gulliver maybe, Kapp'n obviously, but not Jon, what happened?"
"Look I all I said was you were getting some extra cash on the side and Redd wanted a slice, I told them it was Redd, Bud told them it was Redd, everyone told them it was Redd. I mean he controls the Black fucking Market, your just an easier target, you know the pigs, they have to get someone."
"God damn it Jon I trusted you!"
"Look, I'll fix it."
"You're in dept to me more than just cash now."
"Okay I'll do my best to get you out of this shit, I'm not going back to the station, and if you get hauled, I'll help out your family and run your business 'til you get back, man I'm asking you to trust me."
"I did and you double crossed me."
"Hey I didn't tell them shit, it was Gulliver!"
"Alright, I'll forgive you, but you got to do one thing."
"Yeah what?"
"You got to take care of Gulliver." The fish swam down into the depths, away from view; a bug flew off from a patch in the tree.
"You have got to be kiddin' me."
"It doesn't end there, you have to take care of anyone who is a danger to my business."
"Dude you're talkin' crazy, I mean what happened? You wife is pissed at you? So fucking what!"
"Listen I have a good family, I have a good life, I'm not letting this shit bring me down! I stuck this town on the map, it was all me! I'm the only god damned man with a shop in this town!"
"Alright, now listen Gulliver is a good man, they cops took advantage of him, now I'm no cop killer, but if anyone's threatening your business, it's the five O's."
"Yeah, your right, but I still need a fucking favor done, now you've heard of Crescent point right?"
"Yeah, three towns east of here, what about it?"
"Wendell's a honey head, he's more addicted to my shit than anyone I know, and he's got a business to pay for it, too. Or at least he did until the pigs shut it down."
"What was the business?"
"He painted for a living, and he traded his paintings for food."
"Yeah I know I have some of his originals."
"Yeah well people like Redd used his paintings to send threat letters, he'd wait outside their house and then 'e'd say something like, 'Yo Redd wanted me to paint this for you.' The thing is they basically were used to inform everyone working for him about business."
"So he's our enemy."
"I don't care about that shit, but the cops busted him there, they couldn't make anymore arrests, anyway he helps business, he doesn't have the money anymore, now that his job with Redd is over."
"So what can I do?"
"He's on town arrest, bust him over here and I'll give him a job."
"Alright, later."
The two arrived back at Nookway, Jon dropped off some stuff and grabbed some bells from the Register, and Boris was still there. Jon grabbed a train ticket from the rack and headed off; he crossed the bridge and ran passed the message board. He ran up the stairs.
"Oh Hey Jon! Where you headed?" asked Porter.
"Crescent Point."
"Alright train will here in a few minutes."
"Hey Porter." Said Don Resetti.
"Oh hey Don, you leaving?"
"Nope, just needed to talk to Jon."
"Sorry Don, my ride's coming soon."
"Listen Jon, you know what's up and I know what's up, cut the fucking crap and walk with me."
"Woah woah woah." Said Porter, "Please keep you language to a minimum."
"Fuck off nigger!"
"Hey shut you mouth!" yelled Jon.
"Whatever, just to let you know this doesn't please Redd, I was going to offer it painless."
"What'd I ever do to you? What'd anyone do to Redd? No seriously say it in front of Porter, actually fuck it kill me, the cops will be all over you!"
"You think I'm that stupid?"
"The train will be here any minute, if you kill us, you'll never escape, but thanks for the threat, because I'm carrying a tape recorder."
"Fuck you think I would be stupid enough to over look that?" he grabbed a gun from his jacket and aimed at Jon, he nearly pulled the trigger before a huge chunk of lead blew apart his brain.
"Holy shit!"
"Son of a bitch," said Leopold.
"Fuck, Leopold?" asked Jon.
"Expert fox hunter, thank you!"
"Christ, we got to get out of here." said Jon.
"What about me? I'm on duty nearly twenty four seven!
"Alright, We grab the bullet and run, oh god I hear the train, look distressed, swear and shit, say he was depressed and shot himself, no that won't work, ah fuck the trains coming closer, he Leopold got the bullet? Pocket it and run, Porter yell and shout, oh fuck the conductor spotted us, crap Leopold run! Porter follow my lead." The train approached, Jon threw up his arms and yelled help a few times. Porter yells and jumps around too.
"So let me get this straight, Don and Redd were arguing, then Redd fired at Don and blew the top of his off." asked Copper.
Porter stared up at Copper, "Yeah."
"Then he took off?"
"That's right."
"What were they arguing about?"
"Something about how Redd didn't pay Don off, so he grabbed his gun and pointed at him, so Redd shot him."
"Right after he shot him, he took off?"
"Yeah."
"Didn't do nothing afterward?"
"Nope."
Booker walked in and the two began talking, "Yeah his story checks out so far." Booker looked at him, "No it doesn't, CSI didn't find a bullet, there's no bullet in the body, he said Redd took right off."
"Ah fuck." He turned to Porter and looked down at him, "Alright your stories full of holes now tell us the truth!"
"I did tell you the truth."
"No you didn't, now we'll be here as long as it takes."
"Leopold was arrested; I have to appear as a witness."
"FUCK! You know you'll be asked why he wanted to shoot you."
"There has got to be a way out of this, our economy depends on it."
"Our economy depends on this case, our economy depends on the lawyers and what questions they ask me, we have to blackmail them."
"Ah god, not blackmail, I fucking farmed honey meth, that's it. I was just your average guy with a personal business, now I'm your average crime king."
"Alright I don't want to do it any more than you did, but the bastard Porter couldn't take Copper."
"Alright now no one knows why he wanted to take you out, we can make something else up."
"They'll see right through it, we have to use blackmail."
"Ah fuck me. Fuck me."