Chapter 584: Deterrence

When the group returned to the restaurant, Chef Parker, who didn't need to go to court to be Jimmy's "family and friends," was already preparing a grand meal with newly purchased ingredients.

After all, today was the settlement day for Jimmy's first "independent case." If successful, it would be a "celebration feast." If the gangster unfortunately got off, it would be a "consolation prize" for Jimmy, encouraging him not to be disheartened.

The main reason was that Wayne genuinely wanted to delegate this area of specific affairs, and in the current Detective Agency, Jimmy seemed the most suitable. Not only did he have a talent for fingerprint collection and comparison, but his mindset was also the most upright, and his image and demeanor looked very "righteous."

So Wayne was happy to put a little more effort into this — being a "great detective" himself was not as easy and enjoyable as being the boss of a great detective.

After all, simply "fighting gangsters" at most earned some reputation, but indeed brought little profit. The criminals on the wanted posters at least had clear prices.

And now that the Cathedral had new people, Wayne didn't think Bishop Tiriel would invite him to any more small meetings. "Assisting in fighting crime" could still be done, but the Detective Agency's own survival and development also needed to be considered.

"Cheers! Congratulations, Jimmy!"

In the restaurant, everyone gathered around the table, raising their glasses. Although it was still daytime, the restaurant felt a bit dark, relying entirely on kerosene lamps for lighting.

The reason was simple: the restaurant's exterior renovation was mostly complete, but the ordered glass hadn't arrived yet. So, during the day, the outside was still boarded up to prevent the wooden frames from "leaking everywhere."

After congratulating Jimmy on his initial success, Wayne also took the opportunity to discuss opening matters with the restaurant's temporary manager and the freckled girl who was the "chief clerk and junior chef."

The workshop had already test-produced a good amount of sauces and reprocessed cheese. Although the recipes hadn't been finalized, their own people certainly couldn't eat it all. Rather than letting them mold and spoil, it was better to sell them as soon as possible, perhaps with an "opening grand sale" to clear inventory.

The temporary manager was still slightly puzzled by some of Wayne's requests: "Mr. Wayne, will our restaurant only sell specific items like burgers, fries, and sandwiches from now on? Actually, based on my previous experience, some bar foods like pickled eggs and pickled oysters aren't low in profit and sell quite well..."

Wayne didn't dampen her enthusiasm. "New dishes are not out of the question, but for now, we should prioritize perfecting the existing items on the menu and then see the market's feedback. By the way, have you found the baker I asked you to look for?"

"Yes, I've found one and negotiated the price. They can officially supply us according to our requirements two days before the official opening. What you're eating now is a sample. The vegetable vendor and the short-term meat supplier you requested have also been found. Will the vegetables be delivered directly to the restaurant, and the meat to the workshop?"

"Yes, the meat grinding equipment at the workshop is being debugged. In the future, the meat can be ground before being sent over, which will make frying patties easier for you. For now, we can open. If Kankakee can supply meat, we can contact the slaughterhouse later, and the cost of meat might even decrease."

After talking with the temporary manager, Wayne also turned to look at the freckled girl. "I remember there used to be hooligans causing trouble here. Are they still showing up?"

The freckled girl's face flushed, and she shook her head: "No. Last time, Ryan helped deal with them, and Bishop Tiriel happened to be here. They probably won't come again."

Oh, she mentioned Ryan first, and she's blushing.

Wayne thought for a moment, "Ryan is currently setting up the 'Second Office.' Have you considered going there to help open a new restaurant?"

"Hmm... Ryan said the situation there isn't certain yet, and he said that according to the Detective Agency's custom, he might be transferred again in a few months, so he thinks it's better for me to stay in Richmond for now."

You two have even discussed such things? Good progress, then.

Wayne was now getting skilled at making grand promises. "Then work hard. If there's an opportunity in the future, one of you can be in charge of the office, and the other can be the store manager. Your salaries should be quite good. When you have children in the future, maybe they can even be trained to become doctors or lawyers or something."

"I heard the assessment is very strict..."

Okay, this girl isn't even considering the question of "why there would be children" now.

Lina, who was eating and eavesdropping nearby, also smiled mischievously.

After eating and confirming the current progress of the restaurant, Jimmy had just been encouraged by everyone, and Wayne also took the opportunity to give him some pep talk. At this moment, he was also in high spirits.

To facilitate investigations, court appearances, and contact with the prosecutor, Jimmy wouldn't need to stay at the workshop recently. One of the rooms on the second floor of the restaurant, originally for partners, was cleared for him, and two Agents were assigned to assist him, forming the Detective Agency's relatively specialized "case-handling team."

The members remaining at the "base camp" were not many to begin with. With further division and allocation, some of the remaining members had been busy under Lina's command recently, while the last part stayed at the workshop as supervisors and on standby.

Everyone had their responsibilities, and the workshop's renovation was not yet officially completed. Wayne and Inessa were temporarily enjoying a break from their busy schedule. After eating, they went upstairs to listen to Jimmy's investigation report on other gang members.

Currently, there was, of course, only one gang member on trial, but Jimmy's investigation scope had expanded to nearly ten people. Besides the gang members of the initial "Jimmy" James Damody, it also involved four other small gangs.

These people were all of the "underling" type, responsible for the actual dirty work, the most hated, and with the clearest evidence. Therefore, after Jimmy's investigation and contacts, and after receiving safety assurances from the local prosecutor, the witnesses willing to testify against them were the easiest to find. They were the first batch of criminals to "enter the case-handling team's radar."

There were many gangs in the Dock Area. Besides those already under investigation, there were still many who were "generally heard about but not yet investigated."

Their scale and level also varied. Those like "Jimmy" and his crew, who assisted bankers in debt collection, should be considered "entry-level" among them, with relatively stable business and requiring a certain level of "business capability."

Further up, some had gradually become "regularized," for example, charging intermediary fees within specific Dock Areas. If dockworkers didn't hand over a portion of their income, they would face violent eviction and be prohibited from seeking work in that area.

And going down, there were some small gangs composed of a few hooligans. They usually "had no business" and didn't cause trouble, but when short of money, they would randomly select some lucky passersby for theft or to "demand pocket money" or something similar.

Inessa assisted Jimmy in self-checking for potential loopholes in the evidence, following the style of the defense lawyer in today's trial, and also offered some suggestions for subsequent investigations.

Wayne looked at the files Jimmy had initially organized, comparing them in his mind with the list provided by Bishop Tiriel and a rough map of the Dock Area, assessing Jimmy's current progress in tackling the gangs in the Dock Area.

In fact, many times, simply catching a few gang members was not difficult, but truly wanting to gradually clear up the atmosphere of such a large area was not as simple as just "investigation-trial."

Wayne felt that Jimmy's burden was already heavy enough. Next, Jimmy only needed to proceed methodically with investigations and assist the prosecutor as a "justice-bringer." The subsequent matters would be handled by Wayne and "Soften."

For example, if anyone dared to play tricks and retaliate against witnesses who assisted the Detective Agency in testifying,

Then even if the Detective Agency couldn't prevent it, they would have to find a way to make those people pay the price.

—Isn't the deterrence of gangs against ordinary people reflected in this aspect?