Jimmy spent over three hours getting off the highway, and instead of going home first, he drove directly to the old homeless camp. Such camps usually stay around unless the government or local residents complain and ask for a cleanup, so the camp had always been there, though the residents were constantly changing.
Jerry was there, and when Jimmy drove near the camp, he called Jerry to meet up.
Jimmy didn't really want to go inside the camp anymore, maybe he didn't want to recall those old days.
Jerry didn't make Jimmy wait long before he came out. He was very excited, running towards Jimmy's car.
Jerry: "Jimmy, thank you, thank God, you saved Mary."
As Jerry hugged Jimmy and patted his back, he kept saying thank you, his voice choking up.
Jimmy hugged Jerry back before quickly letting go. Goodness, how long had it been since Jerry last had a bath? The smell was lethal.
Jimmy: "Jerry, don't worry, Mary is fine. I've hired someone to deal with their family's case. Once Mary is able to present herself, we'll arrange for you two to meet."
Jerry was so excited that he couldn't stop rubbing his hands, you could feel how thrilled he was.
Jimmy continued: "Rest up for a few days. Once that stuff is sorted out, I'll take you there. As for whether you stay with Mary or do something else, you two can decide later.
Also, I'm sorry for being late. I wasn't able to save your ex-wife. Mary's stepfather also passed away, Mary only has you as family now."
Jerry was so overwhelmed that all he could say was thank you. Jimmy didn't say much after that, gave Jerry another hug, and drove home.
Once home, Jimmy took a shower, then sat on the couch starting to reflect on the past few days. This was the first time he had used Gold Coins to obtain services; he was always the one being offered Gold Coins for his assistance and support. It was definitely a completely different experience.
Not counting other expenses, he had spent five Gold Coins alone, which was all he had. Before leaving, he considered that he might need help from someone like Justin, so he took all his coins with him.
Apart from these Gold Coins, the rest of the compensation for past support and assistance was paid in cash, actual cash not a transfer, which is why Jimmy thought of renting a storage to keep it, to avoid trouble with a pile of cash at home.
This time, paying back Jerry's favor cost him dearly, and there was no way to compensate for such a loss. He couldn't expect Jerry to come up with that kind of money, and even if he did, funds could not necessarily match the purchasing power of Gold Coins.
Jimmy doubted if he directly used money to buy such services he wouldn't be able to afford it, especially intelligence support. Having fresh updates and being called over for a handover showed meticulous service.
This was nothing like the movies where they hand over the information and call it even. It seems that within the scope of the Continental Hotel, the integrity of subsidiary service providers is trustworthy, which is why he felt confident entrusting Mary's case to them for resolution.
If it was just a simple transaction, he would never dare leave a young girl in their care.
With collaborators like Justin and Mia, Jimmy believed that the men in sunglasses wouldn't dare pull any tricks. After all, it was an exchange of intelligence for services, akin to a commission. If they broke the rules, Jimmy believed he would find a way to deal with them.
Beyond these obvious losses, Jimmy had another perplexing issue: He still owed a favor to Agent Harten. Money can be repaid, but favors are unpredictable in how they must be returned.
He also took a week off, which was nearly over, having spent it just to handle this one issue. He had planned to visit a big city, but that would have to wait now.
After tallying his losses, it was time to count his gains. Jerry's gratitude was a given, but the biggest benefit was actually the gang leader's warehouse.
Several briefcases remained unopened; he would run back on a rest day to deal with them. With so much going on, carrying a few briefcases was too conspicuous.
Then there was that box of money. All Old Banknotes meant that if he didn't want to spend it immediately, he could always find a way to launder and deposit it as legitimate funds at any time. Justin's place could be a convenient intermediary as long as the matters were not too complicated.
Another gain was acquiring contact with Mia, a collaborator on par with Justin. Although Memphis is not the capital of Tennessee, it's the largest and most populous city in Tennessee. Combined with Justin in Little Rock, this meant that as long as he has enough Gold Coins, he could find similar collaborators in any state capital or significant city in the United States.
These collaborators might not know each other, but with enough Gold Coins, securing their services shouldn't be an issue.
Then there was the Continental Hotel. Previously, in the movies, only the New York Continental had been mentioned. In theory, if the Continental really had such extensive power, there should be many Continentals across America for managing different regions. Now, the biggest question was whether these Continental Hotels were public.
At least there was no Continental in Little Rock, a fact Jimmy was certain of. If there had been one, he would have known about it by now.
Having sorted through his gains and expenses, Jimmy sighed. He had been impulsive, even if the expenditure was absolutely necessary. Investing all his Gold Coins still made him wince.
Finding something to eat from the fridge, Jimmy couldn't bother to go out. Resting at home for half a day, it wasn't until evening that he drove out and parked his car in the police department parking lot, before walking into Justin's Camelot Bar.
Jimmy approached the bar just as it was opening, and the customers hadn't arrived yet. Justin and a few bartenders and servers were preparing for the business day.
Jimmy: "Hey, Justin. I'll have a glass of Glenlivet."
Justin turned to look at Jimmy and, reaching for the shelf, grabbed Jimmy's drink and poured him a glass: "Jimmy, did you finish your business?"
Jimmy: "Yeah, it's all sorted. I've made arrangements with the people there to wrap things up."
A sudden mischievous smile appeared on Justin's face, and Jimmy felt an unsettling chill, as if some bad news was imminent.
Justin: "Since you're back, that'll be one Gold Coin, please."
Jimmy's eyes widened, "What? Why?"
Justin: "The contact you asked for, that's also a service. Come on, I know you've made several Gold Coins."
Jimmy's expression twisted immediately.