New Gods of North America

That night,

Wayne, having roughly found the target address, took Conner and rushed to Richmond again.

As a "hitman" hired to do dirty work,

Liam didn't know how to contact the "Mr. Weisman" who directly hired him at any time. He only knew that the other party would appear in a lawyer's club in Richmond about every half a month.

If Liam wanted to contact the other party after completing the task, he needed to publish a specific missing person advertisement in a designated local newspaper. In theory, after the other party saw it, they would also publish an announcement with specific content as agreed, and then both parties would meet according to the time and place written on it.

But wild hitmen are not fools either, they always have to prevent the other party from "skipping the bill", so Liam also secretly investigated the employer's situation.

In comparison, "Malcolm Baker" behind that "Mr. Weisman" was easier to find.

Because the latter is now the "Regional Agent" of Cohen Pharmaceuticals in Virginia, with a public office in Richmond.

When Wayne and the others arrived in Richmond, it was night. In theory, the formal office should be off work and empty at this time.

So Wayne went to the cathedral first, as usual, to "ask God" before doing anything.

After telling Tom Hagen about the assassination attempt and the accusations against him,

Tom Hagen's expression became a little strange, and then Tom Hagen asked Wayne to wait in the office for a while, while he left first.

About half an hour later, a monk came to lead the way, taking Wayne to the depths of the cathedral.

The place where the monk took Wayne was a relatively casual and private main church reception room.

When Wayne walked in, Bishop Corleone was wearing casual clothes and talking to a guest. Standing beside them on the sofa was Tom Hagen, who had left earlier.

When Bishop Corleone saw Wayne coming, he motioned for Wayne to sit on the sofa as well, and then casually introduced the two "guests".

Well, what a coincidence.

The guest in the reception room, who looked like he was in his forties with light hair and blue eyes, was "Malcolm Baker" whom Wayne was looking for this time, theoretically the highest-ranking plenipotentiary agent of Cohen Pharmaceuticals in Virginia.

With arrogant eyes and a hooked nose, he looked very arrogant.

Tom Hagen appropriately introduced the topic from the side, "I heard that there seems to have been some unpleasant misunderstandings between Wayne and Mr. Baker."

"Oh?" Bishop Corleone heard this and looked at Wayne, as if wanting to hear what the person involved had to say.

In front of the Bishop and the other party, Wayne's wording became more cautious this time.

But in the end, it was still the same thing. The most effective evidence in Wayne's hands was the testimony of the hitman himself.

The guy called "Mr. Baker" by Tom Hagen snorted beside him, as if he didn't think these words were worth refuting.

Bishop Corleone's gaze towards Wayne became sharp:

"Wayne, I don't know if Tom has told you, but under the premise of abiding by the rules, the cathedral does not target anyone?"

Um...

Wayne was still pondering what Bishop Corleone meant, but it should never be wrong to lower his posture first:

"Tom did say that. It's a pity that the contract requirements proposed by Cohen Pharmaceuticals have exceeded the capacity of our detective agency, so I suggested that the lawyer sent by the other party temporarily take the contract back and consider whether the specific terms can be modified."

Bishop Corleone's gaze then turned to Mr. Baker.

Mr. Baker nodded slightly to the Bishop:

"I am aware of the contract itself. However, specific signing is the responsibility of a dedicated person, and I have not specifically inquired about it. But in any case, the shooting and accusations are definitely not related to us - the testimony of the hitman may not be accepted, as for other situations, Mr. Wayne should look for the reasons from himself."

So he doesn't admit it?

Wayne was about to refute, but Bishop Corleone raised his hand slightly, stopping Wayne from speaking.

"Cohen Pharmaceuticals is a large company, and it has also made some contributions in our parish. Wayne, you should understand the situation in Virginia now, you must think clearly before doing things."

Mr. Baker also echoed beside him, "The contract we proposed before is still valid. The lawyer sent by headquarters has left Virginia, and in a few days, a new lawyer may bring the contract to Mr. Wayne for review. If Mr. Wayne is willing to accept it this time, we will still appreciate your decision."

Bishop Corleone did not refute Mr. Baker's words, but waved his hand at Wayne:

"Go. The matter between your detective agency and Cohen Pharmaceuticals will be decided by yourselves in the future. There is no need to come to the cathedral for opinions. Tom, you see him out."

Then Wayne was a little confused and was invited out of the reception room. Bishop Corleone and Mr. Baker talked about other topics in the original place, as if they were just dealing with an insignificant episode.

What's the situation?

Did I kick a steel plate?

...

Tom Hagen did not give Wayne more advice this time.

His original words were probably, "You have heard the Bishop's words with your own ears. It should be up to you to decide what to do specifically."

The effect of this "asking God" was not good.

The cathedral had a bit of a "not helping either side" feel. If you have to break it down, it even felt more inclined towards Cohen Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Baker's attitude didn't seem to leave any room for further negotiation.

Wayne felt that even if he went to him alone tomorrow, he might not be able to negotiate anything new, so he simply went straight back home, and still tried to figure out the lawyer and court appearance first.

If the lawyer recommended by the "Pointy Hat Society" is not reliable, Wayne will consider asking Miss Olivia for help in the next step.

The Fisk family is big and powerful, and should know many black-hearted professional lawyers, the kind that can "argue three points even if there is no reason", and they probably won't easily admit defeat when they are justified.

As for the contract of Cohen Pharmaceuticals, if the other party still brings back the previous version, then Wayne may still refuse.

The working man's ambition is "high pay, little work, and close to home". That guy doesn't seem to be too close to any of them.

According to Wayne's view, once that contract is signed, the detective agency becoming Cohen Pharmaceuticals' exclusive security company is only a matter of time.

A bunch of people revolve around them all day long, so you always have to listen to the customer's opinions, right? Then the specific detectives may gradually begin to become biased.

The cathedral should also know that Cohen Pharmaceuticals has something to do with the School of Life. Since it has not been fully cracked down, it means that some people in Cohen Pharmaceuticals may also be "protected".

And Wayne's license in Virginia, in a sense, is one of the core competitiveness of the detective agency - however, the other party seems to have this advantage as well.

Perhaps for people of this era, "selling the shares of a start-up company and integrating into a large company" is actually a good development path.

But Wayne doesn't like the feeling of his things being taken advantage of halfway.

Wayne thought about it and missed Blackstone Town a little.

Putting aside everything else, just take the "court appearance" as an example. If the jury members were selected in Blackstone Town, Wayne would probably have a hard time losing this lawsuit.

And there is no need to worry about the other party taking the opportunity to stir up public opinion.

The Constantine family has lived in Blackstone Town for so many years, and the townspeople know the details. The reputation is not something that can be easily disintegrated by some rumors.

Unlike here, maybe a few rumors can reduce a lot of the detective agency's potential customers.