Chapter 371 Interesting Deal
Jack tried to recall the movies that Uncle Cage had made. Well, there were so many of them, a lot of good and bad ones, even with Bridget Fonda included. , and he still couldn’t remember which movie this was from.
What amazed him back then was Bridget Fonda's image of the heroine in "Kiss of the Dragon". Although she played a delinquent girl, she was really beautiful.
“This is Charlie in the newspaper, a patrolman from Queens. He is a rare good man, the most honest and kind policeman I have ever seen. Now, he is stuck in the quagmire and needs someone to help him.”
Dupree did not notice Jack's surprised expression, and pointed at the man in the newspaper who looked panicked and hugged Bridget Fonda, who was obviously caught off guard when he was photographed.
"I don't know if this is luck or misfortune. He has the habit of buying lottery tickets. A month ago, he won the lottery with a prize of 4 million US dollars."
"Why do you say that? Good people are rewarded, right?" Jack didn't touch the barley tea, which was unpalatable to him, and ordered a bottle of mineral water to rinse away the sweet taste in his mouth.
Four million U.S. dollars is not too much, but it is not too little either. For an ordinary person, it is an amount of money that is enough to change one's destiny, and it is enough to transcend some classes, but it is not enough to kill a person. degree.
According to some boring statistics, about 70% of lottery jackpot winners in this country will go bankrupt within 7 years, while in Europe, this figure is about 50%.
But 4 million US dollars is incomparable to those huge prizes worth hundreds of millions or tens of millions, and only one month has passed. What could have happened? Fraud?
Dupree glanced at the slightly noisy environment in the restaurant, and seemed to feel that the atmosphere here was not suitable for telling stories, so he took the initiative to pay the bill, and then drove ahead to lead the way, saying that he wanted to find a quieter place.
After passing the New York Museum of Science, the Queens Museum of Art, and the Botanical Garden, the two finally arrived at Flushing City Park.
It was afternoon and the sun was shining brightly. Sitting on a bench next to the lawn in the park, Dupree told Jack a somewhat absurd story.
Things start before Charlie found out that he had won the jackpot. A month ago, he was doing the same job as Jack when he was in the LAPD, driving a police car to patrol several nearby blocks every day.
According to Dupree, it is a few blocks near this park, which is also where he grew up.
But unlike Jack, this is a relatively safe neighborhood in Queens. Apart from occasionally catching thieves, Charlie spends most of his time mediating conflicts among residents and helping find puppies and kittens.
Both the elderly and children nearby are very fond of this enthusiastic and kind-hearted little policeman. He is ordinary, married to a Latino wife, and lives an ordinary life.
If nothing else happens, maybe one day they can save enough money and give birth to a child.
As the story begins, something unexpected happens. Charlie usually has the habit of buying lottery tickets, and almost every week he buys a lottery ticket worth two dollars.
On this day, as usual, after a day of patrol, after buying a lottery ticket as usual, he was really hungry, so he and his black partner walked into a house they had never been to before. coffee shop.
After enjoying two cups of coffee and a nice snack, Charlie went to check out, only to find that he didn't have enough change in his pocket for a tip.
So after some good-natured joking, Charlie made a serious agreement with the waitress, who had never been masked, to use the lottery ticket he had just purchased as a tip.
He promised that after the TV station announced the lottery results that night, as long as this lottery ticket won the prize, no matter how much, he would split it equally with Yifang. If he did not win, he would come back and make up the tip.
"Here, it's the coffee shop on the corner." Dupree turned half of his body and pointed to the coffee shop across the street from the park.
"Yifang Coffee Shop?" Jack also turned around and read out the name of the shop.
"Yes, but it had a terrible name before. It was called Lunch Cafe, and the owner was an annoying bald Mexican." Dupree waved his hand in disgust. "Where did I say, oh, by the way, you guessed it, that night, Charlie won the lottery, and his number won the first prize of 64 million. Although a total of 16 people bought that number, on average, every People can also get a share of 4 million US dollars.”
Jack had already guessed the story he wanted to say next, but he still couldn’t believe it.
“What you want to tell me is that Charlie gave half of his 4 million winnings to the waitress?”
“Yes.” Dupree’s eyes widened. , still looking very excited.
"It's unimaginable, isn't it? He kept his promise and finally convinced his wife to share the 4 million bonus equally with the waitress whom he had never met. After that, the waitress bought the coffee shop and changed it to her own name. ”
“Well, it’s really hard to imagine”
Although that Yvonne has the face of Bridget Fonda, Jack has replaced himself, whether it is his previous life or his. The boy who was struggling near the slums when he just traveled through time probably couldn't do this.
This story is unreal, just like a fictional urban fairy tale.
“I don’t believe it. Charlie must have known Yifang’s waitress for a long time. Didn’t the newspaper say that they had an extramarital affair? A reporter also took a photo of them leaving the Plaza Hotel together.
Well, this is the New York Post. Could it be that you took it? "
Jack pulled out a newspaper, smiled and waved it at Dupree, the New York Post photojournalist and investigative reporter.
"Oh, damn, that's my I did it for my asshole co-worker who likes to chase gossip. I only cover serious news. "Dupree waved his hand with a look of disgust, as if to drive away something dirty.
"I stress again, Charlie is the kindest and most upright person I have ever met. Before the lottery incident, he and Yi Fangsu did not know each other. This fact can be testified by the nearby neighbors. "
Dupree put his right hand on his chest and said as if taking an oath.
"Charlie is also the voluntary coach of my son's baseball team. He spends most of his spare time with those children. People on the street where he lives all know what he is like."
"Okay. Well, what do you need me to do?" Jack shrugged, "The FBI can't handle the divorce case."
The reports in newspapers and magazines basically focused on the divorce case between Charlie and his wife. After being caught by the media having an extramarital affair with Yvonne, his wife filed for divorce and requested the return of the $2 million previously distributed to Yvonne.
Today's public opinion seems to be one-sided and very unfavorable to Charlie and the waitress Yvonne.
“Let’s make a small deal. I have been thinking about whether I can help poor Charlie, but I never thought of any particularly good way. The task you assigned me will make me even more excited.
So I'm thinking, why don't we exchange tasks, I'll go check on that damn judge, and you, come up with a solution for me. After all, there are really not many good people in this world. ”
Dupree clasped his hands together, acting as if he was relying on you, but a sly smile flashed in his eyes.
(End of this chapter)