New Gods of North America.

Chapter 364 Decision
That night,

Wayne, who probably found out the target address, took Connor to Richmond again.

As a "killer" hired to do a dirty job,
Liam didn't know how to contact "Mr. Weissman", who directly employed him, at any time. He only knew that he would show up at a lawyer's club in Richmond about once every two weeks.
If Liam wants to contact the other party after completing the task, he needs to publish a specific missing person notice in the designated local newspaper. In theory, after the other party sees it, he will also publish an announcement with specific content as agreed, and then the two parties will meet at the time and place written above.

But the wild killers were not fools, and they had to prevent the other party from "escaping", so Liam also secretly investigated the situation of the employer.

In contrast, the "Malcolm Baker" behind "Mr. Weissman" is easier to find.

Because the latter is now Cohen Pharmaceuticals' "regional agent" in Virginia and has a public office in Richmond.

It was evening when Wayne and his team arrived in Richmond. Theoretically, the official office should have been empty by now.
So Wayne went to the cathedral first, as was customary, to "ask God" before doing anything.

After telling Tom Hagen about the assassination and the accusation against him,
Tom Hagen's expression became a little strange, and then Tom Hagen asked Wayne to wait in the office for a while, and he left first.
Almost half an hour later, a monk came to lead Wayne into the depths of the cathedral.

The place where the monk took Wayne was a relatively casual and private reception room of the bishop.
When Wayne walked in, Bishop Corleone was talking to a guest in his casual clothes. Standing next to the two of them on the sofa was Tom Hagen who had left earlier.

Bishop Corleone saw Wayne coming over and motioned for him to sit on the sofa, then he casually introduced the two "guests".
Oh my god, we meet again.

The guest in the reception room, who looked to be in his forties, with light hair and blue eyes, was the "Malcolm Baker" that Wayne was looking for this time. In theory, he was the highest-ranking and authorized agent of Cohen Pharmaceuticals in Virginia.

He has a defiant look and a hooked nose, and you can tell at first glance that he is a boaster.

Tom Hagen brought up the topic at the right time, "I heard that there seemed to be some unpleasant misunderstandings between Wayne and Mr. Baker."

"Oh?" Bishop Corleone looked at Wayne upon hearing this, as if he wanted to hear what the person involved had to say.

In front of the bishop and the other party, Wayne's words became more cautious this time.
But the bottom line is that the most effective evidence Wayne has is the testimony of the killer himself.

The guy Tom Hagen called "Mr. Baker" sneered at the side, as if he thought these words were not worth refuting.
Bishop Corleone's gaze towards Wayne became sharp:
"Wayne, I don't know if Tom has ever told you that the Cathedral is not targeting anyone as long as the rules are followed?"

Well……

Wayne was still thinking about what Bishop Corleone meant, but it would not be wrong to lower his posture first:

"Tom did say that. Unfortunately, the contract requirements proposed by Cohen Pharmaceuticals have exceeded our detective agency's ability to bear, so I suggest that the lawyer sent by the other party take the contract back for the time being and consider whether the specific terms can be modified."

Bishop Corleone then turned his gaze to Mr. Baker.

Mr. Baker nodded slightly to the Bishop:

"I am aware of the contract itself. However, there are special people responsible for the specific signing, and I did not ask about it specifically. But in any case, the shooting and accusations have nothing to do with us - the killer's testimony may not be accepted. As for other situations, Mr. Wayne should perhaps look for the reasons in himself."

Is this not admitting it?
Just as Wayne was about to retort, Bishop Corleone raised his hand slightly, stopping Wayne from speaking.

"Cohen Pharmaceuticals is a large company and has made some contributions to our parish. Wayne, you should understand the current situation in Virginia and you must think carefully before doing anything." Mr. Baker also echoed, "The contract we proposed before is still valid. The lawyer sent by the headquarters has left Virginia. In a few days, perhaps a new lawyer will 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 ahead. From now on, you can decide the matters between your detective agency and Cohen Pharmaceuticals on your own. There is no need to come to the cathedral to ask for advice. Tom, you see him off."

Then Wayne was asked to leave the reception room with a confused look on his face, while Bishop Corleone and Mr. Baker started chatting about other topics as if they were just dealing with an insignificant episode.

what's the situation?
Have I hit a wall?

……

Tom Hagen didn't give Wayne any more advice this time.

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

The effect of "asking God" this time was not good.
The cathedral has a bit of a "neither-help-neither" vibe. If you have to break it down, it even feels more like Cohen Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Baker's attitude did not seem to allow for further discussion.

Wayne felt that if he went to see him alone again tomorrow, he might not be able to discuss anything new, so he simply went home and tried to find a way to deal with the lawyer and appear in court first.

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

The Fisk family is wealthy and powerful, so they should know a lot of black-hearted professional lawyers who are the kind who can argue even if they are wrong, and will probably not easily admit defeat when they are right.

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

The ambition of a migrant worker is to earn more money, work less and stay close to home. That guy doesn't seem to have any of those ambitions.
According to Wayne, once the contract was signed, it was only a matter of time before the detective agency became Cohen Pharmaceuticals' exclusive security company.
A bunch of people are around him all day, so you have to listen to the client's opinions, right? Then the specific agents may gradually start to develop biases,
The Cathedral should also know that Cohen Pharmaceuticals has a connection with the School of Life Sciences. Since there is no comprehensive crackdown, it means that some people in Cohen Pharmaceuticals may also be "protected".

In a sense, Wayne's charter in Virginia is one of the detective agency's current core competitive advantages - however, the other party seems to have this advantage as well.

Perhaps for people of this generation, "selling shares in a small startup and then integrating into a large company" is actually a good development path.

But Wayne didn't like the feeling of having his things taken away by others.

As Wayne thought about it, he began to miss Blackrock Town a little.
Let’s not talk about anything else for now, just take the matter of “appearing in court” as an example. If the jury members were selected in Blackstone Town, Wayne would find it difficult to lose this case.

There is no need to worry about the other party taking the opportunity to stir up public opinion.
The Constantine family has settled in Blackrock Town for so many years, and the townspeople know them all. Their reputation cannot be easily dismantled by rumors.
Unlike here, a few rumors could reduce the detective agency's potential clients by a large margin.

(End of this chapter)