Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 74 Pinkerton Detective Agency (4k long chapter to thank the top contributors who recently voted)

Mr. K took a deep drag on his cigar, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He glanced at Larry, then at Logan.

"Tell me what your deal is, I'm all ears."

Logan turned to look at Larry and found that Larry still had the cold expression he had just worn since leaving the coffee shop, instead of the humble smile he was familiar with.

Larry didn't rush to speak. He stared at Mr. K for a few seconds before calmly beginning to speak.
“Mr. K, I know you’re in some kind of trouble. I don’t know what your grudge is with the Moore Gang, but I’ve heard it’s just a financial dispute, nothing more, is that right?”

Mr. K glanced at Larry, tilted his head slightly to one side, exhaled the smoke from his cigar, and nodded. "Yes, one of my shipments was seized. I owe them over a thousand dollars, but I can't pay it back right now, so I'm constantly on the run."

Logan suddenly interjected, "How are Aunt Mia and little Ralph?"

Mr. K nodded. "They're alright. I've already arranged for them to go into hiding elsewhere."

After Larry and the other man finished speaking, Larry continued to Mr. K, "I can help you out of this predicament. In exchange, once you're out of trouble, you'll need to come and help me. But the work isn't complicated; it'll just be running errands temporarily..."

"Really? There must be more than that." Mr. K took another puff of his cigar. "Besides, why did you help me?"

Larry looked directly into Mr. K's eyes without flinching and said frankly, "I often have debt problems to deal with. Of course, unlike you, it's always other people who owe me money. In these situations, it's sometimes inconvenient for me to step in, and besides, I don't want to expose my whereabouts too much, so I need you to help me out."

Mr. K nodded. "Alright, this job shouldn't be too difficult."

Larry nodded. "Yes, I need to be mindful of my image, and besides, I always look younger than my actual age."

"So you mean I get a cut? 2% for every debt recovered?" Mr. K quoted a standard commission rate that was common in Boston at the time.

“If you do well, it will be more than 20%.” As he spoke, Larry pulled the IOU from the Hartford betting house out of his wallet and handed it to Mr. K.

Mr. K casually opened the paper, but instantly, his eyes were shocked by the debt amount of $2125.5! A solemn expression unconsciously appeared on his face.

"Someone owes you over $2000? Hmm?" Mr. K turned to look at Larry.

Larry nodded. “Yes, things are a bit complicated, but not entirely unsolvable. The indebted betting company has the capacity to pay its debts, but you can’t be targeted, you can’t expose my identity, and if you run into trouble there, you won’t get any help, understand? It’s all up to you.”

Mr. K looked at the IOU over and over again, a smile spreading across his face. “It might be troublesome for you, but for me… hehe, it’s a proper IOU after all, and the reasons are all laid out in the open.”

"Don't be too careless. What if they have other underhanded tricks up their sleeves?" Larry cautioned.

Mr. K turned his head to the side, exhaled the smoke from his cigar, looked at Logan, and said, "In terms of tactics, I may be a little worse than the Irishman, but not by much."

“Okay, then this job is yours. Find a place to stay in Boston when you’re done. I’ll take care of you if you need anything.” Larry patted Mr. K’s arm.

Mr. K squinted at Larry, "You still haven't told me how much commission I'll get on this deal?"

Larry smiled. "I've already said, this time I'm helping you, and all the money we can get back is yours! After it's done, you can help me back. It's a fair deal."

Mr. K's face finally showed an expression of extreme astonishment. He opened his mouth, and the cigar inadvertently fell to the ground. Fortunately, he was quick enough to catch the lit part of the cigar in mid-air. Although it was hot to the touch, Mr. K did not care and put the cigar back into his mouth.

"Are you serious?" Mr. K stared into Larry's eyes, his expression becoming serious.

"What, do I look like I'm joking?" Larry chuckled, but his expression turned serious. "This time I'm genuinely trying to help you, but from now on, it'll be business. If there are any debts you need to collect, I'll give you a 20% commission; but if it's just other ordinary matters, I'll give you a weekly salary. Is that alright?"

“Okay!” Mr. K nodded solemnly, took out the silver cross he was wearing around his neck from inside his shirt, and said to Larry, “You’ve pulled me out of this mess, so I will definitely work for you very fairly and diligently from now on. God is my witness!”

"Okay, you can go now!" Larry smiled and put his cigar in his mouth, but it had gone out because he hadn't smoked it for a long time.

Logan struck another match and lit it for Larry. He looked at Larry, then at Mr. K, his face showing the same look of surprise.

However, Mr. K did not move and simply stayed in place to continue smoking his cigar.

Larry raised an eyebrow and said, "What, is there another problem?"

Mr. K gave an awkward smile, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "...I...I don't have the money for a train ticket to Hartford, and besides, I haven't eaten for a day and a half..."

This time, before Larry could speak, Logan pulled $20 from his pocket and placed it in Mr. K's hand.
"Hey, Mr. De Niro, consider this a loan. Go get something good to eat first, then go help Larry, um, help Larry and do your own work!"

Mr. K nodded, accepted the $20, smiled kindly at Logan, then looked at Larry and said somewhat haltingly, "If I hadn't met you guys, I might have had to go to the Pinkerton Detective Agency tonight. I don't want to make money that goes against my conscience; that would make me unable to face God after I die. Luckily, I met you guys. God bless me!"

(Pinkerton Detective Badge)

Larry didn't understand what the Pinkerton Detective Agency meant, but Logan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly asked, "Are Carnegie's people going to target the workers?"

"They've brought in over 200 people from New York and Chicago, and they're also recruiting locally in Boston. I estimate it'll be within the next few days."

Larry frowned. It sounded like the owners and management of Carnegie Steel were preparing to take action against the striking workers…

Before Larry could ask, Logan asked for him, "Does the Pinkerton Detective Agency really dare to do it in Boston?"

Mr. K pursed his lips and calmly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Would they dare do this without the state government's approval? I heard the state government is still mobilizing militias, and the Pinkerton Detective Agency is scrambling to buy guns and ammunition. And, most importantly..." Mr. K gave Logan and Larry a mysterious smile, then continued, "...Andrew Carnegie, the owner of Carnegie Steel, is going on holiday to Scotland this weekend..."

The three of them exchanged glances, and each saw a look of sudden realization in the other's eyes.

Mr. K took another puff of his cigar, gave a genuine smile, patted Logan and Larry on the shoulder, and finally met Larry's eyes, nodding slightly.

"I'm leaving, boss!"

Larry nodded.

Mr. K tucked the IOU into his shirt pocket, straightened his old trench coat, and without looking back, strode across the sun-drenched street with a cigar in his mouth...

As Mr. K disappeared around the corner, Logan turned to Larry and exclaimed, "Oh my God, are you crazy? Are you really going to give him $2000?"

Larry turned to Logan with his signature warm smile. "That debt is a dead end for me anyway, so I might as well help him out."

Logan still frowned. "No... do you need to give him so much to help him out? When he gets his money back, giving him $1200 to settle his debts is already a mercy that even God would applaud. Why give him all the money you can get back? Do you have that much money?"

Larry smiled at Logan, tapped his arm with the cigar between his fingers, and said casually,

“Logan, if you’re going to help someone, you should help them to the end. I can be meticulous about business and pricing, but I don’t want to be like that with people. The hardest thing to buy in this world is people’s hearts. If you ask him to take back the money and give you a commission, he’ll just see it as a regular business deal where he’s getting a good deal. But if you give him everything, he’ll think you’re genuinely helping him and he’ll remember it.”

“But $2000 is too much, my God,” Logan emphasized.

Larry knew what Logan wanted to say. He deliberately exhaled smoke from his cigar and made a nonchalant expression. "$2000 for a loyal soul, not expensive!"

Logan was furious upon hearing this. He jabbed his finger into his chest and shouted at Larry in a low voice,

"How about you consider buying my soul? My soul is much cheaper than his, I can sell it to you for $1000, how about it? I can even call you boss."

"Come on, Logan, we're brothers. How can our friendship be measured in money?" Larry smiled at him and continued, "...Besides, how do you know I haven't prepared a money-making opportunity for you too?"

"Don't give me that! I'd rather have $1000 than some damn friendship... Wait, what did you just say? You've also prepared a money-making opportunity for me?" Logan's expression instantly changed from impatience to shock and anticipation.

Larry chuckled, then, with a cigar in his hand, said to Logan, “Brother, good deeds always pay off. Mr. K just revealed some crucial information that will make us all rich, but you’ll be busy for the next couple of days, and you’ll also need to use your connections to find out more about what’s going on at the Pinkerton Detective Agency.”

Logan paused for a few seconds, then looked at Larry and asked, "What does this have to do with the Pinkerton Detective Agency?"

Larry shook his head and said, "It's hard to explain now. You should go and find out. There are two key things: whether there's any way to find out the exact date Andrew Carnegie will arrive in Scotland, and also to find out what the Pinkerton Detective Agency is all about, how many people they have, and when they plan to take action against the striking workers."

Logan said eagerly, "The Pinkerton Detective Agency, they're similar to the mercenary squads we knew before, they're privately hired armed groups. I can tell you the details now."

“No need, go investigate. Since you have the information, I'll leave this to you. We'll meet here again after the market closes at 3 p.m.,” Larry said with a smile.
.
As soon as Paine Weber Securities opened, Larry went to see the front desk manager, Mr. Wallace, to ask for leave, saying he wanted to visit his parents over the weekend.

Larry is now a favorite of Mr. Wallace, and since Colt doesn't have anything specific to do right now, Wallace generously agreed to Larry's request for leave.

But Mr. Wallace also emphasized to Larry that he must not forget to go to Colt Company with him next Monday.

Larry thought to himself, "I'm even more anxious than you are."

Then, Larry reassured Mr. Wallace that he would definitely be back in Boston by Sunday night, and took it upon himself to buy the train tickets to Hartford on Monday morning and to pick up Mr. Wallace early in the morning in a horse-drawn carriage.

Mr. Wallace was very satisfied.

For the next four hours of trading, both in the morning and afternoon, Larry only had Carnegie Steel in his eyes.

Since Carnegie fell below $70, the stock has been in a continuous downward trend, falling from $70 to below $50 today. The stock price is now fluctuating weakly around $47, with neither insider buying support nor any further downward momentum.

But the news from Carnegie Steel was far more serious than the stock price drop: workers demanding an eight-hour workday occupied the factory gates for a sustained sit-in protest, preventing the factory from operating and assaulting slackers.

This means that one-third of Carnegie Steel's total production capacity is paralyzed.

However, the striking workers remained very rational. They did not take the opportunity to loot the company's property. They even organized a small team to protect the factory and prevent the steel plant's blast furnace from shutting down and exploding due to neglect.

They were even very restrained in their demands to return to work. They were willing to reduce their daily wages, but only wanted a corresponding eight-hour workday, and at the same time demanded that the factory provide reasonable compensation to the workers who died tragically.

But the factory's response was extremely firm, refusing to compromise with the workers' organization in any way!
If Larry had seen this a few days ago, he would have only thought it was a game between labor and management. The labor side expanded its influence while fighting for its rights, while the management side was afraid that workers in other factories would follow suit, so it was resolute and even determined to fight to the death with the labor organization.

But after Mr. Porter's advice, Larry has opened a third eye—the eye of a ruthless operator...

Through this eye, he can better understand the development of this event:
Knowing full well that the workers were extremely dissatisfied and harboring a plan to launch a major strike, someone melted down iron blocks mixed with the remains of victims, igniting the workers' extreme anger.
Before learning of the impending general strike, some traders had already engaged in extensive short selling and trading at high prices on Carnegie stock. Once news of the strike spread to the public through the media, they began to drive down the stock price and made a profit of over $20 per share in the following three days.
If Larry is not mistaken, someone might also orchestrate a private armed group, such as the Pinkerton Detective Agency, to suppress the striking workers in order to make a profit during the subsequent bullish market.

The well-meaning public will believe that employers have also suffered considerable losses in this strike.

Little did they know, before the so-called "investors suffered losses," some had already made a fortune twice in the stock market...

(End of this chapter)