Red Dead Redemption: The Great Philanthropist of the West

“You can call me Henry. Here’s what we’ll do: I won’t go to the police station with you. Since you said we beat someone up at the Saint’s Hotel, let’s go straight there and ask the owner, Cadilla, what’s going on. Maybe you should also ask the person who filed the report why they were beaten.”

Henry wasn't worried that Cadilla would betray him. After all, Henry had booked three luxury rooms with him for a whole month, making him a VIP client. And even if Cadilla was tactless and pointed the finger at someone as rich and powerful as Henry for the sake of an ordinary drunkard, it wouldn't matter.

In a few years, the United States will officially issue a nationwide ban on prostitution. Like Prohibition, many states have already explicitly banned it before the official ban, even though the police don't strictly enforce it. Prostitutes will be charged with prostitution, and those who solicit prostitutes will be charged with violating police regulations, both punishable by 45 to 90 days or more in jail and a substantial fine. This is far more severe than the punishment for a fight, which at most involves paying some money in compensation.

Hearing Henry's words and glancing at Karen's broad chest, Sheriff Malloy roughly guessed what had happened and fixed his eyes on the man who had reported the incident. The man who had been beaten was now stammering, unsure how to speak. He seemed to have been so enraged by Karen's outburst that he had momentarily forgotten about the police offense. Now, after Henry's reminder, he had come to his senses.

Seeing this, Henry decided not to pursue the matter further, since Karen would also face the same punishment if he did.

"Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding, isn't it, sir?"

Seeing that Henry had offered a way out, the person who reported the incident also knew when to stop, not wanting the matter to escalate further, as it would be troublesome if it came to his home.

"Yes, yes, it's all a misunderstanding. I was drunk and confused, I wasn't sober for a moment, I'm sorry everyone."

Seeing that the two sides had reached a settlement, Sheriff Malloy didn't bother to interfere any further. Besides, he had more or less guessed what was going on behind the scenes, but he himself wasn't exactly clean, so he couldn't be bothered with such messy affairs.

With the matter settled, it was time to leave the tavern.

“Wait, Sheriff Malloy, and your men, since you’ve come all this way, how about I buy you a drink?”

Hearing that there would be free drinks, the officers were delighted and all looked at Malloy, waiting for his reply.

Seeing the longing in everyone's eyes, Sheriff Malloy naturally wouldn't refuse.

"Thank you so much, Henry. I thank you for your generosity on their behalf."

"Don't be shy, drink as much as you want today, just put the bill in my name."

Henry waved generously to the officers, who, seeing that Chief Inspector Malloy had agreed, happily went off to drink together.

Henry told Mary Beth and the others to continue bathing at the hotel, while Arthur and the older man were left to decide whether to continue drinking or go to the hotel themselves. He didn't care about the extra money anyway.

He found a spot on the edge, poured Sheriff Malloy a glass of Shrewy and handed it to him.

"Sheriff Malloy, I have a collaboration I'd like to discuss with you. I wonder if you'd be interested."

"Oh, I wonder what kind of collaboration it is?" Sheriff Malloy wasn't really interested, taking Henry's drink and sipping it slowly. The businessmen who sought his cooperation didn't offer much in terms of profit sharing, mostly just ten or twenty dollars. He also had to split the profits with his subordinates, and it was always a lot of trouble and hassle.

"It involves a partnership with a monthly profit sharing of $300."

However, upon hearing the amount of $300, and that it was a monthly salary, Malloy sat up straight in surprise. As a sheriff, his salary was only a little over $50, and with some illicit bonuses, he received less than $100 a month.

"Henry, what did you just say? $300 a month?"

“You heard me right, it really is $300 a month, and it can be paid at this time every month.” Henry took out $300 and put it on the table.

Sheriff Malloy's eyes gleamed with greed as he looked at the tempting banknotes, but he resisted the urge to take them. He didn't yet know the price he would pay.

"I must say, this proposal is very tempting. I wonder what the specific cooperation you mentioned, Henry, is."

Henry was pleased with Sheriff Malloy's reaction, even though his personal character was questionable. He was married but had an affair with Moira, who was also married, and ultimately murdered her. He also allowed the deputy sheriff to collaborate with the Odrisco gang on illicit drugs, secretly pocketing the profits. But at least he could restrain his greed and outwardly maintain a reasonably good level of security in Valentine, a town teeming with fugitives, cowboys, and prostitutes.

“Mocking, I’m planning to take over this tavern and sell bootleg liquor here. It’s much better than the bootleg drug business you’re doing with the Odrisco gang. Not only will it be more profitable, but it’ll also be safer. Plus, the townspeople will be able to drink better liquor at lower prices. Everyone benefits. What do you think, our Sheriff Malloy?”

Henry picked up his glass, swirled the golden liquid inside, and smiled at Malloy.

Sheriff Malloy was startled by Henry's words and stood up abruptly. The commotion was quite loud and affected the surrounding officers, who, seeing their boss's reaction, all stopped.

However, Malloy quickly recovered, signaling to everyone that everything was alright, and slowly sat down. He didn't know how Henry knew such a secret. He had never directly contacted anyone from Odrisco's gang; how did Henry know about this? Could the deputy sheriff have betrayed him?

Regardless, at least we can recognize Henry's formidable intelligence capabilities; thankfully, we didn't offend him earlier. Since he's made it clear, there's room for negotiation.

"Mountain liquor? No problem. As long as I'm in office, I guarantee that no one in Valentine will cause trouble for your tavern because of mountain liquor."

"I just hope you won't try to fool people with those cheap liquors, because if they get sick from drinking them, it'll be very difficult for our police station to handle."

Sheriff Malloy hesitated for a moment before stating his bottom line.

"Of course, I wonder what Sheriff Malloy thinks of the wine in his hand."

"This liquor tastes pretty good, even better than the whiskey sold in pubs. It has a slightly sweet flavor that really suits my taste. It's just that I don't think I've ever had this liquor before. I wonder where Mr. Henry bought it."

Henry didn't answer him, but poured Malloy another glass of Lafite, gesturing for him to drink some more.

Henry only spoke after Malloy expressed his satisfaction with the brandy-flavored Lafite.

"It seems Sheriff Malloy has a very good opinion of my moonshine. If Sheriff Malloy wishes to drink some, he is welcome to come to this tavern anytime; it's unlimited. As for the other officers, they also have a daily allowance of two free drinks. I wonder if Sheriff Malloy is satisfied?"

“Of course, that was after I bought the tavern,” Henry added.

Sheriff Malloy stared in astonishment, his mouth agape. He had never imagined that bootleg liquor could be of such high quality and taste so good; it was practically indistinguishable from those premium liquors that sold for three or four dollars. If it weren't so expensive, he believed it would soon dominate the entire Valentine region, and even the whole of New Hanover.

What pleased him most was that Henry would also provide a certain amount of drinks for the police officers free of charge. He himself was even looking forward to Henry taking over the pub soon.

“You’ve really surprised me, Mr. Henry. If that’s the case, I have absolutely no objections.” He quickly took the $300 bill Henry had placed on the table. Of course, he wasn’t going to keep the money for himself; he was going to share a large portion with his deputy and a dozen or so officers.

After finishing his business with Sheriff Malloy, Henry left the tavern. Arthur had already driven his carriage back to the gang, and as for the old man, he was undoubtedly taking a bath, perhaps even ordering some special services.