Dexter immediately recalled the scene from the original show where Kevin got robbed—duct-taped to a chair, looking pathetic, helpless, and hilarious.
Pfft~
Dexter couldn't hold it back; he laughed out loud.
Kevin heard it. "???? Dexter, what are you laughing at?"
Dexter shook his head. "Nothing. I'm coming over."
Hanging up the phone, Dexter called out to Veronica. "Veronica, come with me to the Alibi. Kevin's in trouble."
Veronica panicked instantly. "What happened?"
"I'll tell you on the way."
The two quickly left the restaurant and walked toward the Alibi Room.
"He told me he got robbed. I don't know the specifics yet," Dexter said.
"Robbed?" Veronica realized immediately. "Shit!! He made a bunch of money and definitely showed it off in the bar!!! That idiot!!"
Dexter just smiled and didn't respond.
Kevin... nice guy, but stupid... definitely stupid.
In the original show, Kevin eventually got robbed by a bunch of kids because he was flashing cash.
Stupidly adorable, really.
The distance wasn't far.
They arrived at the Alibi quickly. Based on Kevin's description, they got the gist of the situation.
Dexter lit a cigarette after listening.
Only ten thousand dollars gone. Not a huge deal... perhaps, from a certain angle, it was a good thing.
Maybe this incident would teach that moron Kevin to deposit money into the bank on time.
"Dexter, I'm sorry. I didn't expect this to happen..." Kevin hadn't forgotten that Dexter owned half the bar. He apologized, looking embarrassed.
Dexter exhaled a plume of smoke. He didn't reply, just looked up at the security cameras in the corners of the ceiling.
Without a doubt.
Kevin made the money at noon, and not long after, armed robbers showed up. Those two robbers were likely in the bar earlier... or at least, their accomplices were.
Seeing Dexter silent, Kevin didn't know what to do and looked at Veronica in panic.
Veronica gritted her teeth, feeling helpless too. She spoke to Dexter. "Boss, we'll pay you back for your half."
Five or six thousand dollars was a lot, but Veronica was making good tips daily now. It hurt, but they could afford it.
Hearing this, Dexter grinned and looked at Kevin. "You don't trust banks?"
Kevin shook his head habitually. "No. Banks are vampires..."
Before Kevin could finish, Veronica shot him a look to shut him up.
Kevin noticed and zipped his lips immediately.
Dexter smiled. "Svetlana took in nearly fifteen thousand dollars this afternoon. The first thing she did was close up shop and bring the money to me... She has no legal status, no bank account, she can't use a bank."
"Kevin, you're a business owner with assets now. I really don't understand your reason for distrusting banks."
"Why is hiding cash safer than putting it in a bank?"
"Banks go bankrupt..." Kevin replied instinctively.
"Kevin!" Veronica was speechless. She raised her voice decisively to stop him, then turned to Dexter. "Boss, this won't happen again. From now on, money goes straight to the bank."
Dexter took a drag of his cigarette. "The money doesn't matter. It's a small amount. You don't need to pay me back; I don't care. I just think, Kevin, you need to change your mindset. Otherwise, this kind of thing will happen again sooner or later."
Kevin nodded. "I need to get a gun!"
Does this count as being stubborn beyond redemption?
"I'm not talking about guns; I'm talking about putting money in the bank," Dexter felt a headache coming on.
"Okay..." Kevin was still a bit reluctant.
It was a belief he'd held for years. Changing it overnight wasn't easy.
Dexter didn't want to harp on it.
Just then, the police arrived.
They went through the routine procedures, then checked the surveillance video.
As a co-owner, Dexter watched along.
Finally.
The police wanted to take the hard drive with the footage.
Dexter spoke up, saying he wanted to record a copy of the footage with his phone.
With police in this neighborhood, on a case like this, there would basically be no results.
He had to handle this himself. And he was confident he could handle it.
Because, after watching the footage, he had found something—or rather, identified suspects.
The police didn't object to Dexter making a copy.
It didn't take long.
The police left.
Dexter didn't mention a word about his discovery. He asked Kevin to pour him a beer. "I'm leaving. You two talk."
Finishing the beer, Dexter stood up. "Kevin, don't sweat it. The money is nothing. Just learn the lesson. As for the gun... I suggest you forget it. Your personality isn't suited for a gun. Without a gun, they just take your money. With a gun, you might die."
Kevin wasn't happy about that. "Dexter, how could that be? If I had a gun, the ones dying would be those son-of-a-bitch robbers!!"
Dexter laughed and turned to Veronica. "Veronica, talk some sense into him. Remember to come back to the restaurant early."
"Okay," Veronica knew clearly that Dexter was looking out for Kevin. She nodded gratefully.
Dexter said no more and strolled over to Dex Fruit Stand.
Arriving at the fruit stand, Dexter waited a while for the customers to leave before calling Svetlana over. "Do me a small favor."
"Name it, Boss."
Dexter took out his phone, fast-forwarded the video, and paused on the frame showing the two Colombians. "Have your sisters quietly find these two guys in the neighborhood. I'll pay."
Svetlana looked closely at the two men on the phone. Her mind raced, and she roughly understood Dexter's intent. A faint, excited smile appeared on her face. "Boss, finding them... isn't a good thing for them, right?"
Dexter smiled but didn't answer.
Svetlana was certain. "Send me the photo. I'll find them as soon as possible."
"Good. Thanks. Let me know the cost later," Dexter said as he took a screenshot and sent it to Svetlana. "By the way, this conversation never happened."
"Of course," Svetlana replied with a smile.
Dexter didn't say more and walked away.
As soon as Dexter left, Svetlana immediately sent the photo to her sisters. [Help find these two guys ASAP. Reward is $200 per person. Whoever finds them gets an extra $200. Remember, keep it quiet. Don't be discovered.]
This neighborhood wasn't big.
The two men in the photo weren't white. Judging by their clothes, they were most likely illegal immigrants too.
Svetlana was very familiar with the illegal immigrant circles. She was confident she could find them quickly.
Unexpectedly.
It didn't even take a few minutes.
One of the sisters called. "I've seen one of them. That guy has been to the spa."
Svetlana grinned. "Good. Find him. Fast."
"No problem."
---