Chapter 242: Fixing the Pipes
"Hello, is this the plumber?"
Frank received a call from an unfamiliar number. The first thing he heard after answering was this question.
"You've got the wrong number," Frank replied casually and hung up without giving it much thought.
But almost immediately, the phone rang again. Same number.
"Spam call?" Frank muttered, frowning slightly.
"Goddamn it, Frank, I know you're not dead. Get to my house—now."
The voice on the other end was urgent. Before Frank could respond, the line went dead.
"Huh?" Frank stared at the phone in a daze for a few seconds before it hit him—he recognized the voice.
He hesitated, but his body acted on instinct. Soon, he was driving toward Lakewood and pulling up in front of a lavish villa.
Ding dong! He rang the doorbell.
A woman in sheer lingerie opened the door.
"Mrs. Candice," Frank greeted.
That's right—he was at Jimmy's house. The caller had been Jimmy's mother, Mrs. Candice.
"Shut up and kiss me!"
Before Frank could say another word, Mrs. Candice yanked him inside, slammed him against the door, and kissed him passionately while tugging at his clothes.
At that point, no man could resist. Frank certainly wasn't one to hold back. He picked up the petite Mrs. Candice and carried her upstairs.
What followed was a storm of passion. Afterward, Mrs. Candice lit up a medical-grade M-joint from the nightstand and took a long drag.
"You've been avoiding me, haven't you?" she asked, smacking Frank lightly.
Back when Frank had been investigating Jimmy for Fiona's sake, he discovered Jimmy's secrets—and stumbled upon his real home. That's when he met Mrs. Candice.
She'd been abstinent for years and suffering from mental fatigue. But after getting involved with Frank, her symptoms eased up significantly. As a result, she became a little obsessed with him.
Later, Frank moved to New York. His phone was broken by the butler, and no one could get in touch with him—not even Mrs. Candice.
They'd hooked up several times. Just as Frank had learned a lot about Jimmy through her, she also found out quite a bit about Frank.
When she couldn't reach him, she asked around. Everyone said Frank was dead.
She was heartbroken for a while. Then, recently, she heard that Frank was alive and back in Chicago—and immediately reached out.
"How's your youngest son doing?" Frank asked as they lay together, making small talk and showing polite concern for her family.
"He's still away at school," Mrs. Candice replied.
Apparently, the family had no idea Jimmy had been stealing cars under the alias "Steve," or that he'd fled the U.S. and gotten into all kinds of trouble abroad.
Even more shocking: Jimmy had secretly married the daughter of a major Brazilian drug lord—something his family was completely unaware of.
One could only imagine their reaction if they ever found out.
"You look like you're not doing so well. Have you been to the doctor?" Mrs. Candice asked with a hint of concern, studying Frank's face.
"I'm fine. Just been unusually thirsty lately," Frank said, getting out of bed and chugging a big glass of water.
"Here's my husband's card. Take it. He knows a lot of doctors and can help get you checked out," she said.
Mrs. Candice's husband—Jimmy's father—was a doctor.
Jimmy came from a medical family. His father and older brother were both doctors, and Jimmy himself had studied medicine. So the family had deep connections in the healthcare world.
With just a little lie—like saying Frank was a distant cousin—Mrs. Candice could easily get her husband to arrange a checkup for him.
Of course, getting her own husband to examine her lover… That was bold, even for her.
After spending some more time together, Frank finally left.
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When he got home, he was surprised to see Officer Tony standing next to Fiona.
Frank frowned instinctively. Fiona's love life had always been a headache for him.
His heart-to-heart with Jimmy had worked to some extent. Jimmy hadn't shown up to see Fiona recently.
But Tony had become a regular visitor.
Apparently, he'd come into a bit of money lately and had even made a down payment on a house. He kept inviting Fiona over, clearly hoping to woo her.
However, Frank knew Fiona well. She'd never go for a guy like Tony. He just wasn't her type.
Tony had only gotten lucky with her once—when Fiona had been fighting with Jimmy. She'd rejected him many times since, but he just wouldn't give up.
Frank wanted to help Fiona shake Tony off, but unlike with Jimmy, this wasn't going to be easy.
Jimmy had skeletons in his closet—secrets Frank could use to keep him in check.
Tony was different: tall, handsome, a cop with a steady job, and head-over-heels for Fiona. Practically flawless. No real weaknesses to exploit.
"Dad!"
From upstairs, Sammy spotted Frank and waved excitedly.
Frank had told her to bond with the other kids, and she had taken that to heart.
To blend in and be accepted by her new siblings, Sammy started coming by daily with her chubby son. With the money Frank gave her, she didn't need to work and had free time.
Since the house was being renovated and someone needed to supervise, Sammy volunteered and proved to be a big help.
"You heading to work again, Ian?" Frank asked, spotting Ian getting ready to leave.
"Yeah, I promised to finish this month. Linda still hasn't found a replacement," Ian replied.
Back when the family was struggling, Ian's part-time job at the corner store helped keep them afloat.
He had started working when he was just twelve or thirteen—too young for most jobs, but the small shop took him in and gave him a chance.
In a tough neighborhood like the South Side, a stable job that paid on time was hard to come by.
So Ian had a soft spot for the store. He planned to finish the month, then quit and focus on school.
Just as he was about to leave, Lip and Kevin pulled up in the ice cream truck.
"We did pretty well today," Lip said, flipping through his notebook and splitting the cash with Kevin.
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