America 1982-Chapter 277 - 9: The Arrival of Earl Rash_3
Earl took the beer and eyed the other party suspiciously, "Is that all?"
"No, his girlfriend just happens to be the wife of the Black cop who caught him... so..." Russell sighed, "We’re just trying to expand a bit."
"There are over seven hundred cops in Oakland, and less than thirty of them are Black, and these Blacks haven’t been bullied to death by their white colleagues, first being driven to suicide by their own beloved community?" Earl Rash roared discontentedly, "Do you know that every single one of the Black cops is my friend? Do you? Do you know how much it costs to look after my friends? Blacks should be united! And what have you done!"
"Of course, we know about unity, it was just an accident, Earl, we’re brothers, you were part of the Black Panther, and I’m with BGF, we’re revolutionary brothers, you have to help us, you’re familiar with those white jurors, white judges, you have to help us."
"I’m no longer with the Black Panther, and I’m not revolutionizing anymore, but seeing that you are Black brethren, I’m willing to try." Earl took a swig of beer, "Fifty thousand dollars."
On hearing this figure, the Blacks in the room drew a sharp intake of breath.
"Can’t you help Malcolm out for free? Once the guy gets out, I swear he’ll sell stuff as quickly as possible to make money and cover your fee," Russell said with difficulty.
The BGF in their area wasn’t very financially strong; fifty thousand dollars was already a large sum for them.
"Me, free? Are you sure that Black cop whose wife got screwed over will also do it for free? I don’t need money to smooth things over with this most crucial player? Fifty thousand dollars, and it has to be clean money. I don’t have time to waste laundering the dirty money you send my way." Earl’s expression darkened, "I even wish you didn’t have the money because then I wouldn’t have to get myself involved in this mess, both sides are my friends!"
Russell was silent for a moment, then finally said to Earl, "I’ll get it to you as quickly as I can. I’ll have the brothers take out a loan from Big Jack’s bank, anyway, we’ll give it to you clean."
"Is his girlfriend involved in selling? Tell me the truth," Earl inquired after hearing the other party was willing to pay.
Russell explained seriously, "No, we were planning to drag her into it, then use her to get to her husband, but it hasn’t... I assure you, no, that woman is completely clueless." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
After hearing this, Earl took out a business card from his pocket and tossed it on the coffee table, "After you’ve wired the money to my account, call to let me know."
Just then, his cellphone rang. Answering it, Delia’s voice sounded in his ear, "Tommy Hawk has agreed. His TV station needs a Black administrator with outstanding leadership and charisma and, on my recommendation, he believes you’re the right person."
"Of course, Ms. Case, thank you for the referral," Earl replied, his expression unchanged.
"He wants to meet with you in person, tomorrow afternoon."
"I’ll be there on time."
After hanging up, Earl looked at Russell, "I want to make it clear beforehand that this fee isn’t for my consulting services. I’m offering help for free, and I don’t guarantee that I can get Malcolm out, but regardless of whether I do or don’t, you’re paying this money. Are you sure?"
"Yes, Malcolm is my brother, and so are you. We trust you," Russell said earnestly, "I’m sorry, Earl, to make you..."
"Goodbye. If you feel guilty, don’t make me take these kinds of jobs for free again," Earl said decisively before turning and heading towards the door.
After taking several deep breaths of fresh air outside, he approached his car, opened the door, and got in. To the driver, he said, "Home, Charlie, pack up. Tomorrow we’re heading to Los Angeles."
"I thought Russell was going to have you defend him."
"He did ask me to do exactly that, but I don’t have time to waste on this scum," Earl said as he sat in the back seat, closing his eyes:
"We can take their money, have a couple of rookies follow up on the case, and in the end, it’s just me standing in court. After the verdict, I’ll tell everyone with a grave expression that I did all I could, sorry, and then as a personal gesture, I’ll give away a few thousand to Malcolm’s family to help them through the tough times."
