Chapter 91: The Punisher Arrives
After watching little Leonard mess with little Sheldon for a while, Chuck saw his ride approaching and nodded before heading out.
Messing around with little Sheldon and watching the kid dynamics was just a side show.
His own business took priority.
"Chuck."
His classmate Justine was behind the wheel of the car that came to pick him up.
Thanksgiving break wasn't over until tomorrow, and Justine had been staying at Chuck's place for the past few days, so Chuck had her pick him up directly.
"Justine."
Chuck climbed into the passenger seat and gestured for her to drive.
Used to Chuck's quiet nature, Justine waited until Chuck buckled his seatbelt before pulling away. Once they were cruising down the highway, she kept shooting glances at him, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.
She had a million questions burning inside her.
"Eyes on the road."
Chuck warned with a frown.
Justine obviously didn't have his ability to multitask; driving distracted like that was dangerous.
"Got it."
Justine started to speak, but ultimately followed Chuck's order, cutting out the distractions and focusing on driving.
Chuck stayed silent.
The whole drive passed without a word.
After the car rolled into the suburban mansion's garage, Chuck got out and walked inside, taking a thorough look around. He gave Justine, who was following behind him, an approving nod. "Good work."
There had been security cameras monitoring the place, but seeing it through a screen was different from checking it out in person.
Justine had indeed kept the house spotless.
"You're welcome, it's what I should do."
Justine smiled, then hesitated before speaking more seriously. "Chuck, what's the situation now?"
"Red John's been arrested."
Chuck knew this was her main concern, so he didn't beat around the bush.
"That's amazing!"
Justine's face lit up immediately. "So can my mom and sister come back home?"
"Isn't the vacation treating you well?"
Chuck asked.
"It's great, but we can't stay on vacation forever, right?"
Justine gave a rueful smile.
"Even though Red John's been arrested, he wasn't working alone—he's got a whole network behind him."
Chuck looked at her. "The FBI's footing the bill, so take as much time as you need."
Justine's expression immediately darkened.
Her worst nightmare was coming true.
Even the most dangerous individual has limitations, but with an entire organization, that's a whole different ballgame.
"Don't stress too much about it."
Chuck said. "The father of that punk girl you had the run-in with is the real Red John—the one who got arrested. The others are just part of Red John's network. There's a degree of separation between them and you, and right now they're being hunted down by the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. They won't take unnecessary risks and have no reason to come after you."
Justine fell silent.
Chuck didn't try to comfort her further.
Life's tough—most things don't go your way. You've got to carry your own weight. Depending on other people's reassurance doesn't help much.
Justine took a moment to collect herself before continuing. "There's been a lot of buzz lately about that Christie murder website. A bunch of members have been getting killed, like someone's actually hunting them down systematically."
"That's to be expected."
Chuck said matter-of-factly. "Their whole motto was 'hunting the chosen ones.' Those punk girls initially targeted you because you were driving Cheryl's BMW. Besides you, most of their other targets came from wealthy families.
Even though the media's keeping it under wraps, it's common knowledge among those in the know.
Some of the victims' families, once they found out, hired professionals to get payback against members of this sick organization. As you've seen firsthand, these people can only intimidate regular folks at best. When they go up against someone smart and capable, they might end up dead themselves."
At this point, he glanced at Justine.
Justine's heart skipped a beat—she had definitely felt that urge.
"Not to mention being targeted by actual professionals."
Chuck continued. "It's no surprise they're getting hunted down and eliminated."
"That's exactly what's happening."
Justine nodded in agreement.
She wasn't some moral purist, so she didn't see anything wrong with this. In fact, she thought it was justice being served. She brought it up partly to discuss it with Chuck, who understood the situation, and partly because she subconsciously wondered if Chuck was behind it.
After all, Chuck had answered her call for help and immediately swooped in to save her—he was definitely her hero.
Chuck calmly continued inspecting the house.
It wasn't him.
But Justine's instincts were spot-on—it was definitely connected to him. It was his brother Frank.
He wasn't Batman or Daredevil, but any reasonable person with the right skills would feel compelled toward vigilante justice when faced with such a chaotic, evil organization.
Chuck was no exception.
However, he was getting increasingly involved with law enforcement, making such heroic activities risky and potentially problematic.
Besides, having his brother Frank just check in on him occasionally wasn't cutting it anymore. It would be better to give him something more substantial to do.
Being a vigilante who cleaned up the streets was far better than being muscle-for-hire for corrupt wealthy clients just for the money.
So, after some careful maneuvering, he secretly arranged for his brother Frank to take on work that would both pay well and satisfy his inner moral compass and need for purpose.
"Classes start tomorrow, and Cheryl's coming back today. Unless something comes up, I'll move back to the dorm and pick up Cheryl."
Justine, convinced she was overthinking things, shook her head and stopped speculating, getting ready to leave.
"Alright."
Chuck double-checked the cleaning job and nodded approvingly. "I'd like to offer you a position. You'd handle cleaning for me, and I'll pay you $3,000 a month."
Chuck was extremely satisfied with the cleaning work he'd monitored through the security cameras and the results he was now seeing in person.
"No thanks."
Justine paused, then smiled. "If you need anything, just call me anytime. I'll come over and clean whenever I'm free. No charge."
Chuck had saved her life, and she was used to this kind of tough, physical work. Cleaning for Chuck wasn't a burden, so why would she take his money?
"I value cleanliness, so this is actually a very important position."
Chuck shook his head. "I'd want daily maintenance, deep cleaning once a week, ideally for at least four years. The longer the better. I don't like changes, and the salary would increase annually. This is a serious job offer. Please think it over and give me your answer tomorrow."
"No need to think about it—I can give you an answer right now. I accept."
Justine noticed how Chuck had meticulously inspected everything when he got back, and realized that maintaining absolute cleanliness in his living space was indeed crucial for someone like Chuck.
This wasn't a job offer made just to help her out.
She could assist her lifesaver while also having a stable part-time job with good pay. She naturally accepted without hesitation, secretly deciding to work extra hard to meet Chuck's standards.
(End of chapter)
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