Chapter 147: Hush Money
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
"Is Mr. Luciano a member of Tammany Hall?"
Ignoring Luciano's talk about Tammany Hall's reforms, Colin asked in return.
"No."
Shaking his head slightly, Luciano tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "I was merely asked by someone. The current chairman of Tammany Hall, Hynes, happens to be an acquaintance of mine, so I was entrusted to help them clear up this misunderstanding with you, Mr. Luper."
Since the 1930s, Luciano had maintained frequent contact with Tammany Hall, openly associating with its leaders at many major political rallies and successfully turning Tammany Hall, New York City's most powerful political and economic force, into his own protective umbrella.
In exchange, he naturally had to handle some of the organization's unnecessary troubles, such as Colin's current report in The Messenger.
In fact, ever since the death of the organization's former chairman, Charles Francis Murphy, Tammany Hall had inevitably fallen into an awkward state of decline.
The onset of the Great Depression, in particular, exposed some of the organization's internal problems.
And Colin's exposé of former Mayor Jimmy Walker's bribery scandal dealt a significant blow to the political landscape Tammany Hall had cultivated in New York City.
Back then, the organization had expended tremendous effort to back a New York Mayor.
After briefly explaining his relationship with Tammany Hall, Luciano looked at Colin and said with a smile, "What do you think, Mr. Luper? As the key newspaper that exposed the Mayor's bribery, The Messenger is deeply trusted by the public. That is precisely why the organization hopes you can clear up this misunderstanding and restore Tammany Hall's good name."
Luciano stretched the corners of his mouth, trying to make his smile seem cordial.
However, he overlooked the fact that the scars on his face made this impossible.
The scars on Luciano's face were the result of an assassination attempt several years ago. At the time, he was kidnapped by three men, beaten, stabbed, and then dumped on a beach on Staten Island. Although he appeared to be dead, he miraculously survived. As a price for that attack, he was left with permanent scars on his body and a drooping eye.
It was because he survived that kidnapping that Luciano earned the nickname "Lucky Charlie."
Just as the media reported at the time, it was a stroke of luck that Luciano survived; God only knew how he had made it out of such a fatal situation.
From what Colin knew of history, Tammany Hall would soon be completely forced off the stage of New York City, and indeed history itself, due to a pincer attack on its political landscape.
Therefore, choosing to help Tammany Hall at this moment was not a smart move.
Especially since, from a certain perspective, his relationship with Tammany Hall was one of opposition.
Thus, in the face of Luciano's so-called request, he showed little emotion, simply offering his calm reply.
"Regarding the matter of Tammany Hall, I will find time to investigate. If everything is truly as you say, Mr. Luciano, I will clarify this misunderstanding through The Messenger."
Luciano was not displeased with Colin's response. He gestured with the hand holding the cigar to a bodyguard behind him, who quickly walked over with a paper bag.
Taking the brown paper bag and handing it to Colin, Luciano said with a smile.
"Tammany Hall would be delighted to make friends with an impartial media man like you, Mr. Luper."
The thin layer of the brown paper bag was no match for Colin's Super X-Ray Vision, even with his weakened powers in the Main World.
Through the bag, he could clearly see the thick stack of bills inside, estimating it to be around two or three hundred thousand dollars.
Once Colin accepted this money, it would undoubtedly signify his agreement with Luciano's narrative, to help Tammany Hall clarify or whitewash everything.
In the current situation, if Colin were someone with a weak will, he might have simply accepted the hush money offered by Tammany Hall.
However, Tammany Hall had clearly overlooked that he was no ordinary newsman.
The profitable part of The Messenger was not its news reports, but the continuously serialized "Superman" comic.
Although the hush money offered by Tammany Hall was substantial, it was far from enough to shake Colin's position, not to mention that what he needed was far more than the two or three hundred thousand in the brown paper bag before him.
"If that's the case."
Withdrawing his gaze from the brown paper bag, Colin looked at Luciano and said, "Please inform Tammany Hall, Mr. Luciano, that The Messenger's reports have always pursued only the truth. Therefore, I must refuse this 'gift'."
Seeing Colin refuse the brown paper bag without even a glance, Luciano's drooping eye twitched, and his expression changed slightly as he looked at the composed man before him.
To be honest, Colin's dignified and unyielding attitude had surprised him.
Very few people could maintain such a firm stance under these circumstances.
Silently retracting the paper bag as if nothing had happened, Luciano smiled. "In that case, I won't disturb you any longer. I trust that Mr. Luper will investigate the truth and give the organization an answer."
With that, Luciano turned and gestured to the lead man from before.
"See Mr. Luper out."
The lead man nodded, then walked up to Colin and made a gesture to lead the way.
"My apologies, Mr. Luper. I have other matters to attend to. I hope we'll have the opportunity to meet again."
"I hope for that day as well."
Behind him, the game at the Polo Grounds was heating up. Colin left the scene without a backward glance as Luciano bid him farewell.
"Boss, should we..." one of the bodyguards standing behind Luciano asked in a low voice, watching Colin's retreating back.
"No need."
Luciano shook his head, rejecting his subordinate's suggestion.
Puffing on his cigar, Luciano turned his gaze back to the game on the field and said slowly, "I've done what I was supposed to do. The rest is a matter for Tammany Hall to handle, not us."
To Luciano, Tammany Hall was merely a convenient facade to divert attention, not an organization whose problems he genuinely wanted to get involved in.
Especially with the former Mayor's downfall, Tammany Hall's weight and usefulness in Luciano's eyes had greatly diminished.
If not for the organization's still considerable political power in New York City, Luciano might have already started looking for his next protective umbrella.
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