American tax officials

Chapter 44 I want them all

David guessed Lewis's thoughts and replied, "Understood, Tax Commissioner. I won't hesitate to ask if there's a need!"

Lewis nodded, then opened the drawer below, pulled out three documents, and said, "These are the latest cases we picked out from the intelligence department. These are all 'hot cases.' See which one you'd like to take on!"

The so-called "robbery case".

This refers to cases that are easy to handle and offer relatively high returns.

The honey trap case that David just solved can also be called a hot case.

Because these people are not as ruthless as gangsters or drug lords, and they also have high incomes.

In cases like this, once the basic intelligence section releases the information, all ten squads across the entire bureau will be vying for it.

Now Lewis has actually secured three deals at once, which shows that his outstanding tax performance in the last assessment period has significantly increased his influence within the bureau.

David picked up the first document and began to look through it, then the second, the third...

Ten minutes later, he roughly understood what these three cases were.

The first case was a case of receiving stolen goods.

The second case was a counterfeit goods case.

The third case was a hacking case.

As Lewis said, these three deals were all highly sought-after.

David pondered for a moment, then said, "Chief Tax Officer, these three cases aren't particularly difficult. Why don't you assign them all to me?"

Lewis was taken aback at first, and quickly asked, "All three deals are in your hands? Are you sure you can handle them in such a short time?"

When he said "short term," he was naturally referring to the period before the assessment period.

Otherwise, if everything falls into David's hands and he fails to handle it, we'll suffer a huge loss.

After all, these cases could most likely be handled by the other three groups of inspectors; the only difference would be the amount of tax collected.

David replied firmly, "I have confidence."

"Alright, since you've put it that way, then I'll leave it all to you..."

During the last assessment period, David completed four cases in just four days.

Moreover, those four cases were not as sought-after as these three.

With this precedent in mind, Lewis had his concerns, but after thinking it over, he agreed.

"Then, Chief Tax Officer, if there's nothing else, I'll..."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing!"

Lewis seemed to remember something, squinted at David, and asked, "Is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Chief Smith of our Lake District Police Department?"

David was somewhat surprised to hear this.

He had never reported this matter to Lewis, and now that Lewis knew about it, it meant that Smith had bypassed him and spoken directly to Lewis.

Composing himself, David replied, "It's not exactly a misunderstanding, it's more like this..."

He recounted in detail how Wadebalk had accepted protection money from criminals.

After hearing the whole story, Lewis seemed somewhat surprised, muttering, "Since Wade Balk was Smith's subordinate, that means Smith also accepted bribes?"

"According to the information I've gathered, that's indeed the case, and the amount must be substantial!"

Lewis fell silent, his mind racing with thoughts. A full minute passed before he finally looked up and said, "Smith's network of connections is unusual. Let's ignore him for now and focus on the case at hand!"

"clear……"

David wasn't surprised at all. Lewis was about to be transferred, so why would he handle such a risky case?

No problem, once he takes office as tax commissioner, these cases can be used to establish his authority!

……

Monaco 17 is the famous "World Street" in Las Vegas.

The so-called World Street refers to the area where specialty products and unique items from all over the world are concentrated.

Here, you can buy Chinese ceramics, paintings, and even antiques; Japanese kimonos and samurai swords; and Philippine silverware, jewelry, wood carvings, and other items.

"This street is really crowded..."

Looking at the tourists from all over the world, Nissen, who had just arrived with David, couldn't help but sigh.

"Let's go."

David strode inside, and Nissen followed closely behind.

Soon after entering, the two saw that the streets were lined with all kinds of stalls.

There were ceramics for sale; the exquisite porcelain glittered in the sunlight, attracting tourists from all over the world to stop and admire them.

There were also vendors selling calligraphy and paintings, including ink wash landscapes and meticulous figure paintings, each one so lifelike that it was truly breathtaking.

But he hadn't gone far when Nissen seemed to be drawn to something, stopping at a stall and asking the vendor, "Hey bro, is this the Mona Lisa?"

David stopped and turned around, looking in the direction Nissen was pointing. There it was, the world-famous painting, "Mona Lisa."

"Yes, brother."

The stall owner was a Black man wearing a baseball cap.

"Is this real or a fake?"

The Black vendor replied, "Of course! I never sell fakes here, they're all real!"

"If this one is real, then what is the one in the Louvre?"

"That one is real too!"

"???"

Nessen and David both had question marks on their faces.

The Black vendor continued, "His is a male, and mine is a female!"

Hearing this, the two were utterly speechless, but Nissen seemed very interested in the painting and continued, "So, how much?"

"US$1, not a penny less!"

Let's go!

Without a word, Nissen gestured to David and then resolutely turned and left.

But before he had gone far, the black shopkeeper caught up with him, carrying the painting, and stopped Nissen, saying, "Hey brother, I think we click, and since you like this painting so much, name your price!"

"Didn't you say you wouldn't sell it for a penny less than $1...?"

"Everyone says we click, so tell me, bro!"

"$50!"

"Sell it, my good brother!"

Nissen was dumbfounded. He had only casually offered a price and was even prepared to be berated by the other party, but he never expected that the other party would actually agree.

Having already said it, he had no choice but to take out 50 and give it to the other party, thus completing the transaction.

"Why did you buy this thing? That guy probably made a killing, even if it hurts!"

David was speechless.

"We recently moved into a new house, and we needed some decorations. I really like this painting!"

David shook his head: "Let's go, let's go meet that old man!"

About five minutes later, the two arrived at a shop with a sign that read "Pharaoh's Watches".

Upon entering, the smell of old clocks fills the air, evoking a sense of history.

The store displays a variety of clocks, from antique mechanical clocks to exquisite quartz watches, which are quietly placed in glass cases, emitting a soft ticking sound.

There were very few customers in the store at the time, with only one or two customers choosing watches, and a thin old man sitting in front of the counter.

(End of this chapter)