Chapter 277 - The Blade Revealed
"The accountant situation needs to be handled carefully. Once I find the right person, I'll let you know," Frank said.
"In fact, aside from an accountant, there's another position that's just as important—sometimes even more crucial," said Lawyer Goodman.
Frank raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What kind of person?"
"A lawyer," Goodman replied with a smile. At last, the blade hidden in the map was revealed.
"In today's society, lawyers are incredibly important. Maybe the average person doesn't need one, but in our line of business, a good lawyer is indispensable. There's always going to be trouble—legal gray areas that require proper handling."
"If this operation scales up—and especially for a business like ours—legal issues will multiply. All the big companies and corporations work closely with major law firms. Some even have entire in-house legal teams. A solid legal team gives the boss peace of mind to focus on making money."
"Like accountants, a good lead lawyer who's capable and trustworthy can assemble a reliable team to handle any legal mess that comes our way."
Goodman's message was clear. He was practically shouting, Pick me! I'm the guy you're looking for!
"I understand," Frank said, closing his notebook. "When the time comes, I'll definitely consider bringing you on as our attorney."
Frank knew Goodman had laid all his cards on the table. The rest was just minor details.
After chatting about a few other matters and paying the consultation fee, Frank left.
"Looking forward to working together. Take care," Goodman said cheerfully, walking him to the door.
Sitting in his car, Frank glanced back at the law office. "That lawyer's got some potential."
He picked up his phone and called a local contact. "Hey, know any good private investigators? I need someone discreet."
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Meanwhile, Jesse Pinkman and Walter White had no idea what Frank had discussed with the lawyer. It didn't concern them anyway.
Orders from Chicago had come in, and the two were working overtime to meet the demand.
Frank wasn't really needed in the production process. He could help in the early stages, but by the mid-to-late stages, even that wasn't necessary.
With Jesse and Walter handling the lab, production was under control.
Thanks to Walter's meticulous teaching, Jesse had already mastered the techniques.
But Walter's health was declining. The side effects of chemotherapy were worse than the cancer itself. He was weak and frail now—more a lab supervisor than an active participant. He simply watched, stepping in only to correct mistakes.
So production was secure.
Frank had already sorted out the sales network. Between Chicago and New York, they had established multiple tier-one distributors—more than enough to support expansion.
The only thing left was transportation.
From Chicago to New York, Water Moccasin could handle it. He just needed to repurpose his old smuggling routes.
But the real issue was transporting goods from New Mexico to Chicago—a route just as long.
Previously, Frank had partnered with a seasoned trucker and even rode along to escort shipments himself. He could work out a long-term deal and pay handsomely to ensure regular deliveries.
But that wasn't sustainable. As business grew and they expanded into surrounding states, the volume would exceed what one man could handle.
That trucker was a solo operator, not part of an organization. When demand scaled up, he simply wouldn't be able to keep up.
So for now, the cooperation was just temporary.
If they wanted to build something lasting, they'd either need to create their own smuggling network or partner with a group that already had one—like Water Moccasin's crew.
But building a network from scratch was out of the question.
Smuggling routes weren't easy to create, even with money. You needed manpower—like a full logistics company. Then you had to deal with checkpoints, surveillance, and the constant risk of being caught. One mistake and it could all come crashing down: the product lost, people arrested, everything exposed.
It required people, time, security, intel… way too much for just the three of them.
So for now, partnering with an existing organization was the only viable path.
That could wait until their operations in Chicago and New York were stable enough to reach back into New Mexico. Then they'd look for a real logistics partner.
For now, their top priorities were boosting production capacity and setting up money-laundering fronts.
Frank's conversation with the lawyer had given him an idea.
They could buy property in New Mexico and build a legitimate chemical plant. On the surface, it would be a standard business. Below it? A hidden lab.
Frank pitched the idea to Walter and Jesse. After discussing it, they agreed it was feasible. They decided to either build a facility from scratch, purchase an existing factory, or even acquire a small local company.
But with Walter undergoing treatment and Jesse tied up in the lab, most of the work fell on Frank.
When Frank returned to their rented home, he saw Jesse cuddling and flirting with the landlord's daughter.
Only after she left did Frank walk inside.
"You didn't tell your little girlfriend anything about our business, did you?" Frank asked bluntly.
He could tell Jesse had fallen hard—completely smitten and in the honeymoon phase. If Frank weren't living there, Jesse would've moved in with her already.
Young lovers are often the most irrational and reckless. They act on emotion, not logic, and make dangerous mistakes.
Crimes of passion, jealous murders, disfigurements, suicides—most are committed by young people. The younger they are, the more dangerous they become.
And they weren't just running a scam or hustle—they were doing serious, prison-time, maybe even death-penalty level work.
So caution was everything. Paranoia was survival.
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