"Here's fifty thousand." Just outside the bank, Margaret, who had just come out, stuffed a large brown paper bag into Josh's hands.
Hearing the number, Josh's hand trembled as he took the bag, almost dropping it.
Upon opening it, he saw that it was indeed five stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
"Why so much?" Josh held the paper bag and asked, a bit bewildered. Didn't he say that a few thousand dollars would be enough?
And woman, your heart is really big. Aren't you afraid of being robbed?
"Is it too much? Just spend it as you see fit. Men need money for things outside, so it's not bad to have more on hand," Margaret pecked Josh on the cheek and said affectionately.
With just this one sentence, Josh was almost caught off guard.
What a good woman. Thinking about those women in the future who demand cars and houses at the drop of a hat, Josh felt a thousand emotions in his heart.
Indeed, a sugar mommy is the best.
At this moment, Josh felt a thousand thanks to Tony Wendys.
How could such a good woman fall for him if it weren't for this guy's mischief?
As a return, Josh decided to make Tony Wendys suffer a bit more and help Margaret vent her anger.
Otherwise, he didn't deserve this pitiful beauty's deep affection.
So Josh nodded and did not refuse Margaret's kindness, accepting the money.
Margaret, who saw this, didn't think he was greedy at all. Instead, she was happy, thinking that Josh had fully accepted her, not like before when he insisted on giving her money even though she had a place to live.
"Oh, we should go buy some clothes first. Your clothes are of poor quality and don't match your handsome face. Hmm, you also need to change your shoes," Margaret said excitedly, holding onto Josh's arm.
"Okay, I'll listen to you!" Josh nodded. He didn't really care about what he wore, but facing this sweet and lovely girl, he couldn't refuse her.
"But I don't have any clothing vouchers left," Josh said.
Like sugar and gasoline, even in the United States during this period, buying clothes and shoes required special clothing vouchers.
Starting in 1942, every federal citizen would receive 24 clothing vouchers yearly to purchase clothes and shoes.
It may seem like a lot, but do you think one clothing voucher can buy one piece of clothing?
Absolutely not.
The actual standard is that buying a big coat requires 18 vouchers, a full suit requires 26, a pair of shoes requires 9, slippers require 5, a slip (undergarment dress) requires 3, pants require 8, bras require 3, and so on.
In other words, 24 clothing vouchers for one person are actually not enough to buy a complete set of clothes from head to toe under normal circumstances.
Shoe purchases were also subject to real-name registration, with each person limited to purchasing two pairs per year. If you wanted to buy more, you could only buy used ones.
And some things couldn't even be bought with vouchers.
What things?
Stockings.
Yes, stockings.
A fact that makes people in later generations somewhat amused and incredulous is that stockings were considered important strategic materials on par with sugar and gasoline during World War II.
Why? Because of parachutes.
Before the war, the main material for American military parachutes was not nylon but silk from Asia.
But after the war with Japan began, the supply of silk was cut off, and the parachute material changed to nylon.
So the federal government ordered all nylon producers, including DuPont, to stop making nylon products such as stockings and instead produce military supplies such as parachutes.
And it was from then on that civilian stockings skyrocketed, with prices soaring to $20 a pair.
But this was just the beginning.
During WWII, the price of stockings reached a terrifying $4,000, even higher than those female celebrities would dare to charge for their used underwear in the 21st century.
Even so, the production of nylon was still unable to meet the demand. As a result, the military launched a fundraising campaign among civilians...
They advertised with pictures of handsome men in the army and called on all women to donate their stockings... It was really outrageous.
Actually, there was something even more outrageous. According to a report by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, the top three items targeted by roadside robbers in the United States during the war were not valuable items such as dollars or gold but rather alcohol, stockings, and shoes.
That's why Josh wore his father's oversized coat when he went out because it was the only clothing he inherited from his father. Even the clothes he wore when he retaliated against or "borrowed" cars or tracked and killed Joe Barbera were mostly old, so he wouldn't feel too bad about burning them.
As for new clothes, he had just bought two or three sets a few days ago when he had some money, and that was all he had spent from the clothing vouchers he and his deceased parents had saved up over the past two years (1942-1943).
Thinking of this, Josh's gaze couldn't help but shift to Margaret's smooth thighs, and he couldn't resist reaching out to touch them.
"Hey, there are too many people here, don't make a scene! Don't worry about the vouchers. We don't need them," Margaret said, then leaned close to Josh's ear and whispered, "If you really can't resist, we can find a place with fewer people."
The soft voice in his ear made Josh shudder. Damn, this woman was really good.
No, no, he was still growing up and couldn't be too greedy. So Josh decisively pretended not to have heard Margaret's words and started the car, driving to the destination as directed by Margaret.
When they arrived, Josh realized that the clothes shop Margaret had mentioned was not a regular store but a high-end private tailoring shop he had only heard of in his previous life.
However, in this era, these custom clothing shops were not as pretentious as they were in the future. There was no issue with selling ready-to-wear clothes. After some haggling with the tailor, Margaret helped Josh pick out three sets of ready-to-wear and three sets of custom-made clothes.
Ultimately, they didn't even need to use the vouchers, instead paying with a thick stack of bills. Of course, Margaret's social status as an upper-class woman in Chicago played a role.
So, the so-called scarcity of resources and limited supply was ultimately aimed at the powerless and ordinary people. After buying clothes, they went to another shoe store and did the same thing.
During their shopping spree, they also went to a watch store and spent thousands of dollars on a Patek Philippe watch. Although in the future, Patek Philippe's reputation would be surpassed by other brands such as Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet, in this era, Patek Philippe was the only king of watches.
After some shopping and grooming, Josh's entire outfit was renewed. Coupled with his handsome face, tall figure, and confidence as a time traveler, his overall demeanor was elevated.
From a common handsome guy, he transformed into a modern-day gentleman.
As the ancient Chinese saying goes, "Clothes make the man just as a saddle makes the horse."
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It was another night, and Tony Wendys had once again come to the brothel.
"Any news on Joe?" Tony asked the doorman.
"No, sir. He hasn't been here since that day," the doorman shook his head and replied. "Are you still looking for Mary and Nancy today?"
Hearing that Joe still hadn't appeared, Tony couldn't help but frown. He had made a deal with Joe to complete the first step within three days, but it was already the fourth day, and he was nowhere to be seen.
Did that guy run away?
It didn't seem possible. Tony had already given some money in addition to the $200 for the activity fund. The other $1,000 was directly given to Scaglione of the Moretti mafia family.
The remaining large sum of money hadn't been paid yet, so it was unlikely that guy would just run away.
Was there a problem in between?
Thinking about his wife's recent movements, except for one night of not returning home and not allowing him into the bedroom, she didn't show any abnormal behavior. Moreover, she seemed to have calmed down a bit and didn't discuss the topic of divorce again.
This was a good thing. At least he didn't have to rush to take action.
"Sir? Do you want me to call Mary and Nancy for you?" Seeing Tony daydreaming, the doorman reminded him again.
"No, not right now. Is Bryan here?" Tony waved his hand and asked.
"Big Bryan is in the back," the doorman nodded.
"Same private room as last time. Get me a bottle of whiskey and ask Bryan to come over," Tony instructed, handing over a ten-dollar tip.
"Okay, I'll go prepare it now!" The doorman who received the money immediately went to work. Although this was Chicago's largest brothel, generous guests like Tony Wendys were still a minority.
Soon, Tony Wendys, in the private room, waited for Bryan, an Irishman who looked somewhat ferocious.
"Good evening, Tony, my friend. What brings you here?" Bryan greeted Tony with a smile.
Who the hell are you calling your friend? You're not even qualified.
"Yes, Mr Bryan, do you remember that Joe Barbera we met a few days ago?" Tony Wendys suppressed his disgust for the man in front of him and calmly asked.
"Oh, of course, that stinky Italian chubby kid you wanted to hire. You even had me vouch for him. What happened? Did he mess it up? I told you, if you want someone to get things done, just find me. Those Italians are unreliable!" Bryan ranted and spoke with contempt for Italians.
"Perhaps you're right, but we can't just let this go. He's missing, and I need you to help me find him. Consider this a reward for your trouble!" Suppressing his disgust, Tony Wendys took out an envelope and placed it on the table.
Tony Wendys was a purebred Englishman who hated Italians more than Irishmen. Equality? It was just a slogan. This country had never truly existed in the sense of equality since its founding.
The English despised the Irish.
The Germans despised the French.
The French despised the Italians.
Various forms of mutual disdain existed.
And then all white people together discriminated against people of color.
"Hahaha, Mr Wendys, you're too kind. I'll arrange it right away. As soon as I find that chubby kid, I'll bring him to you immediately." Bryan picked up the envelope, confirmed the amount inside, and laughed even more heartily. The scar on his face made him look more ferocious.
"Go ahead!" Tony Wendys waved his hand with impatience.
Bryan didn't mind. People like them had grown up in various discriminatory environments and didn't care about such small rudeness. They didn't care about anything else as long as they could earn money.
After Bryan left, Tony Wendys called in two girls and began to enjoy himself.
They didn't stop until late at night.
It wasn't that he couldn't stay overnight here, but Tony Wendys was somewhat of a celebrity, so if he left during the day and was seen by someone, it wouldn't be good for his image.
So he usually left when fewer people were around in the early morning. He rarely stayed overnight here.
However, he didn't know that his actions made it easy for Josh.
Josh had been following him for two days.
He was planning to deal with Tony Wendys like he did with Joe Barbera last time.
But unlike last time, Tony Wendys had shown no signs of leaving the city for the past two days. Margaret's estate was in the northern district, which was relatively quiet but still within Chicago's jurisdiction, unlike going to Evanston, where there was a long stretch of wilderness.
Moreover, as a standard wealthy area, the police patrol density was high.
If he acted during normal hours and was chased by the police, it would be difficult for Josh to escape without leaving any traces, as he did before.
So Josh had never found an opportunity.
But the early morning was different.
During this time, in the freezing cold, without receiving an alarm, everyone was too lazy to come out and suffer.
Chicago police only made two hundred bucks a month, so they didn't want to work too hard, especially not in the middle of the night when it was freezing.
So in the early morning in Chicago, if you wanted to do something illegal, instead of worrying about running into the police, you should worry about running into the mafia... During this time, it was the world of the mafia.
Of course, the mafia here is a general term referring to all gangs, not just Italians.
Tony Wendys, who was drunk driving, didn't even realize he was being followed.
On the other hand, the doorman who sent him out noticed a car following Tony Wendys as he drove away but didn't think too much of it. Maybe it was just a coincidence?
"Not my business" was the most important rule in their line of work.
If they were too curious, they might end up being thrown into Lake Michigan the next day to feed the fish. As one of the ten most terrifying lakes in the world, countless lives disappear here every year for various reasons.
Josh followed Tony Wendys slowly in his car but didn't immediately take action.
This farming area was still quite lively even in the early morning, and making a move would attract attention.
But a little further down the road, they would pass by a small park with no buildings or people around, which was a good place to strike.
But before they got there, something unexpected happened.
At an intersection, Josh watched as Tony Wendys in front of him floored it and hit a parked car on the side of the road.
"..."
This was the consequence of drunk driving.
However, the United States didn't make drunk driving illegal until the 1970s; it wasn't a crime in the 1940s.
With this crash, Josh probably wouldn't be able to make a move.
But just as he was about to drive past the scene and leave...
Something changed...
Because he saw from the rearview mirror of his car that four men in shoddy suits were cursing and getting out of the car that had been hit...
Obviously, these four people weren't just stopping here temporarily. They had been waiting here.
At this time, waiting by the side of the road...
Josh couldn't help but think.
He turned quietly at the next intersection, parked, put on his mask and gloves, stored the car in the system's warehouse, and then turned back.
When he carefully turned back, Tony Wendys had been dragged out of the car by the four men and beaten on the roadside.
After a good beating, the four men seemed to have finally vented their anger.
After searching for Tony Wendys for a while and finding his wallet, watch, and other items, they finally got back in the car.
But after a burst of ignition, the four men got out of the car again, cursing and complaining.
It turned out that their car was too damaged to start after being hit by Tony Wendys.
They got out of the car, checked under the hood, but found nothing.
One of them quickly turned his attention to Tony Wendys' car.
He went over to check it out but quickly came back down.
Obviously, that car was also broken.
The angry and frustrated four men kicked Tony Wendys around for a while before taking some things out of their car's trunk and leaving.
Although the distance was quite far, Josh could see clearly that they were carrying several guns...
And then he looked not far away...
Well, there was a high-end jewelry store with a considerable size.
What else could Josh say?
He could only think that Tony Wendys was really unlucky. These four people were obviously waiting for this jewelry store.
But before they could make a move, he crashed into them.
As for why the four men gave up, it was simple.
Because their car was broken, they couldn't steal much without a car. And if they accidentally triggered an alarm, they couldn't escape even if they tried.
Would they rather give up and risk being shot by the police or end up in jail?
After the four men completely left, no one passed by here. Only Tony Wendys lay on the side of the road, his life uncertain.
Only then did Josh emerge from the shadows and walk up to Tony Wendys.
He looked and saw that he was still breathing, though unconscious.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his hair and slammed his head onto the ground.
The sound of the back of his head hitting the ground was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
After only one hit, Josh left the scene without bothering to see if Tony Wendys was dead or not. He got his car and left quietly.
Although he didn't make Tony Wendys disappear completely, Josh didn't believe that the police, in this day and age, could find any evidence on him without surveillance footage, witnesses, fingerprints, murder weapon, bloodstains, etc.
The greatest possibility was they would only find evidence on the four men.
A fight after a car accident resulting in death was uncommon. What did it have to do with Josh Kane?
Besides, those four men were planning to rob the jewelry store and must have had some dirty history. It was good enough to use them as scapegoats, and Josh couldn't help feeling guilty about it.
He would ask Margaret to apply some pressure as the victim's widow.
With the level of corruption in the Chicago police force in this era, it was better to have less trouble and completely establish this case.
In any case, it was impossible to connect Josh to the incident.
So, don't drink and drive. Look, it saved Josh a lot of trouble.
Of course, if that hit just now didn't kill Tony Wendys, then he was truly lucky.
If that were the case, Josh wouldn't mind spending more effort to make him disappear completely.
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