"Alright." Watson Harris said. The Delicious Restaurant was already his usual haunt, so going there was just a matter of convenience.

Chapter 9 Goodwill

After work, Matthew Brooks deliberately dragged Caleb Bennett to the Delicious Restaurant for dinner. Matthew Brooks often went there, but it was the first time bringing Caleb Bennett. Today, Leonard Hale had handed out the reward money, and Caleb Bennett gave Matthew Brooks five yuan. Although it wasn't much, it was only natural for Matthew Brooks to treat him to a meal. And Matthew Brooks just happened to use this opportunity to check out the Delicious Restaurant in person.

"Leonard Hale is such a bastard, way too greedy. I heard Director Benson gave a hundred, but by the time it got to us, there was only ten left." Caleb Bennett sat down and said indignantly.

Shawn Benson awarded a hundred, Leonard Hale took half right away, gave thirty to his subordinates, and twenty to him. And of course, he also took half for himself, only taking out ten to split with Matthew Brooks. This was actually a kind of tradition, but Matthew Brooks didn't understand these tricks, and naturally wouldn't bring it up himself.

"Better than nothing, right? Since the money's less, you'll just have to settle for eating here." Matthew Brooks said indifferently. From what he knew of Caleb Bennett, if Caleb Bennett hadn't skimmed some off, that would be a surprise. But he never called it out—these were the unspoken rules, and saying it out loud would ruin the fun.

From the moment Matthew Brooks and Caleb Bennett walked in, their police uniforms made the restaurant staff nervous. In these times, when the "black dogs" came in, it was never a good thing. A staff member immediately went to the back to notify Raymond Shaw. Seeing it was Matthew Brooks, Raymond Shaw secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although Matthew Brooks was a pseudo-policeman, his nature wasn't completely lost. Plus, he lived nearby, so it was normal for him to come eat.

"Officer Brooks, please come inside." Raymond Shaw personally came over to greet them.

"Boss Shaw, business is good, huh? I heard you have two more people here?" Matthew Brooks glanced at the backyard, which was blocked by a curtain. He knew there was not only a kitchen back there, but also a few rooms and storage spaces.

"Two relatives came. These days, it's getting hard to survive in the countryside too." Raymond Shaw explained casually.

"Since your relatives are here, you need to register their household. If they don't have residence permits, it could be troublesome." Matthew Brooks reminded him.

"I've already registered them." Raymond Shaw replied quickly.

"If you can't get it done, you can always ask Officer Brooks for help. Can't promise anything else, but helping neighbors register households and get residence permits is no problem." Caleb Bennett said with a smile. People from the security office only had a bit of power in this area. He loved it when people asked him for favors—once they did, his own perks would follow.

"Officer Brooks is a good man. If I can't get it done, I'll definitely ask Officer Brooks." Raymond Shaw said, bowing slightly.

No matter how good a pseudo-policeman was, he still didn't trust them. If they were real relatives, maybe he'd ask Matthew Brooks. But Grace Hale and Howard Clark couldn't be seen in public, and Howard Clark had even lived in Matthew Brooks's jurisdiction before—Matthew Brooks might recognize them, so how could he dare ask Matthew Brooks to help with residence permits?

Matthew Brooks didn't say anything more. His gaze swept over and suddenly caught sight of a young, beautiful face at the doorway to the backyard. As soon as their eyes met, she quickly, shyly, and angrily let the curtain fall.

After eating with Caleb Bennett, Matthew Brooks asked the staff to pack up the leftovers. After parting ways with Caleb Bennett at the door, he walked home. Sitting at the entrance of the Delicious Restaurant was Watson Harris, who, seeing Matthew Brooks come out, immediately followed him all the way home.

"Take it home." At the entrance to the alley, Matthew Brooks handed the food to Watson Harris.

After getting home, Matthew Brooks went through the underground air-raid shelter to the neighboring house. This was a rule he set for himself—no matter what, he had to follow it. When he came up, he saw Third Young Master and Watson Harris already eating. When they saw Matthew Brooks come in, both stood up to offer him a seat.

"You two eat first." Matthew Brooks waved his hand. Of all things, eating was the most important. In times like these, nothing mattered more than a full stomach.

"I also walked around the neighborhood today. Seems like nothing's going on." Third Young Master reported after eating a little. Watson Harris was still young and needed to eat more to grow.

"Other than Boss Shaw always running to the back, that pretty sister came out a few times too." Watson Harris had been keeping watch at the restaurant entrance, so he knew more about what was going on inside.

"Who are the regulars there?" Matthew Brooks asked. He still didn't suspect Raymond Shaw, but as a policeman, his curiosity and professional instincts made him want to know more about Raymond Shaw's two relatives.

For every household in Matthew Brooks's jurisdiction, he knew how many people lived there, whether there were any strangers, and the details of those strangers. As for new arrivals or newly opened shops, those were his main focus. Even if he was too busy, he'd have Third Young Master help investigate.

What Matthew Brooks did was trivial but meticulous, which made it easier for him to discover the truth. That night, he not only checked with the diners who were there when Howard Clark and Grace Hale came in the day before, but also found the patrol officer in charge of the area, Jack Gordon.

Matthew Brooks lived in Jack Gordon's jurisdiction, so they naturally knew each other. Jack Gordon assured Matthew Brooks that Raymond Shaw had not registered any new household members.

This abnormal situation immediately made Matthew Brooks alert...