The next day, Bryan; who had slept in till almost midday owing to his staying awake to watch over a cemetery, which in the end didn't show any signs of abnormalities, woke up with a slight headache. He felt drained and pondered why he felt so tired. Only when he checked the time did he realize that he had skipped breakfast.
Last night was so tiring, he kept falling asleep and Bernadette kept poking his side with a small rod so as to wake him. He even wondered how she was able to pull an all nighter without batting an eyelid.
Today, he planned on searching for a suitable house to rent. At first, he had wanted to ask Jason or Bernadette to show him around to some good places but later abandoned the thought for two reasons:
First, he wanted to explore the city on his own and maybe get to meet people and establish some sort of connection here in Haston city, this would help him in the future in his line of job.
Another reason he didn't want to ask those two was that he didn't want the police to know here he stayed. It would be good if he could maintain a low profile. His several near death encounters over the years has led him to conclude that he couldn't trust even the police.
After his lunch, which he mixed with brunch, he set off. He wanted a place that was a bit far from Sapphire hotels; therefore, Crosswalk Street was not an option. He rode his sport bike around the main bridge and came to another street.
After meeting several house agents and landlords, he became frustrated.
Most of the houses had sky-high prices. Even a one bedroom flat had a price tag of $200 for a month, which was way higher than what he was used to in Wakeville. Now that he thought of it, even the food here was more expensive!
He needed a small house where he could stay for a while and not for luxury. He decided to check out other areas.
He met another frustration. Even when he found a house with a suitable price tag, the conditions were too absurd for him. Cheaper houses required that you make a down payment for two years rent. He was here for a case and might not stay that long. The worst thing was that even if he rented the house, he wasn't entitled to a refund of part of his money if he decided to quit halfway, the contract said so.
He could only sigh deeply and move on. As he went round most areas in the western part of the city, he couldn't help but realise that it was past lunch time.
"I should get some sour ribs and sauce." He however felt bad when he remembered that he had actually had lunch before leaving his hotel, and it was only 2 hours ago!
As he checked through more houses, he came to a small flat. The landlord was a middle aged man with slightly grey hairs. He had an average build and a pot belly. He was, as Bryan came to discover, richer than he dressed. He had several properties across Haston city.
"I tell you son, you won't find a house that fits your requirement in this areas." The landlord said after showing him around his property. This property fell among the "cheaper" ones and also required a two year contract.
"Seriously, what's the need for a two year advance rent?" Bryan grumbled.
"Haha," the man laughed and rubbed his belly; a frequent act of his, "that's what the lower tier landlords had agreed upon."
Was that a kind of union?
"Frankly, the expensive houses and 'cheaper' ones literally have the same price tag!" Bryan complained as he followed the landlord. Paying a two year advance rent that was almost triple the annual price of an "expensive" house, wasn't it the same?
"You sure do have a sense of humour. I would have loved to help you out, but if I break contract rules, the Body will kick me out of business." The man slapped his hands together.
They chatted a bit and he got to discover that this old landlord had some connections.
"I've worked with plenty of big shots before, they usually don't patronize me, but they usually need my help with finding a suitable property for," the man gave a cheeky smile and added, "you know what I mean!"
'I DON'T!' Bryan shouted in his head, but still couldn't help but have a vague imagination of what the man said.
"So, which big shots do you know?" Bryan probed. This was a good chance to make friends and possibly, an informant!
"Oh, a lot. I have close contact with Jeremy Oscar, Philip Brad, CEO Francis Lee, Dr Gerald Neil...."
He mentioned a dozen more names. "I even know their current residence, and several other places they own."
This was huge. Though this landlord was a little rich, but being acquainted with over a dozen billionaire businessmen was way above what Bryan could imagine. He didn't doubt the man's sincerity as he had subtly asked him a few questions which he answered favourably showing that he was indeed telling the truth.
The landlord knew that talking about his clients was not so ethical but he did anyway because he felt a strong connection to this young man; he looked like his late son.
"If you want, I can help you search for houses that fit your needs. Just give me your contact."
The man proposed.
"I'd appreciate that!" This saved Bryan the trouble of asking the man for his contact as he didn't want to be included in his list of fans. He exchanged contacts with the man. A good thing he always had an extra contact which saved the purpose of general use, his main contact shouldn't be shared, just in case....
"How may I address you, sir?" Bryan wanted to know his name. He had in mind to do a background check later. He could even do so without one but he felt it was only polite to ask.
"Oh, just call me old Steve."
"Bryan." He introduced. After they parted, Bryan sped off into the busy city. He was undecided whether to drop by the police station or just return to Sapphire hotels.