John's finger left the trigger faster than it had come on. "I'm surprised kid. Inside the box, there's sixty grand. I'll be back in exactly sixteen hours, at which point I expect a wire transaction of at least forty thousand. Lock the door behind me." said John calmly before walking past the table and letting himself out. Laurence noticed the layer of sweat that had built up as he wiped his brow. He'd survived. That was enough. Laurence got up and locked the door as instructed before wondering if he'd make the cut. The voices in his head said he wouldn't. Not like Laurence listened to them often.
An hour later he fell asleep on the couch having set an alarm to wake him at dawn. He woke up hungry and angry at the alarm. He shut it off before it could attract unwanted attention like the man he owed a few thousand to. And so back to work. He hadn't done this much since the bar exam. Not like he had a choice. Laurence opened his laptop and filled out some forms, leaving his phone number for someone to call later. Avencourt Central opened at 6 AM sharp, and as such Laurence needed to get a move on. He debated showering but postponed it when his life didn't depend on himself.
He called a taxi before having one of the many boxes of Chinese food he'd ordered last night. He messaged Peter and asked him for another meeting and as many Monero as he had. Laurence also unblocked Sugon before texting him that he had the rent money ready. Almost immediately after the text was sent, Sugon called him. Laurence braced himself and answered. "Laurence you little shit. Do you have the money or are you just bored?" asked Sugon unsure whether Laurence was serious. "I have it in cash, how soon can you get to my apartment?" replied Laurence impatiently. "I'm already in the building, give me a minute, and before you try running, I've already locked the lobby.", said Sugon determinedly before hanging up. "No dodging rent anymore huh.", said Laurence to himself before moving the duffel bags to the kitchen. He took five thousand from the shoebox and waited at the door for Sugon to come.
The elevator opened and Sugon barged out with a baseball bat in his hand. Laurence saw him from the eyehole and unlocked the door before walking out to meet him. Before Sugon could speak, Laurence handed him the five thousand, halting him in his tracks. "Is this counterfeited?" asked Sugon suspiciously, the bat in his hand still raised. "It's all legit." lied Laurence as he checked his pockets for his phone. Sugon put the bat down and flipped through the bills before staring into Laurence's eyes. He took three bills out and handed them back to Laurence. "Rent's due in a week, that's extra. If you skip out on it I'll personally bash your skull in with this.", said Sugon picking up the bat and shaking it before walking away. The elevator doors opened and closed, taking Sugon away. Laurence rushed back to his apartment and grabbed twenty grand, stuffing it into his pockets and wearing a loose grey hoodie that made the visible bulges in his pockets unnoticeable.
Laurence called the elevator and pulled out his phone. His taxi was three minutes away. The annoying elevator music made him think about whether Sugon would change it if he asked. The lobby was empty as he passed it and exited the building. Wherever Fred was, he wasn't doing his job, and Laurence preferred it that way. The taxi was waiting for him as he crossed the road. Laurence got in and noticed it was the same ginger driver from yesterday. "Hi, nice to see you again." said the driver, the cheerful tone still present. Laurence nodded before resting his head on the window and closing his eyes.
The driver shook him awake. Laurence jumped in surprise and hit his head on the roof. Rubbing his head, he apologized to the driver who backed away before stumbling out of the taxi. "Give me five minutes.", said Laurence before walking towards the ATM in front of him. Just like last time, the deposit went smoothly, and another five hundred was laundered. Laurence got back in and told the driver to drive to Avencourt Central. He gave a silent nod and drove. Laurence's phone vibrated as someone called him. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the number. Seeing the +1, the prefix for Cayman Islands phone numbers, he answered.
"Weston consultants?" asked Laurence as he looked at the scenery from the window. "Yes, Mr. Laurence Vidi?" replied the phone operator. "Yeah, that's me.", answered Laurence, feeling that this was going to be a long conversation, which it was. Weston Corporate Consultants was a small office based in the Cayman Islands that specialized in creating shell corporations, which was precisely what he needed. His request to register two had resulted in his application being flagged, which he now needed to amend. "We're sorry for the trouble, but your request was unusual, as such we'll need to ask some security questions on the nature of the companies you plan to register and their use." explained the operator before starting.
"On the form, you wrote that one was a data storage provider, and another was an aesthetics consultancy, that's correct?" asked the operator. "Yes, that's right.", said Laurence dryly. Laurence had read enough Reddit threads to know that as long as he didn't outright say it was a shell corporation, they'd take his money and get it done. "On the form, you have qualifications in Law, what inspired you to take this entrepreneurial journey? asked the Operator, typing his previous response. "Law wasn't for me, I've had a flair for modern aesthetics since I was a teenager, and I wanted to pursue my dreams instead of being someone I'm not.", said Laurence, trying to sound authentic while pulling shit from his ass. "That's very brave." said the Operator empathetically.
After a few more similar questions, the Operator told him he was cleared and he just needed to transfer the funds to them in a few hours and the shells would be transferred to him. Laurence thanked him before hanging up and putting the phone away. "You're an entrepreneur?" asked the taxi driver curiously. "Aspiring entrepreneur.", answered Laurence, unwilling to have a conversation. The driver took the hint and focused on driving. He started scrolling through his phone as he waited to reach his destination. A few minutes later, he stepped out of the taxi and walked into Avencourt Central Bank.
As Laurence walked to the entrance, the imposing four-store building made of glass and steel filled his vision. As its name suggested, Avencourt Central Bank was wedged right next to central park and the public library. The cultivated hedges at the front of the bank along with several men and women in suits entering and leaving made him feel out of his depth. Nonetheless, Laurence, at 6:46 AM, walked into a bank. He needed a legitimate front to disguise all the money he was about to launder, and the best way for this was fraud. Laurence took a number from the ticket machine and sat down before beginning a mass transfer from four banks to Weston Consultancy. He'd chosen a foreign currency exchange corporation to move the money, allowing Laurence to get a confirmation from Weston Consultancy that Vidi Enterprises was now a legally registered domicile. Laurence thanked the operator for the news before hanging up and walking to the bank teller as his number was called out.
"Second floor, room three." directed the teller before shooing Laurence away. The elevator was larger than Laurence's kitchen. He pressed the button and hoped no one else entered the elevator. Surprisingly, he got lucky and the door closed. The elevator being see-through played tricks on his mind as it rose. The elevator opened, revealing a long corridor with mahogany wood doors on either side. Odd choice for a bank noticed Laurence. Laurence exited the elevator and glanced at the number plates on the door. He confirmed the location of room three before walking up to the door and knocking.
A rasping voice answered for him to come in. Laurence turned the door handle and opened the door before leaning his head out of the door frame. The office was a mess. Stacks of registers and papers formed towers reaching up to three feet on the coffee table. The file drawers were similarly stocked to the brim. Behind the L-shaped desk, was a disgruntled-looking elderly man. The man was visibly confused as he ran his hands around the desk looking for something. "Come in and take a seat, I'll be right with you in a minute." directed the elderly man without glancing at him. Laurence did what he was told and closed the door before sitting down on the one chair that wasn't occupied.
The grey cotton cushion sank under his weight as Laurence examined his surroundings. The paper closest to him on the coffee table read "An Inquiry in Global Accounting.". The rustling of papers confirmed to him that it would take a while before he could discuss the creation of his accounts. Laurence noticed a slight glint between three stacks of paper. He leaned forward and saw that it was a can labeled peanuts. "Can I have the peanuts?", asked Laurence to the elderly man who seemed no closer to finding whatever it was he sought. "What? Sure." said the man, confused at first.
Laurence grabbed the can and noticed it was open already. He took off the lid and reached in for some peanuts. Instead, his fingers touched something raisin-like, but much larger. Thinking it was dried fruit, Laurence pulled it out. His eyes locked onto the shrunken human head he was holding. He let it go and backed away quickly with a jolt, knocking over the chair and falling over. "What in the world..." said the elderly man before noticing the shrunken head on his table. "Oh, you found it. This is a problem." commented the elderly man before reaching into a drawer.