Chapter 254: Return the Goods
Walter maintained a normal life. He still went to school every day and received regular treatment. His family, deeply concerned about his health, kept a close eye on him.
As a result, Walter had very little personal time. If he was gone too long, his family would immediately call to check on him, afraid he might faint somewhere with no one to help.
With no privacy, it was difficult for Walter to work with Frank and do business in secret.
So whenever Walter met with Frank and Pinkman, he had to carefully manage the time and do it quickly.
That's why Walter was always looking for a way to avoid his family and carve out some private, independent time.
The Native American sweat lodge was the perfect excuse—something his family wouldn't question.
Leave on Friday, return on Sunday. Two days. That would be more than enough time for Walter to get things done.
As soon as school ended on Friday, Walter couldn't wait to meet up with Frank and Pinkman.
"A sweat lodge? You really thought of everything," Frank said, a bit impressed by Walter's clever cover.
Frank was starting to realize that Walter was no longer the honest man he once seemed. He smoked cigars now, lied without hesitation—was this what they meant by "you become who you surround yourself with"?
"Did you get everything?" Walter asked.
"All set. It's all in the warehouse," Frank replied.
The house Frank and Pinkman had rented had a tiny garage—not big enough for the RV. Plus, after Pinkman was kicked out of his house and the RV got towed, Frank had learned his lesson.
He went ahead and rented a secluded warehouse outside of town. The RV was parked inside, and all the supplies from their shopping list were neatly stored there—safe and private.
When the trio arrived at the warehouse and opened the door, they were met with a mountain of containers and equipment.
"Perfect. Just perfect. Looks like most of this stuff is brand new." Walter's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Bought exactly what you asked for," Frank said. "Not easy to get, especially this 'methyl-what's-it'. Crazy expensive. Couldn't even find it on the market—it's always locked up in storage."
"Luckily," Pinkman added, slapping a metal barrel labeled with chemical hazard warnings, "I know a few guys who were willing to get it done. Took it from a chemical warehouse on the south side. This barrel alone cost ten grand. Ten grand!"
"That's not expensive at all," Walter said eagerly. "This one barrel will last us a long time. We won't need to worry about raw materials again."
"Then what are we waiting for? Load it all up!" Frank shouted.
While they drove the RV deep into the deserted desert, on the other side of town, Skyler walked into a store, holding the crown in her hands, planning to return it.
"This crown is very pretty, and yes, it is ours. Do you have the receipt?" the store owner asked.
"No, someone gave it to me. But we're really short on money right now…" Skyler explained.
"I see. Wilson! Come here and keep an eye on this lady. I need to call the police," the owner suddenly called over a security guard and had Skyler detained.
"Wait, what? The police?" Skyler was stunned.
"Ma'am, this crown is stolen property. Please come with me," the owner said, leading her into the back room.
"You brought stolen goods into my store. I will be pressing charges," he said firmly.
"I didn't steal it! I've never stolen anything in my life! I told you—it was a gift at a birthday party. I don't even know who gave it. It was in a box with a bunch of other gifts. I got dozens of presents that day," Skyler said.
Now calmer, Skyler made sure not to mention Marie, playing dumb and vague about everything.
"The police will be here soon. Whether you knew about it or not, they'll handle it. If you claim it was a gift, you can explain that to them."
"But my daughter-in-law clearly remembers handing this crown to a tall blonde woman. She turned around for one second, and the woman disappeared—with the crown."
"All we have to do is check your guest list from that party. I guarantee my daughter-in-law will recognize the thief at a glance," the owner added.
"This is unacceptable! This room is tiny and stuffy, and you're falsely accusing me. I'm furious. You're illegally detaining a pregnant woman in a dark, cramped room without any evidence. This is kidnapping! Unlawful imprisonment!"
Skyler's pupils shrank. Then she suddenly became very emotional, her breathing rapid and shallow.
"I can't stay here—I can't breathe! Ah! My stomach… my baby is coming!" she cried, clutching her belly in apparent pain.
The shop owner and security guard froze in shock.
Skyler's belly was clearly that of a pregnant woman. If something really happened to her in their store, it would be a huge scandal.
Even though they had found the stolen crown, they had no real proof Skyler was the thief. But detaining a pregnant woman without allowing her to leave—that was a legal fact.
A judge would undoubtedly side with the pregnant woman, and the two of them could lose everything.
They exchanged a look—and then hurriedly escorted Skyler out, as if sending away a plague.
Once out of the store, the "about-to-give-birth" Skyler immediately straightened up, fully recovered. She walked to the corner and pulled out her phone.
"Marie!" Skyler snapped, calling her in an angry tone.
While Skyler was on her way to confront Marie, Frank and the others had just wrapped up over three hours of production.
"We got four pounds!" Pinkman said excitedly.
With the upgraded equipment, the yield this time was four or five times higher than before.
"But why does it look like this?" Frank asked, puzzled.
Their previous product had been clear, but this batch was an icy blue—brilliant and gemstone-like under the sun.
"I used a different formula. Rebuilt everything from scratch. That's why it's a different color. But the quality? Even higher than before," Walter said, stepping out of the RV and pulling off his gas mask, gulping fresh air.
"We need to test it," Frank said.
"Who's going to do it?" Walter asked.
They both instinctively looked at Pinkman.
"What are you looking at me for? I've been clean for a while now," Pinkman said defensively.
"Not you. But you've got friends all over the place, don't you?" Frank replied with a grin.
(End of Chapter)