Oops, I’ve Been Exposed

“Isn’t Shane around 60 years old? That’s quite early for Alzheimer’s disease, isn’t it?”

Pamela shrugged. “How would I know? Let’s stop talking about him. I’m divorced. We’re no longer related to them. There’s no need for us to worry about him anymore.”

“Say, why hasn’t Woody visited Shane yet?”

Trudy’s eyes lit up. “The Evanses are the only relatives he has in this city.”

Dickson chimed in, “Why else? He’s embarrassed. He spent four years in jail and got divorced as soon as he got out. He’s too ashamed to go back to them.”

Trudy was delighted, but she tried her best to suppress her emotions. ”

Pamela, I’ll be fine with your dad here. You should head back. You need to focus on what’s important.”

Pamela nodded. “Alright. I’ll head back and make preparations. Call if you need me.”

“Alright, just go!” Trudy was getting impatient.

As soon as Pamela left, Trudy got up from the bed. She said excitedly, ” Dickson, this is our chance!”

“Since Shane is misremembering the dates and doesn’t know that Woody has been released, we can get some money out of him.

“We just have to tell him that we need the money to grease some palms so Woody can be released sooner.”

Dickson frowned. “Will that work?”

“Of course, it will! We can pull it off as long as we work together. Do you think the two of us can’t even fool a senile old man?”

Trudy was raring to go.

Dickson thought her words made sense. But he soon had another question. “Does he even have any money? He sold his house and borrowed from some loan sharks to help lower Woody’s sentence back then. Isn’t he debt-ridden?

“It would be a waste of time to fool him if he ends up not having any money.”

Trudy replied, “Don’t forget that he’s a professor. He has a high income. He and his wife aren’t big money spenders. They must’ve saved up quite a bit of cash. Even if they don’t have any money, they can still borrow from others, right?

“This is a chance that’s hard to come by. We probably won’t get another opportunity like this ever again.”

Brutus, who had been lying in his bed, said angrily, “We should get him for every penny he has. He deserves it since Woody was the one that put us here.”

“You’re right, Brutus.” Trudy nodded.

Dickson raised his hand and slapped the side of the bed. “Let’s do it!”

Trudy quickly put on her shoes. She said, “Brutus, stay here and wait for our triumphant return.”

“Give me a portion of that profit, or I’ll tell Pamela,” Brutus said with a greedy expression.

Trudy replied without hesitation, “Of course, you’ll get a share. You’re our only son. All the money of the household belongs to you anyway.”

Brutus smiled happily. “Go quickly. I’ll be praying for your success.”

Meanwhile, Woody arrived at an apartment building carrying some gifts. That was where Shane lived. He started to feel scared as he looked at the familiar surroundings.

He took a deep breath and went upstairs. He got to the eastern unit on the third floor. The gate had been changed. There was even a fingerprint lock.

Woody was sure he was on the right floor. He rang the doorbell nervously.

“Who is it?”

A middle-aged woman opened the door and looked at the unexpected guest cautiously. Woody was taken aback. “Ma’am, did I get the wrong unit? Is this Building 6, Unit 1, Apartment 301?”

“You’re at the right place. Are you here to visit the previous owner?” the woman asked.