Chapter 193 — 2119 Blows Up
When the basement exploded, Frank was standing outside 2119 with a plastic bag in hand.
His nose—sharp as a bloodhound's—caught the scent immediately.
That sugary, chemical tang in the smoke.
His eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, he turned and bolted toward the The Alibi Room.
Inside, Kevin was working the day shift.
For all his quirks, he was a solid bartender.
Jingle jingle—
The door flew open as Frank rushed in.
"Holy shit, Frank! Didn't you just leave? Why the hell are you back again?"
Kevin didn't bother hiding his annoyance.
"Beer. Now. I need some courage."
Frank slapped the bag of snacks—meant for Peggy—onto the counter, his voice trembling slightly.
Then he slammed a five-dollar bill down.
Kevin gave him a look but said nothing, pouring him a beer.
Frank grabbed it—
And downed it in one gulp.
No pause.
No breath.
Then he stood up and walked straight to the payphone.
"Hey! Your stuff—"
Kevin thought he was leaving and called out, but then noticed where Frank was headed.
"Phone charges come out of your beer money!" Kevin added.
Frank didn't care.
Not right now.
He took a deep breath, picked up the receiver—
And dialed 911.
"911 emergency services. How can we help you?"
Frank lowered his voice slightly.
This was his chance.
A perfect chance to get Peggy out of his life.
"I'd like to report an illegal meth operation," he said.
"Address: North Wallace Street, 2119."
"You'd better send someone fast."
He hung up immediately.
Patted his chest.
Took a few shaky breaths.
Meanwhile—
At the police station.
"Tony! Another call tied to your girl Fiona. You and Buck go check it out."
Tony turned back, exasperated.
"Sir… Fiona isn't my girl."
"Son, trust my instincts. You'll get there."
Complete nonsense, of course.
He just wanted someone to handle the call quickly.
A meth lab in the South Side?
Not surprising.
But that address—
That was Fiona Gallagher's house.
His guess?
False alarm.
Sure, the Gallaghers were a mess—
But running a meth lab?
Even he didn't buy that.
"Thanks, sir… but I'm not liking my odds," Tony muttered.
He still didn't know who William really was.
All he had was the surface-level info:
Middle-class background. College student. Bright future.
Compared to that—
What did he have?
Shaking his head, Tony grabbed his cap and headed to the parking lot with Buck.
"Buck, you go ahead. I'll grab some coffee."
He gave his partner a light pat on the shoulder.
Buck, a veteran cop, immediately saw through it—
But didn't say anything.
Everyone bends the rules sometimes.
"Go on. Just don't take forever."
He walked toward the squad car.
Tony nodded, then stopped by a vending machine.
Bought two coffees.
Then pulled out his phone—
And quietly dialed Fiona.
At the South Side diner—
Fiona was busy behind the register…
Ian had already started helping out—clearing tables, wiping surfaces, doing whatever he could.
Buzz… buzz…
Fiona's phone vibrated.
She picked it up and saw it was Tony calling. That alone puzzled her—what did he want in the middle of the day?
Still, she answered.
"Hello, Tony. What's up?"
Her tone was calm.
Whatever her past—her impulses, her lack of restraint, her tendency to stray—
Right now, she was firmly under William's influence.
Living in the illusion that she was finally becoming a "good girl."
"What? That's impossible! Holy shit!"
The moment she heard someone was cooking meth in her house, Fiona flat-out didn't believe it.
But then—
Peggy.
Peggy was still at home.
A chill ran down her spine.
"Okay… I got it. Thanks."
She hung up immediately.
Then turned to Ian.
"Ian, come with me. We're going home."
"What happened?" Ian asked, already pulling off his apron without hesitation.
"I'll explain in the car."
She walked straight over to William.
"William, can I borrow your car? Something happened at home."
Of course, William didn't refuse.
In fact, he was curious too—what exactly had gone down at 2119?
"I'll drive you," he said, standing up.
Fiona nodded, and the three of them quickly left the diner.
Inside the AMG—
Fiona sat in the passenger seat.
Ian squeezed into the cramped back.
The distance wasn't far, so they arrived at 2119 even before the police.
The smoke from the basement had mostly cleared.
But Carl—
Standing in the yard, completely covered in soot like a walking lump of charcoal—
Was impossible to miss.
"Carl! What happened?!"
Fiona's heart dropped the moment she saw him.
"Grandma was teaching me how to make meth… then the basement exploded."
Carl answered blankly.
Fiona's heart dropped again.
"Holy shit—!!!"
She bolted straight for the basement.
If the cops showed up and found anything tying Peggy to meth production—
Carl could end up in juvie.
That was not happening.
Not on her watch.
William watched her rush off, recalling the scene.
Honestly, Peggy had guts.
Running a meth lab in a residential house—bold didn't even begin to cover it.
No wonder even Frank was scared of her.
Instead of following Fiona, William walked over to Carl.
"Carl, where's Peggy?"
"Grandma's still downstairs. Cleaning up the lab."
Carl answered honestly.
William looked at him, then reached out and ruffled his hair.
"Kid… wanna play with guns?"
Out of the entire Gallagher family—
Carl was the one William actually respected the most.
Yeah, the kid had a rebellious streak.
But he never truly broke Fiona's heart.
He cared about the family.
And more importantly—
When he witnessed a fellow inmate brutally kill a child with a hammer…
He chose to turn back.
That mattered.
Most people never do.
Most just keep walking down one path—no matter how wrong it is.
But someone who can stop… and turn around?
That's rare.
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