They arrived at the Gallagher house.
Knock, knock, knock.
Veronica rapped on the door.
Hearing the knock, Carl immediately ran to open it, even though it wasn't locked.
Seeing Carl, Veronica asked anxiously, "Carl, what happened?"
Carl shook his head. "It's complicated. Just come in first."
Soon.
Dexter and Veronica walked into the living room and took a look.
Well, the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. The handprint on Fiona's left cheek was especially distinct.
Dexter glanced at Fiona but didn't linger. His gaze landed on Teddy, who was sitting on the sofa—tattoos on his neck, a fierce look on his face, yet acting completely at ease.
After watching him for a few seconds.
Noticing the resemblance between Teddy and Roberta, Dexter roughly guessed the identity of this old black man.
At this moment, Veronica asked Fiona, "Fiona, what happened?"
Fiona sat paralyzed on the floor, looking like an idiot. She just stared blankly at Veronica, her mouth moving slightly, but no sound came out.
Seeing this.
Veronica was frantic. She turned to Lip and Ian, who looked like they were in slightly better shape. "What the hell happened? One of you fcking say something!"
Lip hated Dexter, so he stayed silent.
Ian looked at Lip, hesitated for a moment, but eventually opened his mouth and told Veronica the whole story.
Listening to it, Dexter was genuinely, thoroughly amused.
These Gallaghers... they are truly fcking geniuses.
I killed Roberta, and just a few hours later, you guys went and looted her house?
Dexter thought silently, wanting to laugh. So, he pulled out his cigarettes, lit one, and looked at Teddy on the sofa again.
He realized this was an opportunity.
In his view.
In the original series, going to prison and experiencing the terror of incarceration—especially that scene where the guard orders Fiona to strip naked, bend over, and cough while she bites her lip and cries in silence—was a major turning point in Fiona's shameless life.
Going to jail, being treated like an animal, locked up with vicious criminals... the inexplicable pride Fiona held onto shattered into pieces there.
More importantly, getting a criminal record meant she could never find a normal job again...
The truth was.
He had actually thought about finding a way to send Fiona inside for a while, but he hadn't come up with a suitable method.
Now?
The method had delivered itself right to his doorstep.
By the way, how much time do you get for burglary?
Dexter asked himself silently. Then, he shifted his gaze, looking over Carl and the others, seriously considering whether to seize this chance.
Carl, Debbie, Ian, and Lip were all minors.
Based on his understanding of Fiona, if he bribed Teddy on the sofa to call the police... there was a very high probability that Fiona would take the rap for the burglary entirely, claiming that the four kids didn't know anything...
As for whether the police would believe it...
Lip and Ian weren't exactly little kids anymore; they probably wouldn't escape punishment completely.
Carl and Debbie were young enough that if they insisted they didn't understand what was happening, they should be able to get out of it without going to juvie.
And since Frank and Monica were currently at the Gallagher house, DFS wouldn't drag Carl and Debbie away to foster care...
So.
Lip and Ian, being minors, would go to juvenile detention.
Fiona, being an adult, would go to prison, get a criminal record, and bear the consequences her shameless life deserved.
Hmm, pretty perfect.
Dexter made his decision.
He decided to give it a try.
Before long.
Ian finished his explanation and fell silent.
Knowing what had happened, Veronica was dumbfounded as she looked at Fiona.
Of course, Veronica's shock wasn't mainly because the group had committed burglary. After all, stealing wasn't exactly rare in this neighborhood.
Veronica was dumbfounded because Fiona and her crew had done this mere hours after Roberta had been shot to death.
This behavior went far beyond "shameless." This was fcking cold-blooded.
Looking at Fiona...
Honestly, Veronica couldn't stop herself from feeling a bit of nausea.
Disgusted, Veronica didn't know what to say for a moment.
Seeing Veronica silent, Dexter thought for a moment, exhaled a puff of smoke, and spoke to Fiona, who was still slumped on the floor with a glazed look. "Fiona."
Hearing her name, Fiona lifted her head and stared blankly at Dexter, her eyes as vacant as her expression.
Dexter didn't care. He asked, "Whose idea was this?"
Thump.
Fiona's body trembled slightly. Instinctively, her eyes shifted to look at Lip.
Seeing this.
The veins on Lip's forehead instantly bulged. He was furious at Dexter's obvious attempt to stir the pot.
At the same time, both Dexter and Veronica understood.
Dexter smiled. At a time like this, making sarcastic comments would only be counterproductive, so he just said one thing: "Was it worth it?"
Fiona had no words.
Dexter didn't say anything more. He turned his head slightly and smiled at Teddy on the sofa. "Sir, may I ask your name?"
"Teddy," Teddy replied with a cold smile.
Dexter nodded. "How much are they short?"
Before Dexter and Veronica arrived, Teddy had already counted the money on the coffee table and pocketed it. "Twenty-three thousand, eight hundred and something. Let's call it twenty-four grand."
"Done," Dexter answered crisply.
Without wasting time, he pulled the thirty thousand dollars he had brought from his coat pocket, walked over to Teddy, handed him twenty thousand first, then counted out another four thousand. "We're square."
Teddy took the money, grinning broadly. "Didn't expect the Gallaghers to have a rich friend like you. Alright then, that's it. We're even."
Saying this, Teddy didn't waste any more words. He got up straight away and headed for the door.
Seeing Teddy leaving.
Lip, as the smartest of the Gallaghers, immediately realized a problem. "You have to delete the video!"
Hearing this, Teddy stopped, glared at Lip, and sneered. "Relax. I'm not you people. I'm not as shameless as you are."
With that, Teddy pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and deleted the video.
"Deleted. I wish you Gallaghers a wonderful day." Teddy waved his phone at Lip, dropped that line, and left.
Once Teddy walked out of the Gallagher house.
Dexter spoke up again, addressing Carl. "Alright, Carl, I have things to do. Come hang out at the restaurant when you have time."
After speaking, without waiting for Carl's response, Dexter turned to Veronica. "Veronica, stay here for a while. Come back to the restaurant before we open for dinner."
"...Okay." After all, they had been best friends for so long. Despite her conflicting emotions about what had happened, Veronica felt she should stay for a bit.
"Dexter, thank you. I will definitely pay you back," Carl spoke up, swearing solemnly.
Dexter smiled. "Okay."
With a simple acknowledgment.
Dexter didn't delay. He turned around and walked out, chasing after Teddy.