Dex Restaurant.
Dexter finally finished cooking all fifty-plus orders. He could finally take a break, so he stepped out of the kitchen and sat down across from Carl.
Carl was wolfing down a bowl of noodles. He looked pretty much like his usual self; the panic from when he first ran in had completely vanished.
That was more like it.
If the current Carl started overthinking things, that would be weird.
"Thank you," Carl said earnestly, looking up as Dexter sat down. Then, remembering something, he hurriedly pulled the twenty dollars Frank had given him earlier from his pocket and handed it to Dexter. "Here's twenty back. I'll pay you the rest when I earn it."
Dexter smiled. "You keep it for now. Pay me back when you strike it rich."
Carl wasn't one to be overly sentimental. He took the money back decisively. "Okay. I will definitely strike it rich."
"Got any ideas how?" Dexter asked with a smile.
Carl thought for a moment and shook his head. "Nope."
Good kid!
Dexter was amused. "Haha, you've got character."
Carl laughed too, then thought of Fiona and the others. "Will Fiona and the others be okay?"
Dexter thought for a moment. "Burglary is a felony. Since they got caught, they're probably going to have some trouble."
"Will they go to prison?" Carl asked, his tone unchanging.
"Probably. But likely not for too long," Dexter replied.
Carl stopped eating, tilted his head slightly, and looked thoughtful. "Will I have to go to prison too?"
"Are you scared?" Dexter asked.
Hearing this, Carl immediately gave a crooked grin. "Scared my ass. I heard the people in prison are really good at making money. Maybe I should go in and learn a thing or two from them."
"Maybe," Dexter nodded in agreement. "But you're still too young right now. It wouldn't be much use even if you learned. Wait a couple of years, then you can go to juvie to study."
"Nice!!" Carl looked expectant.
Not far away.
Veronica, who heard this entire conversation clearly, was dumbfounded: "????"
Finally, unable to hold back, Veronica called out to Dexter, "Boss, what kind of nonsense are you feeding Carl?"
Dexter turned and smiled at Veronica. "You don't understand. A place like juvenile detention is actually a good place for Carl. Better than school, anyway."
Veronica: "..."
Dexter continued, "Better to experience juvie early on than to end up in real prison when he's an adult."
Veronica was speechless.
There was nothing she could say.
There was actually a twisted sort of logic to it.
Carl smiled brilliantly. "Dexter, you're a real bro. How about we go to juvie together?"
Veronica: "????"
Dexter: "Uh... thanks for the invite, but I can't go to juvie. If I go anywhere, it's straight to federal prison."
Carl didn't hesitate. "Then we'll go to prison together later. I'll protect you!"
"Deal," Dexter laughed.
"It's a promise," Carl said excitedly.
Veronica really couldn't take it anymore. "Boss, can you guys talk about something else? How did we get from eating noodles to planning prison trips?"
Hearing this.
Dexter and Carl looked at each other and laughed, perfectly in sync.
"Alright, let's not scare Veronica. Eat up quickly. When you're done, I'll take you to the police station," Dexter said to Carl, dropping the prison talk.
Hearing this, Veronica's head started buzzing. She rushed to Dexter's side. "Boss, if Carl goes, he'll get arrested!"
"The video caught Carl. Turning himself in is better than getting caught later and having to find another lawyer, don't you think?" Dexter countered. "Carl can't hide forever."
The logic was sound.
But still...
Veronica didn't know how to respond.
Just then.
From outside the restaurant came Monica's screaming voice. "Carl!!"
Hearing the sound.
All three turned to look.
Monica's constantly miserable, unsightly face came into Dexter's view.
Instantly, Dexter realized a problem. He immediately asked Carl, "Fiona and the other three are at the police station. You and Monica are here. Frank is at Sheila's house... Who is watching Liam??"
The words hung in the air.
Carl's expression changed drastically, his eyes widening. "No one..."
Veronica: "!!! Liam is home alone?"
Those damn Gallaghers.
Dexter shook his head helplessly. Liam was innocent in all this.
Dexter had no intention of hurting the baby, so he turned to Veronica. "Veronica, hurry up and take Monica back. Check on Liam. I don't want to deal with her."
"Okay," Veronica didn't dare delay. She responded and ran out.
Moments later.
Veronica hailed a taxi, explained the situation to Monica as she dragged her into the car, and they sped off.
A few minutes later.
Carl finished eating.
Dexter drove Carl toward the police station.
---
The Police Station.
As soon as Dexter arrived, he saw Kevin smoking by the trash can near the entrance.
Kevin saw Dexter and hurried toward the car.
Seeing Carl, Kevin didn't react immediately, looking a bit confused. "Dexter, the police are looking for Carl..."
It was the same question Veronica had asked, and Dexter gave the same explanation.
Kevin paused. "True. Better to solve it all at once than deal with it one by one."
"Yeah. It's getting late. Let's go in and get this over with," Dexter said.
Soon.
The three arrived at the interrogation room and saw Officer Sam, the lawyer Hernando, and the four Gallaghers.
As soon as he saw Carl, Lip's eyes widened in shock. Combined with his hatred for Dexter, he immediately roared at him, "Why the fck did you bring Carl here?"
Hearing the shout.
"You dare raise your voice at me again? I've been giving you way too much respect, haven't I?!" Dexter grinned, firing back without a hint of politeness.
Lip hadn't expected Dexter to snap back and was stunned into silence.
Fiona, Ian, Debbie, and Carl were all stunned too.
Kevin was also surprised, but at the same time, he felt a wave of satisfaction.
Officer Sam spoke up then. "Shut up, all of you. This is a police station."
After the reprimand, Officer Sam took two steps toward Carl and pulled out his handcuffs. "Carl Gallagher, you are under arrest."
Click.
Carl was handcuffed.
But not only was Carl not afraid, he found it thrilling. He smiled with pure swagger. "Thanks, Dexter."
"Don't mention it," Dexter replied with a smile, then looked at Hernando. "Hernando, I'll leave things to you."
"Of course, Mr. Ding," Hernando responded with a smile.
Dexter didn't say much more. He turned to Fiona. "Liam was left alone in the house. I only found out a moment ago and sent Veronica to take care of him."
The words pierced her ears.
Fiona's expression changed dramatically. She asked urgently, "How? Where's Monica?"
"Who knows," Dexter replied casually, unilaterally ending the conversation. He turned to beckon Kevin. "Kevin, let's go."
Kevin had been there for a while and wanted to leave ages ago. After a brief hesitation, he followed Dexter out.