Alvin got back to the restaurant at eight that evening.
Two fearless pilots had parked the two Black Hawk Helicopters on the roof of the Apartment across the street.
More than a dozen men in Black Combat Suits were scattered around the restaurant in small groups. Russell was the only one at the Bar Counter, pouring himself glass after glass of Whiskey.
Old Kent was at the restaurant entrance, teaching several girls around fifteen or sixteen how to process the rat skins they'd removed. They scraped off the remaining bits of flesh, stretched the intact pelts over makeshift frames, and left them to dry. Then they could get a better price from Boss Gable.
When he saw Alvin return, Old Kent patted the girls on the head to signal that they could carry on by themselves. Then the old Black man pointed toward the restaurant and said with a smile, "Those guys look a little down, but they still have to pay for damaging the bottom floor of the Apartment..."
Alvin pointed at the helicopter rotors poking up above the roof across the street and said with a smile, "When George sends someone to pick up the goods, give them the bill too. Make them pay before they take off..."
As he spoke, Alvin watched the little girls in aprons carefully handling the disgusting rat skins. He gave a helpless smile and said, "When are we going to get something more refined around here?
Having kids handle all these Monsters makes me feel like a pretty lousy principal!"
Old Kent looked at the hardworking girls with a fond smile. "They remind me of the girls from decades ago. They were always diligent, keeping the house in perfect order.
"But back then, no matter how hard they worked, they couldn't live