Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 292 - 244: Bud_2

"It’s nothing. This is my adopted son, Loki. I got him from the rescue center this afternoon." Feng Shan just smiled, gesturing for Frank not to be afraid.

Loki, who had just slipped on the glass and awkwardly tumbled onto the table, wasn’t being so docile now.

With a scramble, he struggled to flip himself back over, his small eyes burning with humiliation-fueled anger.

First, he vigorously shook the moisture from his feathers. Then, his beak opened and closed, and a shockingly vulgar curse word came out.

"Motherfucker!"

Frank was also stunned, clearly not expecting the parrot to use foul language.

"Loki!" Hearing the foul language, Feng Shan’s brow instantly furrowed, a flicker of displeasure in his eyes.

Instantly, as if sensing Feng Shan’s anger, Loki fluttered his wings and flew unsteadily to land on Feng Shan’s shoulder.

He then tilted his head, looked pitifully at Feng Shan with his small eyes, and called out to curry favor.

"Papa!"

"I know who he is!" Frank suddenly pointed at Loki in excitement, his eyes wide with realization as his voice rose unconsciously. "Buddy, how did you find him?"

"What, is Loki famous?" Feng Shan looked at Frank, confused and curious.

"Of course," Frank said with a firm nod. He then sat back in his chair, picked up the lemonade from the table, and took a sip to moisten his throat before once again looking at Loki, perched on Feng Shan’s shoulder.

"Two years ago, a domestic shooting occurred in Anchorage."

"A 46-year-old husband and his 49-year-old wife were both shot in their apartment. The husband died after being shot five times in the head. The wife, though not killed by a single gunshot to her head, was incoherent when she regained consciousness and claimed to remember nothing of what had happened."

"And then?" Feng Shan was captivated by the story, leaning forward slightly, curious about what Frank would say next.

Frank continued his story at a deliberate pace.

"After a thorough investigation, the police believed the only culprit was the deceased’s wife. All the signs at the scene, as well as some circumstantial evidence, pointed to her."

"However, no matter how hard the police tried, they couldn’t find any evidence to charge the wife with murder."

Here, Frank paused intentionally, as if to give Feng Shan a moment to digest this information while also setting the stage for the more shocking details to follow.

"What no one expected was that the one to finally expose the killer’s true identity was the family’s pet African Grey Parrot, Bud."

Upon hearing the name Bud.

Loki’s previously calm state was shattered in an instant. His reaction was suddenly extremely intense.

He started beating his wings furiously, which flapped with a WHOOSHING sound and created a small gust of wind.

At the same time, he shrieked at the top of his lungs, shouting loudly in different tones.

"Don’t f*cking shoot!"

"Glanna, no, don’t!"

"Get over here!"

...

"Loki, Loki, it’s okay, Papa’s here!" Seeing this, Feng Shan quickly reached out to stroke Loki’s feathers, trying to calm his agitation.

Frank shrugged and continued his story, but he avoided mentioning the name Bud again so as not to upset Loki further.

"Loki was a pet the deceased had raised for many years. After the tragic incident, he was temporarily taken in and cared for by the deceased’s ex-wife."

"After caring for him for some time, the ex-wife clearly sensed something was wrong with Loki."

"First, Loki seemed to be in a constant state of panic and fear, completely lacking his former docility and calmness. Second, he kept repeating the same few sentences, and the pitches were different, like a dialogue between a man and a woman."

"At first, the ex-wife thought Loki was just having trouble adjusting to his new surroundings. But then it suddenly occurred to her that Loki might have seen and experienced something."

"So, she started studying the things Loki was saying. The result was chilling—the words coming out of Loki’s mouth were the conversation between the husband and wife on the day of the shooting."

"The reason there were no witnesses to the crime was because the wife herself was the one who shot her husband."

"And Loki was the only living creature who witnessed the entire incident. The words he had learned were the victim’s desperate pleas before he died."

"The ex-wife promptly told the police, who then immediately filed murder charges against the wife, Glanna, with the court."

"As a lawyer, I had the privilege of serving on the jury." Frank’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression growing solemn as if he were reliving the experience.

"The case caused a huge stir back then and drew a lot of public attention."

"Whether a parrot’s words could have legal effect was a question our jury debated for a full eight hours. We ultimately concluded that a parrot’s innate ability to mimic human tones and timbres is a form of objective recording through animal mimicry, and thus could be classified as testimonial evidence."

"Under federal law, evidence only needs to be relevant to be admissible in court."

"The court found the wife, Glanna, guilty of premeditated murder."

"I just never thought that after all he’s been through, Loki would end up here with you."

Frank shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with emotion, as if this were all some wondrous coincidence arranged by fate.

"I adopted him from the rescue center," Feng Shan replied, stroking Loki’s feathers.

Loki had calmed down under his gentle touch.

His small body, which had been trembling violently with fear, was now slowly returning to normal, though he still gave an occasional twitch of his wings, and a hint of terror lingered in his small eyes.

Feng Shan continued, "I went to visit the rescue center this afternoon. I originally just wanted to see if any small animals needed help, but then I met Loki, and I felt a connection with him."

After he spoke, Feng Shan looked down at Loki, his eyes filling with pity and affection.

"Regardless, he’s a lucky bird," Frank nodded. "But you’d better watch his mouth. His former owner loved to swear, and it seems he’s picked up the bad habit."

’A bad habit is an understatement.’

’He’s a full-blown cuss-aholic.’

Feng Shan couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

’He’d been dealing with this infuriating habit of Loki’s ever since they left the rescue center.’

As time passed, the once-bustling restaurant began to empty as diners left one after another.

Yet, the waiter remained standing by the door the entire time.

"Let’s go. I drove, so I’ll take you back to your hotel." With a full stomach, Frank pulled out his wallet. "This one’s on me."

Then, he nonchalantly raised his hand to ask for the bill.

The waiter, getting the signal, immediately hurried over to Frank, bill in hand—a bill he had apparently been holding for quite some time.

Frank had been thinking that with just a hamburger for himself and a beer for Feng Shan, how much could it possibly cost?

A few dozen US Dollars at most.

But when Frank’s eyes casually fell upon the bill...

His eyes widened instantly, staring at the total in disbelief.

The bill clearly showed a total charge of 661 US Dollars: 551 US Dollars for the meal, and 110 US Dollars for a service fee.

"Listen, I’m a lawyer. Do you really think this kind of price gouging is appropriate?" Frank frowned, his tone thick with displeasure.

As a lawyer, there was nothing he despised more than swindling, cheating, and defrauding consumers. He never imagined he’d encounter it himself, especially not at a supposedly high-class restaurant in Anchorage.

Hearing Frank’s accusation, the waiter gave a slight bow, his face fixed with a professional smile, and responded in a calm and neutral tone.

"Sir, Smokehouse BBQ has a hundred-year history in Anchorage. We would never rip off our customers. The bill reflects our clearly listed prices."

Frank shook the bill in his hand.

The bill rustled from his shaking. His face was a mask of unhappiness; he might as well have had the word "displeased" carved right onto his forehead.

"Then please, enlighten me. One beef hamburger, one beer, one lemonade."

"Was the beef from Japan? Was the beer brewed with water from the Himalayas? Or were the lemons picked from the Queen of England’s personal garden? How could this little bit of stuff cost so much money?"

"My apologies." After offering another sincere apology, the waiter’s gaze shifted to the smiling Feng Shan.

"Your hamburger was only 20 US Dollars, and the lemonade was indeed complimentary. However, this gentleman..."

The waiter pointed at Feng Shan and continued.

"...ate a reindeer hot dog combo, a bacon beef sausage, an order of Texas BBQ ribs, an order of Texas BBQ brisket, and also drank a ’Gentleman’s Spirit.’"

"The Texas BBQ ribs and brisket are limited-availability items on our menu. The preparation is complex, and we use only the finest ingredients, so the cost is a bit higher."

’So, you’re telling me I wasn’t the only one eating?’

It finally dawned on Frank. He turned to look at Feng Shan, his expression flashing from surprise to a look of resigned, helpless exasperation.

’Well, this is just great.’

’I just wanted to be generous and treat him to a meal.’

’And it ended up costing me an arm and a leg.’

...