Hollywood Taxes: A Tycoon in TV Land

Chapter 19: A New Breakthrough

Imagine a place infused with talent and charm, where Penny's cheese factory, Toretto's café, the bankrupt sisters' restaurant, and a comic book store owned by a skilled artist all converge.

The last destination was Ron's target, but he only realized upon reaching the door that this comic book store was the very one Sheldon and his friends frequented.

No wonder he thought Stuart, upon seeing his name, seemed like a rather unremarkable individual; it turned out he really was.

"Hi, are you Stuart?"

"That's me. What can I do for you? You don't look like the usual nerds who come to our store," Stuart replied, appearing relatively normal and not yet neurotic like in the later seasons of *The Big Bang Theory*.

"This drawing is yours, right?" Ron pulled out a copy of the Heisenberg portrait he had received from Jack. "I want to know what the situation was like back then. Also, does the person in this drawing really look like you remember? I can't shake the feeling he resembles that bald professor from the X-Men—what do you call him?"

"Professor X."

The store was empty at the moment, and Stuart nervously rubbed his hands together. "Sir, before I answer your question, may I know your identity? If you happen to be one of his subordinates, I…"

"I'm with the IRS. Does that put your mind at ease? Don't worry, if you face any repercussions, you can always seek witness protection from the FBI, and we can provide some mental support," Ron flashed his ID in front of Stuart. "Also, I'm Sheldon's brother—the tall, skinny scientist who often visits your store, looking like a praying mantis in prayer."

Stuart suddenly understood. "I know him! He and Howard, Rajesh, and Leonard are my store's biggest customers."

Four nerdy scientists being the top spenders in Stuart's shop made Ron internally scoff at how dire the business must be.

Yet, there was another possibility: how much money had these unfortunate fellows, devoid of women, spent on comic books? While others might be unaware, Ron knew Sheldon had a whole box full at home.

This oddball even rented a safety deposit box at the bank specifically to store what he deemed precious comics. Just thinking about it made Ron wince, and all those comics had been sold to Sheldon by the very businessman standing in front of him.

Although Sheldon hardly cared about money, he actually earned the highest salary among the four.

"Before you answer my earlier question, I have another for you: have you been paying your taxes, my friend?" Ron's eyes gleamed with mischief.

If this "businessman," who had skimmed countless profits from his brother, dared to utter even a hint of noncompliance, Ron would ensure he recouped every penny Sheldon had spent in this store. However, the outcome was disappointing.

"Of course! Paying taxes is every citizen's obligation. Here are my tax records for this period; I can also provide the previous years if you'd like," Stuart retrieved the documents from under the counter.

"Alright, we can discuss that later. Let's talk about that day instead."

Stuart fell into thought. "I was at an art exhibition, as usual, when I noticed three peculiar individuals. You know, art shows often attract odd characters, but these guys stood out because they were unusually unattractive.

Then, a man in a trench coat and a bowler hat approached them, claiming to be Heisenberg—a Jewish name, so I guessed he might be Jewish too."

Ron quickly interjected, seizing the opportunity. "Heisenberg? That can't be his real name. How old did he appear?"

"About forty or fifty, looking like a public school teacher. I figured he might have kids. Also, he didn't seem well—he might have just had a fight with his wife or been ill."

Ron noted this down, realizing the age made the search scope much narrower. "Continue. What did they discuss?"

"Since they seemed menacing, I didn't eavesdrop much. I only caught snippets of the three odd-looking guys talking about how his employees had killed someone with an ATM, and they expressed admiration for Jewish people, among other things.

You know, as a law-abiding citizen, I was already scared when I heard them talking about killing someone with an ATM."

Ron's heart raced—an ATM-related murder? He had heard about this case on the radio recently; this could be the breakthrough he needed, especially with those three overlooked thugs by the FBI.

Since they knew Heisenberg and were aware of his employee's violent actions, they must also know about his other associates. Worst-case scenario, they could provide more intel about Heisenberg.

Ron even suspected that those thugs might be the street-level distributors for Heisenberg's operations.

Admittedly, "distributors" might be a stretch; those thugs were likely just petty crooks.

"Can you draw those thugs?" Ron pondered a plan.

Finding Heisenberg was one challenge, but surely he could track down those street thugs? The FBI's incompetence stemmed from their unfamiliarity with Toretto, who had connections in that world.

"Of course." With nothing better to do, Stuart grabbed three sheets of paper and completed the sketches in under twenty minutes. "That'll be five dollars each."

The price was reasonable, and Ron paid without hesitation. As he exited the store, he unexpectedly bumped into Caroline.

"OMG, Ron! What are you doing here?" Caroline exclaimed, surprised.

"I was just working a case nearby. How about you?" Although Ron had already suspected Caroline was in the area, he feigned surprise and waved the evidence in his hand.

"I found a new job at a restaurant around here, where I'm working as a waitress. Ron, have you eaten yet? How about I treat you to something as a thank-you for taking me in yesterday?"

"No, thanks. I just ate." In truth, he hadn't eaten, but he feared running into Max if they went back together. Ron wasn't terrified of the potential confrontation, but he knew having all three of them in one place might lead to awkwardness.

What could he possibly say to Max?

"Hey, I didn't have enough fun with you yesterday, so I snuck away in the middle of the night to find another girl. How do you like that?"

If that happened, he would probably miss any chance for future "training sessions" with Max, so he had to strategize.

"Really? I actually had some things I wanted to ask you for help with, Ron."