Hollywood Taxes: A Tycoon in TV Land

*Chapter 21: The Hitchhiker

Just a wall away from the high-security prison area where Ron was held, lay the ordinary dormitory section for violent offenders, featuring dilapidated, outdated single cells. One door bore the name of its occupant: Andy Dufresne.

However, the prison was eerily empty, save for posters of outdated female stars from the 1990s, smiling down with a sense of irony that seemed to mock the desolation around them.

Behind one of those posters, someone had managed to carve out a large hole through a fifteen-foot-thick concrete wall. Inside, a figure with plastic bags wrapped around his feet was desperately crawling through the gap—none other than the former inmate, Andy Dufresne.

He knew that the other side of this hole would lead to the world of freedom.

As thunder rumbled, a torrential downpour began. The sound of rain drowned out the noise of Andy's escape, and he finally crawled out through the hole, which opened into the drainage pipe of another prison building. He carefully made his way down the pipe.

But once he reached the ground, there were no more buildings to shield him from the view of the towering walls surrounding the flat expanse of land. The only exit was next to a guard tower that was manned 24/7.

Escaping through the main entrance was impossible. Fortunately, Andy had meticulously planned his breakout in advance; he never intended to leave through the front. He climbed onto the sewage pipe connecting the two buildings, raised a heavy rock above his head, and, seizing a moment when the sky lit up with a flash of lightning, he smashed the rock down.

"Thud!" "Boom!" The two sounds occurred almost simultaneously, the sharp crack of impact swallowed by the thunder.

With each persistent strike, the already fragile old drainage pipe finally shattered, creating a small hole just big enough for a person to pass through.

However, the foul stench of waste from the prison sewage rushed out of the hole, nearly overwhelming Andy. He hesitated for a moment before his yearning for freedom overcame his disgust. Gritting his teeth, he checked that the plastic bag containing his clean clothes was securely sealed and carefully dove in.

Andy crawled through the unbearable stench of the sewer, moving toward freedom for about five hundred meters. A few times the smell made him gag, forcing him to crawl through his own vomit, until he finally emerged from the sewer into a river aptly named Freedom.

Struggling through the water, he discarded his filthy prison uniform, arms wide open to embrace the rain, and let out a roar—a cry for freedom that had been suppressed for over twenty years: "Ah…"

Back in the high-security prison, Ron had successfully struck a deal with Mr. Channing, summoned the guards back, and after a brief farewell, he declined the warden's invitation to dinner. He planned to drive back to Los Angeles, ready to face Caroline or Max again.

The rain poured down heavily, faster than the windshield wipers could clear the windows, forcing Ron to slow down considerably. "Damn this weather! It was clear when I arrived. If I'd known it would turn like this, I would have stayed home and come back tomorrow. Who in their right mind would be out in this ridiculous weather?"

As Ron grumbled, he spotted a man standing under a bus stop sign, laughing maniacally as if he had lost his mind.

"Oh my God, is my mouth blessed today? Am I seeing things?" With the area deserted, Ron tentatively honked the horn, and the laughing man quickly stepped aside, his face a mix of shock and fear.

Dressed decently for a middle-aged man, Ron wondered why he was alone in such a remote area. Feeling the pull of his nurturing instincts cultivated by Mary, Ron rolled down the window and called out, "Hey there, friend! What are you doing out in the rain all alone? Need a ride?"

"Of course! Thank you, my friend," Andy replied, his demeanor calm as he opened the door and got in. He had already taken a refreshing rain shower outside and was now wearing a stolen prison warden's outfit, though it too had gotten soaked.

"I'm heading back to Los Angeles. Where are you off to?" Ron asked, finally taking a good look at his hitchhiker.

As mentioned before, Andy was indeed a middle-aged man with graying hair and a slightly haggard appearance. The fabric of his clothes seemed exquisite; based on the label, it appeared to be a custom suit from the same tailor as Ron's. However, the sleeves were noticeably too short, as if he were wearing someone else's clothing—a peculiarity that struck Ron as odd.

He knew that tailor only made bespoke suits and had never sold off-the-rack clothing.

Moreover, Andy's face bore an uncanny familiarity, as if Ron had seen him somewhere, though he couldn't quite place it. This sparked Ron's curiosity as an agent.

"What a coincidence that we're headed the same way! Thank you so much," Andy feigned surprise.

"Really? That's quite the coincidence! You don't seem like someone who can't afford a car. Why are you out in the rain?" Ron casually probed.

"Ah…" Andy sighed softly, quickly devising a new story in his mind.

"You see, there's a prison not far from here. I was supposed to visit my brother, who's serving time for armed robbery and murder, with my wife. But on the way back, we had a huge fight, and that woman, being a real piece of work, left me stranded and drove off by herself.

So here I am, trying to walk back in the rain. Thankfully, I found you, my friend. What's your name?"

"I'm Ron Lee Cooper, an IRS agent." Ron sniffed the air lightly. "Hey, why do you smell like a sewer? Was that your wife's doing?"

Andy shrugged calmly. "Yeah, when she drove off, I didn't see it coming and ended up in a ditch that connects to the prison sewer. So, you know how that goes."

While Andy's answer was flawless, Ron's suspicion only grew stronger. He swore he had seen this middle-aged man before, and it was not in a face-to-face context.

Could it have been on TV? Perhaps he was some kind of minor celebrity? Ron thought randomly. But then a light bulb went off in his head as he took another deep look at Andy, finally confirming that he had indeed seen him on TV!

Not in the context of celebrity news, but from a movie in a previous life and a news report in this life: the banker Andy Dufresne's murder trial.

Shawshank Prison, on a stormy day, a well-dressed man reeking of sewer—Ron slapped his forehead. He should have realized it sooner; this was Andy from *The Shawshank Redemption*!

Feeling the intensity of Ron's gaze, Andy felt a chill run down his spine, a sudden urge to bolt from the car rising within him. In fact, the moment Ron mentioned he was an agent, Andy had almost made a break for it but managed to suppress that impulse.

This guy can't be out to find me, right? The guard shift change is tomorrow morning at seven; there's no way I could have been discovered this quickly.

"Ron, right? I'm Andy. Nice to meet you," he said, forcing himself to appear composed, even as his heart raced. "If it's not too much trouble, could you drop me off at a motel in the next town? Maybe heading home to that woman isn't the best idea right now."

"I've never been married, so I'm not too familiar with marital issues, but my mom always taught me that nothing can't be resolved with sincere communication among family. Maybe you two need to talk it out, right?

Where do you live? I could drive you home."

Ron wore a playful smile, thinking to himself, "Oh, you're trying to play me? I want to see how long you can keep this up. I don't believe you'll actually give me an address."

"No, no, I think I'll just stay out for the night. My family situation is complicated and not something I can explain in a few words," Andy replied, putting on a performance of a middle-aged man suffering from emotional turmoil due to his wife's coldness.

Ron couldn't help but genuinely exclaim, "Seriously, the Oscars owe you a little golden statue! My buddy Forrest's acting skills are nothing compared to yours."

"The Oscars?" Andy's mind raced. Did he mistake me for some star? From the sounds of it, his friend was also an actor. Andy decided to play along and extract more information from Ron to enrich his backstory.

"Since you figured it out, I won't hide it anymore. Yes, I'm that Andy. However, I haven't decided what to do about the divorce yet, and I'd prefer no gossip about it today, so I hope you can keep this under wraps.

My acting skills still need some work; the Oscars might be a bit premature, but it's definitely my lifelong goal. Which of my movies made you a fan?"

Andy seamlessly switched from a down-and-out middle-aged man to a celebrity trying to maintain his privacy. If he weren't driving, Ron would have applauded him.

Ron smiled slightly. "Of course, it's your movie *The Shawshank Redemption*."

Upon hearing the name Shawshank, Andy felt a jolt of panic. But Ron wasn't done; he continued, "Do you remember that film? It's about a banker whose wife cheated on him, and after he kills her, he's sentenced to life in prison. Using his financial skills, he earns the trust of everyone in prison and ultimately finds a way to escape."

PS: I had a bad meal and have been stuck on the toilet all afternoon, so I'm taking it easy today. I've spent a long time coming up with this scene, and I hope you enjoy it. If you do, a quick vote would be appreciated. Thank you!