Chapter 427 Professional Scammers
The tire blew out, and the car started skidding like crazy.
Harper freaked out for a sec, but then she remembered when she was getting her driver's license, Francis had drilled it into her head not to lose her cool if a tire ever blew. He'd said the worst thing she could do was slam on the brakes 'cause that could flip the car. On the contrary, gripping the wheel tight and gently tapping the brake would bring the car to a stop.
Harper ran through Francis's steps in her head, and in about three minutes, she had the car stopped. Even then, she was still shaking.
Her car had run-flat tires, so it shouldn't have blown out for no reason. After calming down a bit, Harper got out to check.
The manhole cover on the road she had just driven over was sticking up, and there were some nasty iron nails nearby! It looked like someone had set it up on purpose. Who would do that?
Good thing she wasn't a newbie on the road. Otherwise, she might've flipped the car.
Just then, a woman in her sixties, Lila Hughes, came running over. "Oh my, what happened? Did your tire blow out?"
Harper nodded.
Lila immediately said, "What a coincidence! My son’s been fixing cars for over ten years. How about I have him come and change your tire?"
Harper thought Lila was a bit too eager and shook her head, saying, "No, thank you."
She planned to call her driver to come and fix it and bring a replacement car, though that would take up some time.
Lila kept yammering, trying to get Harper to accept her overly friendly help. Harper shook her head and stepped aside to make a phone call. After finishing the call, she turned around to find her car already jacked up. A man in his thirties, Corey Fisher, who was covered in grime, was changing the tire.
Harper stepped forward and said sternly, "What are you doing?"
Lila smiled and said, "Ma'am, don't worry. We're just changing the tire for you."
Harper frowned and said, "Without my permission?"
Lila laughed, "Ma'am, come on. How would I do it without your permission?"
Harper was frustrated; she had clearly and firmly refused.
Corey had the tire changed in no time. Lila hurriedly said, "All done, ma'am. This is a good car, so we put on a good tire for you. Normally, it costs over ten grand, but I'll charge you nine grand."
Harper glanced at the tire; it was junk and probably not worth even a hundred bucks, yet they were asking for nine grand. This was clearly a scam!
She said, "Sorry, I don't need it. Please take your stuff off."
Lila's expression changed immediately, and she snorted, "Ma'am, it's already installed. If we take it off, it becomes second-hand. Who would want it then?"
"I didn't ask for it in the first place; you took it upon yourself to change it," Harper said.
Lila wouldn't back down and said, "Ma'am, you're so pretty with such a nice car. Surely you aren't short of money for a tire. How about I give you a discount, eight grand?"
Lila had a pretty good scam going. The tire cost her eighty bucks, very poor quality, and it wouldn't last long. But they were always on the move, so when it blew out, no one would be able to find them.
Lila continued, "This is actually a generous price. Just accept it. The tire is already on your car. Even if you call the cops, you'll still have to pay. Right? It's better to avoid trouble. Look at my son; he's worked hard for you."
As she spoke, she pulled her son Corey in front of Harper.
Corey was an imposing figure—bulky and strong, towering over the petite Harper like a human barricade
Lila clapped her hands over her mouth and whispered, "My son’s a bit slow. You don’t wanna mess with him. I see you’re in a hurry. Just pay up."
It sounded like advice, but it was full of threats and intimidation.
Harper said coldly, "What if I don’t?"
Lila’s smile vanished, and she said harshly, "In that case, I can’t control my son."
Corey, catching the hint, stepped forward menacingly. He looked at her, drooling, and stammered, "Pretty."
Corey reached out, trying to grope her. Harper quickly stepped back to dodge his hands but accidentally dropped her phone, which Corey immediately snatched up.
Lila quickly climbed into the car and grabbed the keys, saying aggressively, "If you don’t pay, you’re not leaving today."
Corey kept drooling, calling out, "Pretty. Pretty."
Harper walked up to Lila and reached out, trying to get the keys back. But before she could touch Lila, Lila lay down in front of the car, rolling and shouting, "Help! She’s beating me. She wants to kill me."
This whole routine was smooth and practiced. Harper realized these two were definitely professional scammers.
Looking around, she saw they were in a remote place, with no surveillance cameras in sight. They picked the perfect spot.
Harper said calmly, "Ma’am, I don’t have any money on me, and my card is frozen. I need to ask my friend for money with my phone."
Lila said skeptically, "You’re not lying to me, are you?"
"Don’t be fooled by my fancy car; the registration isn’t even in my name. I borrowed it. I like to pretend to be rich, and I’m also afraid of the owner finding out I blew the tire. Your timing is perfect," Harper spoke with a sincere expression.
Lila said, "Oh, my leg hurts so much from the fall. Just paying for the tire won’t be enough."
Harper asked, "How much do you want then?"
Lila’s eyes flashed as she said, "At least twenty grand for medical expenses."
With the other eight grand for the tire, she was really asking for a lot.
Harper thought for a moment. 'Scammers are suspicious by nature, so I can't agree too readily.'
Harper sincerely said, "I really don’t have that much money. It didn’t sound realistic either for meto borrow that much from my friends. Name a reasonable price, please."
Lila saw that Harper knew how to haggle and didn’t seem to be scheming, so she said, "Alright, eighteen grand. That’s it."
Harper asked, "How about fifteen grand?"
Lila saw Harper seriously negotiating with her and let her guard down. So she nodded and said, "Alright. Alright."
She then took out her phone and handed it to Harper.
Harper dialed a number and then said, "Ms. Scott, can you bring me some cash?"
Lila listened as she gave the address and location.
After hanging up, Harper reassured Lila, "Don’t worry. My friend is nearby. She’ll be here in twenty minutes at most."
Lila was over the moon.
While waiting, Corey kept staring at Harper, drooling, which freaked Harper out.
Harper calculated the time and then suddenly slapped her forehead as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, I forgot! I have three grand in cash in the car. Wait a moment. I’ll get it for you."
Lila was delighted to hear the word "cash" and said, "Alright, go get it."
She handed the car keys back to Harper.
Harper calmly opened the car door. Lila followed her, watching as Harper rummaged through the glove compartment. Suddenly, Harper closed the door and locked it.
Lila’s face changed immediately, and she tried to pull the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. Outside the car, she was cursing and swearing at Harper.
The car had good soundproofing, so Harper could only tell what she was saying by her lip movements. Corey picked up a stone and smashed it against the car.
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