The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 139 The devil is in the world

At the Ater Mountain Shooting Range, Mexicans came out of the gun store and came to the rest area.

There was a Latin-looking woman reading an old Los Angeles Times. The newspaper reported on the LAPD's award ceremony this year. One of the large photos was of Erica Ferguson wearing a hero medal.

Mexican Ayala took one look and said, "A 23-year-old female police chief, that's ridiculous."

The Latin woman said, "This was bought with goods worth tens of millions of dollars and the blood of dozens of our brothers."

Ayala said, "Camilla, the man just now rarely appears in public, but Erica Ferguson is a star police officer, and almost everyone here knows her. According to insider information, the man on the yacht is Erica's boyfriend. They are very famous at the shooting range. I specifically asked about it, and he is the right person."

Camilla tore off Erica's picture and put it away, and warned: "These two people are not ordinary people. One of them is a ruthless LAPD. Don't be careless and don't monitor them. We will use this place as a bridgehead and look for opportunities."

Ayala reminded: "You can't do it here. Many coaches also serve as shooting coaches for the Western Police Department. PDs come here to practice shooting every day..."

Although Camilla hated it, she was not confused: "You are a good shot, try to get to know them and determine their movements. We will find a suitable place and opportunity to kill them with one shot!"

Ayala and Camila pretended to be a couple and became members here by spending a large amount of money and asking for introductions from others.

Camilla left alone, got into a Ferrari, took out the clippings of Erica, and burned them to ashes with a lighter.

After a hideout of the Mule Gang to which she belonged was breached in Venice, several managers sent there were arrested. With the generous treatment of the LAPD, they confessed the other two locations.

Camilla's biological brother was shot dead by Erica Ferguson when LAPD was trying to arrest him.

According to the information passed back by the insider and the rumors within the LAPD, Erica never leaves anyone alive whenever she shoots.

Camilla thought about this and thought it was a coincidence that she never left anyone alive under her gun.

…………

Century City, Beverly Business Club.

Hawke met Josh Hartnett and his agent Will in the reception room.

Josh was full of energy, as if he had returned to the Pearl Harbor era, and said, "My new film is in post-production and is expected to be released in February. You must attend the premiere then."

Hawke asked, "The Punisher, based on our story?"

"Yes, it's the one I mentioned last time." Josh thought he had risen from the ashes: "I think it's very well made and has the potential to be a big hit, especially since it's based on the selfie scandal."

Will interjected: "It has its own heat and is full of gimmicks."

"I wish you success." Hawke said something nice and asked directly, "You said there is a new business? It's related to this movie."

Josh didn't say anything, but turned to look at Will.

Will said: "The director of The Punisher encountered some public opinion troubles, which might affect his own reputation and also drag down the movie. Josh and I recommended you to him. You are the best at dealing with these troubles."

What Hawke is least afraid of is getting into trouble. Even when others are not in trouble, he is still eager to help others create trouble.

He asked directly: "Let me take a look at the information first and understand the specific situation."

Necessary background checks are essential.

Will opened his briefcase, took out a document and handed it to Hawke: "Sterling is a senior director who has worked with Robert Redford for a long time and founded the Sundance Film Festival together."

Hawke had been involved in the Sundance Film Festival and had gotten to know the festival's founder, Robert Redford.

Redford started his career as an actor, starring in "The Great Gatsby" and "All the President's Men", an adaptation of the Watergate scandal. Later, he became a screenwriter, director and producer, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.

Hawke saw the director's name on the profile: Sterling Van Wageren.

He thought of the Hollywood Life he had watched today and asked, "Because of the incident where he molested a minor?"

Josh continued, “Have you read the relevant reports?”

Hawke nodded slightly, said nothing more, closed the file and returned it to Will.

The latter then said: "Wagren is an excellent director. He has a wide range of friends in Hollywood, a good reputation and is respected..."

"None of this matters," Hawke interrupted, standing up and walking towards the door.

Josh said hastily: "I asked Sterling, he said he didn't do anything, those people just wanted to extort a large sum of money."

Although Hawke never thought of being a messenger of justice, and even used the selfie scandal to whitewash Josh Hartnett and Alison Faith, there are some things that even a person with a low bottom line like him would not bother to do.

Even the old beggar Frank looked down on those guys who played with the hairless black hole.

As for doing nothing? This is Hollywood.

Hawke said politely: "I have something else to do, so I have to leave first."

Will knew that Hawke was the kind of person who could really turn the situation around, so he decided to use the most straightforward approach and said directly: "Sterling is willing to pay $100 million for this, and $120 million is not out of the question."

Hawke walked towards the door without looking back.

Will raised his voice: "150 million dollars, I can decide for Sterling."

Hawke turned around and said, "None of this matters."

He opened the door and gestured for invitation: "You two, it's time for you to go."

Josh wanted to say something, but Will could see that the other party didn't want to respond at all, so he grabbed Josh's arm and shook his head.

The two of them left the reception room together.

Hawke closed the door, took out the recorder from his pocket and pressed the stop button.

He turned on the computer in the reception room and checked the Internet, but found that there was almost no news about Wagner's assault except for Hollywood Life and a few forum-type websites.

Unfortunately it wasn't the weekend, the News of the World wasn't published, and the Sun didn't pay much attention to Hollywood.

The latter is extremely reliable when it comes to gossip and scandal.

Hawke turned off his computer, there was not much coverage in the media, and Will came to him at a high price. In fact, it is not difficult to guess that the story is most likely true.

There was little media coverage of the incident, and it was obviously suppressed.

There are countless scandals that have been suppressed in Hollywood.

But he thought again and felt that this matter did not seem simple and there might be something behind it that he did not understand.

The sexual assault of child stars in Hollywood has a long history, and victims often keep their mouths shut for the sake of their future and money, and will not speak out even when questioned.

A lot of the leaked information was disclosed by child stars after they became adults and changed their career paths.

For those who have become successful in Hollywood as adults and continue to make a living in the film and television industry, it is said that this has never happened, or they sensed the risks and ran away early.

Hawke didn't care about that and took his bag and went back.

In the parking lot outside the clubhouse.

Josh got in the car, looked at Will in the driver's seat, and asked, "Is Hawke crazy? He refused $150 million."

He spread his hands and said, "Isn't this kind of thing very normal in Hollywood?"

Will was also a little surprised: "In the last cooperation, he was the kind of person who was blinded by money."

"You want to take over Wagner's directing business, what should you do next?" Josh asked.

Will said, "Not Hawke and West Coast Studios, but other people and other companies." He paused for a moment and said, "Let's go to Full Speed ​​​​PR and talk to Rooney Chasen."

Josh fastened his seat belt: "This is the only way."

…………

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.

Many people came to the huge luxurious manor for the Christmas party.

After dinner, Erica and Brian were called to the study.

There were six people sitting in the study. Erica greeted them one by one and went straight to sit next to Grandma Barbara.

Her father, Carter Ferguson, and her mother, Mary, were across the street.

Brian also wanted to say hello, but before he opened his mouth, his father Gordon Ferguson scolded him: "Do it faster, don't drag your feet."

Carter patted Brian on the back to comfort him, and Brian sat down obediently.

The oldest, Paul Ferguson, looked at Brian and asked, "How's that thing you promoted going?"

"I persuaded three child stars and their parents, and Hollywood Life and two other media outlets did the report." Brian is not as dishonest as he appears: "But the Hollywood circle is heavily biased towards blue, and so are the related entertainment media circles. The report did not cause much stir."

Erica was surprised. Why would grandpa care about these things and even call her over?

Father Carter shook his head at her, signaling her not to interrupt.

Paul glanced at Erica and said, "You have now been promoted to sheriff. Your growth rate has far exceeded my wildest expectations. Compared to your peers who only know how to take dividends, you are already at a critical juncture in your life. There are some things you should know."

Gordon Ferguson took over the conversation: "We are preparing to launch a recall plan against Governor Davis. What Brian did is just a small step to open a gap at the outermost edge, and it is also a test."

He couldn't help but shake his head: "It's just so-so."

Even in America, in the eyes of a father, a son should be more outstanding.

Brian could only remain silent.

Paul's face was kinder, but his words were just as strict: "Since you have decided to go into politics, you must prove that you have the ability to do so."

Brian said, "I will." He glanced at Erica secretly, "I decided to invite a friend to be my partner."

Erica responded quickly: "You want to invite Hawke?"

“He’s the best at handling this kind of thing of anybody I know,” Brian said.

Barbara held her granddaughter's hand. "Is that the Hawke Osment you always told me about?"

Erica nodded slightly: "Yes."

Gordon asked, "Who is he?"

"Erica's boyfriend, from Jeffrey City, Wyoming." Carter said simply, "A young man who is good at handling public relations crises."

Paul said slowly: "Don't worry about where he comes from. Look at what he has done, where he stands, and how strong his ability is."

Brian understood and said, "I'll extend the invitation."

Paul waved his hand: "I'm tired, let's go."

Erica looked at her grandmother and Barbara clapped her hands.

She immediately stood up and followed her parents out of the study.

Mary fell behind and waited for her daughter to catch up. She said softly, "We don't object to your relationship. Before I met your father, I was just a beauty pageant champion in a small town. But everyone makes their own choices. Honey, you can't interfere with his choice."

Erica let go of the phone in her pocket: "Mom, I understand."

On the other hand, although Gordon was quite dissatisfied with his useless son, he still called him over and gave him a lecture: "You are only one of the four most peripheral plans. This is not only to find gaps, but also to test your younger generation. In a place like California, we will not waste limited resources on a useless person."

Brian kept nodding his head. No matter what I said, he listened obediently.

In this plan, with his qualifications and age, he can only serve as a soldier charging into battle on the periphery for the time being. As for higher-level matters, that is what his father's generation did.

Brian found a quiet place and dialed Hawke's number. Hearing the man on the other end groggy as if asleep, he raised his voice and said, "Asshole, come out and have some fun!"

Hawke had just fallen asleep when he was woken up by a phone call. He asked unhappily, "Are you celebrating that you have AIDS?"

Brian solemnly reminded: "We agreed not to mention this."

"Okay, my bad." Hawke asked, "You're calling so late, what's the matter?"

Brian said, "Come out, we have something serious to discuss."

Hawke was surprised: "Are you guys having a family gathering? Are you done?"

Brian said, "Hey, man, you're such a nag."

"You have to let me vent my morning grumpiness, right?" Hawke asked for an address, washed up, changed his clothes, and drove out.

Ten minutes later, Hawke arrived in Beverly Hills, found the single-family villa that Brian mentioned, and quickly drove inside.

The light was on at the door of the villa, and Brian was standing there.

Hawke got out of the car and asked, "How many beauties are prepared?"

Brian was serious: "It's a very troublesome case."

The two entered the villa together and sat on the sofa.

Brian took a file bag and handed it to Hawke: "Take a look?"

"You have received high legal fees for all the cases I asked you to help with." Hawke specifically reminded: "I believe you will not get it for free."

Brian's face straightened: "Am I a freeloader?"

Hawke took out the document from the file bag, glanced at it quickly, and couldn't help but frowned slightly.

"What's wrong? Is it difficult?" Brian asked.

Hawke shook his head: "I don't know if it's difficult or not, but it's strange that the same case was approached by two groups of people within one day."

This time it was Brian's turn to be surprised: "Someone else approached you? Did you accept it?"

"No." Hawke didn't read on, but made it clear first: "If you were Van Wageren's lawyer, I wouldn't read on. Two people asked me to help him clear his name this afternoon, and I refused."

Brian said, "I am the attorney for the victim." He couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect you to have a sense of justice."

Hawke didn't respond, but asked, "Why do you take cases like this? Money? Or a sense of justice?"

"There's no need to talk about something as luxurious as a sense of justice." Brian said, "The money depends on whether you can win. For cases like this, the bulk of the money is taken from commissions. There are confidentiality clauses involved in the law firm, so I can't tell you the exact amount, but I can guarantee one thing: the West Coast studio will earn more than $100 million."

Hawke picked up the document and continued to look through it, saying as he read, "There may be other purposes as well."

Brian knew he couldn't hide it from him: "Open a gap, affect certain people, and force them to make concessions."

Hawke understood immediately: "Dude, you're trying to drag me down with you."

"You chose Erica yourself." Brian said directly: "I didn't drag you into this, it was your own choice."

Hawke knew very well that this day would come sooner or later, so he stopped talking for the time being and concentrated on reading the information that Brian brought.

There were three victims, all underage girls. The oldest was Rachel, who described being molested and assaulted by Van Wageren, one of the producers, while filming "Secret Angel" and "Simone."

The other one is called Judy, who is younger than Rachel and currently only appears in commercials and children's music videos. Van Wageren tempted her with movie roles and trained her individually for acting...

There is another one named Amanda, whose situation is similar to Judy.

Hawke read it once and said, "I was curious this afternoon about why these young actors and their parents dared to come forward. It turns out you were behind the scenes."

Brian said: "I mentioned this to you when Erica was awarded the medal, but I was just starting to lobby, and I wasn't sure if I could convince them to come forward. In fact, there are more victims, but only they are willing to come forward."

Hawke put it bluntly: "Hollywood is full of victims."

"As you said, we may have a sense of justice, but not much." Brian said directly: "My goal is very clear, targeting Van Wageren."

Hawke thought for a moment and said, "I've seen a zombie movie and I remember a line in it - Hell is empty and the devil is on earth."

Brian held out his hand: "How about we work together and become demon hunters?"

Hawke thought about the long-term goal, reached out and shook Brian's hand, and said, "120 million dollars, and you have to tell me the real goal."

"This matter involves the governor level. I am not qualified now. I am not sure what the big guys above me will do specifically." Brian said directly: "Remember what I mentioned to you last time? Governor Davis has messed up California's finances. Some people want to recall him and push Arnold to the position."

Hawke immediately thought of the action star who married a Kennedy woman and said, "Schwarzenegger?"

Brian nodded. "We are going to push him to the position, but it is not easy to remove a governor. People and companies in Hollywood have always leaned to the left. We have heard that one of Davis's trusted subordinates has a close personal relationship with Van Wagren."

Hawke asked, "Want to open a breakthrough from here?"

"It's not just here." Brian said simply, "In fact, there are several groups of people looking for a breakthrough in different places."

(Today I send you 10,000 words! The fever has subsided a little, and my throat doesn't hurt anymore. The author promises to update 10,000 words every day this month, and I will try my best to do it! It's the end of the month, please vote for me!)
(End of this chapter)