The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 23: Unconventional Methods

At the front desk, Robert Downey Jr. was waiting to check in.

Meanwhile, Hawk found a seat in the lounge area, settling at a small round table.

As usual, his mind immediately went to strategizing, scanning his surroundings for potential opportunities.

Across from him sat a woman with immaculate makeup, a stunning figure, and a tight-fitting short dress. She mistook Hawk, with his polished appearance, for a traveling business professional. Raising an eyebrow at him, she slid her hand over her smooth, stocking-clad leg, brushing past her knee before curling a finger in invitation.

Hawk noticed everything clearly: she was almost certainly a high-end escort.

The setting of the venue already placed her several tiers above streetwalkers. Her handler was likely in cahoots with the hotel management.

An idea formed in Hawk’s mind. He beckoned to the escort.

The short-dressed woman immediately stood up and approached, taking the seat across from him with a professional smile. “Good evening, handsome. I’m Jacqueline. Yes, like that Jacqueline—the one with a hole in her husband’s head. Same charm, though. Are you alone tonight? Need some company?”

Jacqueline flashed a toothy grin. “What, one night isn’t enough? Want to keep in touch? In my line of work, we can’t just hand out our numbers...”

Before she could finish, her words trailed off. Hawk had placed a $20 bill on the table.

Jacqueline’s mouth outran her caution as she rattled off her number and reached for the money.

Hawk dialed, and her phone buzzed.

Jacqueline ended the call and said, “So eager? Should we go upstairs now?”

Over at the front desk, Downey had begun checking in.

Hawk took out another $50, placing it on the table, and gestured discreetly towards the front desk. In a lowered voice, he said, “See the guy in the gray sweatshirt and baseball cap? Once he finishes checking in, follow him upstairs. Find out what room he’s staying in and call me.”

Jacqueline hesitated. Working in her profession came with risks, and she was cautious. “What...what are you planning? I’m not doing anything illegal.”

Hawk resisted the urge to roll his eyes and cut the chatter, handing her a business card. “I’m a freelance journalist.”

In Los Angeles, that required little explanation. Jacqueline nodded. “Got it. He’s a celebrity.”

With Downey nearly done at the front desk, Hawk didn’t have much time. “I’ll give you another $50 when the job’s done,” he added. “Just follow them into the elevator, act like you’re staying on the same floor, and trail them from behind. That’s all.”

Jacqueline picked up the $50 and glanced toward the front desk. “I’ll do it.”

Hawk reminded her, “Don’t stare directly at them. Isn’t acting a big part of your job? Use your skills to pull this off smoothly.”

He noticed Downey heading toward the elevators and said, “Go now.”

Jacqueline grabbed her purse and walked to the elevator area.

Downey entered the elevator, glancing back toward the entrance.

Sarah Parker approached leisurely and stood behind him, maintaining an air of unfamiliarity.

Three other people entered the elevator, one of them being Jacqueline.

Despite her slight nervousness, Jacqueline’s experience in her line of work made feigned nonchalance an easy performance.

The elevator doors closed, and Downey pressed the button for the fourth floor.

The others followed suit, pressing their respective floor buttons. Jacqueline initially reached out to press one but pulled back after noticing the fourth floor was already selected.

Two others chose the fifth floor.

Jacqueline stood near the front, and the elevator soon arrived at the fourth floor.

As the doors opened, Jacqueline exited first but feigned a stumble, grabbing the elevator wall as if her high heel had twisted.

Downey walked past her without stopping, followed by Sarah Parker. Both barely glanced at Jacqueline as they exited the elevator area.

Jacqueline waited momentarily until she heard the clicking of Sarah’s heels come to a halt. She stepped out of the elevator in time to see them entering a room.

She noted the room number, turned, and entered the stairwell. Pulling out her phone, she called Hawk. “They’re on the fourth floor, room 407.”

“I got it. Come back down,” Hawk replied.

Jacqueline reminded him, “Don’t forget the extra $50 you promised.”

“Wait for me in the lobby. I’ll bring it to you shortly,” Hawk said, hanging up. He then studied the hotel layout diagram, confirming room 407’s position.

The bedroom window faced the front of the hotel.

Leaving the lobby, Hawk crossed the narrow street to a spot opposite the hotel. He glanced up and saw that the lights in room 407 were already on.

A man and a woman alone, meeting in a low-profile hotel—it was obvious what they were up to.

Hawk remembered that Sarah Parker hadn’t divorced Bro Derek, and Downey had a wife and kids.

Being the compassionate man he was, Hawk felt it necessary to notify Sarah’s husband and Downey’s wife.

Turning back, Hawk noticed an old four-story office building across the street. He returned to his car, parked in a discreet alley, changed back into his casual clothes, and grabbed his equipment bag.

American-style office buildings like this often had external fire escapes.

After scouting the area, Hawk found a spot where the wall’s angles and drainage pipe bolts provided sufficient grip. With a few nimble movements, he scaled the side to the second-floor landing, grabbed the iron railing, and climbed up to the fire escape. He soon reached the rooftop.

Hawk set up his camera on a tripod, attaching a long-focus lens aimed at room 407’s window. He managed to capture a side profile of Downey before a woman’s hand appeared and pulled the curtains shut.

Without a clear line of sight, Hawk muttered a curse under his breath. Giving up wasn’t an option.

“Dirty cheaters,” he grumbled, determined to find another way. This was, after all, the first job for West Coast Media & Entertainment Studio.

Scaling the hotel itself was out of the question. With pedestrians and traffic on the street, it was too risky.

As for Jacqueline? Her usefulness was limited; Hawk couldn’t rely too much on someone like her.

In moments like these, Das Kapital came to life through Hawk’s actions: when the profit is great enough, a way will always be found.

Even if the method was unconventional, as long as it worked, it didn’t matter.

Reaching into his coat pocket, Hawk pulled out a business card and a flyer from a convenience store he had visited earlier. The flyer had the store’s contact information.

The store was less than a five-minute drive from Victory Boulevard.

Hawk dialed the number and said quickly, “This is the freelance journalist who visited earlier today. I need to buy some items. Can you deliver them immediately?”

On the other end, a woman’s lazy voice replied, “It’s too late. We don’t do deliveries at this hour.”

Hawk responded crisply, “I’ll double the price, including delivery.”@@novelbin@@

The woman’s tone shifted instantly. “Of course, sir. Let me know what you need, and I’ll make sure it gets to you as fast as possible.”