The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 7: Classified News

Five days later, in Salt Lake City.

Hawk, dressed in a gray suit and carrying a black briefcase, entered the "Jazz" internet café. He ordered a coffee and sat down at a computer to go online.

From his suit and leather shoes to his briefcase and phone, everything was cheap second-hand finds.

Compared to a few days ago, Hawk's previously bloated face had slimmed slightly, and his overall demeanor had changed dramatically.

He had transformed from a scruffy, overweight, and disheveled man into an average office worker entering the corporate world.

On the street, he was just another face in the crowd.

In the past few days, Hawk had traveled back and forth between various places, his sleep always shallow and easily disturbed by the slightest sound. The "curse" of dinosaur blood had become his original sin.

Unless he dealt with those bastards, peaceful sleep would remain out of reach.

This identity was squeaky clean, allowing him to successfully open a bank account.

Sipping his coffee, Hawk opened a browser, logged onto a blogging site, and created an account. He selected the entertainment and film category, preparing to publish his first post.

The persona he had built for "Hawk Osmond" was that of a media professional, specifically an entertainment and film blogger.

After the events of 9/11 last year, online blogs had gained significant traction for their immediacy in delivering news, heralding the rise of the new media industry. Some major entertainment bloggers had even become honored guests at film and television premieres and screenings.

Hawk downloaded several publicly licensed promotional photos from the Sundance Film Festival's official website.

He added a caption: "Embarking on my Sundance Film Festival journey—hope everything goes smoothly."

After posting the blog, Hawk opened Google again to search for information on four people, continuing to memorize and deepen his understanding.

Freddy had revealed four names: Robert Downey Jr., Bro Derek, Barack Bernan, and Buddy Ackman.

Buddy Ackman, a billionaire residing in Los Angeles, owned multiple companies, including Ackman Studios, Ackman Entertainment, and Ackman Investment. He was also the largest donor to several nonprofit organizations, including the Ackman Charity Foundation.

Robert Downey Jr., the future Iron Man, was now a famous Hollywood actor. Both he and his father were notorious for substance abuse.

Bro Derek, an executive and producer at Ackman Pictures, married Hollywood actress Sarah Parker a few years ago. She was the star of the hit TV show Sex and the City.

Barack Bernan, chairman of the Ackman Charity Foundation, was hailed as the "angel of California’s children" and had received the President's Volunteer Service Award.

These four Jewish individuals were all wealthy and influential elites.

Even if Hawk could successfully "sauté" them, killing such high-profile targets would ignite a nationwide storm. He’d face LAPD and FBI’s highest-level manhunts, becoming a rat scurrying through the gutters and reliving his past life's miserable fate.

To prepare the dish "stir-fried squid" properly, Hawk needed exceptional culinary skills and precise timing.

He checked the time, finished his coffee, cleared his browsing history, paid his bill with a tip, and left the internet café with his briefcase, heading to a nearby bus stop.

The bus station was bustling with people and chaotic chatter.

As Hawk walked and listened, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Amidst the crowd, a brown-haired man about his age was chatting with a pretty girl about the film festival and Park City.

The brown-haired man did most of the loud talking, while the girl listened with visible impatience.

After eavesdropping for a bit, Hawk discerned that the two were college classmates. The man, who was from Park City, bragged about his connections to the film festival's organizing committee, claiming he could get plenty of tickets to screenings. Enthusiastically, he invited his female classmate to join him at Sundance, but she flatly refused.

Just then, the bus arrived. The brown-haired man reluctantly gave up, slung his laptop bag over his shoulder, and headed for the front door.

Hawk calmly followed him with his briefcase. Once on board, he found a seat in the middle of the bus.

After the man settled into his seat, Hawk slowly walked over, gestured to the empty seat beside him, and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

The man replied, "No, feel free."

Hawk sat down, buckling his seatbelt.

Hawk was still thinking about how to start a conversation when the man next to him spoke first. “I’m Brandon Keane, from Park City. Your accent doesn’t sound local.”

Hawk replied with a calm smile, “Hawk Osmond, from Wyoming.”

Brandon found Hawk’s face friendly and gave him a quick once-over before asking, “Are you here for the Sundance Film Festival?”

“How did you know?” Hawk deliberately answered with a question to keep the conversation going.

Brandon chuckled heartily. “Park City’s a small place. This time of year, if you’re from out of town, you’re either here for skiing or the film festival.”

His gaze fell on Hawk’s suit and briefcase. “You don’t look like someone here to ski.”

Hawk extended his hand. “Media professional, and also an entertainment and film blogger. I’m hoping to find some opportunities at the Sundance Film Festival.”

Brandon eagerly shook his hand and exclaimed, “So you’re in the film industry!”

Clearly, this guy was the chatty type and didn’t need prompting to continue. “We’re practically colleagues! I joined Park City’s alpine community theater group in sixth grade and participated in performances ever since. I even considered majoring in acting in college, but I ended up choosing electrical engineering at the state university instead.”

Hawk followed up with, “Why did you give up acting?”

As the bus began to move, Brandon carried on without missing a beat. “Two reasons. First, our community was pretty average. The theater group was dirt poor, couldn’t afford professional-level teachers, and didn’t have a fixed performance venue. Most of the people there were lazy and just wanted to hang out and have fun.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Acting is my passion, but the career prospects are too uncertain. The market is highly polarized—you might still be paying off student loans by the time you retire. At least with electrical engineering, there’s a guaranteed baseline.”

Hawk nodded approvingly. “Makes sense.”

Brandon suddenly leaned in and lowered his voice. “Let me share a little secret. A friend from Los Angeles once told me that the areas around Hollywood are full of throat and proctology clinics.”

He winked at Hawk. “You get what I mean?”

“Got it, got it,” Hawk said with a knowing nod, pretending to be enlightened. He added deliberately, “When I get there, I’ll make sure to post about it on my blog.”

Brandon, pleased by the response, grew even more enthusiastic. He pulled his laptop bag from under his seat. “Why wait? Post it now—use my laptop.”

Seeing his enthusiasm, Hawk felt it would be impolite to refuse. “Alright, I’ll take you up on that.”

Brandon opened his laptop, connected it to a wireless card, and handed it over to Hawk. “Since you’re in the industry, do you have any juicy insider news?”

The internet speed was painfully slow. Hawk, considering his persona and the opportunity to bond, thought for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered as if sharing a major secret: “Winona Ryder is a kleptomaniac. She often shoplifts.”@@novelbin@@

“The Winona Ryder that Johnny Depp was head over heels for?” Brandon’s eyes widened in disbelief as Hawk nodded. “But she’s not short on money!”

Hawk explained, “It’s kleptomania—she can’t control it. It’s like an addiction.”

Brandon looked as if he’d had an epiphany. “You haven’t blogged about this?”

Hawk spread his hands. “I don’t have photos or videos to back it up. If I posted gossip like that publicly, I’d be sued into bankruptcy.” He emphasized, “This is explosive news I’m preparing. Keep it to yourself.”

Brandon mimed zipping his lips. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Brandon liked Hawk even more now.

Finally, the webpage loaded. Hawk logged into his blog account and uploaded a picture of the Hollywood sign, adding Brandon’s remark as the caption:

“There are a lot of throat and proctology clinics around Hollywood.”

After several minutes, the post finally went live.

Brandon pointed at the laptop screen. “Mind if I take a look?”

Hawk turned the laptop slightly toward him. “Go ahead.”

Brandon scanned the screen and saw only two posts. Scratching his head, he asked, “Just started?”

“I quit my job to escape being exploited by capitalists,” Hawk explained casually. “I’m here at Sundance to make some money and strike out on my own.”

Having shared a significant secret earlier, Brandon responded without hesitation, “I’m a local in Park City. I can be your guide.”