The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 220: Recording]

As the sun leaned toward the west, Pat Kingsley stepped out of her apartment building, and Father Michael Baker approached with a smile.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Kingsley stretched, "I haven't had such a good rest in a long time." She glanced at Baker. "This Mila -- give me some alone time with him. Don't let anyone else near."

Baker assured her, "Don't worry. During this time, he'll live independently at school, focusing on his health."

Kingsley seemed quite satisfied with that. "I'm off then."

Baker accompanied her as they walked outside.

...

Not far away, Campos carried a briefcase, positioning himself so that one side faced Baker and Kingsley. He'd been observing for a long time and noted how strictly the church managed St. Beatrice's Welfare School. They had personnel patrolling many areas, so installing hidden cameras for surveillance was incredibly difficult. He had to make do with whatever he could capture.

Though the influence of the church was not as fearsome as it was in medieval times, it still retained a formidable presence in modern society. Campos was cautious, not wanting to stir up trouble he couldn't handle.

After Kingsley and Father Baker parted ways, Campos hurried over, taking advantage of someone asking Kingsley for directions to the restroom. He passed by her and discreetly removed the bug from her handbag and left the welfare school area without looking back.

Once out of St. Beatrice's Church, he pulled out his phone and made a call before heading to the parking lot where Carlos's car awaited.

Garcia was already back. Carlos handed over a headset. "Boss, you should hear this."

Campos took it and put it on, listening for a while. Even after seeing plenty of darkness, he still found that old woman to be twisted.

Garcia then said, "Kingsley has gotten into the car. Fiona, Betty, and the Savior are following her in separate cars. She's on her way home."

Campos set down the headset and ordered, "Same as before -- make several copies of the recording and take two of them to Twitter and sell them."

He handed over a modified camera bag. "There are some videos I shot inside; make several copies of those to send as well."

Carlos began to get busy.

Once the copies were done, they tested them out. On the other side, Fiona called, letting him know that Kingsley had gone directly home. Campos instructed to keep someone on her tail and hung up, telling Carlos to head to Twitter.

...

Less than an hour later, the related audio copies were on Hawke's desk.

Hawke opened the audio file and listened carefully before watching some of the footage Campos had secretly recorded. The stories involving the Catholic Church and little boys had circulated for centuries. In Los Angeles alone, since the '80s, there had been numerous related scandals, but the church had largely managed to suppress them.

After shutting off the video and audio, Hawke picked up his phone and dialed Frank's number. Once connected, he said directly, "Thanks, your intel is solid."

Frank retorted, "Don't forget, I'm the guy who stood atop Hollywood Hills."

Hawke, for once, did not shoot back.

According to Frank, he'd contracted a sort of marriage fever while in Hollywood, wanting to marry any woman he liked, which led to several quick divorces. With all the wealth and career he'd wasted, he'd ended up in his current situation.

Hawke thought Eric could write a script based on Frank's story, titling it Born to Marry.

There was a knock on the office door. After Hawke invited the person in, Frank entered.

He ended the call and remarked, "Perfect timing, I was just teaching your prized sheep about management experience while stopping by to check in."

Hawke pointed to the chair across from him. "Have a seat."

Frank asked, "Have you already dug up the information? You're quick."

Hawke savored the opportunity to show off a bit in front of Frank. "Haven't you thought about who's really driving public opinion in Los Angeles over the past year?"

"You're strong, but not strong enough!" Frank cautioned. "The Catholic Church's power may not be what it once was, but it isn't something your emerging media can take on."

He advised, "You've turned Twitter into a delicious cake, but you don't know how many eyes and forces are watching. The Ferguson family might withstand a lot, but if you expose significant flaws, how many hungry wolves would come after you?"

Hawke was receptive to useful advice and nodded slightly.

This past year and a half had been the coziest time for Frank since he became homeless, plus he had been there since the company's foundation, feeling a sense of involvement from the ground up. He definitely didn't want to see Twitter fail.

Frank added, "Stabilize your base and leave no openings."

Hawke replied, "Got it."

Frank lightly tapped the armrest of the chair. "Being cautious doesn't mean retreating. We pull back our hands, clench our fists, and gather strength to deliver a stronger blow."

Hawke chuckled at that, "Have you ever dabbled in screenwriting?"

Frank did not answer and stood to leave. "I'm going downstairs to play some pool with the security on break."

...

After he left, Hawke sat down behind his desk and listened to the recording again, contemplating the Tom Cruise situation.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to consult Tom Cruise before making any decisions.

Hawke dialed Tom's number. "Tommy, I've got some crucial info. It's not safe to discuss over the phone; you'd better come over quietly."

Tom replied, "I'll be right there."

...

As dusk fell, a disguised Tom Cruise entered the Twitter building through a side door and made his way to the fourth floor.

Upon entering Hawke's office, he quickly asked, "Is this about Kingsley?"

"That's right," Hawke confirmed. "Please, have a seat."

Tom laughed. "The media is restless. To say they can deal me a fatal blow is to overestimate them, but these things are particularly annoying."

Hawke chimed in, "That's what women who have turned against you are like; they can't kill you, but they can drive you crazy."

He pulled up the audio. "Listen closely."

Tom fell silent and leaned in to hear, quickly recognizing Pat Kingsley's familiar voice.

The subsequent developments were somewhat beyond Tom Cruise's expectations. Although he couldn't see the visuals, he knew something was wrong just by the sounds.

The old woman was over seventy.

Wait, this old woman had been entrenched in Hollywood for nearly fifty years.

That changed everything.

After the audio finished playing, Tom sat on the chair contemplating for a while. He finally addressed Hawke, "No wonder Pat Kingsley is so devout; I've tried to entice her into Scientology countless times, but she's never bought it. Turns out her devotion has a special reason."

After a slight pause, he continued, "Does she attend mass every weekend? How many years has she been preying on others?"

Hawke, looking at the morally righteous Tom, asked directly, "Now that we've found the key to expose Kingsley, what's the next step? It's up to you to decide since you are the main party."

"You wouldn't want to expose this on Twitter, would you?" Tom's righteous demeanor vanished in an instant. "Hawke, if this gets out, I'm the first one they'll suspect."

He was no ordinary star; he had enough sense to know, "Then the conflict between the Catholic Church and Scientology would unfold, and it would become much more complicated, which doesn't align with my interests."

Hawke had also considered this: "So, Tommy, how this ends up being dealt with is still in your court."

Tom didn't want the situation to spiral out of control. He thought for a moment before saying, "I'll take the recordings with me for now."

Then he reconsidered and asked Hawke, "If I wish to communicate with Pat Kingsley privately to temporarily keep her quiet, would this be sufficient?"

Hawke didn't answer but asked back, "Are you going to use that to meet with Pat Kingsley?"

"Exactly," Tom confirmed.

Upon hearing the decision, Hawke knew better than to argue; someone like Tom Cruise was notoriously stubborn.

He followed Tom's line of thought and pondered for a moment. "Tell her you're just releasing the audio, and there are also past videos of her. With that audio, she won't be able to see the truth clearly."

Tom laughed, "Good idea."

Hawke added as a caution, "Just be careful; don't let her corner you."

"I will. Even with her daring attitude, she wouldn't risk taking me on," Tom asserted confidently. "The Church of Scientology has some power in California now, and she has kids; she wouldn't make such a foolish choice."

Hawke pulled out the USB drive containing the audio and handed it to Tom. "A bit of caution never hurts."

"Thanks," Tom said as he prepared to act. "I'm off now; we'll talk later."

Hawke stood to see him off, escorting him to the elevator.

...

Tom Cruise slipped in quietly and left without drawing any attention.

As he drove back to his upscale residence, he immediately had someone call Pat Kingsley to set up a meeting.

...

On Twitter's side, Hawke pulled out another copy and thought carefully.

Twitter, being a newer media outlet, didn't have a strong enough basis for the current situation, so exposing this wasn't suitable for them.

What about Fox News?

Compared to Twitter, they were significantly larger and had the capital to take a stand.

Though Fox might not air the files or might suppress them, it would still be a possible outlet.

Hawke knew there wasn't much he could do, but he still wanted to help within his means.

He took out his phone and called Megan Taylor. "Do you have time tonight? I'm coming over."

Megan sounded thrilled at that, "Great! Just come to my house and wait for me. I'll rush back as soon as I'm done."

She loved that exhilarating feeling of impending excitement. "It's a deal; no backing out!"

Hawke glanced at the time. "I'll head over now and make a late-night snack."

*****

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