Hollywood Road

"This is the second time you've made the headlines this week."

Sitting in a booth at the restaurant, Kara put down her knife and fork. "I really don't know what to say."

Murphy swallowed the last bite of his food, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, "I've been studying locations recently. When filming, a good location can not only attract the audience's attention but also keep it there, blending the subject with the background seamlessly."

This isn't just useful for my current work. If I can get into Hollywood, it will also be invaluable there.

Kara was somewhat surprised. "You're a very ambitious young man."

"You're making yourself sound too old," Murphy laughed. "You're only twenty-six, and you look like you're just twenty."

Women love to hear compliments like this, and Kara was no exception. But after spending some time with Murphy, she knew he was a highly goal-oriented and complex young man. She frowned slightly and deliberately asked, "Are you trying to woo me with such sweet talk?"

"Do you think we're a good match?" Murphy retorted.

Kara stared at him without speaking, trying to see through his real motives for inviting her.

"You're capable, beautiful, and sexy..." Murphy's eyes intentionally scanned her tall, curvy figure. "When you wear professional attire, you have an enticing aura. You'd make a great one-night stand."

Before Kara could react, he continued, "If you're willing to have a relationship beyond friendship but not involving love, I'd welcome it with open arms. But as for being my girlfriend, forget it. Not many men can tolerate your work hours."

"Murphy," Kara wasn't angry; instead, she asked, "Tell me, what's your real purpose for finding me? It can't just be for these boring jokes, can it?"

"I think this news story should be followed up," Murphy thought for a moment and then said straightforwardly, "The news has already aired, and the police will probably come looking for me soon. I'll need your cooperation on some things."

For the sake of ratings, Kara wouldn't give up on this news story. "Unless there's a court injunction, there's nothing the police can do to the TV station. I'll keep pursuing it."

Murphy nodded. Only if the TV station kept digging would his next actions be valuable; otherwise, he would lose a lot of income.

"Is that all you wanted to confirm?" Kara found it strange; she wouldn't have given up on this story no matter what.

"Yes, I just wanted your verbal confirmation," Murphy said calmly, sipping his water. "I was afraid you'd give in to police pressure like you did two years ago with the Long Beach serial murder case."

"I'm not the same person I was back then."

Back then, she was too young, far more committed to journalistic ethics and much softer in personality. Surprised, Kara asked, "How did you know about that?"

"There's something called the Internet," Murphy raised a finger and pointed at her from a distance. "On some emerging search websites, just entering your name brings up things you've done. You don't even need a name; a license plate number or social security number can reveal your contact information and detailed address."

The North American internet of this era was developing much faster than across the Pacific. Murphy himself only discovered this after his release; he couldn't use his old perspective to view the North American internet industry.

Despite the hardships he'd endured in North America, the smooth flow of information far surpassed that of his homeland at the same time, which was a comfort.

"I didn't expect you to know how to use the Internet," Kara said mockingly.

"Of course! I've learned a lot through the Internet," Murphy said half-truthfully. "I recently took a course in commercial marketing."

Kara believed about eighty percent of what Murphy said. She saw him as someone who knew how to work hard and fight for his goals, a trait she admired.

So she tentatively asked, "My show has an open position for an external runner. Interested?"

This position offered stable income and benefits, a job many desired. Kara recognized Murphy's work ability, which is why she extended the olive branch.

"No!" Murphy shook his head firmly. "I won't stay in the news circle for long, and I don't want to change our relationship from partners to a superior-subordinate one."

"Are you planning to switch careers?"

Hearing Kara's question, Murphy nodded seriously but didn't elaborate. In his current position, saying he wanted to become a Hollywood celebrity would only be a joke.

Leaving the restaurant, Murphy bid Kara goodbye, forced himself to stay awake, and drove towards downtown Los Angeles. He mentally reviewed everything that had happened since last night. This was undoubtedly his best opportunity to earn his first bucket of gold. With enough startup capital, he could implement his film plans.

Like everyone else, the first step and the first bucket of gold are always the hardest.

Murphy recalled the preliminary plan he had made last night. If the police acted as usual, his chances of success were very high, and he could control the event as the leading figure. To put it bluntly, he would be the director of the whole show!

Thinking of this, Murphy felt invigorated. This was indeed a great opportunity to be a director, potentially directing a real, explosive drama!

He would be the director and cameraman, while the police and the two black criminals would be the stars...

Back home, after a quick wash, Murphy lay down to sleep. But he hadn't slept long before he was awakened by a persistent knocking.

"Hold on!"

He grabbed a towel to wipe his face, looked through the peephole, and then opened the door to see a middle-aged white man and woman standing outside.

The man glanced at him and asked, "Are you Murphy Stanton?"

Seeing Murphy nod, he took out his badge and ID, introducing himself, "I'm Detective Collins from the LAPD, and this is Detective Sarah."

"Please, come in."

Murphy led them to the sofa inside. After they sat down, he asked, "Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thank you."

The man, clearly in charge, waved his hand and got straight to the point. "You were at Bill Road in the Santa Monica Valley last night, right?"

"Yes."

With Murphy's confirmation, the man stood up and walked over to the camcorder on the table. "You filmed the scenes in the house?"

Murphy had anticipated the police visit and readily admitted, "Yes, I did."

"You entered someone else's home and filmed all over," the detective turned back to face Murphy, crossing his arms and speaking sternly, "You even filmed the bodies before the police arrived!"

If this had happened before, Murphy would have panicked at a cop's attitude, but the past year had hardened him, allowing him to remain calm and composed.

"The doors to the manor and house were open."

That was the truth, and Murphy's words mixed truth with lies. "I was passing by Bill Road, heard gunshots inside, and went in to see if I could help."

"You went to a crime scene!" the detective glared at him.

After discovering someone had entered the house before them, the police initially suspected the intruder might be the killer but soon dismissed that idea.

Although there were no road surveillance cameras in the residential area, footage from the main road in the valley showed that Murphy was driving towards Beverly Hills when the victims called the police.

"I didn't know it was a crime scene at first." Murphy spread his arms. "I thought someone was in trouble. As a law-abiding, professionally ethical, and kind-hearted Los Angeles citizen, I thought I should check it out. Maybe I could help someone in need."

The detective's gaze grew sharper. "You filmed the scene and sold it to a TV station."

"I'm a very ethical person, engaged in professional news video collection," Murphy replied matter-of-factly. "It's my job."

Apart from trespassing, Murphy hadn't done anything excessive, and with everyone in the house dead, who would pursue responsibility for that?

Murphy knew these detectives were bluffing and wasn't afraid of them. He had anticipated this situation and was fully prepared.

The female detective then stood up, walked over to her colleague, and gently patted his back, speaking in a softer tone. "Mr. Stanton, did you see anything unusual?"

This was a classic good cop, bad cop routine.

"Yes!" Murphy nodded.

Both detectives' eyes lit up.

"What did you see?" The female detective's attitude became even friendlier.

"Two men driving away in a car," Murphy pretended to think. "They should be two black men."

The female detective pressed, "Did you see them?"

"Only their vague shapes. It was very dark, and I was scared and didn't dare get close," Murphy said, trying hard to recall. "The car was a black or other dark-colored sedan. The two black men were tall and should have been bald."

"Anything more specific?"

With such a vague description, finding the culprits in Los Angeles would be like finding a needle in a haystack. "Like height, build, tattoos, scars?"

"Sorry." Murphy feigned helplessness. "It was too dark, and they were too dark. It wasn't realistic to see a black man's features in those lighting conditions."

The detectives were also helpless. Seeing a black man's features clearly in poor lighting at night was indeed too difficult.

But they weren't giving up. The male detective asked again, "Didn't you film any of this?"

Murphy shook his head without hesitation. "No, I only started filming after entering the house."

Seeing they couldn't get more useful information, the female detective said, "We need a copy of your video."

"No problem." Murphy led them to his workstation and copied the video from his laptop. Handing it to the detectives, he said, "If I remember

 anything useful, I'll contact the police."

Although still somewhat suspicious, Murphy's cooperative attitude reduced the detectives' doubts. After getting the video, they soon left.

Closing the door securely, Murphy returned to his workstation and checked the latest news. By mid-afternoon, the police finally released a significant announcement.

The LAPD offered a $100,000 reward for valuable information about last night's case!