The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 14: George George is Finished]

The sun rose bright, calming the chimneys that had belched smoke throughout the night; one chimney seemed to puff out even more. Before the fireplace, Hawke burned all the clothes they had discarded, reducing them to ash.

"Are you sure you cleaned everything up?" Brandt's voice drifted in from the bedroom, sounding a bit odd. "No evidence left behind?"

Hawke rummaged through the clothes to ensure they burned completely. "I've checked thoroughly; even if they determine it was human-caused, they won't pin it on us."

Brandt emerged from the bedroom wearing his jacket.

Hawke turned to look and nearly dropped the poker, pointing at the cut on his lip. "What happened to you?"

Brandt touched the sore spot, wincing as he spoke. "I was talking too much; I don't want to go to jail. Just nicked myself with a pushpin. It hurts to talk, reminding me to keep my mouth shut."

Hawke suddenly thought he had ruined the guy. No, it was more like he had toughened him up.

After tossing the ashes into the public trash can, the two left for the hotel, chatting with Katherine and Eric for a while. Katherine would soon head to the airport, waiting for Castle Rock Entertainment and Bruce Richmond to arrive.

Hawke and Brandt found a fast-food joint across from Crystal Cinema, choosing a booth next to the glass wall to eat and wait for the theater to open. Brandt ordered just a milk with a straw.

During their meal, Hawke called Larson and the four deputy captains, also having Brandt ring Lewis and Damian, inviting them over for breakfast.

Within ten minutes, the two arrived. Before they could finish their meal, the owner of Crystal Cinema came over to unlock the door. Remembering the insults he had endured the night before, Brandt muttered, "This damn--"

Before he could finish, the cut on his lip throbbed painfully, and he quickly shut his mouth.

...

Across the street, the cinema owner opened the door only to discover a power outage; he leisurely made his way to the electrical room. After some fiddling, the power failed to return.

Unable to diagnose the problem, he called for repairs. He then went to the tool shed in the back, attempting to start a generator that hadn't been used in over a year, but the generator refused to start.

"This is bad," he mumbled, tinkering with the machine, unable to get it going, kicking it in frustration. "The stuff these guys sell is totally unreliable; it's only been a year!"

If there was no electricity today, the cinema couldn't show films, and the crew would surely cause a scene, demanding money back for the booked venue. The first screening of the morning was supposed to be Lemon Street, prompting the owner to hurriedly find the director's phone number.

...

George was eating breakfast when he heard about the power outage and immediately exploded, tossing his dishes aside and rushing over.

He was more anxious than the owner; once inside, he loudly asked, "How can there be a power outage? When will it be back on?"

The owner shrugged. "I don't know; I checked, but nothing worked. We're waiting for the repair crew."

George bellowed, "Where are the repair personnel? Have they arrived yet?"

"When I called, they were having breakfast," the owner replied helplessly. "After breakfast, they have to sign in at the office, then hold a morning meeting before they can come over."

With a loud bang, George slammed the counter. "Damn it! Damn it!"

He turned to check the wall clock, self-soothing, "There's still time."

The owner didn't want to breach the contract and kept calling to hurry them along, hoping to borrow a generator, but couldn't find one.

George left the cinema, pacing up and down the steps while on the phone. After paying a large fee to a broker to connect with Castle Rock Entertainment, if they couldn't screen the film, he'd end up on every Hollywood buyer's blacklist.

...

Meanwhile, across the street, Hawke and the others finished breakfast.

Lewis looked through the glass wall at Crystal Cinema and said, "You've treated us to two meals already; it's only right for us to help out."

Being young and loyal to brotherhood, Damian confidently replied, "Just keep an eye on them and don't let them stray off; that's protecting Park City."

Hawke quietly added, "There's one more small task, but it might be a bit risky."

He nudged Brandt with his foot.

Brandt pulled out some cash he had on hand and handed it to them, pointing to his sore mouth and remaining silent.

Hawke said, "I can't let you take on the risk without any reward."

Lewis and Damian exchanged glances, pocketed the money, and said casually, "A little risk isn't a big deal."

Hawke pointed to George Hansen, who was on the phone, and said, "Keep an eye on the guy with the gold-rimmed glasses. When I call, you find the right moment to tell him one thing..."

"That's easy," Damian replied, thinking this was easy money.

Hawke said, "I'm counting on you for this."

...

Once the two were out, he and Brandt headed over to the High Mountain Pizza.

Brandt spoke remarkably little that day, avoiding unnecessary words due to the pain in his lip.

At the pizza shop, members of the troupe started arriving, including Larson and the four deputy captains. A bearded man came up and slapped Hawke's shoulder, joking, "Hey, you still owe me a cup of black coffee."

"I'll get it for you," Hawke said, getting a cup from Bill and handing it over.

The bearded man smiled, "You're a good guy."

Nearby, a girl around ten asked Hawke, "If I go to the movies, do I get ten bucks too?"

"Of course!" Hawke reminded her, "But don't talk during the movie."

The girl eagerly nodded, "Mm-hmm." She jumped onto her sister, exclaiming, "I have ten bucks for pocket money this week!"

As more people gathered, the place grew somewhat chaotic. Seeing it was about time, Hawke instructed Larson and the others to take groups over to the Grand Salt Lake Cinema, where Eric was waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing the audience trickling in, he felt half his worry ease.

He found Hawke and asked, "Is the rehearsal done?"

Hawke replied confidently, "Don't worry, there won't be a problem. Everyone will be engaged in the film; nobody will leave midway."

Eric felt something was off. "Didn't you say the audience will express their emotions appropriately?"

Hawke countered, "Isn't being immersed in the film and concentrating on watching it the best emotional expression?"

He had other plans, "The main event is after the movie ends."

Eric was already on Hawke's ship and had to follow his lead.

Once Hawke entered the screening room, he noticed the audience seating was relatively concentrated. He quickly waved for Larson and the deputies, instructing, "Clear the first two rows and the last two rows. Everyone else should spread out; we're not here for a group viewing."

Larson, who had been observing and learning, nodded. "Makes sense."

Hawke continued, "You'll be dispersed in different areas, ensuring they stay engaged. The important part is to maintain the mood until I sit down; if there's a rating segment, don't give all five stars; three or four stars will do."

Five was the maximum score.

Larson said, "No problem, I've got it all arranged."

Hawke moved back to the last row, observing a bit. Under Larson's direction, some people shifted seats.

Many, feeling bored as they waited, were sipping coffee.

Hawke turned to leave the screening room and glanced at the concession stand, calling for Brandt. "Call Bill; have him send over some of the same instant black coffee, put it at the concession stand."

Brandt suppressed the pain in his mouth while making the call.

Hawke found the cinema owner, Mason, and gave him a few more instructions.

Eric rushed in from outside, saying, "The plane has landed."

Hawke pulled out his phone and dialed Lewis's number. "Find an opportunity to start."

Eric, curious, asked, "Start? What?"

Hawke didn't answer, instead asking, "I remember you have a DV camera; can I borrow it for a bit?"

"Sure." Eric immediately sent an employee to retrieve it.

When it arrived, Hawke discovered it was a near-new handheld camera -- professional, not for home use.

Eric had given Hawke a quick tutorial on how it worked.

Hawke turned back to Mason, saying, "Mason, provide a few temporary security agreements. I'll find a few people to sign, and they'll maintain order during the film for free."

"Just listen to him," Eric added.

With the investor increasing their funding, Mason considered the matter briefly before agreeing.

...

A utility vehicle emblazoned with "Electrical Maintenance" parked in front of Crystal Cinema while two repairmen got out to check the electrical cabinet in the back.

George breathed a sigh of relief; his broker had just called, confirming the plane had landed.

"There's still time," he thought as he followed the repair personnel to assess the situation.

Before long, he received the worst news.

"The situation is very complex. We need to conduct further inspections," one repairman stated directly. "We cannot resolve the issue in the short term."

The owner asked, "How long will it take?"

The repairman replied, "At the earliest, it will be this afternoon, but it could even be tomorrow."

George blew up. "What? This afternoon? What kind of job are you doing! It has to be fixed within half an hour..."

The repairman wouldn't budge. He shrugged, "You fix it."

"Please hurry," George managed, forcing his temper down as he looked at the cinema owner. "What about the generator?"

The owner was equally helpless. "I called for repairs, but they said there are too many machines waiting for service; we won't get to it until next week."

He was very particular about this: "If your film can't be shown on time, I'll refund all your money."

"Is this about a refund? Damn! Damn!" George felt a wave of despair wash over him; everything had been fine last night, but suddenly, everything spiraled out of control.

He tried to say more, but noticed the owner raising an electric baton and immediately fell silent.

The owner added, "I'll transfer the money back to you."

George felt a daze wash over him. He didn't even know how he found himself back at the cinema's entrance. Just then, his phone rang -- it was the broker calling.

As he reached out to answer, a young man zipped by him. "You got what you deserved, you backstabber!"

With a crash, George's phone smashed against the ground where the young man had just stood, shattering to pieces.

As he jumped down the steps, Lewis generously flashed George two middle fingers.

"Eric Emerson, we're not done yet!"

George bolted down the steps and jumped into a black sedan, speeding off toward the Grand Salt Lake Theater.

Everything was falling apart here, but he didn't care. He would not let that son of a gun get away with it.

*****

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