The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 7: Confidential News]

Five days later, in Salt Lake City.

Hawke walked into the "Jazz" internet cafe, dressed in a gray suit, carrying a black briefcase, and wearing a pair of clear glasses. He ordered a cup of coffee and sat down in front of a computer to surf the web. Everything he wore, from his suit and dress shoes to his phone and briefcase, were all cheap second-hand finds.

Compared to a few days prior, Hawke's puffy face had slimmed down a bit, and his overall demeanor had transformed. He had evolved from a slovenly, disheveled man into an ordinary worker stepping into the workplace. He blended in with the crowd, fitting into the forgotten category of people.

These past few days, Hawke had been on the move, waking at the slightest noise during the night, his anxiety stemming from his past. He couldn't rest easy until he dealt with those guys. He even used his driver's license to quietly check on Hawke Osment's social security number and criminal record.

The identity was squeaky clean, allowing him to open a bank account without a hitch. After sipping his coffee, Hawke logged onto a blogging site, registered an account, selected the categories of entertainment and film, and prepared to publish his first blog post. He envisioned Hawke Osment, the media industry professional and entertainment and film blogger that he would present to the world.

Last year after 9/11, blogging exploded in popularity for its instant news capabilities, paving the way for a new media era. Some of the bigger entertainment bloggers even became invited guests at film screenings and premieres.

Hawke lifted a few public domain promotional photos from the Sundance Film Festival's official website and paired them with a caption: "Kicking off my Sundance Film Festival journey, hoping for everything to go smoothly."

After posting, he opened Google again to dig up details on four people to enhance his understanding. Freddy had mentioned four names: Robert Downey Jr., Matthew Broderick, Barack Bernanke, and Buddy Ackerman.

Buddy Ackerman was a billionaire residing in Los Angeles, owning various businesses such as Ackerman Films, Ackerman Entertainment, and Ackerman Investments, along with being the largest donor to several nonprofits, including the Ackerman Charitable Foundation.

Robert Downey Jr., once known as Iron Man, now stood as a prominent Hollywood star, with a family history rife with trouble.

Matthew Broderick was an executive and producer at Ackerman Films, who had married Hollywood actress Sarah Jessica Parker, the star of the hit show Sex and the City a few years back.

Barack Bernanke served as the chairman of the Ackerman Charitable Foundation and was hailed as an angel for California's children, having received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

These four affluent Jews were socialites of the highest caliber. Leaving aside whether Hawke could actually take them out, simply considering the consequences brought on by such actions sent shivers down his spine, facing the highest levels of pursuit from both the LAPD and the FBI, thrusting him back into a life he wished to escape.

To effectively handle this explosive situation would require not only skill but also perfect timing.

Hawke glanced at the time, finished his coffee, cleared his browser history, settled the payment including the tip, picked up his briefcase, and headed out of the internet cafe toward the bus station.

The bus platform was crowded and chaotic, with a continuous cacophony of various conversations.

As Hawke walked, his attention was caught by a brown-haired man of similar age engaging with a beautiful girl nearby about the film festival and Park City. The man was speaking loudly, while the girl listened with slight impatience.

After eavesdropping for a moment, Hawke realized they were college classmates; the brown-haired man was from Park City and claimed to have connections with people on the festival committee, allowing him to score several film screening tickets. He enthusiastically invited the girl to join him at the Sundance Film Festival, but the girl showed little interest and flatly declined.

Just then, a bus pulled up, and the brown-haired man had to give up, walking toward the front door with his laptop bag.

Hawke, remaining inconspicuous, followed behind him, boarding and sitting toward the middle of the bus.

After the man found a seat, Hawke walked over and pointed to the empty seat next to him, asking, "Is this seat taken?"

"No, you can sit," the man replied.

Hawke sat down and fastened his seatbelt. He was still considering how to strike up a conversation when the man spoke up: "I'm Brandt Keen, from Park City. You don't sound like a local."

Hawke smiled amicably, "Hawke Osment, from Wyoming."

Brandt felt the man had a friendly face and examined him briefly before asking, "Are you attending Sundance?"

"How did you know?" Hawke replied, intentionally asking to keep the conversation going.

Brandt laughed heartily, "Park City's a small place. If people show up during this time, it's either for skiing or to attend the film festival."

His gaze fell to Hawke's suit and briefcase. "You don't seem like the skiing type."

Hawke extended his right hand. "Media professional, also an entertainment and film blogger, gearing up to discover opportunities at the Sundance Film Festival."

Brandt quickly shook his hand, impressed. "So, you're in the film industry."

He clearly had a friendly demeanor and, without prompting, continued to share about himself: "We're kind of in the same field. I joined the Park City Mountain Community Theater in sixth grade, and have been participating in community performances. I considered a major in drama when I went to college, but unfortunately, I ended up choosing electronics engineering at the state university instead."

Hawke followed up, asking, "Why did you give up drama?"

Just then, the bus started moving but didn't prevent Brandt from continuing his story. "Two reasons. First, the community theater was subpar, leading to a poor-quality group. They couldn't afford skilled instructors or secure a regular performance venue. Everyone was at a low level, more like a bunch of lazy people just gathering to eat and drink."

He shook his head, sighing. "Although acting was my passion, the job prospects for drama majors were unclear, with the market being severely polarized. I could still be saddled with student loans when I retire. Electronics engineering offers a guaranteed bottom line."

Hawke praised, "That makes sense."

Brandt suddenly lowered his voice, "Let me let you in on a little secret. A classmate of mine from Los Angeles told me that there are a ton of throat and rectal clinics around Hollywood."

He winked at Hawke, "You get my drift?"

"I understand, I understand," Hawke nodded repeatedly, appearing eager to learn, and added, "Once we get there, I'll definitely post about it on my blog."

His statement earned recognition from Brandt, who became increasingly excited and lifted his laptop bag from the ground. "Let's post it now! Use my laptop!"

Hawke, feeling too polite to refuse such enthusiasm, said, "Alright, let me post."

Brandt opened the laptop, connected it to a wireless network, and handed it to Hawke, "As an insider, do you have any industry secrets to share?"

Hawke opened the webpage; the slow internet speed was infuriating. Considering the need to maintain his persona and build rapport, he pondered for a moment, then leaned closer as if sharing a great secret: "Winona Ryder is a compulsive shoplifter. She frequently steals."

"That same Winona who Depp was head over heels for?" Brandt asked incredulously as he saw Hawke nod. "She doesn't need money, does she?"

"Compulsive stealing, it's like being addicted to drugs," Hawke explained.

Brandt's eyes widened with realization as he asked, "You didn't post this on your blog?"

Hawke shrugged. "Without photos or video evidence, releasing such gossip publicly could get me sued for bankruptcy." He specifically advised, "This is explosive news I'm preparing; you can't tell anyone."

Brandt made a zipping gesture across his mouth. "Don't worry, I'm tight-lipped."

For some reason, he found Hawke even more likable.

Finally, the webpage loaded, and Hawke logged into his blog account, using an iconic Hollywood image alongside Brandt's statement: "There are a ton of throat and rectal clinics around Hollywood."

After several minutes, the blog post finally published.

Brandt pointed to the laptop screen, "Mind if I take a look?"

Hawke turned slightly, "Go ahead."

Brandt glanced over, noticing only two posts. He scratched his head in confusion. "Just started?"

"I didn't want to be exploited by capitalists, so I quit my job." Hawke casually explained, adding, "I'm here for the Sundance Film Festival to make a profit, doing my own thing."

Having just shared a significant secret, Brandt said directly, "As a Park City local, I can be your guide."

*****

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