章 11: Chapter 11 A Great Opportunity as a Director
"This is the second time you've made the headlines this week."
Sitting in a booth at the restaurant, Karla set down her fork and knife. "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 cinematography lately. When shooting, if the scenes are well chosen, they not only attract the audience's attention but also keep their gaze lingering, blending the subject and the background."
These skills weren't just useful in his current job; they would also be valuable in Hollywood.
Karla was somewhat surprised. "You're a very ambitious young man."
"You're making yourself sound old," Murphy chuckled. "You're only twenty-six this year, and you look like you're only twenty."
Women always liked to hear compliments like this, and Karla was no exception. But after this period of contact, she knew that the person in front of her was a young man with strong ambitions and complex thoughts. Furrowing her brow slightly, she asked deliberately, "Are you trying to pursue me with such sweet talk?"
"Do you think we're a good match?" Murphy countered.
Karla looked at him but didn't speak, seemingly trying to see through Murphy's true intentions for inviting her.
"You're competent, beautiful, and sexy..." Murphy's eyes intentionally swept over Karla's tall and shapely figure, "When you wear professional attire, you exude a captivating aura. You would make a great one-night stand."
Before Karla could react, he added, "If you're willing to have a relationship with me that goes beyond friendship but doesn't involve love, I'm all for it. But having a girlfriend, forget it. Not many men can tolerate your work hours."
"Murphy," Karla wasn't angry, but rather curious, "Tell me, what's your real purpose in coming to me? You're not just here to make these boring jokes, are you?"
"I think this news should be continued to be tracked." Murphy thought for a moment, then said straightforwardly, "The news has been broadcasted, and I believe the police will soon come to me. There are some areas where I need your cooperation."
For the sake of ratings, Karla wouldn't give up on this news. "As long as there's no court order, the police can't do anything to the TV station, and I'll continue to pursue it."
Murphy nodded, knowing that only if the TV station continued digging would his subsequent actions be more valuable. Otherwise, he would lose a significant source of income.
"Is this why you came to me?" Karla was a bit puzzled. There was no way she would let go of this news.
"Yes, just to get your confirmation in person." Murphy picked up his water glass and took a sip, saying nonchalantly, "I was afraid you'd give up under pressure from the police, like you did two years ago during the Long Beach serial murders."
"I'm not the same person I was before," Karla said.
Back then, she was too young and much less resolute than she is now. Karla asked in surprise, "How did you know about that?"
"There's something called the internet." Murphy raised his finger and pointed at her from across the table. "On some emerging search websites, you can find some things you've done in the past just by entering your name. You don't even need a name; just a license plate number or social security number, and your contact information and detailed address can all be found."
In this era, the internet in North America developed much faster than in the Pacific, and even Murphy himself didn't realize it until after he was released from prison. One couldn't use the perspective of the Pacific era to look at the North American internet industry.
The only consolation for Murphy in experiencing so much hardship in North America was the smooth flow of information, far surpassing the level of the Pacific at the same time.
Karla made a slightly sarcastic remark, "I didn't expect you to use the internet."
"Of course! I've learned a lot through the internet." Murphy said half-jokingly, "I just finished a course on business marketing."
Karla actually believed eighty percent of what Murphy said. From what she saw, Murphy was a person who knew how to work hard, and such people were worth appreciating.
So, she tentatively asked, "There's a field position available in my program. Are you interested?"
Such a position offered stable income and corresponding benefits, something many people desired. Karla recognized Murphy's work ability, so she extended an olive branch.
"No!" Murphy shook his head decisively. "I won't stay in the news industry for too long, and I don't want our relationship to change from collaborators to superiors and subordinates."
"You want to switch careers?"
Hearing Karla's question, Murphy nodded solemnly but didn't say much. From his current position, talking about becoming a Hollywood celebrity was just a joke.
Leaving the restaurant, Murphy bid farewell to Karla and drove towards downtown Los Angeles. His mind was still filtering through everything that had happened from last night until now. This was undoubtedly his best opportunity to earn his first bucket of gold. With enough startup capital in hand, his film plans could also be implemented.
Like everyone else, the first step and the first bucket of gold were always the hardest.
Murphy thought again about the preliminary plan he had formulated last night. If the police acted according to their usual methods, the chances of him getting an opportunity were limitless, and he could control the development of the event as a leader. To make an inappropriate analogy, he would be the director of the entire scene!
Thinking of this, Murphy's spirits lifted. This was indeed a great opportunity to be a director, directing a real, thrilling drama!
He would be the director and cameraman, while the police and the two black criminals would be the lead actors...
Back at home, after a quick wash-up, Murphy lay down and fell asleep. But he hadn't slept for long before he was awakened by a loud knocking on the door.
"Just a moment!"
He grabbed a towel and quickly wiped his face, then looked through the peephole before opening the door. Outside there were two people, a man and a woman.
The man looked at him and asked, "Are you Murphy Stanton?"
Seeing Murphy nod, he pulled out his badge and ID, introducing himself, "I'm Detective Collins from the Los Angeles Police Department, and this is Detective Sarah."
"Please come in."
Murphy ushered both to the sofa in the living room. After they sat down, the man cut straight to the chase, "You were at Bill Road in Santa Monica Valley last night, right?"
"Yes."
Upon getting Murphy's confirmation, the man stood up, walked to the handheld camera on the table, and said, "You filmed the scenes inside the house?"
Murphy had expected the police to come, so he nodded readily. "Yes, I did."
"You entered someone else's residence and filmed various areas," the male detective turned back, facing Murphy with folded arms, and said sternly, "You even filmed the victim's body, all before the police arrived!"
Before coming here, the police also suspected that someone had entered the private residence early, but they quickly ruled it out.
Although the residential area didn't have road
surveillance, footage from the main road in the valley showed that when the victim called the police, this guy across the street was driving towards Beverly Hills.
"I didn't know it was a crime scene at the beginning." Murphy spread his hands apologetically. "I heard gunshots from inside when I passed by Bill Road and thought I could help."
"You went to a crime scene!" the male detective stared at him.
Upon learning that someone had entered the house before the police arrived, the police also suspected that it might be the perpetrator, but they quickly ruled it out.
While the residential area didn't have road surveillance, footage from the main road in the valley showed that this guy across the street was still driving towards Beverly Hills when the victim called the police.
"I didn't know it was a crime scene at first," Murphy spread his hands apologetically. "I heard gunshots from inside when I passed by Bill Road and thought I could help."
"You filmed the scene and sold it to the TV station."
"I'm a person with professional ethics, engaged in professional news video collection work." Murphy said matter-of-factly, "This is my job."
Apart from entering a private residence, Murphy didn't do anything excessive, and besides, everyone inside the house was dead. Who would hold him accountable for this?
Murphy knew these two detectives were bluffing and wasn't afraid of them. Besides, he had anticipated this situation and was well prepared.
At this point, the female detective stood up and walked to the male detective's side, gently patting his back, and asked in a softer tone, "Mr. Stanton, did you see anything unusual?"
In American terms, this was a classic good cop, bad cop scenario.
"Yes!" Murphy nodded.
The eyes of the two detectives lit up simultaneously.
"What did you see?" the female detective's attitude improved.
"Two men drove away in a car." Murphy pretended to ponder, "They were probably two black men."
The female detective asked eagerly, "Did you see them?"
"Just their vague outlines. It was dark, and I was scared, so I didn't dare to get close." Murphy tried hard to recall. "The car was a black or other dark-colored sedan, and both black men were tall and probably bald."
"Can you be more specific?"
With such physical conditions, one could easily find hundreds of thousands of people in Los Angeles. "Like their height, appearance, tattoos, scars."
"Sorry." Murphy shrugged helplessly. "It was too dark."
The two detectives were also helpless. It was indeed too difficult to see specific details like tattoos in poor lighting conditions.
But they didn't give up. The male detective asked again, "You didn't capture this on film?"
Without hesitation, Murphy shook his head. "No, I started filming after entering the door."
"We need a copy of the video you took."
"No problem." Murphy led them into the studio, copied a copy from the laptop, and handed it to the two detectives, saying, "If I remember anything valuable, I'll contact the police."
Although they were somewhat suspicious, Murphy's cooperative attitude dispelled some of the detectives' doubts. After getting the video, they quickly left.
After closing the door, Murphy returned to the studio, sat in front of the laptop, and checked the latest news on this matter. By mid-afternoon, the police finally announced a heavyweight reward.
The Los Angeles Police Department is offering a $100,000 reward for valuable clues in last night's case!
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