The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 159: Secret Operations on Oscar Night]

The next morning, Campos received a tip from his informant and immediately relayed it to Hawke.

Upon hearing it, Hawke asked Caroline, "How old is Will Smith's son this year?"

"Jaden Smith, right?" Caroline recalled. "He seems to have been born in 1998, so he's under five."

She hesitated, almost daring to ask if Hawke was thinking about going after a child.

But then she reconsidered; it seemed that her boss had a higher threshold than most people in Hollywood.

Hawke didn't elaborate because the information he had received from Campos was significant.

A while back, Sean Combs hosted a party for the Lattimores, and the Smiths attended with their son.

Hawke mentally tuned out the Sean Combs' party.

The Clintons, especially that woman Hillary, were extremely vicious.

...

As March approached, the Oscar Awards ceremony loomed closer, and all media in Los Angeles shifted their attention to the Oscars.

Even the paparazzi scattered across Los Angeles had ditched less notable targets to follow stars or directors nominated for major awards.

Will Smith, who had made a stir over the Oscar nominations, was absent from the list of presenters.

The Smiths weren't attending the ceremony to protest.

At Hughes Aircraft, on the set of I, Robot, a Mexican named Domingo, after waiting for more than half a month, finally got to see Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan together during rehearsal.

He was a temporary set builder and had spent a good deal of money just to blend in with the crew.

Most importantly, Domingo's carpentry skills met the requirements.

As noon approached, Domingo noticed Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan exiting the rehearsal area, heading toward where the trailers were parked.

He hoisted a large tool bag, using the excuse of going to the bathroom to break away from his group heading to lunch.

There were many people on set, so Domingo took his time, sneaking into the side restroom. Once inside a stall, he retrieved a small camera, adjusted the lens, and turned it on, placing it back in the bag.

When he emerged, glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he dashed to the trailer parking area.

The industrial building had long been transformed into the biggest film shooting location in the Los Angeles area, with large factories repurposed into studios.

However, due to a lack of support facilities, they relied heavily on trailers for filming.

Over twenty various types of RVs were parked there.

Domingo had already scouted the area, nipping between the trailers, soon locating the one designated for the lead actress, finding all the curtains wide open -- no one was inside.

He then found the actor's trailer nearby, which had its curtains drawn, but from a particular angle, he could see that one curtain in the back corner didn't quite close properly.

This was where Domingo had made modifications before; it wouldn't draw much attention, allowing him to shoot inside.

Not only had he slipped into the male lead's trailer, but he had also snuck into the actress's trailer previously.

Domingo reached his chosen angle, and after a brief observation, he noted there were two people inside, promptly pulled out his camera, hidden behind one of the RVs, quietly extending the lens, quickly adjusting to capture the scene inside.

The two individuals were engaged in intimate activities.

At that moment, due to their positions, he couldn't get a clear shot of their faces.

After waiting a moment, the two repositioned, and he finally captured their faces on camera.

Remembering his boss's instructions not to overshoot and desiring to avoid missing out on anything significant, he quickly checked the footage, ensuring nothing was amiss, before shutting off the camera and hiding it back in his bag, swiftly retreating from the area.

On his way to the cafeteria, he called his boss.

Once in the cafeteria, Domingo shared a meal with fellow crew members, but as they had a long time before their work resumed, a few wandered off.

During that time, he purchased some cigarettes from a convenience store and happened to see Carlos, discreetly passing the camera bag to him.

Carlos drove off promptly.

...

By the afternoon, Edward had received the footage and delivered it straight to Hawke's desk.

Hawke reviewed it carefully; though the video wasn't particularly clear -- shot through the curtain seams -- it was enough to clearly see Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan along with what they were doing.

It had taken over half a month since the task was assigned to achieve even this first objective.

Caroline approached and asked, "Shall we release it now?"

"No, let's wait a bit longer." Hawke looked to Edward and asked, "Did they catch on?"

Edward had specifically asked, "No, they didn't."

Hawke filed away the storage disk and instructed Caroline, "Someone will come to sell the video before the end of the day. You'll personally handle the deal and purchase it at regular price."

Caroline understood. "Got it."

Not long after, a Mexican woman arrived at Twitter, wanting to sell the news video, and Caroline personally attended to her.

Hawke also got in touch with Campos, reminding him to be patient and not rush.

If they could get video of Will Smith being gay, that would be the best outcome; if they couldn't, the existing footage would still be eye-catching.

...

On March 23, 2003, the 75th Academy Awards were held at the Kodak Theatre, garnering nationwide attention.

Especially from the media.

On such a unique day, even the paparazzi congregated in Oscar-related spots.

Places like the theater on the Walk of Fame, hotels hosting Oscar night events, and the popular burger joints frequented by stars were all hotspots.

Stars unrelated to the Oscars would naturally be overlooked.

In Calabasas, Los Angeles, a mansion called Dream Castle occupied an entire hillside.

This home belonged to Will Smith.

There was only one main road leading up the hill, and at the museum parking lot near the intersection, Campos and Garcia had been staking out for nearly a month, frequently switching cars, outfits, and shifts.

They had seen Duane Martin, the target, visit Smith's mansion but couldn't follow without raising suspicions.

The sky gradually darkened, and the surroundings fell eerily quiet.

In the past, this area would have been teeming with paparazzi.

Tonight, those guys had vanished without a trace, all chasing the Oscars.

In a Chevrolet, Campos jolted Garcia awake, who had dozed off. "A car is coming down."

Garcia rolled over, grabbed the binoculars, and squinted toward the bright headlights obscuring his view of the car's front. "There are two cars."

Campos picked up the radio. "Everyone, get ready to move out."

The three other vehicles quickly filled their seats.

Campos had money and secured legal identities as he gathered a considerable number of Mexicans, including ex-Mexican police officers pushed into crossing borders and those who fled after drug traffickers killed their families.

Campos observed for a moment as the cars grew closer. He turned to Garcia and said, "I'll follow the first car; you take the one behind it. Remember, if there's no good chance to shoot, don't alert anyone."

Garcia quickly packed his bag and hopped into another car.

A person climbed into the passenger seat of the first car descending the hill, which turned onto the main road.

Campos had memorized the vehicle entrances, recalling that the Smiths hadn't had visitors in days.

After waiting a moment, he followed.

Just behind, another car trailed the Chevrolet closely.

...

Descending from the hill, the second vehicle was Jada Smith's Porsche, which Garcia pursued.

Will Smith drove to a location near Barberia Lake Park.

The driver was his aide and buddy, Bilaal.

In this area, there were many detached houses separated by fences.

Will's friend, Duane Martin, lived among them.

He couldn't invite Duane over to his house due to his children, nor could he wait at a hotel, so this night, he chose to visit Duane instead.

This road was quiet, bordered by the under-construction Barberia Lake Park on one side and the scattered homes on another.

Will Smith made a phone call, instructing Bilaal to park near the door. After looking around the car, he pulled his hoodie up and quietly exited.

He instructed Bilaal, "Stay outside."

Bilaal nodded. "I'll wait for you to come out."

Will Smith approached the doorstep, inputting his fingerprint to enter swiftly. The outer wall concealed him from prying eyes.

Duane was waiting at the door.

A black Ford cruised past the gate, showing no signs of stopping as it continued forward.

Bilaal noticed the Ford turning the corner ahead and leaned down, adjusting the radio to hear updates on the Oscar awards.

Then, he rolled down the window to light a cigarette.

...

Inside the black Ford, a Mexican grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Boss, there's a car parked ahead of the target house with someone inside; don't approach directly."

"Understood." The Chevrolet stopped behind the corner of the road.

Juan, sitting in the passenger seat, was just a new twenty-something with a short temper. "What are we going to do?"

"You just wait in the car." Campos exited, pretending to be an ordinary pedestrian, heading towards the corner for a better view.

Having exchanged experience with veteran shooters like Hawke and Edward, he immediately checked the streetlight poles. This area was not a major road, and the light posts were lower, not ideal for hiding.

He cast a glance at the roadside landscape and noticed some trees, which he decided not to mention.

Looking at the ongoing park renovations, he spotted something useful -- a vintage water tower not too far from the target house.

It seemed to be purposely left as a scenic element.

Campos turned back to Juan, both hefting their bags, stating, "Follow me and stay silent."

They crawled over the park fence, keeping low toward the house, quickly reaching the water tower.

The tower was fitted with a metal ladder; Campos climbed first, securing that viewpoint.

Waving for Juan to follow him up, the two crouched on the metal framework of the water tower, with Campos hoisting his camera onto his shoulder aimed toward the house.

The house had several large windows lit up, but no one was visible inside.

Juan opened his bag, taking out his DSLR camera, fitting a long lens, and searched for suitable angles.

Through the lens, they could see inside the house but again saw no sign of life.

Campos glanced outside at the parked vehicles, whispering, "Stay calm and don't rush."

Juan nodded several times.

With the thin metal framing underfoot, they squatted uncomfortably, but both endured.

Time slipped by.

Finally, two dark-skinned men appeared.

*****

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