The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 190: A Tarnished Reputation]

Inside the villa, bright lights illuminated the area as two men quickly got dressed under the watch of the LAPD.

Meanwhile, female officers restrained four glamorous women.

Including Milner, all LAPD officers wore the latest body cameras during the operation.

Among the four women, the oldest one saw Milner approach and glanced back at her room, winking.

Milner and his team immediately began searching the villa.

They found a large amount of cash, leaves, and gaming paraphernalia.

The body cameras captured everything.

Then, in the madam, Selina's, room, Milner stumbled upon a ledger.

It listed numerous clients' names and transaction methods. Several big clients had a single-page record with detailed transaction log underneath.

Among them, the first name read was Owen Nester, along with contact information and his work or home address.

His total transaction amount exceeded twenty thousand dollars!

Having secured what he wanted, Milner waited for the search to conclude. Then, he commanded the LAPD to escort all suspects back to the station.

...

Interrogations began right away as those involved in the transactions, especially the madam, spilled a lot of information.

By 2 a.m., Milner's spoils were significant.

The suspects were separated into custody, and the crew held a debriefing.

Milner pulled out the ledger. "This case involves many individuals, and our principle is to take down the big fish while letting the smaller ones go."

He glanced at the time. "Start processing subpoena procedures for all suspects first thing tomorrow."

The subordinates responded one after another, "Understood."

Milner waved his hand. "Everyone, get some rest."

Others gradually left.

Julian pulled out a cell phone and took some photos of the account book, then wiped the fingerprints off the phone and put it in an evidence bag.

Then he went out personally to buy midnight snacks for a group of guys.

On the way back, the evidence bag containing the phone was wrapped in garbage and thrown into a trash can on the roadside.

A homeless man nearby rummaged through the trash and found the items, disappearing into the night.

....

Covina, late at night.

Because Hawke had expended some energy on clearing the pipes, Hawke was a bit exhausted and fell asleep in the office's lounge area.

Suddenly, he was startled awake by footsteps and hastily pulled out his gun.

Someone knocked on the door from the outside. Brian's voice called out, "It's me, I need to talk."

"Come in," Hawke said as he holstered his weapon.

Brian pushed the door open, catching Hawke putting the handgun on the bedside table and said, "Buddy, you need to control yourself; don't mistake me for an enemy."

Hawke joked, "Don't worry, at most I will beat you up."

Brian got serious, "Milner has handled everything over there. We have plenty of eyewitness and material evidence. Tomorrow morning, Owen Nester will be subpoenaed."

"Great!" Hawke picked up the phone, dialing out. "Send someone to Covina in the morning to stake out Owen because something big is about to happen; once that's done, share it on Twitter."

On the other end, Campos replied, "Understood."

Hawke hung up and told Brian, "Gather a few people as we planned, wait for the LAPD to take Owen away, and spread some rumors."

Brian grinned menacingly. "I've got people ready; I'll make sure his reputation takes a bigger hit than mine!"

It's all about who can be the worst, right?

With Hawke in the mix, Brian felt confident that his morals would be far superior to Owen's.

He then inquired, "What's the situation with the school?"

Hawke replied, "We're finding suitable candidates; there are plenty of actors in Los Angeles. It shouldn't be hard, and we want to blur the lines between reality and acting."

Every aspect he planned had to happen in reality: "A father-son duo of Mexican descent moves to Covina, and the son transfers to Eastside Middle School. As a transfer student and a minority, he often becomes a target of bullying..."

Brian asked, "Why use actors?"

"Think about Hollywood's current state. They've experienced much more than their peers; their backgrounds are more complex," Hawke simply explained. "They will perform better."

Brian commented, "I'll handle the transfer paperwork, and I'll get my people on it."

Hawke added, "Also find two more people to enter Eastside Middle School. I need both spectators and videographers."

Brian nodded. "No problem."

...

The next morning, while the hospital had yet to do their rounds, Brian's law firm sent an experienced attorney, along with an assistant, to Michael's hospital room to sign a representation agreement regarding the accident and injuries, seeking compensation.

Following this, a reporter from Fox 11 interviewed Michael.

Facing the camera, Michael stated, "I was driving my motorcycle normally. When I reached the three-way intersection near Covina, there was a sudden reflection in front of me, which made it difficult for me to see the road clearly. The bike rushed onto the curb and I hit the hard reflective object, causing my arm to be broken."

All blame lay with that orange sculpture.

The reporter also interviewed Michael's attorney.

The lawyer spoke sternly, "We have gathered specific information about the sculpture's builder and will legally demand compensation from them."

Arnold, who had come to see Michael in the hospital last night, was nowhere in sight now.

He didn't have the time or energy.

...

In Covina City Hall, the workday had just started when two patrol cars belonging to the LAPD parked in front.

Led by Milner, six officers displayed their badges and entered City Hall, finding mayor Owen Nester.

After Owen listened to their introductions, he expressed some astonishment, "You are from the West Division? This isn't under your jurisdiction."

Milner presented the subpoena documents. "Mayor, we request you lawfully come with us to the West Division for questioning regarding a criminal case. Please cooperate."

The office door slammed open when Fowler, along with some buddies, barged in.

All six LAPD officers, including Milner, had their hands close to their weapons.

Owen exclaimed, "Who let you in? Get out! Right now!"

Fowler attempted to speak, but Arnold rushed in, pulling him aside and whispering, "What are you doing? Are you trying to get your brother killed?"

They stepped back slowly.

Milner, looking serious, stated, "Mayor, this is a lawful subpoena. If you don't comply, we'll have to take necessary actions."

Owen stood up from behind his desk, straightening his clothes. "Lead the way."

Two police officers walked behind him, Milner ahead, while others subtly surrounded Owen as they exited the office.

Upon seeing Arnold, Owen said, "Notify the lawyer."

Arnold nodded and pulled out his phone to make a call.

As they exited City Hall, several flashes went off; evidently, reporters were taking pictures.

As Owen turned, he spotted a female reporter holding a camera.

On the other side, a male reporter videotaped the exit.

At City Hall's entrance, due to the patrol cars' presence, a crowd of about ten curious townsfolk had gathered.

Covina was a small place; a stir could captivate half the town.

These townsfolk saw Mayor Owen being led out by five fully armed LAPD officers.

"What's going on?" someone curiously asked.

Another, less informed, speculated, "Looks like he's being arrested."

The five officers surrounded Owen as they moved forward, and the whole situation seemed off.

When Owen was escorted into the patrol car, even more spectators gathered around, totaling over thirty people.

The cruise officers drove off one after another.

Reporters followed suit, continuing their coverage at the West Division.

Someone in the crowd suddenly said, "My cousin works at the Park Center; I just asked him; it seems Mayor Owen was taken for soliciting!"

Another added, "That's right; it's related to prostitution; my aunt at the 911 call center discussed this after her shift last night."

Gossip spread incredibly fast, especially since Owen was indeed taken by the LAPD.

At first, the surrounding people debated the mayor's entanglement with hookers.

But as the story circulated beyond the immediate crowd, it morphed into Owen being caught with several prostitutes.

As more people left, new rumors surfaced about the mayor being caught with multiple "chicks."

Before noon, tales of Owen and a transvestite had already emerged.

...

On Ocean Parkway, Twitter.

In the editing room, Sasha personally assembled the recently garnered photos of Owen being escorted into a police car, last night's LAPD operation video, and the madam Selina's rap sheet along with excerpts from the ledger that mentioned Owen, then posted a news article while using a virtual identity.

After posting, Sasha dialed Caroline, saying, "It's sent out."

In the Operations Department's office, Miss Baa opened the backend to find the relevant news and, using higher permissions, ensured it would immediately reach those who needed to know.

After finishing that, she picked up her phone and dialed out.

Once connected, Miss Baa, donning a sheep-like outfit and a cheerful smile, reported, "Boss, it's sent."

Hawke replied, "I understand, keep tracking it."

...

In an office of an orange and related processing products company in Covina.

During the lunch break, clerks paused their work to surf the internet.

Corte logged into his Twitter account and suddenly noticed a striking headline news piece in red, claiming Owen Nester had a long history of soliciting, catching his attention instantly.

He clicked on it, and the webpage loaded.

From the initial police crackdown on the prostitution ring to the discovery of evidence, along with the ledger detailing Owen's financial dealings, and everything that occurred earlier that day at City Hall -- all of it indicated that Owen Nester lived a more indulgent lifestyle than his competitors, despite being a family man.

Corte retweeted the news immediately.

He exclaimed to his nearby coworkers, "Huge news in Covina! Check out Twitter!"

"I'm already looking," said a colleague to his left, eagerly devouring the juicy gossip.

The person on the right inquired, "What's the big story?"

Corte responded, "It's about Mayor Owen Nester."

That person began to scroll through Twitter, asking, "Wasn't he taken away by the LAPD?"

Corte affirmed, "Someone leaked a series of evidence on Twitter."

Within five minutes, nearly everyone in the office had taken a vested interest in the scandal involving Owen Nester.

Today, Covina's residents had nothing else to discuss; all conversations revolved around Owen Nester.

This incident was significantly juicier than the rumors surrounding Brian Ferguson's single billing receipt.

Brian was an unmarried bachelor.

Owen Nester was arrested by the LAPD, yet was now surrounded by a myriad of "concrete" evidence, which also contradicted his picture-perfect family.

For Hawke, tarnishing Owen Nester's reputation proved far easier than re-establishing the reputation of Brian, an AIDS-phobic person.

*****

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