The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 238: The Three Calamities of Los Angeles]

East Los Angeles, Covina.

A brand-new bulletproof Mercedes rolled down Main Street and stopped below the steps of City Hall.

Hawke rolled down the window and waved to the steps above.

Brian happened to come out from the door, quickly walked a few steps, and got into the backseat.

Once the door closed, Hawke said to the driver, Raul, "Take me to the LA branch."

As the car turned back onto the main road, Brian brought up the latest developments. "Jennifer found some leads. Early this morning, she sent someone to Burbank Hotel to summon Douglas Coster for questioning."

Hawke asked, "Did we gather any direct evidence from those leads I provided?"

"Nothing concrete, just testimonies aren't enough," Brian replied, disheartened. "The media is all over the case; it's getting a lot of attention. The LA federal prosecutor's office is keeping a close eye, and with Chief Prosecutor Garrison's history, don't expect much from the FBI."

Hawke wasn't counting on them. He had decided to take matters into his own hands from the start. Tim was fed to the sharks, while Coulson got stabbed dozens of times.

Hawke kept it brief, whispering, "The two direct executors met their maker."

Brian was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure. He thought about how, ever since the incident, Erica had kept her distance from Hawke. With the two biggest calamities in Los Angeles teaming up, it wasn't surprising that a few people had died.

As one of those involved, Brian could hardly contain his enthusiasm. "Well done."

Hawke continued, "The mastermind is Douglas Coster, and he's our next target."

Brian responded, "He's staying at the Burbank Hotel."

"I know. There are always eyes on him there," Hawke said, briefly outlining the situation. "Douglas has four bodyguards and even brought in an 11-man security team the day of the incident. This is a law-abiding society; I'm not going to blow up the Burbank Hotel with a car bomb."

Though they had done something like that before, Brian understood they couldn't do it now. If they acted on that impulse, they would undoubtedly become a national target.

Brian mentioned, "After all these years, the Citrus Square incident was the closest I've come to death."

Hawke had faced similar dangerous situations many times, yet his thirst for revenge hadn't diminished one bit. "We might not have a way forward right now, but we know who the enemy is and where he's hiding."

Brian had the same blood flowing through him as Erica, showing no hesitation as he coldly stated, "That bastard Douglas has to die!"

That was exactly the effect Hawke wanted. He instructed, "Use whatever means you can to gather all info on BlackRock and Douglas -- not just about him personally, but his work, life, friends, family, and so on."

Brian was stunned. "What do you want to do?"

Hawke reassured him, "Don't worry; I'm not some crazed lunatic."

The moment those words left his mouth, Brian sized up Hawke repeatedly, feeling that he was planning something nefarious.

As the car entered downtown Los Angeles, nearing the FBI branch, Hawke recalled something vital and cautioned, "Whatever you do, don't talk nonsense in the future."

At this point, Brian still had no intention of backing down. "The true calamity isn't me; it's you."

"Alright, alright," Hawke replied, losing interest in the argument. "It's the three of us -- me, you, and Erica. That should suffice, right?"

Brian blinked, suddenly realizing there was some truth in that statement. "The three calamities of Los Angeles?"

...

As the Mercedes arrived at the FBI's LA branch, a throng of journalists waited by the front entrance.

In recent days, the hottest news across LA and all of California was the car explosion and shooting incident that had occurred in Covina.

Hawke had been too busy tracking down the real culprits to respond to any inquiries. However, Brian, serving as the mayor of Covina, had given a brief interview to Fox News.

Hawke made a call, steering the Mercedes around to the side door of the branch, where he drove right in.

Getting out of the car, he saw Jennifer Huey had already emerged from the building.

She stepped forward to shake Hawke's hand. "Thanks for coming. I just need to confirm some details, and it'll be over quickly."

Hawke nodded. "I hope you catch the real culprits soon."

Jennifer looked at Hawke and said, "I hope so too, but things aren't looking too good. The federal prosecutor's office has been scrutinizing us closely; they're practically putting our every word and move under a microscope. It's this damn political game."

"You can handle it," Brian chimed in, trying to boost her confidence.

...

The three of them walked into the building. Once they were out of earshot, Jennifer lowered her voice, "The LA branch isn't what it was when I first joined. During the last beach club incident, we took everyone by surprise and pulled off a neat operation, but then the trouble started."

Hawke guessed, "They've sent more people from the top over here?"

Jennifer shrugged. "In a massive city like LA, the FBI can't dominate alone. As soon as we gain a slight advantage, those power-hunters come rushing in."

Brian looked around and asked, "Even if we find the real culprit, won't someone tip them off?"

"Since Hoover's death, these kind of things has happened a lot frequently in the FBI." Jennifer had gotten used to it. "It's really tough to get things done; there's factional fighting everywhere."

Hawke reiterated, "Because those who aren't on our side have automatically aligned with the enemy."

They arrived at a meeting room where, in addition to Jennifer, a clerical worker had joined in on the inquiry related to the Covina explosion incident.

...

At the Burbank Hotel, after showing the proper identification, Douglas Coster stepped out of the top-floor suite accompanied by his lawyer and assistant.

The three of them, along with a driver, got into a Cadillac Escalade from the underground parking lot.

An FBI vehicle led the way, while another trailed behind, with the Cadillac sandwiched in between, heading toward the LA branch.

This was a lawful routine summons; the FBI couldn't employ any force.

In the Escalade, the lawyer had gone over a series of instructions, advising, "For questions you're uncertain about, you can choose not to answer."

"I know," Douglas said, his face serious. Since the lawyer was one of his people, he directly told his assistant, "Contact Tim again."

The assistant took out his phone and dialed Tim's number and emergency contact, but neither answered.

Douglas no longer felt lucky and stated, "Send someone to check the house on 20th Street in Santa Monica."

The assistant made another call.

Before long, the phone rang back.

After hanging up, the assistant reported, "Nobody was at Tim's rented house. They checked the fridge, food, and noticed dust. It looked like no one had been there for at least two days, but the place was tidy with no signs of struggle or fighting."

Douglas raised his hand to stop the conversation. "No need to consider anything else; Tim's gone."

The assistant suggested, "Could he have been picked up by the FBI?"

Douglas shook his head. "Impossible. If he were being arrested, I would definitely hear about it."

The newly appointed second deputy at the FBI was one of their own, a high-ranking member from the LA branch. If there was any arrest operation, he'd know about it.

Douglas considered a possibility. "What if Tim was picked up by Hawke Osment and is now in his hands?"

The lawyer asked, "If he discovered something, wouldn't he involve the FBI?"

Douglas replied, "We knew there was something wrong with Jennifer Huey, how could they not know there was something wrong with the new second deputy director?"

He tapped his fingers on the armrest of the seat. "This acquisition plan is getting more interesting."

The assistant asked, "Sir, should we temporarily relocate the Wyoming guy?"

"No need. Let him stay put at the hotel," Douglas replied, still not ready to abandon the plan. "We won't have another chance to acquire Twitter after this."

He felt a strong sense of responsibility. "Twitter is essential to the entire future plan for BlackRock."

...

As the convoy arrived at the LA branch, they bypassed the throngs of journalists gathered at the front and went directly to the side entrance.

Douglas stepped out of the car, following the two agents into the office building.

His assistant on the left carried his bag, while his lawyer on the right, wearing glasses, contemplated the situation.

As they walked down the hall, they soon encountered three individuals coming around the corner.

Two men and a woman.

The woman was in an FBI uniform, one man was a handsome and elegant man, and the other was strong and thin, looking quite average.

Douglas recognized the man's profile -- Hawke Osment, the founder of Twitter.

...

Hawke had also seen Douglas's profile and naturally directed his gaze at him.

Douglas appeared to be in his forties, donned in a suit, exuding the aura of a business elite.

...

As Douglas observed, he quickly realized something unexpected.

The three people approaching seemed to revolve around Hawke Osment.

Brian from the Ferguson family initially seemed intimidating, but on closer inspection, appeared more as a subordinate of Hawke Osment.

He certainly didn't look like a poor kid from Wyoming.

...

Hawke had no interest in conversing with Douglas, glanced at him, and walked straight ahead.

Douglas paused and initiated the conversation. "Mr. Hawke Osment."

Upon hearing this, Hawke stopped, giving a slight nod. "Mr. Douglas Coster."

Douglas continued in a bid to probe, "Is Twitter interested in accepting BlackRock's investment? Under the agreement with Emma Batson, the price has doubled."

Hawke's mind drifted to the exploded car and the injuries of Edward, currently recuperating in the hospital.

He chuckled, "As long as you're happy."

Brian recognized the middle-aged man and remarked, "There have been quite a few accidents in Los Angeles lately."

Jennifer pulled on him, "Let's go."

Hawke moved forward.

Brian followed suit, and once they were outside, he said, "You call me Brian the Crow's Mouth? I'll give it a whirl!"

Hawke patted his shoulder. "Buddy, you finally got it. The curse should be cast upon the enemy."

*****

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