The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 247: All Rotten]

Back at the Butterfly Company, Campos immediately summoned Betty, Hierro, and Fiona, instructing them to head out to Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia respectively, to send out emails as planned.

The three collected their funding and drove south, crossing out of San Diego and making their way to Tijuana to catch flights. By that evening, they arrived at their destinations. After a bit of makeup, they located internet cafes or public computer spots. Referring to a media list, they began sending out emails.

One by one, those emails traveled via communication cables around the globe, but most went unnoticed, almost like a drop in the ocean.

...

At Hawke's office on Ocean Park Boulevard, Megan Taylor stared seriously at a computer screen as she watched the video playing. She frequently paused it, zooming in on the faces appearing on the screen.

One particular frame froze on a bald man.

Hawke asked, "Do you know him?"

Megan nodded gently, "His name is Joby Harte, a long-time agent who worked with Disney, mainly representing child stars."

Hawke had never heard that name before and asked, "Is he well-known?"

"Not a top-tier agent," Megan replied casually, "Unlike regular agents, he primarily finds child actors and collaborates with Disney Channel, which, as you know, has used a large number of child actors."

Suddenly, Hawke recalled something. It had been reported that Star-Lord once hosted parties at home, featuring numerous child actors for Disney executives, profiting off those gatherings.

And looking back at the recent suicides of Wagenen and Redford, age was never a barrier in Hollywood.

Various child advocacy groups, Parent Teacher Associations, and performing arts unions claimed to protect children's rights but were just a fantasy.

Megan played the second video, found the right frame, and paused it. This time, the screen displayed an Asian woman.

Hawke had seen this woman before. She had a quintessential round face, he concluded, "She seems to be Korean."

Megan also recognized her, "That's Janet Kim, an agent from CAA."

Hawke frowned slightly. "Another CAA agent?"

Strictly speaking, Pat Kingsley was also part of CAA, holding a partner level.

Hawke had a feeling that the videos they had captured might be connected to Hollywood.

Having previously worked in entertainment news, Megan was particularly familiar with the scene. Sure enough, when she played the next clip, she sighed and said, "This is a screenwriter from Hollywood whose work has been popular in recent years."

Megan added, "Have you seen The Specials and Scooby-Doo? James Gunn wrote those films. I heard Universal is gearing up to remake George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, and he's tasked with writing the script."

Hawke watched the screen. The man was unfamiliar, but the name rang a bell. He appeared to be the director of Guardians of the Galaxy from his previous life.

Star-Lord, along with the scandals, now intertwined with the priests in the videos -- was this the company he kept?

In the next video, Megan continued, "This guy is Victor Salva, a well-known director in the '80s and '90s who made Clownhouse and Powder. He has a history of child molestation and served time. Francis Ford Coppola helped him avoid a long prison sentence."

Curious, Hawke asked, "What happened?"

Megan recounted simply, "For Clownhouse, directed by Victor with Coppola producing, during filming, he assaulted a child actor. The boy's mother sought Coppola's help, but he allegedly threatened her with a lawsuit if she spoke out, facing hefty damages instead."

She took a sip of water before continuing, "But that mother had connections; she called the police and alerted the media, resulting in Victor's prison sentence. Yet, for reasons unknown, Coppola went to great lengths to get him out early and even collaborated on Powder after."

Hawke could only conclude that Victor Salva held some leverage over Francis Ford Coppola.

Megan was blunt, "Roman Polanski isn't unique in Hollywood. He was just the one who got caught."

Hawke nodded, "Compared to these guys, Tom Cruise's beliefs hardly matter at all."

Megan remarked, "Who knows what else is hidden beneath that pretty face?"

Hawke wholeheartedly agreed, "This industry is rotten to the core."

Out of seven videos, one featured a church priest, four were connected to Hollywood, and Megan didn't recognize the last two.

She speculated, "Judging by those four, these two probably have ties to Hollywood."

Hawke noted, "The Catholic Church and Hollywood, the two most notorious enclaves of pedophilia in America, have now intersected in this incident."

Megan thought for a moment and said, "These are successful people in Hollywood. Money comes easily to them. In this day and age, it isn't easy to get donations from churchgoers; this might have led to these actions."

She stated a fact, "The biggest problem in Hollywood has always been pedophilia. Not just in the past, but currently, and likely in the future, it remains the industry's greatest issue."

Hawke shut off the video, got up, and paced around before turning back to Megan, "Interested in uncovering it?" He recalled when they first met, and Megan had mentioned she always wanted a big story: "Now that the big story is here, it could even win a Pulitzer."

Megan wasn't impulsive. Otherwise, she would have jumped at the chance when she heard Pat Kingsley's recording: "It might earn me a bullet."

Though she said this, she wasn't planning on acting recklessly: "Last time, it was just an unverified recording; now you've placed the video directly in front of me. If I don't report it, I might as well quit."

Hawke said directly, "Then you need to move fast. My people have sent out emails around the world. I estimate over 350 media outlets will receive relevant emails by tomorrow morning."

Megan, a natural for news, understood Hawke's meaning: "That's a good plan. Who knows how many stories on this topic have been suppressed by the media in the past? Not to mention Hollywood, who knows how many have never seen the light? If you're not an insider, who would know one of the four biggest directors, Coppola, was once involved in something like this?"

Hawke asked, "Can you persuade Channel 11?"

"Let's give it a shot." Megan had made up her mind, "What you did can help convince the higher-ups at Fox."

Hawke paused before adding, "I can also mention that the LAPD will take action."

Megan laughed knowingly, saying, "Your girlfriend doesn't seem like the justice-seeking type."

Hawke replied, "With Fox's exposure, the LAPD will have to act."

"This situation isn't typical of you," Megan remarked curiously, "I can't see what you stand to gain."

After a brief silence, Hawke finally explained, "It could make my environment a little better, put me in a better mood; that way, I'd be more motivated to make money."

Megan, knowing him well, didn't fully believe those words.

Hawke wouldn't reveal the other reason.

Doing so would ensure that Campos and his crew worked more reliably for him in the future.

Megan grabbed her storage drive, glanced at the time, and said, "I'll head back to Fox to speak with Director Cynthia. If all goes well, the special edition of Channel 11's Ace News will air these videos tonight."

Hawke saw her to the door, saying, "I'm waiting for your good news."

"You've already handled the hardest part." Megan didn't forget another detail, "You can't give me exclusive permission. The news licensing fee shouldn't be very high; I'll have my assistant contact you later."

Hawke replied, "Sounds good."

...

After she left, Megan drove directly to Fox, calling Channel 11's director, Cynthia Rosenberg, on the way.

Upon arriving at Fox Tower, she went straight up to the office of the channel's director.

Cynthia glanced at Megan, who rushed in, and asked, "Where's that big story you mentioned?"

Megan handed over the storage drive: "It involves the Catholic Church and some successful folks in Hollywood."

Cynthia's immediate reaction was, "They molested children?"

In journalism circles, this wasn't exactly a secret.

Megan confirmed, "Someone captured it on video."

Cynthia inserted the USB and quickly skimmed through the videos.

Megan had already organized them in order.

Thus, she first watched the clips of the two priests.

Megan briefly explained, "The two priests are Father Michael Baker and Father Steve Weiss from St. Beatrice Church, and the incidents occurred at St. Beatrice's Welfare School behind the church."

Cynthia nodded, remaining silent as she focused intently on the footage.

Shutting down the video window, she looked at Megan, "Are you ready to report?"

"If possible, I'd like to go live soon." Megan was forthright, "This could cause a nationwide stir."

Cynthia chuckled, "And then what, dear? From the Los Angeles Diocese to the Cardinal handling U.S. matters, even to the Vatican, they'll all be calling Fox, applying immense pressure."

Some stories could be reported casually, while others required caution; she knew the difference: "Let's hold off on this one. I'll communicate with the higher-ups..."

Megan anticipated that outcome, saying, "Director, there's one more thing I need to explain. The source of this news is a victim's family member, a computer whiz who managed to capture these videos. This person also collected email addresses of more than 300 media outlets around the world and has sent these materials to them."

Cynthia was quite surprised.

Megan continued, "We'll need to be cautious. Other networks will be wary, but what about emerging online media? European outlets? East Coast media? One of them will surely report on this."

She added, "From what I know, this individual has already reported to the LAPD and is a Twitter user; they could also tweet about it!"

Cynthia frowned, "This person is breaking unspoken rules in the media circle."

Megan said, "Director, times are changing. The rise of Internet media has given individuals a voice. This news will inevitably be exposed. Why can't it be Fox? If we lead the reporting, it serves Fox's interests best!"

*****

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