Chapter 11

"This is the second time you've made the headlines this week."

Sitting in the booth at the restaurant, Cara put down her knife and fork, "I really don't know what to say."

Murphy swallowed the last bite of food, picked up the napkin to wipe his mouth, and said, "I've been studying composition recently. When shooting, good composition not only attracts the audience's attention but also makes them stay longer, blending the subject with the scenery."

These skills are not only useful for his current job but would also be valuable if he were to enter Hollywood.

Cara was somewhat surprised, "You are a very ambitious young man."

"Are you making yourself sound too old?" Murphy laughed, "You're only twenty-six this year, and you look like you're in your early twenties."

Women generally enjoy such flattery, and Cara was no exception. However, after some time of interaction, she knew that the young man across from her had strong goals and a complex mind. She frowned slightly and asked deliberately, "You talk so sweetly, are you trying to pursue me?"

"Do you think we are a good match?" Murphy countered.

Cara looked at him but said nothing, seemingly trying to see through Murphy's true intentions.

"You are capable, beautiful, and sexy..." Murphy's eyes deliberately swept over Cara's tall and well-proportioned figure, "When you wear a business suit, you have a very attractive aura, making you an excellent one-night stand."

Before Cara could react, he continued, "If you are willing to have a relationship with me that goes beyond friendship but does not involve love, I would welcome it with open arms. As for a girlfriend, forget it; few men can tolerate your work schedule."

"Cara," Cara was not angry but asked, "Tell me, what is your purpose in finding me? It can't just be to make these boring jokes, right?"

"I think this news story should be followed up." Murphy thought for a moment and said straightforwardly, "The news has already been broadcast, and the police will likely come to me soon. I need your cooperation in some areas."

For the sake of ratings, Cara would not abandon this news story, "As long as there is no court order, the police can't do anything to the TV station, and I will continue to pursue it."

Murphy nodded; as long as the TV station was willing to continue digging, his subsequent actions would be more valuable, otherwise, he would lose a significant amount of income.

"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" Cara was a bit puzzled; she would not let go of this news story no matter what.

"Yes, I just wanted your personal confirmation." Murphy picked up his water glass and took a sip, speaking calmly, "I was afraid you might give in to police pressure and give up, like in the Long Beach serial murders two years ago."

"I'm not the same person I was back then."

At that time, she was much younger, more committed to journalistic ethics, and had a softer personality. Cara asked in surprise, "How did you know about that?"

"There's something called the internet." Murphy raised his finger and pointed at her, "On a few new search websites, just by entering your name, you can find out some of the things you've done in the past. You don't even need a name; just a license plate number or social security number, and you can find your contact information and address."

In this era, the internet in North America was far more advanced than in the Pacific region. Even Murphy, after being released from prison, realized that he couldn't view the internet industry in North America with the same perspective as the Pacific region.

After experiencing so much hardship in North America, the only thing that comforted Murphy was that the flow of information was far superior to that in the Pacific region at the same time.

Cara said sarcastically, "I didn't expect you to know how to use the internet."

"Of course! I've learned a lot through the internet." Murphy said half-jokingly, "I just started learning about business marketing."

Cara believed about eighty percent of what Murphy said. The Murphy she saw was someone who knew how to work hard, and such a person was worth appreciating.

Therefore, she asked tentatively, "My production team has an external position. Are you interested?"

This position offered stable income and benefits, which many people desired. Cara recognized Murphy's work ability, so she extended the olive branch.

"No!" Murphy shook his head directly, "I won't stay in the news industry for long, and I don't want our relationship to change from collaborators to a superior-subordinate relationship."

"Do you want to change careers?"

Hearing Cara's question, Murphy nodded solemnly but didn't say more. At his current position, saying he would become a celebrity in Hollywood would just be a joke.

Leaving the restaurant, Murphy bid farewell to Cara, mustered his strength, and drove toward downtown Los Angeles. His mind was still processing everything that had happened from last night to now. This was undoubtedly his best chance to earn his first pot of gold. As long as he had enough startup capital, his film plan could be implemented.

Like everyone else, the first step and the first pot of gold were always the hardest.

Murphy recalled the initial plan he had formulated last night. If the police acted in their usual manner, the possibility of getting an opportunity was almost certain, and he could control the development of events as the main actor. To put it bluntly, he would be the director of the entire play!

Thinking about this, Murphy's spirits lifted. This was indeed a good opportunity to be a director, and the play he might direct could be a real, intense drama!

He would be the director and cinematographer, while the police and the two black criminals would be the main actors...

Back home, he took a quick shower, temporarily put aside these thoughts, and fell asleep. However, he was soon woken up by persistent knocking on the door.

"Just a moment!"

He picked up a towel, wiped his face, looked through the peephole, and then opened the door. Outside were a middle-aged white man and woman.

The man looked at him and asked, "Are you Murphy Stanton?"

Seeing Murphy nod, he took out his badge and identification and introduced himself, "I'm Detective Collins from the Los Angeles Police Department, and this is Detective Sarah."

"Please come in."

Murphy led the two into the living room and asked after they sat down, "Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thank you."

The two were clearly led by the middle-aged man, who waved his hand and got straight to the point, "Were you at Bill Road in Santa Monica Valley last night?"

"Yes."

Getting a positive answer from Murphy, the middle-aged man stood up and walked to the video camera on the table, "Did you film the inside of the house?"

Murphy had anticipated that the police would come, so he nodded readily, "Yes, I did."

"You entered someone's home and filmed various areas," the male detective turned back, crossed his arms, and said sternly, "You even filmed the victim's body before the police arrived!"

If this had happened before, Murphy would have been panic-stricken at such an attitude from the police, but the past year's experiences had given him enough composure and calm.

"The doors to the estate and the house were open."

This was indeed the case, and Murphy's words were partly true, "I was passing by Bill Road and heard gunshots inside. I wanted to go in and see if I could help."

"You went to a crime scene!" the male detective stared at him intently.

Upon learning that someone had entered the house before the police, the police had suspected the intruder might be the killer, but they quickly ruled it out.

Although there were no road surveillance cameras in the residential area, the video from the main road in the valley showed that the victim had called the police while this man was driving toward Beverly Hills.

"I didn't know it was a crime scene at first." Murphy spread his arms, "I thought someone was in trouble. As a law-abiding, ethical, and热心的洛杉矶市民，我认为我应该去看看，说不定能帮助遇到困难的人。"

男警探的目光越来越犀利，“你拍摄了现场，并把它卖给了电视台。”

“我是一个很有职业道德的人，从事的是专业的新闻视频采集工作。”墨菲理所当然地说道，“这是我的工作。”

除了闯入私人住宅，墨菲并没有做其他过分的事情，而且住宅里的人都死了，谁会追究这方面的责任？

墨菲知道这两位警探是在虚张声势，并不害怕他们，何况他早就预料到这种情况，做了充分的准备。

女警探这时站起来走到男警探身边，轻轻拍了他的后背一下，用较为柔和的语气问道，“斯坦顿先生，你有看到特别的情况吗？”

用大洋对岸的话来说，这是典型的一个唱白脸，一个唱黑脸。

“有！”墨菲却点了头。

两位警探的眼睛同时亮了。

“什么情况？”女警探的态度更好了。

“两名男子驾驶一辆汽车离开。”墨菲做出思考状，“应该是两个黑人。”

女警探追问道，“你看到了他们？”

“只是朦胧的外形，当时天很黑，我也很害怕，不敢靠近。”墨菲很努力地想了一番，“汽车是一辆黑色或其他深色的轿车，两个黑人身材高大，应该都留着光头。”

“还能具体点吗？”

在洛杉矶，这样外貌特征的人至少能找到几十万，“比如身高，外形，纹身，伤疤。”

“很抱歉。”墨菲故作无奈地说道，“天太黑了，他们也太黑了，在那样的光线条件下看清一个黑人是不现实的。”

两个警探也很无奈，在光线很差的夜晚想要看清黑人的外貌，确实太难了。

但他们没有死心，男警探又问道，“你没有拍下这些？”

墨菲毫不犹豫地摇了摇头，“没有，我是从进入房门才开始拍摄的。”

女警探见问不到更多有用的信息，又说道，“我们需要一份你拍下的录像视频。”

“没问题。”墨菲带他们进入工作室，从笔记本电脑上复制了一份，交给两位警探后说道，“如果我能想起有价值的东西，会与警方联系的。”

虽然持有一定的怀疑态度，但墨菲积极配合的态度还是打消了两位警探的一些疑虑。他们拿到视频后，很快告辞离开了这里。

关好房门，墨菲回到工作间，坐在笔记本电脑前，查看最新的这方面的消息。到了下午，警方终于公布了一条重要的悬赏信息。

洛杉矶警方悬赏十万美元寻找昨晚案件有价值的线索！

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“作为一个热心的洛杉矶市民，我认为我应该去看看，说不定能帮助遇到困难的人。”

男警探的目光越来越犀利，“你拍摄了现场，并把它卖给了电视台。”

“我是一个很有职业道德的人，从事的是专业的新闻视频采集工作。”墨菲理所当然地说道，“这是我的工作。”

除了闯入私人住宅，墨菲并没有做其他过分的事情，而且住宅里的人都死了，谁会追究这方面的责任？

墨菲知道这两位警探是在虚张声势，并不害怕他们，何况他早就预料到这种情况，做了充分的准备。

女警探这时站起来走到男警探身边，轻轻拍了他的后背一下，用较为柔和的语气问道，“斯坦顿先生，你有看到特别的情况吗？”

用大洋对岸的话来说，这是典型的一个唱白脸，一个唱黑脸。

“有！”墨菲却点了头。

两位警探的眼睛同时亮了。

“什么情况？”女警探的态度更好了。

“两名男子驾驶一辆汽车离开。”墨菲做出思考状，“应该是两个黑人。”

女警探追问道，“你看到了他们？”

“只是朦胧的外形，当时天很黑，我也很害怕，不敢靠近。”墨菲很努力地想了一番，“汽车是一辆黑色或其他深色的轿车，两个黑人身材高大，应该都留着光头。”

“还能具体点吗？”

在洛杉矶，这样外貌特征的人至少能找到几十万，“比如身高，外形，纹身，伤疤。”

“很抱歉。”墨菲故作无奈地说道，“天太黑了，他们也太黑了，在那样的光线条件下看清一个黑人是不现实的。”

两个警探也很无奈，在光线很差的夜晚想要看清黑人的外貌，确实太难了。

但他们没有死心，男警探又问道，“你没有拍下这些？”

墨菲毫不犹豫地摇了摇头，“没有，我是从进入房门才开始拍摄的。”

女警探见问不到更多有用的信息，又说道，“我们需要一份你拍下的录像视频。”

“没问题。”墨菲带他们进入工作室，从笔记本电脑上复制了一份，交给两位警探后说道，“如果我能想起有价值的东西，会与警方联系的。”

虽然持有一定的怀疑态度，但墨菲积极配合的态度还是打消了两位警探的一些疑虑。他们拿到视频后，很快告辞离开了这里。

关好房门，墨菲回到工作间，坐在笔记本电脑前，查看最新的这方面的消息。到了下午，警方终于公布了一条重要的悬赏信息。

洛杉矶警方悬赏十万美元寻找昨晚案件有价值的线索！

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束