Chapter 15

PS. Here is today's update, and I'm also taking the opportunity to promote the 515 Fan Festival on Qidian. Everyone has 8 votes, and voting also gives Qidian coins. I humbly request everyone's support and appreciation!

"Answer questions with caution."

Sitting behind a desk in an office at the Los Angeles Police Department, Murphy was still thinking about the lawyer's advice over the phone, "Be careful of the language traps in the police's words."

When he left the TV station, Murphy, as expected, encountered the police. He voluntarily agreed to assist them, which led him to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The current situation was entirely within Murphy's expectations. Assisting with the investigation did not make him nervous, especially since he was well-prepared.

After waiting for not long, the door was pushed open from the outside, and two detectives, a man and a woman, whom Murphy recognized, walked in. They put down their folders and pens and sat opposite him. Both of their expressions were not pleasant, as if they were preparing to interrogate a criminal.

Murphy remained calm. His lawyer was on the way, and the reporter sent by Channel 6, Kara Fice, was waiting outside the police station.

After all, he was just a freelance journalist who had filmed a news video, not a criminal who had broken the law.

"The rights have already been read to you," the male detective began, "and you came here voluntarily, right?"

"Exactly," Murphy nodded lightly, "that's right."

"You also know this is being recorded?"

Upon hearing this, Murphy looked at the camera in the corner of the opposite wall and said in a joking tone, "Of course! I saw that camera, and it's even a wide-angle shot."

The male detective seemed to be provoked by this, stopped flipping through the file, and sat up straight, saying, "Why were you in Beverly Hills and Mo's Pizza tonight, and why did you call the police?"

He stared directly into Murphy's eyes, as if trying to see through everything.

"I am a freelance journalist, and my main work area is Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills."

The other party's eyes clearly flickered. Murphy was stating basic facts. He knew that to get through, most of what he said had to be true and withstand scrutiny. "I left downtown tonight and went to West Hollywood first. While waiting for news in a middle-class community there, I suddenly noticed a car on the side of the road, and someone in it was staring at me."

Murphy was stating the facts, "At first, I didn't pay much attention, but after driving around the middle-class community for a while, I realized that the car and the person were following me. I felt something was wrong and shook them off."

The two detectives remained expressionless.

"When I was about to leave that community, I saw that car again from a distance," Murphy's tone was steady, "I was curious why they were following me, so I followed them from a distance. Not far from there, the car picked up another person on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. I recognized them but couldn't remember where I had seen them before."

The female detective glanced at the male detective, seeing the same suspicion in his eyes.

"My driving skills are not great, and to avoid being discovered, I kept a distance from them. When we entered Ronald Avenue, I lost them," Murphy added a lie to the mostly true story, "Although I was curious about why that car was following me, I still had work to do, so I decided to give up on finding out the truth."

He cleared his throat, "Unexpectedly, I saw that car again at the intersection of Ronald Avenue and 7th Street. The two people were just getting out of the car and entering the pizza place."

"Did you confirm they were the criminals?" the male detective asked.

"No, no, I just thought their figures looked familiar," Murphy shook his head and then continued, "But when one of them entered the restaurant, I saw a gun under his clothes, and that's when I confirmed it was them!"

The female detective suddenly spoke, "You said earlier that you didn't see their faces clearly."

"I indeed didn't see their faces clearly," Murphy spread his hands, "It was too dark to see, but I could remember a person's build and make a judgment based on their build and walking style, plus they had... a gun!"

Murphy shrugged, "I'm sure you know that many people can identify someone by their build and gait, so I took out my phone and immediately called the police."

The male detective's face showed a hint of mockery, "Is that your story?"

"That's the truth!" Murphy said firmly, "That's why I came here voluntarily to report the situation to you!"

He added, "I suspect those two people saw the news video I shot and traced it back to me, and they were planning to do something to me."

Murphy sat there, as honest as a newborn child.

"Very impressive," the male detective did not hide his mockery, "Do you want to know what I think about this?"

"Of course," Murphy nodded, "Please go ahead."

"I think you withheld information. I think you saw the two men committing the crime on Bill Road," the male detective stood up, looking down at Murphy, "You saw the car and then hid it, to get the material you wanted to film."

He stared at Murphy, "Is that right?"

"Very impressive story, but unfortunately, it's not true," Murphy met the male detective's gaze without hesitation, "I am a responsible citizen of Los Angeles and would not do such a thing. It also goes against my professional ethics."

The male detective leaned forward, "You are as good as a murderer!"

"You have a colleague who is seriously injured, I understand why you think that, but it's not the truth," Murphy remained calm, "I did not do that, and my professional ethics do not allow me to make such a mistake."

"You won't fool me," the male detective's emotions were agitated.

"I never intended to deceive you," Murphy looked at him, "You know I'm telling the truth."

"I think you're lying!" The male detective pressed his hands on the table, leaning forward to intimidate Murphy, "You're a deceitful person who will do anything to achieve your goals!"

Murphy looked at him without blinking.

The male detective continued, "You filmed it and sold it all!"

"I am a journalist," Murphy said matter-of-factly, "It's my duty. My duty tells me I cannot ignore such news, and I cannot let the public miss such news. They have the right to know."

"You..." The male detective's hand raised, "We will make you pay..."

The female detective quickly pulled him back. The male detective subconsciously looked at the camera behind him and swallowed the rest of his words.

Murphy remained very calm sitting opposite them.

The two detectives were not fools. They knew they had encountered a formidable opponent. This person was meticulous and composed, making him very difficult to deal with.

Most importantly, they had no evidence to prove that he was lying.

In Los Angeles, many main roads have surveillance cameras. The video and images they could obtain showed that the route of the black Ford car matched exactly what the person opposite them had said.

Channel 6 of Fox News was closely watching the police station. Without evidence, they could not take any excessive actions. The Channel 6 reporter was outside the police station, hoping for them to make some excessive moves.

Not long after, Murphy's lawyer, Robert, arrived at the police station. As a person who had come voluntarily to assist with the investigation, Robert did not have much trouble getting the procedures done with the police. When the sky was completely bright, Murphy and his lawyer walked out of the police station in broad daylight.

"Thank you, Robert."

In the parking lot in front of the police station, Murphy shook hands with Robert, "This incident made me realize the importance of professionals like you. As a witness, I almost suffered from unfair treatment by the police."

"I will protest to the police," Robert shook hands with Murphy and reminded him, "If there are any more troubles, remember to call me first."

Murphy nodded lightly, "I will."

To avoid the tragedy of his predecessor, Murphy, after having a stable income, did not hesitate to spend a large sum of money to hire a well-known lawyer like Robert. There was a reason for this.

To live a relatively stable and decent life in this country, having your own lawyer is essential.

Just as he got into his car, Murphy's mobile phone rang. Without looking, he answered it directly, "Hello, this is Murphy-Stanton."

"Murphy, it's me, Kara," a slightly tired female voice came from the other end, "How did the police treat you?"

"A bit," Murphy answered calmly, "But I handled it."

Perhaps the videos provided in the past two days had indeed improved the ratings. Kara, on the other end of the phone, rarely showed concern, "Don't let your guard down, especially don't do anything that might make the police feel sensitive recently."

Murphy nodded, "I know, I'm trying to avoid them as much as possible now."

With so many things happening in the past two days, Murphy was very clear that he must have made it onto the Los Angeles Police Department's blacklist. Although they had no evidence against him, if they caught him in a vulnerable spot, they would settle all old and new accounts.

After hanging up with Kara, Murphy reviewed the recent events, confirming there were no oversights, and then started his car and left the parking lot.

To many people, this was definitely not worth it, but Murphy did not regret it at all. The process of accumulating capital has never been smooth, always filled with hardships. As a person with almost no presence, he had to use some extraordinary means to obtain a substantial start-up fund.

Besides, this is America, not the other side of the Pacific where he was born and raised.

Murphy never had the sentiment of a universal saint.

Back home, Murphy did not rest but, despite his fatigue and drowsiness, went to the bank first. He deposited a $30,000 and a $100,000 check into his bank account.

With money in hand, Murphy knew he still needed to deal with the tax authorities. He had already offended the LAPD and did not want to get into trouble with the IRS, which was even more troublesome.

These matters could be handled by his lawyer, and the tax season was still far away, so there was no immediate worry.

In the following days, Murphy met with his lawyer, Robert, several times, asking him to claim the $100,000 reward from the Los Angeles Police Department.

[The 515 is coming soon, hoping to continue to impact the 515 Red Packet List. On May 15th, the red packet rain will reward readers and promote the work. Even a small amount is love, and I will definitely update well!]

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