Chapter 127

Beverly Hills.

Rosie Beal’s house.

In charge of visiting Rosie Beal were the vice squad and David.

The three met in the parlor.

Rosie Beal was a white man in his forties with a mustache under his nose, not very tall, wearing a brown suit, looking gentlemanly and hot.

“Hey guys from the LAPD, if you’re here as guests, you’re welcome.

But if you’re here to ask about Abu Ghra, I have no comment.

I’ve never met the guy a total of two times and haven’t spoken much less gotten to know him.

However, he has caused me to face bankruptcy.”

The lieutenant shrugged, “No problem, we’re old friends, you don’t want to talk about Abu Ghra, so let’s talk about someone else.

How about talking about Courtney Bass?”

Rosie Beale smiled, “She’s a good actress and dedicated to her craft. Could have been a big hit with this movie, but unfortunately not very lucky.

She hated Abu Ghra more than I did.

You guys don’t suspect her of being a murderer, do you?

There’s no reason for her to do that.”

The lieutenant leaned forward, “Talking man to man, how does it feel to clap for love with her?”

“Wow wow …… how do you guys know that. The Robbery and Murder Division is even in charge of applauding for love these days, it’s trying to steal the paparazzi’s business, haha.” Rosie Beale laughed.

The lieutenant squared his shoulders and said, “Rosie, you’re a smart guy, stop beating around the bush.

You must know the news that Courtney Bass has been killed, so let’s not waste any more time, uh-huh.”

Rosie Beale sighed softly, “You’re right, I did hear something, but Courtney’s death has nothing to do with me, I just don’t want any trouble.”

“It’s not a matter of whether you want to look for it or not now, it’s a matter of the trouble has come to our door and we’re here to solve it. Do you think that just running away will solve the problem?”

Rosie Beale didn’t answer immediately, lit a cigarette and took a drag, “I did play poker with Courtney the day before yesterday, and it was she who took the initiative to contact me.

I was in a bad mood and hadn’t wanted to see her, but she was a cast member after all and I wanted to placate her.”

“Soothing to bed, how true.”

“I’m telling the truth, it was really to comfort her in the beginning, the actors in the cast are connected to each other, Courtney is the female lead, if she panicked, the cast would be in disarray as well.

At that time, I still expected the movie to be released, although it was unlikely, but it could still be released excluding the male lead.

And after this incident, the movie itself is already carrying its own heat.

All I have to do is cast a good male lead.

After learning of my idea, Courtney was afraid that she would be replaced and has been making overtures to me.

She’s the one who initiated it, I’m just ……” Rosie Beale gave a you-know-what look.

“What time did you guys meet?”

“The day after I got back from the police station, April 30th just after two in the afternoon.”

“At what location did you meet? Were there others?”

“We had an appointment at the Betsy Hotel, VIP suite on the 8th floor. There was no one else.”

The lieutenant pressed, “Did you take steps?”

Rosie Beal shook her head, “No, she didn’t mention it, I didn’t have it under control ……”

The lieutenant laughed, “You should work out, I’m much stronger than you at your age.”

Rosie Beale bristled, “Thanks for the offer, that’s so sweet.”

“What time did you leave the hotel?”

“A little after four in the afternoon, I can’t remember exactly.”

“Have you seen each other since then?”

“No, I’m not in the mood or energy to think about that sort of thing all the time, it was really her initiative.”

David continued, “Has anyone ever said that you’re pretty beat up?”

“There are a lot of people who think that, but it’s the first one who’s been as blunt as you.”

“Come on, he’s being tactful already.” The lieutenant laughed and continued, “Where were you on the night of April 30th, between ten o’clock and two o’clock in the morning on May 1st?”

“At home, as the babysitter can attest, she’s been with me for years and years.” Rosie Beal pointed to the large Mexican-American woman working in the kitchen.

“She makes really good taco’s, if I wasn’t afraid of delaying your investigation, I’d invite you to try some.”

The lieutenant shrugged, “Mr. Rossi, you’re too sincere.”

The Vice Squad brought out the large Mexican-American woman for a few questions, and the other party proved that Rossi had indeed not left the house last night.

While she wasn’t necessarily telling the truth, at least the procedure was fine.

From what was available, the two were clapping for love during the day, and Rosie Beal was not a strong suspect.

After asking a few more questions and not getting any valuable leads, the lieutenant and David left.

Returning to the office door, they happened to meet up with Luke and Blackie.

David greeted, “You guys just got back too?”

Blackie replied, “We can be much faster than you guys, not only did we come back, but we also brought Peter to do the wound identification comparison.”

David looked over at Luke, “How’s the investigation going?”

Luke shook his head, “It’s hard to say.”

Back in the office.

Susan gathered the crowd together for a meeting.

Luke and David each described the contents of the transcript.

Black thought about it, “Both seem to be just applauding for love, nothing suspicious.”

David said, “Generally speaking, things like using protection are requested by women, so why didn’t Rosie Beale use it, but instead her boyfriend Peter did.

General common sense says Courtney and Rosie are cheating on each other, in order to avoid being discovered all the more reason to use protection.”

Black smirked, “What’s not to understand about that, I’ve seen some scumbags grade men.

There are two main criteria for grading, one is looks and one economic condition.

The first grade is the ambiguous stage.

The second grade can be applauded for love stage.

The third grade can be dating.

The fourth grade can procreate.

Peter is now in the third grade, dentist has money and face, is the obvious boyfriend, can date, socialize, applaud for love, but has no right to procreate.

Rosie was in fourth gear, rich and well-connected in the entertainment industry, exactly the kind of partner Courtney would want, and she would be willing to give him children.

Maybe even actively want to carry each other’s children.

It’s as simple as that.”

Luke gave a thumbs up, “Good analysis.”

The lieutenant asked, “Speaking of shipping condoms, the survey team didn’t seem to find any at the scene.”

Luke replied, “According to Peter, put it in the toilet and flushed it.”

“He’ll know what a mistake he made when the toilet clogs.” The lieutenant lamented, delving into his analysis that

“If Rosie knew about it, but he didn’t want Courtney to get pregnant with his child, the two got into a confrontation over it, and then slipped up and killed each other.

That would be considered a motive.

We should keep an eye on this guy, I don’t like him very much.”

Susan nodded, “OK, the task of finding evidence of Rosie’s murder is yours.”

Matthew knocked on the door and walked into the conference room, “Guys, I found out something.”

Saying that, he put a piece of information on the projector, “I investigated the deceased’s communication records and found that in the last few days, the deceased was in frequent contact with a cell phone number of 626 876 4971.

From April 30th to May 3rd, the two spoke eight times in four days.

He was also the last contact of the deceased during his lifetime.

Best of all, it’s a bearer card.”

Susan praised, “Very good lead, hard work.”

“At your service, ma’am.”

“You’re one of the few gentlemen on our team, keep it up.”

Matthew said with a serious face, “I will.”

Black rolled his eyes and spoke like Matthew, “I will.”

Susan continued to organize the tasks, “Ramon, Jenny go to the Betsy Hotel to investigate and see if you can find any valuable clues.

Luke, Marcus, investigate this bearer card contact.”

“Yes, captain.”

Cavan Hotel.

Based on the bearer cell phone card location, Luke two found the motel.

Luke two walked towards the front desk.

A voluptuous woman of Mexican descent asked, “One room, or two?”

Blackie flashed his badge, “Hey, beautiful, we’d like to ask you a favor.”

“We are fully documented and a legitimate business, go somewhere else if you want trouble.”

Luke wasn’t buying her bullshit, people came to motels because they were cheap, and because they were loosely managed, and if they wanted to look into it they surely could.

“We’re not here for trouble, we’d like to ask you for help finding someone.”

“Got a warrant?”

“We can apply for one if you need one, and by the way, bring a few more people over here to check out this nice motel, I’m sure your boss will be very happy, and maybe even give you a long vacation.”

The woman stared at Luke for a few moments and pulled out a log book from the table and tossed it over, “The guest’s information is recorded in it.”

Luke picked up the booklet and flipped through it, looking at it for a while and revealing a smirk, “It’s him.”

“Knock knock ……”

“Who’s out there?” A man’s voice sounded in the room.

“Room service.” The plump Chicano woman shouted in a characteristic voice.

“Cackle ……”

The door opened and a white man stood in the doorway, none other than the assistant director of the Vanishing Lovers cast, Crapo Hino.

Luke smiled and greeted, “Hi, Assistant Director Crapo, we meet again, Courtney told me to say hello.”

On one side, Blackie held a gun on guard.

Crapo-Hino sighed and did not make a move to resist, “Damn woman actually betrayed me, should have known that she can’t be relied on.”

The police never announced the matter of Courtney’s murder, and it was only spread on a small scale.

Since Crapo Hino thought he had been betrayed by Courtney, Luke simply went along with it to see if he could swindle out valuable clues, “That’s right, she said a lot about you, so much that it surprised me.”

Crapo frowned slightly, “What did she say?

Her words cannot be trusted, that woman is a liar. Otherwise she wouldn’t have betrayed me.”

“Unbelievable or not, she at least said that if you won’t talk, we’ll have to take her statement.

Like your involvement in the killing of Abu Ghra.”

“I didn’t kill anyone.”

“So you admit to knowing that it was the double Abu Guerra who died, not Lucas himself, and that you were involved in falsifying evidence.”

“No, I was not involved.”

“I still remember very clearly that you were the first to say that the dead man could have been Lucas when I arrived at the burial site. That alone was reason enough for the police to suspect you.”

Crapoux-Hino sighed, “The two of them looked so much alike that I really thought the dead thing was Lucas, and I wasn’t lying to you.

You saw what happened, most of the bodies were buried in the dirt, half of their faces were bruised, and it’s not unusual to be mistaken.

I’m not lying about that, I could swear to God I’ve never lied to the police, at least not subjectively.”

“Then what are you running for? Don’t tell me you came to this little hotel for a vacation?”

“After the police left to investigate the scene, I did notice something was wrong, Abu Guerra was missing, he looked a lot like Lucas, and I carefully recalled the body in the big pit.

It was hard to tell whether it was him or Lucas, even if I thought it was more likely to look like him.

Later, I realized that things were getting a little out of whack on the set, and that Director Bell, Lucas’s wife, wasn’t quite the same as usual.

I suddenly realized that I might be involved in a mess.

My identity and position would be awkward to be caught in the middle of, and I could be in trouble if I wasn’t careful, so I thought it would be a good idea to stay out of all this shit and go away for a while, as a vacation for myself.

Sure enough, something ended up happening.”

Luke jotted down the highlights in his notebook, “What specifically is the trouble you’re referring to?”

Crapoux-Hino organized his words and said, “I guessed that Director Bell and the others were planning something, something that was not good and I didn’t want to get involved.

But I’m in a key position as part of the crew, and if Director Bell offers to let me help, it’s hard for me to refuse.

If I refuse, it’s not just Director Bell who will be offended, but probably the producers as well …… I’ll be in a difficult position.

I don’t want to lose this job, the best way is to go away for a while so that none of you can find me and stay out of the picture.

I’ll come back when it’s over.”

Blackie asked rhetorically, “If you guessed they were plotting, why didn’t you tell the police?”

“I didn’t guess, I just suspected. If I tell the police, whether this suspicion is true or not, I will lose my current job.

What would you have done?” Crapo-Hino pursed his lips and sighed.

“I know it’s wrong, but I’m not breaking the law.

Investigating cases is for the police, not for me. I didn’t break the law, I didn’t participate in the crime, and that’s enough.

I have a clear conscience.”

“A clear conscience?”

“Yes, I’m innocent.”

“Lucas doesn’t think so?”

Klapo-Sino laughed, “He’s not dead, it’s Abu Ghra who’s dead, does it matter what he thinks?”

“So you’re still cynical about him?”

“What are you referring to?”

“He stole Enosha Soest, your ex-girlfriend.”

“Come on, it’s been so long ago I’ve almost forgotten. I stopped caring a long time ago, there are plenty of good women in this world, and when I become a director someday, there will be better women who will fall in love with me.

An Enosha Soest is long gone from my heart.”

Luke asked rhetorically, “Then why did you hire someone to run Lucas over?”

Crapo Xeno froze, after a long moment, “I don’t know what you mean by that?”

“Ada has already explained that you paid fifty thousand dollars to instruct her to run over Lucas. Don’t you think it’s shameful to take advantage of a woman who is raising tuition money for her child’s health?”

Crapo-Hino showed a nervous look, sweat stains appearing on his forehead, “What she said isn’t true, she’s making a false accusation.”

Luke laughed, “Do you think a jury would believe you or a poor mother. Even if she’s at fault and breaks the law, it could be perceived that you’re the one who instigated it, and you’d be more guilty.”

“FUCK!” said Crapo-Hino, scratching his hair vigorously, “I shouldn’t have done this stupid thing in the first place, I shouldn’t have made such a cheap mistake, it’s not my style.”

“Do you admit to hiring Ida to run over Lucas?”

“I admit to hiring Ida to crash the car, but only to give Lucas a minor injury to keep him out of the movie Vanishing Lovers, I never wanted him dead.

I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

Klapo-Sino’s statement matched Ida’s, and Luke continued, “Why did you do it?”

Crapo-Hino sighed, “Lucas is an ungrateful bastard, and I did him a huge favor in getting that role.

I didn’t ask him to return the favor, but at least have a minimum of respect, but he didn’t.

He thinks he’s the lead actor and doesn’t give a shit about me as an assistant director, calling me out as if I’m an ordinary employee of the crew.

This kind of betrayal makes me very angry.

I didn’t want to see him on this set, much less work with him, not even for a day.

I told Ada to bump him, nothing too serious, just not to be able to act in the movie.”

“You said you had helped Lucas?”

“Yes, I helped him get the leading man role.”

“Why? Don’t you guys have a grudge?”

Crapoux-Hino hesitated for a moment, “Enosha Soest approached me and talked to me a lot, they weren’t having a very good time and asked for my help.

I went soft.” Klapo Xeno gave a bitter smile, “You’re right, I can’t get her out of my mind.

Especially when she opened her mouth to ask for help, that kind of feeling …… makes it impossible to refuse.

After that, that foul temper of Lucas’s often caused trouble on the set and also clashed with me.

Enosha Soest often came to the set to visit and help him wipe his ass.

If it wasn’t for Enosha Soest begging me, I would have turned my back on him long ago.

That guy is nothing but a good-looking piece of shit!”

Luke flashed his handcuffs, “Maybe you’ll run into each other in jail and you can tell him yourself.”

Crapo-Sino stepped back, “Wait, I have a situation to report.”

“What kind of situation?”

“Can I get a reduced sentence if I can help you find the suspect who killed Abu Ghra?”

“Of course, we’ll help you get it. You assist the police, and we’ll cover you.”

Crapo took a deep breath, “I saw the dead man the other night, I thought it was Lucas at the time, and saw him with a woman who looked close.

Curious, I went over to see it closer only to realize it was the double, Abu Grah.

Seeing that it wasn’t Lucas, I didn’t bother.”

“What kind of woman? Tell us the characteristics.”

“You can really help me reduce my sentence?”

Luke pointed to the law enforcement recorder, “As long as the clues you provide are helpful in apprehending the suspect, I’ll keep my word.”

“The woman with Abu Ghra is not very old, white, long brown hair, and wearing a large silver earring.

You will recognize her if you see her.”