Chapter 94: It's All Butterfly's Doing

[Chapter 94: It's All Butterfly's Doing]

"Gang fight at the Durham Steel Yard!"

"Death toll exceeds fifty!"

"Sources claim that the gangs involved are the Bates Killers and the Crips. The Bates Killers leader, Kenwal, was killed on the spot, with all casualties being members of the Bates Killers, and the injuries to the Crips remain unclear."

"According to reliable reports, this was the Crips' retaliation for the previous killing of twenty of their members by the Bates Killers. It's puzzling why retaliation would happen in Los Angeles."

The gunfight at Durham Steel Yard made headlines the next day, causing a stir.

It was 2001. American gangs had not been as rampant as they were in the 20s or 30s, although large-scale gang conflicts still occurred, they were not as common.

Moreover, this report was particularly detailed, with someone capturing most of the gunfight on tape!

WND News Network and the Los Angeles Herald went viral once again, releasing a plethora of photos and even footage from the shootout.

The video had clear editing traces; it mainly showed the Bates Killers members being gunned down in the shadows. As for the flying guns, they just weren't real... but even if they were, it didn't matter; if the Crips gang didn't speak, they were invisible in the night.

As for the crime scene investigation, don't count on it because the Crips had already cleaned it up -- despite the loud gunfire, being in one of the most chaotic neighborhoods meant police would not respond promptly to a shootout.

They could turn a five-minute response into fifty minutes.

So by the time the police arrived, the scene had long been cleared, with even the cars gone.

To get a sense of the details, they would rely entirely on the news reports.

...

At the Los Angeles Police Department, when Chief Beaton stepped out of the precinct, a swarm of reporters surrounded him.

They thrust microphones in his face, shouting:

"Chief Beaton, what do you think about the shootout at the Durham Steel Yard?"

Chief Beaton answered seriously, "We strongly condemn such behavior between gangs!"

"Chief Beaton, I heard the police arrived forty minutes after the shootout began?"

Chief Beaton replied, "I regret to say that we deal with a high volume of cases every day, and we do not have enough personnel to manage this, resulting in a delayed response time. I strongly urge the city government to increase our budget next year; after all, it is crucial for maintaining local safety."

"Chief Beaton, do you know the specifics of the situation at this time?"

Beaton noticed the question had come from a reporter from the Los Angeles Herald and replied sharply, "No matter how much I know, you know more since you filmed the entire scene, didn't you? Why interview me instead of Ian Carr?"

"Chief Beaton, is there a connection between this shootout and the recent hotel shooting? Reports say a shooter in that incident was closely linked to Kenwal."

Beaton waved his hand in dismissal, offering his classic reply: "I have no comment."

Pushing through the crowd, Chief Beaton hopped into his car, growing increasingly frustrated as he shouted, "Belman, find Ian Carr!"

...

In the office of the Chairman of the Los Angeles Herald.

Officer Belman and Katherine sat across from Ian.

Belman smiled, "Mr. Carr, regardless of the circumstances, I still hope you'll cooperate with us."

Ian raised an eyebrow, "Cooperate how? I already told you, Butterfly merely set up a camera there; he didn't go himself."

Katherine said, "But he edited the video. We need the original footage!"

Ian shook his head, "You can ask him for it, but according to him, the original footage has already been deleted and doesn't exist anymore."

Katherine huffed angrily, "You're talking nonsense!"

Ian glanced at her with disdain, pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote down an address, handing it to Katherine, "This is his address. You can go knock on his door and see if he'll give it to you. You can threaten him, even throw him in jail; see if he'll budge."

Katherine slammed her fist on the table and stood up, "Ian Carr, are you going to use an AIDS patient as your shield? You think we don't understand?"

Ian laughed heartily, "I wouldn't admit to that. This news has nothing to do with me; it's all Butterfly's doing!"

Belman waved lightly, signaling Katherine to sit down.

He sighed, "Mr. Carr, this incident has escalated significantly; we need to give the public an explanation. Perhaps you can think of a solution?"

Ian nodded in satisfaction, "Now that's the kind of smart talk I like to hear."

He waved his cigar, leaning it towards Belman as he continued, "Here's a suggestion: let the Crips arrange for a few people to take the fall... oh, don't mention my connection to them; reporters often know a lot of people, and I'm just good at making friends."

Belman shook his head, "That's not enough."

"What if there's evidence?" Ian pressed.

"Huh?" Belman was surprised.

Ian waved his hand, "Not evidence that they committed murder, but they cleaned up the scene, didn't they? Butterfly told me he filmed some people cleaning up, but he did not send it to me. You wanted the edited parts, right? This part... if all goes well, it might still exist."

Belman understood.

The video had been edited, but what was cut out was entirely at the editor's discretion.

In that scenario, throwing in some other content to create confusion along with evidence of cleaning the scene could land them a conviction.

The problem could be resolved!

Rather, they were just going to play it off.

After all, everyone got by that way; the LAPD were experts at this.

Belman nodded lightly, "That sounds good."

"But I'll need a little help, too," Ian stated.

"What do you need?"

Ian looked towards Katherine.

He smiled, "My last proposal is still valid; it just didn't seem like enough back then, and now it should be enough?"

Katherine took a deep breath.

Belman looked at Katherine strangely. What, are you going to share a bed with him?

After a long pause, Katherine finally pulled out a piece of paper, wrote down an address, and handed it to Ian, "This is his address and workplace."

Ian smiled.

I knew you'd look it up!

Of course, Katherine looking this up wasn't about transaction; she was also curious why Ian was so interested in that Muhammad Atta, so she had to check.

Now, to solve the case, Katherine finally relented.

Putting away the address, Ian picked up the phone, "Phil, the police will be looking for you shortly, give them that footage."

Having sorted this out, Belman breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Ian and said, "Mr. Carr, there's a question I don't understand."

Ian replied directly, "You're wondering how he knew there would be a shootout there?"

Belman nodded.

Ian chuckled, "Everyone has their own sources of information; in this reporting business, if you don't know a few gang members, how are you going to be a journalist? With such a large-scale clash, it's normal for news to leak."

Katherine blurted out, "But we didn't get any advance notice."

Ian grinned widely, "Are you saying you're incompetent?"

*****

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