Creak!
First, there was the sound of a door opening and closing, then a man said, "You're here, Janet. Patty, make some coffee."
"Add more sugar. Recent events have upset me. I need something sweet," a woman said.
Dan Jones paused the recording and looked at Eric, asking, "Doesn't that woman's voice sound familiar?"
"Is that Janet Avizo?"
Dan Jones nodded, "That's right, it's her. I followed her for a few days and finally located the target."
"This man is Larry Feldman, Janet Avizo's lawyer, and also Evan Chandler's lawyer in the 1993 molestation case."
"I sent someone to his office, pretending to be a consultant, and with great effort, I finally got this recording."
"Boss, you'll soon know why I'm worth this price!"
With that, she pressed the voice recorder, and the interrupted conversation continued.
Larry Feldman laughed and said, "Are you still upset? A bright future is beckoning you, Janet."
Then came Janet Avizo's laughter: "Of course I'm upset, and the closer it gets to the trial, the more upset I get. What if I don't get the money? That's what I'm worried about."
Larry Feldman: "Whether you get the money depends on whether we work together. As long as you listen to me, I guarantee I can help you get a large sum in compensation."
"You know, ten years ago, I helped Evan Chandler get 23 million dollars, and that was in 1993."
"And now it's 2003. Everyone's lives are better, prices have risen, and 23 million dollars is clearly not enough. Our goal is 50 million dollars."
Janet Avizo was a little surprised: "Last time we met, didn't you say 30 million dollars was enough? Why is it an extra 20 million?"
"And with so much money, will Michael Jackson pay? He's not a fool!"
Larry Feldman chuckled, "Of course he's not a fool, but Jackson is a big star, he was, and he still is."
"I know these big stars too well. They care about their reputation because reputation is equivalent to money for them."
"He definitely doesn't want things to escalate further; that would be even more detrimental to him."
"In 1993, I was able to force Jackson to pay, and it will be the same this time."
Janet hummed, "Then I'll leave it to you, Lawyer Larry. No matter what means you use, I must get this money."
Larry Feldman: "Of course, your fee is equivalent to my fee. Now let me teach you what to say and what to do."
"First, we must ensure that your son, Gavin Avizo, stands firmly with us."
"Theoretically, he is the main litigant, but since he is a minor, you act on his behalf. So everything Gavin says must be beneficial to us, understand?"
Janet replied with certainty, "Don't worry, Lawyer. Gavin is my son. Of course he'll stand with me. Would he stand with Jackson instead of his own mother?"
"That's not necessarily true. Never be careless, Janet. Ten years ago, to persuade that child, Jordi Chandler, to sue Jackson for molesting him, we spent a lot of time. You don't know how much effort was put in behind the scenes."
"Fortunately, we finally succeeded in changing Jordi's mind and got that child to ultimately stand on our side."
"Later, I heard that Jordi felt very bad inside. He was tormented. After all, Jackson was very good to him. It takes immense psychological resilience to make a child lie and frame his idol."
"He also had a very bad relationship with his father, Evan. The two are almost out of contact now, and this reason may not be absent from it."
"Your son originally had cancer, and he was cured thanks to Jackson's funding. With such a great kindness, if he softens his heart at that time, all our efforts will be in vain."
"Not only that, but we will also be reviled. You'd better prepare to move, and I'll have to go abroad to avoid the limelight."
Hearing this, Janet's tone was a little worried: "It seems we need to train Gavin, Lawyer Larry. You'd best write a clear outline, telling him what to say, and I'll have the child memorize it."
"Hmm, that's best. Also, I'll write one for you. You must remember it no matter what method you use."
"I have to memorize it too? Damn, I'm terrible at this kind of thing. I didn't even finish middle school."
"Haha, as long as you silently repeat to yourself that this outline is worth 50 million dollars, you'll definitely memorize it."
"Okay, for this money, I'll do it."
Larry Feldman then said, "There's another important matter. We need to take Gavin to Dr. Mathis."
"Who is he? What for?"
"A psychiatrist. He will issue us a psychiatric evaluation report, which is an important basis for prosecution and claims."
"Back then, Jordi Chandler was unwilling to sue Jackson. His father, Evan Chandler, and I tried to persuade him for a long time, but it didn't work well. Finally, Mathis made the final decision and convinced the child. Mathis is a professional."
"Okay, everything will be done as you say. We will definitely get this money."
"Don't worry, many people will be willing to help us, including Santa Barbara Prosecutor Tom Schneider. He has always been very hostile towards Michael Jackson."
"In 1993, it was he who strongly insisted that Jackson was guilty, which gave us strong confidence."
"Uh, then, do we still need to give him a share of the money?" Janet asked hesitantly, her tone clearly revealing reluctance.
"The money can be discussed later, when we get it."
The recording ended here; there was nothing useful after that.
Dan Jones pushed the lipstick towards Eric: "Boss, are you satisfied with the value of this recording?"
Eric exhaled deeply, his fists clenched tightly. These scoundrels, these ungrateful wretches.
Damn, they're all a bunch of vampires, trying to drain MJ dry.
He really wanted to release the recording now, find TV stations, spread it online, and tear off these bastards' masks.
But he had to hold back for now. He needed to meet Michael first and discuss it in detail. Releasing it rashly might make the other party prepared, which would be detrimental to the trial.
A sudden strike is the only way to kill with one blow!
Forcing a smile, Eric praised, "Ms. Jones, you really didn't disappoint me. No wonder they say you're top-notch in the industry."
Dan Jones wiggled her finger: "Don't jump to conclusions. Take a look at this."
With that, she took out a file bag from her purse, opened the seal, and pulled out a stack of documents.
"These are Janet Avizo's criminal records. This woman is indeed a repeat offender. Although it cannot be used as direct evidence in the molestation case, it can prove her character."
"The judge will consider everything. For a woman with a long criminal record, even if she cries her eyes out, her credibility will be questionable. People will think those are crocodile tears."
Eric opened the records and found that this woman had indeed done quite a few dirty deeds.
These included theft, extortion, public indecency, public urination, insulting and abusing others, etc.
The most recent record occurred over two years ago when she was caught shoplifting at a supermarket.
The supermarket security guard had a conflict with her and called the police to arrest her.
However, a few weeks later, Janet surprisingly bit back, suing the supermarket security guard for sexually abusing her, claiming she was choked on the chest 25 times and beaten.
But this behavior is very strange. What woman, when being sexually abused, has the leisure to count how many times she was choked!
The security guard, on the other hand, stated that he had not abused her at all, and that the bruises on Janet's body were self-inflicted, and her purpose was extortion.
The matter ultimately went to court. Due to lack of direct evidence, and under Janet's continuous harassment, the supermarket eventually paid her 150,000 dollars in an out-of-court settlement.
Putting the documents away, Eric wrote a check and handed it to Dan Jones.
"Ms. Jones, I'm very satisfied with your work. I'll give you the remaining balance in advance."
"If you can get more evidence, I'm willing to double the bonus."
Dan Jones took the check and kissed it on her lips: "I'll do my best! To be honest, before accepting your commission, I wasn't particularly fond of Michael Jackson, and even somewhat believed the media reports."
"However, after getting these recordings, reality has shown me how disgusting some people can be. Next, I will investigate the evidence from back then to see if I can get bank statements or similar."
"Also, I have a suggestion. My responsibility is covert investigation. You, as a wealthy man, can make a public move."
"For example, Janet's criminal record. That supermarket from back then, find the boss and persuade him to sue Janet for extortion. Although it's highly likely to be ineffective, since this case has already been closed."
"But our goal is not to overturn the case, but to stir up the heat of the matter, to attract the attention of the judge and the public, and not to let them just focus on Jackson alone."
"We need to take the initiative to shift targets. The victims in these records can all be sought out to create more trouble for those guys."
"And Jordi Chandler, he's 23 now. The recording mentions that his relationship with his father is not harmonious, and perhaps that's also a breakthrough."
Eric nodded slightly: "That makes sense. I would have done it even if you hadn't said anything."
"Alright, that's enough talk for now. I hope when we meet next time, I can get that bonus."
Eric stood up and saw Dan Jones to the door. She suddenly turned back and said, "Oh, I have another question for you."
"Speak."
"Jackson's new song, 'Rolling in the Deep,' I absolutely love that song. He said in an interview that you participated in the lyrics and composition. Is that true?"
"Of course it's true. It's normal for a wealthy man like me to have a hobby, just a little display of skill now and then," Eric boasted as a matter of course.
Dan Jones took out a record: "That's great! Could you sign it for me, and then get Jackson to sign it too?"
"No problem. I hope next time we meet, this record will be handed to you along with the bonus."
After seeing Dan Jones off, Eric picked up his phone and called Michael. The phone rang for dozens of seconds, but no one answered.
Thinking he must be busy, Eric didn't call again and dived into the editing room to start editing "blue is the warmest color."
The filming time for this was shorter than for "transformers," but the filmed material was actually more than the former.
Because during the filming of "transformers," a lot of time was wasted on travel, set design, location scouting, props, etc. A road closure scene would consume several hours before even starting to shoot.
"blue is the warmest color" had no such pressure.
Following the script, Eric began to cut. With a reference, his work speed was very fast.
In just one afternoon, he had edited one-tenth of the content.
If nothing was delayed, the rough cut could be completed within a week, and then it would be a matter of carefully deleting or adding material.
There's no rush with this movie. There are no special effects, just getting the music, dubbing, and other aspects sorted. The review process will probably take some time, but a December release is entirely feasible.
Near quitting time, the phone rang. It was Michael returning his call.
"Sorry, Eric, I was at an event and didn't notice the call. I just saw it now. Is something wrong?"
Eric took a deep breath: "Michael, about that thing I told you about some time ago, I've now obtained some evidence that will be very helpful for your case. You must see it."
Hearing this, Michael's voice was clearly a little excited: "Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Eric. I'll come find you as soon as I get back."
"Huh? You're not home?"
"No, I'm in Africa right now, participating in a charity event for children and AIDS. I still have a few more countries to visit, so I probably won't be back for four or five days."
Hearing this, Eric felt a bit emotional. Michael's own situation wasn't optimistic, yet he still had the heart to do charity work.
At such a time, most people would either be figuring out how to defend themselves and get acquitted, or promoting their new songs.
You say he's foolish, but he's not, otherwise how could he become the King of Pop.
One can only say he is too kind, a good person by nature. It's just a pity that this world may not always treat kind people well.
Michael, a kind and rule-abiding person, must be protected by someone like himself who doesn't play by the rules.
"Alright then. Let me know when you get back, and I'll come to Neverland Ranch to find you."
Leaving the company and getting into the car, Eric asked, "Peter, where's the best shop? I need to buy a gift."
"Boss, who are you buying for? A man? A woman? A friend? An elder? Or a child?"
"A woman, a close woman."
Peter showed a knowing look: "For a woman, the Beverly Shopping Center is perfect. It's a shopping paradise for wealthy women, and it's not far from your house."
"Beverly Shopping Center? That sounds familiar. Wait, I suddenly remembered, wasn't Winona Ryder caught shoplifting there?"
"That's right, many big stars love to shop there. It's full of jewelry, cosmetics, clothes—everything women love, they have."
"Good, take me there."