A Gambling Scandal Learn English through story level 1

chapter one

at the golden globes

jack morgan got out of his dark blue

lamborghini

near the beverly hilton

it was the night of the golden globes

and he was with a beautiful and famous

movie star

he helped gwenevere scott evans out of

the car

and she held his hand hard

gwenevere trusted jack

and she trusted his company private

everyone trusted private

it was the best

but then

jack’s oldest friend

andy cushman

called him

andy spoke quickly

jack

come to my house now

i need you

it’s not a good time

what’s wrong

ask jack

it’s shelby

she’s dead

said andy

shelby and andy married six months ago

gwenevere was not happy

but jack took her to her table

then

he was on the road to andy’s house in

bluffs

he stopped near the open front door

took out his gun

and went in

andy

shouted jack

jack

i’m in the bedroom

jack went through the house

his gun in his hand

in the bedroom

there were clothes everywhere

shelby

was on the bed

with blood on her head

what happened

asked jack

andy was near shelby

his head in his hands

someone shot her

please find him

jack took photos of everything in the

room

did you call the police

he asked

no

i wanted you here

said andy

do you have a gun

asked jack

no

said andy

okay you must understand

the police will want to talk to you

they always want it to be easy

they will think

a woman is dead

did her husband kill her

but i can help

said jack

he called the police

and waited for them to arrive

chapter 2

a young woman dies

justine

worked with jack at private

people trusted her too

tonight

she was in an expensive italian

restaurant

then

the chief of police called her

another young woman is dead

justine told her friend

i must go

in two years

eleven young women in los angeles were

dead

now

it was 12.

the killer always took something from

the women

hair

and necklace

clothes

then

the killer emailed the chief of police

and told him about the women’s things

nobody knew where the emails came from

but the emails all had the same name

steam cleaner

the police found the women’s things

but they could not find steam cleaner

the police wanted justine

and private

to help them find the killer

emilio cruz from private

stopped his mercedes at the restaurant

door

and justine got in

what do you know about this girl

ask justine

her name is connie you

she was 16

and very intelligent

said emilio

she was on the ground behind a

restaurant

there was an earring in her left ear

there was no right ear

emilio stopped in a small dark street

near some police cars

they walked past the police

and spoke to the doctor

we’ll get an email about the ear in a

day or two

emilio said

at 2 am

justine and emilio

were at private’s offices

they talked to psy

private’s forensic expert

we have the woman’s bag and cell phone

said justine

can you look for dna on them

of course

said psy

i can work all night on it

chapter 3

and private

the next morning

justine

emilio

sai

and mobot the computer expert were in

the office

jack opened his laptop

and showed them the photos from andy’s

bedroom

[Music]

look at these

he said

i can’t see anything important

can you

did the killer take anything from the

house

asked justine

no

he took nothing

said

jack

and were andy and shelby happy together

asked emilio

yes

said jack

very

happy okay

said justine

this killer is a professional

but why did he kill shelby

the police always like easy answers

they will think one thing

andy killed her

said emilio

did andy kill her

no

he didn’t

said jack

i know andy well

he loved shelby

what next

asked mobot

we look at andy and shelby

said jack

we talk to their friends

and to people they work with

let’s go

wait said justine

i have some news on the young woman

we have her bag

psy couldn’t find any new dna

but mobot looked at her phone

i looked at the text messages

said mobot

there were hundreds

from 20 or 30 people

i looked at the numbers

and they are all friends or family

but there is one strange message

i can’t get the number for it

look

a text message came up on the wall

connie

it’s linda

my mom took my phone

i must talk to you

can we meet

please

behind the restaurant

at 8 30 pm

don’t tell anyone

i talked to linda

said mobot

her mother didn’t take her phone

linda didn’t send that message

the killer got into connie’s phone

and found all her friends

then

he sent her that message from his phone

but

we can’t find the number of the killer’s

phone

said psy

it isn’t possible

who is

steam cleaner

ask jack

rudolph crocker left his office at 7 pm

and went for a drink

at 9pm

he was at home

and ready for a run

he ran out to marina del rey

and thought about connie you

that was a great evening

there was nobody near him

he stopped near a boat

and put something on it

then he went home

and sent an email to the chief of police

you can find connie u’s ear

on a boat in marina del rey

cleaner

chapter 4

another young woman

jason pilzer got a text message at work

at 3 pm

cilla

your big night is saturday

be ready

steam cleaner

cilla was jason’s computer name

at 6 pm

he left his office

and drove to a store

he bought some gloves

and some electric cable

he did not pay with a card

and he looked down at the ground

he did not want the cameras in the store

to see him

the big night

was in three days

he was ready to kill his first woman

i’m going for a walk

marguerite esperanza shouted to her

grandmother

it was saturday evening

marguerite walked out the house and onto

rowena avenue

a text message came onto her phone

hi marg

it’s lamar

where are you

she read it and answered

i’m on rowena

lamar was a really nice boy

marguerite liked him

do you want to get a pizza

asked lamar

okay

marguerite answered

marguerite called her grandmother

i’m getting a pizza with lamar

she said

and he’ll walk home with me

is that okay

the black van was near rowena avenue

the driver was steam cleaner

cilla and morbid were in the back of the

van

she’s out of her house

said morbid

he gave the laptop to cilla

cilla wrote a message

hi marg

it’s lamar

marguerite answered

wrote another message

the van stopped near the pizza

restaurant

and waited

then

they saw marguerite in the street

go

shouted morbid

cilla got out of the van

he pulled a bag over marguerite’s head

from behind

and he and morbid threw her into the van

steam cleaner drove away quickly

help

shouted marguerite

be quiet

shouted morbid

maybe you can win the game

when

asked marguerite

what do you mean

steam cleaner stopped the van in a park

with nobody near

morbid and steam cleaner were behind

cilla this was scylla’s game

marguerite got out of the van quickly

and she pulled the bag off her head

she could not run away steam cleaner and

morbid could stop her

but she was tall and strong

and ready for cilla

her hand flew out

and hit him on the nose

there was blood on cilla’s face now

and he was angry

he ran at her

but she kicked him hard in the stomach

and then

she kicked him again

steam cleaner looked at morbid

she’s too good for cilla

he

said he took out a gun

and shot marguerite in the head

then

cilla put on the gloves

and put the cable around the dead

woman’s neck

he took her shoes

and put them in the van

that wasn’t good

said steam cleaner to cilla

but maybe

you’ll win the next game

chapter 5

cilla’s next game

[Music]

justine met police lieutenant nora

cronin in the park

at 4 00 am on sunday

the chief of police is here

said nora

he wants to talk to you

the chief

was with three police officers near

marguerite’s body

justine walked up to him

it’s good to see you he said

we need your help

thirteen women are dead

and look

somebody shot her dead

so why is there cable around her neck

it’s very strange

said justine

and where’s her handbag

there’s no handbag

said the chief

and no shoes

i’m waiting for the email

on sunday evening

cilla was on the terrace of his

apartment

at the top of a tall building

the city was beautiful at night

but he did not look at it

his face and body were black and blue

that girl was strong

he thought

then

he read the message from morbid again

you weren’t good yesterday

steam cleaner isn’t happy

but you can play again tonight

we have someone for you

be ready at 7 00 pm

[Music]

morbid and steam cleaner were at the

door now

and cilla went to open it

how’s the nose

asked morbid

okay

said cilla

do you want a drink

no

said steam cleaner let’s go on the

terrace

i want to show you something

the three men walked onto the terrace

and looked down at the city

then

steam cleaner turned to cilla

you think you can play again

he asked

you can

but you’re playing

with us

steam cleaner took silla’s legs

and morbid took his arms

and they threw him over the terrace wall

justine and jack were at private with

mobot

they talked about marguerite

the killer sent an email said justine

and we found her shoes

psy is looking at them now

but they’re probably clean

the killer is using a van to look for

the young women i think

said mobot

he has a laptop

and a radio in the van

and he can send messages to the women’s

cell phones

he can stop messages to their phones

from other people too

and maybe

he can find them in the street from

their phones

is that possible

ask jack

i don’t know

i’ll ask psy about it said mobot

his friend kit kat

knows about cell phones

i remembered something important

said justine

someone killed a woman about five years

ago

in the same street as connie you

her name was wendy bormann

the killer took her phone

and her necklace

five years ago

said jack

maybe it’s not 13 women

maybe it’s more

we have work to do

chapter six

an angry husband can kill

on monday morning

andy was at private

jack had something to tell him

i can’t sleep

andy said

i think about shelby all the time

andy

said jack

we talked to a lot of people about

shelby

she had a lot of friends

you know that

and we found one very good friend

the movie star

bob santangelo

she saw him every week

that’s not true

shouted andy

she loved me

maybe she loved you

said jack

but she loved santangelo too

did you know that

no i didn’t

shouted andy it’s not true

andy left

jack and psy

talked about santangelo

did andy know about santangelo

asked psy

i don’t know

said jack

an angry husband can kill you know

said psy

i know psy

said jack

but andy’s a good man and he’s my friend

he didn’t kill shelby

i understand

you don’t want to hear it

said psy

but

maybe he did

justine was at the police station with

lieutenant nora cronin

[Music]

i looked on the internet

said justine

but can you tell me more about wendy

borman

one thing isn’t on the internet

said nora

an 11 year old girl called christine

castilla saw something

she and her mother

were in a coffee shop on melrose

avenue christine saw two boys

push wendy into a van

her mother didn’t see anything

and christine didn’t see a lot

the boys were white

one had a long nose and big ears

the other

had long hair

but christine is 16 now

said justine

we need to talk to her again

chapter 7

help from psy’s friends

psy lived in an apartment with a lot of

computers

on monday evening

he sat at a computer

and talked to his friend kitkat in

sweden

you asked about cell phones

said kitkat

i can help

someone in the united states of america

has a new program

it can find a phone

and get inside it

then

it can send messages from the phone

and nobody knows it is happening

that’s great kitkat

said psy

do you know who made this program

his name

is morbed

he’s american i think

thanks kitkat

you’re wonderful

then

psy sent a message to his friend darren

who was in

india darren played games on computers

do you know

a player called morbid

yes

i saw a message from a player called

cilla about morbid

on saturday

what did he say

he said

i’m playing a new game with morbid

then

there was a message from morbid the next

day

cilla can fly

he flew off his terrace

flying is easy

but the streets are hard

psy

looked on the internet

on sunday

a man fell off at terrace in los angeles

and died

his name

was jason pilzer

was that silla

psy thought

psy met jack in a coffee shop early on

tuesday morning

jack

i have some news

lots of people like playing games on the

internet

in some of these games

you kill people

but you’re playing

it’s a game

i think some men in los angeles are

playing a game

but they are really killing people

not on the computer

but on the streets

who are these men

asked jack

one man is

was

jason pilzer

his computer name was scylla

another man

is morbid

cilla died on sunday night

the police say he fell off his terrace

but maybe

someone pushed him

let’s go to his apartment said jack

jack and psy met nora at the apartment

building

and they went up together

there was not anything interesting

in the living room

but in the bedroom were a laptop and a

cell phone

i’ll take the computer back to mobot

said psy but i’ll look at the phone now

he started to read the text messages

jack

look at this

psy gave the phone to jack

it’s tonight cilla

you’re the killer

steam cleaner

it’s from steam cleaner

said jack

he’s working in a group

chapter eight

they’re going to kill again

[Music]

justine took the police photos of wendy

borman’s body

to the office at private

she also took a bag of wendy’s clothes

psy can look at those

she thought

there may be dna on them

justine looked at the photos of wendy

dead

behind the restaurant

five years ago

the police found wendy’s bag next to her

but her necklace was not there

wendy always wore the necklace

and justine found a photo of it

it had a star on it

then she went to find christine castilla

in school

justine found christine in the school

restaurant

do you remember wendy borman

she asked

i was only eleven

said christine

yes

but can you remember anything

what did you see

asked justine

a van stopped

and two boys got out

and pushed a girl into the back then

they drove away

it was very quick

said christine

and you saw the driver

said justine

he had a long nose

and big ears

said christine

and the van

said justine

[Music]

it was black

i remember a word on it

gateway

said christine

gateway

this was new

gateway was an expensive school in santa

monica

thank you christine

said justine

sai worked for hours on wendy borman’s

clothes

he looked for dna

and he found it

from two different men

yes

he said

he heard someone at the door

and mobot ran into his office

sigh

they are going to kill again

this week

i looked at jason’s computer

there were thousands of messages

and i read them all

look at this one

morbid

cilla

here’s the next woman

she lives in silver lake

and her name is graziella

steam cleaner

there was a photo of a young woman

i’ll call jack

said psy

chapter 9

help from carmine nochia

on tuesday afternoon

jack was in his office with emilio

they knew something about the young

women’s killers now

but nothing about shelby’s

andy isn’t a killer

jack said

shelby’s killer was a professional

there was no dna

no gun

nothing

we need to talk to carmine nochia in las

vegas

carmine and his family knew every

professional killer from california to

florida

jack did not often work with men like

carmine

but once

carmine asked for private’s help

his daughter ran away

and he wanted her back

jack found her

carmine never forgot her friend

will fly to las vegas

jack said

carmine was very rich

and his home was in a park half an hour

from the airport

two big men came to meet jack and emilio

at the door

and took their guns from them

carmine was in the sitting room

good to see you jack

said carmine

i need your help

said jack

jack

you helped me

and i’ll help you

but don’t ask again

said carmine

someone killed my friend shelby cushman

in los angeles

a professional

who was the killer

do you know

said jack

i don’t know

but i can ask

i’ll call you when i know

said carmine

the call from carmine came late at night

he only said two words

beau montgomery

jack called emilio early wednesday

morning

emilio said he knew beau montgomery

beau was a professional killer

and he lived on a horse farm in the

agora hills

jack and emilio drove there fast

they stopped near the farmhouse

a door opened slowly

and a man came out

he had a big dog

and in his arms was an ak-47

what do you want

he asked

i’m jack morgan from private

i’m working for andy cushman

someone killed his wife shelby

who paid for that

beau montgomery thought for a minute

and then spoke slowly

i don’t know shelby cushman

i don’t know any women in bluffs

then

he wrote a name on the ground with the

end of his gun

jack

looked at the name

and then beau kicked it away

goodbye mr morgan

he said

and please

drive slowly

the horses get frightened

chapter 10

dna

christine castilia wanted to meet

justine again

on wednesday after school

let’s go to the coffee shop on melrose

avenue

said christine

i’ll remember better there about the

boys and the van

great

said justine

the coffee shop was the same as five

years before

my mom and i sat here

said christine

she went to a table near the window

justine had yearbooks for three years

from gateway school

with photos of all the students

she put them on the table

can you look at these

maybe one of the boys is there

christine turned the pages of the

yearbooks

she stopped

and looked at a photo of a group of boys

that’s him

she said

she showed justine

the boy had a long nose and big ears

justine looked at the name under the

photo

rudolph crocker

great job christine she said

she opened her laptop and looked for

rudolph crocker

there were two in los angeles

the first was 66 years old

the second

worked for a small company on wilshire

boulevard

and there was a photo of him

it was the boy

five years older now

justine needed his dna

justine went to see nora cronin at the

police station

we have dna from wendy borman’s clothes

she told her

it’s from two men

but we don’t know them

but

i talked to christine castillo

we looked at some photos

and she saw this boy

he pushed wendy borman into the van

look

she showed nora a photo on her computer

his name is rudolf crocker

he’s 23 now

and he lives and works in los angeles

maybe this is steam cleaner

and you want his dna

said nora

yes

can you help me

said justine

nora and justine stopped their car near

crocker’s apartment building

they watched

and waited

crocker left the apartment at six pm

and went for a run

he came home

and at 8 pm

he came out and got into a new dark blue

toyota van

he drove to a bar called whiskey blue

and went in

the two women went into the bar after

him

there were a lot of people in the bar

crocker was in the corner with a man

with long hair

justine bought drinks

and the two women watched

half an hour later

the men finished their drinks and left

nora and justine

quickly went to the men’s table

and took the glasses

in the car

justine called psy

can you meet us at private in 20 minutes

she asked

we have some dna for you

late on wednesday

jack and emilio

drove back to the city from the agora

hills

jack left emilio at his apartment

and went to see andy cushman

jack

why are you here now it’s 1am

you look tired

said andy

i am tired

said jack

today

i drove to the agora hills

how much did you pay beau montgomery to

kill shelby

andy started to cry

you don’t understand jack

he said

she was with another man

that movie star

i couldn’t live with that

jack did not speak

he hit andy in the face

three times

and left

chapter 11

a dark blue van

the next morning psy had news for

justine and nora about the dna

i have dna from one of the glasses he

said

not crocker’s glass

the other man’s

it’s the same as the dna

on wendy borman’s clothes

who is this other man

ask justine

we don’t know him

is it morbid

maybe

and what did you get from crocker’s

glass

i couldn’t get dna from crocker’s glass

it was too dirty

said psy

justine looked at nora

what now

she asked

we must find crocker

said nora

mobot worked all morning on her computer

and then she found something

she called jack

morbid wants to kill graziella tonight

he’s sending her text messages from a

friend

lulu

graziella is answering these messages

from lulu

she says

see you after school

but i don’t know where they are meeting

where is morbid

ask jack

i don’t know

said mobot

justine and nora drove to crocker’s

office on wilshire boulevard

mr crocker is on vacation today

said the woman at the desk

they drove fast to his apartment

but he was not there

let’s find his van

said nora

nora called the police station

we’re looking for a new dark blue toyota

van

every police car must look for it

then

she and justine waited in their car near

crocker’s apartment building

the call came back to nora

the dark blue van is in silver lake

it was on alvarado street

but we can’t find it now

we must stop that van

shouted nora into the radio

the driver is a killer

jack and emilio were on the road too

mobot called jack

i’m reading more messages from morbid to

graziella

she told him

she’s in glendale and he wants to meet

at ralph’s supermarket

graziella was in the street near the

supermarket

morbid walked up to her

graziella he said

i’m a friend of lulu’s

she’s in hospital

can you come with me to visit her

she wants to see you

morbid put his hand on graziella’s arm

jack

ran across the street and hit him in the

stomach

morbid fell down

and jack held him

where’s rudolph crocker

shouted jack

nora and justine got to glendale quickly

too

crocker’s van was behind the supermarket

with a police car next to it

nora talked to a police officer

crocker is in the van lieutenant

he said

he won’t open the doors

justine walked up to the van

crocker was sitting with his hands on

his head

get out of the van crocker

she said

he smiled at her

justine hit the van window hard with her

gun

she put her hand into the van

open the door

and pulled crocker out

there was blood and glass everywhere

at the supermarket

the police took morbid away

jack and emilio walked to crocker’s van

they found justine with her foot on

crocker’s back

are you okay

ask jack

there’s a lot of blood on you

it’s not mine

said justine

it’s crockers

jack put some glass with blood on it in

a bag

and gave it to

emilio get this to sigh

he said

there’s dna here

the police took crocker away

justine looked at nora

we need to go to his apartment and look

for wendy borman’s necklace

justine and nora looked everywhere in

crocker’s apartment

they found

nothing justine opened the closet in the

bedroom to look at crocker’s clothes

again

the light was on a string

and she pulled it

she looked at the end of the string in

her hand

it was the star

from wendy’s necklace

we’ve caught them justine

said jack

back at private

psy looked at the dna from crocker’s

blood

it’s the same as the dna from wendy’s

clothes

the next morning jack’s phone woke him

early

jack

it’s carmine nochia

i have some bad news for you

your friend andy cushman is dead

his car went off the road near marin

and it went into the ocean

did anybody see andy’s car go into the

ocean said jack

oh yes

one of my cousins saw it

he was the only person there

have a good day

said carmine

jack

looked at his phone for a minute and

thought

carmine’s cousin

killed andy

then

he turned and threw it out of the window

it was time for a new phone

and a new phone number

you