Hollywood Scream

by M. Z. Kelly

  “Yeah, we’ll see about that. I’m making it my personal mission to make sure they’re the first to die when Armageddon comes.” He brushed a hand across his jaw and regarded me. “What else?”

  I took a moment to find the words to express what I was thinking. “They, more or less, confirmed that my adoptive father stole from them. That’s why Harlan had him murdered, and Harlee took the money he left in the offshore account.”

  “And Daniel?”

  “They know he’s homeless, but couldn’t care less. They might even be planning to kill him, if they find him.” I was still feeling shell-shocked by what had happened and didn’t want to dwell on what they had planned.

  “And?”

  I clutched my sides and looked back at him. “If you’re asking about my bio-dad, Harlan said something about him, but then the explosions started and I couldn’t make it out.”

  We sat in silence for a couple minutes. Maybe Joe was also feeling the effects of our day. “One last question,” he finally said. “Pearl?”

  I shook my head. “Dead, or soon to be.”

  After that, the silence and our exhaustion completely settled in like a thick blanket of fog. I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until we were an hour from landing in Los Angeles. I saw that Joe was up, chatting with one of the stewards. When he saw me stirring, he had the attendant bring over some coffee and rolls.

  “I suppose you’re headed back to Phoenix,” I said, after I’d had my coffee, and the pilot announced we were on final descent.

  “For a few days.”

  “And then?”

  He shrugged. “I wait for a call from Greer and go where I’m needed.”

  “Back to chasing monsters?”

  “It’s what I do.”

  I held on his amazing pale eyes. “How do you keep it up? Don’t you ever burn out?”

  Another shrug. “It’s the life I’ve chosen. All that I know.”

  I sipped my coffee, then asked, “And Eva?”

  “We’re on hold.”

  “On hold. What does that mean?”

  He took a long time to answer. “I think it probably goes back to what you said before about me and you. It’s tough to make a go of things when you’re in the same line of work.”

  I nodded and glanced out the window, seeing the sun rising over the city.

  “What about us?” he said.

  I looked back at him. “I guess what you just said also answers that question.”

  He smiled. “For now.”

  My lips also turned up. “For now.”

  ***

  It was Saturday when I got home. I stopped by Mom’s place and found Robin was there. During my brief visit, I learned that Mom was doing better and was still receiving physical therapy. They asked about my case, but weren’t aware that I’d seen the Rylands. I briefly told them about closing my case with the feds, but saw no reason to mention the events in Brazil.

  I then went home and straight to bed, trying to forget the events of the past couple days. I slept until early evening, when someone slammed a door, and I heard voices in the living room.

  “What’s going on?” I said, after throwing on a robe and going downstairs.

  “It’s ‘bout time you got up,” Natalie said, stuffing some clothes into boxes. “The lip sync war is tonight. We gotta get there early, so we can get our outfits on.”

  I rubbed my eyes, still trying to get my bearings. “I’m not feeling...”

  “Don’t tell us you forgot ‘bout the performance,” Mo said. “This is for charity, and everybody’s countin’ on us.”

  I sighed, realizing it was useless to argue with them. “Okay. Let me get dressed.”

  A half hour later, I’d made arrangements for Otto to watch Bernie and was in the back seat of Mo’s convertible Cadillac as she drove me and Natalie to the performance.

  Along the way, Mo asked about my meeting with the Rylands. “We heard Harlee and her granddaddy escaped from that prison in Brazil.”

  I swept the hair out of my eyes. “I’m afraid so. The authorities are trying to locate them, but, so far, no luck.”

  “I got me a feelin’ they’re coming back here,” Natalie said. “Me and Mo are thinkin’ ‘bout puttin’ in one of them bomb shelters in the back yard. You’re welcome to join us, but it’s gonna be like livin’ in one of them tiny houses buried underground.”

  I chuckled, knowing that I’d last about twenty minutes living in an underground house with my friends. “Thanks, but I’ll take my chances.” I changed the subject, asking them about Jimmy Sweets.

  “He’s still missing,” Mo said, “but Myrna thinks he mighta just taken a break from their marriage.”

  “We think Jimmy’s got himself a mistress,” Natalie said.

  I was shocked and made no attempt to hide it. “Who in the world would be dumb enough to hook up with Jimmy?”

  Mo glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Not sure. But, from what I heard, Jimmy’s got some hidden assets.”

  Natalie explained what she meant. “Mo’s not talkin’ ‘bout his schlong. We heard Jimmy’s got a boatload of quid that he’s hidin’ somewhere.”

  I shook my head. “There’s more to life than... Never mind.”

  My friends looked at one another. Natalie then said, “Anything happen with you and Joe on your trip?”

  “No, other than me finding out he and that profiler he was seeing are history.”

  “Carpe diem,” Mo said.

  “Huh?”

  “Seize the day,” Natalie said. “Joe’s on the rebound, you need to grab his balls and go in for the slam dunk.”

  I laughed. “I doubt that’s going...” I glanced out the window, realizing we were in heavy traffic. “Where’s tonight’s performance going to be held?”

  “The Hollywood Bowl,” Mo said, catching my reflection in the mirror again. “The show is sold out.”

  “And it’s gonna be on the telly,” Natalie added.

  I groaned, realizing the entire police department would probably see my performance. “Why me?”

  Natalie turned and smiled at me. “’Cause you got the best damn friends in the whole damn world.”

  There was a whirlwind of activity, as my friends and I met up with Nana and Fred, and dressed for our performance. As Natalie handed over our outfits, she explained, “We had to change the song for tonight’s performance again, and maybe it’s fittin’.” She looked at Nana and Fred, who were in a heated argument about who would be allowed to go on stage first.

  “What’s the song?” I asked.

  Mo handed me an outfit that consisted of a short black dress and a fright wig. “Bad Blood. We’re gonna be vampires.”

  The rest of the evening can be described as either ridiculous or horrifying, depending on your point of view. My friends, Nana, Fred, and I all strutted around the stage like the walking dead. We pretended to drink a red liquid and told the audience that we had a case of bad blood. The only positive thing about the performance, from my point of view, was that I was pretty sure no one would recognize me in my wig and makeup.

  When the performance finally, mercifully, ended, I walked off stage, where a reporter stuck a microphone in my face as a camera rolled. “Can you sum up your feelings about tonight’s performance?” she asked.

  I glanced at the vampires surrounding me and said, “I can describe it in one word: deadly.”

  The reporter had some notes that she referenced as she spoke. “I just realized, you’re Kate Sexton.”

  I groaned and thought about telling her she got it wrong and giving her a fake name. Before I could open my mouth, Nana stepped forward and grabbed the microphone. “That’s her, she’s a cop, and the world’s worst lip sync artist.”

  Then Fred stepped up, farted, and confirmed what Nana had said, adding, “We’re probably gonna lose the contest because of her. She sucks.”

  I walked away, shaking my head, and thinking maybe I should find a wooden stake somewhere and driv
e it through my heart.

  SEVENTY-TWO

  “How long have you had this feeling?” Olivia asked me.

  It was Monday morning, and we were back at work. We were in the car, in North Hollywood, parked down the street from Kiera Berg’s apartment. Bernie was in the back seat, catching some air from an open window, happy to be back on the job. Lieutenant Byrd had given us his reluctant approval to tie up some loose ends on the Brad Novak murder case, while Leo and Richard worked another case.

  “The feeling has been with me since Allison Hart killed herself.” I glanced down the street, in the direction of the actress’s apartment. “Maybe longer. The case just feels wrong to me.”

  Olivia nodded. “I’ve also had the vague feeling that we missed something, but if Hart didn’t kill Novak and set up Welch, I’m not sure where that leaves us.”

  “Me neither. Let’s just see if Kiera has any visitors. We can take one more crack at her in a couple hours, if nothing else breaks loose.”

  As the morning wore on, and we saw no one coming or going from the apartment, Olivia asked me about Joe. “How did things go with him in Brazil?”

  I told her about him breaking things off with Eva. “I think he finally realized that it’s a problem dating someone who’s in his same line of work.”

  “Where does that leave you?”

  I exhaled. “Single.”

  “And?”

  I looked at her and smiled. “I won’t deny that I still have feelings for him, but, as they say, it’s complicated.”

  She nodded. “Isn’t that the way life is.”

  “What about you and Martin?”

  “We’re going to a play this weekend, but just as friends.” What she’d said apparently triggered something else that was on her mind. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, I saw you on TV over the weekend, doing that lip sync show for charity.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t remind me.”

  “You and your friends were hilarious.”

  “I guess that’s one way to describe it. Someone left a pint of blood in my locker over the weekend. It’s probably just fruit punch, but I’ll probably never hear the end of it.”

  She laughed. “What’s the latest with Mo’s uncle? I think you said his name is Fred?”

  “He’s moving in with Nana this coming weekend, providing they don’t murder each other first.”

  “Why are they going to live together if they don’t get along?”

  I shrugged. “I think they just love the drama.”

  Olivia shook her head. “Drama. That’s one thing I don’t miss about being a lieutenant.”

  I studied her for a moment. “How are you dealing with...with your new duties?”

  “I’ve got a great partner, so it’s all good.”

  I thanked her for her kind words, then happened to look up the street in the direction of Kiera Berg’s apartment, seeing a young woman walking to the door. “We’ve got some movement.” I glanced at my phone, pulling up the picture of Annie Watts that her mother had forwarded to me. I showed the screen to Olivia. “I think it’s our missing girl.”

  Olivia agreed, as we watched the girl ring the bell, and Kiera let her inside the apartment.

  “Let’s go have a chat, see where Annie’s been hiding out,” I said.

  I got Bernie out of the back seat. As we were walking up the street, we saw a dark-haired woman leaving the apartment in a hurry, moving toward a carport behind the building.

  “I think that was Jewel,” I said, as we walked to the front door.

  Olivia rang the bell. “I’d say one of the Mulats just made us.”

  When Kiera answered the door, she seemed surprised to see us, or maybe it was just her acting skills kicking in. “Detectives. What...what’s going on?”

  “You tell us,” I said. “We need to come in and talk to you and Annie.”

  She hesitated, brushing her long auburn hair back, before finally opening the door wider and letting us inside. We found her formerly missing best friend sitting at the kitchen table, munching on some French fries from In-N-Out Burger. I went over, showed her my credentials, and introduced myself and Olivia.

  “Just so you know,” I said, taking a seat at the table across from her, while Bernie settled at my feet, “your mother has been worried to death about you. She filed a missing person’s report.”

  Annie was pretty, with raven hair and blue eyes. Even though I knew she was in her early twenties, she looked like she could still be in high school. She momentarily cut her eyes to Kiera, then said, “I know, and I’m sorry. I plan to go by and see her today.”

  I looked over at Kiera. “Have a seat. I need you both to tell us what’s been going on.”

  Kiera did as instructed, but said, “Nothing’s been going on. Annie just...she needed a break, and...”

  Olivia cut her off. “Let Annie tell us.” She took a seat next to me, across from the two women and levelling her eyes on Annie. “Tell us what’s been going on, and make sure it’s the truth.”

  Annie didn’t respond right away, instead popping a French fry into her mouth and looking at Kiera again. Her older friend gave a slight shake of her head.

  “Nothing,” Annie finally said. “I was just...I spent some time at the beach.”

  “With Brad Novak?” I said.

  She took a breath, but didn’t respond.

  When it was obvious neither woman was going to cooperate, I quickly ran out of patience. “Last chance. Either you both start talking, or we do this the hard way. That involves a free ride in a big black and white car, a locked room, and...” I picked up the container of fries Annie was munching on. “...no French fries.”

  This time Annie didn’t look at Kiera. Her voice was low, barely audible. “I thought I was in love.”

  “With Brad,” Olivia said.

  She nodded. Kiera started to say something, but Olivia held up a finger as her eyes shot lasers at her. “Not another word.” She then said to Annie. “Go on.”

  “Judy and Garfield were stealing from Brad. He knew it, but didn’t know what to do about it.”

  “And Ali?” I said. “What was her role in everything?”

  “She also wanted money. Brad wanted nothing to do with her.”

  Olivia and I exchanged glances before I said to Annie, “What aren’t you telling us?”

  She exhaled, but didn’t look at her friend. Her voice was just above a whisper. “It was Jewel.”

  “No,” Kiera said to her, raising her voice. She looked at us. “She’s confused, and...”

  Olivia stood, made Kiera get up, turned her around, and snapped handcuffs on her wrists. Bernie also came to his feet, on alert.

  “What are you doing?” Kiera demanded.

  “I’m arresting you for intimidating a witness.” Olivia looked at me. “Give me a moment.”

  She marched Kiera into the bedroom, where we heard her say, “Stay put until I come and get you.” She closed the door, came back over to the table, and said to Annie, “Now, tell us about Jewel.”

  Bernie settled down again, as Annie brushed her dark hair off her forehead and exhaled. “We stole a copy of the final cut.”

  It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about. “The movie you were making?”

  She nodded. “We sold it online because we needed money. Jewel said she was going to tell Mr. Lohman if we didn’t keep quiet about everything else. She said we would never work again.”

  “I don’t understand,” Olivia said. “What were you supposed to keep quiet about?”

  Annie didn’t answer right away. She seemed frozen in place as tears started running down her cheeks. Her voice choked with emotion, and she finally said, “It was Jewel. She...she killed Brad.”

  “Tell us what happened,” I said.

  “Derek was Jewel’s stepbrother. He got her access to some of Brad’s accounts. She and Garfield were stealing from him, taking almost everything he had.”

  “Did she set up Judy W
elch for his murder?”

  She nodded, brushing her tears. “She got the drugs from Garfield and left Judy’s fingerprints in the trailer.” She broke down, crying again. “I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “Why have you been hiding out?”

  “Jewel told Kiera and the others that I couldn’t be trusted. She said if she found me, she would kill me. If you hadn’t showed up today, I think she would have.”

  “Did Jewel shoot Garfield, Judy, and Derek, then burn down the house?”

  She nodded. “She said she was afraid they’d start talking and tell everyone she was involved.”

  “And Ali Hart, was she involved in any of this?”

  “She and Garfield were friends. He was also giving her some of Brad’s money. She probably thought you knew what she’d done. That’s why she killed herself.”

  “What about Kiera and the other girls?” When she didn’t answer, I reached over and took her hand. “You need to tell us what you know, Annie—everything.”

  She took a breath, and there were more tears. “I think maybe Jewel was giving Kiera some of Brad’s money. None of the other girls were involved.”

  I stood. “We’re going to need to take your formal statement at the station, but first let’s call your mother.”

  ***

  We spent the afternoon getting Annie Watts’s formal statement before reuniting her with her mother. Kiera had also cooperated, telling us that Jewel had given her five thousand dollars to buy a car, money that she’d stolen from Novak’s accounts with Garfield Boyer’s help.

  Jewel Beck was located at her gym and arrested. She’d lawyered up, refusing to answer any of our questions, but, by the end of the day, Olivia and I felt confident we had enough to take the case to the DA for prosecution.

  “It seems like almost everyone was getting a slice of Brad Novak’s financial pie,” Olivia said as we left our workstations at the end of the day. “Do you think Judy Welch ever realized Jewel Beck was the one who set her up?”

  “Probably not. It might even be that she suspected Garfield Boyer and went to his house to confront him.”

  “Then Jewel showed up and made sure no one would talk.”

  We stopped near the breakroom for a moment, while Bernie sniffed around for crumbs. “And, when Ali Hart got away, even though she probably knew Jewel was involved, she also knew that she would eventually be implicated because Boyer had been giving her a piece of the action. She saw no way out, other than ending her life.”