Murdered in Hollywood

by Dianne Harman

  “To Marie, for being the best lead actress anyone could ask for,” Kat said.

  “To you, Blaine, for making her so happy she writes tremendous books,” Marie said.

  They were all beginning to giggle by this point.

  “To Jazz and Rudy, for allowing us to put them in a kennel for a few days,” Lacie said.

  Tyler chortled. “To American Airlines, for getting us here.”

  They all laughed, then sipped more of their champagne. Lacie laughed so much that bubbles got up her nose, and Tyler had to gently slap her on the back to stop her spluttering.

  Someone nearby, in another circle of people who were talking to each other, turned around, annoyed at the noise. He was a slim older man with a hard face. He looked vaguely familiar to Kat. But as soon as he saw Marie, he burst into a huge smile. “Marie,” he said, throwing his arms out wide.

  Marie looked wide-eyed at Kat, then gave him two air kisses. “James, darling!” Then she turned to the group. “Everybody, this is James Strauhan, one of the finest directors in Hollywood.”

  “Oh, you are too kind,” he said, although his modesty was clearly fake. “Although I’m also dipping my toe into Bollywood as of late.”

  “I’m sorry you didn’t get picked for this movie,” Marie said. “I was hoping…”

  “This movie?” he laughed, incredulous. “It’s not exactly my style, is it?” His tone made it quite clear he thought the movie was well below him. “I’m only here because Brad dragged me along. You know how he is.”

  “Brad Ewell,” Marie explained to the others, “is one of the hottest actors on today’s Hollywood scene. They’re very good friends.”

  “Not that kind of friends,” James hurried to add. “We’re both very happily married.” He waved to a woman back in the group he’d come from. “That’s my wife, Lucy.” He smiled, but Kat noticed his eyes didn’t light up when he talked about her, like Blaine’s did when he talked about Kat.

  “This is Kat Denham, she was…”

  “Sorry,” he said abruptly. “I really must be going. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to be introduced later?” Before even getting a reply, he hurried off.

  Marie raised an eyebrow. “Typical. He was angling for the role of director on this film, but Christos wasn’t having any of it.”

  “Who’s Christos again?” Tyler asked.

  “Christos Alexiadis,” said Kat. “One of the major movie producers in Hollywood. He’s a studio boss.”

  “You’ll have the dubious pleasure of meeting him later, I’m sure,” Marie said. “But for now, why don’t we settle into the theater? We have a special box, of course, and we can begin munching on canapés and choosing what we’d like for dinner.”

  “That would be great,” Lacie said. Everyone agreed with her.

  The theater box was glorious, with plush sofas that gave them a perfect, uninhibited view of the screen, and tables in front of them so they could eat. There were waiters inside with platters of little starters, and a bar with a huge selection of wines, beers and spirits. They were given fancy menus, and proceeded to make their dinner selections.

  People began to enter the theater, talking vivaciously among themselves, and Kat was beginning to get excited. What was her cherished book going to look like on the big screen? she wondered.

  Marie looked over and squeezed her hand with excitement. “I hope I don’t look dreadful,” she said. “This latest technology isn’t very flattering to the face, especially when it comes to wrinkles.”

  “You will look absolutely wonderful,” Kat said. “And your performance will be stellar, I just know it.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Marie said. “Critics can be real beasts. Especially towards a mature lady such as myself. Those misogynists consider the younger a woman is, the better. It makes me quite sick, although, well, perhaps I did capitalize on it in my younger years.”

  She laughed guiltily, and Kat laughed along.

  Then the lights dimmed, and it was time for the premier of Murder in Hollywood to begin.

  CHAPTER 2

  Kat was buzzing around the kitchen, unable to keep still. She’d tried to sit at the kitchen table and drink her coffee, but it just wasn’t happening, and she doubted the caffeine would help her anxiety.

  So instead, she fixed and refixed everything. She tossed the salad numerous times, added an extra ice cube to each drink, although they already had enough. She arranged the cookies on the plate in perfect concentric rings, waiting for Lacie to come out of the bathroom.

  It seemed to take forever.

  Finally, Lacie appeared at the doorway, looking stunned. “It’s a positive,” she said.

  “Oh.” Kat was as stunned as Lacie looked. She didn’t know what to say. Her reaction would totally depend on Lacie’s. “How do you feel?”

  Lacie wandered over to the counter and absentmindedly picked up a cookie. She began to nibble on it, and Kat noticed her nails had been nibbled down to stubs, too. Perhaps she’d been worried about this for longer than she’d let on. “I don’t know, Mom.”

  “Let’s talk about it,” Kat said. “Something warm and sweet is probably called for. How about a cup of tea with a lot of sugar?”

  “Yes, please,” Lacie said. She sat down at the kitchen table, taking the whole plate of cookies with her.

  Kat stood by the teakettle, waiting for it to boil, and looked at her daughter. Lacie was twenty-two, working at the child psychologist’s office and training to be one herself. Tyler still had two years to go on his veterinarian internship before he would be able to practice himself, so his income was nowhere near what it would be in the future. They were going to get married almost a year ago, but they’d made the decision to wait until they’d be in a better financial position.

  “I don’t really feel like I’m all that grown up yet,” Lacie said.

  Kat nodded. “I understand. I actually think that’s very mature of you to say.” She put a tea bag and some sugar in a mug.

  “I’m just trying to work everything out logistically,” Lacie said. “I’ve always wanted a child, but I didn’t expect it would be so soon. I’d have to put my training on hold for a while, but I don’t think it would be too bad. As you know, Dr. Vaughn is very understanding.”

  “Yes,” Kat said with a smile. He’d been Lacie’s pediatrician when she was a small child, before he retrained as a child psychologist. “I’m sure he’ll be very accommodating.”

  “I hope so. I’d want to try to stay off work for a little longer than people generally do. Probably a year.”

  “Well, it might be a tough ask,” Kat said. “But then again, he is a child psychologist. If you present it as being best for the baby’s development, he’d probably go along with it.”

  Lacie gave a little smile. “That’s true. And I’m very happy with Tyler.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be a great dad.” Kat took her a cup of tea, and Lacie began to take little sips.

  Lacie gave a real smile then. “He will. He really will.”

  “And of course, you’ll be a wonderful mother,” Kat said. “That goes without saying.”

  “You think so?”

  Kat nodded decisively. “I know so.”

  Lacie bit her lip, and then managed a smile. “So, I guess this is it.” She giggled. “I’m going to be a mom.”

  Kat burst into a smile. “That reminds me of when I was pregnant with you. You weren’t a surprise, because your father and I had been trying to get pregnant for several months. But even so, when I saw those two lines on the test, I was still shocked. And totally overjoyed. It was quite uncharacteristic of your father. He was normally such a quiet man, but he scooped me up and we did a crazy dance around the bedroom.”

  Lacie smiled sadly. “I can imagine that. I wish Dad was here, so he could meet the baby. But he’ll be looking down on us, I know it.”

  “He is.” Kat’s first husband Greg, a wonderful loving man and father, had tragically died in an auto accident a few
years earlier. It had torn them both apart inside, but also bonded the two of them closer together.

  “And Blaine will be the greatest step-granddad anyone could ask for,” Lacie said.

  “You’re right,” Kat said. Kat had never believed she’d get over her grief about Greg, let alone feel strong enough to meet someone new, but Blaine, with his kind attitude and generous heart, had swept into her life and made her believe that life could be good all over again. Lacie loved him, too, which was so important to Kat that if Lacie hadn’t, Kat would not have gone ahead with the wedding.

  Lacie was beginning to brighten up a bit. “Okay, I’m going to call Tyler and let him know. He knew it might have been in the cards, but obviously he doesn’t know it’s for real now.”

  Kat nodded. “Was he excited about the prospect?”

  “I’d say… yes. Albeit cautiously. Pretty much the same as me. We both knew it wasn’t the ideal time, but sometimes that can’t be helped.”

  Kat nodded. “You’ll make it work, Lacie. We’ll help. When you go back to work, I can do some childcare, although I can’t do it every day, because of my career.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to,” Lacie said. “I know you have your life, and you and Blaine like your vacations, too.”

  Kat smiled. “You’re so considerate. Well, I think I could make time a couple of days a week for you, and I’d love to.”

  Lacie ran over and gave her mom a big hug. “You’re the best mom ever. I don’t tell you that enough, but you’re so kind, and you never get mad or controlling. You’re just like my best friend.”

  Kat hugged her back. “Well, I won the lottery for sure when I got you for a daughter.”

  *****

  Tyler needed a couple of days to adjust to the prospect of becoming a father, and it took a while for it to settle in with Lacie, as well. But soon they were all excited, and their joy seemed to grow by the day.

  Lacie had morning sickness and a severe aversion to fruit and vegetables, finding that junk food was the only thing she could keep down. Her figure was expanding, but she and Kat made sure to go on lots of long walks with Jazz and Rudy to keep some semblance of health in her life.

  A couple weeks after the news broke, Kat got a call from Marie.

  “Kat! I know it’s been a while since I’ve called. I hope you’re not holding a grudge.”

  “Not at all,” Kat said. “Lovely to hear from you, Marie.” She laughed. “Let me grab the dog leashes.”

  “Conversely,” Marie said, “please tell me you haven’t been thinking, thank goodness that old bag has given up on calling me, have you?”

  “No, I haven’t. Marie, of course not. I figure you’ve been busy. We’ve been busy here, too. The big news here in Kansas is that Lacie’s pregnant.”

  Marie squealed with delight. “Oh, my goodness. That’s fantastic.” They talked for a while about Lacie and Tyler and their plans, and then Marie said, “And I have some news of my own. Well, a request, really.”

  “I’m all ears, Marie.” Kat had Jazz and Rudy on leashes and was heading out the door.

  “It’s time I spill everything I know,” said Marie. “I’m sick and tired of the secrets of Hollywood, and I want to expose them in a tell-all book.”

  “Wow.” Kat didn’t quite know what to say.

  “Now, I’m not doing it for the money. Well, not entirely for the money. I am doing fine as it is, although if I end up living much longer, I’ll have to sell the house. Quite honestly, I didn’t expect to still be living at this ripe old age. I have some tax debt to pay off and a few other things, and I want to make sure by the time I go that Bron is well-taken care of.”

  “Bron?”

  Marie sighed. “There are some things I haven’t even told you, Kat. I’m afraid this book is going to be full of them. My own confessions, as well as outing the despicable behaviors of others. Bron is my son. Auberon Lennon-Shroeder.”

  “Lennon…”

  “Yes, Spencer Lennon. The big star who died of an opiate overdose. He wasn’t one of my husbands, but we were engaged. He died a month before I gave birth.”

  “Oh, goodness.”

  “Yes…” For once Marie’s voice wasn’t sparkling. “I was an older mother, so they called me an elderly primigravida at the hospital. You know, a woman who is giving birth for the first time. I was forty-five. I’m afraid I went into my own grief spiral shortly after that, and I was far from the best mother I could be. And then I remarried, and the wretch of a man who was my husband wanted me to send Bron to boarding school.

  “He told me Bron was interfering too much with our partying, and I expect he was jealous that anyone else was getting my attention and affection apart from him. So,” she said, her voice breaking. “So I sent my little Bron away to boarding school. I tried to make it up to him in the holidays and when he was on summer vacation, but he cut me out of his heart.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “And as soon as he turned eighteen, he cut me out of his life altogether. I was too ashamed to chase after him for the first ten years, but since he’s been twenty-eight, I’ve tried to get in touch with him. He’s nearly forty now, and has two little girls of his own. I don’t know their names, but I managed to track him down through the church he attends.

  “He’s a deacon now, and I saw his picture on the church’s website with his two little blonde girls. When I saw them, well, my heart just broke. They’re my grandchildren, and I’ve never met them. I’ve been trying to reach out to him for years and years. I write him at least twice a year, but there’s never a reply.”

  Kat’s heart sank. “That sounds really terrible.”

  “Yes, and I can’t blame the poor boy. I was a spectacular failure as a mother. But, well, I’m hoping that when he reads the book, he’ll see how sorry I am. I’m not going to come back into his life and blame him for what I did, or make him feel bad. Really, I’m not. I want the chance to apologize to him, more than anything. I know I should leave him alone, since he’s made it clear he doesn’t want anything to do with me, but he’s, well, he’s my son.”

  “I understand.” Kat couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to be alienated from Lacie.

  “So, I was hoping you’d write the memoir with me. The only thing is I can’t pay you all that well at the moment. Perhaps only $100,000.”

  Kat couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, just $100,000. Pocket change.”

  “Oh, sorry, dear, I,” Marie stammered. “I know the going rate…”

  Kat could tell that Marie was not in a good mental place. Normally she’d have laughed that comment right off. “Hey,” Kat said gently. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I can do the work for less than that, Marie, if it would help you.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to take a penny less. And you’re to have a portion of the royalties. I’ll have it written by my lawyer in the form of a contract.”

  Kat smiled. “You’re too kind, Marie.”

  “No, no, really I’m not. I’ve been dreadful throughout the years. You’re the one who’s kind. You’re bringing all my goodness out of me. Others find me far too intense, but you seem to have a knack for dealing with me.”

  “I think you’re brilliant,” Kat said firmly.

  “Likewise,” Marie said. Her voice changed and became giddy. “Kat, you’re not going to believe the gossip I’ve got for you to put in this book.”

  CHAPTER 3

  “It’s in print! It’s in print!” Marie said, dancing around on Kat’s backyard patio, pressing her hardback book to her chest. “I’m an author! Well, you’re the author, Kat, but you know what I mean!”

  She grabbed Kat and twirled her around in a hug. They were in the middle of making preparations for a final family dinner before Lacie and Tyler’s wedding.

  Tyler had gotten down on one knee just a month after they’d found out about Lacie’s pregnancy, and said he’d always dreamed of doing that, but the pregnancy had spurned him into act
ion. He wanted them to be a married couple when they brought the baby into the world.

  Lacie had said, “Yes, yes, yes!” and they’d begun making wedding preparations right away. Although Kat had offered to pay for it, since she had the money from Marie sitting in her bank account, Blaine had stepped in and said they’d split it two ways.

  “Let me share the honor of paying for half of the cost of her wedding,” he’d said to Kat in a quiet moment, “and then you can use the rest of your money to treat yourself and the baby, too.” Kat had resisted a little, but then she’d accepted his offer.

  When Lacie had invited Marie to the wedding, Marie had said she’d love to attend the wedding, but that was it. She’d politely declined Kat’s offer for her to attend the dinner the night before the wedding, saying she didn’t want to muscle in on family time. Kat was actually glad she’d done that.

  Despite Marie being a wonderful, kind woman, she did have a tendency to dominate both attention and conversation, even when she asked about others and didn’t say a word about herself. There was just something magnetic about her that made everyone hang on every word she said. Tonight was about Lacie and Tyler, and Kat wanted the meal to reflect it.

  Marie had brought some alcohol-free champagne for Lacie to drink. “She shouldn’t be left out, just because she’s pregnant.” She’d also brought some very expensive liqueur chocolates. “The teensiest tiniest bit of liquor won’t hurt her,” she’d said to Kat. “Make sure Lacie enjoys them.”

  Marie helped Kat finish setting the table, then touched her gently on the arm. “Will you text me the news?” she asked. “I know at the wedding tomorrow it’ll likely be revealed, but I’ll be tossing and turning all night wondering about it.”

  “Of course,” Kat said with a smile. “I’ll be sure to.”

  “Thank you, darling,” Marie said. “Now, I’ll go back to my hotel and have a sumptuous room service dinner and watch trashy TV. What could be more perfect than that? They have a jacuzzi tub, so I’ll take advantage of that. And perhaps a massage. Then tomorrow I’ll be bright eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready for Lacie and Tyler’s big day.”