Murdered in Hollywood

by Dianne Harman

  “She loved Rudy when she came to Lindsay for my daughter’s wedding.”

  Auberon looked shocked. “She was at your daughter’s wedding?”

  “Yes. My daughter, Lacie, got married to Tyler a few months back, and they’re having a baby in the next few weeks.”

  He shook his head. “She wasn’t at my wedding. I didn’t invite her.” He looked stunned. “I don’t know… I…” His expression became more and more disturbed.

  “Why don’t you take a deep breath, Auberon,” Kat said quietly. “It will help to calm you down.” She knew he wanted to keep it together from the way he’d talked about the lawyer and the funeral arrangements. “Just keep breathing,” she said with an encouraging sound in her voice.

  He did as she suggested, breathing very deeply in and out. “Yes, that helped, thank you,” he said. “Now, let me carry your bags upstairs for you.”

  Kat had brought two large suitcases, even though she was only going to be gone for five days. But Marie had warned her there would be plenty of formal events, and she’d need a dazzling new dress for each night, complete with different accessories.

  “You can’t be seen in the same shoes two nights in a row, my dear,” Marie had scoffed. Kat’s suitcases were full of evening dresses she now had no use for and would probably never wear.

  They went up the stairs with Rudy following them, and Kat stepped into the first bedroom they came to which was opposite the staircase. Just like the rest of the house, it was absolutely gorgeous. There was a thick deep blue carpet that sunk under her feet. The walls were beige, with detailing in a golden tree motif. A gold and green border framed the doors, the ceiling, and the floor.

  “Good grief,” she said to Auberon. “Are all the rooms like this?”

  “Each one has a different color scheme,” he said.

  There was a quadruple set of French doors leading out onto a balcony area, with white Grecian drapes hanging to the floor. Rudy gravitated toward it, so Kat let him out while she looked around at the rest of the room.

  There was the obligatory glittering chandelier as well as two others. The bed itself was huge, with a cream-colored velvet backboard, and a white fluffy rug in front of it. There were cream-colored chairs throughout the room, and a large glass coffee table was in the middle of the room with a huge white flower arrangement on it.

  “Well, Marie certainly had sumptuous taste,” Kat said. “This is incredible. I know you’re busy, so I’ll stick with this room. I’ll take a look at the others in a little while, just because I’m curious to see what they look like.”

  Auberon nodded. “I understand. I grew up like this. The memory of it is actually making me feel sick.”

  Kat nodded. “Why don’t you go out into the garden, or take a walk around the block? I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you.”

  He raised his chin and assumed a stoic poise. “Thanks, but I’ll manage.”

  “All right,” Kat said. “Let me know if you need anything from me. I’m going to get unpacked.”

  “I’ll be downstairs,” Auberon said. “You’ll probably have to order something in for lunch, or see what you can find in the refrigerator. I’m sorry for not being more hospitable, but I can’t seem to find the energy to do hardly anything right now. I hope you understand.”

  “I’ll be fine, honest. Take care of yourself, and you don’t need to apologize,” Kat said.

  “It appears my mother had a housekeeper named Julia,” he said. “I picked up a call from her on the answer machine. She sounded distressed, so I told her not to come in and when I know what’s going on, I’ll let her know, which means we don’t have any help right now.”

  “That’s okay,” Kat said. “I’m certainly not used to having a housekeeper.”

  “Me neither,” Auberon said. “But I imagine in a house this size, you’d have to, just to keep it running.”

  “In all honesty, I’d expect you’d need an army,” Kat said.

  Auberon nodded. “Agreed. Well, we’ll talk later.”

  “Yes, later.”

  When Auberon was gone, Kat closed the door, and turned to face the room. She couldn’t help but think of Marie. She imagined her walking around the room when it was empty, deciding what kind of furniture she’d buy for the room, and where each piece would go. She imagined her in a long cream silk gown and a cream-colored fur stole, looking like she’d walked right out of the glamorous past. It was a bittersweet moment for Kat.

  She walked out onto the balcony to join Rudy. The garden reached back as far as the eye could see, a mixture of lawns, woodlands, ponds, patios, and little outdoor structures.

  “I bet you’d love to play out there,” Kat said. “Let’s do it.”

  They went downstairs. Auberon was nowhere to be seen, so Kat made her way to the back of the house, walking through several hallways and then a formal drawing room which had a door that led out to the back yard.

  Rudy was twitching with excitement, raring to go. He eagerly looked up at her for permission to go wild.

  She grinned at him. “Okay, good boy. Go.”

  In a flash, he dashed out of the house and ran happily through the garden, exploring it fully. As Kat watched him, she felt a strange mix of emotions Nostalgia, sadness, and a deep sense of calm all mingled together in her mind. Marie would have loved to have seen Rudy enjoying her garden.

  Kat walked towards the back of the yard to a little seating area under a large tree and sat down. She enjoyed the warm breeze as it danced over her skin and rustled the leaves overhead. It was a beautiful day, and she unexpectedly felt quite emotional and moved by the situation she found herself in.

  She thought about how short life was and how all that really mattered in life were the bonds of friendship and goodwill between people. She noted that in her final moments of consciousness, Marie decided to call Auberon, with no assurance he’d even answer her call, and if he did, it was very likely that he’d hang up on her. She also noted that with Marie’s death, Auberon’s anger toward her seemed to have melted away, like a snowbank does when spring brings warmth to the land.

  Kat was lost in her thoughts, and had no idea how much time had passed.

  She was pulled out of her reverie by the words, “Kat! Kat!” She turned and looked back to where the words had come from. Auberon was hurriedly walking towards her, a piece of paper in his hand.

  “Is everything all right?” Kat asked, standing up.

  “Yes,” he said. “The lawyer just left, and although our meeting was very brief, there’s something you should know.”

  “What?”

  “Well, it turns out my mother left me a good deal of money. It will be a few million after the taxes are paid. But she left you something, too, and something for Lacie as well. Her lawyer told me she’d recently changed her will.”

  “Perhaps she knew she was in danger.”

  Auberon nodded. “Look.” He handed her the piece of paper he was holding and pointed at the relevant section. It read:

  To Kat Denham: $50,000. For being a true friend. Treat yourself to something nice.

  To Lacie Moore: $200,000. Everyone needs a good start in life.

  Kat had always thought the term “jaw dropping” was just an expression, but at that moment, hers actually did.

  CHAPTER 12

  Kat found the makings for a ham sandwich in the refrigerator for lunch, then took Rudy out for a walk. She called Lacie to let her know the good news and to tell her she would be staying in California for a few more days to give her time to investigate the circumstances of Marie’s death.

  Lacie was silent for a moment, then she burst into tears. “Mom, this can’t be real.”

  “It is, darling. I can’t believe it, either.”

  “She was such a generous woman! She’d only met me twice.”

  “I think you made more of an impression than you know.”

  Lacie sniffed. “No, Mom. It was you. She loved you. And because I’m your daughter, sh
e loved me, too.”

  Kat laughed. “Only because you’re lovely. If you’d been a spoiled diva, I’m sure she wouldn’t have looked at you twice.”

  Lacie continued to cry, but laughed at the same time. “Oh, Mom. I wish I could say thank you to her.”

  “So do I, Lacie.”

  “Thank you, Marie! If you can hear me out there!” Lacie said, then laugh-cried again. “This is just too much. We can buy a house, Mom. A real family home for Tyler, me, and our daughter.”

  “Yes,” Kat said. It was so hard to believe, Lacie starting her own family and having a real family home. Her little girl was growing up, for sure.

  “Oh, Mom, Tyler is going to be over the moon. Don’t tell him I told you, but he was very worried about not making enough money, since he’s still only on half-pay with the veterinarian in town during his internship. He was doing the calculations with my maternity leave pay and his money, and he felt like we weren’t going to have enough.”

  “Babies aren’t really all that expensive,” Kat said. “The most expensive thing is the loss of wages and the childcare.”

  “If I took a year or so off like I wanted to, I don’t know how we’d manage financially.”

  “If you’d like to take a year off, why not go for it?” Kat said. “With Marie’s generosity, it’ll give you a buffer. Maybe you two could put some money down on a house with a small mortgage, and keep the rest to tide you over until you go back to work.”

  Lacie cried more happy tears. “Oh, this is just great. I can’t wait to tell Tyler!”

  “Are you sure you don’t need me to come back? Or want me to?”

  “No,” Lacie said firmly. “Since Marie gave me this gift, I’m even more emphatic about it. You have to stay and investigate her death, Mom. Tyler and I are coping just fine, and Blaine’s pitching in whenever he can when he’s not working. As soon as I need them to take time off, they’ll be there with me full time. We’ve got everything covered. Honest. You don’t need to worry about it.”

  Kat smiled, her chest filling with warm love for her family. “Okay, my lovely girl. I’d better be going now. I want to mull over in my mind the facts surrounding Marie’s death and see if I can think of anything. I need to delve back into the manuscript I wrote for her, too, to see if I can narrow down any potential suspects if it turns out that she was murdered.”

  “Now that sounds like the mom I know and love,” Lacie said with a laugh. “Keep kicking butt, Mom!”

  “Lacie, you know how I hate that expression.”

  “Yes, I do. That’s why I said it.” Her voice was like sunshine. “Bye, Mom.”

  “Bye, darling.”

  On the way back to Marie’s home, Kat thought back to all the people who had been mentioned in the book. In all honesty, there were many people who’d been painted in a less-than-favorable light. It wasn’t that Marie was judging them, or casting aspersions on them. It was a simple report of things she’d seen along the way in her life’s journey, but there had been no holds barred by her.

  The more Kat thought about it, the more she began to wonder if she’d done the right thing by assisting Marie. In hindsight, if she was being totally honest with herself, she had to admit that writing the book may not have been the best thing to do, even if Marie hadn’t been killed as a result of it.

  If anyone else had proposed the idea for it, Kat may have found it morally dubious. But Marie had been so charming, so passionate, and so utterly sure it was the right thing to do, that Kat had been swept along with it. Looking back, Kat was surprised how easily she’d let Marie lead her.

  Although Kat was usually very amenable, she’d never been the sort of person who took on what other people said without checking the facts. She began to see, first hand, the effect of Marie’s intensity and charm. It was almost like she’d been under a spell, although she knew Marie didn’t have any kind of ulterior motives or intentions. It was just the way she was.

  Kat had learned a great deal about Marie’s innermost character, particularly when she’d written about Marie’s long string of failed marriages. But until now she hadn’t quite realized what the results of it could be. She supposed it was being with Marie’s son, Auberon, who had paid a high price for his mother’s marital errors.

  Putting aside those thoughts, she returned to considering who might be possible suspects if Marie was murdered. Who had Marie badmouthed the worst in her book? Who had the most to lose once it was published? She thought about Christos Alexiadis, the director who purportedly had forced women to sleep with him so they could get roles in his movies. He certainly seemed like a possibility.

  And what about James Strauhan? She remembered him from the movie premiere she’d attended with Marie. He’d tried hard to present a “good guy” image, and it was unlikely he’d want that tarnished by the revelations of his affair with Angelica, the starlet, particularly since she was married to his best friend. But was he capable of killing in order to prevent the book from being published?

  But would killing Marie even do that? Maybe the book would be published posthumously. Perhaps the killing had simply been an effort to bide enough time to sue for libel, or have some kind of a court injunction issued so the book wouldn’t be published. Kat made up her mind to speak to the publisher and find out the details. She knew Molly Singh at Enigma Books was the person in charge of it.

  As she walked along, she tapped the name Enigma Books into her smartphone and soon came up with a phone number. She punched in the number and her call was answered on the first ring.

  “Good afternoon, you’ve reached Enigma Publishing. This is Annie. How may I help you?”

  “I’d like to speak to Molly Singh.”

  “Who may I say is calling?”

  “Kat Denham, Marie Moorhead’s ghostwriter.”

  “Just a moment, please.”

  Molly picked up the phone immediately.

  “Kat, how good of you to call. It’s such a tragedy, isn’t it?”

  Kat was a little taken aback. Molly had spoken like they were friends, her tone like they’d known each other for years. But Kat had never spoken to her before, because Marie had always handled all of the communications with her.

  “Yes, it’s just terrible,” Kat said.

  “How can I help you?” Her voice went immediately back to business, as if that one comment was going to be the extent of her mourning for Marie.

  “I’m wondering about a couple of things. One, if you’re releasing the book posthumously, and if so, when, and two, if you’ve received any legal challenges because of the content.”

  “Yes, we’re having to push the publication date back by two weeks because of some ridiculous legal issues connected with deceased writers, and as to your second question, I’m afraid I can’t divulge that information. Are you concerned about getting paid? Since Enigma has no contract with you, we won’t be able to pay you. Marie let me know that she was responsible for paying you per an agreement between the two of you.”

  “I’m not worried about getting paid,” Kat said, feeling quite offended. “I’m investigating Marie’s possible murder. The reason I asked about any legal challenges is to see who might have a motive. Do you know who has read the manuscript so far?”

  “It was strictly under wraps, but a leak seems likely, due to what’s landed on my desk this morning. I can’t say anymore, Ms. Denham.”

  “Can I come see you, to talk?”

  “That would be absolutely lovely, thank you so much for asking, but unfortunately, I have absolutely no spare time, what with releasing new books and everything, so I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. We’re getting other actors and Hollywood figures to tell their stories and set the record straight concerning the allegations made in Marie’s book, so my phone has been positively buzzing with important Hollywood types, and I can’t let them down. Have a nice day.”

  The phone went dead.

  Kat shook her head in disbelief. Under her false veneer of politeness, the wo
man was incredibly rude. Kat wondered what she should do next. Should she just show up in person and see what happened, or take off on an altogether different line of investigation. She was still mulling it over when she got to the gates of Marie’s home. She turned and walked up the long driveway.

  When she walked inside the house, she heard a TV blaring on a news channel. She followed the noise and ended up in a glamorous salon, which had a purple and bronze color scheme.

  Auberon was sitting on the edge of his chair, a whisky on the rocks in his hand. He didn’t acknowledge her, because his eyes were glued to the television set.

  Kat turned to look at it, and saw the words BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS flash across the bottom of the screen, while a woman reporter walked in front of a large building, talking into the camera.

  The studio behind me is where Marie Moorhead made her last movie, Murder in Hollywood, in which she played eccentric romance writer Beulah St. Clair. Yesterday it was reported she died under suspicious circumstances. Just now news has come in from the police that the coroner has ruled there was no foul play involved in her death. The police report that Marie Moorhead died of natural causes and they have closed their investigation of the case.

  Then the news moved onto another item about who wore what to some award ceremony. Kat and Auberon stared at each other. The atmosphere felt strange and tense.

  “I don’t believe it,” Auberon said.

  “Neither do I,” Kat said immediately. “I’m so glad you said that, because I didn’t want to. I mean, I know it’s possible to go into a coma for a number of reasons, but I just have a feeling, I don’t know, call it intuition, but I don’t think she died from natural causes. I think she was murdered.”

  “So do I, unless…”

  “Unless…?”

  “Sorry, I’m being rude. Would you care to join me in a drink?” He gestured towards his mother’s drink cabinet, which was amply stocked.