Murdered in Hollywood

by Dianne Harman

  Julia flushed red, clearly pleased. “Just doing my job, ma’am. I hope you enjoy your food as much as Rudy seems to be enjoying his.”

  “Again, thanks, and I’m sure I will.”

  Kat took some cold chicken and made a chicken salad which she stuffed into ripe avocado halves, along with some French bread with mozzarella. She drank a glass of chilled white wine to wash it down. It was a hot day, so the cold spread was more than welcome. Julia watched as Kat prepared her lunch, clearly happy. It was obvious she really loved to take care of people.

  Once Kat was sitting down, sipping on her wine, Auberon looked pointedly at Julia, who kept smiling, oblivious to what he was trying to convey.

  Auberon cleared his throat.

  “May I get you a cough mint?” Julia asked eagerly.

  Auberon barely concealed a sigh. “Could you just give Kat and me a few minutes alone, please?”

  “Oh! Yes! Sorry! Of course. I’ll be in the kitchen. Just shout for me if you need anything.”

  “We will,” Auberon said. “Thank you, Julia.” As soon as she’d left, he looked wide-eyed at Kat. “She’s as crazy as my mother was.”

  “Perhaps that’s why they got along so well,” Kat said with a laugh. “I like her.”

  “Good, I’m glad you do,” he said, making it plain he didn’t share the sentiment.

  Kat chuckled. “Did you want to tell me something? Do you have the results back from the pathologist you were going to hire?”

  Auberon blinked. “No. I wanted to tell you I’ve been to therapy. I actually went to my mother’s therapist, Dr. Kimora Charles. I found her number on my mother’s calendar on the wall. I went there to talk about things.”

  “Good idea,” Kat said.

  “She thinks my belief that Mother was murdered reflects on my own rage toward her that’s trapped inside me as part of my unhappy childhood. Apparently, I had a secret fantasy about murdering her because of her betrayal and neglect of me. Even if that was totally subconscious, it was still present. She thinks I want to believe she was murdered, because it will make me feel more at peace with my childhood rage.”

  Absolute baloney, Kat thought. “I see,” she said, barely able to conceal the sceptical look on her face.

  Auberon sipped his wine, looking troubled. “Right now, I don’t know which way is up and which way is down, Ms. Denham.”

  “Perhaps the therapist just added another layer of confusion to things? I’m not sure how they can instantly make such decisions about what you were thinking. Presumably this is the first time Dr. Charles ever met you, is that correct?”

  Auberon nodded. “I questioned that, too. But she said her conclusions were not based on personal knowledge of me, but on certain Freudian complexes that apply to all human beings.”

  “Wasn’t Freud the one who said we all want to marry our opposite sex parent and kill the other parent? I’m surprised the doctor didn’t explain it as something to do with you wanting to marry your mother.” She sighed. “Sorry to be flippant, Auberon. I just don’t think what she said was true. I think Marie was murdered.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Think about it, if she got murdered because of the book I helped her write, that’s not exactly going to help me sleep at night, is it? It’s not what I’d decide to believe, if I could make the choice. And if I could make the choice, I’d hope she died peacefully and naturally, from old age and nothing more. But the problem is that I just don’t believe it.”

  Auberon shook his head. “You’re in an ever-decreasing circle, Kat. I think I’m going to have to step out of that circle. I believe my mother died of natural causes. I really do.”

  “Fine, but you’ve got to admit that there are a lot of people with motives. James Strauhan, and Christos Alexiadis, to get the publishing delayed or stopped, or just plain old revenge. Molly Singh…”

  “Who’s she?”

  “The publisher of your mom’s book,” Kat said. “I’ve been thinking about her, too, even though she declined to meet with me. She told me she was getting celebrities to do ‘counter’ pieces to what was written in your mother’s book. I’d like you take a look at the contract between your mother and Enigma Publishing.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because think about this. Maybe Molly couldn’t go ahead with the other stories while your mother was alive. Maybe they had some kind of ‘conflict of interest’ clause in their contract, meaning that Molly couldn’t publish work by certain ‘enemies,’ for want of a better word.”

  Auberon sighed. “I appreciate your work, Ms. Denham, but…”

  “And,” Kat said, “the death of your mother brings Molly’s name even more firmly back into the news, which, in all honesty, could lead to stratospheric book sales. Especially as it’s your mother’s ‘last words,’ you know, the last opportunity anyone will have to hear from her. Wouldn’t that be a plausible motive for Molly Singh?”

  Auberon grimaced and shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”

  At that moment, Kat’s cell phone rang. It was Blaine. “Just a moment, Auberon,” she said, pressing the Accept button.

  “Lacie’s gone into labor early,” Blaine said in an excited tone of voice.

  Kat jumped up from her chair. “I’m coming. I’ll be on the next flight home.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Kat’s airline flight from Los Angeles to Kansas City was uneventful, but ever so stressful, as she worried about Lacie. She’d left all her clothes at Marie’s home and simply dashed out the door and headed for the airport with nothing more than her purse, her cell phone, and of course, Rudy.

  Fortunately, because he was a comfort dog, he was able to fly with her in the cabin of the plane and didn’t have to be shipped in a kennel type of cage. When she arrived in Kansas City, she picked up her car from the long-term parking lot and started driving as fast as she dared towards Lindsey. When she was about twenty minutes away, she called Blaine from her car.

  Blaine answered his cell phone saying, “How far away are you?”

  “About twenty minutes,” she said. “What’s going on?”

  “There was a little problem. She’s gone in for an emergency caesarean.”

  Kat’s heart caught in her throat. “I’m sure it will be fine. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  “That’s what the doctors told us,” Blaine said. “The baby’s heartrate was dipping, and she was getting distressed, so they decided they were going to do a C-section.”

  “Oh dear.” Kat breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm herself. “Is Lacie okay?”

  “Yes,” he said. “A little scared, but that’s understandable.”

  “What about Tyler?”

  “He’s with her.”

  “I’m glad she’s not alone,” Kat said. “I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

  The moment she pulled into the hospital parking lot, she jumped out and sprinted inside. She left Rudy in her car with two windows rolled partly down so he could stay cool.

  It took her a frustrating moment to look at all the signs and work out where the maternity ward was, but realistically it probably took less than thirty seconds.

  Minutes later, she burst into the maternity ward waiting room.

  “Kat, I’m so glad you’re here.” Blaine said. He ran up to her and hugged her.

  “Is she out yet? What happened? Is she okay?”

  “She’s still in there,” he said. “I have no idea how long it’ll be.”

  Kat felt a mix of nervousness and excitement fluttering around in her stomach. She wasn’t quite ready to allow herself to celebrate and believe everything was fine just yet.

  She and Blaine sat down and held hands. Kat squeezed his strong hand and looked into his warm eyes. “I can’t believe it. I’m going to be a grandma.”

  “That’s really quite something, isn’t it?” he said, his eyes twinkling. “Grandma Kat. Has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?”


  “It makes me feel old,” she said. “I’m still eighteen, aren’t I?”

  They chuckled together.

  In a short while, a nurse came out and motioned towards them. “You can come in now.”

  Kat and Blaine jumped up and hurried after her. They went through a set of doors, down a corridor, and finally into a private room. The nurse held the door open for them and smiled.

  Kat’s heart melted. Lacie was lying on a bed, cradling a blanketed little bundle in her arms. Tyler was standing next to them, grinning, his eyes welling up with tears.

  “Oh,” Kat whispered in an emotion-charged voice as she looked at her little family.

  Lacie looked up at her and smiled the most beautiful smile. “Hey, Mom.”

  Kat went around to the other side of the bed, so she could get a look at the sleeping baby. “She’s beautiful,” she whispered, finding her own eyes filling with tears. “My goodness.” She rubbed Lacie’s leg. “Are you all right, honey?”

  Lacie nodded and looked down at the baby. “The best I’ve ever been, Mom.”

  Blaine joined Kat and put his arm round her waist. They smiled at each other.

  “Her name’s Florence,” Tyler said.

  “Oh,” Kat said, delighted. She gently touched Florence’s head. “Welcome to the world, little Florence.”

  “Florence Rose Marie Moore,” Lacie said, smiling up at her mother.

  “What a beautiful name,” Kat said. “Marie would be thrilled to know you’d honored her like that.”

  Tyler shook his head. “We couldn’t believe the amount of money she willed to Lacie. It’s totally life-changing for us.”

  “Yes,” Kat said. “She loved the two of you. And she’d love little Florence, too.”

  “Do you want to hold her, Mom?” Lacie asked.

  “Would I?” Kat said. “My granddaughter. Are you kidding? I’d absolutely love to.”

  “You’ll have to lean down to get her,” Lacie said. “I can’t move much. They’ve given me a lot of painkillers, but it’s still a little hard for me to move.”

  “Okay,” Kat said. She bent down and carefully took Florence from Lacie’s arms. It had been such a long time since she’d held a baby. She looked down into the tiny little beautiful face of her granddaughter, and felt that same rush of love she’d felt when Lacie was born. She looked at each of them, Lacie, Tyler, Blaine, with tears in her eyes. “Is she real? She can’t possibly be real. She’s just perfect.”

  Blaine folded back the blanket gently and took Florence’s little hand in his. “Look at those tiny fingers,” he said.

  “Blaine, we’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Lacie said. “I know you came into my life too late for me to call you dad, and it would seem strange to both of us now, but you’ve truly acted like a father to me. I was wondering if Florence can call you Grandpa.”

  Now it was Blaine’s turn to blink back tears. His face crumpled, then he straightened it out. “Of course,” he said. “I’d like nothing more.”

  Kat laughed. “It’s not just me getting old, Grandpa.” Everyone laughed along.

  Kat enjoyed her cuddle with Florence, but soon little Florence started crying, a tiny little newborn cry. “She’s hungry, Lace.”

  “The nurses are feeding her formula for now,” Tyler said, pressing a button behind Lacie’s bed.

  “I’m going to have a nurse come along and show me how to breastfeed later on,” Lacie said. “I’ll take her, Mom.”

  Lacie took Florence and rocked her, saying, “Sh sh sh sh,” in a caring, motherly way. At that moment Kat was certain Lacie would be a wonderfully nurturing mom, not that she’d ever had any doubts about it. Lacie had always been wonderful with other people’s children, and it had never been a surprise to Kat that she wanted to be a child psychologist. She had a deep heartfelt connection with children.

  A nurse came along and gently took Florence, saying, “Come along, little love. Let’s get that belly of yours full of yummy milk, huh? Just a moment, everyone. She won’t be long.”

  Kat and Blaine stayed a little while longer, but Lacie was tired, and it was obvious she needed to get some rest. They decided to go to a nearby supermarket and stock up on a few things they knew Lacie would need.

  They left Rudy in Kat’s car and drove to the store in Blaine’s car. Kat bought magazines Lacie used to like and hadn’t read in a while, the over-the-top sensationalist stories about ‘love rats’ and ‘secret babies’ that were always good for a laugh. She also bought a lavender-filled sleep mask and some really nice shower gel, to help Lacie feel back to her normal self, and of course, chocolate, lots of chocolate.

  Florence already had everything she needed. They’d packed a bag for her months ago, full of (far too many) lovely baby clothes they’d picked out together.

  When they returned to Lacie’s room, she was asleep. Florence was dozing soundly in her little crib next to Lacie’s bed, and Tyler was sitting in a chair in the corner, watching them both and smiling. Kat felt a little sad. Both of Tyler’s parents had passed away, so no one was coming from his side of the family to see the new addition to the Moore family.

  “Is Ashlee going to be able to come at some point?” Kat asked. Ashlee Nelson was Tyler’s sister and not one of Kat and Blaine’s favorite people. She was a local newscaster, and cutthroat to boot. A little while back, she’d insinuated on public television, no less, that Blaine had something to do with the murder of a local judge.

  But a few months later, her husband, Chance Nelson, a Pulitzer Prize winner, had been murdered. Kat had helped find his killer, and after that, Ashlee had completely changed. In fact, she’d made a public proclamation on television that she would no longer sensationalize news and deliberately defame people. Surprisingly, she’d become more popular than ever.

  Tyler shook his head. “She’s doing some investigative journalism out of state at the moment,” he said. “But she’ll be back in a few days, so she’ll be visiting us at home.”

  “That’s good,” Kat said. “Aunty Ashlee.”

  Tyler smiled. “She’s very excited at the prospect.”

  “That’s great.” Blaine nodded at Tyler. “Let us know if you need anything, anything at all, and we’ll be right over.”

  “Thanks, Blaine,” Tyler said. “Thanks, Kat.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Tyler,” Kat said with a warm smile.

  After saying their goodbyes, Blaine, Kat, and Rudy left for home. Blaine had managed to snap a picture of little Florence on his phone, and as soon as they got home, Kat sent it to her best friends, Mitzi, an acupuncturist, and Deborah, who worked at a University in Italy, ironically, quite near the city of Florence. They both messaged back immediately to say how beautiful the baby was and to send their congratulations to the whole family.

  Once that was done, Kat leaned back in her chair, looked at Blaine lovingly, and sighed happily. “Life is good, isn’t it?”

  “Right now it sure seems perfect,” Blaine replied with a smile.

  “To wrap up a perfect evening, why don’t we get some Italian takeout? To celebrate our own little Florence,” Kat said.

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Blaine said.

  They spent a wonderful evening together. It was still light out, so they ate on the patio. Rudy was restless after having been cooped up for so long, and Jazz was thrilled to see him again, so they thoroughly enjoyed themselves leaping and jumping around in the back yard and playing with their chew toys.

  Kat and Blaine drank a rich Pinot Noir, which they used to toast Lacie and Florence’s good health. Kat ate one of her favorite things from their local Italian restaurant– a beef braciole with orecchiette pasta in a flavorful tomato sauce. Blaine usually got a classic lasagne, but tonight he’d opted for roasted pork shoulder and potato gnocchi.

  They caught up with how each other’s work was going. Blaine had a few ongoing cases, all of which looked promising. Kat’s mystery and romance writing work had slowed down a little sin
ce working with Marie, but she was still keeping it ticking along for her loyal readers, and was about to wrap up another mystery book set in England.

  It was about a woman in her 50s who had recently left her husband and set off around the world as a landscape gardener. She was planting a new garden for a rundown old English mansion that was being renovated into a grand hotel when she stumbled across a body in the hedges. Kat had enjoyed writing it immensely, and hoped her fans would be just as enamored with it. She couldn’t describe the joy she found in working for herself and doing what she loved.

  The evening continued to be perfect. Lacie sent more pictures of Florence, which melted Kat’s heart. She imagined all the lovely things they’d do together as a family. Perhaps Lacie would do some of the things with Florence that Kat had done with Lacie.

  Like the teddy bears’ picnic in the local woodland every Sunday in the summer, and the flowerpot and bamboo obstacle course in the garden that Lacie and her friend Madison had jumped over for hours on end, pretending to be horses doing show jumping.

  It warmed Kat’s heart to think of the memories. In the end, she got out some old photo albums, and a book she’d made containing Lacie’s certificates and milestones and other childhood mementos. She and Blaine laid them all out on the kitchen table, and over coffee, went through them.

  Blaine hadn’t been there for Lacie’s childhood, so he thoroughly enjoyed learning about what Lacie had done as a child, and all the great times she and Kat had spent together.

  He gave Kat a hug. “You’re an absolutely amazing mother. Lacie couldn’t have wished for any better.”

  Kat felt warm inside. Of all her accomplishments in life, she felt proudest of raising Lacie into a kind, ambitious, smart young woman. “Thank you, Blaine. That means a lot. More than you know.”

  Kat stayed up late poring over the memories by herself, while Blaine went upstairs to catch up on some work. By the time they went to bed, Kat could safely say today had been one of the best days of her entire life. She fell asleep thinking of little Florence’s sweet face and tiny newborn baby cry. What could be better, she thought, than family?