by Tripp Ellis
"Oh, my God! What are you doing here?" a sultry voice shouted at me.
The sublime voice belonged to a gorgeous blonde wearing sunglasses and a beret. She marched toward me, flung her arms around my neck, and gave me a hug. It was Chloe-C. The biggest popstar in the country, at the moment.
"You remember JD, don't you?"
Chloe gave him a hug. "How could I forget?"
She introduced us to her friend, Nadia, whom I recognized from the cover of a magazine. She was a tall, leggy brunette that wore a skimpy black dress which accentuated her multimillion-dollar legs.
"We're here to take care of a little business," I said.
Chloe took off the sunglasses, and her gorgeous eyes found mine. "This is so random," she said. "I was just thinking about you."
"Good things, I hope?"
She arched an eyebrow at me. "Of course. I can't thank you both enough. You saved my life. So many people could have been killed."
"All in a day's work," JD said, feigning modesty.
"Are you in town about the Bree Taylor project?"
"That and another project we hope to put in the works," I said.
"That's fantastic!" Chloe said. "Thanks for putting a good word in with Joel. I signed with him last week. I really like his style."
"I'm sure he's happy to have you as a client. Who wouldn't be? I mean, it's not like you're the biggest thing on the planet," I joked.
"Well, the agent I left wasn't so happy. I can be a bit… particular… at times."
I lifted my brow, curiously.
"Hey, I know what I like, and I know what I'm worth. I'm well aware that all this could be gone tomorrow, so I'm trying to maximize my dollar value now."
"Make hay while the sun is shining," I said.
"Damn straight! How long are you in for?"
"Just a day."
Chloe frowned. "Aw. I was hoping we could spend some time together."
There was a slight tone in her voice that suggested she wanted us to get to know each other a little better. The cynical side of me wondered if she just wanted to get closer because she thought I had influence in the casting of the Bree Taylor project, which I think she was angling for a role in.
I dismissed the thought quickly.
Chloe seemed like a girl who didn't need to manipulate her way into anything. I got the impression that she would just tell you what she wanted, and would ask for help if she thought you could give it to her. Her albums were topping the charts. She was giving Taylor Swift a run for her money. Chloe didn't need my help with anything.
Jack smiled with delight as he talked to Nadia. She had a thick, Eastern European accent, which was music to JD's ears.
I leaned against the bar, talking to Chloe. Her eager eyes hung on every word, like she was actually paying attention. A rare thing in Hollywood. Most people are just waiting for their turn to talk. She was curious about how we put two and two together during the last case. "It's all anyone is talking about. Everywhere I go, people ask me what happened at the concert in Coconut Key? It's crazy. Everyone wants to take a meeting, and that's all they want to talk about. People have a sense of morbid curiosity."
"Don't worry," I said. "Another scandal will come along and redirect their attention."
She chuckled. "True."
"So, what's next for you?" I asked.
"I've got a few more weeks off, then we finish the second leg of the North American Tour. Then Europe. Then it's back in the studio to record another album. Maybe, with any luck, I get to do a movie in between." She smiled, innocently.
"Sounds like a busy schedule," I said.
She let out an exhausted breath. "It is. Nobody has any idea. They think this is all glamorous, but it's hard work. I mean, it's nothing like what you do. I don't usually get shot at, but touring can be intense. And singing every night is hard on the voice." Chloe smiled. "But, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm a very lucky girl."
"Indeed."
"I feel even luckier that I ran into you," she smiled.
She had an adorable smile.
"I don't know why, but I feel like I can totally be myself around you," Chloe confessed. "I don't have to put on an act. You don't want anything from me. It's refreshing."
"You know, I don't mind your company either," I said with a grin.
"It's tough to make real connections in this town," Chloe said.
"I can imagine."
"You seem to keep the whole thing at a distance."
"I'm a reluctant participant," I said. "I never intended to get involved. It just kind of happened. But the pay is not bad when the deals come through."
"I'm sure you'll have a great meeting tomorrow."
I shrugged. "It is what it is. If they want to fly me out on a private jet, put me up in a fancy hotel, and pay for my drinks, I'm okay with that."
She lifted her glass to toast. "To living the dream."
"To living the dream."
We clinked glasses and sipped the fine whiskey.
"Are you staying at the hotel? Or just drinking in the bar?"
"This is home for tonight," I said.
"I've rented a bungalow for a few weeks. I needed to escape and decompress before I get back on the road." Chloe paused for a moment. She looked at her glass, then her shy eyes gazed up to me. "Have you ever seen the bungalows here? They're cute and cozy."
I had no doubt that was an invitation. An invitation I wasn't about to refuse.
15
I was looking forward to getting a personal tour of Chloe's bungalow, but that plan got derailed.
We had left JD in the bar with Nadia. The two were hitting things off well. Chloe and I took a moonlight stroll poolside, and that's when things went south.
The underwater lighting silhouetted a body floating facedown on the surface.
There was no one else around.
I didn't know how long the body had been floating in the water, but it didn't look promising. I dove into the pool and pulled the woman from the water. With my fingertips, I checked for a pulse in her neck, then began chest compressions.
Chloe shrieked in horror. She dialed 911. "Send an ambulance to the Château immediately. A woman has drowned!"
I pumped my hands frantically against the woman's chest, trying to revive her. She wore a black cocktail dress and stiletto heels. Chlorinated water beaded on her pale, lifeless skin. Her hair was a tangled, wet mess.
My suit was sopping wet, and my hair dripped. Chloe hovered beside me, mortified. Then she gasped. "Oh, my God! That's Mia Sophia!"
I didn't stay on top of pop culture. I didn't know who the woman was. I kept up with the chest compressions until the EMTs arrived, but Mia wasn't coming back.
I backed away from the body and let the EMTs take over. They went through the same routine and used an automated defibrillator, but nothing worked.
By this time, a crowd had gathered around the pool—a mix of hotel guests and staff.
Chloe teared up. "She was a friend of mine. I mean, we weren't real close, but we hung out a few times."
Mia was an up-and-coming starlet, Chloe told me. She had just booked the lead in a new series that would debut on one of the streaming giants. From what Chloe said, Mia was about to become a household name.
The LAPD arrived and asked questions. I identified myself as a police officer, and flashed my badge.
"A long way from home, aren't you?" Officer Croft asked.
"Here on personal business," I said.
"You're the one who pulled her out of the water?"
I nodded.
He went through the standard list of questions. I told him where we had been and the approximate time that we discovered the body.
"Did you see anyone else in the area?"
"No," I said.
"Have you had any interaction with the deceased this evening prior to seeing her in the swimming pool?" Croft asked.
"No."
Chloe told the officer that they were friends,
but that she hadn't seen her this evening.
"Big fan of your music. Would you mind signing an autograph for my daughter?" Croft asked.
"Sure, no problem."
Chloe signed a piece of paper for him.
The officer took down my information and said he might be in touch.
Cameras flashed as the forensics team took pictures, and the medical examiner hovered over the body. A few paparazzi had snuck in and were snapping photos. Some of the hotel staff, and one of the officers, chased them away.
We stayed on the scene until the body was removed and loaded into the medical examiner's van.
There were curious murmurs. Gossip and speculation drifted through the poolside crowd. But soon after the body was gone, people went back about their business. Back to their trysts. Their deals. Their tainted dreams.
I escorted Chloe to her bungalow.
"Look at you," Chloe said. "You're totally soaked. And your suit is ruined! I'm not trying to be that slutty little vixen, but we should get you out of those clothes. There's an extra robe in the bathroom. I hope that's not your only suit?"
I cringed.
"You can take a shower, and I can make some phone calls. I'm sure I can get another suit delivered. We can't have you going to your meeting looking like this."
"I have no problem with slutty little vixens, by the way," I said.
Chloe chuckled. "I'm sure you don't."
She held open the door, and I stepped inside, kicked off my shoes, and took off my soggy socks.
Chloe grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom. "Hand me your clothes when you're out of them."
I slipped into the bathroom and peeled out of my suit. I took my keys, my soggy money clip, and my phone from my pocket. Thankfully the phone was water resistant to 30 meters.
I hopped in the shower and washed the chlorine off. Afterward, I pulled on the fluffy robe that was embroidered with the logo of the Château. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I handed my wet clothes to Chloe, and she looked at the sizes, and the label. "Di Fiori. I like a man with good taste."
I smiled. It was an expensive suit.
It was almost 2 AM, but Chloe made a phone call to her assistant, Tara. "We have an emergency situation."
I listened to the call with great amusement.
"Call Jessica with Di Fiore. …Yes, I know what time it is. Tell her that Tyson Wild, of the Bree Taylor project, dove into the pool at the Château to save Mia Sophia. …Yes, it's horrible. I'm sure it will be all over the news soon. …I'm okay. A little freaked out. Anyway, Tyson was wearing a Di Fiore suit, which is now ruined. He has an important meeting tomorrow with the studio. If Dino can provide him with a new suit in time for his meeting, I'm sure Tyson will be more than happy to wear it on the red carpet at the premiere of the Bree Taylor project." Chloe's eyes flicked to me.
I nodded in agreement.
"Call me back and let me know what they say." She hung up the phone.
Chloe was in a bit of shock, trying to go about her business like nothing had happened. I think it helped calm her to take on a project like finding me a new suit and shoes.
"You really didn't have to go to that much trouble," I said.
Chloe smiled. "It's really no trouble. This is how things work in this town. You should know that by now. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get you dressed. I kind of like the thought of you in my bungalow without any clothes."
16
Tara called Chloe back. She had spoken with Dino's assistant, Jessica, and was on her way down to the boutique in Beverly Hills. Jessica was meeting Tara there and would allow her to pick out a new suit and pair of shoes, then she would head to the bungalow.
It was crazy that all of this could be accomplished at 2 AM. But, as everyone knows in Hollywood, the assistants make the world go round.
Chloe and I talked on the couch while we waited, getting to know each other a little better.
"What do you think you’d be doing if you weren't singing?" I asked.
For Chloe, it was a mind blowing question. "I couldn't imagine life without singing. It's all I've done since I was a little girl. It's all I've ever wanted to do." Her face scrunched up as she thought. "I guess acting would be my second choice. I was in theater in high school and did a few plays. It's still something I want to pursue."
"What do you want your legacy to be?"
"These are deep questions for 2 o'clock in the morning," she said, coyly. She paused. "As an artist, I want to leave a body of work behind that isn't disposable. That seems harder and harder to do today. Everything is designed to be disposable. I can't really control how my work will be remembered, but I can control how much heart and soul I put into it."
It seemed like a reasonable answer.
"At the end of the day, it's all fluff. It doesn't really matter. One day I want to get married and have kids, and that will be my legacy. I want to leave the world a better place for them. What about you? I mean, you have a life that is so unrelated to all of this. What would you be doing if you weren't chasing down bad guys and pitching TV deals about it?"
"I guess I'm like you. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I've always had a desire to serve. I don't know, maybe in another dimension, I’d be a doctor. That way, I would still get to help people."
An impressed smile curled on Chloe's lips. "What's the greatest accomplishment of your life?"
"Not killing Esteban Rivera—the man who killed my parents. That took restraint. I'm not quite sure if that's an achievement or a failure."
"I think that would go in the achievement category," Chloe said with a touch of sarcasm.
"It's either that, or coming back to life—though I didn't really have much to do with that. Does resurrection count as an achievement?"
"You died?"
"Technically. Briefly."
Chloe leaned in, intrigued. "What was that like?"
"I could tell you, but that information is classified," I said.
She smacked my arm, playfully. "Tell me. I want to know."
"What's in it for me?" I asked, playing hard to get.
She arched a sassy eyebrow at me. "Are you going to make me pry it out of you?"
I shrugged. "Maybe."
"I can be very persuasive."
"Persuade me," I dared.
She leaned close, her lips hovering inches from mine. "If you tell me about your near-death experience, I'll…" she leaned closer, and her hot breath tickled my ear, offering a devilish enticement.
"That sounds like a fair trade," I said.
"I thought you'd say that." A mischievously sultry grin curled on her gorgeous face.
One thing led to another, and the inescapable gravitational force of her cherry lip gloss drew me closer. Our mouths collided in a passionate embrace. My hands traced the enticing curves of her body, and she was quick to get me out of the robe. Things were getting hot and heavy, and she was making good on her promise, when Tara knocked on the door.
Chloe sprang from the couch like a teenager caught by her parents.
I quickly pulled on my robe and tried to hide my lustful enthusiasm.
Chloe pulled open the door, and Tara stood with a brand-new suit in a garment bag emblazoned with Dino Di Fiore's logo. Chloe took the clothes and shrieked, "You are the best!"
She gave Tara a hug.
Tara smiled. "You know I've always got your back! Do you need anything else?"
Chloe looked at me.
"This is fantastic," I said. "Thank you so much!"
Chloe introduced us.
"It's nice to meet you," Tara said.
Tara handed me the box of new shoes, then disappeared into the night.
Chloe closed the door, then hesitated for a moment, deciding whether to hand over the garment bag. "I don't know if I should give this to you. You'll have no reason to stay."
"I can think of a few reasons to stay. Besides, I still need to tell you about my NDE."
A sly grin tugged
Chloe's full lips, the cherry gloss long since worn away.
She took my hand and pulled me into the bedroom. She hung up the garment bag in the closet, then lifted on her tiptoes and planted her lips against mine. It didn't take long to rekindle my enthusiasm.
We fell onto the bed and tumbled around the sheets and gave the walls something to talk about. We did our best to add something memorable to the illustrious history of the hotel.
It was the wee hours of the morning when we wrapped the first act. I fell asleep with Chloe in my arms, basking in the swirl of chemicals in my brain. Oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin formed a pleasurable cocktail that couldn't be purchased in any bar.
The dappled rays of morning sun filtered through the windows all too soon. I stretched and yawned and peeled my eyes open, wiping the sleep away. I had just barely gotten to sleep.
I slid carefully out of bed so as not to awake Chloe. She stirred slightly and rolled over. I slipped into the shower, then dressed in my new suit which fit perfectly. I put on a fresh pair of socks that came with the new shoes. They were comfortable, but stiff. They hadn't been broken in yet, but it wasn't like I would be running a marathon today.
I left a note for Chloe and slipped out of the bungalow. I walked down the path toward the pool, passing by the scene of Mia Sophia's death. If you hadn't been present when the incident went down, you would never know it happened at all. The pool was calm and serene this time of the morning, and there wasn't a guest in sight.
I made my way back to our suite. JD had ordered breakfast, and underneath the silver warming lid there was a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon.
Jack had already eaten.
He was dressed and looking dapper. He adjusted his tie in front of the mirror. "Dude, have I got a story for you?"
"I take it things went well last night?" I asked.
"You have no idea," Jack said, his voice brimming with excitement.
"You can tell me all about it on the way to the studio. We need to get rolling." I began to shovel the scrambled eggs into my mouth, making sure not to dribble anything on my suit.
"Relax. It's okay to be fashionably late in this town," JD said. "It builds suspense."
"What time did you leave the bar with Nadia?" I asked.
