Hollywood Z: A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Read online

  HOLLYWOOD Z

  MZ KELLY

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  SPECIAL OFFERS

  CONTESTS

  STREET TEAM

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY-THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  THIRTY-FIVE

  THIRTY-SIX

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THIRTY-NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY-ONE

  FORTY-TWO

  FORTY-THREE

  FORTY-FOUR

  FORTY-FIVE

  FORTY-SIX

  FORTY-SEVEN

  FORTY-EIGHT

  FORTY-NINE

  FIFTY

  FIFTY-ONE

  FIFTY-TWO

  FIFTY-THREE

  FIFTY-FOUR

  FIFTY-FIVE

  FIFTY-SIX

  FIFTY-SEVEN

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  FIFTY-NINE

  SIXTY

  SIXTY-ONE

  SIXTY-TWO

  SIXTY-THREE

  SIXTY-FOUR

  SIXTY-FIVE

  SIXTY-SIX

  SIXTY-SEVEN

  SIXTY-EIGHT

  SIXTY-NINE

  SEVENTY

  SEVENTY-ONE

  SEVENTY-TWO

  SEVENTY-THREE

  SEVENTY-FOUR

  SEVENTY-FIVE

  SEVENTY-SIX

  SEVENTY-SEVEN

  SEVENTY-EIGHT

  SEVENTY-NINE

  EIGHTY

  EIGHTY-ONE

  EIGHTY-TWO

  EIGHTY-THREE

  EIGHTY-FOUR

  EIGHTY-FIVE

  EIGHTY-SIX

  EIGHTY-SEVEN

  EIGHTY-EIGHT

  EIGHTY-NINE

  NINETY

  NINETY-ONE

  NINETY-TWO

  NINETY-THREE

  EAST OF SUNSET

  ONE

  Pearl Kramer is my father!

  It had been a harrowing night; a night in which I learned the man I’d worked with on the police force over the years, one of my best friends in the world, was my biological father. That knowledge had sent me reeling. I was still trying to process my feelings and understand what had happened over thirty years ago that shrouded the beginnings of my life in secrecy.

  Joe Dawson and I had been up all night, working with the FBI and the Officer Involved Shooting teams at Willows Manor. Isaac Caine had escaped during the shootout at the ancient abandoned house in the Santa Monica Mountains. But Tom Knight, his half-brother—the man I’d been led to believe was my father—and Caine’s head of security, Andres Delgado, had been killed. A nationwide search for Caine had been put in place, but he had once again slipped away from us, like a ghost disappearing into the night.

  The sun was rising as Pearl and I took a walk along the Malibu shoreline. Joe was still with the FBI investigators, understanding that we needed some time alone to talk. We stopped as a wave broke onshore, the light of a new day illuminating the streaks of silver in Pearl’s hair. Even though I now knew he was my father, old habits were hard to break, and it still felt right to refer to him by his first name.

  Pearl’s buttery brown eyes regarded me, as a seagull cried out above us, and the breaking waves rolled to shore. “I guess the first thing I need to say is I’m sorry.”

  I brushed a strand of windblown hair behind my ear. “Sorry that you’re my father?”

  He smiled. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m so incredibly proud of you…” His eyes misted over. “You’re so amazing, Kate. I just wish… I’m sorry I couldn’t have been there for you, especially after John died.”

  “John” was my adoptive father, killed by one of Harlan Ryland’s hit men when I was four years old. His murder was orchestrated to cover up his knowledge that Ryland was using the movie studios in Hollywood to import drugs into the country. Ryland’s drug empire and New Age religion had eventually transformed into a terrorist organization called the Swarm. Isaac Caine and his recently deceased brother, Nathan, had eventually gained control of the group.

  I looked into Pearl’s tired eyes. “Why did you give me up for adoption?”

  His gaze moved out to sea for a moment, then found me again. “Your mother, Judie Crawford, and I were involved for a brief period of time. She was a wonderful woman: kind, sincere, full of compassion and life.” He took a breath. “Just like you.”

  “But you walked away from her and from me.”

  “It’s complicated. Judie told me that she was pregnant before…” He sighed. “We’d only been dating for a short period of time when she told me.” He chuckled. “We even talked about me adopting you…”

  When he didn’t go on, I said, “Adopting me? I don’t understand.”

  “Your mother told me that Tom Knight was your father. They’d broken up shortly before we got together.”

  I took a breath and released it slowly. “I’m more confused than ever. Knight apparently also believed he was my father.”

  “No. That was a lie.” He glanced over at a bench a few yards away. “Maybe we should have a seat, and I’ll try to explain everything.”

  We took seats on the small bluff, as the warmth of a new day washed over us. I was exhausted after the long night, but also running on adrenaline. I’d waited a lifetime for this moment and needed to hear everything. I did my best to keep an open mind, as Pearl’s deep baritone voice began to fill in the details about the events that had defined my life.

  Pearl folded his arms and began. “I guess I should start at the beginning. About thirty years ago, Tom Knight, John Sexton, and I took part-time jobs at Wallace Studios in Hollywood, doing security work. At first, the job seemed perfect. We were young cops, in need of extra money. The work was easy and routine. We checked the credentials of visitors and made sure the people coming and going were approved to be on the studio’s lot.

  “But, as the weeks wore on, it became clear to me there were a lot of visitors that had no real business being at the studio. I became suspicious when some of these people were carrying trunks and oversized bags that were locked, and they refused to open them. When I reported my concerns to the studio’s management, they told me the visitors were couriers, and they should be allowed to come and go, without any further checks. In time, I came to realize they were laundering money through the studios—a l
ot of money—that was from drug sales.”

  “Did Tom and John know what was happening?”

  “We all eventually figured things out. All this was happening before the Internet, so the money was being physically transported to the studio before it was laundered and distributed to various businesses and dummy corporations. John and I talked about reporting our suspicions to the department, but Tom said it wasn’t any of our business. It soon became apparent to me why he wanted everything covered up.”

  “He was dirty.”

  “Yes, but it was more complicated than that. I eventually realized he had a much bigger agenda.”

  “Bigger than just wanting in on the drug profits?”

  He nodded. “Tom wanted to take over Ryland’s drug operations, along with his half-brothers, Nathan and Isaac. I did a little research and found out they were all Tauists, on their leadership council. Tom and his brothers were working things from the inside for their own benefit. As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one who realized that he wanted in on the drug operations.”

  “Harlan Ryland and his associate, Collin Russell, also found out what was happening?”

  He nodded. “I’m not sure about all the details, but I think some money—probably a lot of money—went missing. All this happened during the time Catherine Rose was murdered by Charles Sayer.”

  “Sayer was the Tauist who molested Catherine and murdered her and her parents to cover things up.”

  “Yes, and that left the Tauists with a big problem. I heard rumors that Ryland was especially worried that, if Sayer was arrested, it not only would reflect badly on the organization, he was also concerned that he might eventually talk about the drug dealing and expose everything.”

  “So they had our former police chief, David Bronson, kill him.”

  “Probably, but I can’t prove it.”

  “They also came up with a plan to use Bronson to frame Knight for the murders, by leaving his service weapon at Catherine’s murder scene.”

  “Yes, but Knight got wind of what they were planning. He was also concerned that the department’s Internal Affairs Division might start looking into things. He eventually went to Ryland and told him he had evidence of his drug dealing and that a third party would turn everything over to the DA unless he was allowed to leave the country. Going into exile and quitting his job allowed him to get off the hook with both Ryland and the police department. It also left his brothers in place to continue working from the inside to try and take over the business.”

  “Ryland didn’t know they were all related?”

  He shook his head. “Tom was their half-brother. That secret served them well in the long run. And Tom Knight did have one redeeming quality. Your adoptive dad, John, had saved his life during a shootout. Tom honored that by demanding that Ryland and Russell protect you as part of the deal they struck.”

  I wasn’t aware of that fact, but much of what he told me I’d already pieced together. “What about John, my adoptive father? Why didn’t he go to the authorities?”

  “He was gathering evidence against the Rylands, and even diverted some of their drug profits into an offshore account.”

  “Money that was also in David’s name, the son he had out of wedlock as a teenager.”

  “Yes, and when Ryland found out about it, he had John murdered.”

  I sighed, feeling the weight of the entire sad story. “I’m still confused. If you are my father, how was Knight able to garner my protection?”

  “Everyone believed he was your father, so you became part of the package.”

  I held on his eyes. “And nobody knew the truth, except you.” My brows inched together. “Why did you let Tom Knight claim he was my father, then let him give me up for adoption? You kept everything a secret for over thirty years, even from me.” I broke eye contact and shook my head in anger and disgust.

  “Yes, but it’s not what you think.”

  “Then tell me. Why didn’t you ever contact me, tell me you were my father?” I huffed out a breath in frustration. “I definitely needed the support, especially after…after my dad…after John was killed. I spent my life feeling lost and alone.”

  “I’m sorry, but…I didn’t know I was your father.”

  I massaged my temples. “You believed what Judie…what my bio-mom had told you.”

  “I never had any reason to doubt her, and then…”

  His eyes grew heavy. When he didn’t go on, I said, “And then what?”

  He looked at me. “I died.”

  TWO

  I locked eyes with him, trying to make sense of what I was hearing. “I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”

  “I’m sorry.” He took a moment, regaining control of his emotions, then went on. “I was planning to go to the DA with what I knew about Ryland’s drug dealing when everything changed. I was on duty, chasing a suspect—a man who I still think was responsible for the murder of Elizabeth Short—through a drainage canal. To make a long story short, I fell, hit my head, and died.”

  Elizabeth Short was an aspiring actress, dubbed “the Black Dahlia” by the press. Her murder had remained unsolved for decades. The fact that he’d been chasing her killer would have been interesting if he hadn’t said he’d died.

  Pearl went on. “I suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in cardiac arrest when my partner found me. Luckily, he performed CPR and saved my life. I ended up having surgery to relieve the swelling on my brain. I was in the hospital for the better part of the next year. I was diagnosed with something called DRA, or Dissociative Retrograde Amnesia. It basically left me with large gaps in my conscious awareness, identity, and memory.

  “For the longest period of time, I had trouble remembering my childhood and didn’t even remember my wife until a few years before she passed.” He brushed a tear. “Unfortunately, the biggest loss I suffered was you. I remembered bits and pieces about Judie Crawford, your adoptive dad, and even Tom Knight, but you were completely lost to me.”

  My earlier anger faded as my voice broke with emotion. “You thought Tom Knight…you believed he was my father, along with everyone else.”

  He nodded. “I had no reason to doubt what Judie had told me until…” He was overcome with emotion and didn’t go on.

  I gave him some time, then said, “Until what?”

  His gaze moved off to the pounding waves for a moment, as he brushed his tears. He then looked back at me. “Remember when I went to Brazil a few months back to gather information on Ryland?”

  “Yes. You confirmed he’d been using a harbor near Rio to ship drugs around the country, and that the Caines were in the process of taking over his drug empire.”

  “As I got closer to finding the truth about everything, the threats against me increased. When I began making direct inquiries about the drug trade with some of the lower level players, Ryland got wind of it. He wanted me out of the way. It got so dangerous that I tried to leave the country by boat.”

  “I remember. The boat sank, and you almost drowned.”

  “Ryland and his granddaughter, Harlee, were behind that, but I managed to make it to shore.” Pearl’s dark eyes again took in the pounding waves in the distance. “When I made it back to the States, I remember telling you that Tom Knight probably had information on the Rylands that he used as a bargaining chip to garner his and your protection.” His gaze came back to me. “What I didn’t tell you then was that I remembered everything and knew that he was living a lie.”

  My voice pitched higher. “You remembered being involved with my mother?”

  “Yes. When I almost drowned, all those memories came rushing back. I remembered Judie telling me that Tom Knight was your father, but, when I pieced together everything that had happened in the intervening years, it didn’t ring true. If you’ll remember, when I got back to the States, you and I met to discuss my findings. We had coffee, and I kept the paper cups to do DNA testing. It confirmed that I’m
your father.”

  “Something that Judie didn’t even know?”

  “I think she falsely believed Tom was your father, when it was me.” There were tears on his cheeks. “It was as if, in that moment, you were suddenly reborn to me.”

  “But you…” I took a breath. “After you came back from Brazil and confirmed that you were my father, you never told me. Why?”

  “I knew that, if Ryland ever learned the truth, it would put the protection Knight had put in place for you in jeopardy. I’ve also been around long enough to know that every organization, including the FBI, has leaks. I was concerned that the truth might ultimately come out and get back to Ryland.

  “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I knew, if I told you the truth, I’d be putting your life in danger.” A thin smile found his lips. “So I’ve spent almost every waking minute since that day following you. Just like I followed you last night.” His waterfall of tears came again. “That’s why I’m sorry, Kate. I lied to you about the only thing in this life that really matters to me. I’m sorry for that, but I’m your father, and nothing is more important to me than your safety.”

  I held on his eyes for a long time. My emotions overcame me, and I fell into his arms, weeping. Several minutes passed before we finally parted, and I regained enough composure to speak.

  “I…I understand what you did,” I said. “Thank you for saving my life. But, most of all, thank you for being my father.”

  His response was choked, barely audible. “I love you. And, just so you know, there’s only one thing I have left to do in this life.”

  I brushed my tears. “What’s that?”

  “Kill Isaac Caine.”

  My lips turned up, as I brushed my tears away. “You’re going to have to get in line behind Joe and me.”

  We spent the better part of the next hour talking about our lives. My relief in finally knowing the whole story was palpable. I’d spent a lifetime in search of the truth and feeling broken. Now the realization that Pearl Kramer was my father made me feel whole for the first time in my life. He was a man of honor and integrity, who had spent his life trying to do the right thing.

  I understood that we’re all, in some measure, born into this world lost. Some of us are lost because of our physical limitations. Others are lost because of cultural or socio-economic constraints, our parents’ failings, or our problematic family circumstances. And sometimes we get lost because we’re looking for acceptance, or, more precisely, love.