Hollywood Prisoner: A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Read online

  I sipped my iced tea, then said, “Do you think it would be likely that her boyfriend would know she was using drugs?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but it seems highly unlikely that he wouldn’t. As you’re aware, heroin is a drug that has to be made soluble before injection. The cooking process usually involves an open flame. The smell and the physical processes required to make it injectable would likely be known to him at some point, even if she attempted to conceal it. The drug also has extreme euphoric effects, along with sleepiness and drowsiness, not to mention the tolerance issues requiring larger dosages and the associated withdrawal symptoms.”

  “I’ve never known an addict whose immediate family didn’t know they were using,” I said. “It all begs the question why Blake Lambert would conceal the fact that his girlfriend was an addict.”

  Our conversation halted as a waitress brought over our food. After she left, Brie said, “Is it possible that Luke Morgan was Campbell’s drug supplier?”

  “We need to go back to Lambert with what we now know, but that thought did cross my mind. If that was the case, it might even be that she owed Morgan money and there was a monetary issue associated with the crime. As Leo said to me earlier today, we have a lot more work to do.”

  Brie sipped her iced tea. Her hand shook as she set the glass down. “What happened to Campbell is such a shame. I saw her show a couple of times when I was off work. She was a beautiful young woman.”

  I knew the job and the drugs she was taking for her cancer were taking a toll on my friend. “How are you doing with returning to work?”

  “I like being back and feeling productive, but it has been difficult. I’m learning to pace myself.”

  Brie’s daughter and boyfriend came to mind as I asked, “And Lily and Phyl?”

  “They’re good. I’m getting lots of support.”

  I reached over and touched her hand. “Have I told you lately that you’re one of the strongest, bravest women I’ve ever known?”

  She squeezed my hand. “Thank you.” She was quiet for a moment before saying, “After coming so close to not making it, I’ve made as much peace as I can with everything. However my illness eventually goes, I’ve accepted it.”

  I thought about my own near-death experience and how it had motivated me to come back to work. I told her about it, explaining, “I had a flashback to everything that happened while working a case a few days ago. I remembered being outside my body and hearing a voice.”

  “A voice?”

  I nodded. “I know it sounds strange, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it was the voice of a child. It told me I had a choice to make. I think that choice involves choosing love over evil by continuing to try and make a difference for the victims in this world.”

  Brie was quiet. When she finally spoke, I realized that what I’d said had touched her. “Did you ever think about what a lucky set of circumstances it is to be born into this world? Sometimes I think we’re like a mirror; a form of consciousness that is the universe looking at itself. We all have struggles in this life, but we share the same space that, for the briefest instant, is our shared existence. I believe there’s a moral imperative that comes with knowing that and realizing that we’re here to make a difference in the best way we can.”

  I appreciated what she said. “You’re not only strong and brave, you’re one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever known. Thank you for your wisdom.”

  As we finished our meals, the conversation eventually turned to Lindsay, my work with the feds, and the continuing fear that was being felt throughout the country from the attacks in Memphis and New York. I wrestled with the idea of telling her about Jenson Moore and his threat to kill my sister if I didn’t meet with him. I decided against it, knowing that if I told Brie about it, I would be placing her in a difficult situation.

  Brie then changed the subject, asking me about Pearl.

  “He’s still missing. I’m not sure what to think about what’s going on with him at this point.”

  She finished her drink and set her glass aside. “Do you think…it is possible he was the one who shot Noah?”

  I took a breath. “That’s what the investigators think, but it’s just speculation. If he was there, I don’t understand why he would leave the scene after I’d been attacked.”

  The server came over and we settled the bill. As we were leaving the restaurant, Brie said, “Did you ever think our lives were full of a lot more questions than answers?”

  I smiled and took her arm as we left the restaurant with Bernie. “Sometimes it feels like one big mystery.”

  TWENTY-FIVE

  “This scene was captured on video by one of the passengers and has gone viral,” the reporter said. “The women reportedly remained near the railroad tracks for several minutes while they flashed the passengers going by.”

  Bernie and I were with Natalie and Mo in their mobile home after work. We were with Nana and Howie, drinking something Natalie called a Troll, which she referred to as an Internet cocktail. I didn’t know exactly what was in it. All I did know was that Natalie said it took the edge off anything posted on the Internet that made you angry. Maybe that was because the drink tasted like it was about ninety proof.

  We’d been discussing the fact that Boris had started moving his belongings into Nana’s house when the news segment came on TV and Natalie and Mo stopped talking to watch it. The reporter ended the segment by saying, “This is one of several incidents that have been occurring in and around Los Angeles recently. The group posts messages after what they call spontaneous flash ‘n’ dash activities that have included everything from public nudity to showing up at a hospital and giving thousands of dollars for a needy child’s medical care.”

  When the segment ended, my friends smiled and exchanged knowing glances.

  “Don’t tell me you two were part of that,” I said, referencing the news segment. “You do know that public nudity is a criminal offense.”

  “Only if they catch you,” Natalie said.

  “When’s the next flash ‘n’ dash?” Nana asked. “I want to come.”

  “You’re too old to either flash or dash,” Mo said. “And we got us a certain reputation to maintain.”

  “And,” Howie said, “some of us have considerable assets that we display during these events, and I’m not just talking about cash.” The handsome young man looked at me. “Why don’t you consider coming to the next dash?”

  “Kate won’t even take her clothes off in a dark room,” Nana said. “And she’s about as spontaneous as a lazy dog.”

  Bernie lifted his head, maybe taking exception to what Nana had said.

  Our former landlord went back to the topic we were discussing before the news segment was aired, telling Natalie and Mo, “Boris’s makeover is this week, and I want to be sure he ends up looking like a movie star.”

  “Not to worry,” Natalie said, “Mo and me got us some hedge trimmers and a weed whacker. Boris has himself a bad case of werewolf syndrome, but when we’re through with him, you won’t even recognize him.”

  “I’ve agreed to come along and dress Boris,” Howie said. “I spent the day shopping for him.”

  Howie seemed nothing like the man I’d met yesterday. Something about his demeanor reminded me of my brother.

  “Are you gay?” I asked him out of curiosity.

  “No.” Howie seemed genuinely upset with me as he added, “I’m bishounen, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  I’d never heard the term that sounded vaguely like a dog species. “You’re what?”

  “Howie’s a popinjay,” Natalie explained.

  I was still confused. “Huh?”

  “I’m nothing of the kind,” Howie said, taking exception to what Natalie said.

  “Baby sis means he’s a dandy, like boy candy,” Mo said to me.

  “A bishounen, for your information,” Howie said, “is a beautiful boy. It’s someone whose youth, beauty, and sexual
appeal transcends gender or sexual orientation.”

  “Can I lick you?” Nana said to him.

  “No!” Howie shrieked. “And I won’t sit here and listen to my esthetic being disparaged.” He looked at my friends as he stood. “I’ll see you both at Nana’s place for the makeover.” He turned to Nana and me. “Good evening.”

  “I don’t get it,” I said, after he was gone. “What happened to the finger-farting idiot I met last night?”

  “MPD,” Natalie said.

  I was tired of everyone speaking in code. “You need to spell it out for me.”

  “Howie’s got Multiple Personality Disorder,” Mo said. “You never know exactly what personality’s going to show up.”

  “I like tonight’s personality,” Nana said. “Do you think Howie could give Boris some pointers?”

  “We’ll have to see what personality shows up for the makeover,” Mo said.

  Nana sighed. “All right.” She rose and looked at me. “If you show up for Boris’s big reveal and coming out party, I don’t want you acting like a party pooper.”

  I bit my tongue as she left, then said to my friends, “My Nana tolerance quotient is just about maxed out. Is it my imagination, or does she get more difficult with age?”

  “She’s like a plum that’s startin’ to turn into a prune,” Natalie said. She looked at Mo. “We’d better work our magic on Boris, or she’ll really start to come unglued.”

  “Boris will be like putty in our hands.” Mo’s dark eyes swung over in my direction and she changed the subject. “I heard you and Leo caught that Campbell Turner case.”

  Mo, as usual, knew all about my cases, probably because Charlie was her source of inside information. The crime had also been all over the media, so I saw no harm in saying, “It was a pretty brutal crime.”

  “Mo and me got some details you might be interested in,” Natalie said, as Bernie came over to her, looking for attention.

  “Your victim had a little, no, make that a big habit,” Mo said.

  I played dumb. “What are you talking about?”

  “Smack.”

  “Campbell was chasin’ the dragon,” Natalie agreed, as she ran a hand through Bernie’s fur.

  “Any idea who her dealer was?” I asked them.

  Mo answered. “Word on the street was that somebody at Klondike Studios was her supplier.”

  “Do you think it might have been Luke Morgan?”

  “That bloke that whacked her?” Natalie said.

  After I confirmed what the media was reporting, Mo said, “I asked about him. He was a small-time user, but not a dealer. It had to be somebody else.”

  I decided that Mo’s street contacts might be useful. “Maybe you could do me a favor and continue to work your sources.”

  “We’ll put our ears to the ground, long as we’re not on a flash ‘n’ dash detail,” Natalie said.

  “Speaking of putting our ears to the ground, baby sis and me were at the Pig ‘n Whistle today. One of the bartenders there said he saw Pearl.”

  My interest and anxiety level spiked. “Are you sure?”

  Mo nodded her big head, which was adorned with a red wig. “He said he recognized Pearl from when he worked the streets as a cop.”

  The Pig ‘n Whistle was a landmark bar and restaurant, right on Hollywood Boulevard. It wasn’t far from the police station.

  “Did the bartender talk to him?” I asked.

  “I think they just said hello. He said Pearl got something to eat, then left.”

  “Maybe you could put the word out with your sources that I want to talk to him.”

  “Consider it done,” Natalie said. “We’re gonna find your daddy, no matter what it takes.”

  I didn’t bother to again say that I wasn’t sure Pearl was my father, but I decided I would mention what they had found out to Leo in the morning. If we could work it into our schedule, maybe we could find the time to go by Pearl’s house. My friends then both said again they wanted to be close at hand when I met with Jenson Moore. I again put them off, telling them I was still considering my options.

  I pushed my drink aside. “I think I’d better call it a night. Busy day tomorrow.”

  “You didn’t finish your Troll,” Natalie said. “And you haven’t heard the latest on Izzy.”

  “I’m trying to go light on the alcohol,” I said. “What’s going on?”

  “We confirmed that he’s been shackin’ up with Doreen, that assistant of his. They got a magic performance on the street in front of his shop this weekend. Mo and me are gonna expose his dirty dealin’ and we want you to come along.”

  I had no idea what they had in mind, but didn’t think I wanted to be a part of it. “I’m not sure…”

  “You gotta go with us,” Mo said. “After we’re done with him, Izzy’s performance will never be forgotten.”

  It was against my better judgment, but they’d agreed to help me out on my case and with finding Pearl, so I felt obligated to go. “All right, I’ll be there.”

  I was headed for the door when I thought about them having inside sources at the police station. I said to them, “Tell me something. Is Charlie providing you with details about my cases?”

  Mo shrugged and gave me a sheepish look. “Maybe just a couple of things. You know he likes to talk.”

  I then remembered the medical problem he’d shared with me. “I guess you’ve heard about his condition.”

  “What are you talkin’ ‘bout?” Natalie said.

  I felt guilty about almost betraying his confidence. “It’s nothing. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

  I heard Natalie say to Mo as I was leaving, “We’d better ask Charlie what’s going on. Maybe he’s got some kinda medical problem.”

  As I let Bernie sniff along a flowerbed before turning in, it occurred to me that after my friends found out about Charlie’s condition, life would never be the same for Rudolph.

  TWENTY-SIX

  I decided insomnia was now a permanent condition of my life. I lay in bed until after two in the morning before dozing off, then woke up at five. A hot shower and two cups of coffee later, I dragged myself into work. Bernie settled at my feet as I slumped into my chair across from Leo.

  “You okay?” Leo asked, apparently seeing my condition.

  “Fine for someone who got three hours sleep.” I remembered he’d gone home early yesterday to pick up his granddaughter from school. “How’s Meg?”

  “Better. I think it’s just a touch of the flu. How did things go at the coroner’s office?”

  I filled him in on Luke Morgan’s autopsy. “Two shots: one to the torso, a second at close range to the temporal region. It looks like Lambert moved in for the kill shot.”

  “That’s not consistent with what he told us.”

  “We need to go back to him today.” I then told him about Campbell’s autopsy, the findings that she was a heroin addict. “Natalie and Mo know about the murder from the news coverage. Mo said word on the street is that Campbell’s pusher works at her studio.”

  “Maybe it was Morgan.”

  “She didn’t think so. He was strictly a user, small time.”

  “Sounds like we need to do some legwork at the studios.”

  I agreed, then changed the subject, mentioning what my friends had said about a bartender seeing Pearl. “I thought we might go by his place tonight if time permits.”

  “Let’s plan on it.” He glanced over, seeing that Darby and Mel were heading for the conference room. “Let’s go see if we can divide up duties without making those two unhappy.”

  I stood and tossed my empty coffee cup in the trash. “We’d have a better chance at world peace.”

  Lieutenant Edna was out of the office, but Selfie and Molly came to our meeting. We began by updating them on the autopsy results. Leo then asked our crime analysts if any of the involved parties had a record of drug offenses.

  “Neither our victim nor Luke Morgan had any record of arrests,” Sel
fie said. She was sporting yellow hair and a matching blouse this morning. “Blake Lambert had a 11350 arrest that was dropped back in 2013.”

  Section 11350 was a California Health and Safety code that made it illegal to possess certain drugs, including heroin.

  “Do we know the circumstances of his arrest?” I asked.

  Molly had the report. “He was at the beach in Santa Monica during some kind of disturbance. The police detained everyone and found a single baggie of heroin in a backpack. Lambert denied the backpack was his. The DA eventually decided they couldn’t prove it was his beyond a reasonable doubt and declined to file charges.”

  “Maybe both Turner and Lambert were regular users,” Mel suggested. Darby’s partner looked tired, like she was under stress, something that we had in common. “It could be that’s what brought them together.”

  “And Luke Morgan was their dealer,” Darby suggested.

  I shook my head. “My friend, Mo Simpson, said word on the streets is that Morgan was a user, but strictly small time. She thinks Campbell’s dealer might be working at Klondike Studios.”

  “Your friend,” Darby scoffed. “What did you do, go home and tell her the details of our investigation?”

  I raised my voice. “She saw what happened on the news and mentioned Morgan to me. I didn’t discuss anything with her.”

  “You need to leave those meddling idiots out of our case.”

  My voice went even higher now, along with my blood pressure. “They’re not idiots and they weren’t meddling.”

  “Enough,” Leo said, as Darby opened his mouth. “Let’s stay on track and divide up duties.”

  “Darby and I want to go back to Lambert,” Mel said.

  “That could be a problem. If you’ll remember, he said he was going to be in seclusion.”

  “Then we’ll un-seclude him,” Darby countered.

  I glanced at Leo and shrugged, deciding that I was too tired to argue with him.

  “Kate and I will meet with SID then,” Leo said, referencing the department’s Scientific Investigation Division. “After that we’ll canvass the neighborhood around the crime scene, see if anyone saw or heard anything. We can meet you both at Klondike Studios this afternoon and talk to the employees there.”