Hollywood Enemy: A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Read online

  I only knew Sherry Miles by reputation. The forty-something commander’s black hair was cut short with red highlights. She was stocky but in the way some heavyset women have that make them look solid and powerful. Miles was said to be a survivor who walked the political blue line allowing her to remain as one of The Beast’s trusted advisors, despite a recent purge of the department’s command staff. Given the brass in the room, I had an uneasy feeling, even before the meeting began.

  We settled in and made introductions after Pearl Kramer joined the meeting along with a cold case detective, John Duncan.

  Kramer, a silver-haired African-American detective, was retired but worked part-time. The one-time chief of detectives was one of the few good guys in a department that seemed always in turmoil.

  John Duncan had been the detective assigned to my father’s cold case for a number of years. He was a competent, earnest cop, with a workload that left little time for real police work, especially on cases like my dad’s that had been closed for years. Duncan had recently been partnered with Jack after he came back to the department following a brief stint with Homeland Security.

  As Charlie inhaled the last of his “balls” Commander Miles began the meeting by addressing me directly. “Detective Sexton, I’m wondering if you could take a minute and give me a little history about your father’s murder and the possible tie-in to last night’s shooting.”

  I took a moment, gathering my thoughts. My father’s death, up until a few months ago, had been something at the back of my mind that seemed to have had little lasting impact on me. Now, his murder felt like it framed everything that had happened in my life, from my choice of careers, to my sometimes rocky connection with my adoptive mother, and even my relationship issues with men.

  I put all that aside and began telling the commander what happened in the factual way that cops are trained to provide details. “Twenty-seven years ago my father took me to the pony rides in Griffith Park. As we were leaving the park a man walked up and shot him in the head. I was only four at the time and remember nothing about his murder.”

  I took a sip of my coffee, then began filling in the facts. “The man who murdered my father was Ryan Cooper. He killed my dad in a jealous rage after learning that his ex-girlfriend, Judie Crawford, had been in a relationship with my dad at one time. Cooper came to see my mother after the murder and threatened that if she ever said anything about him to the authorities she would regret it. My mother kept that threat to herself for almost thirty years.”

  The commander had been making notes on a pad and looked up at me. “She never said anything to you or anyone else about what happened?”

  I shook my head. “There’s a reason for that.” I glanced over at Jack. He gave me a nod of encouragement. “I only recently learned that my birthmother was Judie Crawford. Before Ryan Cooper came back into her life, Judie gave up her parental rights to me and I was adopted by my new mom when my father married her. My birthmother never told Cooper that she had a baby by my father.”

  I set aside my half-empty coffee cup and met the commander’s eyes again. “My adoptive mother was afraid that if Cooper ever learned that Judie had a daughter by my father while they were separated he’d come after me, just like he’d murdered my father. She kept that secret from everyone, including me, for over thirty years.”

  Miles rubbed her wide jaw. “That must have been a heavy burden for her to carry around all those years.”

  I nodded and continued, “After I recently learned the truth about what happened, I knew that I had to find my birthmother.”

  I paused, drew in a couple of breaths, and tried to focus on the facts, not the visual images of seeing Judie Crawford for the first time. “I eventually found her in a convalescent hospital near Las Vegas. As it turned out, about a year ago Ryan Cooper learned that Judie was my birthmother from some information she had on her computer. Cooper assaulted and tried to kill her, but she ended up in a coma after the attack. My birth mom is in something called a Persistent Vegetative State. She will never recover.”

  The commander released a breath and her voice softened. “I’m sorry.” She took a moment, maybe processing what she’d learned, before asking, “And you’re sure that Cooper was behind what happened to her?”

  “I have no doubt. About three months ago he left me a video, explaining everything. Would you like to see it?”

  The commander nodded and in a minute I had the video that Cooper had left for me on my laptop. As it played, we watched the man I’d known as Shumi Duvall, one of Cooper’s many aliases, telling me that he planned to kill me as retribution for Judie Crawford being my birthmother. Cooper was a make-up artist who had worked for the movie studios for a number of years, so he had the ability to dramatically alter his appearance. The man captured on last night’s hotel security video looked nothing like the subject on my computer screen.

  When the recording ended I went on, “At the time the video was made, Cooper had assumed the identity of Shumi Duvall. He pretended to be a new age guru and dated my adoptive mom for a while, probably as a means to find out about my life and to eventually get to me. I knew it would be a matter of time until Cooper came after me.” I huffed out a breath in frustration. “What happened last night proves the point.”

  Commander Miles finished making her notes and turned to John Duncan. “What’s the status of the cold case investigation?”

  Duncan was pushing sixty, with thin gray hair and dark eyes. He was a good cop, but also seemed a little overwhelmed by the current state of his now “hot” cold case. “Cooper’s been pretty much off the radar for years, other than getting a California driver’s license about five years ago.” He slid a photocopy of the license across the table to Miles. The DMV photo looked nothing like the man I’d last known as Shumi Duvall. “The license was never renewed and he’s no longer at the address of record.”

  Pearl Kramer, who had been working the case with Duncan, added, “Cooper’s been operating under various aliases for years and recently used the name John Felton while working for Northridge Studios over in the valley. There’s nothing in any of the databases to indicate he currently has a driver’s license or social security number under his real name, and nothing to show that he has a criminal record. He’s a ghost.”

  The commander folded up the photocopy of Cooper’s expired driver’s license and put it in her notepad. She turned back to me. “Anything else?”

  I shook my head. “You know about the badge found at last night’s shooting. It belonged to my father, probably stolen from my mother’s house when she and Cooper, or the man she knew as Shumi Duvall, dated. I talked to Mom earlier this morning. She confirmed the badge is missing.”

  Commander Miles drummed her pen against her notebook and pushed back in her chair. She seemed to be considering something, or maybe it was just for appearances. As soon as she opened her mouth I realized that she’d come to the meeting with an agenda.

  “As you can imagine, Detective, the press is all over last night’s hotel shooting, especially given that the governor was in the room. So far, nothing’s been released about the incident being tied to your father. If word does leak out it will, no doubt, sensationalize everything and turn the heat up on all of us.”

  She was telling me something that I already knew, but I was unprepared for what came next.

  “Chief East has given this a lot of thought and feels it would be best if you were reassigned for a period of time. It would give the department time to work on your father’s case and possibly find Ryan Cooper. It would also make you less of a target, both to Cooper and the press.”

  I felt my heart thumping against my ribcage, my anger rising. “I’m not sure what you’re suggesting but I won’t be pushed aside from finding my father’s killer, nor will I hide out.”

  “Let me assure you, no one is suggesting that you hide out. The chief just feels that different surroundings for a period of time will give us all some working room.”

&n
bsp; “If this is a matter of Kate’s security or protection it shouldn’t be,” Jack said. “I’m sure the chief and the department knows that we’re in a relationship. That alone adds a layer of protection…”

  “That’s simply not enough,” Miles said. “What happened last night proves the point.”

  “Last night only proves that either Ryan Cooper is nearsighted or he’s toying with me,” I said, my eyes drilling into Miles. “If he wants to find me, a different assignment isn’t going to make any difference.”

  The commander shifted in her chair, tugged at her collar. “I guess we’ll just have to see about that.”

  Lieutenant Edna spoke up, maybe at the realization that he’d be losing manpower with my reassignment. “I can have the other detectives in my unit work closely with Kate if that would make a difference. They can add a f… a…a layer of protection.”

  Charlie also chimed in, “I can also stay with Kate twenty-four seven, assist with her security.”

  My partner likes to think of himself as my daddy. He means well but it irritates the hell out of me.

  Miles shook her head. “I’m afraid the decision has already been made. The reassignment is to be immediate.”

  I pushed back in my chair and huffed out a breath, my anger turning to frustration. Despite what happened last night, I felt like my life with Jack was finally back on track. And then there was Ryan Cooper. He’d not only killed my father and destroyed my birthmother’s life, he’d also created a rift between my adoptive mother and me over everything that happened. I’d recently come to understand that I’d been living my life in the emotional shadows of what happened to my father. It had even affected my relationship with men. Now I was again facing being separated from Jack because of Cooper’s interference.

  “Please,” I said to the commander. “Give me a few days, maybe a week or so, to try and help sort through everything.”

  I received a chorus of support from the others in the room until the commander overruled everyone. “I’m sorry. Effective today you are being temporarily reassigned to assist the FBI with a special investigation. This decision is final.”

  My heart sank when I thought about working for the feds. My last experience with the FBI had been a disaster. “What kind of investigation? Where am I being reassigned?”

  “They’ll be sending a car to your house this evening. The details will be forthcoming once you’re officially reassigned. That’s all I can say for now.”

  I turned to Jack who looked almost as unhappy as me. He said to Miles, “This reeks of a payback.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” the commander said.

  “East is unhappy over certain events last night. He also knows that Kate worked closely with the last chief, got a lot of press over her cases. We all know that he wants to improve the department’s relations with the media and he doesn’t want to share the limelight.”

  “None of what you’re saying has an iota of truth,” Miles said flatly. “This is a matter of Detective Sexton’s protection and what’s best for the investigation.”

  “If that was true,” I said, “you’d leave me in my current assignment and let me do what I do best.”

  Our arguments went back and forth for another five minutes before I knew it was a lost cause. “Not another word,” the commander finally said, leveling her eyes on both Jack and me. “This matter is final and closed to further discussion.”

  After Sherry Miles departed, Lieutenant Edna let loose with a string of obscenities. The others chimed in for moral support. I went over and tethered Bernie, then headed for the door with Jack. I turned to him and said, “I think I just found out what it feels like to be screwed by The Beast.”

  Jack gave me a half-smile. He seemed almost as unhappy as me about my impending reassignment. “I guess there’s only one thing left to do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Find your father’s killer.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Before I left work for the day, Lieutenant Edna told me that Bernie could stay with a friend or relative during my reassignment. On my way home that evening I decided it would be best to leave him with my mother. I reasoned that he would add a layer of protection if Ryan Cooper or the man she knew as Shumi Duvall tried to bother her again.

  I found Mom at home in her spirit room where she sometimes engages in psychic readings under the name Miss. Daisy. She was sitting in a chair staring off into space like a lost child.

  Mom recently had a facelift but with the setting sun streaming in from the window she seemed untouched by the surgery, maybe even a bit older and fragile.

  “Mom, what’s going on? You seem…a little distant.” Bernie was standing next to me, turning his head from side to side as he studied her.

  Mom’s gray eyes found me. She sighed. “I’m just feeling pretty down about everything. I feel like a failure.”

  I took a seat next to her. “You’re hardly a failure. Unless you consider me, Robin, and Amanda failures.” I thought the mention of my brother and sister might cheer her up, even though Amanda was a snob who openly disapproved of our gay brother. Robin had been on tour for several weeks with a celebrity singer, working as her hairstylist.

  Her eyes seemed to focus inward. “No. It’s not that. It’s just…with your father’s badge being taken and that man…I saw what happened last night on the news.” She cut her eyes to me. “I can’t believe I let him fool me. Do you know that I even…”

  I cut her off, not wanting the intimate details. “It’s okay, Mom. You didn’t know.”

  “I get sick to my stomach just thinking about it.” There were tears in her eyes. “I feel like I also let the memory of your father down.”

  I moved closer to her, placed a hand under her chin, and lifted her head up until our eyes met. “Listen to me. You were taken advantage of in the worst way possible. You were the victim of a vicious, deranged psychopath. Nothing that happened was your fault.”

  She fell into my arms, sobbing like a child, and telling me how sorry she was again. After a good cry she finally regained some composure. We went into the kitchen where she fixed us tea and we shared some oatmeal cookies. After chatting for a few minutes I told her why I was there.

  “I’m going to be on special assignment for a while. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”

  “What? I don’t understand. With everything that’s happened I need you here.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not going to be possible. I need you to be strong. I’ll leave Bernie with you while I’m away. He’ll watch over you.” My big dog was eyeballing our cookies. I usually didn’t give him treats but this was a special occasion. I broke off a piece and he wolfed it down.

  “Where will you be going?” Mom asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll be working with the FBI. They’re meeting me this evening and giving me my assignment then. As soon as I’m able I’ll give you a call and check in. In the meantime, be sure to call 911 if you see anything suspicious. You also have Charlie’s number.”

  After we finished our tea, Mom walked me to the door. Our relationship had been strained since she told me the truth about my birthmother. As I turned to her before leaving I saw the guilt on her face. She hugged me, her eyes again taking on a sheen.

  When we moved apart, Mom didn’t look at me, but said, “You still blame me don’t you? Her watery eyes came up to me. “For not telling you about your birthmother.”

  I shook my head. “We’ve already been over this. No one is to blame for what happened and the past is over. You did what you thought was right and took care of your children. No one could have expected anything more than that.” I smiled, brushed a tear from her cheek, and then looked down at my hairy partner. “Be sure Bernie gets plenty of exercise and no junk food.”

  My big dog licked my hand as I bent down to him and said, “And you. Take care of Mom. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Bernie gave me that look that makes me think he understands exa
ctly what I’m saying.

  ***

  When I arrived home I placed my key in the front door lock and all hell broke loose. I heard an alarm that reminded me of a sound I’d once heard in the movies when a World War II submarine took a dive. I looked up in time to see lights flashing, just before a net came down, covering me.

  “What the hell?” I screamed as I was slimed by…I had no idea what slimed me. All I knew is that I was covered with some kind of gooey, green substance that was in my face and hair. I felt like something out of one of those kid’s shows where they dump green slime on each other.

  I looked over as a light came on and then saw the silhouette of Nana Hannah, my eighty-something landlord, being projected on the side of the house. Nana’s had her hands on her skinny hips. A recording of her unmistakable high-pitched warble announced, “Freeze muthafucka or you’re gonna die.”

  “Code zero niner one,” I heard a man’s voice say as the door swung open.

  “Roger that,” Natalie said, walking up behind her boyfriend, Tex, and looking at me. “Instead of a rat, we got us a mouse in the house named Kate.”

  The door opened wider. I was looking at a house full of men and women, all dressed in leather bondage outfits.

  “What’s going on?” I screamed, trying to wipe the goo off my face. I glanced down and saw that my clothes were ruined.

  Mo had her hands on her wide hips. My other roommates all came over to her side, including, Natalie, Tex, Prissy, Nana and her new boyfriend, Elvis. They were dressed like something out of a demented porno movie.

  “We was just doin’ what you suggested,” Mo said in her deep, yawning voice. She pointed at Tex. “You’re a victim of Mr. Brain’s latest security device.” My large friend had on a short leather skirt with a black mesh bikini top that gave the impression of two very large melons caught in a fish net.