Not Suspicious in Hollywood: Not in Hollywood Book 5 Page 7

  Crystal chuckled. “That reminds me. My mom wants you and Griffin at the wedding.”

  I stopped the pizza heading for my mouth. “Why? I don’t know the woman. Why on Earth would she want me at her wedding?”

  “I think she felt bad for the way she spoke to you today at the dress shop.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Did you not explain to her the industry I work in? I have had far worse things said to me in my lifetime. Come to think of it, some of those worse things came from you,” I said, gesturing to Crystal.

  “Ha ha. Very funny. I think she knows how good a friend of mine that you are and she is trying to get on my good side.”

  “Oh, so not a real invitation. It’s one of those second thought invitations where there is some convoluted reasoning for inviting someone to the wedding, usually when someone else has declined their invite.”

  Crystal looked at me sourly. “Stop over thinking it. You and Griffin are invited. It will be a nice night out for you where you are not working for a change.”

  Crystal was right. Most of my social outings were to do with work. This meant they involved trying to prevent celebrities from doing something extraordinarily stupid that could end up in the media within minutes. Not always a fun job. In fact, not ever a fun job.

  I shrugged. “Sure. I’ll need to check with Griffin but I don’t think he’ll be back at work by then, so we should both be free.”

  “Is Griffin taking a holiday?” Edwin asked curiously.

  I shook my head. “He’s been kind of suspended.”

  Crystal stopped eating. “How do you get ‘kind of’ suspended?”

  “Seems Griffin and his lieutenant aren’t seeing eye to eye on the investigation into Ramos’s girlfriend’s death. Griffin dealt with it in his usual subtle way so he’s been forced to take some overdue leave.

  “He really doesn’t have people skills, does he?” said Edwin.

  I shook my head. “Not even close. I’d hate to see him in a job where he actually has to think of the most diplomatic way to phrase something before he starts speaking.”

  “How long is this forced holiday going to be for?” asked Edwin.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Hopefully not too long. I don’t think that Griffin would be very good with too much time on his hands. I hate to think what kind of trouble he could get himself into.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Walking into the mansion the next day, I was not surprised to find that things were exactly the same as they had been before the discovery of Jolena’s body. For some reason I always had the feeling that the world should stop when someone dies, but it never does. As usual, the guys in the band were still in bed. First thing in the morning it was always the staff who were around, ensuring everything was going to run smoothly during the day. I had received a phone call the night before letting me know that there was going to be a meeting first thing in the morning. It looked like management wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page. I went looking for Jorge. No matter how early I arrived at work, he was always there earlier. When I found Jorge in the living room I was surprised to find him talking to Griffin. I hadn’t heard from Griffin since receiving a text the night before, letting me know that he wasn’t going to be able to come over to my place and he would be crashing at his home for a change.

  “Detective Griffin, I wasn’t expecting to see you back at work so soon.”

  Griffin grinned nervously. Jorge looked pained. That combination of expressions did not bode well.

  “What’s going on?” I asked cautiously.

  “I’m not here for work,” said Griffin, “at least not police work.”

  Jorge cleared his throat. “Detective Griffin has been hired by Monique to act as security for the band.”

  “Really?”

  Griffin smiled widely. “It’ll be great. You and I can work together. I’ve got to check in with management to go through my duties but I’ll see you after.”

  He gave me a quick kiss and left me standing in the middle of the living room, struggling to deal with what had just happened.

  “You need to breathe,” Jorge said, waving a hand in front of my face. “Seriously, Trudie. Just take one breath.”

  I dropped down on the couch and put my head between my knees, trying to reestablish control over my lungs. I turned my head and looked at Jorge who had squatted down next to me.

  “This is not good, this is so not good.”

  Jorge awkwardly patted me on the knee. “It isn’t that bad. Monique would never have put him into this job if she didn’t think he could cope with it.”

  “It isn’t that,” I moaned. “I can’t work with Griffin, we can’t work together. We have very defined boundaries in our relationship. I bought one of those flat pack desks for my apartment one weekend and we tried to put it together. Seven hours it took us and in the end we were only able to do it when he went out for a walk before we killed each other. In the twenty minutes he was gone I managed to assemble it. We can’t even cook a meal together. He cooks it or I cook it. We don’t do it together.”

  Jorge looked stunned. “Why can’t you cook a meal together?”

  “Because he cuts the vegetables the wrong shape and I refuse to follow a recipe,” I said, glaring at him. I knew full well how I sounded.

  Jorge sat back on his heels. “I think I’m seeing a bit of your crazy side,” he said.

  “Yes you are and it is a side of myself that I usually keep hidden from the people I work with. Griffin is the only one who gets to see my crazy side. If he’s here then that brings my crazy side into the workplace. I can’t have that happening. What on Earth was Monique thinking?”

  Jorge shrugged, trying to look understanding. Of course that was ruined by the fact that I could see he wanted to burst out laughing at my predicament. “Maybe she was desperate. She couldn’t find anyone else.”

  “But she should know not to do something like this to me. If she didn’t think it was going to be a problem she would have called me. She knew how bad an idea this was. That’s why she didn’t say anything.” I could feel myself getting angry.

  “You know, we’ve all been thinking that you’re the saint for putting up with Griffin. I’m kind of reevaluating my opinion of him,” Jorge said, smiling widely.

  “That’s just great,” I grumbled.

  “Maybe you should speak to Monique directly,” Jorge said quietly, obviously trying desperately to remove himself from the equation.

  I pulled my phone out of my bag while wondering how I was going to tell the woman I admired most in the world that she had just made the worst decision ever.

  I didn’t have to wait long for her to answer.

  “Trudie, ma petite, what can I do for you this beautiful morning?”

  Oh, she knew I was not going to be happy with this. That was just too cheery a greeting to be genuine.

  “Did you want to explain to me why Griffin now has a job working security with Jorge?” I asked, deciding that small talk was beyond what I was capable of today.

  “I was having some trouble filling the second security spot and I became aware that Detective Griffin was available for a short-term security position.”

  I wasn’t even going to bother asking how Monique had learned that Griffin had been suspended. She seemed to know what was happening in this town before the rest of the world did.

  “How were you even able to get him permission to work here? His lieutenant would have a fit if he knew he was here.”

  “Oh, that wasn’t a problem. Lieutenant Ellis was surprisingly accommodating and gave permission immediately,” Monique said airily.

  I hung my head. Of course he did. Silly me, I should have known that hoping for a man with the ability to say no to Monique was more than the universe was willing to give me.

  “And management here, how did they react to the news that their new security guy was a cop?”

  “A lot of security people these days are serving police officer
s. It is common for them to take second jobs. Policing is not exactly a highly paid profession.”

  I waited, wondering what else she had to say.

  “I did tell you that I was having trouble filling the position. When Detective Griffin contacted me and suggested that he work as a secondary security person, it just seemed to be the perfect answer to our little dilemma.”

  It was far from perfect but I had a feeling that I had been played.

  “I have impressed on Griffin that both he and Jorge are answerable to you. If you are really unhappy with the situation I will fire him for you if you want.”

  I could hear the query in Monique’s voice as if she was curious how I was going to react to that offer. I will admit that there was a small part of me that was tempted to remove this situation before it became a major problem. But that wasn’t the kind of person that I was.

  I sighed heavily. “No, I’ll deal with it.”

  “Of course you will, ma petite. I have complete confidence in you.”

  I wish I did because I had a feeling this was not a situation that was going to end well.

  I turned off my phone and glared at Jorge for no reason other than that he was there.

  “So, we’re a happy threesome, are we?” he said.

  “Yes we are,” I replied through gritted teeth, “and could you please not refer to us as a threesome. This situation is difficult enough without you throwing that word into the mix.”

  Jorge grimaced. “I see your point.”

  I was still wondering how the best way to deal with the situation was when Griffin walked confidently back into the room.

  Jorge muttered out an excuse and beat a hasty retreat.

  “So,” Griffin drawled, “have you spoken to Monique yet to find out whether this is all some horrible mistake?”

  “Yes, I have and I don’t know why you’re doing this but for some reason she is supporting you.”

  “I’m not trying to make your life difficult,” Griffin said softly.

  “And yet you’re doing a great job of it,” I said. I took in a deep breath. “No, wait. I shouldn’t have said that. I’ve just been blindsided and I’m not dealing with it well.”

  “I know, probably the reason I was too chicken to tell you last night. I heard you on the phone to Monique and knew she was having trouble getting security for this job. I called her and offered to take the position.”

  “How did you convince Monique to give you this job?” I asked suspiciously.

  Griffin gave me a boyish grin. “I charmed her,” he said confidently.

  “Oh, honey,” I said. “I know you remember. Charm is not one of your strengths.”

  Griffin’s face fell at my frank assessment of his personality. I wasn’t worried. I was being honest and it only took Griffin a second’s contemplation before he realized it.

  “Why else would she have given me the job?” he asked.

  I wasn’t sure but I had my suspicions. Monique wasn’t overly fond of Griffin and had made her quiet opposition to our relationship quite obvious. I wouldn’t put it past her to be putting a little pressure on the relationship, just to see how it reacted. I could see I needed to have a word with my boss regarding boundaries at some point.

  “Are you here to investigate Jolena’s death?” I asked.

  Griffin shook his head. “No, I am under strict orders not to do any investigating. Fletchall and Pickett are doing that and there is no way I want to interfere. It’s more important to me that the case be handled strictly according to the law. When they find whoever did this I do not want anything getting in the way of a clean conviction.”

  And that was what made Griffin a good cop.

  “Then why are you here?” I asked.

  “Monique really wanted backup for Jorge. She’s worried about you. Jorge’s worried about you. Everyone’s worried about you. Most of the time I can’t protect you because we are living such separate lives. For this one moment I can make sure that you are safe. That means more to me than my career, more than finding Jolena’s killer, more than anything.”

  The cold lump of nerves in my stomach melted at his words.

  “Okay.” I took in a deep breath. “We can do this. We just need to respect each other. You need to remember that this is my career and that we work as a team, but I get final say.”

  Griffin nodded, not what I would call enthusiastically but I was willing to take what I could get.

  “Do you want a coffee?” I asked.

  Griffin nodded again, obviously unwilling to say anything else while I was in my current mood. I led him to the kitchen and wanted to cry when I found Buddy chewing on a wooden bar stool with great relish.

  Griffin peered over my shoulder at the scene in front of us.

  “Trudie, why is there a goat in the kitchen?” Griffin asked.

  “I really don’t think you want to know,” I said.

  “Is there something happening here that I need to report to someone?”

  I snorted. “Believe me, that goat is treated better than I am.”

  Griffin fixed me with that stare of his. “Honey, I know how some of your clients treat you. That statement does not fill me with confidence.”

  Buddy chose that moment to look up and bleat at me balefully.

  “He doesn’t seem to like you,” Griffin contributed unhelpfully.

  “I already worked that out,” I grumbled as I dropped my purse on the bench. “I’m going to need some help with this.”

  Griffin looked at me doubtfully. “I’m not sure this comes under security.”

  “You know, I never get this sort of lip from Jorge.” Luckily for me, Jorge wasn’t around to point out the obvious inaccuracy of that statement. “He knows not to question me when I tell him that wrestling a goat into a pen comes under our list of duties,” I said sourly.

  Griffin raised an eyebrow. “Whatever you say, boss.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Once we had managed to convince a reluctant Buddy that there were far better eating options in his pen than the wooden legs of a kitchen bar stool, Griffin and I found our way to the morning meeting. The staff for the band was relatively small considering how many people most celebrities had to cater to their every whim. We wandered over and sat next to Jorge who eyed us suspiciously.

  “Have a few problems with Buddy, did we?”

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “Goat hair,” Jorge said as he picked something off my pants.

  I looked down at myself and, sure enough, I did seem to be sporting a growth of goat hair.

  “Wonderful,” I muttered as I started wiping as much of the hair off myself as I could.

  I looked over at Griffin. Somehow he had managed to remain goat hair free. I wouldn’t put it past Buddy to have found a way to make his hair stick to me on purpose.

  I was so busy trying to clean myself up that I didn’t notice when the meeting started. The manager introduced Harold O’Brien, the lawyer who had rescued me from the best interrogation I had ever had.

  I looked up with a smile on my face, only to have it freeze when I saw that Harold was not alone.

  “As you are all aware, Jolena Aaron died two days ago and her body was found on this property. The police are currently investigating the unfortunate death of this young lady. After spending yesterday in discussions with the band and management, it has been decided that extra staff are required.” He indicated the new arrival beside him. “Mr Travis Cooper will be evaluating security on the property and for the band. I hope that you will all provide him with your complete cooperation.”

  Travis’s gaze swept the small group. He smiled at me and when he spotted Griffin sitting next to me, a mischievous glint entered his eyes.

  “I need you to keep an eye out and if anything looks out of place I need you to speak to Mr Cooper immediately.”

  The murmur of assent from the staff seemed to satisfy the lawyer. I sneaked a glance over to Griffin and wasn’t surprised to
find he had put on his blank cop face. Griffin and Travis had a complicated relationship which had only just started to thaw, kind of. The fact that Travis was going to be evaluating Griffin in his new, hopefully very temporary, job did not look like it was going to help their fractured relationship.

  Harold looked over in our direction, disapproval in his expression when his gaze landed on Griffin.

  “Mr Griffin, may I have a word?”

  Griffin nodded sharply and followed the lawyer out of the room.

  I watched him leave with a worried expression on my face. Now that I had accepted that Griffin was going to be working with me, I was a bit concerned that the lawyer was going to put an end to our little experiment. Sighing, I looked around and caught Travis’s eyes as he was talking to a staff member who had cornered him. Travis winked at me over his head.

  “Miss Eyre,” he called out. “I think I’ll be seeing you first. Could you please meet me in the front study in five minutes?”

  I nodded my assent and turned towards Jorge.

  “I cut a nun off in traffic on my way to work, didn’t I?”

  “Why do you say that?” asked Jorge.

  “Because nothing else could explain why I’m being punished this way,” I said morosely.

  “Really not dealing with today well, are you, cupcake?”

  “I had just got my head around the fact that I was going to be working with Griffin. I was handling it, maybe not particularly well, but I was handling it. Now I have got to deal with Travis and that is generally not what I would consider the best part of my day.”

  “You just need to be positive,” Jorge smiled encouragingly.

  “You know, you sound like you’re giving me good advice. The words are there. But I’m seeing an evil grin on your face as if you are trying to make sure you remember everything so you won’t miss anything when you recount this story to Linda.”

  Jorge nodded enthusiastically. “I may need a pen and some paper so I can take notes though. I have a feeling that this is going to be a bumper day.”

  That was just great.