Not Suspicious in Hollywood: Not in Hollywood Book 5 Read online

  I knocked on the door of the study. When I heard Travis calling out for me to enter, I walked in.

  Travis looked up from the desk he had obviously claimed as his own and smiled when he saw me. “Griffin is working here?”

  Of course that was how we were going to start. “Don’t say a word.”

  “You and Griffin are working together?”

  “Please, just stop talking.”

  “Oh, this is going to be priceless. I may just tell them I’m working for free, just to get the chance to watch you two together.”

  “Are you quite finished?” I asked.

  Travis nodded. “Sure. Would it be tasteless of me to tape the exact moment when your relationship implodes?”

  “I thought you and Griffin had talked and sorted out all your problems,” I said.

  “We grabbed a beer and watched a game. He may have also given me a free shot at punching him. That was pretty much it.”

  “So now that you’ve made up in a quintessentially guy fashion, why are you still giving me grief?” I asked.

  “Even when I was partnered with him we weren’t really what you would call best buds. He’s a little uptight, follows the rules a little too strictly. I had days when I just wanted to kill the man. At least I got to go home at the end of the day where I could calm down from the joy of dealing with him. You don’t even have that, do you?”

  Travis looked smug as if he was reading a playbook of the future of my relationship.

  “We’ll be fine,” I said, even though I didn’t for one second believe that.

  Travis laughed with a disbelieving look on his face. “Sure you’ll be fine. Grab a seat, will you. I have to say I was quite surprised when I found out that you and I would be working together again.”

  “We are not working together. I am doing my job over here and you are doing your job way over there. There may be times when we need to speak to each other but that is the extent of our working together.” There was no way that I was going to get caught between Travis and Griffin again. “So are you going to tell me why you are here? I’m having a little trouble believing that you have been hired for an evaluation of security. And since fidelity isn’t exactly a highly prized commodity around here, I don’t really think that you have been hired on a cheating case.”

  A ghost of a smile flitted across Travis’s lips. “The management company has some concerns that a crime like this occurred so close to the band. Naturally, one of those concerns is that it may be a member of the band who is responsible.”

  “Isn’t that a job for the police?”

  Travis nodded. “I’m not here to build a case for or against anyone. I am here to see what I can find out and provide management with a heads up in case this isn’t a random murder that can be laid at someone else’s feet. They want to have time to prepare for any contingency.”

  “So to clarify, they want you to find out who was most likely to have killed Jolena so they can put in place a course of action which will cause the least amount of damage to the brand.”

  Travis nodded.

  As usual when faced with the machinations of the Hollywood system, I felt the very real need to have a shower.

  “No one really cares about Jolena anymore, do they?”

  Travis shook his head. “You know how it works, Trudie.”

  “What will you do with the information if you find it before the cops?”

  Travis stiffened. “I won’t let them cover it up. If one of the band did this, I’ll be reporting it to Fletchall and Pickett. They won’t get away with it.”

  I should have known. Despite my initial suspicions, I knew that Travis was a cop at heart.

  I clasped my hands primly in my lap. “So, Mr Cooper, how may I help you today?”

  Travis smiled slowly. “Just wanting to get my head around the situation. I’ve got the band’s version of events and the manager has spoken to me, but I’ve got a bit of a feeling that I may not be getting the whole story. What do you think about the guys in the band?”

  “I like them for the most part. They’re fun to be around and they’re pretty nice guys.”

  “Really?” Travis asked. “You’re trying to tell me that five men who are in a rock band and have some of the worst reputations on the planet for the way they break women’s hearts are really misunderstood nice guys. Even with your ability to ignore reality and see the best in people, I would think that is stretching the truth a bit far.”

  “I will admit that the first week with them was a little rough,” I conceded. “They treated me the same way that they have a tendency to treat everyone, not just women. I think the guys have bought into the whole rock and roll lifestyle and they think that behaving badly is a part of that. After they met Griffin and they understood that I was in a committed relationship things changed and they started treating me with a measure of respect.”

  Travis eyed me doubtfully.

  “What?”

  “You are expecting me to believe that all it took was Griffin walking in and they started respecting your relationship boundaries.”

  I nodded.

  “Having a little trouble with that one, sweetheart.”

  I shrugged. “What do you want me to say? That’s the way it happened. Griffin picked me up and then the guys just wanted to talk and be friends. Frankly, I think they are so used to women throwing themselves at them and expecting things from them that they are grateful to have someone that they can just talk to. Someone with no expectations of them living up to the rock and roll lifestyle.”

  Travis still looked doubtful. There wasn’t much I could say to that. Even if the guys had never met Griffin I would most likely have ended up in this position. In most circumstances I invariably ended up as one of the guys. I’d had that effect on males all my life. It was a gift.

  “Tell me a bit about each of the band members.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Just your impressions.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly. “Vale is the drummer and seems to be the nicest of the guys. From what I understand he grew up in a small town and met the others when he came to LA. I haven’t really seen Vale party to the same extent as the others. I know he has a bit of a reputation when he is on tour but I haven’t really seen evidence of it. Dion is the lead guitarist and he and Sewell, the bass player, are pretty tight. If one of them is involved in something, the other one is right behind him. They are both a bit wild with the parties and they do have a tendency to wind up the rest of the band. Tim is on keyboard and he is the smart one of the group. Financially, he is an absolute genius. I can see the rest of the band losing everything within five years of Crispy Spider breaking up but Tim will be rich for the rest of his life. While the others are buying lots of cars and spending money on women and whatever else they spend the money on, Tim invests his and he is by far in a much better place than the rest of the guys.” I paused as I tried to work out what to say next.

  “What about Ash?” Travis asked when I’d let the silence go on too long.

  “Ash is a bit different to the others. He’s the lead singer so that puts him at center stage for everything. He is the one that gets the most attention and he is also the one that cops the most blame when the band does something wild or stupid. Usually stupid. He doesn’t really care what people say about him and he definitely goes his own way.”

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

  I should have known that Travis would pick up on my hesitation when discussing Ash.

  “Ever heard of the 27 Club?”

  Travis nodded. “Isn’t that what they call the curse that seems to hit musicians that die at the age of twenty-seven? There seems to have been a few of them.”

  “Well, Ash has got it into his head that he is going to become a member of the 27 Club.”

  “He thinks he’s going to die?”

  I nodded. “I don’t know whether he thinks he is going to die. It could be more that he believes he is
destined to be a legend.”

  I could see Travis rolling his eyes. I would have thought that a private investigator would be better at hiding his feelings about his client’s little quirks.

  “He is twenty-six now and he lives his life like the clock is running down at a breakneck speed. Ash will try anything once. A lot of the trouble that the band seems to get into can be directly related back to Ash’s belief that his time is running out.”

  “Would that be why he had a threesome with Jolena?”

  I shook my head. “No, that was a normal part of life for these guys. They’re young men in their twenties and very few people are willing to say no to them. Women throwing themselves at them constantly is just another part of their normal day.”

  “You’ve never been tempted?” queried Travis.

  I looked at him sourly. “Of course I haven’t. I’m with Griffin. I’m not going to throw that away on some meaningless encounter.”

  “Aah, loyalty. I know it exists, I just never get to see it in action,” Travis grinned.

  “That is the saddest thing that you have ever said to me. How can you live your life with that level of cynicism?”

  Travis shrugged. “I’m not exactly in an industry that sees the finest in human nature. I find it amazing that you work in a similar environment but you are not just as cynical as I am.”

  I smiled. “I may not have the best examples of humanity in my work life but I have the best this world has to offer in my personal life. Maybe you should look at that.”

  Travis looked uncomfortable. “Back to the subject at hand, do you think that Ash might have gone too far with an experience with Jolena?”

  I shook my head. “Ash is pretty controlled about what he does. I don’t see him accidentally killing Jolena.”

  “What if it wasn’t an accident? Maybe it could have been one of those things that Ash wanted to experience before he meets his legendary end.”

  “You mean a thrill killing?”

  I wasn’t overly fond of Ash but I couldn’t really see him doing that.

  “It happens,” Travis said. “This guy has got pretty much everything that money could buy and a perceived time limit. This usually turns people from buying things to having experiences. Murder for some people is just another experience.”

  “Did you know that Jolena was Ramos’s girlfriend?” I asked.

  That pulled Travis up short. “No, I hadn’t been told that.”

  “You need to remember that. Whatever you find out is going to have a direct impact on her. You might want to be sensitive when it comes to your theories.”

  Travis nodded. “Thanks, Trudie. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “I hope you do. Ramos is in a lot of pain at the moment. First, Jolena dies. Then she finds out that she was cheating on her. No matter how strong a person is, that is going to have an effect.”

  “I understand. Anything else you have that might help me with looking into this.”

  I shook my head. “The whole thing seemed so random. There was no indication that something like this was going to happen. As far as assignments go, this one has been relatively easy. Because the band is in lockdown there hasn’t been many of the usual chances for things to go as badly as they usually do when dealing with celebrities. At least we haven’t had problems with paparazzi for a change.”

  “Any tried to get on the property?”

  I shook my head. “In the beginning we had a few camped out the front, waiting for the band to hit the town or to see whether any famous women turned up for the parties. But the guys have been smart. Generally, the women who get invited aren’t well known. It keeps everything a lot more low key than it usually would.”

  “Sounds very well thought out and cozy,” Travis said.

  “Crispy Spider’s last album didn’t do as well as was expected. Their antics on their latest tour kind of took away from the music. The sales were good but they weren’t great. The management company stepped in and laid down the law. This business is ruthless. You don’t produce amazing sales, there is always someone else nipping at your heels. Luckily, the guys heard what was being said and that’s why this little retreat was organized. We keep them as cloistered as possible and give them the chance to create with as few distractions as we possibly can.”

  Travis looked skeptical. “Parties with hot women every night does not exactly sound very cloistered to me.”

  I recognized the truth in that statement. “For these guys it was the best compromise we could come up with. The idea is that if it is kept in-house then security can deal with any issues that may eventuate. It keeps the situation from getting messy.”

  “Didn’t exactly go to plan, did it?”

  “No,” I said, “it didn’t.”

  “I’m going to need you to take me through everything that happened that morning,” Travis said as he stood up. “If I can walk through what you did and what you saw, I may get a better handle on it.”

  I stood up and absentmindedly brush at some more of the goat hair that was stubbornly refusing to leave me. “Not a problem. Just do me a favor and try not to antagonize Griffin.”

  Travis gave me his trademark grin. “Of course, Trudie. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  That just filled me with confidence.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I followed Travis through the door. I wasn’t surprised to find Griffin waiting for us.

  “Griffin,” Travis nodded.

  “Cooper,” Griffin replied.

  I waited a second as both of them eyed each other.

  “Seriously, guys. We’re doing this now?”

  Griffin broke eye contact first.

  “No, you’re right. We need to act professional. Cooper and I have worked together before…”

  “And wasn’t that just a special experience?” Travis interrupted.

  I rolled my eyes. I seriously could not believe that I had to put up with this. It was like two irritating puppies fighting for dominance.

  “We have a job to do and we all need to work together, nicely,” I said through gritted teeth. I was very much looking forward to the end of this day.

  Griffin at least had the ability to look a little shamefaced. “Sorry, instinctive reaction.”

  “You need to work on those,” I muttered.

  “Still can’t believe you got a job here,” pointed out Travis.

  “You’re not the only one,” Griffin said tightly.

  I shot a worried look in his direction. “Is everything okay?”

  Griffin nodded. “The lawyer is not happy that I’m here but he was overruled by management. Seems Monique has a lot of say when she wants it.”

  I nodded. We were all just lucky that Monique used her powers for good rather than evil. If she ever went to the dark side, the world could be in real trouble.

  “So, what are you two doing now?” asked Griffin suspiciously.

  “I’m walking Travis through what I did the other morning when I found Jolena’s body.”

  “Do you mind if I tag along?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Don’t you have work you’re supposed to be doing?” queried Travis.

  Griffin shrugged. “Nobody seems to have any idea what to do with me. I have been given strict instructions to stay away from the band. Seems the lawyer doesn’t trust me not to bust them on a drugs charge or something.”

  To be perfectly honest, neither did I.

  “Monique wanted me to stay close to you and be there if Jorge needs help, so that is what I’m going to do,” Griffin said with a smile on his face.

  I couldn’t really say that I found that smile to be comforting at all.

  “Is Trudie in danger?” interrupted Travis.

  I was touched by the concern in his voice. Griffin obviously heard it as well because he frowned at his former partner.

  “Some of us are just a little worried about Trudie.”

  “That would be a full-time job,” muttered Travis.


  “Hey,” I said. “I’m fine if you insist on taking pot shots at Griffin here but could we please keep me out of the line of fire.”

  Travis grinned widely.

  “Don’t try looking innocent with me. I know you too well for that to work,” I warned.

  Travis shrugged. “So, what were you doing when you first got to work that morning?”

  “Well, when I got to the mansion I went to check on Buddy because he’s been causing problems for us lately. I just wanted to make sure he was contained.”

  Travis looked startled as he followed me through the house with Griffin trailing behind.

  “Who is Buddy and why exactly does he need to be contained?”

  “Hasn’t anyone told you about Buddy yet?” I asked.

  Travis shook his head.

  “Oh, Travis, you are in for a treat.”

  “I really don’t think you mean that in the way I’m hoping you mean that,” Travis said wryly.

  I laughed as I led the two men to Buddy’s pen, grateful that, for once, the goat was exactly where he was supposed to be.

  “This is Buddy,” I said with a flourish.

  Buddy glared at me. I wish I knew what I had done to make this goat hate me so much. It might have to do with the fact that my job description seemed to be to thwart him at every turn.

  “It’s a goat,” Travis said.

  “Yes, it’s a goat. He’s Vale’s pet. Unfortunately he is a bit of an escape artist and on the day Jolena died he had managed to get out of his pen. That’s the reason I was down near the lake. I had looked through the house and the grounds and I found him there.”

  Travis and Griffin followed me as I headed to the lake. I was surprised to see Vale there and indicated to the others to stay back.

  “Are you okay, Vale?” I asked tentatively as I stood next to him.

  Vale looked startled. “Trudie, I didn’t know whether you’d be back here. I thought everything that happened might have scared you away.”

  I shook my head. “It generally takes a lot more than that to chase me away from a job. I survived the first week with you guys so I figure that I can pretty much get through anything.”

  Vale gave me a tight smile. “I’m sorry we were so painful. I should have realized from the start that you didn’t deserve to be treated like that. I think we were just so annoyed that we were being locked down like we were that you were the easiest target.”