Hollywood Outlaw: A Hollywood Alphabet SeriesThriller (A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Book 15) (24 page)

“We’re listening,” I said to Deidre Blaine, noticing for the first time that her daughter also seemed to be interested in what she had to say.

She took a moment before answering, giving me the impression that what she had to tell us was weighing heavily on her. “A few years ago, I hired a Controller. His name is Nicolai Asimov. After a couple of years, it was brought to my attention that Mr. Asimov was taking his duties to another level and he had his own agenda.”

“What kind of agenda?” Buck asked.

“As I’ve explained, the House of Darwin is all about relationships and compatibility. Asimov had another motive. I believe he was using his Betas to become deep operatives for financial gain.” Blaine looked at her daughter. “Paulina was one of those secret operatives.”

Addison’s voice pitched high in anger. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“When I found out about what was happening, I confronted Paulina. She told me she regretted her actions and it would never happen again. I believed her.”

As Addison shook her head and mumbled something about betrayal, Buck said, “Did Paulina admit she was working for this Asimov character?”

Deidre nodded. “She said she wasn’t being sufficiently paid for her services with Cole.” She looked at her daughter. “That’s why she agreed to work with Asimov.”

“Why didn’t she say something to me about that?” Addison demanded. “All she needed to do was ask and I would have paid her more.”

“Paulina was in love with you, as well as Cole. She described her relationship with you both as conflicted. I don’t think she wanted to make what might be interpreted as unwarranted demands.”

“Unbelievable.” Addison folded her arms and began tearing up.

“What exactly did Paulina say about how Asimov used her?” I asked.

Deidre took a moment before answering, probably feeling the impact of her daughter’s emotions, and maybe because she was unsure about how to respond. “She told me that once a Beta used her resources to take money from an Alpha’s account, that gray money, as she called it, was laundered through anonymous interconnected shell companies. The money then went offshore to Cayman or Swiss accounts. They used lawyers, instead of bankers, in these transactions so they had client-attorney confidentiality. Paulina told me that the anonymous companies were formed without money, products, or employees, all designed to separate the parties involved from the stolen funds. After the funds were washed, it eventually came back to Asimov.”

“Do you think Paulina was also involved in the thefts from Bert Prince’s family and his death?” I asked.

She shook her head. “She confided in me that another Beta was at work with him, but she wouldn’t give me a name.”

Buck looked at me. “If there was another operative, or Beta, at work, she was probably the one who set up Addison for Abrams’ murder.”

“It also means that she’s probably still involved with the Princes, but operating under deep cover,” I said, looking back at Deidre. “Where can we find Asimov?”

“I have no idea. If I did, I would probably kill him myself.” She took a moment, reaching over and touching her daughter’s arm. Addison pulled away from her. Deidre looked back at me. “Asimov took one of the most beautiful businesses ever created and corrupted it for his own financial gain. I hate his guts.”

“Wonder where we go from here,” Buck said to me.

Deidre answered. “If you find Nicolai Asimov, you’ll find your killer.”

“You think this Asimov guy has his own House that he’s operating somewhere?” Buck asked me as we left Deidre Blaine. Addison had stayed behind because her mother had said they needed to talk.

“It wouldn’t surprise me. If he took what he learned from Blaine about her operations and used that for his own financial gain, he could have operatives, or Betas, throughout the country.”

“Which means he could even be operating out of state.”

We drove through the hills, chatting about Blaine’s business before I asked, “What do you think about the programming the Betas receive?”

“Seems harmless on the surface, but it makes me wonder how many are using their positions for their own gain, maybe similar to what Asimov is doing. Could be that Darby’s partially right about thinking they’re high-priced escorts, since sex seems to be a big part of their training.”

I glanced at him. “It sounds like Deidre is willing to give you a special tour if you’re interested.”

He chuckled. “My daddy told me to steer clear of snakes, polecats, and certain women. I’m pretty sure Deidre Blaine fits into one or more of those categories.” He glanced at me. “Besides, I’m seeing someone.”

“Really?” I’d tried to keep my voice even, despite my disappointment.

“Just a couple of dates, nuthin’ serious.” His eyes held on me for a moment. “You and Noah still good?”

I nodded, but found myself saying, “Things have cooled off a bit.”

We made a turn, coming back down into the city as he looked back at me. “Anything you wanna talk about?”

I took a breath and lied. “Not really.”

The truth was, I not only wanted to talk to him about Noah, but I also wanted to tell him what I’d learned about Collin Russell and Harlan Ryland being behind my love-dad’s murder. I suppressed the urge to unburden myself about everything, at the same time pushing down my emotions.

“You okay, Kate?”

I nodded, but kept quiet, knowing I was on the verge of losing control.

We were in the city, with the sun beginning to set, when Buck surprised me by saying, “I heard there’s a pretty good view from a place called The Terrace that’s around here somewhere. It’s supposed to be on the roof of some hotel.”

“The Standard,” I said. “I’ve been there a couple of times.”

“I could use a drink. What do you say we stop by...” He must have sensed my hesitation. “Nothing serious, I’m just feeling like I need to wind down a bit.”

I surprised myself by saying. “I think I’d like that.”

The Standard Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood was an iconic structure, probably best known for its exterior sign that was upside down. Someone had once mentioned to me that Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz, amongst other celebrities, had been investors in the hotel. The most notable feature of the historic building was the rooftop pool and bar that offered stunning views of both the city and the mountains beyond.

Buck and I settled in at a table and ordered drinks. He decided on a beer, while I ordered a glass of red wine. As we waited for our drinks, he placed his Stetson on a chair and commented on the views. “Not as nice as what you see in Texas, but it’s not bad for a city.”

I chuckled. “How are you adjusting to urban life?”

He shrugged. “I’m pretty good with it. I like my job and the people I work with.” He smiled.

I laughed again. “If you can get along with Darby, you should be nominated for sainthood.”

“Darby’s got his good points, I just haven’t found any of them yet.”

“Me neither.”

We took a moment, watching as the shadows of evening descended on the city. Buck then said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about Bernie’s situation.”

I sighed. “Me too. I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s reassigned.”

“I’ve got an idea about how we might swing the odds in our favor, if you wanna hear it.”

“Of course.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but Acting Chief Dunbar used to work with the sheriff’s department at one time. He was the head of vice for a while.”

“I had no idea.”

“It’s been more than a decade since he transferred over to the police department, but some of the old-timers still remember him.”

“He’s not someone you easily forget.”

He nodded. “The thing is, Dunbar was involved in taking down an escort service. According to the rumors, he was caught red handed…” He smiled. “Maybe that’s not the best choice of words. Let’s just say he was caught with his pants down.”

“Was he disciplined?”

“Not from what I heard. One of the higher-ups swept everything under the rug.” He brushed a hand over the stubble on his cheek. “I’m just thinking if word got around, especially to the press, about what happened, it just might put an end to Dunbar’s chances of becoming the permanent chief.”

I smiled. “Now that’s what I call leverage. How do you think we should use it?”

“Maybe we wait and see how things go with Bernie. If they go sideways, we go to the mat with Dunbar, threaten to expose everything. I’m willing to tag along if that’s the route you wanna go.”

Our drinks arrived as I said, “I appreciate that. If it comes down to that, I could use all the support I can get.”

After the server left, Buck clinked his glass to mine. “To old times and new times.”

“How about, to better times?” I took a sip of my wine.

He set his glass down. “It sounds like it’s been a rough weekend.”

I chuckled. “There were a few good moments.” I took some time and told him about my family reunion, and my sister’s husband’s former nickname. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever see Amanda or Geoff again.”

“Sounds like old Smiley got what he had coming.” He tipped up his beer, set it down. “I remember you saying something about your sister being difficult. I think she also got what she deserved.”

“I would feel bad about what happened, but they’re both the epitome of egotistical snobs.”

He took another drink, then said, “I’ve got a brother, but we don’t talk as much as we used to. Funny how family tends to grow apart from one another.”

I nodded, but didn’t respond. Maybe I was just feeling sorry for myself, but I was thinking how some families never got a chance to be together or grow apart.

Buck cut his eyes toward the darkening skyline. “What do you say we catch the last of the sunset?”

I walked with him to the perimeter of the rooftop deck. The sun had painted the sky with hues of red and gold. We stopped at the railing, each of us commenting on the beautiful sky.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Buck said after a moment.

I looked up at him. The setting sun had turned his beautiful eyes the color of the darkening sky. I felt like I was being drawn into them. At the same time all my emotions were beginning to overwhelm me like the warmth of the sun melting a frozen lake.

I took a step closer to him, nodding. “There’s a lot going on.” I took a breath, barely holding my tears at bay. “Maybe too much for me to handle.”

He reached over and took my hand. “What is it, Kate? I want to help.”

His touch ignited an explosion of sensation, a combination of both desire and sorrow for what we once had, but lost.

As my tears streamed down my cheeks, I said, “I think my life is in danger.”

As it turned out, I only partially told Buck about my concerns, limiting what I said to my suspicions that Collin Russell and Harlan Ryland were behind my love-dad’s death, based on my conversation with Kellen Malone. Maybe I’d kept the information about Noah from him because of vanity, not wanting him to know I’d made another mistake in choosing a bad relationship. Regardless of that, Buck had encouraged me to talk to Lieutenant Edna and Captain Dembowski and ask them if they would take another look at the case and offer me some protection. I told him I would think about it, but I was still reluctant, having already gone down that road and been turned down.

As I parked at the station the next morning, I tried to put personal issues aside and concentrate on work. Leo was at his desk when I got to my work station and asked about our meeting with Deidre Blaine.

“It was very interesting,” I said. “I ran into Edna in the hallway. He wants to meet in a few, and I’ll update everyone.” Since I’d already told Buck about my meeting with Kellen Malone, I decided to also fill Leo in. When I finished, I said, “I’m fairly confident now that both Collin Russell and Harlan Ryland were behind everything that happened. I guess I’ll try and talk to the lieutenant about it again, but I’m not sure it will do any good.”

“Did you mention Pearl to Malone?”

I nodded. “He remembered him being with my dad and Oz on a couple of occasions, and my dad saying something to Oz about Pearl keeping secrets.”

“Secrets?”

“Yeah. He wasn’t sure exactly what he meant.” I could tell that Leo was worried about his old friend. “I don’t suppose there’s anything new on Pearl’s whereabouts.”

“Nothing. I might go by his place and have another chat with the caretaker that you talked to.”

“I guess I’ll talk to Edna after the meeting about what Malone said, and my concerns about Pearl again.”

“It’s worth a try, but with Dunbar running the show, I wouldn’t look for any favors.”

I hadn’t told him about my suspicions that Noah was involved with Russell and Ryland, and, since I hadn’t told Buck, I decided to keep it to myself for now. I’d previously filled him in on Dunbar wanting Bernie reassigned when he was medically cleared, so I filled him in on what Buck had said about our acting chief’s past.

“Buck thinks we might be able to leverage what happened to get Dunbar to change his mind,” I said. “If word gets around about his problems in vice, it just might change the mayor’s mind about a permanent appointment.”

“Just be careful. I’ve known guys like Dunbar. He’s like a junkyard dog. You can’t turn your back on him.”

I smiled. “Are you saying his bite is even worse than his bark?”

“I’d say they’re both about even—as bad as it gets.”

A half hour later, we met with everyone in the bat cave. The lieutenant wasted no time, telling us about Acting Chief Dunbar’s unhappiness.

“Our vic’s father, Jerry Abrams, is all over the mayor and Dunbar to break the case,” Edna said. “And he’s also not happy that Addison Blaine was released.”

“Does Abrams’ father still think Blaine was involved, even though the murder weapon was planted in her car?” I asked.

“He said something about her never being good enough for his kid. I think he just wants someone to go down for what happened—and soon. I guess his wife has really come unglued over everything.”

“You ask me, I think Blaine is still good for the murder,” Darby said.

“Why is that?” I asked.

“The oldest motive in the world—jealousy. She was jealous that Kristoff was screwing her boyfriend, and paid him back.”

“That doesn’t add up,” Buck said. “Blaine is bisexual and was also involved with Kristoff. And she said that Paulina made her relationship with Abrams better.”

Darby jutted his chin out. “And you believe that? Guess what, cowboy, there’s no such thing as Santa Claus, either.”

“Last time I’m gonna warn you to watch your mouth, or…”

“Stop it,” Edna said. “Let’s keep it civil.” He looked at me. “Let’s hear what Blaine’s mother had to say about everything.”

Buck and I spent the next twenty minutes going over our conversation with Deirdre Blaine and telling them about the House of Darwin and the training the Betas received there.

“The place is like something out of science fiction,” Buck said. “Their operatives are all trained to be a perfect match for the subjects they’re hooked up with.”

“It sounds like brain washing,” Darby said. “Blaine’s using sex and mind control to get these so-called Betas to do whatever she wants.”

“Sex is definitely part of it,” I agreed, “but I don’t get the impression Deidre Blaine has an interest in what the Betas do once they’ve completed their training, unlike the Controller who she believes could be behind the Prince and Abrams killings.”

“Tell us about him,” Edna said.

Buck took over. “The guy’s name is Nicolai Asimov. He was Blaine’s employee for several years before they split and he went off on his own. She thinks he’s using his operatives to gain a financial interest in the holdings of their clients or the corporations they work for.” He looked at Selfie and Molly. “Were you able to pull together some background on him?”

Selfie, who this morning had silver gargoyle earrings and pink hair, answered. “Nicolai Lee Asimov was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1978. His father was a shipping magnate, operating a fleet of cargo ships in the Baltic Sea. He inherited millions when daddy died, then immigrated to the United States in 1998. He went to work for Deidre Blaine in 2005 and ended his employment with her in 2009.”

We all watched as photographs of Asimov appeared on the overhead monitor. He was handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes. I had the impression he was also charming and probably used his good looks to manipulate others, including the women he recruited.

“Where did he go after he ended his employment with Blaine?” Leo asked.

“We’re not sure, but Molly has some ideas.”

“I took a look at Kristoff’s cell phone call history,” Molly said. “She made calls on a monthly basis to a number that GPS shows is located in the Santa Ynez Valley, just north of Santa Barbara. We mapped the area, and there’s a large estate there. It’s just a guess on my part, but it might be where Asimov is conducting his operations.”

Selfie took over again. “We’ve contacted the feds about Asimov, and they’re interested in hearing what we have to say. They said something about him being a suspect in some insider trading. It could be that his financial operatives have been providing information to him about the financial dealings of the corporations they’ve infiltrated.”

“Let’s see if we can set up a meeting with the feds,” Edna said. He turned to me. “You might also want to contact that agent…”

“Joe Dawson.”

“Yeah. See if he can grease some wheels to move on this quickly. If Asimov is behind these killings, he’s probably been monitoring what’s been happening. If he’s still got one of his operatives on the inside, it could cause him to pull her out and shut things down.”

After the others had left the office, I stayed behind to fill the lieutenant in on my meeting with Kellen Malone. I explained what he’d said about both Russell and Ryland possibly being behind my love-dad’s death.

I then said, “If what Malone told me is true, Russell knows I’ve been looking into everything. It could put me in danger.”

Edna pushed back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. “You know that old saying about fruit of the poison tree?”

He was referring to a common expression in law enforcement related to a court case establishing that evidence obtained illegally wasn’t admissible in court.

“Nothing I’ve found out was done illegally,” I said, defending myself.

Edna sat forward and brushed a hand through his graying brown hair. “But it has been obtained on your own time, off the books. If Dunbar gets word that you’re investigating your father’s death on your own time, there’s no telling how he’ll react.”

I tried to control my anger and speak evenly. “I’m not going to give up on this and just walk away. This is about finding justice for the man who raised me.”

“I understand, and what you do on your own time is none of my concern.” He released a long breath and took a moment. “You give me the word, Kate. If you want me to formally take this up the chain again, I’ll do just that. All I’m saying is to be prepared for the fallout that comes your way when it happens.”

I exhaled, feeling defeated and empty. I realized that Edna was just doing his best to protect me. “I understand what you’re saying. Let me think it over, and I’ll let you know.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon pushing paperwork around on my desk, waiting for a callback from Joe Dawson, and feeling defeated after my conversation with the lieutenant. After thinking about what he’d said, I realized he was right. If I took what I knew up the chain, Acting Chief Dunbar, Commander Miles, or maybe even Mel Peters would find a way to use it all against me. It even occurred to me that they might open an Internal Affairs investigation, claiming that I’d acted outside my sphere of authority.

I made the decision not to take what I knew any further. I’d previously decided to investigate my love-dad’s death on my own, knowing there wasn’t any support from command staff. I would have to continue to work things off the books, hoping I’d eventually find some kind of hard evidence linking Russell and Ryland to my love-dad’s death.

It was after four when I finally got a call back from Joe Dawson. “Sorry for the delay, Buttercup. I was tied up, or I should say, I was busy tying up a case.”

“I hope everything went okay.”

“Let’s just say that our bad guy won’t be causing anybody any more harm.”

We chatted about his case for a moment, before I told him about my cases and our suspicions that Nicolai Asimov could be behind what happened. “Our crime analysts think your people might have some interest in Asimov for insider trading. He’s apparently using his operatives to gain information about the financial dealings of their operatives’ corporations.”

“Let me talk to Greer. If you get the agency’s numbers crunchers involved, you’ll probably sit around waiting forever. Maybe he can find a way to go around the bureaucrats.”

I’d worked with John Greer, Joe’s supervising agent, on other cases and knew he got things done. “I appreciate that. If you can get back to me tomorrow, it would be helpful. We’re trying to move as quickly as possible on this.”

“Consider it done.” He took a moment, then said, “I suppose you also want an update on your sister.”

I purposely hadn’t asked about Lindsay, fearing the worst. “What’s going on?”

“Everything’s gone quiet. Our CI hasn’t been heard from in seventy-two hours. It could be that he’s got no way to contact us, or…”

When he didn’t go on, I finished his sentence. “…or he’s flipped and has given up Lindsay.”

I heard a heavy breath before he said, “Yeah…maybe. But don’t give up. I’m hoping he surfaces in the next day or two.”

We went on chatting for a few minutes before he asked me how things were going with Noah. I decided I needed someone else to know what was going on, so I told Joe everything, then added, “Noah has to be working for Russell and Ryland. There’s no other explanation.”

“Do your superiors know what’s going on?”

“I just talked to my lieutenant. We’ve got a new chief here and he’s not fond of line staff. He basically told me my investigation into my dad’s death hasn’t been authorized. I could be facing discipline if I press the issue.”

He didn’t respond right away, maybe thinking about my situation. He finally said, “I want you to keep me informed about what’s going on. Your life could be in danger.”

I told him I’d call him tomorrow and ended the call. I then stopped by Edna’s office, gave him an update on what Joe had said about getting the feds involved, and headed for home. I was on Hollywood Boulevard when I got a phone call from Brie Henner’s boyfriend.

“Brie’s in the hospital,” Phyl said. “It doesn’t look good.”