Not Happily Married in Hollywood: Not in Hollywood Book 2 (6 page)

Walking into Travis Cooper’s office I was quite surprised.
Brought up on a diet of noir films I expected a PI to have a dingy office in
some out of the way office block, in a bad part of town. Travis Cooper’s office
shared a building with lawyer’s offices and was light, airy and modern. The
receptionist sitting on the front desk was not an up and coming actress who was
filling in time until her big break which is what I saw very often. She was an older
woman who looked like she was everyone’s favorite grandmother. I walked up to
her with a smile on my face and as friendly a look as I can manage. My mother
taught me that you always treat the front desk staff the best and that will
make your life so much easier.

“Hi, my name is Trudie Eyre, I’ve got an appointment to see
Mr Cooper. Thank you so much for getting me in at such short notice.”

The older woman blushed. I recognized that blush. Reggie was
absolutely devoted to Monique but when he put on the charm, he could get women
to do anything he wanted. It looked like Travis Cooper’s receptionist was just
as susceptible as the rest of the women in LA. At that point a tall man
barreled out of the office and stopped short just before running into me.

“I’ll be out for a bit Maria” he said as he adjusted the backpack
on his shoulder, “just got word on the Johnson case.”

“Don’t you dare” Maria said with a bit of bite. “I just told
you that you have an appointment. You are not running out now. Reggie Goodman
sent her.”

“I’m sorry miss.” Travis Cooper turned to me and I felt the
full force of those brown chocolate eyes and I steadied my legs as I could feel
myself about to melt into a puddle. I live in LA and a lot of the time I am
surrounded by very attractive men. I have attended parties and premieres with men
who are regularly voted some of the hottest on the planet, but Travis Cooper
was gorgeous.

“Adele Wesson sent me to talk to you about her husband Eric”
I said hurriedly.

“Knew that mess was going to end badly” Cooper muttered.
“Okay, I’ll talk to you but you need to come with me and we need to move it
now.”

I wanted to ask where we were going, but he was already out
the door.

I looked at Maria and she smiled encouragingly. “He won’t
wait, you need to follow him and don’t let him out of your sight.”

I raced off after him and caught up at the elevators where
he was impatiently hitting the button. The trip in the elevator was silent and
I could feel his eyes on me as if evaluating me. His car was a generic one
which surprised me, a little beaten up it would have faded into the background
anywhere, but I guess that is why he used it. Cooper efficiently navigated the
streets of LA and in no time we were parked outside of a hotel in an area I had
never been before.

As he was getting his camera out Cooper started talking. “So
you’re one of Monique’s people.” He looked me over. “You definitely look the
type.” I raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. “So you’ve been working for Adele
Wesson. That must have been fun.”

“Adele is a lovely person to work for” I said defensively.

“The woman is an idiot” Cooper said. I sucked in my breath
to tell him off and he raised his hand. “I’m not saying that to be mean. She’s
a rich woman, newly widowed and she has this young guy sniffing around her.
Does she stop to think what his angle is? No, she jumps in his bed and then
takes him to Vegas and marries him.”

“They could have been in love” I said quietly “not everyone
has to have an angle.”

“Honey, everyone’s got an angle, everyone’s out for
themselves. Do you have any idea the number of fairy tale weddings that end up
with me, sitting in this clunker of a car, aiming a telephoto lens at someone
who is sleeping with someone other than the person they vowed before God or
state that they would love forever?”

I tried to interrupt but he was obviously on a roll.

“People get so caught up in finding ‘the one’, and then they
decide ‘the one’ irritates them and instead of working it out they start
looking for a new ‘the one’. Marriage isn’t forever anymore. In fact if I
didn’t make so much money out of it, I would be saying that the whole
institution should be banned.”

“Finished?” I asked as he took a breath. “Because
fascinating as your opinion on the state of modern marriage is, I am really
trying to get some information for Adele. Eric is dead and I am supposed to be
organizing the funeral for him. Adele was hoping that in your investigation
that you may have found if he had any family who should be attending the
funeral.”

“Eric is dead?” asked Cooper.

“Yes, he was killed yesterday morning”.

“How?”

“From what I could see it looked like something hit his head
and made a mess. I don’t know if it was a bullet or something big and heavy but
there was a lot of blood on the pillow.”

Cooper aimed the large camera in his hand at the hotel lobby
doors and started adjusting the lens.

“So” he said in what he obviously believed was an offhand
manner. “Were you sleeping with him?”

“Why does everyone ask that question? No I wasn’t sleeping
with him, I had never slept with him and I didn’t want to sleep with him.”

“You gay?” Cooper asked. “Nothing wrong with that, some of
my best fantasies involve gay women.”

I looked at him in disgust. “You are truly unpleasant to
talk to, has anyone told you that?”

“Often” he said smiling showing his straight white teeth.

“I am not gay. I did not sleep with him. Why don’t we just
put it down to me being one of those idiots who believes in the whole marriage
vows being sacred thing?”

“An idealist” Cooper said. “That’s great.” He fished into
his pocket and took out a card and pushed it into a side pocket of my purse.
“You keep this in your wallet and when you find ‘the one’ and get that feeling
that he isn’t so keen on his vows, you give me a call. I’ll give you a discount
rate.”

I went against every part of my upbringing and refused to
thank him.

“So, what can you tell me about Eric?”

“Eric Wesson” he drawled. “You know he took her name, told
her he was doing it to honor her first marriage, to prove how much he loved
her. Grew up in LA with his mother. No idea who the father was. The kid was
smart but didn’t get much of a chance at school. That’s about as far as I got
before Adele went and married the guy and pulled the plug on the
investigation.”

“You didn’t go any further with it?” I asked curiously.

“Honey, I don’t run a charity and I sure as hell don’t run a
counseling service. People are responsible for their own stupid decisions. It
wasn’t my job to tell her that she’d married the wrong guy.”

I was about to say something when his attention was caught
on the front door of the hotel.

“Well, well, well. Looks like Mr Johnson has not been taking
his marriage vows seriously either.”

“He could be having a meeting in there” I said indignantly,
“you don’t know for sure.”

“Honey” Cooper said patiently as he was clicking away with
his camera. “Could you give me one good reason that Mr Johnson would leave his
office in the middle of the day, with his secretary and go to an out of the way
hotel for a meeting. By the way, I know for a fact this place does not have
conference facilities.”

I was silent. I couldn’t think of a reason and frankly if he
was running around cheating on his wife, it wasn’t my business to defend him.

“So” Cooper said, still snapping away at the hapless couple
while I was trying very hard not to notice that Mr Johnson’s trouser zipper was
still undone. Cooper winked at me, he knew I’d seen the same thing he had. “You
found the body.”

I nodded, not game to answer.

“Get pulled in by the cops for questioning?” he asked.

“Yes” I said.

“Know the name of the cops who pulled you in.”

“Jake Griffin and Liza Ramos” I said. I was looking at him
so I noticed the stormy look in his eyes at the mention of Griffin’s name.

“You know Griffin” I ventured.

“Yes” said Cooper, “he was my partner when I first made it
to detective, before I left the force.”

“Doesn’t sound like there are fond memories” I said watching
him carefully.

“Let’s just say that I learned that it was better to rely on
myself than to depend on someone else.” Cooper said.

“Someone else being Griffin?” I persisted.

“Kind of nosy aren’t you?” Cooper said as he tucked the
camera back in the bag and started up the car.

“Just a little curious” I said trying to be casual but I
could see that Cooper was able to see right through me.

“Oh honey” he said. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Jake
Griffin lives and breathes the LAPD. Nothing and no one comes before it. If you
have set your sights on him then you are going to be sadly disappointed. There
will come a day when you will ask him to put you first, to believe in you and
back you up. On that day he will leave you and you will realize that you are
better off without him.”

“What did he do?” I asked, any pretense at being
disinterested a vague memory.

“None of your business sweetheart, let’s just say I learned
too late that just because he was my partner didn’t mean he had my back. On
that day I had a choice whether to stay in the LAPD and put up with that kind
of thing, or strike out on my own, where I know that I only have myself to
depend on.”

Getting to his office Cooper turned to me. “I have
everything I got for Adele Wesson upstairs” he said.

I followed him quietly still digesting his words over
Griffin. To be perfectly honest he wasn’t saying anything that I wasn’t already
aware of. Since I’d met him, Griffin had repeatedly proved to me that his job
came first. Maybe I was reading too much into the kiss that happened in the
hospital. The fact the guy hadn’t contacted me in the last two months seemed to
be a good indication of where I was on his level of priorities. After my broken
engagement I had realized that I wasn’t going to be happy with just getting out
there again. If I was going to risk my heart again I was going to go for
awesome. I didn’t intend to settle for anything less. Smiling at Maria as we
passed her desk I was quiet as I followed Cooper. Reaching into his filing
cabinet he pulled out a pretty thin file and passed it to me.

“There’s everything that I have on Eric Wesson. Like I said,
Adele pulled the plug before I could really get into it, but I did hear that he
had a mother that he didn’t really speak to. Almost felt sorry for the poor guy
once I heard a bit about her. Made me think that he might actually be looking
for a mother figure in Adele and not just her money.”

“Oh that’s a pleasant thought” I grimaced.

“Takes all types sweetheart” Cooper said smiling, “even
deluded romantics waiting for their Prince Charming.”

I decided not to answer that, knowing that I was being
counted amongst the deluded romantics.

“Thank you Mr Cooper” I said. “If we need any more
information are you available for further work for Adele?”

“Actually sweetheart I am kind of busy at the moment, my
reputation being what it is.” Cooper sat down and leaned back in his chair.
“But if you would be willing to call me Travis and you were the one doing the
calling, I might be convinced.”

“Why?” I asked incredulously.

“Let’s just say that with my line of work, sometimes it’s
refreshing to be around a deluded romantic.”

I sighed. I could never understand why I attracted the weird
ones.

“Fine Travis, If I call and ask very nicely and let you
laugh at my foolish dreams will you help me?”

“If you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse?” He
held out his hands, palms up and had such an innocent look on his face that I
couldn’t stop the laugh that came out of me.

In that instant Travis’s face changed and his eyes looked
like melted chocolate. “Sweetheart” he said, “you really should laugh more
often. That smile could stop traffic.”

I stopped laughing, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.
I was the wallflower, I was used to that role. Compliments from gorgeous men
really didn’t usually come my way. Suddenly nervous I held out my hand to shake
his.

“Thank you very much for your help.”

Travis stood up and his hand engulfed mine. I noticed how
small my hand looked next to his. His deep tan in stark contrast to the
paleness of my skin.

He kept a hold of my hand until I looked up. “Anytime you
need any help” he said looking at me intently, “just give me a call.”

“Thank you” I mumbled, pulled my hand back and quickly made
my exit.

As I left the office I looked back to see Travis watching me
from his doorway, with a thoughtful expression on his face. I finally took a breath
once I had left the office building. Travis Cooper unnerved me in a way that I
really wasn’t used to.

Back in my car I pulled out the card Monique had given me
and dialed the number.

“Everlasting Events, Tomas speaking.” I looked at the phone
in shock.

The voice on the end of the phone was not what I was
expecting from someone that organized funeral services. The voice was male but
with a high pitched excited quality to it that I wasn’t sure fit with what I
assumed was the somber nature of the job. I had obviously let the silence go
for too long because the voice started up again.

“It’s okay, take your time, I’ll just wait until you’re
ready to talk.”

“Uh, no that’s fine. My name is Trudie Eyre, I was given
your card by Monique Petit. I am organizing a funeral service for the husband
of my client and Monique suggested that you would be the best person to help
me.”

“Of
course
”
Tomas
said
smoothly. “When are you
available to meet?”

“I’m available whenever you are” I said crossing my fingers.
The sooner I sorted out this mess the happier I was going to be.

“I can meet you now for a coffee” Tomas said and named a
small coffee shop that I knew.

Sitting in the coffee shop half an hour later, I realized
that I had no idea what he looked like. I hate meeting someone I don’t know.
Every time the door opened I swiveled my head around and tried to work out
whether the person coming through was the person that I was supposed to meet. I
shouldn’t have worried. When Tomas Burnelli walked in I could see that he
matched his voice perfectly. I raised my hand, he saw me and headed my way.

Tomas Burnelli was a slight man with delicate features. His
demeanor screamed an interesting personality. His tanned skin and brown eyes
denoted an Italian heritage, but his hair had been dyed a strong platinum
blond, providing a stark contrast to his countenance. His eyes twinkled with a
barely suppressed joy. Looking at him you would assume that he would be best
suited in the most flamboyant of colors. Unfortunately, in obvious deference to
his work, he wore a dull gray suit matched with a lovely leather man bag that
he wore slung across his body. The whole look made me think of a peacock with a
blanket thrown over it. You can see fabulous is there, it is peeking out of the
sides, but it is being completely smothered. I stood as he approached and he
held out his arms, grabbed my shoulders and kissed me on the cheek.

“Trudie” he said, his voice carrying to the rest of the
coffee shop. “It is so good to meet you.”

I motioned for him to sit down and we ordered our coffees.
Tomas looked at me with that irrepressible twinkle in his eye.

“So Trudie, how can I help you?”

“I have a client, her husband passed away rather suddenly
yesterday.”

“Wait, wait” Tomas said “I must write all this down. He
pulled an ornate leather bound notebook from his bag and settled it on the
table. “Very well,” he said, “keep going.”

“As I said, my client’s husband passed away quite suddenly
yesterday in less than optimal circumstances. My client is well known but not
overly famous, so there may be some media interest. We are looking for a
discreet and tasteful way of holding the funeral. Is this something you would
be able to do?” I asked holding my breath.

“Of course I can do it” Tomas said quietly. I was pleased to
see that the voice that
had
previously carried to all
ends of the coffee shop, could be modulated for privacy when required. “The
issue we have is that I need to have all the information if I am to do the job
properly.”

I looked at him, loath to give this information to someone
that I had only met. Tomas sighed obviously aware of my internal dilemma.

“Would it make it any easier for you Trudie if I told you
that I used to work for Monique as one of her personal assistants?”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes really. I was with Monique for four years and had
various clients, all of whom were challenging but interesting which I’m sure is
the same way you ended up here today.”

“Why did you leave?” I asked curiously.

“I had always wanted to be an events planner. Working with
Monique’s clients honed those skills and I ended up branching out on my own.”

“As a funeral events planner?” I said questioningly. Not
exactly a career path that I had envisaged.

Tomas smiled. “Not exactly at first. I started off working
as a wedding planner.”

That made sense. I could see the man in front of me being a
wedding planner, he would be perfect in the role.

“Why don’t you still do that?” I asked.

“
Brides
,” Tomas shivered. “Some
women can be truly vicious on their wedding day. I got tired of dealing with
women
who were determined to reduce
everyone around them to tears. The last wedding that I did was a nightmare. The
mother of the groom died in the middle of the planning stage for the wedding.
The bride was too busy with wedding plans to help with the organization of the
funeral of the mother of the man she supposedly loved. He asked me to help and
I felt so sorry for the guy that I organized the funeral for him. He was so
grateful for the work I
did
, while his bride to be did
nothing but raise the stress levels of everyone around her.”

“That was a good thing you did” I said gently.

Tomas smiled at me. “I got more joy and a
stronger
feeling that I had helped people that day than I ever did
for any of the weddings I planned, so I changed my focus. I no longer plan the
best day of people’s lives, I help them get through one of the worst.”

I felt tears prick the back of my eyes. “That is lovely” I
said, “I’ve never looked at it that way.”

Tomas looked embarrassed. “On the plus side, the groom got
smart. He dumped the bitch he was going to marry at the funeral, when she
turned up drunk in a tiny red dress that left nothing to the imagination.”

“My image of happy ever after is taking a battering today” I
muttered.

“
Why
?” asked Tomas.

“I met a PI today who spends his life following people
around while they cheat on their spouses and now you. I’m beginning to think
that marriage is a recipe for disaster.”

“It usually is” said Tomas. “So are you ready to trust me
with some of the details that I am going to need for your client’s husband?”

“Okay” I said. “My client is Adele Wesson.” Tomas nodded in
recognition. “Her second husband Eric, who she married a year ago, was
yesterday found dead in his bed. At this stage there are no details but there
was a lot of blood.”

Tomas nodded, frantically writing down information.

“As a result of all that blood there is a murder
investigation happening. The police have control of Eric’s body right now and
at this stage I am not sure when it is going to be released. Adele is currently
in hospital and I am not sure when she will be discharged, so that is another
thing we have to be sure of before organizing the service. I am currently in
the process of trying to find out about any other family for Eric who may want
to be involved in the funeral. I will contact you if I get any more information
from that investigation. We want the funeral to be discreet, possibly in an out
of the way place which is difficult for the media to get to. Usually Adele
isn’t famous enough for the major media coverage that celebrities get but,
because of the way that Eric died, I am a bit concerned that they may try to
put a bit of a sensationalist spin on it.”

“Understandable” Tomas said. “Any thought on whether he was
religious.”

I almost choked. The thought of bacchanalian Eric following
a pious religion was almost laughable.

“I doubt it but I will let you know if his family has
anything to say about that.”

“I will need to know the kind of music wanted and whether
anyone will be doing a eulogy. I know a minister, she’s pretty good regarding
services. Especially if there is the potential for issues such as conflict
between family members, that sort of thing. I know a funeral home and cemetery
that is out of the way which we could use.”

“I will see what information I can get together in the next
couple of days for you” I said.

“Most importantly, I will need to know when the police will
release the body so we at least have a day to work with it” Tomas said.

Thinking of Griffin I said “I may be able to get that
information. I’ll give you a call.”

“That sounds great” said Tomas closing his notebook. “Oh one
more question, will it be an open or closed casket?”

I thought back to the previous morning. “I’m going to say a
closed casket.” I grimaced remembering the amount of blood that I had seen on
Eric’s pillow.

“Very well” said Tomas as he stood and held out his hand. I
grasped
it
,
grateful
for
his
steady
confidence
.

“Thank you very much for your
help
.”

“My pleasure” said
Tomas
. “As soon
as you get more information could you please let me know. Also if you want me
to meet with other family members I would be happy to do that.”

On my way to the hospital to meet with Adele again I started
thinking about Tomas. Since leaving Australia I hadn’t really thought about a
career path. To be perfectly honest I had fallen into my job with Monique. I
loved doing it but I wasn’t really sure whether I wanted to spend my life
catering to the sometimes crazy whims of the rich and spoiled. Sooner or later
I was going to snap and that would not end well. Monique liked me and I knew
that she was patient with a lot of the things that her PAs threw her way. She
hadn’t turned a hair when I’d told her I had found my second body while at
work. Sooner or later though she might lose some of that patience. Maybe I
should be looking at my options in case that happened.