Not Happily Married in Hollywood: Not in Hollywood Book 2 (9 page)

“I wasn’t asking you to waste any time on this” I said
getting angrier by the second. “Finding Eric’s family is my job, not yours. I
don’t recall at any time asking for your help.”

Travis looked over at Crystal. “She’s pretty cute when she’s
angry isn’t she?”

“I wouldn’t know” said Crystal. “I’ve never seen her mad
before.”

“That makes me special” he said continuing the conversation
as if I wasn’t even there.

“That makes you annoying” I said interrupting him. “Just
give me the information you got from the file and you can go about your day and
make the world a better place in your own special way.”

“That doesn’t work for me” said Travis.

“Why doesn’t that work for you?” I asked impatiently.

“The address I got off his file is in a part of town that is
not the best and I’d feel a little uncomfortable with you going there without
me.”

“Why do you care?” I snapped, exasperated.

“Got a thing for lost causes and deluded romantics” he said,
that innocent smile on his face getting to the point I wanted to slap it off.

With Travis and I glaring at each other Crystal’s phone
rang.

“Excuse me” she said as she stepped away to answer it.

Travis and I continued our staring contest.

Travis sighed. “Look, I always felt this job was unfinished.”

“Adele pulled you from the job, there was nothing else for
you to do” I said.

“Yeah, but I always had this niggling feeling that this
situation wasn’t going to end well. Never expected it to end in Eric’s murder,
but it always bothered me. I can’t help but think that if I had dug a bit
deeper at the time, things might not have spiraled out of control like this.”

“Adele married Eric with less thought than she takes to
decide what to eat each day” I said. “The woman married him after getting you
to check on him but before you had a chance to get any results, then she
refused to hear anything you had to say. None of this is your fault. It’s all
on Adele, and she has to deal with the situation she created.”

“She isn’t dealing with it though is she?” Travis said
shrewdly. “She’s leaving you to deal with it.”

“That’s my job” I said wryly. “I get paid to take care of
the parts of life that these people are not interested in taking care of
themselves.”

“Seems like we have something in common” Travis said. “I
look into those areas that people don’t have the guts
or
expertise to look into.”

I sighed with exasperation. “Just give me the information.
You are not obligated to look into this and I sure as hell aren’t going to
start paying you. It’s my job and I don’t need your help to do it.”

“Actually you are going to need his help” said Crystal
returning to the group. “I need to get back to the office so you are going to
need a ride home and I nominate him” she said pointing at Travis who was now
smiling broadly.

“I thought you were supposed to have some time off, you
know, because of your lack of tact when dealing with some clients.”

“Yes, I thought so too” said Crystal with a big smile on her
face, “but it seems one of my other clients, who is so much more important to
the agency than Mia, decided to stand up for me and my artistic integrity when
dealing with the acting craft.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“The producers now want Bella Hudson instead of Mia and she
refused to deal with anyone at the agency but me. She also called Mia a
talentless hack online.” Crystal was trying her hardest to appear shocked at
the turn of events, but I could see the grin that was just dying to break free.

“It’s okay, I’ll grab a cab” I said.

“Not happening” said Crystal. “I don’t want to risk you
getting hurt again. Either you go with tall, dark and packing heat or your day
ends now.”

I knew that look in Crystal’s eyes. There was no way she was
going to take no for an answer. She was a small thing but she fought dirty.
Regardless of the fact I was quite a bit taller than her I had no doubt at all
that she could take me down if she felt it was for my own good. Looking at
Travis I could see that he wasn’t going to be any help at all.

“I’ll stay with him.” I knew a no compromise negotiation
when I saw it.

“Good” she turned to Travis. “You’ll take care of her?” she
said.

“Won’t let her out of my sight” he murmured.

I wished it sounded less like a threat.

With Crystal gone I looked up and saw a satisfied smile
cross Travis’s face.

“I don’t know why you are so happy” I said. “You’ve just
written off a large part of your day being unpaid.”

“I’ll live” said Travis as he ushered me over to another
nondescript car.

“Really not one of those guys who telegraphs his
insecurities with a fancy car” I said as he held the door open for me.

Travis gave a bark of laughter. “You don’t believe in
holding back do you?” he said.

“Usually I do” I replied. “You’re just special I guess.”

There was that smile again as he closed my door and went
around to the driver’s side of the car.

“So where exactly are we headed to?” I asked.

“We are on our way to see Eric’s mother” Travis replied.

“Would she have been told about his death yet?” I asked. The
thought of being the one to tell this woman that her son had been murdered was
not something that I was looking forward to.

“Probably not” Travis said.

My heart sank, I was definitely not the person who should be
doing things like this. All of a sudden I was glad that Travis was with me.

“From what I heard Eric had broken all contact with his
mother years ago. The only place her name came up was in that file under next
of kin. I was never able to see the file before because Adele pulled the plug
and I had other cases to deal with. What I heard about his mother from a couple
of the people who knew him, made me feel sorry for the guy though.”

“That bad?”

“Worse.”

“Wonderful” I said slouching in my seat.

Travis reached over and patted my knee. “Don’t worry, I will
be right there with you. We’ll be a team.”

“Great” I grumbled, “that makes me feel so much better.”

Pulling up to a house I looked over at Travis. “Are you sure
somebody lives here?” I asked surprised. The yard was overgrown with car parts
littered around the front garden. The house looked like it was close to being
condemned. Paint was peeling off the walls and there were pieces of siding that
were broken and hanging precariously.

“Yep, this is where Annie Davis lives. She was eighteen when
she had Eric and from what I’ve been told he had a miserable childhood. Keep
close to me at all times. Do not go anywhere on your own.”

“Do you think she’s dangerous?” I asked.

“I don’t know. What I do know is that this area is rife with
drugs. There is no pride shown in this house which tells me she is either into
drugs, crazy or given up. Or she could be all three.”

As we headed up to the front door I could see Travis
scanning the area, his body felt tense beside me. I really felt like running,
but stiffened my shoulders and followed Travis to the front door. After trying
the bell and finding it didn’t work Travis knocked on the door. Hearing no
movement inside, he knocked again much harder. I stumbled back as the door was
ripped open violently and Travis seemed to automatically step in front of me.

“What the hell do you want?” snarled the woman who had
answered the door.

“We are looking for Annie Davis” Travis said smoothly.

“You found her, now I’m asking once again, what the hell do
you want?”

“Ms Davis” I said peeking around Travis’s shoulder. “My name
is Trudie Eyre, I knew your son.”

“What’s that worthless piece of garbage done this
time
?” she snarled.

My hopes that she had been told about her son’s death
plummeted. Trying desperately to find the right words I took in a deep breath
to deliver the news but was interrupted by Travis.

“I’m sorry to have to inform you that your son has died.”

“Eric’s dead?” She appeared stunned but then I could see a
cunning look in her eyes replacing the surprise. “So what did he leave me?” she
asked. “I mean he was married to that rich bitch which means he has heaps of
money. I’m his only family so everything he has comes to me. I know my rights.
I gave that boy a home and what did he give me, nothing. He owes me and I’m
going to make sure I get everything that I’m owed.”

By this time her eyes were becoming unfocused and I could
see that she was going into crazy land. I noticed Travis’s hand on my forearm
warning me not to provoke the woman. I realized that she was coming unhinged
but the stupid part of me was not going to be silenced.

“Ms Davis, Eric’s funeral is going to be tomorrow. Would you
like a chance to say goodbye to him?” I asked trying to ignore the incredulous
look I was getting from Travis.

I know, it was a stupid question, but there was a part of me
that kept thinking this was Eric’s mother. Surely there had to be some small
part of the maternal instinct in her. I couldn’t imagine anyone who had given
birth and raised a child not wanting to have that final chance to say goodbye.

“If he hasn’t left me anything I hope he burns in hell where
he belongs” she spat out and slammed the door.

I stared at the scarred door stunned by the turn of events.

“Well you have your answer” said Travis cheerfully as he
started making his way down the steps off the front porch. “Looks like our work
here is done.”

I followed him numbly. I never thought that I would get to a
point in my life when I would feel the need to give Eric Wesson a hug, but I
had to say I had reached that point. I shuddered to think what Eric’s childhood
had been like. Tears pricked the back of my eyelids when I realized that the
poor kid had never stood a chance.

“You okay?” Travis asked, compassion in his voice.

“Just making sure I call my mom tonight. I’m suddenly
feeling the need to thank her for actually being my mom. Right at this moment
I’m kind of feeling like I won the lottery when it comes to her.”

“Yeah, it’s times like these that you wish some people had
to take a test or something before they breed.”

“Scary thing is that I am kind of agreeing with you” I said
smiling up at him.

“Can’t have that happening” said Travis smiling back.

Suddenly I heard a crash behind us and Annie Davis came
charging out of the house with a baseball bat waving around above her head.

“You’re keeping his money aren’t you” she screamed. “It
belongs to me, you have to give it to me. I won’t let you take what is mine.”
As she came towards us with the bat weaving drunkenly in our direction Travis
grabbed me and pushed me hurriedly towards the car. At the last moment he
pulled me away as she swung the bat and it connected with the passenger door.
The second hit smashed the windscreen. She was screaming obscenities at us as
Travis calmly watched her destroying his car while he pulled out his cell
phone, all the time keeping a close eye on the woman who was completely
redecorating his ride.

“What are you doing?” I asked perplexed at his casual
stance.

“Calling the cops” he said calmly.

I looked at him incredulously. “Why don’t you stop her?” I said
as we both winced as the windscreen finally gave way under the relentless
onslaught and caved inwards.

“I’m not taking care of it because the only weapon I’m
carrying is a gun. Police have all these non-lethal toys and negotiators who
can deal with nutjobs like this, but if you’re keen for me to shoot her, I can
do that if it would make you happier.”

I looked at him sourly. “You know, I’m glad it’s your car
she’s doing that to because I kind of think that you have done many things to
deserve this kind of karma. You seem to be taking it a lot better than I would
have thought you would.”

“It’s just a clunker I use for work. This kind of thing
happens to my cars, so I only use those for work that it doesn’t hurt me to see
destroyed.”

“This kind of thing happens to you a lot?” I asked deciding
that maybe he had the right idea and
I
should
just
sit
back and watch Annie destroy the
car. Now that I had realized she wasn’t going to attack us and was content to
take her frustration out on the
car
, I was able to
relax and enjoy the show.

“Relatively regularly” he said pulling out some gum and
offering me a stick. I refused and he shrugged and popped one into his mouth.
“Most times when you catch people cheating they have a tendency to take that
personally. With the clientele I work
for
, we are
talking massive amounts of money. That tends to bring out the inner caveman in
many people. Wish I could say this is the first time someone’s taken to my car
with a baseball bat. In fact it’s probably about the sixth or seventh time.”

“You live a very strange life” I said.

“Maybe, but I get paid very well for it. Ahh, here come our
heroes to save the day” Travis said sarcastically.

Sure enough a squad car came screeching around the corner
and a couple of uniformed officers jumped out screaming at Annie to drop the
baseball bat. She froze in midswing, spun around and fixed Travis with a glare.

“You called the cops” she accused.

I was kind of glad that she was placing the blame firmly
where she should have, right up until the point she started advancing towards
us, still swinging that bat above her head. I was beginning to be impressed by
her stamina. The woman had been swinging that thing for a good ten minutes and
she didn’t even seem to be particularly winded. Travis pulled me backwards as
Annie was coming towards us. The police were yelling at her to put down the
bat. We seemed to be in some weird dance where for every step Annie took
forward, Travis and I moved backwards. Luckily one of the cops finally realized
that the woman was not going to give up until she started using Travis, and
unfortunately by default me, as the man would not let go of my arm, as a piñata.
He also decided for whatever reason that she didn’t deserve lethal force and so
unloaded a stun gun into her. Down she went to the ground with a slightly
surprised look on her face as if she never imagined this was going to happen to
her.

As the police surrounded her and kicked away the baseball
bat I started to relax but almost jumped out of my skin when a quiet voice came
from behind me. “What’s happened to Annie?”

Behind me I found a young woman peering over the fence from
Annie’s neighbor’s house.

“Annie took exception to some news we had to tell her” I
said, surprised that I was still able to speak calmly as I watched Travis
inspect the mangled wreckage that until fifteen minutes ago had been his car.

“Is Eric okay?” the woman asked anxiously as she came
through a gate in the fence.

“Why do you assume it is about Eric?” I asked curiously.

“She blames Eric for everything that is wrong with her
life.” The woman shrugged. “According to Annie she was going to conquer the
world right up until the moment that she got pregnant with Eric, which of
course was his fault. Everything bad that has happened since then, was on him.
So what did he do this time to set her off?”

There it was again, that insane urge to hug the man. The
more I heard about Eric’s life, the more I felt sorry for him.

“He died” I answered without thinking and immediately wanted
to kick myself when I saw the devastation that one little sentence had caused.
I grabbed her arm as she looked like she was going to faint. “I’m sorry, I
shouldn’t have said it like that” I said as I helped lower her to the curb.
“Here put your head between your knees. Did you know him?”

“I grew up next door” she mumbled keeping her head down not
looking at me.

“My name is Trudie” I said. “I work for Eric’s wife. The
funeral is tomorrow if you want to be there.”

I looked over to see that Annie had started to recover from
being stunned and was now swearing loudly and with great creativity at the poor
young cop who looked like he was regretting his choice regarding the use of non-lethal
force.

Travis seemed to be chatting away with the older officer,
and from the looks of him he was not perturbed at the events that had occurred.
Meanwhile I was sitting in the street rubbing circles in the back of some woman
I didn’t know.

“What’s your name?” I asked gently because at this point I
had nothing else to say.

“Ruby” she said sniffing quietly.

“I’m really sorry Ruby” I said. The poor woman looked
devastated. For the first time I was actually seeing real grief from someone
with regards to Eric’s death.

Travis walked over to us.

“Trudie, the cops need to get your statement.”

I looked at Ruby feeling torn. She wiped her eyes and gave
me a watery smile.

“I’m fine, it’s just a bit of a shock. I’ve known Eric all
my life.”

“Do you know if Eric had any other family other than his mother?”
I asked.

“No, it was just Annie and Eric. His dad was never in the
picture and according to Annie having Eric was the worst thing that had ever
happened to her, so she made sure that she was never able to have any more
kids.”

I nodded sympathetically, unsure how to respond to such a
callous statement. After giving her the details for the funeral I watched as
she walked back to her house.

“Poor kid” Travis murmured.

“Yeah” I said distractedly.

“Officer Eldridge needs to take your statement” Travis said,
“so I can get the ball rolling on insurance for the car.”

I looked at him with some astonishment. “You’ve got
insurance on that thing?”

“Course I do. My mama always said you should never get on
the road without insurance.”

“You’ve got a mother” I said the surprise evident in my
voice.

“Of course I do” Travis said. “How do you think I got here?”

“Never really considered it” I replied, “though if I had to
think about it, the process probably includes dark magic and the utter
hopelessness of the human condition.”

Travis looked at me sourly. “Nice” he said. “If I was any
less sure of my place in the world I would be hurt by that.”