Hollywood Murder by M. Z. Kelly Read Free Book Online Page B

inside. The severed head was gruesome. Memories of another street scene in Chicago came back to him. This wasn’t the first time he’d encountered a severed head. Back then the man’s head had been sent as a message that the territory belonged to a local street gang. This time, Henry knew another kind of message was being sent—one that was all about money.
    It took him a moment to push down his emotions and begin putting the pieces together. Montreal saw the slip of paper. It had been placed in the mouth of the woman he now recognized as his daughter’s maid. He didn’t hesitate, reaching in and removing the paper. He unfolded the handwritten note.
    Say nothing or they all die.
    Even as he pushed the note into his pocket and closed up the box, Henry Montreal was already doing the calculations. He knew a call would be coming. The only question now was, how much would it cost him? If he was dealing with amateurs, he guessed it would be in the two to three million dollar range. If this was the work of professionals, he would probably be looking at a demand for a lot more.
    Montreal put the box in a cabinet behind his desk, picked up his phone, and called his secretary. Campbell Tanner scurried into his office, a notepad in hand. He decided to tread carefully, making sure that he gave nothing away. “What time did you arrive at work this morning?”
    Campbell, who was in her twenties, was attractive and slender. She was divorced, and he knew from the office gossip she wasn’t dating. If he were twenty years younger, Henry wouldn’t have hesitated in taking advantage of the situation.
    “I got here just before eight, as usual.”
    “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”
    She shook her head, regarding him. “I’m not sure what you mean. There was no one else here when I arrived.”
    Montreal fixed his steel blue eyes on her. “And, did you come into my office?”
    “Just for a moment, to deliver your mail.”
    He nodded, deciding to ask the question he needed an answer to. “There was a box on my desk. Do you have any idea how it got there?”
    “No. I just assumed it was something you put there.” She cocked her head to one side and lowered her voice. “I hope you don’t think I looked in it. I completely respect your privacy.”
    Montreal released a breath. Campbell had been with him for the past three years and had proved her loyalty on several occasions. If she had seen what was in the box, he had no doubt she would have fallen apart. He decided the secret was safe—for now.
    He smiled and walked over to his secretary, escorting her to the door. “I’ve got to leave for a few minutes, Campbell. Would you tell the Seaport Group they’ll have to wait until I return?”
    “They’re already assembled in the conference room. I’m not sure…”
    Henry cut her off. “They need my money. I’m sure they’ll understand. Tell them I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
    As Henry Montreal made his way out of his office with the macabre token that had been left for him, he knew one thing for certain: he would find his daughter and her children. He would find a way to control The Situation. He would then kill the bastards that were trying to extort money from him. That was a certainty.
    An hour later, Henry had made it back home and placed the grotesque trophy into his basement freezer. He was coming back upstairs when he heard his wife calling down to him. “Henry, there’s someone in the driveway. I think it might be the police.”

NINE
     
    Allison Marsh’s eyes opened. The sensations of life slowly filtered back into her consciousness. The dim light from a single overhead bulb cast deep shadows over the room. The metal floor was cold and hard. She swallowed, realizing there was a coppery taste in her mouth. Somewhere in the distance she thought she heard voices. She shifted her weight and moaned. Her head was pounding.
    All at once, the images rushed back to her. The big man who had come to