Hollywood Outlaw: A Hollywood Alphabet SeriesThriller (A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Book 15) by M.Z. Kelly Read Free Book Online Page B

cross training employees and measuring the results. The department hired some idiot who’s an expert on it. He says having the same partner every day results in complacency and key issues sometimes being missed.”
    I started to argue with him, but knew it was useless. I also knew it would mean that Darby and I would be constantly butting heads during the investigation, something that he demonstrated a few minutes later when we met with Leo and Buck to divide up duties.
    “Interviewing Lady Prince again is a waste of time,” Darby said. “She’s going to stonewall and do anything she can to take the heat off her family and the TV show.”
    “That might be the case,” I said. “But she’s a key figure in the case. We can’t just ignore her.”
    Leo saw my distress. “Buck and I can take a run at her if you guys want to talk to…” he checked his notes, “…Bailey Nolan, the ex-wife.”
    “There’s also the director and the producer of the TV show,” Buck said. “We didn’t get much out of Sylvester yesterday, so I think it’s worth taking another shot at him. According to the paperwork Selfie gave us, Waggoner works out of an office in the Wilshire District.”
    “Sylvester’s nothing but a skirt chasing asshole,” Darby said. “Another waste of time.”
    Leo regarded him. “Tell us something. Who do you suggest we talk to?”
    “There’s two trails in this case: money and sex. That’s where the emphasis needs to be.”
    “You just said Sylvester is a womanizer,” I said. “He also has a financial interest in the TV show. Why not interview him again?”
    My new partner shrugged then cranked his head toward Leo and Buck. “These guys wanna waste their time, we let them go ahead. We need to concentrate on the business side of things, maybe get someone to look at the spreadsheets in the vic’s computer, and then look at who Bert Prince was screwing.”
    My chest rose and fell in frustration. I looked at Leo and Buck. “If you two want to take a go at Nolan, Sylvester, and Waggoner, we’ll meet up with you later. We’re going to get together with Financial Crimes and take a look at the spreadsheets, but first we’re going to do some basic police work and talk to Lady Prince.”

EIGHT
     
    “We need to clear the air,” Darby said as I drove us to Beverly Hills to talk to Lady Prince. “If we’re going to work together, we need to reach a consensus on processes. That’s how CTA is supposed to work.”
    I glanced at him. “You sound like you’re an expert.”
    “I was forced to take a class on it, and your turn is probably coming. Finding consensus on issues is part of the cross training theory.”
    “It sounds like the part that should be listed under the heading bullshit .”
    He shrugged. “According to the program, partners are supposed to work out differences after considering the other person’s point of view.”
    I brushed a hand through my hair, tamping down both my wayward locks and my irritation. “Interviewing the victim’s wife is the logical first step in any investigation.”
    “You’ve already talked to her. You’re plowing old ground.”
    I glanced at him again. My new partner’s face was blotchy and he looked like he was carrying an extra twenty pounds around his midsection. Maybe he had a drinking problem. “Let’s just agree to compromise on this. Let me re-plow the garden, then you get to decide what’s next.”
    He exhaled. “Whatever.”
    We found Lady Prince in a sunroom overlooking the expansive grounds of Nirvana. She was with a covey of attendants, who scurried off as we took seats on a wicker sofa across from her.
    “We’re planning Bert’s funeral,” she explained. I saw there was a stack of brochures from memorial parks on the table in front of her. “We’re also looking at monuments, something grand that befits my husband’s life.” She took a moment, brushing her tears away.
    I looked up as her elderly attendant, Griselda Lugosi, waddled