Hollywood Secrets by Gemma Halliday Read Free Book Online

boost on both sides), and we were sitting on the curb, watching the red and blue glow of lights from a pair of black and white cruisers parked in the drive. A couple of guys in navy blue uniforms circled the perimeter of the complex with flashlights, while another stood in front of us, the creases in his shiny blue pants staring me in the face as he took copious notes in a little booklet that looked suspiciously like the ones those parking tickets came from.
    “ You actually got a look at these so-called kidnappers?”
    I nodded. Though I noted his use of the word “so-called”.
    “ Can you describe them, please?”
    I cleared my throat. Talking to law enforcement always made me a little nervous. Probably because we were usually talking about the large parking fines I’d incurred.
    “ Well, the first guy was slim and had black hair. The other guy was heavier. Not fat though. More muscular. Short hair, possibly a former inmate.”
    The cop raised one eyebrow that was in desperate need of waxing. “Former inmate?”
    I nodded again. “He had a lot of tattoos”
    The cop grinned, giving me a placating smile. “Honey, lots of guys have tattoos. Don’t mean they’re felons.”
    I tried to ignore the “honey” part. “It was more than that. The way he carried himself, maybe. His back was really straight and strong.”
    “ So a guy with short hair, tattoos and good posture?”
    I wasn’t explaining this very well, was I?
    “ Look, I got a really good look at him. Maybe you should put me with a sketch artist?”
    The cop gave me a ‘yeah right’ look, then consulted his notebook again.
    “ And you say these two characters kidnapped Trace Brody? As in, the movie star, Trace Brody?”
    I nodded.
    “ Right in front of you?”
    “ Look, I know what I saw. These guys had a gun on Trace.”
    “ And what did Trace do?”
    “ Nothing. What could he do?”
    “ Call for help?” the cop offered.
    I clamped my mouth shut. Okay, maybe he could have done that. “They had a gun,” I repeated.
    “ Look, honey-“
    “ My name is not ‘honey.’”
    But instead of taking me seriously, again I got the placating smile. “Look, chances are this was just some sort of publicity stunt. Doesn’t Trace have a new movie coming out about a kidnapping?”
    I could feel Allie doing a silent “I told you so” beside me.
    “ Yes, but-“ I started.
    Only Placating Cop didn’t let me finish. “And aren’t you one of them people that prints celebrity stories?”
    “ Well, sort of, yes, but-“
    “ Kind of a coincidence him getting ‘kidnapped’,” he said, doing air quotes with his fingers, “right in front of you, isn’t it?”
    I clamped my mouth shut, crossing my arms over my chest. “I know what I saw. Trace was scared.”
    “ He’s an actor. Isn’t it possible he was acting scared?”
    I had to admit, the more he pressed the issue the more that niggling doubt was growing into a full fledged tickle.
    On the other hand, I knew Trace. I know, I know. I didn’t know him personally. I mean, I’d never actually spoken to him. But I’d been watching him for weeks. I knew his habits, his style, his personality. And pulling such an elaborate publicity stunt didn’t fit. Trace was a straight shooter. And, as much as I enjoyed watching him strut his stuff on and off the big screen, the truth was, he wasn’t that good of an actor. Trace had been scared. Deadly scared. And I was the only one who knew it.
    One of the other uniforms approached, and our cop stepped away to consult with him. They did a lot of whispering and gesturing first toward me, then the complex. Then back at me again with their eyebrows drawn down in concerned lines. I squinted at the pair, trying to read their lips. The second uniformed guy was either saying, “We didn’t find anything,” or, “We love fly fishing.” Either way, not helpful.
    The first cop finally sauntered back over to us. “Thank you for the report,” he said. Then flipped his