Hollywood Notorious: A Hollywood Alphabet Thriller Series (A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Book 14) by M.Z. Kelly Page B
Authors: M.Z. Kelly
Ads: Link
think your mommy is very lucky to have a daughter like you.”
I had a lovely evening with Brie and her larger-than-life boyfriend, Phyl—mamma wanted a girl and named him Phyllis, a name that Brie had shortened. As Brie drove me home later that evening, we did our best to put work issues out of our minds and I mentioned what Lily had said to me.
My friend glanced at me and exhaled. “I’m afraid Lily is at that age where she believes in the power of magic to cure all the evils in the world.” A half-smile found her lips. “I’ve tried to gently explain to her there’s no magic that will cure me.”
My gaze drifted to the blur of traffic lights in the stop-and-go traffic. While I had my share of problems, I couldn’t imagine being in Brie’s shoes, facing a fight for her life and raising a little girl. I made a vow to appreciate what I had and try not to get wrapped up in my day-to-day problems.
“Have you had a chance to talk to the lieutenant about the photograph you found?” Brie asked, changing the subject as my thoughts surfaced.
While my friend knew all about my family situation, as the saying goes, it’s complicated, so I’d better take a moment and give you some additional background.
Most of my life had been lived as a lie, the truth about my biological parents having been kept from me by my adoptive mother. Over the past couple of years, I’d finally pieced my personal history together. My birth mother was a one-time actress named Judie Crawford. She and John Sexton—the man who raised me, who I now refer to as my love-dad—had been involved at one time. After they’d broken up, Judie got pregnant by another man and gave birth to me, but his identity was still unknown to me.
During this time, Judie’s mentally unstable former boyfriend and future husband, Ryan Cooper, had come back into her life. She was so concerned that Cooper might harm both her and me if he ever learned that she’d given birth while they were estranged that she’d made the life-altering decision to give me to my love-dad to raise. I was subsequently adopted by him and the woman I’d thought was my bio-mom after they married.
Four years after I was born, my love-dad was gunned down in a local park right in front of me. I’d recently learned that Ryan Cooper was responsible for that act. Cooper had eventually married my birth mother, who he also eventually murdered after battering her. After learning of my existence and stalking me, Cooper was eventually shot and killed by my half-sister, Lindsay.
I’d originally believed that Cooper’s killing spree had been motivated out of jealousy because my love-dad had been involved with Judie at one time. But I’d recently learned that Cooper might have also been involved in a larger conspiracy to murder one of the most famous stars in Hollywood, an actress named Jean Winslow.
While Winslow’s death had officially been ruled a suicide, a few weeks back I’d learned that Donald Regis, the former head of the studios where she’d been under contract, and a man named Kellen Malone, might have been involved in her death. Malone was involved in a secret organization called The Revelation, and had been linked to Winslow before her death.
I’d recently met with Winslow’s niece, Laura Trenton, who had shown me some old photographs belonging to her aunt. I’d found my love-dad in one of those photos, along with Ryan Cooper and Kellen Malone. I was still in a state of shock over also finding my lieutenant, Ozzie Powell, in that same photograph. As you know, both Oz and my partner Leo knew my father back when they were all rookie cops. I hadn’t talked to Oz about what I’d learned because I was still trying to process everything.
After explaining things to Brie, I said, “To tell you the truth, I’m now wondering if Oz wasn’t somehow involved in what happened to my love-dad.”
“I think you’re eventually going to have to confront him. Since he was with your dad and
I had a lovely evening with Brie and her larger-than-life boyfriend, Phyl—mamma wanted a girl and named him Phyllis, a name that Brie had shortened. As Brie drove me home later that evening, we did our best to put work issues out of our minds and I mentioned what Lily had said to me.
My friend glanced at me and exhaled. “I’m afraid Lily is at that age where she believes in the power of magic to cure all the evils in the world.” A half-smile found her lips. “I’ve tried to gently explain to her there’s no magic that will cure me.”
My gaze drifted to the blur of traffic lights in the stop-and-go traffic. While I had my share of problems, I couldn’t imagine being in Brie’s shoes, facing a fight for her life and raising a little girl. I made a vow to appreciate what I had and try not to get wrapped up in my day-to-day problems.
“Have you had a chance to talk to the lieutenant about the photograph you found?” Brie asked, changing the subject as my thoughts surfaced.
While my friend knew all about my family situation, as the saying goes, it’s complicated, so I’d better take a moment and give you some additional background.
Most of my life had been lived as a lie, the truth about my biological parents having been kept from me by my adoptive mother. Over the past couple of years, I’d finally pieced my personal history together. My birth mother was a one-time actress named Judie Crawford. She and John Sexton—the man who raised me, who I now refer to as my love-dad—had been involved at one time. After they’d broken up, Judie got pregnant by another man and gave birth to me, but his identity was still unknown to me.
During this time, Judie’s mentally unstable former boyfriend and future husband, Ryan Cooper, had come back into her life. She was so concerned that Cooper might harm both her and me if he ever learned that she’d given birth while they were estranged that she’d made the life-altering decision to give me to my love-dad to raise. I was subsequently adopted by him and the woman I’d thought was my bio-mom after they married.
Four years after I was born, my love-dad was gunned down in a local park right in front of me. I’d recently learned that Ryan Cooper was responsible for that act. Cooper had eventually married my birth mother, who he also eventually murdered after battering her. After learning of my existence and stalking me, Cooper was eventually shot and killed by my half-sister, Lindsay.
I’d originally believed that Cooper’s killing spree had been motivated out of jealousy because my love-dad had been involved with Judie at one time. But I’d recently learned that Cooper might have also been involved in a larger conspiracy to murder one of the most famous stars in Hollywood, an actress named Jean Winslow.
While Winslow’s death had officially been ruled a suicide, a few weeks back I’d learned that Donald Regis, the former head of the studios where she’d been under contract, and a man named Kellen Malone, might have been involved in her death. Malone was involved in a secret organization called The Revelation, and had been linked to Winslow before her death.
I’d recently met with Winslow’s niece, Laura Trenton, who had shown me some old photographs belonging to her aunt. I’d found my love-dad in one of those photos, along with Ryan Cooper and Kellen Malone. I was still in a state of shock over also finding my lieutenant, Ozzie Powell, in that same photograph. As you know, both Oz and my partner Leo knew my father back when they were all rookie cops. I hadn’t talked to Oz about what I’d learned because I was still trying to process everything.
After explaining things to Brie, I said, “To tell you the truth, I’m now wondering if Oz wasn’t somehow involved in what happened to my love-dad.”
“I think you’re eventually going to have to confront him. Since he was with your dad and
Similar Books
