Hollywood Outlaw: A Hollywood Alphabet SeriesThriller (A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Book 15) by M.Z. Kelly

through the door. She bent down to Lady. “Are you going to be need-ink some-think?”
    They exchanged words before Griselda scurried off, not bothering to acknowledge us.
    I turned my attention back to the grieving widow. “Let’s talk about your husband for a moment. We know from talking to several people, including your children, that you led separate lives.”
    “What are you insinuating?”
    “She’s not insinuating anything,” Darby said. “You two had an open marriage. Who was Bert seeing?”
    I saw a slight tremor in Prince’s hands as she brought a tissue up and dabbed eyes that were an icy blue. They were beautiful, making me realize that she and her daughter, Paris, had a lot of physical traits in common.
    She drew in a breath and said, “I’ll admit it. Bert was a sex addict. Almost anyone who crossed paths with him ended up in his bed.”
    I glanced at Darby, then looked back at her. “We’ll need a list of names.”
    Darby pulled out a notepad and we spent the next ten minutes taking names. When she was finished we had a couple of dozen women that Lady said were involved with her husband, but she told us there were probably even more that she didn’t know about. It was noteworthy that Marisha Dole, the agent for her and her daughters, was on the list.
    “We understand there were some issues between your husband and Ms. Dole,” I said. “Tell us about their relationship.”
    Before she could answer, Griselda toddled back into the room, carrying a small envelope. Lady shook out whatever was inside and swallowed it with some tea. I glanced at Darby, rolling my eyes, and hoping she wouldn’t fall asleep on me again.
    Lady set her teacup down. “Marisha and Bert were adversaries. He wanted complete control of our show and the related endorsements, including our fashion and makeup lines. The girls had a falling out with him a couple of years ago, and we hired Marisha to represent our interests. Bert wasn’t happy about it, but he eventually came to accept the situation.”
    “So, Bert and Marisha were at odds over money and they end up in a relationship,” Darby said. “You ask me, that’s a recipe for lots of trouble, maybe the kind that leads to violence.”
    Lady fixed her beautiful eyes on him and laughed. “Clearly, you don’t understand the way my husband operated.”
    “Then clue me in.”
    She took a breath. “Let me be frank. Bert considered sex and relationships two different things. That became apparent to me early in our marriage, and I accepted that fact. You can talk to Marisha if you want, but I don’t think there was any real animosity between them. They had opposing business interests, and they accepted that fact. The sex was…” Her gaze moved off. “…it was nothing more than what a workout at the gym might be for some people.”
    I took a moment to process what she’d said. While this was Hollywood, and casual sex hookups were common, this seemed to take that concept to another level. I decided the money and business angle that Darby had suggested as a motive might make some sense. I then suppressed a ridiculous thought that CTA might also make some sense, after all.
    “What about your husband’s ex,” Darby said, as my thoughts surfaced. “We understand she was always after him for money and causing problems.”
    “Bailey is a bitch with two b’s,” Lady said. “Some of that played into the TV show dynamics, but she sometimes carried things too far. If you’re asking me if she killed Bert…” She took a moment, maybe gathering her thoughts. “…I think Bailey’s all about the money, but not to the extent that she would shoot someone.”
    “Let’s talk about your husband’s business ventures for a moment,” I said. “What can you tell us about his other businesses and anyone he might have been in conflict with over money?”
    The icy-blue eyes fixed on me. “I can tell you there were dozens of business ventures, some that I probably don’t even