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

know about. You might want to talk to Mark for the details.”
    “Mark?”
    “Bert’s lawyer. He worked with Bert on all aspects of his businesses.”
    After we got an address for Mark Swenson, we spent another half hour going over other names and details about the day to day operations of the TV show, before a beautiful dark haired woman arrived.
    “This is my sister, Christina Conrad,” Lady said as the woman came over, hugged her, and took a seat next to her.
    We gave them a moment as they cried and exchanged a few words of encouragement. Lady’s sister was tall, with high cheekbones. She looked younger than her sibling, and I had a thought that she could have been a model at one time.
    After they surfaced from their emotional bonding, I asked Christina for her thoughts on what happened.
    She brushed back her thick dark hair that made me jealous of my own unruly locks and said, “I can’t really tell you much. As you probably know, Bert had lots of issues, so maybe it had something to do with that.”
    Darby played dumb, something that came natural to him. “Issues, as in…?”
    Christina glanced at her sister. “Issues with women, and…” She took a breath. “…Bert was a difficult person. All I know is that he must have made someone very unhappy.”
    “Someone, as in a lover or business partner?” Darby asked.
    “I couldn’t say.” She looked at Lady. “I’m just sorry about everything…” She broke down. “…it’s just a shame.”
    Despite the emotional bond the two women shared, I sensed there was something unspoken about their relationship. I knew that sisters could often be estranged, something that brought my upcoming family reunion to mind. It was just a few days away, and I was dreading the event, since I shared little in common with my own sister.
    I decided to do a little probing, asking Christina, “What was your relationship with Bert like?”
    The two women shared a momentary glance before she said, “We weren’t close. We saw each other at family gatherings. That was about the extent of it.”
    Despite what she’d said, I still sensed there was something she was holding back. Lady’s sister was a beautiful woman, and I decided to give voice to what I suspected. “Bert hit on you, didn’t he?”
    “Oh, God,” Christina said. Her gaze moved off and she didn’t answer.
    Lady confirmed my suspicions. “It’s ancient history, something that we’re both past.” She reached over and took her sister’s hand.
    I gave them a moment, waiting until Christina was ready to talk. “I was vulnerable and going through a divorce last year.” Tears flooded from her eyes. “It’s something I regret every day.”
    Darby wasn’t impacted by the emotional storm and demonstrated his lack of finesse. “Regret it enough to kill him?”
    Lady answered with a laugh that seemed a little too loud and contrived. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” She stood and pulled Christina up with her. “If there’s nothing further, we have to plan a funeral.”

NINE
     
    “What’s your take on what Lady and her sister said?” I asked Darby as we left Nirvana and got to the car.
    “My take is that Bert Prince was a first class Hannibal Lecher, he’d have sex with anyone, anytime, anywhere.”
    I glanced at him as I started the car. “And you think Christina was just an innocent victim?”
    He shrugged. “Maybe it was rebound sex, as she said, but who knows? Nobody understands women.”
    I ignored his misogynistic comment and put the car in gear. “However Lady tries to explain it away, the fact is her husband had sex with her sister. That’s a major girl code violation and it makes Lady a suspect.”
    “Could have gone the other way. The sister was taken advantage of and she paid Bert back.”
    “Maybe. All I know is that the interview was worthwhile. We’ve now got a potential motive and two suspects.”
    He scoffed. “You’ve got nothing but speculation. I wanna