The Case of the Rising Star

by Zavo

  I was grateful for the interruption. I left my office and headed to the water cooler. While I wanted bourbon, instead I filled two glasses with water and went to Betty’s desk.

  “Is everything okay, Derrick?”

  “It’s fine, Betty. Will you see if you can track down Nathan for me? It’s rather urgent.”

  “Right away, Derrick!”

  When I rejoined Warren he was looking at some family photos Mother had hung on the office wall. He made no comment, but returned to his seat.

  “Again, Warren, what can I do for you?”

  “Now that I’m in Los Angeles, I wanted to get a feel for my brothers. Truth be told, I am currently looking for gainful employment, and I feel I would make a damn fine detective. After all, it is my heritage, isn’t it?”

  Despite the nice guy Warren was trying to portray, my first impulse was that he was simply looking to see what he could grab from us. Or was I simply jumping to conclusions? Why wouldn’t he want to get to know a family he had never met? Wouldn’t that be a normal reaction? But something told me not to play my hand just yet around this man. I wouldn’t discuss with him the fact we were looking to hire another detective. Christ, I didn’t even know him yet as my half-brother, let alone a potential detective at the agency. I was wondering where Nathan was when the other shoe dropped.

  “I understand that you’re hiring. If that’s the case, I’m ready to take my rightful place within the agency. You couldn’t know this, but I had a very lucrative detective agency in New York City. My clients included some very high-profile theater and financial people. Please, feel free to check it out. The name of the agency was the Montgomery Agency. Benjamin and Calvin worked for me. How funny—we at least have that much in common.”

  The sentence “Well why didn’t you stay there?” almost made it out of my mouth, but I swallowed it as if it were a bitter pill.

  “However, if you feel there is no place for me at Steele Investigations, I’m sure I’d have no trouble starting my own agency with my brothers.”

  He paused to let his words sink in. The implied threat was all too clear, but when I made no comment, he continued.

  “They are arriving in Los Angeles tomorrow. Both are well-educated businessmen. I’m sure we would have no trouble launching a business in Los Angeles. In fact, I just recently came across a firm for sale, not many miles from here. It belonged to a Theodore Stillson, who I believe was caught up in that nasty situation with Lionel Hamilton. Did you know Theodore?”

  “I was aware of Mr. Stillson’s business, and our paths crossed from time to time. But we weren’t friends. I’m sorry to rush you out the door, Warren, but I’m working on a case, and I have a meeting at Paramount Studios in a half hour. I’ll let my family know you stopped by. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from my father soon regarding a date for dinner at the house.”

  I was just starting to rise when the door opened and Nathan walked in. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. As with my father, I was startled at the resemblance between Warren and Nathan. Christ, I looked like none of them. Where the hell had I come from?

  Nathan paused just inside the doorway, immediately recognizing Warren, who had also stood. My brother was doing an excellent job of hiding his astonishment. Before he could say anything, I walked over to him and slung my arm around his shoulders.

  “Good morning, Nathan. You’ll never guess who dropped in to pay us a visit. It’s our new brother, Warren Montgomery.”

  I don’t think the forced jocularity in my voice fooled anyone. Warren’s eyes narrowed to mere slits and, again, I felt like prey. He quickly regained his composure and extended his hand to Nathan. They shook vigorously, eyeing each other like two stray dogs meeting in the street.

  “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Nathan. I’ve read and heard so much about you.”

  “Unfortunately, Warren, I can’t say the same for you. However, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Sorry it took so long.”

  There was a coolness to Nathan’s tone only I would have picked up on. His guard was definitely up.

  “Well, as I was just saying to Derrick, I’m hoping we can work together in the not-too-distant future. I owned a detective agency in New York City. I guess it runs in the family. Anyway, Derrick can fill you in on the particulars. I’m meeting my brothers at the airport tomorrow. We’re staying at the Regal Biltmore Hotel if you need to reach me.

  “It was nice to meet you, Derrick. You too, Nathan. I look forward to meeting Daniel soon. Please let him know I stopped by. And please let me know about any potential job opportunities at Steele Investigations.”

  “You can count on me, Warren. You have a good day.”

  I escorted him to the door and, after he left, peeked out the window to make sure he was indeed gone. I had a bad feeling about Warren. My bad feelings were more often than not right on the money.

  After he was gone, I gave Nathan all the details on Warren’s visit—including the fact his brothers had been the Montgomerys Nathan had spoken to.

  “Their actions seem a little underhanded, don’t you think, Nathan?”

  “Well, they are suspect. But I can see his hesitation in just knocking on the door and saying ‘Hi there, I’m your long-lost half-brother. Will you hire me and my other two brothers?’ That aside, even for the brief moments I was here, I got a bad feeling about him. What do you think?”

  “My first impression is that he inherited his uncle’s innate meanness. While he tried to remain polite at all times during his visit, there were times when I felt like he wanted to reach across the desk and choke me. I think his association would not be good for the rest of the Steele family.”

  “Well, our father has the final say. You know he’s a good judge of character. I’m going to make some inquiries in New York regarding him and his brothers. Also, Daniel might have details to share.”

  Just then the phone rang. Betty answered it.

  “Hold on a moment, Derrick. It’s for you. It’s a Donald Frazier.”

  When I picked up the handset and said hello, Donald began talking so rapidly I couldn’t understand him.

  “Donald, please slow down, take a deep breath, and then tell me what happened.”

  He paused for about five seconds.

  “Someone shot at Gordon and me about ten minutes ago when we were out walking on the grounds. Neither one of us is hurt, but Gordon is badly shaken. Can you come over right away?”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can, Donald.”

  As I hung up, Daniel came into the office. After I quickly filled him in on the Warren visit, he agreed to accompany me to Gordon’s estate. When we arrived, Donald greeted us at the door.

  “Please come in. Gordon is in his study.”

  We followed Donald to the study, where we found Gordon sitting at his desk. He was on the phone, and he raised his hand to indicate he would be with us as soon as he could. While we waited, I scanned the interior of the room.

  As soon as Gordon was off the phone, he rose to greet us. “Good morning, detectives. Thanks for arriving so quickly. Can I get you a drink?”

  “Just coffee is fine for now.”

  Gordon ordered Donald to bring two coffees. When he was gone, Gordon lit a cigarette. It was the first time I had seen him smoke.

  “Please tell us what happened, Gordon.”

  It was clear he was still quite shaken.

  “Donald was accompanying me on my morning walk of the estate when someone shot at us twice. I heard the shots, but didn’t realize what was happening till the head of a statue we were near exploded into pieces.”

  “Did you or Donald see anyone?”

  “I’m afraid not. It was difficult to tell from which direction the shots came.”

  “Have you talked to any of your neighbors to determine if they saw or heard anything?”

  “No, I was going to leave that in your capable hands. Please be as discreet as possible.”

  Just then Donald arrived with the coff
ee.

  “The coffee will have to wait, Donald. Gordon, you stay here while Donald takes us to where you were when the shots were fired.”

  “Okay, Derrick.”

  When we arrived at the broken statue, I saw that the shot could have come from anywhere along the stone wall itself, or even from within the grounds themselves.

  “Daniel, let’s split up. That way we can cover more ground. Donald, you go back in the house.”

  “Okay.”

  I walked the perimeter of the property. Although it was completely walled in, there were several spots where a determined fan, or would-be assassin, could easily gain access. That had already been proven by the previous intruder. I myself had easily scaled it. Someone, or more than one person, did not want Gordon to finish the movie. Was it career jealousy, a financial plight, or something more sinister? I had just rounded the far corner of the lot when a flash of light caught my eye. I stood still, waiting for it to occur again and, when it did, I realized the flash had come from the section of wall next to the front gate. The flash appeared again, and this time I saw actual movement. Someone was spying on Gordon’s house. I drew my Walther PP and made my way toward that section of the wall. I moved quickly but quietly. I was only a few feet from the wall when a shot rang out, and I felt a tug on the sleeve of my jacket. I sprinted the remaining distance to the wall and dove behind a stand of junipers. I fired off several shots to try and flush out the shooter. Daniel came up behind me quietly.

  “I heard all the shooting. Are you hit, Derrick?”

  I looked at the bullet hole in my sleeve. “No. But it was too close for comfort. I’m going to hold the shooter’s attention with a few more random shots. You circle around and try to come up behind him.”

  “Okay. Please be careful.”

  “You too, Daniel!”

  I gave Daniel a five-minute lead, then fired several more shots at the spot on the wall where I believed the shooter was hiding. I received an immediate response as a bullet hit the wall above me. I fired several more shots, but none were returned. I counted to one hundred and fired again. I heard my name being called. It was Daniel. I stood up and saw him standing in front of the wall where the shooter had been. He was waving me over.

  When I arrived, we climbed the wall quickly. Several spent shells lay on the wall’s flat top and in the soft grass on the other side.

  “There was no one here when I arrived, Derrick. He must have seen me meet up with you and figured he was outnumbered.”

  “Either that, or he was just trying to scare us. I’m going to call Michael and have him send a car out here. I’ll let Gordon know we didn’t find anything. I’ll be right back.”

  When I entered the study, Gordon got up and came to greet me. He quickly closed the door behind me and began kissing me and tugging at my buttons.

  “Gordon, I can’t do this right now. Daniel is waiting outside. I need to use your phone to call Lieutenant Grogan.”

  When Michael answered the phone I filled him in on the morning’s events. He replied he would be right over.

  Daniel and I waited outside till he arrived. Gordon remained in his study, dealing with studio matters.

  “Good morning, gentlemen.”

  “Good morning, Michael,” Daniel and I said in unison.

  The three of us walked to where the shooter had been stationed on the wall.

  “I honestly think, Michael, that the shooter was just trying to scare all of us. Or at least Gordon and Donald. He could easily have killed or wounded them this morning. As for me, I think he was definitely after my ass.”

  I showed Michael the hole in my sleeve.

  “You’re very lucky, Derrick. Okay, I’ll have a look around and let you know if I find anything.”

  “Thanks again for your help, Michael. I need to run by the office and pick up all the handwriting samples and drop them off with Edward. Is he in the office today?”

  “He is, and he’s expecting you.”

  While Daniel waited by the car, I went inside to say good-bye to Gordon. I filled him in on what we had found, and what Michael was doing.

  “I’ll see you tonight at the party, Gordon.”

  “Okay, Derrick.”

  It was late afternoon by the time Daniel and I got home. We decided to go for a horseback ride to unwind. After that, and several sets of tennis and a quick swim, we showered and got ready for dinner. It was an Italian feast created by Mother’s amazing chef. We filled our plates with spaghetti, meatballs, and spicy sausages, then covered it all with sauce. Once we were all seated, our father announced he had something to share with the family.

  “Boys, your mother and I have been talking at great length these past few weeks about our extended family situation. With Nathan back home, and with Daniel firmly ensconced in our lives and, most importantly, Derrick’s life, it seems that your old rooms are simply too small to meet your growing needs. And while your mother and I love having you underfoot, we’re not sure the feeling is always mutual.”

  Before we could raise any protests to the contrary, he raised his hand to silence us.

  “Please, let me finish before I hear your recriminations. We’d like to know if the three of you would be interested in building your own homes on the estate. Of course, Daniel and Derrick could share one house if they wished. There’s plenty of room to the north of the stables and the riding trails. It wouldn’t be too involved to extend driveways to both locations. Now, we know you’re grown men, with lives of your own, so we’re not going to be hurt if you turn us down because you’d rather live someplace else. But we do ask that you give our idea careful consideration, and not give us an answer right this minute. If you choose to take us up on our offer, the next step is to choose your site. We, of course, will have final approval. I have an architect friend who would be more than happy to work with us.”

  “I have just one thing to add, Dad. I haven’t yet shared this with Daniel, or anyone for that matter, but I’d been thinking the same thing. I wasn’t sure I was going back to my house. Now the fire has taken care of that decision for me. I, for one, would be happy to consider building a house on the estate.”

  “Thanks, Derrick. Once you’ve made a firm decision, please let us know.”

  “Will do, Dad.”

  After dinner, my father requested the three of us join him in the library. He’d made a decision regarding Warren and was ready to share it with us. I elected to pour and distribute the after-dinner brandies. When everyone was seated, my father began.

  “As you are all well aware, over the past several weeks, Steele Investigations has been heading in an exciting new direction. We moved to a new office, greatly expanded our clientele, and heavily promoted our services. So well, in fact, it quickly became evident we needed to hire one, if not two, additional detectives. Nathan and I discussed his becoming a part-time detective. However, even a part-timer would not be enough. Also, I feel that Nathan’s talents lie in running the business itself. Now, Derrick, Nathan filled me in on Warren’s actions of the past few days. I admit, they do seem very suspicious. But I think it’s in our best interests to welcome Warren to the agency.”

  Chapter Eight

  As we raised our voices in protest, my father held his hand up for silence.

  “This way, we can see for ourselves what type of man he is, and whether or not he will be an asset to the agency. I propose we hire him on a one-month trial basis. At the end of that month, we’ll meet again to determine whether or not he stays. If he works out, then we’ll hire him permanently and his brothers on the same trial basis.

  “I’ve discussed this extensively with Bo Walton, and he has assured me that neither Warren, nor his two brothers, for that matter, can force us to give them a position within the agency. Or in any of my business holdings. As for after I am gone, I have yet to make any new provisions in my will. Warren and his brothers are still a big question mark as far as I’m concerned. Bo has researched them and found no arrest history or
outstanding warrants. I’ve also been making phone calls to my contacts in New York City. As far as I can determine, they ran a fairly successful agency there, with many high-profile clients. They appear to have a solid case history. Nathan or Daniel, while you were in New York, what if anything did you hear about the Montgomery Agency?”

  Nathan was the first to speak. “I remember the name, Dad, but I can’t say that I recall any particulars about them. Daniel?”

  Daniel seemed taken by surprise by the question, and cleared his throat before speaking. “I lived in New York City a few more years than you did, Nathan. While working at my first detective agency, I did run across Benjamin and Calvin several times. On one occasion, Warren was with them, but he didn’t make a lasting impression on me. What little I do recall was positive. Sorry I didn’t mention this sooner. I never made the connection regarding the names till just now.”

  I looked over at Daniel, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. I was certain from his glib tone there was more to this than he was telling.

  “Thanks, Daniel. No apology necessary. I managed to secure a client list. I’d like you to fly to New York tomorrow and spend the next few days speaking to these clients. While everything may look aboveboard on paper, we may glean some insight into how the Montgomery brothers dealt with all these high-profile clients.”

  “Okay, Trenton.”

  “I’d just like to reiterate, Dad, Warren made it clear if he wasn’t hired at Steele Investigations, he’d start his own agency here in Los Angeles. With his two younger brothers.”

  “We’ve faced competition before, Derrick, and we’ve bested them. While we aren’t the only investigative agency in the city, we’re still one of the best. Teddy Stillson had his agency. Look what happened to him.”

  “Agreed, Dad. But Teddy wasn’t put out of commission because of our superior detective skills. He’s in prison for kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder. We’ve taken some bold moves to expand our business. Moves that are paying off, but not yet to their full extent. We’re more vulnerable now than we were a few weeks ago. We’ve stepped up our game, so to speak, and people have noticed. Our caseload has increased, and I’d hate to see any of that work go to Warren. Plus, I have no illusions as to the fact that Warren will fight dirty to get what he wants.”