“Wow. I can’t believe they ever let anybody up without clearing them with the tenant.”
“Like I said. Lax. They don’t like that we’re here.”
“Sorry to make you do your job, guys,” I muttered. It seemed outrageous to me, working class boy that I was, for people to pay top dollar for an apartment in a posh building but get almost no real security.
I watched a handful of techs wire the motion sensors they’d attached to the windows leading to the fire escape, the balconies. There were two of those, both with a great view of the surrounding area. I stood out there, fifteen stories up, watching the frantic bustle on the street below.
“Have you talked to her personal bodyguard yet?”
“Yeah, and he’s coming with her when she gets here in a little while. The docs are releasing her later today.”
“So soon?” I couldn’t help but feel surprise. “I assumed they’d keep her for a while.”
“Yeah, well, she’s signing all sorts of waivers and releases promising she won’t hold the hospital liable if something shows up later on.” Pax shook his head. “I have to admit, I don’t envy you this case.”
“Oh, thanks a lot,” I smirked.
He took a deep breath, looking out over the city as I was. It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny, balmy for November. Global warming, or so they said. “What did you think of her? In the hospital, I mean.”
“A brat,” I immediately shot back. “Spoiled, full of herself, thinks she knows better than we do how to do our job.”
“Wow, don’t hold back or anything.” He grinned, leaning on the railing.
“Well? Didn’t you get the same feeling?”
“Sure. She’s typical Hollywood—not like I would know,” he added. “So maybe I should say, typical of what a Hollywood star is supposed to be.”
“She’d better not think I’ll jump through her hoops,” I grumbled.
“I’m sure you’ll shoot down any such ideas,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “And I wish I could be here to see it when you do, to be honest.” We walked back into the apartment through the French doors leading back into the living room.
“So? Any thoughts so far on who might’ve done this?”
“It’s a pretty long list,” Pax admitted. “I mean, it was a full film set. All sorts of crew members, assistants, that kind of thing. Ricardo has a bunch of his guys there now, asking questions. From what I’ve heard so far, nobody’s very happy to see them there.”
“I can’t imagine why,” I smirked.
“He’ll check in later today, probably around the time Charlotte gets back. He’ll have more questions, I’m sure.”
“And I’m sure she’ll love that.”
“If she wants to make it through this, she’d better learn to play along. And she will. We’ve both seen it before. It might take a little time for her to get over her life being turned upside down, but once she loosens up and accepts that she needs our help, she’ll relax. And maybe even cooperate.”
“Don’t get my hopes up,” I grinned.
***
When Charlotte arrived with her entourage, and there was no other word for it, I was waiting on the couch. Pax was there, too, after having checked back at the office for a little while, and Ricardo had just gotten there not five minutes earlier.
“Wow,” she breathed, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t know I was coming home to a full house.”
“There are still many things we have to get straightened out with you, Miss Banks.” Ricardo looked like he needed a week’s sleep, the poor guy. I knew he’d been hard at work since the attack, which meant he’d been awake for two days already. I knew enough from my time with the Rangers that a person could go for days without sleep, but they wouldn’t be happy days. I hoped he’d get home and get a little rest soon, or he’d be useless to us.
“Such as?” She sank into an oversized easy chair, sliding the big, dark glasses from her face and tossing them aside. There was a silk scarf around her neck, hiding the bruises from prying eyes.
“How was the trip back from the hospital? Much attention?”
She nodded. “The usual. It was mayhem, getting out of the hospital. I guess word must’ve gotten out that I was about to be released.” She shot a look at her assistant. A mousy-looking girl. She looked like she was about to burst into tears, the poor kid.
“I talked to Patrick,” she murmured. “He was supposed to put a lid on the story, but I guess he didn’t. it broke so fast…”
“Whatever.” I was pretty sure if she didn’t stop rolling her eyes, they’d fall out of her head.
I turned my attention to the two men who’d come in with them. One was tall, broad, and looked like he’d just swallowed something rotten. I guessed he was the bodyguard. I wondered what his story was. Standing next to Charlotte was a man who hadn’t yet taken off his sunglasses. He had a perfect tan, light brown hair and a cleft in his chin that I thought might not be totally natural. Something about his face looked stiff, fake. Like he’d had work done. He had to be from her world, I guessed. Maybe a failed actor.
Charlotte noticed where my attention had fallen and patted the hand the man had rested on the chair, just next to her head. “This is my manager. Brian Fields.” He stayed where he was, like a statue. His face didn’t move. I wondered if it even could.
“Mr. Fields, we’ll have some questions for you once we’re finished talking with Miss Banks. How was your flight?”
“Long,” he said, his voice flat. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a flight that felt longer.” His hand fell to Charlotte’s shoulder and squeezed. Wow, he was really playing it up. If he fell to his knees and let her use him as a footstool, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
“You couldn’t have known,” she murmured, patting his hand again. She loved the adoration, I could tell. And she loved being the center of attention. Well, that made sense. A person didn’t get into her line of work without liking a certain level of attention.
“Let’s get down to it, Miss Banks. I’m sure you’re tired and would like to rest.” Ricardo was doing his best to keep things on track. I’d worked with him long enough to read him pretty well. He was the one who wanted to rest. But he was an expert at keeping a victim on-topic while going through questioning.
“I would. What would you like to know?” she asked, all business.
“We’ve questioned most of the cast and crew of your film—at least, those who were present at the time of the attack.”
She raised one perfectly-arched eyebrow. “Wow. That’s a lot of questioning for such a short time. And I thought it was amazing that Santa Claus makes it around the entire world in one night.”
He chuckled. “I don’t work alone. As I was saying, we’ve questioned everyone who was present yesterday. A handful of them reported a fight you’d gotten into with your co-star. Their stories matched up pretty well. Can you tell us about the fight?”
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, then looked around the room. “Does everybody have to be here while I talk about this?” she muttered, and there was no missing the way her eyes lingered on me a little longer than they did on the others.
“It might be best for everyone most closely involved with your case to know the specifics of what went on just before the attack,” Ricardo murmured. When he sounded the way he did just then, there was no arguing with him.
She sighed, and I couldn’t help thinking of a little girl who just got caught doing something bad. Her eyes shifted around the room again before she started talking.
“We dated for a little while when we were working on our last movie together.” She looked down at her hands, fiddling with the scarf she’d finally taken off.
“And this is Josh Carver we’re talking about?” Ricardo asked.
“Yeah, Josh.”
“How long ago was this relationship?”
“Two years,” Brian said, cutting Charlotte off.
Ricardo looked at him. “Funny.
Miss Banks is very good at throwing her voice, but I didn’t know she could make herself sound like a man while she was at it.”
Charlotte snorted. “He’s right, though,” she said, grinning a little. “It’s been two years since we broke things off, around the time the movie wrapped.”
“And why did you end it then?”
Her expression shifted. She looked surprised. “Why do you think? We weren’t filming anymore. There was no future there.”
“Do you often fall into relationships with your costars?”
“Now, listen.” Brian’s face actually bore an expression, finally, and he wasn’t happy. “That’s none of your business.”
“I was asking Miss Banks.” Ricardo’s eyes never left Charlotte’s face. “Do you, Miss Banks?”
“Brian was right. That’s none of your business. But if you must know, no, I don’t. At the time, Josh was separated from his wife. I had just gotten out of a long-term relationship, too. We were both on the rebound, I guess.”
“But Mr. Carver got back with his wife,” Ricardo continued. “Isn’t that true?”
“Yes, it is.” Her face was stony.
“Is that why your relationship ended? Or was there some sort of fight that broke you up?”
“It wasn’t amicable, if that’s why you’re asking.”
“That’s why I was asking. And is that why you got into a fight yesterday?”
“Something like that. We’re not exactly friends. His wife… Well, she never believed we were only together when the two of them were separated. In fact, she thought I was the reason they’d taken a break.”
“But you weren’t.”
“No, I wasn’t. We didn’t start filming that project until after their separation. But she wouldn’t believe that. And she’s not a fan of our working together now, either.”
“You’re not friendly with her, either.”
“She hates me. I don’t feel any better about her.” Charlotte shrugged. “It happens.”
“Did this woman—Andrea Christian—harass you at all before yesterday?”
Charlotte looked down at her hands again. “Yes. She showed up at a restaurant where I was having dinner on Saturday night. I’m sure you could ask around and hear about the scene she made.”
“I already have. She was pretty upset.”
“She was drunk,” Charlotte spat abruptly. “And pissed off. She wouldn’t let Josh come out here alone to make the movie, since she doesn’t trust him with me. Or so she says. I warned Josh yesterday to keep her the hell away.”
“And he pushed back?”
“Putting it mildly. She’s making him miserable, too. And he wants to blame it on me. Like it’s my fault he’s always sleeping around on her.” She looked up at Ricardo. “Do you think it was her? Or even him?”
“We’re not sure of anything right now. Andrea’s alibi hasn’t yet checked out, but my team is working on it.”
I watched Charlotte’s hand encircle her throat. I didn’t think she even knew she was doing it. “I wouldn’t put it past her, the psycho bitch.”
“Like I said, Miss Banks, we’re not sure yet.” Ricardo stood, buttoning his jacket as he did. “Well, that’s it for now. I’ll let you get some rest.”
She looked at me. “Will it be possible to rest?”
Pax cleared his throat. “I’d like to go over the arrangements we’ve made here for you before I leave.”
“Big surprise,” she sighed.
“You’re paying for the work we’re doing,” I reminded her.
She snickered. “Yes, and I’m paying enough, aren’t I?”
“Well? Why wouldn’t you want us to do our absolute best to keep you safe? I mean, you obviously have enemies.” And what did she expect? Sleeping around the way she did, hooking up with her costars. She could lie all she wanted to about her history, but everybody knew about the proverbial casting couch and the way actors and actresses bed hopped.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call them enemies,” she spat.
“What would you call it? Getting into fights in restaurants, on the set?”
“Would you mind keeping your opinions to yourself?” Brian asked.
Pax put a warning hand on my arm. It was time for me to shut up. I didn’t usually open my mouth like that, not to a client, but I didn’t appreciate her shitty attitude one bit. She acted like we were the enemy instead of the people she herself had hired to protect her.
“Let’s move on,” my boss muttered. He led Charlotte around from room to room, showing her where our techs had placed the cameras and sensors. The assistant hung back, looking at me.
“Is there water in this place?” I asked.
“I can get you a bottle.” She hurried to the kitchen and came back moments later, handing me an ice-cold water.
“Thanks a lot.” I took it out onto the balcony. I needed air more than I thought. What was it about her that triggered me the way it did? Maybe it was seeing so many people like her over the years, the people who never appreciated what they had. People who didn’t respect the sacrifices of others. She was the worst, by far.
“And we’ve installed motion sensors out here, as well.” I heard Pax leading his little group out to where I stood.
“Do you really think somebody would climb all the way up here?” I heard the disbelief in her voice.
“You’re on the top floor,” I said without turning around. “They could come down from the roof if they wanted to.”
“The fact is,” Pax continued, talking over both of us, “we have to cover all our bases. As Spencer just pointed out, if someone were to get past the security guard and take the service elevator around back, they could make their way to the roof and lower themselves down to avoid detection at the front door—there’s a sensor there, as well, along with a camera.”
“I see,” Charlotte murmured. I loved the sound of Pax putting her in her place.
My hand tightened around the water bottle. I had to get over the way I felt about her, and fast. Or else it was going to be a hell of a long case.
Chapter Four – Charlotte
I couldn’t wait until everybody would leave me alone. Then again, not everybody would, would they? The person I was sure hated my guts would be staying with me, wouldn’t he?
What did I ever do to him? I watched him from the corner of my eye, where he stood on the balcony. There was tension in every muscle of his not inconsiderable body. He had a real hair up his ass about me. Well, he wouldn’t be the first person. I could just add him to the ever-growing list of people who didn’t like me very much. The price of fame and all that. I was used to it by then.
The cops left, at least, and thank God for that. I hated the way they looked at me. They were judging me, too. I wanted to tell them to leave me alone and go do their jobs. Find out who attacked me so I could go back to living some semblance of a normal life. And hurry the hell up about it, since I was fairly sure the producers of my film wouldn’t take much more distraction or many more setbacks. I couldn’t afford to lose my role.
Brian obviously felt the same way. The minute he’d arrived at the hospital, he’d started babbling about his meeting with the big shots. “They’re not happy,” he’d said, shaking his head. “They kept reminding me that shooting had only just started, and you just barely edged out two other actresses for your role.”
“Who?” I’d asked, sitting up straighter in bed.
“They wouldn’t say. I think it was just a bunch of threats. Regardless, you know how they feel about you actresses. A dime a dozen.” Only Brian could deliver a line like that while running a tender hand over my head. I’d brushed him off, annoyed and still in pain. The last thing I wanted was for anybody to touch me.
“I don’t appreciate being gaslighted,” I’d reminded him. “Managers are a dime a dozen, too.”
I knew it wouldn’t matter if I reminded the police that my job was on the line. They didn’t care. They thought people like me had unlimited money an
d unlimited freedom. I didn’t have a “real” job, as far as they were concerned, so I shouldn’t be worried about losing it. There were always more movies. Well, I wouldn’t argue with them on that one, since my industry seemed more committed than ever to churning out bullshit remakes and reimaginings and whatever other words they used to spin their lack of imagination.
But I did need that job. I needed it badly. And it was none of their business why I did.
“Miss Banks?” Paxton was waiting for me to follow him to the next room.
“Please, call me Charlotte. All this formality makes my skin crawl.” I didn’t mean to snap at him or sound bitchy, but my head was killing me. The doctor had made a point of telling me over and over that it would stop hurting soon, and that time couldn’t come fast enough. All I wanted to do was sleep until everything settled down and life could continue on.
“Charlotte. I just want to show you the cameras in two more rooms before I leave.” I followed him into the library, then into the kitchen.
“And somebody’s watching all the time?” Brian asked.
“Every minute of the day,” Paxton confirmed.
“And you’re all right with this?” Brian asked me, touching my arm. He was so damned touchy all of a sudden. Probably because he knew his meal ticket had come close to getting taken away.
“We’ve already been through it,” I told him. “When you weren’t here.” My voice was heavy with meaning. His hand disappeared from my arm.
“As per your request,” Paxton continued, “there aren’t any cameras in your room.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you working with me on this.” That was a relief, anyway. I could escape to my bedroom for a little privacy. “And nothing in the bathroom, I assume.”
“Correct. We’re not trying to get ourselves thrown in jail.” He smiled a little, and I thought I might have liked him a little bit. He didn’t seem like a bad person. His pal Spencer, on the other hand…
As we walked to the front door and he assured me I had nothing to worry about, I touched his shoulder to stop him. A quick glance over my shoulder told Brian I wanted to speak to Paxton alone. Paxton smirked. “You have him well trained,” he murmured.
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