“Let’s talk about the three possibilities here, about who might be taking your money,” he said calmly. “What do you think? What does your gut say?”
“My gut says that I’m an idiot for not suspecting it before,” she said, looking unhappy. “Apparently, a lot went on around here that I never suspected.”
“People who embezzle money are very clever about it. They know just how far to go, how much they can take, when, and how to get away with it, under the radar. And if it makes you feel any better, in most cases it’s the person you trust most, who has been there the longest time. If it were obvious, they’d get caught the first day. And usually schemes like this go on for a long, long time,” he said to reassure her.
“Maybe it’s my accountant. If it isn’t, he should have figured it out.”
“If he didn’t do it, then whoever did knew how to get by him too. Believe me, this is the kind of thing we see every day. But I’ll talk to your accountant too, and we’ll get you forensic accountants to look at your books and your general ledger. We’ll do an investigation on the accountant and your assistant, and the man you were living with.” Tallie nodded. They were the only three people who could have been ripping her off, and she really didn’t think it was Hunt. She said as much to Jim.
“Meg Simpson said that too. Your assistant actually fits the profile of the most likely suspect,” he said calmly.
“Why?” Tallie was puzzled by what he said.
“Because you trust her implicitly. That gives someone a lot of leeway if they’re dishonest, and she’s already lied to you once that you know of.” They both knew about what, and didn’t need to go into detail, much to Tallie’s relief.
“I’m going to fire her tomorrow,” Tallie said sadly. She had thought about it all night, and decided when she got up that morning. She couldn’t keep her after what she’d done.
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Jim said quietly, and Tallie was surprised. She thought the FBI would expect her to move quickly, although Meg had told her to be cautious too.
“Why not?”
“Because if she’s a serious suspect, I’d rather she not realize that we’re suspicious of her, and see what she does. Have you confronted her about the money yet?”
“No. I asked her, and she told me it was Hunt, and I believed her.”
“Have you spoken to her since you got the report from Meg?”
“No, she doesn’t know about that. And I just got it Friday.”
“If you think you can pull it off, I’d rather you not tell her anything you heard from Meg. Your assistant told you about your boyfriend’s other woman. You could tell her that you broke up over that, without telling her you know the rest. And you can tell her you’re suspicious of him and your accountant about the money. If you can deal with it, I’d like to give her some room, and see what she does, although she can’t blame the ex-boyfriend for money that disappears now, so she might be more careful for a while. But it gives us a big advantage if she doesn’t know we suspect her. She’ll relax. If we find strong evidence that it’s her, you can fire her then. Right now we’re not sure, and what we need is time.”
“How much time?” Tallie didn’t look enthused about his plan. It also meant that she couldn’t confront her over Hunt. As far as Brigitte knew right now, Tallie was upset that she hadn’t exposed Hunt’s crimes earlier, but Tallie had never suspected her of taking the money, she had only asked, not accused her of it, and Brigitte had no idea at all that Tallie knew about her and Hunt, and their affair of three years. All of that was new.
“It could take us a month or two to get what we need, or longer. I actually think we might know in a month. We can reassess the situation then. But until then I’d like you to give her the impression that you’ve forgiven her, and let’s give her enough rope to hang herself, while we conduct the investigation. We can keep an eye on her, and your money going in and out, and we can interview your accountant and Mr. Lloyd to see if they are viable suspects or not. I’d like to save the most likely one for last, if you agree.” Tallie nodded her head slowly. What he was asking of her sounded difficult and uncomfortable, and it would be unpleasant to keep an enemy close to her for that much longer. But it made perfect sense too. “Do you think you can pull it off?” he asked with a look of concern, and she smiled ruefully.
“Yes. I was an actress before I was a director. I can do it. It just sounds unpleasant to have to act like everything is fine.”
“It might give us the best results in the long run. And I don’t want you to tell her you’ve contacted the FBI about the money nor went to a PI.” He warned her then that they might have to turn it over to the police in the end, if there was no wire fraud or bank fraud committed and no federal offenses, but they could assess that later on. He sounded infinitely professional and interested in her case. She was glad that he’d come to talk to her, and so was he. Tallie felt somewhat reassured that she was in good hands, and he thought the case was worth pursuing. She had been betrayed by two people she loved and trusted, and he wanted to figure out who was stealing money from her.
“Thank you, Special Agent Kingston,” she said with a look of relief. She felt safe with him handling the case. He had a very sympathetic, comforting style about him, which put her at ease.
“Jim. Please. If you’re patient with us, we’ll solve the problem. Sometimes these things move slower than the victim likes.” She winced at the word.
“I hate to think of myself as a ‘victim.’ It sounds so awful.”
“It is awful. But you’ve been the victim of a crime, and sadly often people in your position are a very appealing target.”
“Yeah, I’ve always relied on her so much. And after all this time, I don’t question what she does. I trust her totally.”
“And she, or someone else, has taken full advantage of that. If this goes to trial and she’s convicted, her sentence will be increased because of the abuse of trust. Judges take a dim view of that in situations like this. Abuse of trust is a serious offense.” She thought wistfully that that applied to Hunt too, and he hadn’t committed a crime. Just breach of promise, and trust, and all her faith in him. “I’ll get the investigation started tomorrow.” She gave him Hunt’s and Victor’s contact information, and he was planning to ask for interviews with both of them. He was going to leave Brigitte alone for a while, to see what she did, and if Tallie lost money at the same rate. She’d have to be more careful now that Hunt was gone, and she could no longer blame him. She’d have to be even more cunning, if it was her. If it was Hunt, it would stop entirely now that he was gone. And if it was Victor, it might continue at the same rate, though in different ways.
Jim Kingston stayed for an hour and a half, and then he stood up, and she thanked him again for coming.
“I’m sorry to eat into your Sunday,” she said apologetically, and he smiled.
“It’s fine. I had nothing else to do. I spend Sundays with my fifteen-year-old son, and he had better things to do today than hang out with his dad. That seems to be happening a lot these days.” He smiled ruefully as he said it.
“My daughter’s eighteen, in college in New York, and it’s pretty much that way with her now too. When she’s home, she’d rather be out with her friends.” Tallie smiled as they chatted about their kids. It established a friendly link between them, which was his style.
“I have a son at Michigan State too,” he added. “Once they’re gone, they don’t belong to us anymore. I’m hanging on to my fifteen-year-old for dear life,” he confessed, and they both laughed. She wondered if he was divorced. He somehow made it sound like he didn’t have a wife, just his kids, or maybe she was wrong. He seemed like a pleasant man to her. He was wholesome, intelligent, and clean-cut. She felt like her case was in good hands. He seemed mildly impressed with her Hollywood status, but not overly so. He referred to it but didn’t have stars in his eyes. And he apologized again for not knowing who she was when she called.
“I don’
t mind at all,” she assured him. “It’s a lot better that way.” She looked as though she meant it, which he found refreshing. There was nothing pretentious or Hollywood about her despite how famous she was.
“I’ll give you a call this week if I have any other questions or if something comes up that you should know,” he said as they walked to the door. And after they shook hands and he left, she watched him as he drove away. She was glad she’d called, although she wasn’t thrilled about not being able to fire Brigitte yet. It was going to be uncomfortable playing a game for the next month or two. That sounded like a very long time. He had also explained to her that it would take them a while to get bank records that would allow them to assess the suspect’s financial activity. He promised that they would move as fast as they could, but banks moved slowly, and everything took time.
Her father called an hour later when she was in the midst of packing Hunt’s things again.
“How did it go with the FBI?” Sam asked, anxious to hear what they’d said.
“They said they’re going to check it out, and I can’t fire Brigitte yet. They want me to buy time, and not let on that we suspect. They want to see what she does.”
“Clever tactic, though hard on you, given what she did with Hunt.”
“She doesn’t know that I know that, Dad. I can just tell her that Hunt confessed about his current girlfriend. She doesn’t need to know that he admitted about her too. And she sounds a little nuts from what Hunt told me. Anyway, we’ll see how crazy she really is. I can pretend to have forgiven her for not telling me sooner what Hunt was up to, and then we can go about our business, while the FBI keeps an eye on her.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. But tough on you.”
“I guess I’ll have to live with it. He says it’s the best way. So I can’t even fire the bitch tomorrow,” Tallie said, sounding angry, and Sam nodded, thinking unhappily about what an evil person Brigitte had turned out to be. He was furious on his daughter’s behalf, but there was nothing he could do. All they could do now was wait and trust the FBI. It was all hard to believe.
Chapter 10
IN ORDER TO satisfy Jim Kingston’s request to appear normal, Tallie let Brigitte drive her to Palm Springs on Monday morning. And after their usual stop at Starbucks, Tallie fell silent for a while. She wasn’t sure what to say, and then she knew what she had to do, to throw Brigitte off the scent.
“How was your weekend?” Brigitte asked casually as they drove along.
“Not so great,” Tallie said, staring out the window sadly. “Hunt and I broke up. He moved out on Friday night.”
“Oh my God, how did that happen? Did you confront him about what I told you?” Tallie nodded without looking at her. She was as genuinely sad as she appeared, but not only for the reasons Brigitte had told her.
“Yes, I did,” Tallie said, turning her gaze toward her, and Brigitte could see how devastated she was. “He said it was true, about the girl in his office. I asked him if he would give her up, and he said he wouldn’t. And then he admitted she’s pregnant.” Brigitte caught her breath sharply at that, and she didn’t look happy about it either.
“Is he going to marry her?” she asked, looking astounded. It was pretty shocking news and had been for Tallie too.
“I think so. In any case, he says he’s in love with her and he wouldn’t leave her, so I told him to move out.” There was a long moment of silence in the car as Brigitte absorbed it. Tallie knew her well enough to see that she was distressed at the news of his marriage and a baby.
“Did you ask him about the money?” Tallie nodded in answer. “What did he say?”
“He lied, of course. He denied it. But that problem is solved. He won’t be asking you for money now.” They rode along in silence for a while, and then Brigitte looked over at her sympathetically.
“I’m sorry, Tallie.” She could see that Tallie had believed her that it had been Hunt taking the money, and was heartbroken over the girl. “Why didn’t you call me?” Brigitte said, trying to get close to her again, as they had been before.
“I was too upset. I stayed in bed all weekend and cried. I don’t know, maybe I told him to move out too fast, but if he wasn’t going to give her up, what was the point of being the pathetic one in a triangle? And if she’s pregnant, I didn’t have a chance.”
“I thought he didn’t want kids.” Brigitte frowned.
“So did I. But apparently he wants this one, and he’s crazy about her little boy.” And it didn’t help that she was thirteen years younger than Tallie. That point hadn’t been lost on her either.
And then Brigitte asked in a soft voice, “Are you mad at me for telling you about the girl in his office and the money?”
Tallie shook her head. “No. Someone had to tell me, and I’d rather it was you.” She almost retched as she said it. What Brigitte hadn’t told her was that she had slept with him herself for three years. Tallie had learned a lot about both of them in the past few days. Both of them had betrayed her and lied to her, he had cheated on her during their entire relationship, and one of them was stealing her money. They were a disgusting pair, both of them. And she knew she would never feel the same way about Brigitte again. It had killed any feelings she had for Brigitte when she had lied about the hotel bills and Meg Simpson had told her that she and Hunt had had an affair for three years. Three years! And all the while Brigitte had looked her in the eye every day, and pretended to be her best friend. They had both lied to her. It didn’t get lower than what they did, and she expected better from Brigitte if not from Hunt. It was a double loss for her. “I wish you’d told me sooner, that’s all,” Tallie said softly. She didn’t seem angry at all, just sad, which was an act.
“I was afraid you were still mad at me,” Brigitte said, looking relieved. Tallie had given her the impression that all the blame had been put on Hunt, and it was all over, and she and Tallie could go back to the way things were before. “I agonized over whether or not to tell you.”
“I’m sure you did,” Tallie said with a sigh, and didn’t pursue the conversation any further. All she could hope was that the FBI would move quickly and complete their investigation. She didn’t want to live this charade with Brigitte for many months. The two months Jim Kingston had said it might take sounded like a nightmare to her, and every time she looked at Brigitte now she would remember that she had lied to her, while sleeping with Hunt and meeting him in hotel rooms. She felt sick whenever she thought about it. It was painful, and she wanted Brigitte out of her life now, whether or not she was stealing money. She was a liar and a cheat anyway. It was like discovering that your best friend had been sleeping with your husband. She hadn’t been married to Hunt, but she had lived with him and she loved him.
“Are you going to investigate further about the money?” Brigitte asked Tallie, who shook her head.
“I’ll never get it back anyway. What’s the point?” she said to throw Brigitte off the scent and reassure her. Brigitte nodded and they drove on in silence.
Working on the set that morning kept Tallie busy, and she was grateful for her work now. It forced her to think of something else besides Hunt and his cheating on her, and Brigitte, and their betrayals. It was a hard one to swallow, and when she got back to her trailer at lunchtime, she called her attorney, Greg Thomas.
“How did things work out with Meg Simpson?” he asked her.
“That depends how you look at it. She found out what I wanted to know, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. It turns out that Hunt has been cheating on me for the whole four years we’ve been together, for three years of it with my best friend. And I found out some other things that were equally unpleasant.” She sounded tense and unhappy.
“I’m sorry, Tallie. Was he taking the money too?”
“I don’t know. Maybe not. To be honest, I don’t think so. I’m keeping it quiet for now, but Meg called an FBI agent she used to work with, and I met with him over the weekend. He’s doing an investig
ation. There are some other possibilities as far as the money goes. It’s in the hands of the FBI.”
“I’m relieved to know that. They’ll get to the bottom of it. What can I do to help you?”
“I want you to send official notification to Hunt that I won’t be doing our next picture with him. I’m out. I told him that on Friday night before he moved out, but I’m not sure he believed me. I haven’t signed a contract for it yet, as you know. And I want to make it official. I won’t be part of the project. He needs to know for his investor, before he signs their contract.”
“Are you sure?” Their first film had made a lot of money, and giving up another one was a big sacrifice for her. But there was no question in her mind now. She had made movies before Hunt, and there would be successful films after him. She didn’t need Hunter Lloyd to make a movie, and if she wanted to produce, she could do it on her own. A movie directed by Tallie Jones was a sure box-office hit.
“I’m positive,” she said without hesitating. “I wouldn’t work with him again no matter how much we make on the back end. Besides, he’s a liar, and that’s not the kind of person I want to work with.” Tallie was a principled person, and her ethics were more important to her than money. “Just send him a letter.”
“I’ll take care of it today,” he said quietly. He could tell that she meant it. She hadn’t wavered for an instant.
“Thanks, Greg.”
“I’ll send his attorney an e-mail and give him a heads-up.”
Tallie knew Greg had notified them, when Hunt started frantically calling her at four o’clock. She didn’t take his calls, so he texted her about her withdrawal and begged her to call him. Reluctantly, she finally did at six o’clock when they finished shooting and she left the set. She had decided to drive back to L.A. for the night. She drove alone in one of the SUVs, and told Brigitte she needed some time to herself. She called Hunt from the car and put it on speaker, since there was no one in the car with her.
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