Betrayal (2012)

by Danielle Steel

  “That poor old guy is going broke for some bimbo,” Jack Sprague said, after talking to the forensic accountant. “She spent two hundred thousand on plastic surgery last year alone, not to mention four hundred thousand on clothes. She must be something.”

  “Probably not,” Jim said, grinning. “But he thinks she is. That’s the problem. It’s sad when women sucker in guys like that. What do you think of his books?”

  “They look clean to me and the forensic guys,” Jack confirmed.

  “They did to me too. I think we’re wasting our time if we go after him. He’s not cooking his books. He’s too busy trying to keep his head above water to keep his beauty queen happy.”

  “She must be a real bitch,” Jack commented as they got back to their car in the garage underneath Victor’s building.

  “She’s trying to hit him up for five million dollars,” Jim told him.

  “He doesn’t have it,” Jack said emphatically.

  “I know. He told me. Twenty-five thousand a month wouldn’t keep her happy for ten minutes. He knows it too, and it wouldn’t be worth the risk to him. He needs millions.”

  “She spends more than twenty-five thousand on shoes,” Jack said, shaking his head as Jim started the car. They paid for the parking and drove away.

  “Next,” Jim said with a smile. It had been an interesting day, but had gotten them nowhere, and they were going to have to go back to Victor Carson’s office to see his books another day. But he hadn’t really expected Victor Carson to be their embezzler. It would have been too simple and too sweet. And it never worked that way.

  Their next meeting was with Hunter Lloyd the following week. Jim wanted to interview him. Hunt hadn’t been able to see them till then, he was too busy. His secretary said he was meeting with investors. Hunt looked concerned when Jim and Jack walked in. He thought they looked the way FBI men did in movies. They were perfect for the part, and just what he would have expected. He said so to them, and Jim laughed.

  “Maybe we should audition for a movie,” Jim said with a broad smile, but he was taking the measure of the man as he observed Hunt. He already didn’t like him from what he knew about him. “Looking for new investors?” he asked Hunt casually, and he nodded.

  “Yes, we’ve just had a problem with a deal that fell apart for our next picture,” Hunt said, looking distressed.

  “And why is that?” Jim asked innocently. There were days when he loved being FBI and could ask any question he wanted, no matter how uncomfortable it made the subject. He could see Hunt didn’t like the question.

  “Some of the elements fell out of bed on our next movie. We lost our director.”

  “And who was that?”

  “Tallie Jones,” Hunt said through pursed lips and then relaxed. “Maybe you knew that already?” Jim shook his head.

  “You’re making a film with her right now, aren’t you?” Jim asked with interest.

  “Yes, I am. But there have been some changes in our circumstances,” he said, and Jim raised an eyebrow. He was all ears and curious about how Hunt would explain it. “We were living together. I just moved out. You know how women are about those things. They get vengeful.” He tried to brush it off, and Jim nodded as though he understood completely. Jack had said nothing so far. He was watching the exchange and Hunt’s expression. He didn’t know the history as well as Jim did, but he knew enough to let Jim take the lead. Interrogation had always been Jim’s strong suit.

  “How long were you together?” Jim asked him, pretending not to know. He was convincing.

  “Four years.”

  “That’s a long time. Sorry it didn’t work out.”

  “So am I,” Hunt said, looking uncomfortable. “It’s complicated. We’re both busy, travel a lot. Sometimes it’s hard to keep things on track and heading in the right direction.” Jim nodded sympathetically and wanted to add “especially if you cheat and sleep with her best friend,” but didn’t.

  “Understandable,” Jim said vaguely. “During the time you lived with her, did you ever get the feeling that anyone was taking advantage of her and stealing from her?”

  “Not really,” Hunt said with a thoughtful look.

  “Is she careless with money? Lose track of what she spends?”

  “No, she’s not careless. But she’s busy, and she trusts other people to handle those things for her, and maybe she shouldn’t.”

  “Like whom?”

  “Her accountant, her assistant. Tallie gets so busy with her work that she forgets everything else. She likes having other people handle the details in her life, and she assumes they’re honest and will do it correctly.” Jim suspected that was an accurate description.

  “Do you think her accountant is honest?” Jim asked then.

  “Of course. He does my financial work too. I think he’s completely trustworthy. A little too conservative but good.”

  “And her assistant?”

  There was a long pause before Hunt answered. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “She and Tallie work very closely. They seem to have their own systems. I never interfered or asked much about what they did.”

  “After four years?” Jim looked surprised.

  “We weren’t married, and I didn’t think her finances were any of my business. She never asked for my advice.”

  “Did you get the feeling, though, that her assistant was honest? Does she strike you as an honorable person?” It was a trick question, and Hunt couldn’t answer it, because he hadn’t been honest or honorable either, and he wondered if Jim knew it.

  “I think Tallie thought so. They’ve worked together for seventeen years, and Tallie trusted her implicitly for that entire time.”

  “And now?”

  “There was some question about cash when I left. I think her assistant said something about my taking it. I never did. I don’t need Tallie’s money and never used it, for anything. And I do all my business by credit card. I assume that’s why you’re here, about the missing cash.”

  “In part. And whatever else turns up along the way.” Jim smiled expansively at him. “Anything else about the assistant that you noticed or concerned you?” Hunt thought about it for a long minute, and Jim wondered what he was thinking.

  “I think she wants to be Tallie. I always thought that,” Hunt said quietly. “That happens a lot in our business, with celebrities or stars. The people who work for them are starstruck, and then slowly they get sucked into wanting to be them. You hear about it all the time. They get a sense of entitlement by association, and confused about who they are and what their role is. Some of them are far grander than the stars themselves. Like in Tallie’s case, she’s a very modest person and very unpretentious and down to earth. Brigitte is a lot more glamorous than she is. I’ve always thought that she’s confused. She’s a classic Hollywood wannabe. She drives around in a fancy car, wears expensive clothes and a lot of jewelry. Tallie looks like she dresses at Goodwill, and will drive anything on wheels no matter how battered. Brigitte is a lot more conscious of her own image. And that’s expensive to maintain, although I’m sure Tallie pays her well and she gets a lot of perks with her job.”

  “Like what?” Jim looked interested by what he was saying.

  “Free clothes, free jewelry, free trips, a good deal on fancy cars.”

  “And did you see a lot of those free gifts come in while you lived with Ms. Jones?”

  “No, I didn’t,” he admitted, “but I heard a lot about them, and I know it’s common practice.”

  “Did you hear about them from Tallie?”

  “No, from Brigitte. I don’t think Tallie cared or even thought about them. It’s not her thing.”

  “Do you think the gifts went to her assistant’s house?”

  “I have no idea.” He looked uncomfortable to be asked.

  “Did you ever go to her house?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Did you meet her anywhere else outside of work?” Hunt glared at him when Jim as
ked the question, and he didn’t want to lie to the FBI. He didn’t know what they’d heard.

  “It’s not important, but yes, I did meet her outside of work occasionally.”

  “Did Ms. Jones know?”

  “No, not at the time. She does now.”

  “Did you tell her?”

  “No.”

  “Did Brigitte?”

  “I’m not sure. I think a private detective did. Maybe Brigitte told her too by now. I don’t know.” Hunt looked excruciatingly uncomfortable as he answered, and then he gave up more than he had originally intended. “I had an affair with her, which was extremely stupid of me. It went on for almost three years. She blackmailed me into it. And it’s part of why Ms. Jones and I separated recently.”

  “Do you still see Brigitte now?” Jim asked him quietly.

  “Hell, no. She’s a troublemaker of the worst kind. I was seeing someone else, and I believe Brigitte told her, as revenge because I finally ended our affair. So she told Tallie about the other woman. I guess you could say that I was a fool twice. I’m not proud of it, and Ms. Jones is very upset about it. It all came to light very recently. I’m living with the other woman now. We’re having a baby.” He figured they’d find out anyway, so he wanted to put it all on the table.

  “Congratulations,” Jim said about the baby, and Hunt literally squirmed in his seat.

  “Well … yes … thank you. It’s all a little complicated and difficult.”

  “Did you ever take money from Tallie—Ms. Jones while you lived with her?”

  “No. I don’t need to. We kept everything separate, and I paid some of the expenses to make up for living at her house.” Jim nodded. “It all worked very well for a long time.” He sounded almost sad as he said it.

  “Except that you had affairs with two other women and fathered a baby, while living with her. That does sound complicated,” Jim said with a rueful smile, and Hunt looked away. It sounded terrible when someone else said it, even to him. Jim wondered if he was a decent guy who had behaved like an asshole, or if he was just an asshole. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference. It made him think of Victor Carson, who was ruining himself over a young girl and making a fool of himself. Hunt wasn’t much better, although he had more style. But Victor was probably faithful to his gold digger. And Hunt had cheated for four years on a decent woman who loved him. It made you wonder sometimes what people had in their heads, or if it was all in their pants.

  “Anything else you’d like to tell me about Brigitte?”

  “No, except that maybe I think she’s conniving. And she’s no friend to Tallie if she was sleeping with me. She tricked me into it, and I think she planned it, while Tallie was away, right in the beginning when we were dating. She wanted what Tallie had, that wannabe thing again. She threatened to tell Tallie if I didn’t keep seeing her. It was a miserable situation.”

  “Did Brigitte ever ask you for money?” Hunt shook his head. “Or blackmail you for money?”

  “Just with exposure. But she obviously doesn’t have Tallie’s best interests at heart, although she pretends to. She wants to be Tallie, not work for her or be her friend. And Tallie has no concept of how big a star she is. Envy is a terrible thing, and very dangerous. Tallie just goes along, with her immense talent, doing her work and leading her quiet life, oblivious to all of it,” he said wistfully, and Jim thought he was still in love with her and regretted what he had done. But it was too late now. And he was living with another woman and having a baby, so loving Tallie would do him no good.

  “I think we’ve covered it for now, Mr. Lloyd,” Jim said as he stood up. “We’ll let you know if we have any other questions, as things develop.”

  “Do you know who took the money?” Hunt asked with interest.

  “We’re getting there.” Jim smiled at him. “Thank you for your time.” The three men shook hands, and Hunt looked troubled as they left his office. He hoped the prime suspect wasn’t him.

  Jim and Jack didn’t speak as they left Hunt’s office, and not until they were in the car.

  “He seems like a pretty honest guy,” Jack commented. “He acted like a jerk to her, but other than that he seems like a decent guy.” Jim didn’t agree with him, but he didn’t get into it. A man who had cheated on the woman he lived with, for four years, was not a decent guy in his book, nor an honest one. Although Jim believed that he had told the truth to them. And to Jim, honesty was not something you took on and off, like a hat.

  “He’s not our suspect,” Jim said firmly.

  “I agree with you, but what makes you say that?” He always liked comparing notes with Jim. He was a smart guy.

  “He was honest with us. He’s not afraid to look bad. He’s not covering up. I knew the answers to some of those questions, and he told the truth. And he doesn’t need the money.”

  “I agree on all points. And I think he’s still in love with her.”

  “Probably,” Jim said coolly. He didn’t think much of him, but he didn’t believe he’d been stealing money from Tallie. He was certain of that. That left Brigitte, but he wasn’t ready to see her yet. He wanted to line up all his ducks before he did.

  Chapter 12

  ONCE TALLIE FINISHED the location shoot in Palm Springs, making full use of the desert, she was busier than ever when they moved back to L.A. The house was lonely and quiet without Hunt, but she was getting used to it, and to coming home to an empty house. The sense of shock she had had in the beginning was still there, but she was slowly adjusting to life without him. She had no social life at the moment, she was too busy with work to even think about it. And Hunt was still having his lawyers call Greg Thomas and beg her to work on the next film with him. She wouldn’t consider it, hadn’t talked to Hunt in many weeks and didn’t want to. His betrayal weighed on her like a concrete suit. And she still hadn’t told Max about it, and didn’t intend to until they met in person in New York. Conveniently, Max had been invited to Florida by friends over spring break and Tallie had agreed to let her go. Max knew her mother was busy trying to finish the film, and Tallie was relieved not to have to tell her about Hunt moving out. Max always asked about him when she called, and Tallie said he was fine. She wasn’t ready to deal with Max’s reaction yet, so Florida seemed like a good idea, and she was planning to go to New York to see her shortly after.

  They’d been shooting in L.A. for two weeks after they got back from Palm Springs, and she’d heard nothing from Jim Kingston. He had said he would call her when he had something to report, and she had her hands full at work now anyway. She was trying to stay on schedule, before they took a hiatus and gave the cast a week’s break, while they got ready to move the shooting to a new location in L.A., under the freeway. They were still waiting for street permits, which also gave them time to build some additional sets they needed. Tallie was keeping her eye on all of it, along with her leading lady’s belly. She had announced to them halfway through the film that she was pregnant, and now they had to use a body double for her in a lot of the shots. It was one more thing to worry about. But her work was always a welcome distraction from misery of any kind. And Tallie managed to call her father almost every night when she came home from work, except if they shot too late. Sam had mentioned several times how disappointed he was not to have heard from Hunt himself. After a warm relationship between them for four years, it seemed disrespectful of Hunt not to call him. Tallie had a simple explanation for it: Hunt was a coward with her father, just as he had been with her. And her father didn’t disagree. Hunt wasn’t the man he had thought him.

  She had spoken to Victor Carson several times about her monthly disappearing cash, and interestingly, it had stopped when Hunt moved out, which meant either that he’d been taking it, or that the person who was wanted her to think so, and no longer had the cover of Hunt’s presence to blame it on, so they were being cautious. And Tallie was convinced now it was Brigitte. She didn’t trust her anymore, after all these years, and she had adopted a seemingly
easy way with her, but none of it was real. Being around her now was stressful for Tallie and a constant strain. She tried to keep things light, but Brigitte’s betrayal weighed heavily on her too. Nothing was easy right now, and hadn’t been in well over a month, nearly two, since Hunt moved out.

  She had seen a photograph of him with Angela on the front page of the tabloids when she bought groceries one weekend. And Angela’s pregnant belly was in full evidence. Hunt had been laughing and looking happy with his arm around her in the picture. And Tallie was so shaken by it that she left her groceries in the cart at the checkout stand and walked out. She wasn’t eating much now anyway. She was living on salads that she picked up from the deli on her way home.

  There had been another photo of him in the tabloids with Angela at the Academy Awards, and Tallie was relieved she hadn’t gone. She told Max she was too busy when Max questioned her mother about it. She would have hated running into Hunt, and she was amazed that Max hadn’t seen the photo herself, and grateful that she hadn’t. She was either studying for exams, or busy with her friends. She paid no attention to the tabloids, she had better things to do.

  The only good news in Tallie’s life was that she was planning to spend a week with Max in New York while they were on hiatus, after Max came back from Florida with her friends. Tallie could hardly wait to see her, it had been too long, but Max sounded happy at NYU. She had a new boyfriend and was making lots of friends. And Tallie still wanted to tell her about Hunt in person, not over the phone. This was going to be a major change for her as well. And Tallie’s father was urging her to tell her daughter soon, before she found out some other way. He was afraid she would be angry at her mother for keeping it from her. Sam was relieved to know that Tallie was planning to go to New York.