Julian backed up. “Sure, I was angry and we had a huge blow up over it, but I didn’t have murder on my mind. I stayed away from the party because I didn’t want to face Roman’s wrath when he found out. We had made a verbal agreement.”
“Roman’s wrath?”
“He’s a powerful man in Hollywood. I just worried that he wouldn’t back me when it came to approaching a studio with my proposal.”
“Do you think Roman is capable of murdering Laith?”
“I’d like to hope nobody I know would be capable of that.”
I sat there, feeling frustrated with this line of questioning. “I’d really like to speak to Roman, if only I knew where he was right now.”
“It shouldn’t be hard to find them.”
“That’s not proven to be the case. We really would like to know where you’ve been the last few days, too.”
“To eliminate you as a suspect,” Eleanor added.
“I was really in Alabaster, like I told you.”
“Can you give us the address?” I asked. “We’ll need to check it out.”
Julian rattled off the address from a card in his pocket.
“How can you really be sure that Laith was murdered?” Julian asked.
I frowned. “How much did Sheriff Peterson tell you?”
“That the cause of death hadn’t been determined yet.”
“Then why did he tell you not to leave town?”
“I really can’t answer that.”
“What else can you tell me about him?”
“He was dating an actress, Brandy Stokes, until he broke it off with her recently. His parents passed away when he was a teenager and he doesn’t have any siblings. That’s all I have.”
Eleanor and I exchanged an incredulous look with one another.
“What about friends?”
“Sure, he has friends, but I’ve never met any of them.”
“Do you know of anyone who would want to murder Laith?”
“Of course not. He was generally a nice guy.”
“Until it came to blabbing to Roman.”
“I’m not certain he ever went through with that. You’d have to ask Roman.”
“If I ever find him I will.” I handed our business card to Julian. “Thank you for answering our questions.”
Chapter Fourteen
WE WERE ONCE AGAIN at the counter of the sheriff’s department. I vowed that this time I wasn’t leaving until I spoke with Peterson.
Barbara opened the door for us and Peterson joined us in his office.
“I thought I told you to not bring that camera in here,” Peterson said.
“Why don’t you wait outside for us, Benny and Wallace. We won’t be here long.”
Wallace opened his mouth for a moment before he clamped it shut and left with Benny.
“That’s better,” I said. “I’m getting a little sick of them filming our every move.”
“They sure are handy with helping you with your wheelchair, Agnes,” Eleanor exclaimed.
“Now that I won’t complain about. How long did it take before you could use your walking cast, Peterson?”
“About two weeks.”
He smiled when I groaned and I didn’t care for that in the least.
“Have you or your deputies found Sara, Roman, or his wife Coco yet.”
“I was hoping you’re here to tell me you had found them.”
“I wish. I still don’t understand how they’ve managed to stay away so long.”
“Maybe they went back to California,” Eleanor suggested.
“I’d think that Sara would at least have told Millicent that. She has too many other—”
“Other what?” Peterson asked with furrowed brow.
“Nothing. I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“What Agnes was about to say is that Sara would never leave town willingly, leaving us to deal with the angry readers.”
“I’ve made a few calls and apparently she hasn’t returned to California as of yet.”
“Are you sure she didn’t fly out of the local airport?”
“The runway is being updated this week.”
“So nobody is flying in or out,” Eleanor said. “I wonder if Sara knew that before she arrived in town.”
“I really hope you don’t believe Laith’s death was accidental,” I said.
“I’m waiting for the autopsy report for a determination.”
“He had a head wound.”
“There was no trace of blood in that room.”
“Oh, so that’s the reason you don’t have crime scene tape closing off that room?”
Peterson’s brow shot up. “What?”
“Oh, you mean it’s still a crime scene?” Eleanor asked.
“Yes, until I get the report, like I’ve already said.”
“Well, I wonder who took the tape off, because it wasn’t on when we went into the room to question Julian.”
“It might be an honest mistake,” Eleanor said. “Maybe Millicent didn’t know and housekeeping removed it accidentally.”
“Well, I’ll certainly find out. Good day, ladies.”
We rejoined Benny and Wallace, who hurried over to us. “So, what’s the scoop?”
“Nothing much to say really. We’ll be heading to Alabaster to check out Julian’s alibi next.
WALLACE KNOCKED ON the door and we all smiled when a shapely blonde opened the door.
“Hello,” I greeted. “I’m sorry to bother you, but we’re here to speak with you about Julian Seals.”
She closed the door slightly. “I don’t have anything to say.”
“We’re not questioning you, dear lady. All we want to know is if Julian has been here the last few days.”
“Who wants to know?”
“We’re investigators from Tawas,” I said.
She opened the door a crack more. “Only the ladies can come inside.”
“We’ll wait in the car, Agnes,” Benny said.
Eleanor helped me inside where the woman led us further into the house. It was much larger than I thought from the outside. The wood floor creaked as my chair was pushed across it, which told me it was the original floor.
The house was built in the early nineteenth century, if the tall windows in the dining room were any indication.
“Please, have a seat, ladies.”
Eleanor sat opposite the woman, who said, “I have reservations about speaking to you about Julian.”
“Why?”
“Well, I should have told him he couldn’t stay here. I live a quiet life here and I’d rather keep it that way. One of my snoopy neighbors saw Julian in a bathrobe on the porch and that started tongues wagging.”
“Why would he go out on the porch in his bathrobe?” I asked.
“I have no idea, but he didn’t do me any favors.”
“How did you meet Julian?”
“I met him in Los Angeles while I was there visiting my sister. Teach me to say stop by if you ever get to Michigan.”
“Are you saying he just showed up?”
“Yes, and I didn’t know what to do about it so I let him stay for a few days. He slept on the sofa.”
“Did he explain why he needed to stay here?” Eleanor asked.
“He told me he needed somewhere to stay for a few days before his room would be ready in Tawas.”
“I imagine he could have found a room in Tawas easily enough,” I said.
“I thought that, too. I had a feeling there was more to it, but he wasn’t willing to discuss it. I didn’t feel it was wise to push it.”
“Could you describe his demeanor?”
“He was sweet at first, but there was some underlying aggression. I could just feel it.”
“He didn’t mistreat you, I hope!” Eleanor said, half rising from her chair.
“Oh I didn’t mean it like that. It’s more of a look in his eye.”
“You know how some men can be, they think us women should cater to t
hem. I can’t believe he’d dare show up here so unexpectedly.”
“I hope he doesn’t come back.”
“If he does, you might want to call the cops,” Eleanor said. “But we saw him in Tawas and thanks to Sheriff Peterson, he’ll be expected to stay in Tawas.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“When exactly did he leave here?”
“Early this morning.”
I frowned. “I’m glad he’s gone, and I’m so sorry to hear that he pushed himself to stay here like that.”
“I should never have let him in the door.”
“Oh, you let him in?” I said.
“I didn’t think it was a problem since I did have a few dinners with him in Los Angeles.”
“You poor dear,” Eleanor said. “He should never have acted that way with you. I wouldn’t blame you for feeling intimidated.”
“I’ve never felt that way before. I’ve always been so careful when it comes to men, but apparently not enough.”
Eleanor stood behind my chair now. “Please be careful in the future. I’m Eleanor and this is my friend Agnes here. We were checking into Julian’s alibi, and it sounds like you’ve supported it. Unless you tell us he spent time away from the house, which would have made it possible for him to have driven to Tawas.”
“He never left the house other than to check the mail.”
“Guests don’t normally do that,” I said in shock. “What an arrogant man.”
“What did he do?”
“It doesn’t matter. Apparently he wasn’t able to do it if he was here.” I smiled. “Thank you for your time, dear.”
“So much for that,” I said when we were back in the car. “Julian stayed here for a few days, but left early this morning for Tawas. I have a feeling this woman doesn’t even know who he really is.”
“She’s too kind for a man like him,” Eleanor vented. “I suppose we’re planning to go back to the mansion now to ask Millicent if she removed the crime scene tape.”
“I knew we missed something,” Wallace said. “I can see it’s important to know every detail.”
“You could say that. I think it’s time we touch base with Brandy again.”
BRANDY SMILED AS SHE opened her hotel room door. “It’s nice to see you again. Please come in.”
I wheeled myself inside and there were two empty wine glasses on the counter. “I hope we’re not interrupting you,” I said, indicating the wine glasses.
“Oh, no. That was from last night. I had the shock of my life ... Nash Rivers came to my room.”
My mouth dropped open. “What about Liv—I mean, really?”
“Yes, apparently he was out and about and decided to pop in.”
Eleanor’s brow shot up. “Oh?”
“How did he know where to find you?”
“Apparently Millicent told him where I was staying.”
“He went to that much trouble?”
“I suppose. Anyway, he brought wine glasses and a bottle of wine.” Brandy fanned her face as she blushed, just thinking about it. “Don’t worry, I know all about his reputation, but it certainly was nice to have some eye candy to look at with my wine.”
“When did he leave?”
“About midnight,” Brandy said, then added, “we’re still shocked that Sara hasn’t been located yet. It’s so unlike her, too.”
“If she doesn’t show up somewhere tomorrow, I’m going to make the sheriff file a missing person’s report. From the dealings I’ve had with her, I know she’s not flighty,” I said.
“She’d never just leave town when she had planned to be here for a week,” Eleanor added. “So, did Nash bring Liv with him?”
“Why would he?”
“I don’t know. You were saying something about his reputation.”
“Oh, yes, I was. Anyway, Nash has had affairs with many of the actresses he’s worked with on movies. Can’t say I’d blame them, but personally, I’d rather not be on that notch belt.”
“I can’t blame you,” I agreed. “Is it true you and Laith Ahmed were dating?”
“We were until he broke up with me. Not that it really bothered me. I mean, relationships between people in the business rarely work out.”
“Oh, I bet she doesn’t know,” Eleanor sniffled. “I’m so very sorry, Brandy.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Laith was found dead in Julian’s room at the mansion.”
Eleanor caught Brandy before she fell and lowered her to the bed, where she wept. “I-I can’t believe this. What happened?”
“He had a wound on the back of his head, but the sheriff hasn’t gotten his autopsy report yet.”
“I just don’t understand why he’d be in Julian’s room,” Brandy cried.
“I don’t either.”
Brandy doubled up her fists. “I swear when I get my hands on Julian, I’ll—”
“Surely not murder him,” Wallace said.
“Julian has an alibi. He only arrived at the Butler Mansion this morning,” I explained.
“Oh, then how was Laith in Julian’s room if Julian wasn’t even in town yet?”
“That’s a very good question.”
“Julian might have checked in and then left, since Laith had planned to tell Roman all about how Julian planned to have a different director handle his proposal,” Eleanor suggested.
Brandy shook her head. “What?”
“You know Julian’s proposal about a book being turned into a movie. He planned to get Roman on board, but then changed his mind.”
“Look, Julian is a publisher. He doesn’t know anything about writing up a proposal for a movie, not even a movie based on a book. I can’t imagine any sensible agent would have Julian handle something like that. He lacks experience. He’s not an attorney nor has he worked on any movie set.”
“So, you think he’s lying?” Eleanor asked.
“I’m not saying that. Sure, he might have thought he could do something like that. But traditional authors have agents. Julian couldn’t just contact an author without going through their agent.”
“How would Laith fit into this?”
“Laith is a producer.” Tears cascaded down Brandy’s cheeks. “S-Sorry, I just can’t talk about him in the past tense.” She wiped her tears away with the tissue Eleanor offered. “Laith was most likely trying to help Julian with a proposal, but it couldn’t be based on a book.”
“Wait a minute,” Eleanor began. “What if the proposal he made was about Sara’s book?”
“But Roman would know it was Sara’s book,” I reasoned.
“Unless Julian didn’t tell Roman it was Sara’s book.”
“Probably why he wanted to pull the offer.”
“I’m positive that Laith would have told it to Julian straight,” Brandy said.
“But Julian couldn’t handle it.”
Eleanor nodded empathically. “It all makes sense, but Julian couldn’t have murdered Laith. He wasn’t there.”
“A man like Julian would find a way, is all I’m saying,” Brandy said.
“Can I call someone for you, dear?” I asked gently.
“N-No, I’ll be okay—but please tell me you’ll find whoever did this to Laith. Whoever the killer is, I want them to be punished.”
Eleanor pushed me to the elevator and I said, “I just don’t know which way to go now. If Julian didn’t kill Laith, who did?”
“Maybe it was an accidental death,” Eleanor said.
“That just doesn’t make any sense to me. His death couldn’t be accidental.”
“I wonder why Laith went into Julian’s room if Julian wasn’t there yet,” Benny said.
I didn’t know what to think, but I’d have to wait for the autopsy report, especially since no traces of blood were present in that room.
I glanced over at Benny, who kept his camera trained on us. I had had more of that than I could stand. Tomorrow, I’d be putting my foot down. They could still follow us, but no camera
.
Chapter Fifteen
“HELLO, MILLICENT,” I greeted.
“How are you two doing with your case?”
“I spoke to Sheriff Peterson. He was mad that the crime scene tape had been removed from Julian’s room.”
Millicent frowned. “Oh, you’re right. It wasn’t there when I made my checks this morning. One of the housekeepers must have moved it by mistake. I should have waited until I received the all clear from the sheriff. I’ll explain it to the sheriff tomorrow.”
“When did Julian check in? I mean, for Laith to have died in Julian’s room, how could it have been anyone’s room if Julian had yet to arrive?”
“And where would they get the key?” Eleanor asked.
“Actually, Julian did check in a few days ago. I must not have paid enough attention to realize I hadn’t seen him since then, though. Until this morning, I mean.”
“So much for that,” Eleanor grumbled. “Julian has an alibi.”
“I told you as much,” Julian said, as he approached. “I’m sure Delta told you as much.”
“Who?”
“The lovely woman I was staying with. You must have verified my alibi with her.”
“Did you give her a heads up that we were heading her way?” I asked.
“Well, I had to, otherwise she wouldn’t have opened the door. She can be very suspicious at times.”
“Oh, you must mean like when a man named Julian basically holds the woman hostage so it appears that he has an alibi.”
“You’re so melodramatic. I assure you she was more than happy to have company.”
“She just moved from Los Angeles, didn’t she?” I fished.
“Sorry, but that’s incorrect. She came to visit her sister in Los Angeles. I’ve misjudged you ladies.”
“I can’t wait to see Laith’s autopsy report results,” I said. “Come along Eleanor, we have more important things to do.”
“What now?” Eleanor asked.
“I just know Julian was involved with Laith’s death, but there’s no way we’ll ever be able to prove it.”
“Maybe Julian didn’t kill Laith,” Wallace said. “Sure, he’s a jerk, but there are plenty of innocent men who are jerks.”
“And nice guys who are killers,” Benny added.
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