Kissing in Action (16 page)

"Tell me what?"

"We found a secret passageway that enables housekeeping to access the suites without being seen on the floor."

"No shit?"

"None at all. Maddox took some prints from the passageway and entryways. It looks like there were hidden entry points to every room. The killer could have gotten into Katya's room via any one of them and escaped again, unseen. It would explain why I didn't see anyone when I walked along that corridor on my way to interview Katya."

"I'll check into that angle. Tomorrow, I'm going to interview hotel staff and speak to the manager again. Like you said, housekeeping knew about that secret passageway and the murder weapon was a hotel knife. One of the staff could have done it."

"But why?"

"Hell if I know, Lexi. Hey, I saw Solomon earlier. He looked distracted. Everything okay?"

"He seemed okay when I last saw him," I told my brother.

"Must be the case getting to him. We could do without the press here, making everything harder by watching our every move."

"Tell me about it," I said, wondering how long it would take for the news about my run-in with Shayne to travel to my brother. I figured it wouldn't be long; and if I were really lucky, it might even come up at a family dinner.

"Okay, well, I'm going to be working extra hours on this case. At least, we have Maddox to liaise with. He might not be one of our own anymore, but it’s nice we knew him as a cop."

I frowned. "He hasn't taken the case over?"

"Nope, not exactly. We're working it together as a joint op. Pretty decent of him. The FBI can easily call grabs on the case if they wanted to. High-profile cases like these are career builders."

I agreed it was decent of Maddox not to steal the case out from under MPD. I rang off after agreeing that we would make certain to catch up at the next family dinner. When that would be scheduled, I didn't know, but I was pretty sure my mother would want the case gossip soon, even though she had no idea who or what B4U were.

I checked my watch again before placing my next call, wondering if it was too late. I did have to tell Maddox to leave the blackmail letters alone; they were a dead end. If he looked for any answers there, he would simply be wasting vital time on the real case. After several attempts at picking up the phone and putting it down again, I dialed Maddox.

"Where did you get to?" he asked. "I went to take some fingerprints and you were gone."

I grimaced, but I shouldn't have been surprised. I took off after my run-in with Shayne and that was rude. "Sorry, I had to take care of other business. I heard you found usable prints?"

"You heard right. There were a lot belonging to hotel employees and a few unaccounted for."

"Garrett is looking at a hotel employee, thanks to the knife."

"Makes sense. Want to hear about the really fun print we got?"

"I think I can guess, but please surprise me."

"It was Katya's. On the console panel
inside
the passageway. I matched it to the sample print we took from her body."

"So she did know about the passageway!" I punched the air triumphantly, then lowered my arm as I realized all the possibilities that raised. If Katya knew, whom else did she tell?

"Looks that way. She might have been using the passage herself. I found her prints by the elevator too, and also outside the other suite the band were using."

"Joe's or Amelia's?"

"Amelia's. So, Katya wasn't accessing Joe's suite, and it doesn't look like Amelia or Joe were using the passageway either. Just a minute..." There was some rustling as Maddox got up and I heard footsteps before a door closed.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked.

"No, it's fine. I was in a public area and with a case this high-profile, I need to be careful. Did you know some journalist got into the hotel before breaking the wedding story?"

"Gosh. I wonder how that happened." I pulled a face and picked up my notepad. "You definitely didn't find any prints from Lauren in the passageway?"

"None, but there were some prints that were too smudged to use. I couldn't see definitively that they weren’t hers, just that I can't..."

"...find any evidence that they are," I concluded.

"That's correct. Why the interest in Lauren?"

"She's the only one in the band without an alibi."

"That is news to me. Spill."

"I'll trade you. Your information for my information."

"How did I know this wasn't a friendly chat? Okay, what do you want to know? I can still get you the autopsy report."

"Nope, got that. I just want to be kept in the loop, please. I'm working an angle and I need help," I admitted.

"No problem. Your turn."

"Okay. I saw Joe and Amelia together immediately prior to the murder. Neither of them could have killed Katya because they were too busy making out in the housekeeping closet at the other end of the floor. Shelley was in the hotel that day, but was witnessed across town by more than one person, including their security chief and the chauffeur for the car she took. No one can confirm where Lauren was. She isn't talking and that makes me suspicious. I'm starting surveillance on her tomorrow."

"The band decided to keep you on?"

"Yep. I wrapped up the blackmail case and told them it was Amelia. All she wanted was to get out of the band, and I think it just spiraled out of control. Solomon guessed Joe suspected her all along but didn't want to believe his wife was behind it. As Amelia definitely didn't kill Katya, it's unrelated; so those letters I sent you are a dead end. Joe asked us to stay on and look into Katya's murder."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"He didn't need to keep you on for the murder inquiry. The FBI and MPD are working together."

"I know, but I've been given a job to do and I intend to do it. Joe's under a lot of pressure from his bosses."

"It's getting crazy. We have leads that take us in different directions, not to mention, psycho fans and journalists every time we turn around. The whole thing could get dangerous. Solomon shouldn't have put you right in the center of it."

I paused, thinking back to all the other dangerous situations I'd encountered, starting with the first body I found before getting dragged into the case. I survived each and every one of them... but it only took one bad turn to end all that. And only one wrong decision for me to become the victim. Even so, I wasn't about to back down now. Katya may have been nuts, but she needed someone on her team, someone who wouldn't stop looking for the truth, someone with an “in” with the band; and that person was me. "I'm there because I can get the job done," I told him. "And I need to know what Lauren is hiding."

"Honey, are you ready?" a woman's voice called.

The phone went muffled for Maddox's response before he came back on the line. "I have to go," he said. "Let's meet tomorrow and we'll go over what we know about Lauren. Okay?"

"Okay?" I agreed as I ended the call, frowning. I didn't know who the voice belonged to, but I'd never heard it before. I also knew not a single one of his colleagues would have ever called him “honey.” The image of the reservation for the romantic getaway flashed in front of me. Did that voice belong to Maddox's mystery woman?

Amid a case that was built on secrets and lies, why didn't he tell me about her just like any other friend would?

Chapter Twelve

"Lexi Graves, get over yourself!"

Lily and I sat in my car outside the hotel, away from the circle of press camped out on the doorstep. Despite a cordon set up by the hotel to restrain them, the press crowd seemed to grow exponentially by the hour. The eager reporters and a heaving bank of photographers were all straining for a shot every time the door opened. From our vantage point, we had a clear view of the front door, and another of the side street through which the employee parking lot was accessed. Whichever way Lauren exited the building, we'd surely see her. Not that it mattered, I secretly attached a small tracking device to her favorite purse that morning while she was busy helping herself to coffee and breakfast from the cart set up in her suite. The tracker currently beeped on my app, reminding me that Lauren hadn't moved. Thanks to the little, red, flashing dot, wherever she went, we could follow inconspicuously, without depending on her obeying her agenda, or having to call Joe to locate her. Solomon, Joe, and I agreed that was best: Lauren was upset enough about being our chief suspect, so we didn't need to dismay her further by letting her know she was being tailed. Despite the Michael mystery, I just hoped she would turn up clean.

"Pardon?"

"We've talked about your ex-boyfriend for the last thirty minutes! I thought you were over him? Or do you care that Adam Maddox might have a new girlfriend?"

"I don't mind!"

"So what's the problem? That he didn't tell you?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Did it matter? I wondered. I awoke thinking about Maddox and the mystery woman, and it needled me all morning. As soon as I picked up Lily, I told her everything. Everything took two minutes, since I knew nothing.

"Did you tell him about Solomon right after you dumped him?"

"No, but that was different. Maddox and I just split up, and I was really angry at him. I thought he was cheating on me!"

"Let's look at it from Maddox's perspective. His ex-girlfriend, who dumped him for cheating, took up with her boss while she was pretending to be married to him..."

"For a case!"

Lily continued, adding, "For a case, and then she consummated the fake marriage, and did it end there? No, his ex is still dating his former colleague, and they seem really happy. Meanwhile, Maddox might finally have found someone nice and hasn't told you, and you're upset about that?"

"I'm upset he didn't tell me."

"You didn't tell him about Solomon!"

"He figured it out before I got the chance; plus, I was mad at him at the time."

"And you figured this out. What did you think Maddox was going to do? Pine over you forever?"

I took a deep breath and mumbled, "Whose team are you on?"

"Yours, sweetie, always."

"I just wanted to talk about it."

"Okay. Talk."

I shrugged and pulled a face. "That was it."

"So what are you going to do now?"

A green blip appeared on my cell phone screen, signifying my mark was on the move. I pointed to the car pulling out of the service exit, with Lauren just visible in the rear seat as the driver's window rolled up. "Follow that car."

"I meant Maddox."

"I've given it a lot of thought, and thanks to our helpful chat... nothing."

"Hmmph," said Lily. "Back in the day, we would have stalked him until we knew the truth."

"Do you want to stalk him?"

"No, stalking B4U is way more fun. What does a superstar diva do on her time off? Drive, Lexi, drive!"

We followed the blacked out vehicle for several blocks. I didn't make much of an attempt at pretending not to follow, but traffic was with me that morning, and we blended in easily, following two or three cars behind. Lauren's vehicle turned through a set of gates and we drew to a halt outside.

"Ohmygosh they're going to do some kind of deal," gasped Lily. "Drugs? Could it all be down to drugs? Is Michael her dealer?"

"This is where the band are rehearsing for their video."

"Then why are we out here? I want to be in there." Lily jabbed her thumb at the warehouse before turning hopeful eyes on me. "Plus, how can we follow Lauren out here?"

"Good point."

I pulled a U-turn and followed the car through the gate, sliding into an empty space, far from the warehouse doors. Unlike the first time I visited, the small lot was almost full. I spotted a few people milling around the doors behind the security guards. Along with the security guard that Solomon and I interviewed previously, there were three other men in identical black coats and slacks, wearing headsets. One carried a clipboard.

Grabbing my phone, I placed a call to Solomon. "I'm following Lauren and she pulled into the warehouse," I told him.

"Okay... good?"

"Is there something going on here? Security has obviously been boosted."

"Rehearsals for the video. I'm with Joe now. He told me the management company got pretty angry at the band, but they're going ahead with the video and calling the band a trio. They've tweaked it so it's also serving as some sort of goodbye montage to Katya."

"Sounds grim."

"Schmaltzy is a better word."

"How about crass? I can count the days since her death on one hand."

"I'll see your 'crass' and throw in 'capitalism.' B4U are the hottest band in the States right now, and all these leaks are just making them even more interesting to the fans. Sales are up. They'd be fools to miss out on such an opportunity. Apparently, they stand to make big bucks."

"So Amelia and Joe's wedding didn't derail anything?"

"Apparently not. They're really happy and the press coverage swiftly moved from a dirty, little secret to an amazing, against-the-odds love story. Plus, it's keeping B4U in the press right now, so it's more positive than the Katya-getting-stabbed-in-the-back story."

I took a deep breath, thankful for never choosing the media career route. My worst career decisions began as a brief stint in the Army and extended to several years of temping. They both seemed better than running personal stories about public figures. "Okay. Am I on the list to get into the warehouse?"

"I'll check with Joe..." The phone went silent and I gave Lily an
I dunno
shrug while we waited. Solomon rejoined the line, saying, "You're on the list. If anyone gives you a problem, call Joe and he'll fix it."

"Thanks."

"Stay in the background, Lexi. It doesn't matter if Lauren spots you. She expects to see you, but don't approach her. Just watch what she does when she thinks no one is observing her."

"Got it." I hung up. "We're in."

"Yay!"

"My name's on the list," I told the clipboard-carrying security guard. "Lexi Graves."

"Me too," said Lily.

"You are?"

"Lily Shuler-Graves."

"You're not on the list."

"I am. I'm right there," said Lily, tapping the underside of the clipboard. It popped out of the guard's hands and flipped upside down, landing in a puddle. "Oh, shoot!" she exclaimed, sounding as insincere as she looked.

"She's my assistant," I said, giving him my
don't give me any trouble
look.

The security guard fished the clipboard from the puddle and wafted it in the air, sending dirty droplets flying at us. "Get a better one," he suggested.

"Great thinking!" I grabbed Lily's arm and propelled her inside.

"I've never
not
been on a list before," she pouted.

"And I'm rarely ever on one. Today is a good day."

"And what was with the duck face back there?"

"That was my
don't mess with me
face!"

Lily paused. "I definitely wouldn't mess with that face."

We stopped a few feet into the warehouse, looking at the scene in front of us. There was activity every way we turned. Cameras were set up around stage sets at the far end of the warehouse, and camera operators and other black-clad people stood in small groups, talking and pointing. Off to one side I spotted the dance troupe, practicing hard. We watched one guy throw a petite woman into the air. She spun several times and dropped gracefully into his arms before being placed upright and tipping into a vertical split. Several other dancers moved in front of them, breaking into a routine as the choreographer called out instructions.

"Do you see Lauren?" I asked, looking away from them.

"Yeah, she's over there talking to... is that Shelley? Oh wow!" I followed the direction of Lily's pointing forefinger.

"Yeah, that's Shelley."

The two women were talking to Annabelle, the wardrobe mistress, but as I looked around, Amelia was nowhere in sight.

"Can you get her autograph?"

"What do you want an autograph for?"

"I have no idea, but that's what famous people are for... to sign autographs."

"Yeah, but what would you do with it if I got you one?"

"I have no idea. Frame it?"

"I'll see what I can do. Let's sit over there and try and look like we're not spying on everyone."

"We should have brought disguises. You want me to grab something from the wardrobe rack? We could blend in with the dancers."

"Can you do that?" I asked, pointing to half of the dancers doing splits on the floor. Meanwhile, the other half somersaulted over the tops of them before grabbing their partners and spinning them into a frenzied routine.

"Let's just sit."

We found plastic chairs at the periphery of the warehouse. They were partly shaded by the columns that stretched to the ceiling, and perfect for spying on Lauren as we camouflaged ourselves amidst a few other people. She spent some time with Shelley and Annabelle before they all walked over to the wardrobe racks and browsed through the clothing. Just as they finished, Amelia appeared amid a burst of applause from the dancers, shouting, "Congratulations!" She beamed at them, waving and blowing kisses.

"Look at the big star," muttered the guy closest to us. "Bye-bye, Katya, it's time for Amelia to shine." His friend simply nodded.

Lily leaned in, her voice soft enough for only me to hear. "If you hadn't told me Amelia was clean, I would say she was our biggest suspect right now. Katya would have hated all this attention centering on Amelia. I read that in a magazine. She hated anyone who she thought was more talented than her."

"Everything I hear about her says she wasn't a team player."

"Not even a little bit. I read she got into it with one of the backup singers at the start of the tour."

I glanced away from Lauren, towards Lily. "Where did you read that?"

"Same magazine."

"What else did the magazine say?"

"That Katya thought the backup singer was angling for her spot in the group, so she made sure to put her in her place. Her name was Clarissa. That's a pretty name, isn't it? I don't think I'd call a baby... oh wait, that's her! That's Clarissa! I recognize her from..."

"...The magazine?" I concluded.

"How did you know?" Lily frowned.

I shook my head. "Never mind. Let's talk to her. Maybe she's got something to say about Katya and the way she abused most people."

Sometimes, it's hard to start talking to a total stranger. Sometimes, however, they let you skip all the hard work and seem happy to let loose. Clarissa was the latter sort, I found out as we approached.

"Let me tell you," she started, after we introduced ourselves. "If I were a cop, I'd look closely at me too, but I have an alibi. The other singers and I all went for lunch the day Katya was killed; and it was a long, boozy one, if you know what I mean."

"Where did you go?" I asked.

"A place downtown called Lily's Bar. Great cocktails."

"That's my bar!"

"Get out!" squealed Clarissa.

"Get in! It really is. Oh wow! I am so excited. Stars drink at my bar," Lily mouthed at me, her jaw dropping. "Also I have cameras everywhere, so I can probably prove that Clarissa is telling the truth."

"So there you have it. I wish I could say I killed her because it would have given me a lot of personal satisfaction, you know, but I didn't." Clarissa shrugged, like it was no big deal for her to have that desire or a good alibi.

"That's nice to know. Was it a regular occurrence for Katya to get nasty with crew members?"

Clarissa raised an eyebrow and gave me a
you really just asked me that?
look. "Regular? More like a daily occurrence. The bitch had attitude, ya know? There was nobody off limits that she didn't mind getting into it with."

"Why did she get into it with you?"

"She overheard me practicing with the band. I have a similar vocal range to Katya, so when she didn't show up for rehearsal, I stepped in to sing her part. She eventually arrived late and hit me with her purse, accusing me of trying to steal her part."