Authors: Camilla Chafer
With the
stranger
and
superfan
ideas briefly considered, I had to turn to the people who were closest to B4U. Under
known to the band
, I added
friends, family, management,
and
crew
to my list. None of the band members were related as far as I knew. Although it was a possibility that their individual families might have known their secrets, it was highly unlikely that they knew all of the others’, unless the band somehow mentioned them while gossiping. The same went for their
friends
, some of whom could have been mutual.
I ran my finger further down the list, pausing at
management
. To me, that meant Joe Carter. He was introduced as their manager and no one mentioned any assistant or team. I needed to talk to Joe to learn whom else he worked with, or who might have had any close access to the band. If anyone was hired to work on cleaning up B4U's image, perhaps they might know the secrets they were paid to hide.
Finally, there was the
crew
. I watched some footage of B4U's recent concerts on TV, as well as a few other photos in magazines, but I didn't recall seeing any familiar faces in the background. That didn't mean there weren't any. The footage was leaked via cell phone cameras, and consequently, of inferior quality. From what I gleaned after watching the
E!
network, the band most likely had a team of dancers, personal assistants, stylists, hair and makeup artists, and musicians from the live band, not to mention the roadies who toted all their equipment. That was, of course, providing Katya didn't have them all fired on a regular basis. Nonetheless, it was still quite a long list of people who obtained regular access to B4U. Even if they didn't all chat, there had to be plenty of opportunities to overhear personal conversations.
I dropped my pen across my list and sighed. Instead of eliminating any possible suspects, I simply added dozens of more likely ones. "It's a start," I told myself. "Stay positive!"
I picked up the key card Joe gave us to the room, recalling his stern warning to not let anyone else see the letters, or even let them out of the room. I left the suite, pulling the door shut behind me, and listening for the automatic click of the lock.
Large and Larger were sitting in their usual positions, posted in front of the elevator. After mentally adding them, along with the entire security team to my list, I approached them.
"Hi! I'm looking for Joe," I said.
Large and Larger eyed each other before Large inclined his head towards the furthest suite.
"Awesome. Thank you!" I edged past their huge bulks and power-walked to the end of the corridor. The door to Amelia and Shelley's suite was open, so I ducked inside, hoping no air missiles would be hurled at me.
Fortunately, the suite appeared safe as I looked around. It was quiet and someone had obviously done a thorough job of cleaning. The broken pieces of vase were gone and the floor was freshly vacuumed. The air smelled like lemons; and the additional scent of fresh flowers managed to fill the room with a nice aroma. The two bedroom doors were shut.
"Hello?" I called out. After a moment, I called "Hello?" again.
No answer.
I knocked on the door closest to me. Soft footsteps sounded on the other side before the door opened, revealing Shelley. She had on a cute, cropped, pink leather jacket and tight jeans with heels. The purse slung over her arm probably cost more than two months of my salary. "Hey," she said.
"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for Joe."
"I haven't seen him." Shelley stepped outside her bedroom and pulled the door shut. "I have to go out now."
"Do you want me to alert security?"
"Why the hell would you do that?"
"So your assigned bodyguard can stay with you. To keep you safe," I reminded her when she frowned.
"Oh, right. Him. Yeah, whatever. I'm only going downstairs. I can't stay in this room another minute. I'm bo-o-o-o-o-ored." Shelley stepped around me and swanned out of the room, without waiting to see if I had anything else to say.
I tried Amelia's door, but there was no answer. When I opened it, it was empty. I took a quick look around, noting how neat and tidy Amelia appeared to be. All her clothes were put away, and the wardrobe doors and drawers were neatly shut. There were a couple of books on the nightstand, which appeared to be of the self-help variety. I had no idea why someone of Amelia's status might need self-help books, but since I wasn't there to snoop — yet — I closed the door and retreated outside. Only when I paused in the doorway to the suite did I notice another door in the opposite wall at the end of the corridor. From it came a man's voice that was low and barely audible.
I moved towards it, hoping to find Joe. Pausing in the doorway, I saw him at the far end of what appeared to be a housekeeping room, with his back to me. Stacks of towels and toiletries lined the walls, along with large, empty bins, intended for laundry, and a couple of housekeeping carts. There was also a set of sliding doors that I figured must’ve been the service elevator, and designed for the exclusive use of hotel employees. I was just about to call Joe's name when he shifted to one side and I realized he was with a woman. She was shorter than him, with hair that curled at her ears. Their arms were wrapped around each other and they kissed passionately, completely oblivious to my presence.
I retreated back along the corridor without interrupting them. Given the location, the clinch was clearly something I wasn't meant to see. As I headed toward the security guards, I wondered if she were someone Joe was hiding from the band. She clearly wasn't one of them. The girls of B4U all had long hair, and this woman had very short hair. Maybe she was one of the hotel staff, or one of the crew, trying to have a secret fling. Given Katya's jealous outburst about Solomon yesterday — a man she barely knew — perhaps Joe had to conceal his relationships from the band.
The elevator opened as I reached it, spilling Katya and Lauren into the corridor. Katya lunged for Lauren's arm, grabbing and twisting. Lauren responded by hitting her with her oversized purse. "Get off me, you psycho bitch!" yelled Lauren.
"What's going on?" I asked the security guards.
Neither one made any effort to move. "That one just got into the elevator when the other one came running out and grabbed her purse," said Large, pointing to Katya and Lauren.
"Uh-hmm," said Larger.
"That's my purse!" screamed Katya, still attempting to wrench it from Lauren's hands.
"We have the same one. We all got one, remember? I got the gray, you got the black, Shelley got the tan, and Amelia got pink."
"I want the gray. We have to swap!"
"No, we don't. It's my purse and you're not taking it. You can't have anything you want, Katya!"
"I will tell Joe," Katya pouted.
"Do it. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll fire you."
"He would never fire me. I know too much."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lauren asked, stopping dead in the corridor.
Katya chortled a mean laugh and walked away. Lauren hurried after her and they disappeared inside Katya's suite. The sounds of their persistent bickering drifted out into the corridor.
"Can you tell Joe I'm looking for him," I asked the security guards. "Couldn't find him."
"Uh-huh," said Larger. Taking that as a yes, I gave him a grateful smile, wondering if they knew about Joe's closet activities.
A part of me wanted to pause and listen at the door to Katya's suite when the argument grew louder. I didn't know whether that part of me was the private investigator, a nosy person, or someone who was more than a little awed at being around four internationally famous women. I suspected I was influenced by all three.
Just as I slipped my key card into the slot outside Joe's suite, the sound of footsteps made me turn around. I was just in time to see Lauren storming out. She paused in the doorway to Katya's suite, turning. "I wrote three of the damn songs for our new album and Amelia wrote the rest, so you can forget trying to steal any credit for them, you talentless bitch. All the royalties are mine; and I'll fight you to the death to keep them!"
She slammed the door shut behind her and marched down the corridor. A moment later, loud music came on. Clearly, Katya wasn't upset at all, I concluded. Checking my watch, I sighed to find the hands reading eleven. It was going to be a very long day. Grimacing as I turned away, I stepped inside Joe's suite. I deliberately left the door open, in order to give me a clear view of the corridor. The letters were all right where I left them. Joe forbade any copying, but I couldn't work out how else I was supposed to study them away from the hotel without having copies. It wasn't feasible to create an office in there, despite Joe's insistence that we should. There were too many distractions, and too many people with personal motives who could stick their noses into the investigation. I needed to get close to them, but I also needed to maintain some separation. I couldn't have my mind clouded by a barrage of information and suspects, with the soundtrack of B4U screaming at each other. Before I could think it through, I whipped out my phone and began to snap photos of each letter. My task complete, I slipped the phone back into the hip pocket of my dress and hoped Joe wouldn't ask if I adhered to his rules.
Instead, I turned my attention back to my notepad. The people I really wanted to talk to were the members of B4U, but I didn't see any of them in the corridor. Unless I'd somehow missed them, Amelia still hadn't returned to her room, nor had Shelley. Katya was back in her room as of a half hour ago, and I didn't seen her leave again. After the argument, Lauren marched down the corridor towards Amelia's suite. I didn't think she returned to her room, and guessed she was probably lying low. Since Katya was closest, and I could still hear music playing faintly through the wall, I decided to visit her first.
As instructed, I went through the rigmarole of relocking Joe's room before I knocked on Katya's suite door. It was ajar and swung open a few inches when I knocked. "Hello? Katya?" I called, but only received silence in return. "Katya, it's me, Lexi Graves, the investigator Joe hired. May I come in?"
More silence.
My heart thumped as I pushed the door open further, but nothing crashed against the wall. I stepped inside cautiously, hoping Katya had either calmed down, or was so obsessed about hating Lauren that she might be persuaded to give up Lauren's secret. "What are you doing?" I asked, seeing her leg sticking out from behind the sofa. The leg didn't move. I stepped closer. "Are you okay? Katya? Is that a yoga position?" I asked, puzzled. With a sigh, and fully expecting some kind of nasty trick from Katya, I hurried forwards, determined to get our interview over with.
Katya wasn't playing any trick, or doing yoga.
A knife protruding from her back, along with the fresh blood, now pooling from the wound, indicated she was very, very dead.
"Lexi Graves, you must be the unluckiest woman I know."
"Tell me about it." My oldest brother, Garrett, a long-serving detective on Montgomery's homicide squad, proceeded to do just that, However, I held my hand up after he mentioned the two thugs I found with holes in their heads. That was in the days before I became a PI.
"Enough!" I wailed. "I know, my life sucks! How could this have happened? I only just heard her arguing with another member of the band! And now she's..." I flapped my hand at Katya's body. It hadn't moved one inch. For me, that was a good thing since I bristled at the very thought of a zombie apocalypse; but for Katya, it was still very bad news.
"Dead," Garrett helpfully supplied as he pulled out his notepad, his pen poised. "Who was she arguing with?"
"Lauren. They were shouting at each other. Something about a purse."
"Just shouting? What did they say?"
"Actually, they got kind of physical. Katya grabbed Lauren, and Lauren hit her with her purse. Katya was going to tell Joe — he's their manager — and threatened to and Lauren said something like 'Do it. He'll probably fire you' and Katya said Joe would never do that because she knew too much. Later, Lauren said she'd fight her to the death over royalties then she left."
Garrett looked around for one of the uniformed cops in attendance. "Go find this Lauren. I want to talk to her a-sap," he told him, quietly adding to me, "Also, well done for eavesdropping. This is helpful stuff."
"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was walking along the corridor when they got out of the elevator. Large and Larger can verify that."
"Large and Larger?"
"The security guards who always sit in front of the elevator. Can't miss 'em."
Garrett nodded. "I know who you mean. Where were you when Katya was stabbed?"
I was about to say I couldn't believe he'd ask me a question like that, when my name was called. I turned around, smiling, as soon as I saw who stood in the doorway. "Special Agent Maddox!" I grinned as he crossed the room. He gave me a quick hug then stood away, assessing my condition. Apparently, he must’ve found it satisfactory.
"Another body? Really, Lexi? How many does this make?" he asked, running a hand through his wavy, brown hair. He may have been my ex, but I wasn't immune to the glances he drew from the two female forensic investigators. I couldn't blame them. Maddox was a good-looking man who looked even better than usual, dressed in a dark gray suit and blue shirt and tie.
"Another one too many," I replied before holding up my fingers and physically counting. "What are you doing here?"
"High profile murder equals FBI interest. Since I have the best connections with MPD, I volunteered to come down here and see what was going on."
"We've got one Katya Markova with a knife in her back. She sings with a band named B4U. They're in town temporarily for a concert and also to shoot a video," explained Garrett, checking his notes.
"I have all those details," replied Maddox, walking over to the body and taking a long look. He glanced over his shoulder at us. "Anyone know why she has a knife in her back?"
"I was just about to ask Lexi the same question."
Two sets of eyes bored into me.
I threw my hands in the air. "I have no idea! I just found her."
"Let's get out of here and go someplace quiet to talk," Maddox suggested.
Garrett held up a hand. "Whoa there; we're not done."
"You're not seriously questioning your sister?"
"You're not seriously questioning your ex, and your ex's brother, who also happens to be leading the investigation?" Garrett responded, squaring his shoulders and looking annoyed.
"Nope. Just thought we'd put Lexi in a quiet room where she can get away from all this blood."
"Terrific idea," I agreed quickly, since he was exactly right. I have a strong stomach, but seeing the spray of blood on the wall behind Garrett made me queasy. Plus, it was different when you discovered dead bodies of people you didn't know. It was a lot different for me, finding the body of someone who was a living, breathing, albeit, bitchy person, only an hour ago. "Follow me," I said, edging out of the room before either of them could stop me. They didn't, and followed me to Joe's suite, waiting while I unlocked the room and let them in.
"Whose room is this?" Garrett asked, stepping in and looking around. "Yours?"
"I wish. No, this is the manager's suite. He's letting me use it while I work on the case."
"That's some foresight! Hiring you before the murder happened!" Maddox winked as I gathered up the letters, tucking them into the box and out of sight. "Why are you really here?"
"I'm not sure I can say right now," I told them as we took our seats around the table. "But I can tell you B4U's manager hired me to look into an issue with the band."
"Could this issue be related to the murder?" asked Garrett. "Throw me a bone here. What's going on?"
I grimaced. It was something I wondered myself in the minutes between stumbling into the hallway, yelling for help, and the arrival of the police. The blackmail notes were not physical threats, but several ambiguous ones warned about regretting one’s actions if one failed to follow instructions, which I assumed meant releasing whatever secrets the blackmailer had. Plus, the blackmailer was getting paid to keep the secrets. Why would he or she kill one of the cash cows? It seemed too big a step to go from blackmail into murder. "I can't rule it out."
"You'd better tell us about it," said Maddox while Garrett nodded in agreement.
"You can't tell anyone. I signed a confidentiality order; and I'm breaking it just by telling you."
"Want me to flash you my badge?" asked Garrett. "And arrest you for obstruction?"
"Point taken," I said with a deep breath before pouring out the blackmail story.
~
"I'm lost for words," said Solomon. We were drinking coffee in the hotel lounge and Solomon didn't look pleased. "I leave you alone for two hours, and a corpse falls into your lap."
"Not exactly my lap," I said, grateful for the sweet, warm beverage; and even more grateful not to have a corpse in my lap. "She was in the next room."
"Knifed in the back," Solomon said, again, as if he couldn't quite believe it.
"Yep."
"You think Lauren could have done it?"
I shook my head, not to indicate
no,
but rather a confused
I don't know
. "I couldn't tell you. I saw her just as I got into the elevator downstairs. Two uniforms brought her to Garrett. She was wearing the same clothes she wore when she argued with Katya and there didn't appear to be any blood on her clothing. With all the blood spray on the wall, I would have expected to see at least, some."
"That doesn't definitely rule her out," Solomon said, echoing my private thoughts.
"Garrett and Maddox wanted to know if Katya's murder might be connected to the blackmailer."
"As far as questions go, that one is not way off base. I've been wondering the same thing."
"Me too. I don't see a feasible connection, but I can't rule that out. It's a big step, but maybe the blackmailer is sending a message." I paused, thinking. "So far, they've all paid up; so it can't be because they didn't..."
"I'm not so sure the latest blackmail notes were all paid," said Solomon. "Or at least, the next blackmail note almost certainly won't be. After all, we're here to find the blackmailer and end the demands."
"I was just looking for Katya to interview when I found her." I shook my head, almost hoping to dislodge the image of her. "I didn't have a chance to ask about her secret, or the others’."
"There's still time to find out."
I paused, the coffee cup inches from my lips, and asked in surprise, "We're still on the case?"
"Absolutely. Joe and I spoke already, and we agreed it's even more imperative now that there's been a murder. If the blackmailer turns out to be the murderer, the whole band could be in danger."
"So, we find the blackmailer, and we find the murderer?"
Solomon smiled. "That's the idea."
"What does Joe think?"
"Let's ask him," Solomon replied, raising his hand and waving to someone behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I spied Joe walking towards us. He dropped into a chair and ran a hand under his jaw while letting out a deep sigh.
"I can't believe it," he said. "I mean, if anyone asked me who in the band was most likely to be murdered, I'd have said Katya, but she's... she's dead... I can't believe it."
"Why would you pick..." I started to ask, but Joe carried on, talking over me, like he hadn't even heard me speak.
"And a knife in the back? Talk about poetic justice."
"Poetic justice?" I asked, a little louder this time. The question in my voice caught his attention.
"Yeah, she was always the one who had no problem knifing everyone else in the back. Oh, metaphorically speaking, of course. She was pretty harmless, but she had a nasty tongue."
"I saw her and Lauren having a bust-up earlier," I said. "It looked like it was getting physical."
"That's Katya. She's all bluster though. Plus, the girls have always fought."
"I thought they were supposed to be best of friends? What happened?"
"Sure, that's the story we feed everyone. Truth is, they don't get on so well anymore. Been forced together too long, I guess." Joe raised a hand, signaling to the waitress. She came over, took his order for a beer, and departed quickly. "There isn't a person anywhere who hasn't been on the receiving end of Katya in a mood."
"She's not well liked?" I continued. I figured now was as good a time as any to interview Joe, even if I didn't make clear I was doing that. He appeared so forthcoming and willing to talk. It could have been the shock, or simply delight at Katya's rapid and untimely departure from the world, for all I knew.
"Hell, no."
"If you could pick someone, anyone, as the one most likely to want Katya out of the way, whom would you chose?" I asked. Solomon rested back in his chair, watching our repartee without interrupting.
Joe laughed. "That's an easy one. Everyone!"
"Including you?" I watched Joe's reaction closely. He didn't appear at all perturbed by the question and intercepted the cold beer from the waitress before she could set it on the table. He slipped a twenty-dollar bill into her hand and took a long swig from the neck of the bottle.
"Sometimes," he admitted, "she was really hard work, but these girls make me a lot of money. It serves my best interests to keep them together, and selling albums and merchandise. Plus, I wasn't anywhere near Katya's suite at the time."
"Where were you?" Solomon asked.
"Oh, I see. Ruling me out?" laughed Joe. "Checking out my alibi. Sure. No problem. I was in the library here in the hotel when I got the call. I went upstairs just after the police got here. So, you see, I was nowhere near the crime scene."
I exchanged a glance with Solomon. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed his slightly narrowing eyes, or his curiosity, but I knew him well, and he knew that I would have something to say about that.
"Can anyone verify that?" I asked.
"I don't know. I guess. There's probably a waiter that saw me."
"We'd like to investigate this new angle to the case, along with the letters you've given us," said Solomon changing the topic after another imperceptible glance passed between us. "It might help us find the blackmailer."
This time, Joe leaned forward, looking from Solomon to me. "You think there's a chance this could be the same guy?"
"Or woman," I countered. "But yes, we're working on a theory that the two crimes may be connected."
"So Solomon said earlier. You know, I kind of hoped Katya was the blackmailer," said Joe, surprising me. He continued without any prompting, "I know I said she was a blusterer, but she was still a mean person. I wouldn't have put it past her to blackmail the other girls for money. She would have loved getting one over them."
"Could she have known any of their secrets? They didn't get along," I reminded Joe.
"They might hate each other now, but at one time, they were tight. It's possible. Katya was a mega bitch; and it wouldn’t have been the first time she cooked up a nasty scheme."
"Like what?"
"Oh, embarrassing the other girls in public, or sabotaging a costume. At their calendar shoot, she even turned up wearing something different just so she could be the center of their cover. Katya does not have any problems when it comes to trying anything to get ahead."
"Could money have been a motive for Katya? Did she have any money problems?" Solomon asked.
"You can ask the band's accountant, but no, I don't think she was struggling. Katya's motivations weren't always clear though. She liked to play games."
"We'll add Katya to our list of blackmail suspects," I told Joe, not mentioning that she was already on it, along with dozens of other people.