Helena Goes to Hollywood: A Helena Morris Mystery Read online

  “But you could do real damage, like take someone out with a punch or a kick. You’re like a lethal weapon. You wouldn’t have to smother someone. You could do other stuff.”

  Nodding, I figured I’d let him be impressed. “I’ve split boards with my bare hands and feet. I can bruise flesh and crack bone.”

  Before Jordan could comment I heard my name from halfway down the block. Who knew me here?

  Turning, I spotted a tall black man with lots of muscle in his own right. His smiling face and broad shoulders were familiar. Those dimples, I knew him! I still felt out of place in Hollywood but maybe my luck was changing.

  “Ricky?” I couldn’t believe it.

  I stood as he approached. It’d been almost twenty years since I’d seen him. Were we that old?

  “Helena Morris. Damn, what brings you to L.A.?” He hugged me, picking me clear off the ground with his thick muscled arms and chest. At six foot four, I had to look up to him. He still looked good.

  “My sister. You’re still here, huh?” I asked.

  He’d been in the Academy with Todd but left Quantico when his mother was rushed to the hospital near death. Against all odds she made a recovery but needed constant care while she recuperated. Ricky never returned to the Academy that I’d heard. He and Todd were good friends but life took them in different directions.

  “L.A. is home.” He flashed his badge. “I was promoted to detective two last year.”

  “Awesome. The LAPD is lucky to have you.”

  “So how’s Todd?” he asked.

  “Fine. We split up but we’re friends.” Awkward but true.

  “Todd isn’t that dumb.” Ricky shook his head.

  “But he is that ambitious—one too many promotions and relocations.” I shrugged. “I’m in Vegas now.”

  “No kids? Damn, I’d have bet money you two would go the distance. You look good!”

  “Thanks, no kids. It’s nice to do what I want to do.”

  Ricky pulled his cell phone out. “Give me your number, I don’t want to lose track of you now that you’re out my way. Moving to L.A.?”

  I shook my head as I pulled out my cell. “Just visiting. I’ll be heading back to Vegas.”

  I read off my digits and programmed his cell number into my phone. This was a connection I wanted to keep for Sonia’s sake.

  “Who’s your sister? Maybe I’ve arrested her,” he teased.

  “Doubtful. She’s Sonia Flynn.”

  “The actress? She’s hot!” Ricky’s smile widened.

  “Thanks.” I rolled my eyes. “This is a friend, Jordan Michaels. Jordan, this is my ex-friend, Ricky. Ex because he thinks my sister is hotter than I am.”

  “Hey, I never said that. I just don’t think of famous people having normal relatives. In L.A. everyone thinks they are special.” He shook Jordan’s hand.

  “Thanks, now I’m normal. But fame has a price—my sister has a stalker. I might be calling if I run into an issue.” I tapped my phone in my hand. I was getting a little antsy so long away from Sonia without Jordan watching her.

  “No problem, I’m your guy day or night.” His phone vibrated. “But right now I’m someone else’s knight in shining armor. See you later.”

  He headed off down the street to his car.

  “Thanks,” I called after him.

  “Hot.” Jordan stared at Ricky’s ass.

  I nodded. “We should get back too. I don’t like leaving Sonia too long.”

  “She’s with Sam, she’ll be fine. Work is the dumbest place for anyone to make a move.” Jordan finished off his wrap.

  “Some stalkers are incredibly stupid or desperate.” I signaled for the check and ate a few more fries.

  Running into Ricky was good luck. I’d probably need a little police backup at some point and he was a good guy. Endearing, dependable, and smart, plus he still filled out a suit pretty well too.

  We both had dads who liked to feel tough by smacking their family around so we’d bonded more than I had with Todd’s other friends. Having a cop on my side and on my contact list worked for me. Hollywood was crazy but L.A. did have some normal spots.

  Walking back to my car, I saw a man across the street lingering around Emmy’s. He definitely wasn’t a regular around here. I’d already picked up that West Hollywood was a trendy section everyone frequented but focused on a core gay population. This guy didn’t look like he had his nails done or even felt comfortable here.

  I slid behind the wheel and nodded to Jordan. “Does that guy look familiar to you?”

  “No.” Jordan settled in next to me and glanced again. “You know him?”

  Cell phone in hand, I turned to check my blind spot and snapped a picture of the mystery man. “Not yet, but I will.”

  “He’s not hot enough to stalk. You can do better. I’ll hook you up, but Ricky is built. I’d take a ride on that any day.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” I threw the car into drive and merged into traffic. “The guy across the street was watching me and not in a flirting way.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Walking into the mansion after a long day of shooting, I knew instantly that something was wrong. The alarm wasn’t on, against my explicit instructions to Lupe, which wasn’t like her at all.

  Sonia noticed nothing out of the norm. “I’m starving!”

  “Lupe?” I called.

  “In the kitchen.” Her voice was thick.

  I lead the way and Sonia trudged behind me with an annoyed sigh. Dinner normally awaited us.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  She pointed to the closed French doors that lead out to the backyard.

  I walked up and saw the plain piece of paper taped to the glass from the outside. “Got your dog! 100k and I won’t hurt it.” Simple and direct, written in the black marker again, it was the ransom part that was unexpected.

  “Okay, did they break in?” I asked Lupe.

  “No, I put the dog outside when the security people came back to install the dog-safe motion sensor. So we can leave Fluffy safe inside and she won’t set off the alarm.”

  I knew about the sensor and that was legit. “Someone grabbed the dog from outside?”

  Lupe nodded. “I went out to get her—the men wanted to test the sensor—and she was gone. I saw the note.” She broke down crying.

  “Fluffy?” Sonia wandered to the note and looked lost. “I’ll kill them!”

  “Calm down. Lupe, why didn’t you call me?” I asked. The poor dog might be in withdrawal now. DTs in a high strung poodle wouldn’t be pretty.

  “It just happened maybe an hour ago. I thought you’d be home soon. I didn’t want to make a media circus. Calling the police over a dog...” Lupe dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

  Sonia hugged her housekeeper. “Hel, don’t pick on her! Not all of us know what to do in a dog-napping emergency! You call 911.”

  Finally the stalker had done something to make my sister stand up and get mad. The victim getting angry was critical to them reclaiming their life, their space, and their power. I’d seen it in my self-defense classes again and again.

  “I’ll call Ricky.” I grabbed my cell and dialed, and in moments he was on his way.

  As Sonia and Lupe shared tears. I dug through Sonia’s purse and found her cell. I checked for messages or texts. Nothing new.

  “What are you doing?” Sonia asked. “Who is Ricky?”

  “Ricky is a friend of Todd’s who is on the LAPD. Whoever took Fluffy will have to send ransom instructions somehow. Like where to drop the money and pick up the dog, but nothing yet.” I checked the house phone. Nothing there either.

  “I’m so sorry. We’ve never had any problem putting her out in the yard.” Lupe started to cry harder.

  I walked over and knelt down. “Lupe, it’s not your fault—obviously they were watching the house. You were doing great keeping the place locked and alarmed. They had to take the dog because it was the only opening they had. There’s n
othing you could’ve done to stop it and you could’ve been hurt if you tried. No one wants that.”

  Lupe just nodded.

  “Why did security need the dog out of the house?” I asked.

  Sonia glared. “I’m sure there’s a good reason.”

  Lupe nodded. “One of the security guys is very allergic even though it’s a low allergen dog. He sneezed a lot and Fluffy always wants attention from people. She followed him around so I did the same thing when they installed the system. It was the same guys, it wasn’t a scam.”

  I patted her arm. “No one is blaming you, we just need all the facts. You need to talk to the police and tell them whatever you know.” She didn’t seem to fear the cops so my curiosity about Lupe’s immigration status faded. We didn’t need more issues and I didn’t want to get someone in my sister’s corner in trouble.

  Lupe took a deep breath. “And I burned the dinner.”

  “It’s okay, don’t worry.” I picked up the house phone and ordered a huge generic pizza and garlic bread.

  “I can’t eat.” Sonia slumped into a chair.

  “You need to eat something. One slice and a salad won’t kill you.” There was always salad in her fridge.

  The doorbell rang and I was relieved to find Ricky along with a couple of uniformed officers had arrived. Ricky took one look at the duo crying at the dining room table and sighed. I patted his shoulder, not envying his job. I introduced him and gave them space, letting him do the interview. I listened and dug through my purse for enough cash to pay for the pizza order.

  An hour later Ricky emerged. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing much we can do right now. It’s a waiting game until they contact us. We’ll put extra patrols on the neighborhood for a few days.”

  Sonia and Lupe looked drained. As if on cue, the pizza arrived and I contemplated my next move as we ate in stunned silence.

  Chapter Eighteen

  To my immense luck Jordan called in the four main actors for a fitting of costumes for episode two the next morning. Guess they did work Saturdays at times. I delivered Sonia there, made sure all the normal security was on hand and gave Jordan a can of mace that would bring down a pit bull.

  Driving to Danny’s, I hated myself for suspecting him. Taking Fluffy hurt Sonia but the money was minimal. There had been no ransom communications which meant it was anyone’s guess who did it and why. I hoped they kept their word and didn’t hurt Fluffy. Sonia would gladly pay.

  I parked in the driveway behind his Hummer; no one seemed to notice me so I walked around the place. No sign of dog toys, leashes, fur, dog food, or doggie leftovers yet to be scooped. If Fluffy was here he had her inside. My ex had called late last night and Todd had no info on any second address in Danny’s name.

  Hoping he wasn’t behind it, I walked around the front and heard a click. Not the click of a gun; how sad that I could tell the difference. I ignored the photographer, not wanting a picture of my face to prove I’d snooped on anyone’s property.

  I rang the doorbell and Danny answered, shirtless and smelling of alcohol.

  “What do you want now?” he asked.

  “I liked you better on carbs than booze. Can I come in?”

  “Do what you want. You always do.” He walked back in the house.

  I entered and closed the door behind me so the paparazzi couldn’t see anymore; at least no one could claim I’d entered illegally. On the counter I saw a half empty gallon bottle of vodka and six empty cans of some energy drink. Not a good combo.

  “What does that mean? What I always do?”

  “You always get your way. You plant ideas and judge people.” He pointed at me and wiggled his fingers like a magician before he stumbled into a stool and finally sat to keep from falling.

  I folded my arms and studied him as he popped open another can of Red Bull. “What do you think I planted?”

  “I’m not drunk,” he said.

  Sure he wasn’t. “Okay, didn’t ask that. Focus, Danny. What did I plant?”

  “You made Sonia hate me. She refused to take me back because of you.” He drank the entire can and threw it over his shoulder in the direction of the kitchen sink. It fell short and spun out on the yellow tile.

  “Did she say that?”

  I hadn’t been in the state when he’d attempted the reunion. I’d never encouraged her either way. He could blame me all he wanted.

  “I know it. You are full of opinions.” He delivered the line as though I was accused of murder.

  “No argument there, but I never told Sonia to kick you out or divorce you. She’s always made up her own mind on things. She was born that way, I didn’t want her to move out to Hollywood but she did.” I shrugged.

  “True, but she listens to you when she’s upset and scared.”

  “She told me you cheated and that you two tried counseling, but it didn’t work. I never dished out any advice, but I’ll bet I know one thing that keeps her from taking you back.” I walked into his bedroom and opened a drawer. A pink bra sat stuffed next to his boxers.

  “Get out of my underwear,” he growled from the kitchen.

  I returned, swinging the bra on my index finger. “This wouldn’t fit you. You really think she’ll take you back when you’ve got another girl living with you?”

  His face cringed and for a second I thought he’d puke. Then his expression hardened. He tossed the bottle of vodka, thankfully plastic, and then he cried like an Irish baby.

  “I can’t take it! I can’t be alone, Hel. I loved her so much and I screwed up. We were so young when we got married. Why couldn’t she just stay on the soap? We were happy there!” Danny pounded the counter.

  “This won’t help at all. If you want her back you need to act like a man, not like some romantic teenager.” I kept my voice even but firm. Playing to his hopes might get me more information.

  “That’s what she fell in love with. We went out and drank wine, walked on the beach, and had sex in the sand.”

  “My baby sister! Please, no details.” I picked up the bottle of vodka.

  He belched. “Sorry. I wanted her back but she’s made it clear that won’t happen.”

  “So dump the bimbo and sober up. Move on and figure out what to do with your life. Binging on carbs and booze isn’t helping.” I walked to the counter and dumped the vodka down the drain.

  “She’s not a bimbo! Faith is nice and a good actress,” he nodded.

  “I’m sure she’s nice, she was there when you needed someone. It’s a rebound thing and you’re wallowing in it. Clinging to it is lying to her and yourself.”

  I didn’t know how to talk with Danny like this but I had to try. It felt a bit hypocritical since I was divorced, but I wasn’t saying to stay or to get out. That sort of advice always came back to bite you in the ass.

  “I got out of my marriage because Todd’s career ran everything. I loved him and life can’t always be equal, but without compromise it’d never last. Sonia would be thrilled if you succeeded. You need to get your life together and get your career on track.”

  “Without a job? Without Sonia? How?” he asked.

  “Sonia says soaps are fading out of popularity, so you go out and find something else. Be happy. I don’t know much about marriage but it’s not supposed to be a competition. You need to be her biggest fan, not a jealous jerk.”

  “She called me that?” he asked.

  “I did.” I went into the fridge and grabbed some orange juice and poured it into a plastic glass. “Sober up and answer one question for me.”

  “Until you drop in again to intimidate me? I asked my agent and lawyer and no one hired anyone to stalk Sonia. They’d never do that.” Danny’s frustration level amped up.

  “Unless you asked them to,” I finished.

  He threw the glass of OJ at the sliding door. “They didn’t.”

  I moved in on him to show no fear.

  “Good, now tell me if you did something else. Maybe you got drunk one afternoon and did
something stupid?” I asked.

  Danny threw his hands in the air and then grabbed the carton of OJ from me and it followed the glass. “I cheated, okay? I admit it.”

  I showed no reaction to his fits. Having a rage-aholic father left me immune to male tantrums. “We’ve already established that. Did you take Fluffy?”

  He frowned. “The dog? No, I can’t have pets here and Sonia will probably get custody of the dog too. It’s her baby. Why?”

  “Fluffy was taken.” Danny couldn’t afford to kill off more brain cells.

  “Taken?” He stood but wobbled.

  “Someone snatched the poodle from the backyard while men were working on the security system. You don’t know anything about it?” I looked into his blurry eyes.

  “No, she didn’t call me. She’ll be safer with a security system. I should’ve had one put in but she loved having the windows open.” He shook his head. “You think I took the dog?”

  “I have to ask.”

  “You do, do you?” His anger built up again.

  “Me or the police. You want to be a tabloid suspect?”

  “I didn’t take my own dog because I wouldn’t hurt Sonia like that. I’ve hurt her enough for one lifetime.” Danny opened a cabinet and grabbed a bottle.

  I moved closer and got a look at the label. Aspirin. That was a relief as long as he didn’t swallow the whole bottle. “Good, I’m glad to hear it. Anyone you know might want to hurt Sonia? Who’d know what taking the dog would do to her?”

  He fumbled with the bottle. “No. Hell, Hel! Everyone knew she loved that dog. Fluffy was tame. Anyone could pick her up. We made sure she was gentle because Sonia wanted kids.”

  Now I’d started to feel sorry for them both. I grabbed the bottle from him and opened it. Shaking out two pills, I handed them over and closed up the bottle.

  “You need to grow up, Danny—you’re not teenagers anymore. High school drama and theatrics are good TV but that’s not how you solve real problems of any kind. I think we both agree that Sonia’s safety is the most important thing.”

  “I need to sleep this off but I’ll help look for Fluffy tomorrow.” He swallowed the pills with some water.