Текст книги "Directing Disaster"
Автор книги: Kate Kane
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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 11 страниц)
Chapter 20
dead is dead
It was close to 9:00 p.m. when Jess followed Ben into the Overland Park police headquarters. She’d been there a month ago, but she’d only been as far as the lobby, while her mother was questioned by Detectives Crane and Hunter in the murder investigation of Carol Anne Woods. Carol Anne was an ex-girlfriend of Ben’s; and Lane had found her, dead, in the bathroom at The Club. Jess and her mother had gone to The Club, expecting to have a quiet lunch; but Lane went into the Ladies’ room and found Carol Anne lying on the floor.
The Parker kids had dug into everything they could find about Carol Anne. They’d discovered that she had returned to Kansas City to ask Ben’s brother, Tony, to be a sperm donor for her. That day in the parking garage at the mall, everything had fallen into place, and Jess had deduced that Lila killed Carol Anne thinking she wanted Ben to father the child. Lila had been the last woman Ben dated before he and Lane got together. They’d only dated very briefly, but Lila had been having trouble letting go.
As fate would have it, Lila had been the detective assigned to the case; and the minute Lane had said Ben’s name, Lila had decided to pin the murder on Lane. Lila had seen a set of golf clubs she had recognized as her own in Lane’s garage and had gotten a warrant to search for them. The search had been unsuccessful for two reasons. First, the Parker kids, who were planning to play golf that day, had moved them into Jake’s truck the night before the search warrant was executed. Since Jake didn’t live at home, his vehicle was excluded from the search. Secondly, during the search, Lane had produced a receipt for the golf clubs showing not only when she bought them, but from whom. Lila caught a break when Rochelle Jones had broken into Ben’s home and professed her undying love for him. The break-in allowed Lila to question Rochelle and to drop the murder investigation.
Jess sat in the interview room with Ben. She’d had bit parts on several cop shows, and so far, she’d always played the body. This was her first time in an interview room; unfortunately, it was for real, not for a role.
Ben looked at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here.”
Detective Hunter walked in and placed a recorder on the table. He stated the date, his name, Jess’s name, and Ben’s.
“Ms. Parker, tell me the circumstances this morning that led to the shooting of Lila Crane.”
Jess glanced at Ben. “Joey Bellini and I had just left the mall, and a man was standing by our SUV. The man began verbally assaulting me. Joey told him to stop and he stabbed Joey. I kneed the guy in the groin, smashed his head into my knee, and called 9-1-1.” She glanced at Ben again.
“Pauli Bellini, that is Dr. Bellini, arrived and attended to Joey; then you and Detective Crane arrived. The stalker thought I’d gotten married. I told him I hadn’t married anyone, but that my mother had married Ben. That’s when Lila got upset. She thought she’d broken them up. I told her that would be hard to do because Ben loves my mother and besides, they’re having a baby.” She looked at Adam Hunter. “Detective you were there. You know what I said, what she said, what she did. Do I need to go on?”
“Yes, I need a formal statement from you. Someone from the review board will probably want to talk to you too.” He held up his hand when she started to protest. “I know it’s all on video, and the video has gone viral, but please, just continue.”
“Detective Crane was upset. She said if anyone were going to have Ben’s baby it would be her. And that’s when I knew she’d killed Carol Anne Woods.”
Detective Hunter looked at her. “How did you know?”
“How could you not? Carol Anne had told her former producer, Beth Morgan, that she had come back to Kansas City, from Denver, to ask someone to be a sperm donor. She hadn’t told Beth who it was, but Carol Anne’s friend, Liza Conrad, knew it was Tony Bellini. My brothers and I found out about all of this. You and Detective Crane are cops for crying out loud. How did you not know all of this?” Jess paused and looked at Detective Hunter. Poor guy, it wasn’t totally his fault. He was probably being misguided by Lila.
“So I told Lila she’d killed Carol Anne for nothing because she, Carol Anne, wasn’t going to ask Ben to be the father. She was going to ask his brother. Okay, I know I taunted her, but I’ve been running and hiding from a crazed stalker for days now and I had just had it with the whole lunatic thing. That’s when Lila threatened to kill me, and you shot her to save me. Like you said, it’s an internet sensation.”
“How well do you know Clyde Benson?”
Jess shook her head. “Who is Clyde Benson?”
“Based on the fingerprints we found on the knife at the scene, we believe he is your stalker.”
Jess nodded. “Well, as far as I know, I had never even seen him before today. But, I’ve been running all over L.A. doing interviews and public appearances, so it’s possible, even probable, that he’s been at some of them. Someone and I assume it’s him, has been leaving me notes, gifts, and flowers for the last couple of weeks.”
“And where have you been since I saw you at the hospital and say 7:00 p.m. this evening?”
Ben held his hand up before Jess could answer. “What does that have to do with the events from this morning, Detective?”
“We found Clyde Benson this evening. He was dead with a stiletto heel protruding from his carotid artery.”
Adam opened the folder he had placed on the table earlier. He pushed two photos toward Jess.
“I believe you threatened to, let me see, how did you say it, ‘show him what a real stiletto could do’ earlier today.”
Jess looked at the photos and turned to Ben. Both had realized the shoes looked like a pair he’d gotten for her two months ago. Only Jess suspected they didn’t just look like the ones he’d gotten her, they were the ones that had disappeared from her living room. God, was it just two days ago? The fucker had stolen her shoes, and then had gotten killed with one of them. Damn it! Those were her favorite shoes, and she knew there wasn’t a shoe repair shop on earth that would be able to get that bloodstain out.
“I’ve been with my family the whole time. And, you know the paparazzi have been following me, so I’m sure someone has me on video at whatever time he was killed.”
The detective nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I figured, but I had to ask. Do you recognize the shoes, Ms. Parker?”
“I had a pair just like them, but they disappeared from my condo two days ago. I thought the stalker took them.”
“Did you report the stalker and/or the theft to the police in Los Angeles?”
Jess closed her eyes. How was she going to get this Overland Park, Kansas cop to understand her reasoning? “No. At first, he was just leaving notes for me at the places where I had personal appearances or interviews. So, there was nothing to report really. It’s not unusual for fans to do things like that. Some of the notes were almost sweet, but some were pretty vicious. Then two days ago, I returned from doing an interview and found a note on my bed. That’s why I came home. It should have been safe here. But completely by accident, there were paparazzi at the airport and they got photos of me and Joey getting on the plane. Then the paparazzi showed up here, I suppose that’s how the stalker found out where I was.”
“But that still doesn’t tell me why you didn’t report anything to the police in Los Angeles, especially after the break-in.”
“Detective Hunter, I’m not a well-known or established actress. These roles in Harts in Time are the opportunity of a lifetime for a young actress like me. It can make my career. It’s not uncommon for even a big star to be replaced in a movie at this stage. We don’t start principal filming until late next month. I didn’t want the producers to think I’m too much trouble. I guess that ship’s sailed after the incident today though. In fact I’m surprised my agent isn’t already blowing up my phone.”
As if talking about Jeremy Comstead had conjured him, Jess’s cell phone rang. She looked at Detective Hunter. “I really should answer this. You know and just get it over with.” She knew she was going to be fired, and it was like taking bad tasting medicine. You should do it fast and all at once, then chase it with something good like pudding or ice cream. But don’t ever crush it up and put it in pudding, because all you’ve done then is ruin perfectly good pudding.
Chapter 21
that makes no sense at all
She stood and walked away from the table where Detective Hunter and Ben still sat. “Jer?”
“Jess, holy crap. Why didn’t you tell me you had your very own stalker? My God, that puts you in the same class as Orlando, Alec, and Uma. And why didn’t you ever tell me you could kick someone’s ass? That puts you with Angelina, Scarlett, and Jennifer.”
“I didn’t want the producers to fire me because of the stalker. I guess kicking ass just never came up. So, am I fired?”
“Fired? No. Not just no. Hell No! My God, you’re the hottest thing in L.A. right now. Offers and scripts have been rolling in all day. The producers are talking about sweetening the Harts deal to keep you exclusive until all three of the movies are in the can. They’re even talking about filming all three of them at once, the way Lord of the Rings was done, so you can be free to pursue all of the other offers that are rolling in. We seriously need to talk, when are you going to be back in L.A.?”
Offers and scripts were rolling in because of the scene in the parking garage? Huh, life was strange, and Hollywood life was even stranger.
“There are some things here I need to do. By the way, the stalker’s name is Clyde Benson and he was killed today.” She glanced at Detective Hunter. “I’ll come back Sunday night if the police will let me leave. I’ll call you tomorrow with more details.” She ended the call and walked back to the table.
She looked from Ben to the Detective. “Is there anything else, Detective or am I free to leave?”
“I need a formal statement. I’ll get you a pad and pen. Then just write it down and sign it.” Adam left the room and Jess looked at Ben.
“Is this all normal?”
“Yeah, pretty much. This is the way it goes. What did your agent say?”
She laughed. “It seems I’m the hottest thing in Hollywood right now. He said scripts and offers are rolling in and the producers are talking about filming the whole three movie series at the same time. That will probably mean more time in Europe than I’d originally planned, but I won’t know what’s going on until I get back there.”
Ben shook his head thinking, California is a totally different world.
“So, that’s a good thing, right? And the other good news is that we don’t need to stay at Uncle Sal’s. I’m going to call your mother and let her know we can all go home.”
He stepped away from the table and pulled out his phone. He had left Lane with Jamie, knowing they were going to Jake’s house to wait for Jess and himself.
“Red? We’re almost finished here.” He realized they hadn’t talked about whether they’d live at his house or hers after the wedding. His house was larger. It made sense to him that they’d move in with him. At least until the new house he was having built was finished. He’d gotten plans drawn up before he’d proposed; and as soon as she’d said yes, he’d had the builder break ground. He hadn’t told her about it; but to his way of thinking, they needed a lot more bedrooms than he had now. That was especially true with the baby on the way.
“Let’s stay at my house for now. Are you okay with that?”
Lane laughed. “Ben, the boys and I were just talking about where we’d live. Your house has twice the square footage. It seems like a no brainer. Jamie and I will meet you there. I love you, we’ll see you soon.”
As promised, Detective Hunter returned with the legal pad and pen. He smiled as he handed them to Jess. “If you could leave out the editorializing about me being stupid, I’d appreciate it.”
Jess smiled back. “I never thought it was your fault. I figure you were just being misled by Lila,” she said as she began writing her statement.
Ben called Pauli to find out how Joey was and to let him know that his family would be staying there. He smiled. His family. The Parkers were his family. He wondered if that made him an honorary Parker, or if they were all Bellinis now. Not that it mattered. Either way, they were his.
“Pauli, you at the house or the hospital?”
“I’m just leaving the hospital. Joey’s with me. He was doing fine and they were going to release him tomorrow anyway. He didn’t want to spend the night there.”
“Lane and Jamie are on their way to the house. Jess and I will be there shortly.”
Ben was glad his house had five bedrooms. They were going to need every one of them tonight. He had spent a portion of the early evening arranging to have cars retrieved and delivered. Joey and Jess had been driving Lane’s Escalade, which had been left at the mall, as had Pauli’s BMW. He’d had Lane’s SUV towed to his house and Pauli’s BMW was delivered to the hospital. The Escalade had Lane’s suitcase in it. Crap, it also had Joey’s duffle and the packages from the stalker. Joey hadn’t opened them. Ben knew he was going to have to hand them over to Detective Hunter, but there was nothing to say that he couldn’t look them over first.
Jess finished writing her statement and handed the pad back to the Detective.
Adam took it and said, “We’ll have it printed up and ready for you to sign in the morning.”
Jess knew Ben was going to be in court tomorrow, she couldn’t imagine she needed a lawyer with her just to sign the statement.
Adam walked them to the lobby. They left the building and got into Ben’s Lincoln Navigator.
“I can have Daniella go with you tomorrow. Uncle Sal and I will be in court. You shouldn’t need a lawyer, but I’d feel better if she is with you. She doesn’t practice criminal law, but she’ll still keep them from doing anything stupid.”
Jess was tired. She hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep for days and now that the stalker was dead, maybe she could finally get some sleep. She leaned her head against the window. “Whatever you think is best.”
“Joey’s out of the hospital. Pauli’s bringing him home,” Ben said as he pulled into his driveway. He had a three car attached garage and a two car detached garage, yet his driveway still resembled a used car lot. Jamie’s truck and Pauli’s BMW were in the drive. He’d had Lane’s SUV put in the third bay of the attached garage, and he pulled the Navigator into the middle bay.
They went into the house and found everyone in the hearth room. For tonight, Ben hoped everyone could just grab a room, and they’d sort out which room Jamie wanted to claim for his own tomorrow. Jess could choose one too, but since she wasn’t in Kansas much, he thought Jamie should probably get first choice. He gave his head a slight shake; he shouldn’t worry about it. The Parker kids would work things out without him. Joey had snagged a room two days ago, Pauli had grabbed one last night, and Jamie had already claimed his room. Leaving Jess with no real choice.
There were crutches leaning against the sofa arm next to where Joey sat. Jess looked from him to the crutches and back. “Why the hell aren’t you in bed?”
“Just waiting to be sure you’re all right,” Joey said. He looked tired.
“I didn’t get stabbed.”
Joey looked at her hand. “No, I guess you didn’t.”
No, she hadn’t been stabbed, but she’d cut her hand and Pauli had said she’d gotten stitches. God, Ben was right. She really was five feet four inches of intense.
Joey got up. “I’ll just go to my room then.”
He grabbed the crutches and started toward his bedroom, with Jess hot on his trail. He turned to close the door and found her standing in the doorway. God, he’d underestimated that little twerp today, had gotten himself stabbed and had endangered her in the process. He felt bad enough. What did she want?
She walked to the bed and pulled back the covers. “The slime ball’s dead. Someone stabbed him in the carotid with one of my shoes. You know anything about it, wise guy?”
Joey sat down on the bed. “No. Remember, I was in the hospital, but I can’t say I’m gonna lose any sleep over it. How did someone get one of your shoes?”
“Remember when I said something was gone? It was my favorite pair of shoes. Ben gave them to me last August. Apparently, Clyde stole them and whoever killed him used my shoe to do it.”
Joey shook his head. God, he needed a pain pill. “Your shoes? I’m not buying you any shoes.”
Jess glared at him. “What are you talking about? No one asked you to buy me any shoes.”
“When you said something was gone I told you whatever it was I’d buy you two, but I’m not buying you shoes. That seems to be Pauli’s and Ben’s area. I’m not part of the Jess Parker shoe club.”
She looked at him and slapped the fingers of her stitched left hand into the palm of her right hand the way she’d seen Ben do last month to get Pauli’s attention. “You big dumb Pisano, I don’t want you to buy me shoes.” She leaned in and kissed him. “You scared me half to death. Don’t do it again.” Then she turned and walked out of the room.
Chapter 22
the defense rests
Ben got up at 5:30 in the morning. His normal exercise routine included a morning run of five or ten miles, depending more on his mood than anything else. He needed a 10 mile run this morning. He’d spent two nights in bed with his wife, listening to her moan in her sleep. He hadn’t made love to Lane in weeks now, and while he loved the sound of her moans, he preferred to be the reason for them. He needed to finish this trial and get to see her doctor. She’d tried to convince him making love wouldn’t hurt the baby, but until he heard it from her doctor, he wasn’t taking any chances. He loved her more than life itself, and now she was carrying his baby. There was no sacrifice too great to make in exchange for the lives of his wife and his child.
As he ran, he thought about the trial. He had three, maybe four more witnesses to call. With any luck, they’d be making closing statements this afternoon. One of his expert witnesses was an OB, but he wouldn’t dream of asking anyone but Lane’s doctor about her condition and their sex life.
It took him less than an hour to run 10 miles. He got back to the house and found Jamie in the kitchen. Jamie was a senior in high school, he played football, and it seemed like he was constantly eating. “Hey, Bambino. You’re up early.” Ben grabbed a bottle of water and took a long drink.
Jamie smiled. “Not really. I’m an early riser. I hope it’s okay, I used the weight room.”
Ben put the empty water bottle into the recycling bin. “As of two days ago, this is your home. My weight room is your weight room. You don’t have to worry about or ask about using anything. I’m heading there now. What time do you leave for school?”
“I’ll leave around 7:30. If I don’t see you before I leave, good luck in court.”
“Thanks, Bambino. I’ll be wrapping up today. And, no matter what we’ll all be at the game tonight. Call me if you need anything. You can call the office, even if I’m in court, they’ll get word to me.”
Ben went to the basement and into the weight room. Rain, snow, or shine, he ran every morning and then he used the weight room for strength training. He went through his reps and went to the master suite to shower. He paused and watched Lane as she slept. She was so beautiful, and if it was possible, she seemed even more beautiful now. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, or if pregnant women really did have a glow about them. He closed the bathroom door so he wouldn’t disturb her as he showered and dressed. When he was dressed and ready to go, he bent and kissed her cheek as she slept.
She opened her eyes. “I love you,” she murmured.
“I love you,” Ben replied. “Go back to sleep. I’ll call when I have a break.”
Jamie had been gone when Ben came back from the weight room. He seemed to be the only one of the Parkers who was a morning person. Ben went into the den and grabbed his brief case. He went into the garage and checked Lane’s SUV. All of the bags were gone from the cargo area. He’d have to call Joey later and find out what he could about the packages.
He and Uncle Sal were in the courtroom when it was called to order at nine o’clock. Ben called his next witness. An expert in fetal abductions who testified that since 1987, there had been 13 other fetal abduction cases in the United States. In every case, the abductor was a woman who wanted a child. In many cases, the abductor befriended the pregnant woman, and in the final weeks of her pregnancy, she killed the mother and abducted the baby. In all but three cases, the child lived and in one case the mother had also survived.
Ben called the Paramedic, who had been the first responder, to the stand. He confirmed that Senator Harold was holding the baby when he arrived, and that the only blood on the senator was from the baby.
Next, he called the coroner who explained that based on the angle, the cut to Amelia Harold’s abdomen had been made by someone using their left hand.
Then, he called Senator Harold’s assistant, Tiffany Algers, to the stand. Tiffany was 32 years old, and Ben’s investigator had discovered that she’d been having an affair with the good Senator. She was left handed.
“State your name, age and profession for the record.”
“Tiffany Elise Algers, 32. I am Senator Eric Harold’s executive assistant.”
“How long have you held that position, Miss Algers?”
“I’ve been with Eric for almost two years.”
“How would you characterize your relationship with Senator Harold?”
“I’m his assistant.”
“And does that position require you to travel with the Senator?”
“Yes.”
“Do you travel alone with the Senator?”
“Yes, on occasion.”
“How would you characterize your relationship with Amelia Harold?”
“We were close.”
“In fact, you were helping her decorate the nursery, isn’t that true?”
“Yes.”
“How long had you and Eric been lovers?
“For the last six months … I mean no we aren’t lovers.”
“Which is it, Miss Algers? Remember you’re under oath. Lying on the stand is a felony.”
The Senator put his head in his hands.
“Yes, we became lovers over the course of the past year. Amelia was so moody from the pregnancy hormones.”
Ben handed her a photo.
“Is this a photo of you, Miss Algers?”
“Yes.”
“It shows you signing something with your left hand. Are you left handed?”
“Yes.” Her eyes were darting back and forth, looking around the court room, looking for someone to save her.
“Remember you’re under oath. Did you kill Amelia Harold and attempt to steal her baby?”
Ben didn’t wait for her response. “Did you leave the baby on the bed and run out of the back of the house when you heard Senator Harold come into the house?”
Tiffany Algers was crying. “I loved you,” she said looking at the Senator. “You wouldn’t leave her because of the baby.”
Ben looked at the Judge. “May we approach Your Honor?”
He, Uncle Sal, and the Prosecutor approached the bench.
“In light of Miss Alger’s testimony, I move for a dismissal.”
“Granted. Bailiff, please take Miss Algers into custody. The Jury is dismissed with the State’s thanks. Senator, you’re free to go.”
Ben walked back to the defense table and looked at Eric Harold. He had been cleared, but his political career probably couldn’t be salvaged. Then again, who knew these days? After all, he’d been a victim in this; and with the right spin, maybe he’d come out just fine.
Ben looked at Uncle Sal as he packed his briefcase. “You heard the stalker was killed yesterday?”
Salvatore Luciano looked at his nephew. “Sì, ho sentito il crazy uomo è morto.” He raised his eyebrows. “E la bambina è sicuro. L'angelo e sicuri.”
“Yes, my family is safe.”
Kansas City had a reputation for being a mob town. Ben’s mother and uncles came from Sicily. He had heard the rumors for years that the Bellinis and the Lucianos were ‘mobbed up’. God, in some circles the name Luciano was enough proof. Charles “Lucky” Luciano had been one of the most infamous mob bosses in American history. This conversation was the closest thing he’d ever had that could indicate there was anything shady going on with his family. But, lawyers never ask a question they don’t already know the answer to, and they never ask if their client is guilty. Ben closed his briefcase and turned to leave.
He stopped and faced Sal. “We’re going to have a reception tomorrow night at Papa’s. We’d be honored if you and Uncle Vinnie would come.”
