If Hooks Could Kill

CHAPTER 24


“I’ve got another suspect. You have to tell Heather to check him out,” I said as I rushed into the room. I was intent on grabbing my jacket since Mason was waiting for me outside in the car, but when I saw Barry I couldn’t resist blurting out my new finding. Barry was sitting in the den watching some sports game and it took a moment for what I’d said to register. He turned down the volume and asked me to repeat myself.

“Heather has to talk to North Adams.” I told him how all along Adams had known Kelly. “Isn’t it suspicious that Adams never admitted to knowing her?”

Barry put his hand up. “Do you think Heather is really going to go after some A-list actor on your say-so? Molly, she’s got her person of interest.”

“Fine, I’ll just have to take care of it myself.” I started to leave the room and saw that Barry was right behind me.

“Where were you?” he said. “I stopped by the bookstore—Jeffrey needed something,” he added a little too quickly. “No one seemed to know where you were.”

I hesitated. We were just ships passing in the kitchen or in this case the den and I didn’t need to explain to Barry, but then I didn’t need to keep it from him, either. “I was in Santa Barbara with Mason.” I moved down the hall toward my closet with Barry on my tail. I noticed there was just the slightest hint of a limp. Was it real or for sympathy? “I just stopped home to get a jacket. Mason’s waiting for me outside. We’re going to grab a bite.”

“Then you don’t have time for tea now? Maybe later,” he said expectantly.

“No. And you better not wait for me. I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” I said. I couldn’t believe it, but as soon as the words were out of my mouth Barry’s blank cop face crumbled.

“I hate working regular hours,” he grumbled as he went back to the TV.

Once I got back outside, Mason leaned over and opened the passenger door. The hot day had turned into a cool evening and I was glad to have the cotton shawl to wrap around my shoulders. After the day with Jaimee, both of us needed some peace. A noisy restaurant didn’t sound appealing. As usual, Mason had come up with a perfect solution. Le Grande Fromage had been closing up for the night and we’d gotten the last croissants, some slices of cheese, fruit salad and their trademark chopped lettuce salad. Mason had picked out some bottled drinks from their cooler and we’d gotten utensils and plenty of napkins.

“Who said you can only have picnics during the day?” Mason said. He turned onto Reseda toward the mountains. A short drive later he pulled into the empty parking lot for the Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park. Mason had picked up a couple of lawn chairs and a small table from his house and he unloaded them and set them up. I brought out the food and drinks. Behind us the Santa Monica Mountains loomed in the darkness and a panoramic view of the twinkling lights of the San Fernando Valley spread before us. In the far distance the massive San Gabriel Mountains marked the end of the open area.

Jaimee hadn’t been happy with either of us by the time we dropped her off. They still didn’t have a location for Thursday’s wedding and they hadn’t been able to agree on anything at Rexford’s studio as a gift. Mason had voted for the suit of armor and Jaimee wanted to get an armoire using a door from a monastery. She was irritated at me for just being there.

Mason held up his bottle of soda to make a toast. “To the end of an exhausting day.”

A breeze glided along the ground with a hint of ocean. It was amazing how the wind could wind its way through the mountains and surprise you with some cool damp air. The crickets chirped and a distant cry of a coyote reminded us we were in the wild. Mason tapped me and pointed up. Something with a big wing span sailed above us.

“An owl,” Mason said. It was soundless as it landed on a tree, waiting for its dinner to show up.

All the kinks of the day began to unravel as we ate and enjoyed the view.

“Did you see the detective when you stopped home?” Mason asked. I told him about Barry’s reaction to telling Detective Heather about North Adams.

“I was hoping she’d take over,” I said. Mason nodded. He knew why. North Adams was represented by my son. Peter would have a fit if he thought I was harassing his client. I was afraid he’d rather a murderer go free than upset such a big moneymaker for the talent agency.

For a moment there was silence and Mason turned toward me, appearing uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, sunshine, but I can’t help you with Adams. He’s a client of the law firm and I don’t think the partners would be too happy if I was investigating him.”

I told Mason I understood.

“What are you going to do?” Mason asked.

“I’ll think of something,” I said and Mason chuckled.

“I figured you would say that.”


* * *

The next afternoon, Dinah and I met in the yarn department of the bookstore. It wasn’t an organized meeting time for the Hookers. It was our personal meet up to talk and work on our projects for the street fair booth. I had already told her about North and my dilemma and we’d come up with a plan.

I had hoped that Adele would be there and she didn’t disappoint. Lately, it seemed she was always hunched in the corner, working on perfecting the bullion stitch.

Beyond us the bookstore was slow, and I assumed the production company people were all busy working. Even the café was quiet, and I hadn’t had to wait for my red eye.

I asked Adele how it was going. She moved her arm so I could see her work. She was still struggling to get her hook through the multiwraps of yarn. “You can’t tell anyone how much trouble I’m having with this stitch. I’m supposed to be the expert, the go-to person for anything crochet.” She dropped her work in disgust. Then she pulled out a bright orange cowl and began working on it. Crocheting something she could handle easily made a huge difference in her demeanor.

“So how’s your investigation going?” I asked. I was surprised to see Adele’s expression falter.

“Eric thinks I shouldn’t pursue being a sleuth. He says one coplike person in a couple is enough.”

“What do you think about it?” Dinah said. “I have never thought of you as being a give-in-to-your-man type.”

Adele sat a little straighter. “You know that’s what I was thinking.” She turned to me. “You’re lucky, nobody cares what you do. I guess that’s how it goes when you don’t have a boyfriend in law enforcement.”

“Do you ever think about what you’re saying?” Dinah asked. Adele gave Dinah a blank look.

“Did I say something wrong?” Adele looked at Dinah, waiting for an answer. Dinah did her best to explain tact and thinking about how other people might have interpreted what Adele said. Adele listened but didn’t seem to understand. She turned back to me. “So, Pink, what’s up with your investigating?”

“I don’t think I should tell you about it since you’re stepping down. I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble with Eric.” Adele fell for it and begged me to tell her what was up. Finally I told her what I’d found out about North Adams, and my dilemma.

“No problem for moi,” she said pointing at herself in a theatrical manner. “I don’t have any connection to North to mess up.” She knit her brows and jiggled her head as if she was having an inner conversation. “I don’t care what Eric said. I have to take over—in the name of justice.”

I was hoping she’d say something like that. “All you’d have to do is question him, but make it seem like you’re just talking to him,” I said.

“I know what to do, Pink. I have my ways to get a man to talk.” She waved her hands in a way I think was meant to demonstrate a flirtatious move, but it came off like she was doing some kind of weird hand dance. I rolled my eyes. What choice did I have?

Dinah had taken out some soft pink organic cotton yarn. Despite Adele’s efforts to get everyone to make cowls for the sale, Dinah was sticking to washcloths and making them in all different patterns. In the end, she was going to wrap each one around a small bar of scented soap and tie it with a lavender flower.

I had brought out the off-white cowl I kept there and started to work on it.

Adele was happily working on her cowl now and I had to nudge her to get her to tell me her plan.

“I don’t know why you want to talk to him. Why not take some kind of action?” she said.

“All you have to do is ask him if it’s true that he and Kelly had an affair. If he says no, you tell him you have it on good authority that they did and then ask him why he’s not admitting he knows her,” I said.

Adele snorted. “I don’t need you to tell me what to say, or do. They’re doing a night shoot tomorrow. I’ll just go hang out with Eric and then say I want to watch. He doesn’t mind because, unlike some people, I’ve never made a scene. Then when there’s a break in shooting, I’ll move in on North.” The plan was, as soon as she talked to North, she’d come to Dinah’s and fill us in, and we’d decide how to proceed.

Her last words were, “So I should stay out of the crime fighting business, huh? I don’t think so.” She picked up her things and went to the children’s department.

“I never thought I’d be grateful for Adele’s help,” I said to Dinah.

“Maybe you better wait until it’s mission accomplished before you speak,” Dinah said, giving me a knowing nod.