Read Online Hollywood Murder by M. Z. Kelly - Free Book Online Page A

they had chosen was behind a fence and secluded, assuring that no one would be aware that a family was living in one of the rusted- out shipping containers.
    Dyer parked his car and walked over to the small trailer that was adjacent to the container. “How are things?” he asked the woman after she’d left the trailer and walked over to him.
    The attractive woman placed her arms around him and said, “All’s quiet on the western front.”
    Their lips met before Dyer took a step back and looked into her beautiful eyes. He called her Sasha. It wasn’t her real name, of course, but he liked the way it sounded. It reminded him of a spy and the fact that they were playing a high-stakes, secret game.
    “The odds must be astronomical,” Dyer said.
    “I’m sorry?
    He smiled. “The odds must be a million to one that anyone would ever suspect you would be involved in what’s happening.”
    Sasha’s blue eyes twinkled and she giggled. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

TWELVE
     
    After leaving downtown Los Angeles, Leo stopped at the Police Administration Building to drop off some paperwork. While waiting for him, I remembered that Selfie had given me a phone number for Allison Marsh’s friend Deidre Cole. I called her and, since Cole’s condo was on the way back to the station, I made arrangements to stop by and see her late in the day.
    “Is there anything new on Allison or the children?” Cole asked us after we made introductions and she showed us into her living room.
    Bernie panted at my feet as I said, “We’re actively working the case, but I’m sorry, there’s nothing new.” I gave my dog the settle command as Leo and I took seats on her sofa. “What can you tell us about Allison?”
    Deidre Cole was an attractive young woman with brown hair and sapphire eyes. Her olive skin was tanned, making me think that she either spent a lot of time by a pool or in a tanning salon. The condo where we met was a studio, small and cluttered. I got the impression that she lived alone.
    “We’ve known each other since college,” Cole told us.” She’s a sweet, kind person. What happened is such a shame.” She took a moment, trying to control her emotions before going on. “Allison’s the kind of person who only wants the best for her family.”
    I had the impression there was more she had to say, but I didn’t want to prejudice what was on her mind and asked an open-ended question. “What else can you tell us about her?”
    She twisted her hands in her lap. “She wasn’t very happy.”
    “Why is that?” Leo asked.
    “Vince.”
    He nodded. “What about him?”
    “Early in their marriage, he cheated on her. I don’t think Allison ever really trusted him after that.”
    “Do you know who he was involved with?”
    She shook her head. “No. I think maybe it was someone he met from work, but I’m not sure.”
    “What about recently?” I asked. “Did Allison think he was still cheating on her?”
    Her eyes came up to mine and she gave a slight nod. “She had her suspicions, but couldn’t prove anything.”
    “Suspicions about…”
    “Allison wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t someone to speak without the facts. I just got the impression that maybe it was someone close to her and Vince, maybe even someone they were both friends with.”
    “Did she have any other close friends that you know of, besides you?”
    “I’m not sure. Allison’s pretty private, so I don’t think there were a lot of people she confided in.”
    She told us again that Allison was a kind and caring person. When she finished I said, “Tell me something, Deidre. Do you think Vince could have been involved in the disappearance of his own family?”
    Allison’s best friend held on my eyes for a long moment. She finally said, “I don’t want to believe that, but…” She took a breath. “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
    ***
    “Henry Montreal seemed cooperative,” I told Lieutenant Oz in his office late that afternoon. “He