Hollywood Murder by M. Z. Kelly

Author:M. Z. Kelly [Kelly, M. Z.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 26842662
Publisher: Kingston Roads Press
Published: 2015-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-NINE

“Buster?” I said, referencing what Oz had said earlier, as Leo drove Bernie and me to Trousdale Estates.

He chuckled. “A childhood nickname that I unfortunately didn’t have the good sense to lose when I went to work for the department. Only Ozzie and a couple of others still use it.”

I smiled, grateful that the pain reliever I’d taken was finally working. “I like it.” I glanced at him. “Makes me think of your mama calling out to you as a kid, ‘Buster, time for dinner!’”

He met my eyes as his voice pitched higher. “It was more like, ‘Buster, what kinda trouble you been in now, boy?’”

“Really? You don’t seem the type to get into a lot of trouble.”

“Most of it was pretty tame, but mama didn’t let me get away with much.”

“What about your dad?”

His smile waned. “Haven’t seen him since I was about eight. Not even sure if he’s still alive.”

“That’s a shame.”

“He made me a better man.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Some people learn by bad examples. I guess I’m one of them. Him not being around made me a better dad and grandpa.”

What he’d said made me think about what my love-dad had said about a gift being left behind where there is loss. Leo then changed the subject, asking me about Buck.

I took a breath and ran a hand through my short hair, trying not to think about Jessica’s earlier comments about my new hairdo. “We were involved at one time.” I glanced at him. “I’m not sure how it’s going to go working with him.”

Leo took a moment before responding, driving through the tree-lined streets of Beverly Hills. “It’s like most things that are difficult. You put them in a box and walk away.” He met my eyes. “You’ll find a way to deal with it.”

“I hope so.”

After announcing ourselves at the front gate to the Montreal estate, we were let inside. A servant led us to a sunroom where Henry Montreal was studying a small mound of paperwork in front of him.

Our host nodded toward some chairs for us to take seats, not bothering with greetings. “If this is going to be another lecture about what went wrong yesterday, I don’t want to hear it.” He turned away, sipping his coffee and looking through his paperwork.

“We just want to talk about how things go from here,” Leo said. “At some point, you’re going to be contacted again.”

He tossed a couple of papers he had in his hand on the stack and looked at Leo. “I’ve got the money, so they gotta deal with me. I’d say that still leaves me in the driver’s seat.”

My eyes bore into him. “You might be in the driver’s seat, but you need to cooperate with us. The only way we’re going to get your family back is if we all work together.”

“Consider me a team player, then.” He stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a meeting in Los Angeles.”

Leo and I also stood. “Just make sure there are no surprises this time,” I said.

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