Catherine Coulter - Born To Be Wild

“What did Detective Vasquez think about it?”

“He wishes you’d told him earlier. I remembered you’d worked with a police artist so he dug out the sketch of the guy from the studio, brought it over to me yesterday since you weren’t back in town yet. He wants me to show it to you again.”

Mary Lisa raised an eyebrow. “You saw Detective Vasquez again yesterday?”

Lou Lou huffed into her Diet Dr Pepper. “Chrysler, Mary Lisa, I’ve got a life, he’s got a life. I don’t shut myself in a suitcase when you’re not around.”

“I didn’t mean that, it’s-”

“Yeah, I know. It sort of freaks me out a little bit too. Me, Lou Lou Bollinger-the five-earringed rebel-with a cop.” Lou Lou picked up her small, expensive leather bag with its long shoulder strap and opened it up. “Here’s the police sketch. Take a look.”

Mary Lisa stared down at the face of the man she hadn’t thought about for a good many months, not even in an occasional dream. She looked down at the fleshy face with wide-set dark eyes, the light brown hair covered by a baseball cap, remembered his belly hanging over the wide belt of his blue jeans, and slowly nodded. “As best as I can remember, that looks like him. I only saw him clearly that one time when I caught him off guard.”

“I remember. You and I went into Barneys and you remembered you’d left the blouse you were returning in the car. You walked right out and there he was, lurking by your car.”

“He took off when he saw me. You know, as I think back, he looked a bit older than he does here, maybe late forties. If I hadn’t frozen, I probably could have caught up with him. He wasn’t in good shape.”

“I’m glad you froze. That would have been way too dangerous. Danny will deal with it now. And he’ll make sure old Puker is put behind bars, all cozy with a new boyfriend, if we’re lucky. I hope there’s a big bubba in residence at the sheriff ’s lockup who can fill the role. Now, it’s your turn. Tell me more about the guy you met in Goddard Bay this weekend.”

“Guy? Why would you say that?”

“Give me a break, Mary Lisa. Look at you, you’re smiling too much, you’re bouncing around, you were chatty with Candy even after she rooster-tailed your hair this morning.”

Mary Lisa touched her fingers to the fan of hair. “Hmm. It’s not too bad, is it? I have no idea how she did it. Do you know what amazes me? Sunday’s rich. She’s got people cleaning her mansion, draining her swimming pool, mowing her grounds-not just a simple yard, but grounds-chauffeuring her around in her big cars. She’s even got a sexy male secretary and an English houseman who’s her confidant. But she doesn’t seem to have a hair stylist or a manicurist or a personal shopper-yet every day she’s dressed like a fashion plate and her hair looks like it’s been styled by a magician.”

Lou Lou patted her knee. “It’s Hollywood, sweetie, magic land. As for your hair, it looks nice since you went into your dressing room and calmed it down. Don’t worry, it’s just fine, as usual.”

Mary Lisa looked deep into the plastic container. One more beef cube. “Don’t forget I hate you for eating like that, Lou Lou.”

Lou Lou laughed at her around a big bite of steak sandwich. “Don’t whine, Mary Lisa, you gotta suffer for the big bucks, it’s only fair. Now, out with it. Tell me all the dirt in Goddard Bay. Tell me about this dishy guy. Does he have a great butt?”

“What is all this sudden interest on everyone’s part about guys’ butts?”

Lou Lou said, “Well, Danny has a great butt, I guess he got me focused on them again. It’s been a long dry spell.”

“Cops don’t have butts, Lou Lou. They have guns and handcuffs. They’re not supposed to be sex objects. They’re supposed to be the neck-ripping rottweilers who are protecting me. How can I focus on Detective Vasquez catching this guy if you get me thinking about his butt?”

“Yeah, okay, leave that to me. Now, about this guy in Goddard Bay?”

“Well, there could have been a dishy guy up there but it isn’t possible now.”

“You going to tell me why?”

Mary Lisa shrugged. “His name’s John Goddard-from the clan of the original Goddard who established the town back in the 1850s. He’s the local district attorney. The thing is, though, he broke up with my younger sister, Kelly, early last week. She claims she kissed him off, but she didn’t sound too convincing; in fact it was the other way around although John didn’t say a word. So I called it off, told him we could only be friends. No way am I going to do to her what Monica did to me. No way.”

Lou Lou grunted. “That’s a bummer, but you know what? I guess I’d do the same thing. A sister is a sister, after all, even though you’ve told me all about Kelly. Another thing, that guy’s a gentleman, and the good Lord knows they’re as rare as the great auk. I’m impressed. Now, about Kelly-”

“I know, I know. It’s complicated, Lou Lou. Do you know, I’m actually worried about Kelly. I think she might have really fallen for him. He’s up to his eyeballs now in a local murder case, along with the local chief of police, an honest-to-God rottweiler whose name is Jack Wolf. John told me he was going to tell Jack Wolf about this stuff down here. I should probably call him, see how the murder case is going.” Mary Lisa sighed, popped the last beef cube into her mouth, and leaned back against the park bench again.

“Which one? The rottweiler or the D.A.?”

“The D.A. Okay, Lou Lou, maybe I’ve said too much about Kelly, shot off my mouth. The thing is, she talks tough, but she’s vulnerable right now, kind of young for her age, you know?”

“From what you’ve told me over the years, she sounds like she’s a self-centered little goomba.”

“Goomba? Well, maybe. I found out quite by accident she was married to this guy I hadn’t even known about. Didn’t last long. She moved back into my parents’ house after the breakup with the D.A.”

“She’s twenty-five, right? Three years younger than you?”

Mary Lisa nodded.

“If you ask me, she and your mom deserve each other. We definitely need to talk more about this later, Mary Lisa, I think I’m beginning to change my mind. Hey, here comes Danny. I told him we’d be here for lunch. Don’t forget to tell him about aging the nutcase from last year.”

Mary Lisa looked at Detective Daniel Vasquez with new eyes. He wasn’t all that tall, but he was slender, with dark hair and dark eyes older than his years, a swarthy complexion, and a kind smile, kicked up charmingly by a small dimple in his cheek.

“Ms. Beverly,” he said. He studied her hair a moment, said “Nice ’do,” then turned to Lou Lou.

“Sit down, Detective Vasquez,” Lou Lou said, and scooted over. He planted himself between the two women. “Here, Danny, would you like a bite of my steak sandwich?”

He eyed the baguette with sudden interest. “It’s like the one you made me yesterday?”

“Sure is, all the way to being smothered in mayo.”

He ate the last bit of the sandwich, lightly touched a napkin to his mouth, and gave his full attention to Mary Lisa. Lou Lou looked very pleased with him.

Mary Lisa said, “Detective Vasquez, I looked at the sketch. As best I can remember, it looks like the guy except I think now that he was older, maybe in his late forties. I know I didn’t mention him earlier, but I’m sure you know that just about everybody in the business has experienced something like that. Frankly I hardly remember him. It’s been a long time.”

“Stalkers and movie stars-it’s sort of like the rumba and the mambo.”

“They’re both dances?”

“No, you rarely see one without the other. Of course you’re right, Ms. Beverly-there’s a lot of fascination with actors, but we rarely see any of them hurt. Still, I’m glad Lou Lou brought him to our attention. Older, huh? I’ll have the police artist age the guy a few years. Then we may be able to put it to use, see if anyone recognizes him. By the way, the Burbank police have got Puker Hodges’s apartment staked out. It was pretty stupid of him to commit at least a couple of crimes in public, particularly now, Ms. Beverly. I can’t believe he actually thought he’d get away with it.”