I mentored at CTA. But did I want her dead? Of course not. I turned that girl into a star.”
“That wasn’t her doing?” Jessie wondered.
“Without question. But I played a role in it. And I’m ashamed to admit that part of me hoped this film would tank so that she’d leave CTA and come back to me with her tail between her legs.”
“She doesn’t strike me as the type to do that,” Jessie noted.
“No,” Reinhold conceded. “It was only wishful thinking. Over the years, Corinne became so arrogant and demanding, I’m not sure she knew any other way to be anymore. Even as the quality of the jobs she got declined, she continued to act as if she was the same star she’d been a decade ago. To be honest, there were times when I thought about firing her, if only—”
Jessie completed his thought for him.
“If only she didn’t have proof that you set up an elaborate system to sell young actresses to lecherous older men?” she mused unforgivingly.
Reinhold sat silently for several seconds. When he finally spoke, his voice was so soft she had to lean in to hear him.
“I didn’t kill her. I would never. Even if it had occurred to me, I just don’t have the energy. Besides, I wasn’t anywhere near Sovereign Studios last night.”
“Where were you?” Trembley asked.
“I spent the evening with Hilda.”
“Who’s Hilda?” Trembley pressed.
“Mrs. Portis. We’re friendly.”
“Can you prove that?” Trembley asked with his nose scrunched up.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“If you must know, there’s video.”
Jessie quickly departed the room, leaving Trembley to handle that revelation on his own. The thought of Phil Reinhold and Mrs. Portis recording themselves in a moment of passion wasn’t one she wanted to conjure up. But weirdly, it did conjure up an unexpected emotion: envy.
She had to get to the hospital. She had to see Ryan.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I think I’m going to head out for the night.”
It was 5:22 p.m. and they were wrapping up at the station, where they’d booked Reinhold for destruction of evidence. The hospital was a ten-minute drive away and visiting hours ended at six. Depending on the duty nurse, that rule was either a friendly guideline or set in stone. She didn’t want to take any chances.
“We should update Captain Decker first, don’t you think?” Trembley suggested helpfully.
Not wanting to explain the reason for the quick exit and face the detective’s pitying eyes, she nodded in agreement.
“Let’s make it fast though. I’ve got a surly stepsister to raise.”
They were walking to Decker’s office when they ran into him in the hall.
“I was just coming to find you two,” he said. “Solve the case yet?”
Despite his wry tone, Jessie could sense a hint of desperation underneath. She knew he was short-handed and that quick resolution on a high-profile case would be a huge relief. She felt bad that they didn’t have better news.
“Not quite,” Trembley admitted. “But we do have some developments. Should we go to your office?”
“Actually, the air conditioning in there is acting up. It’s pushing ninety-five degrees. Let’s talk in the courtyard.”
They went outside and found a shady bench under a large tree in the center of the courtyard. No one actually sat down. Despite the shade and the slowly fading sun, it was still easily ninety. Decker rested his hand on the tree trunk, looking at them with unenthused expectation. He seemed even more shrunken and weathered than usual.
“Where are we at?” he asked.
Trembley dove in. Jessie, distracted as the seconds ticked by, was happy to let him do it. He summarized the Reinhold interview, including the pimping out of actresses and the drive with the list of Hollywood johns.
“He’s pretty slimy,” Trembley concluded, “but I don’t think either Jessie or I believe he’s our guy. It’s hard to imagine him having the physical wherewithal to attack her. And it looks like he may have a solid alibi. But if that list is legit, we could have a brand new pool of potential suspects. Half of Hollywood might be on it. Anyone who knew she had it is worth looking at. And if that was the motive, Reinhold could be in danger too. Someone might want to shut him up”
“Have you seen the list?” Decker asked.
“Tech is trying to crack it for us now,” Jessie volunteered. “We’ll probably ask Detective Bray from Hollywood Station to help us vet it once we have a list of names. But even after we get it, we have another problem. It doesn’t make total sense for that to