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For the first time since entering the office, Jessie smiled.
“I like you, Fiona.”
“Of course you do. I’m very likable.”
A second later Lenny Lander burst through the door. He was a sight to behold. Thirty-something, short, sweaty, and pale, with black hair plastered to his scalp and about thirty extra pounds, he looked more like a guy who spent most of his time in a basement than on a film set. He looked at Jessie with a mix of lasciviousness and apprehension.
“To what do I owe the honor?” he asked with ridiculous grandiosity.
“I’m Jessie Hunt. I consult for the LAPD. I need some info on one of your…actresses.”
“Looking for a date?” Lenny asked, giving a broad, toothy smile.
Under normal circumstances, Jessie would have asked to speak to the guy privately. But somehow she suspected that would be counterproductive in this case. She might get more direct answers and fewer snarky comments if Fiona was around.
“This isn’t a joke, Mr. Lander,” she said plainly. “And I suggest you stop treating it as such. I need to know everything you can tell me about the actress who goes by the name Missy Mack.”
Lenny looked only slightly tempered.
“Missy? The first thing I can tell you is she didn’t show up this morning, which really screwed up my day. I had to find a replacement girl on short notice and shoot out of sequence. It probably cost me close to eighteen hundred bucks.”
“Is that a common problem with her?” Jessie asked, deciding to hold back the reason for her absence for now.
“No. That’s why it chapped my ass so much. She’s usually on time and ready to go. I always have a girl on standby in case of no-shows. But with Melissa—that’s her real name—I got lulled into complacency because she never missed a call. So I skipped the standby this week. I should’ve known better.”
“Usually she was more professional?” Jessie asked.
“For sure,” Lenny said. “You know baseball?”
“I guess,” Jessie said, curious where this analogy was headed.
“Well, she’s like a five-tool player,” he said enthusiastically. “She can play the seductress or be demure. She knows her lines. She hits her marks. She doesn’t complain. She’s up for anything, if you know what I mean. I guess that’s more of a six-tool player. Seven if you actually count tools.”
Lenny chuckled at his own joke. Fiona groaned quietly.
“Was she having any issues with anyone working on the film?” Jessie continued, pretending not to have heard that last line. “Professional dispute? Personal beef?”
“Why?” Fiona asked, clearly more concerned than her son. “Did something happen to Melissa?”
Jessie didn’t feel like she could evade the question any longer without drawing suspicion so she decided to tell the truth.
Ideally she would have had someone else with her to give the news so she could observe their responses. Ryan usually played that role. But since she was alone, she kept her focus on Lenny, who seemed a more likely potential suspect.
“Melissa was murdered last night.”
