Chapter Fourteen
Caleb knocked on Helen’s door with a knuckle. “Helen, I need to talk to you.”
She jerked the door open. “What do you want?” she snapped.
“There are some things about Bella that I need to go over with you.”
Helen growled at the nickname he’d given her but didn’t say anything. She knew he wouldn’t stop, and it only made the horrible man grin. God, she couldn’t wait until this bastard was wiped from the earth. She was looking forward to spitting on his grave.
She jerked to a stop when she caught sight of two men in suits standing in the living room. “Who are you?”
“I’d like you to meet the DA and a detective in Los Angeles.”
Her heart felt like it spasmed as fear raced through her. She lifted her chin. She’d been around actors Isabel’s whole life, and she’d learned a thing or two. She softened her expression and nodded at them. “I see. To what do we owe the honor?”
“I’ll get right to the point,” Caleb said and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve been taking all your daughter’s money. That’s called embezzlement, lady, and you could spend twenty years in prison.”
Oh, Jesus. He couldn’t know that. She’d covered her tail carefully through the years. She sneered at him. “You’re making that up.”
“No. Did I forget to mention I used to be a cop, and I know how to find information?”
She felt the blood drain from her face as panic fought to take over. She scrambled for any idea she could. “So that’s why you’re after my daughter. For the money,” she jeered.
Caleb threw back his head and laughed. “Lady, you need to do your homework before you throw that shit out. I own the fucking security company that the studios is paying millions of dollars to for just this situation. That’s not counting the other forty or so jobs we’ve got going, so the last thing I need is money.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, swallowed down the terror clawing up her throat, and lifted her chin. “You’ve got no evidence.”
“Actually, we do,” the DA said. “We’ve found all your offshore accounts.”
It wasn’t possible. They couldn’t do that. An idea popped into her head, and a smug smile crossed her face. “How can you say I was taking from her and not keeping it for her?”
“Because you tried to kill her so you would get it all,” Caleb said.
Helen whipped her head toward him. “That’s preposterous.”
“You can cut the crap, lady. We have the evidence that you were poisoning your daughter, and you were the stalker the whole time. You were paying someone to shoot her and me,” Caleb said.
Her laugh came out shrill and shaky. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Do you know anyone by the name of Kenny Morris?” the detective asked.
Any color she had left drained from her face, making her feel lightheaded. “No…”
“Think about what you’re going to say, Helen,” Caleb advised. “They have him in custody, a signed confession that gave you up…”
“He’s lying,” she screamed.
“And he has tape recordings of every conversation you had with him.” Caleb laughed. “You’re so fucked, lady. And I’m excited to watch you crash and burn for everything you did to Bella.”
She knew Caleb was talking, but she couldn’t answer if she tried. The shock made everything close down. Her emotions, her brains, and any ability to defend herself.
Her only question was how they could have found out. She was always so careful. She’d been siphoning most, if not all, of Isabel’s money since she was a baby. From the very start.
The thought of her going to prison was so obscene she couldn’t comprehend it. This was a nightmare, and she’d wake up soon. That was the only explanation she could think of.
She watched the elevator doors open, and three uniformed policemen came toward her, their intent clear in their eyes.
She threw her arms out and her hands up to try to keep them away. They quickly had her caught, subdued her, and handcuffed within thirty seconds.
“No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening.” She started screaming. “You can’t do this to me. Do you know who I am? I’m Isabel Harper’s mother. You know who she is. Everyone does because she’s a star, and I’m the one that made her that—”
“You will be appointed a lawyer if you cannot afford one…”
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