“The guy Frank sprung from death row?” Trent said.
Sheila nodded.
“I don’t know much about his situation. I read a piece in the newspaper, but that’s about it.”
“Oh, I’m surprised. Didn’t Frank fill you in when you two met last night?”
“Frank told me he was coming up from Portland with his lawyer.”
“I thought you and Frank were meeting because Frank is going to set up a trust or make some provision in his will for Jose.”
Justin frowned. “You know I can’t tell you what we talked about.”
“Of course. I just wondered because Frank feels so bad about what happened to Alvarez.”
“If he wants you to know what we discussed he’ll tell you.”
“Frank is meeting Jose in half an hour. Are you going to be there?”
“He hasn’t asked me.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Trent closed the door, and Sheila looked at her watch. Frankhad asked her to bring Alvarez, Lockwood, and Lockwood’s investigator to his office. She looked down the hall and saw the trio with Mrs. Raskin. She decided to give them time to freshen up from their trip, before she got them.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Robin had worn jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and a sweater so she would be comfortable during the long trip to Black Oaks. After washing up, she changed into a black pants suit and white, man-tailored shirt and walked into the hall just as a door to one of the other rooms opened, and Corey Rockwell appeared on the landing.
Robin was surprised to see the actor at Black Oaks, and she was even more surprised to see how short he was. On screen, he seemed to be a towering presence. In real life, Robin had a few inches on him.
And there was another difference between the Corey Rockwell of the silver screen and the real-life Rockwell. In his movies, Rockwell always had a scene where he was bare-chested so he could show off his rippling muscles. If those scenes were included in his made-for-Netflixfilms, Robin guessed they featured a body double. The Rockwell who faced her showed the beginnings of apaunch, and the skin on his face, which used to look chiseled from granite, was loose. There were also signs of an overindulgence in alcohol.
Jeff had loved action movies, and Rockwell had a brief moment in the spotlight when he’d starred inHard to Kill,the highest grossing movie in the year it came out. It had been followed byHard to Kill IIandHarder to Kill,and Rockwell had been on his way to the summit of action-movie Olympus. Then drugs and a sex scandal involving a minor had derailed his career. Now his infrequent grade-C movies went straight to streaming channels.
Robin remembered Jeff telling her that a tragedy had been responsible for Rockwell’s early success. He’d said that Rockwell had been married to a movie star who was murdered before the release ofHard to Kill.Robin couldn’t remember her name, but Jeff had told her that her killer had been tried right around the timeHard to Killhad been released, and the publicity had made the movie an unexpected hit.
Rockwell sucked in his gut and flashed a smile at Robin.
“Hi there. Are you auditioning for the film?” he asked.
“What film?” Robin answered.
“The one Melville is financing for me. You’re so attractive I assumed you were an actress.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m an attorney.”
“Brains and beauty,” Rockwell said, as he ran his eyes over Robin’s body. “I’m Corey Rockwell.”
“Robin Lockwood.”
Rockwell’s brow furrowed. “That sounds familiar.”
“Have you ever been charged with a crime in Portland?” Robin asked with an impish smile.
Rockwell laughed. “Not that I remember, but there are several days that are a complete mystery to me.”
Robin laughed just as the elevator arrived at their floor.