Page 16 of Wild Idol (Tyson Wild Thriller #82)

“ H ow’d you get this number?” Jeremy asked when I called, clearly annoyed.

“It wasn’t hard,” I said.

“I haven’t given anyone this number except my agent, my girlfriend, and my close friends.”

I ignored him. “I’m sure you’re aware there may have been an attempt on Sable’s life.” At this point, I was leaning toward that as the most likely explanation. “Her car was destroyed. An individual was killed.”

“Yeah, I heard something about that. They’re saying an impersonator was killed by mistake. Is Sable employing decoys now?”

“Not to my knowledge. Have you talked to her since the incident?”

Jeremy scoffed. “No. We don’t talk at all anymore.”

“Why is that? ”

“Because she’s a raging bitch.”

“Tell me how you really feel.”

“Look, she cheated on me, then tried to spin it like I was the bad guy. Then she went on those fucking talk shows and made up a bunch of bullshit. Said I was abusive.”

“Were you?”

It was starting to sound like he had a motive.

“No! It’s all bullshit. She’s trying to make me look bad, casting herself as the victim. That shit cost me work. I lost a role because of that. My PR team is in crisis mode, trying to salvage my career.”

Definitely sounded like a motive.

Jeremy continued. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she orchestrated this whole scenario for publicity.”

“That seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“You don’t know Sable. That woman is obsessed with fame and attention. She’s capable of anything.”

“Where are you right now?” I already knew. Isabella had tracked his location.

“I’m at home. Why?”

“And at the time of the incident?”

In a defensive voice, he said, “Am I a suspect?”

“Routine questions.”

“I’m in LA, 3,000 miles away. I’ve been in LA for the last two weeks, doing damage control on my career. ”

It matched his cell phone records.

“When was the last time you were in Coconut Key?”

“Maybe a month ago. About the time we broke up. When I found out she was cheating on me.”

“And you haven’t had any contact since?”

“We’ve had a few heated discussions. A few text exchanges.”

“Did you ever threaten her?”

“What!? No. I never threatened her. I never did anything. If she’s saying otherwise, it’s complete bullshit.”

The guy had the resources to hire someone to take her out, but he wasn’t high on my suspect list. If he was trying to clean up his image, hiring a hit squad to take out his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t do him any favors.

I thanked him for the information and told him I might be in touch. I ended the call, and we headed across the island to grab lunch at Sharktooth. Jack ordered the baby back ribs with a tangy honey barbecue sauce. I went with the Shark’s bacon double cheeseburger.

The place had the aesthetic of a shack that was cobbled together with driftwood.

The walls were covered with viscous jaws and sharks’ teeth.

There were pictures of great whites and the obligatory infamous movie poster.

Life preservers and harpoons added to the ambiance.

A massive great white jaw above the bar was a focal piece.

A wooden deck with outdoor seating extended to the white sand of the man-made beach.

Teal waves crashed against the shore, providing a soothing soundtrack.

Gulls squawked, drifting on the breeze. The waitresses pranced around in tight bikini tops a size or two too small and cutoff jean shorts.

The food was good, and sometimes the view was better.

It got a little rowdier at night. There was a pool table and a dartboard. Sometimes, a live band played on the deck. You never knew who you’d bump into. If you listened, there were plenty of outlaw stories to be told by old-timers at the bar.

We chowed down and kicked around theories about the case.

“Sable’s on top of the world,“ Jack said. “She’s got everything at her fingertips. Money, fame, influence.”

“That breeds a lot of jealousy and contempt,“ I said.

“I don’t think she got sideways with drug dealers. She’s got more than enough money to pay her bill.”

“Just because she has money doesn’t mean she pays her debts.”

“I think we’re looking at a rival,” Jack said. “Brianna fits the bill. Takes out her competition, earns street cred, and makes anyone else think twice about talking shit.”

“I seriously doubt this is something Brianna is going to take credit for.”

“Sometimes these dipshits can’t keep their mouths shut.”

That much was true. The number of times an inmate got busted from bragging to his cellmate about a crime he committed was staggering. Most people just love to blabber on about their nefarious accomplishments.

After we ate, we set out to find Brianna.