Free One of Those Malibu Nights by Elizabeth Adler

the piece of paper with the information. “I daren’t try to call Ronnie because he said never to, his lines might be tapped.” She looked helplessly at them. “But he just never showed.”
    “Where do you think he is?”
    Marisa shook her head, sending the floppy straw hat fluttering again. “I don’t know. Has he dumped me, or what?” She twisted the enormous ring nervously. “I mean, a guy should tell a girl if there are problems. Not that there were. We were happy as two clams. I knew what he liked, he knew what I liked.” She glanced meaningfully at Sunny. “Y’know what I mean.”
    Marisa sighed again. “It doesn’t make sense. And that’swhy I’m worried about him. Somebody was following him. Somebody broke into his house. He told me somebody wanted to kill him. And now I’m afraid they might have. And that’s the truth of the matter.”
    “And what do you want me to do?” Mac asked.
    “I need you to find Ronnie. I want to know he’s alive. Tell him I’m still here, waiting for him. At least tell him to have Demarco call me and tell me what’s up.”
    Mac said, “So what do you think the intruder was after that night? Obviously he wasn’t aware you were there, so it wasn’t a rapist or a killer …”
    Marisa shivered. “Oh, God, don’t even say those words. I tremble at the thought of what might have happened. And I really don’t know what he wanted.”
    Mac thought about it. When Perrin had asked him to help he had turned him down, but now Mac needed to know what was really going on. For Allie’s sake, as well as for the girlfriend. “Tell you what, Marisa,” Mac said. “I’m in Rome for another few days, but I’m gonna call my assistant in L.A., put him onto the case. He’ll find out who’s following Ron.”
    “And will he also find Ronnie for me?”
    She looked hopefully at him. It was Mac’s turn to shrug. “He’ll do his best,” he said, though he personally felt sure that Perrin had sent Marisa to Rome to get rid of her, and that there was no way she was ever going to see him again.
    He thought Perrin’s next move would be an offer of anice little financial settlement. He’d probably also get Manzini to offer her the odd role, keep her here in Rome, out of the way. After all, he had already gotten her an apartment. It would all work out fine for RP. And for Marisa Mayne too. Looking at her, he had no doubt she’d be happy to take the money and run.
    Marisa said she had to leave, she was expected on the set. “Just some retakes,” she said quickly. “But y’know, it could really lead to something.”
    She thanked them and Mac promised to call when he had some news. He looked at Sunny who was watching Marisa saunter through the crowd, turning heads along the way, despite the weird hat.
    “You’re a woman, what d’you think of her story?” he asked.
    Sunny looked thoughtful. “It’s odd,” she said, “but listening to Marisa somehow the word
blackmail
popped into my mind. Y’know the whole S and M dominatrix theme she had going there? I just didn’t believe it. Marisa may be lying about what happened that night. Maybe she’d given Perrin an ultimatum, pay up or she’d go to the tabloids and tell her version of ‘the truth’ about their sexual relationship.” Sunny shrugged. “They would have jumped on it.”
    “But she was onto a good thing,” Mac said. “Perrin was generous. Just look at that ring.”
    “Trust me, I looked.” Sunny sighed. “But with playboys like Perrin all good things come to an end. Maybe he wasbored with her. On to the next, if you know what I mean. After all, Marisa said he was out that night. I wonder where he was and who with.”
    Mac took out his cell phone to call Roddy. “Okay, so let’s find out where Ron Perrin is.
And
who he’s with.”

C HAPTER 13
    Allie was in her bedroom at the Bel Air house. The same bedroom that used to be hers
and
Ron’s, complete with the California king-size bed with the brushed-steel