Web of Evil

'The Sumo Sudoku guy?' Helga asked. 'The one in the kilt?'

'That's the one,' Ali said. 'Did he work there, too?'

'He may have,' Helga said. 'I don't know for sure, but I'll tell you this. I liked looking at the guy. He might be a bit young for me, but I wouldn't mind taking him home for a day or two to check out whatever it is he keeps under that kilt.'

Ali was glad that Dave wasn't hearing Helga's part of the conversation.

'Why all this sudden interest in Tracy McLaughlin?' Helga asked. 'What's going on?'

'My mother's missing,' Ali said. 'This morning she witnessed what looked to her like a bit of hanky-panky going on between April and Tracy. Early this afternoon one of the hotel security cameras recorded a confrontation between McLaughlin and my mom, but by the time I got back to the hotel to talk to her about it, she was gonenot just from our room, but from the hotel, too. The parking attendant told us he saw her peel out of the hotel garage sometime after one. I've tried calling her. No answer, and she hasn't called me back, either.'

'Have you reported her missing?'

'Yes,' Ali said. 'Not that it did much good. No one at LAPD is particularly interested.'

'So what can I do to help?' Helga asked.

'When you were doing your investigation of Paul, did Tracy McLaughlin's name come up?'

'I remember looking into the Sumo Sudoku thing because S and S Enterprises was one of your husband's newer business ventures. That name could have been mentioned, but I don't remember it in particular. I'd have to check with one of my investigatorsand I probably won't be able to talk to him until tomorrow. Is there anything I can do in the meantimeanything I can do tonight?'

'I don't know,' Ali said. 'I can't really think straight right now.'

'If you come up with something you need,' Helga said, 'don't hesitate to call. Have you told Victor?'

'Not yet,' Ali said.

'I'll call him,' Helga said. 'He'll want to know what's going on.'

Ali put down the phone. Dave had finished a series of calls and was once again hunkered over her computer.

'Google S and S Enterprises here in L.A.,' Ali told him. 'See what you get.'

'S and S Enterprises holds all rights to Worldwide Sumo Sudoku,' Dave said a few minutes later. 'S and S was incorporated back in April with Paul Grayson named as executive director and CEO.'

That announcement hit Ali hard. She had left Robert Lane early in March. No doubt negotiations for S and S Enterprises had been well under way long before Ali's departure, but she had known nothing about it. Sumo Sudoku had never been mentioned. In the scheme of Paul's betrayals, this one seemed relatively small, but it was a betrayal nonetheless.

'Who else is on the board of directors?' Ali asked.

'Guy by the name of Jake Maxwell,' Dave replied.

'He worked with Paul at the network,' Ali explained. 'I always thought of him more as a rival than a friend, but there are lots of shifting loyalties in television, and things change. Jake showed up at court last week when the divorce was supposed to be final. He came there to back Paul up. He was also the official host of Paul's bachelor party from the night before.'

Dave was still studying the computer screen. 'This is interesting,' he said. 'S and S leases all the RVs that the various teams use. In other words, all the Sumo Sudoku guys are ultimately employees of S and S, but they're hoping to create team rivalries that will attract media attention.'

'Sort of like professional wrestling?' Ali suggested.

Dave nodded. 'Just about that real. According to this, the company was incorporated with the stated intention of obtaining coverage for the sport on one or the other of the sports-oriented cable channels. No doubt that's why they scheduled the filming around Paul's weddingto garner additional media attention.'

'And that's why they went forward with the shoot anyway, even though Paul was dead,' Ali added. 'That's how the business works. The show must go on no matter what.'

'I'll say,' Dave agreed.

'So let's go see him,' Ali said.

'Go see who?'

'Jake,' Ali said. 'Jake Maxwell. The person we really need to see is Tracy, but we don't have any idea where to find him, so Jake is our next best choice.'

'I've got a call in for Tracy's vehicle records,' Dave said. 'I'm waiting for someone to get back to me.'

'Fine,' Ali replied. 'But in the meantime, since Jake is clearly part of all this, maybe he can point us in the right direction.'

'Where do we find him?'

Ali picked up her purse. 'He and his wife, Roseanne, live out in Westlake Village.'

'Where's that?' Dave asked.

'Not that far. Out on 101.'

'Do we need to call first?' Dave asked.

'I think we'll just show up,' Ali returned. 'And we're probably better off if I drive.'

'Amen to that,' Dave said. 'You drive. I'll handle the phones.'

They left the hotel a few minutes later and headed for the 405 with Ali behind the wheel of her Cayenne.

'Have you had anything to eat since breakfast?' Dave asked as they went.

Thinking about her mother, Ali shook her head. 'I'm not hungry,' she said.

'Too bad,' Dave said. 'Edie would want you to eat, and we're eating. Pull up at the next Burger King you see.'

Ali did as she was told, and much as she didn't want to admit it, eating a Whopper did help. Back in the car, Sunday evening traffic turned what should have been a forty-minute drive into an hour and ten, most of which Ali drove in silence.

'What's going on?' Dave asked finally. 'Worried about your mom?'

'That,' Ali said, 'and trying to get over being pissed off.'

'What about?'

'This whole S and S Enterprises thing,' she returned. 'Obviously it was going on long before I left home last March. That kind of stuff doesn't happen in a day or even a month, but I didn't know a thing about it even though Jack and Roseanne Maxwell did.'

'So?'

'Once I was in Sedona, Roseanne sent me a sugar-coated e-mail in which she pretended like she and I were the very best of friends and she thought Paul was a cad, while at the same time Jake and Paul were starting a business together. I'll never forget her cutesy little message. She kept harping on how awful it was that I was reduced to living in a trailer and having to wait tables for a living. She even offered me a place to stayin their newly remodeled casita.'

'I take it you turned her down.'

'Do you think?' Ali asked with a curt nod. 'But now it grates on me that I have to go see this woman and make nice with her when what I'd really like to do is smack her upside the head.'

'We're doing this for your mother,' Dave reminded her. 'Stay cool.'

Ali had no difficulty driving them to Jake and Roseanne's sprawling, ranch-style house built on a grassy hillside outside Thousand Oaks. At the bottom end of the long, paved driveway, an ornamental iron gate blocked the way. Ali pressed a button and a disembodied voice spoke to them through an intercom attached to the gatepost. Half a minute later, the gate swung open.

Jake Maxwell himself stepped through the tall front door and came out into the circular parking area to meet them.

'Ali,' he gushed, taking her hand in both of his. 'What an unexpected pleasure. How good to see you, although I can't imagine what you're going through right now.'

And you don't know the half of it, Ali thought.

When Dave emerged from the far side of the car, Jake frowned slightly. 'And who's this?' he added.

'Dave Holman is a friend of mine,' Ali replied without any further explanation. 'We have some questions for