ff3a28bfbb25315bb8c90759d8632474

Boa racked the barbell and sat up, dusting chalk from his hands.“I was right here, guarding the property,” he growled, hitting them with his best glare, the one he probably hoped would land him a role next to Vin Diesel in the nextFast& Furious movie.

“If you were so busy guarding the property how come you didn’t catch the killer?” asked Chase.

The bodyguard’s eyes darkened. He seemed foreign born, judging from his accent. “I was guarding the property against outside intruders. How was I to know that one of them—” He gestured to the main house, where Dion had just walked out and stood stretching. “—would kill one of their own?”

“So you think one of the Kenspeckles killed Shana?” asked Odelia.

“No one came onto the property. At night security around this place is tight. I see to that.”

“Have you heard any rumors who might have done it?” asked Chase.

“I’ve heard no such rumors. But you may want to interview the sisters. They hated Shana’s guts.”

“And why was that?”

He shifted his massive shoulder in a shrug.“Sibling rivalry. They couldn’t stand that Shana was more successful than they were. More popular.”

“What about the crew?” asked Chase.

“You should talk to Alejandro,” said the giant. “He would do anything to get his show to the top of the ratings again. Last week I heard him tell Burr that he was praying for a murder.”

“He said that?” asked Odelia.

“Yes, he did. He said only a juicy murder would get people to watch the show again. They were on the verge of being canceled.” He nodded curtly. “I think that’s enough motive for murder, don’t you, Detective?”

With these words, he lay back down and picked up the huge barbell again. With an animal-like grunt, he launched into another grueling set.

“Wow, I wouldn’t like to get into a fight with that guy,” Odelia said as she tripped after Chase. She had to take two strides for every one of his.

“Pfft. He’s all show. I’ll bet those muscles aren’t even real.”

“They looked pretty real to me.”

“Trust me. It’s all steroids, growth hormone and synthol injections.”

Sounded like someone was a little envious. Then again, Chase didn’t have to be jealous of Boa the man mountain. The cop was built like a Hulk himself.

The guest house was tastefully decorated. Like the main house, white was the dominant color, the floors a warm mahogany in contrast. They’d stepped into the foyer and the man they’d come to see was comfortably seated on a white leather couch, reading a copy of Men’s Fitness. Alejandro was wearing a yellow polo shirt and beige slacks and looked like a million bucks. When he got up to greet them, he did so with outstretched hands and a killer smile. He kissed them on the cheeks. Twice. Surprised, Chase touched the spot. Bet that hadn’t happened to him when he interviewed gangbangers in the Bronx.

“Please, sit down,” Alejandro said. “Make yourself at home.”

They took a seat on the white leather couch, and Odelia saw that Alejandro seemed very eager to talk to them. He sat ramrod straight and eyed them brightly, a smile on his face. Before they could ask him a question, he announced,“I think you should look into the terrorism angle again.”

“We already established that the note was a fake,” said Chase.

“Yes, but have you considered that perhaps this terrorist simply wasn’t well-versed in the Arabic language?” Alejandro asked, his brows arching. “Not all terrorists have a college degree, Detectives. One might even make an argument that most terrorists never had any schooling at all. It’swell established that a lot of them are ordinary criminals who turned to terrorism because it pays better and lends them prestige and self-esteem. Most of them are not even ideologically motivated. They’re simply in it for the money.”

He continued with wide gestures of his hands.“You have a terrorist who’s not schooled, who decides the Kenspeckles would make an excellent target. He does his business and leaves that crudely written note, merely showing he doesn’t have a thorough grasp of grammar, and voila. Case closed.”

Chase shook his head.“I really don’t think the terrorist angle is a viable one, Mr. Salanova. For one thing, security around the house was tight that night, and we’ve already established that the murder was an inside job.”

“So? That simply means this house has been infiltrated by a terrorist.”

“Do you really think a terrorist would target Shana and leave the others unharmed?” asked Odelia. “Wouldn’t a real terrorist murder the entire family when he had the chance?”

This gave the flamboyant director pause. Then he brightened.“Perhaps he’s planning to do the others at a later date? Like a staggered terror spree?”

Chase, obviously bored with the terrorist angle, asked,“Where were you between four and five the night Shana Kenspeckle was killed, Mr. Salanova?”

His eyes went wide.“Me? You suspect me?”

“Everyone’s a suspect until we find the killer, sir. So where were you?”