Undiscovered

Kent Griswald is a high powered movie executive known for his micro-managing and aggressive supervision of a movie from beginning to end. He's not well liked professionally or personally, so when someone puts a knife in his chest, no one is terribly surprised. However, someone also took pot shots at his younger brother, Connor, who has no enemies.

Detectives Walter Scott and Vanessa Weinstein are called in on the case, ready for action. Unfortunately, Detective Scott hadn't counted on the eyewitness, Cadence Stuart. Pretty and personable, she's also terrified that the killer may come after her next. It's up to Scott to protect her from the tall, dark killer. Unfortunately, so far, the killer's identity and whereabouts are Undiscovered.

UNDISCOVERED

Dellani Oakes

Published by Tirgearr Publishing

Author Copyright 2015 Dellani Oakes

Cover Art: EJR Digital Art (www.ejrdigitalart.com)

Editor: Christine McPherson

Proofreader: R. L. McCoy

A Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away. If you would like to share this book, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not given to you for the purpose of review, then please log into the publisher’s website and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting our author’s hard work.

This story is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, incidents are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my husband and children who try very hard to understand what I do. Thank you for putting up with thrown together meals and a messy house when I'm in the thrall of writing.

To my beautiful granddaughter, because she's the joy of my heart.

To my mother, whose love for books inspired my own.

To my father, the English professor, whose voice nags me to make my work as perfect as possible.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To all those who have encouraged, pushed, nagged and cajoled while I struggled with getting the words just right. Thank you!

UNDISCOVERED

Dellani Oakes

CHAPTER ONE

Tuesday, November 2, 2010 – Orlando International Airport

Kent Griswald made a call as soon as the plane landed. It rang, then went to voicemail. Dammit! Little brother, I just touched down. Call me.

As he made his way through the crowded airport, his phone rang. You better be calling to tell me I'll see your smiling face in the lobby, he growled without a hello.

Calling to tell you I got hung up in traffic. I’ll meet you at the curb when I get there.

We talked about promptness before I got on the plane.

His younger brother paused, keeping his cool. Do I control traffic?

Proper prior planning, Bro.

I gave myself two hours to make a one hour trip. There was an accident on 528. Two cars tried to take the same tollbooth. Am I to blame because people are idiots? Sure, why not? To the great Kent Griswald, I’m to blame for everything else. Shall I take the blame for your ass hair next? Or maybe Global Warming? The list is endless.

Sheesh, kid. Lighten up! You’ll get here when you get here.

My point exactly, you bastard. I notice you didn’t apologize.

Connor Griswald hung up his phone, smirking. Score one for the home team, proving yet again that the best defense against Kent was a truly offensive one.

He’d gotten a late start because of the blonde. Despite the otherwise obvious drawbacks to being Kent Griswald’s somewhat less talented younger brother, there were perks. Hot women flocked to him. Some thought he was Kent; the family resemblance was alarming. Others knew they were brothers and thought he could give them an in to the biz—something he didn’t dissuade.

The blonde with big tits and innocent blue eyes was one of these. He took her resumé and head shots, now in File 13, and had great sex all night. At least it was great for him. Sure, she might call, but he could tell her Kent said no deal. End of story.

Although, he mused as he took the exit to the airport. She was willing to get pretty kinky. Maybe we can play the He’s still considering it card. Yeah. . .

Kent was on the phone, yelling, his luggage stacked around him. As usual, someone else had to be to blame for his misfortunes. Connor popped the trunk and gathered his brother’s luggage, stowing it carefully in the back of the Lexus. Angrily, Kent opened his own door and got in the back seat of the car, phone still at his ear.

I don’t care what you have to do, Elise. Make it happen. I’ll be in Daytona until next Wednesday night. I’ll meet him then. Do I care how much of a hassle that is for him? He hung up. Remind me why I hired her?

Thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-two. Graduated number one in her class from Harvard Business. Best personal assistant in the biz. Pulls a six figure income and is the tastiest piece of ass ever to grace your boardroom table.

"And you know that why?" Kent growled from the back seat.

Connor raised an eyebrow, glancing with a smirk in the rearview mirror. Ask me no questions, Bro. If it’s any consolation, she called your name at the right moment.

What she’d actually said was, Screw, Kent! I hate him! Do me deep, Connor!

He wasn’t above revenge sex and neither were Kent’s women. To date, he’d had them all, right before they dumped his brother. Only Elise stayed, though she wasn’t bedding Kent anymore. Hers was a great job, despite putting up with the elder Griswald. She had money, prestige and power—all things she craved. She also frequently appeared on the red carpet with him at movie premieres. She was more photographed than some actresses and more famous, too.

Elise was feared nearly as much as his brother. Working for Kent Griswald, his power as the biggest producer in show business carried over to her. Elise Stapleton had the ability to make or break a career. She had Kent’s ear and if she didn’t approve a project, he didn’t. It was rumored that she’d shattered a career with six words. Actually, it was four. I don’t think so.

Yes, Elise was there to stay, but not much longer. Connor knew, but would never tell, that she was planning on becoming a fully fledged producer herself. Given her contacts, and the fact people liked her, she could go a long way. She had the financial portfolio and drive to succeed.

And Connor planned to go with her. Working for his brother was lucrative, but it meant he had to put up with Kent’s shit. He had plenty of money to put into a business. This was their secret, something Connor and Elise talked about after angry, hate sex. Their loathing of his brother brought them together, binding them tightly.

Kent was on the phone again, arguing with some poor schlub who was too stupid to shut up and take it. Connor wove in and out of traffic, heading to Daytona from the Orlando airport. Concentrating on traffic, he didn’t respond to Kent right away. His brother’s beefy hand cracked him upside the head, his baseball team’s pennant ring clipping Connor’s skull painfully. The car swerved dangerously to the left. Fortunately, the lane was empty.

Goddammit, Kent! I’m going eighty-five! Are you trying to kill us?

Listen when I’m talking to you.

I’m trying to drive and ignore your conversation. You always bitch about how I eavesdrop. You talk so damn loud, they can hear you in the next county.

I said your name six times.

Yeah, right.

We need to stop at the rest area. I have to take a piss.

You’ll have to wait about twenty minutes.

Take an exit. I can’t wait.

Connor cut across traffic and took the exit faster than his brother liked.

I’m gonna wet myself back here!

You pee in my car, you pay for detailing.

You drive like that, I’ll piss all I want and fuck detailing. There’s a Shell station.

It looked run-down, but he wasn’t going to argue with his brother. Let Kent deal with the roaches in the bathroom, Connor wasn’t the one who needed to go. He pulled up to the pump, popping the gas flap before getting out. Kent had to let himself out of the back seat, something he groused about all the way to the restroom.

With the gas paid for on Kent’s credit card, Connor pulled up to the convenience store and grabbed an energy drink and a pack of Camels. Kent came out of the restroom a few minutes later and went up to the clerk.

That restroom’s disgusting, he complained. There’s no soap and you’re out of paper towels. I had to dry on toilet paper.

Sorry, man. My manager has the only key to the supply closet and he’s not here.

I’m lodging a formal complaint, Kent said as he walked back to the car.

Go right ahead, the clerk said. Fat lotta good it’ll do ya.

I heard that! I’ll have your job! Kent yelled as he exited.

Fucking take it, the kid called after. I’ll own your fucking Lexus!

My fucking Lexus, Connor said with a grin. He’s a dick, but can’t pick family, huh? He slipped a twenty to the kid.

What’s that for?

Making my day, kid. He winked and left.

Connor walked back to the car slowly, making Kent wait in the light drizzle that had just started. The car was locked and he had the only key. He popped the lock when he was next to the car.

You could’ve done that from back there instead of making me wait in this lousy rain!

Yeah well, I think I need new batteries. It’s all kinda slow. He stowed his drink and lit a smoke.

Put that thing out.

My car. I’ll do what I want, he replied, lowering his window a crack.

What’s with you today? You’re being a real prick, Con.

Just today? Hm, must be off my game. I’ll work on it.

He turned on his iPod, flooding the car with Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. It wasn’t so much that he liked Buffet, he didn’t care one way or the other. Kent, on the other hand, hated him. His brother was blissfully silent the rest of the trip to Daytona.

They pulled up to Kent’s condo on the beach. His room overlooked the ocean, the view incredible. Connor’s room overlooked A1A.

Of course, Kent didn’t help with his luggage and the condo was too cheap to employ bellboys, but Connor found a maintenance man willing to help him. He gave the guy a twenty dollar bill and thanked him. They’d get no thanks from Kent.

His brother was, predictably, on the phone yelling at someone else. Connor poured himself a bourbon from the well stocked bar in the corner and flopped on the couch. His clothing was drenched in sweat and he felt light-headed. He put the bourbon glass against his forehead, holding it there until the ice cooled him. He felt feverish. He hated Florida. Give him California any day. But this was the new Hollywood. More and more movies were being made in Florida. And don’t get him started on the number of TV shows that filmed here.

He wished his brother was scouting Miami, at least there’d be eye candy to counter the heat. But this particular romantic comedy shlock concerned NASCAR, which was synonymous with Daytona Beach. Connor could give a shit. He’d far rather sit at a cabana bar or lounge in the pool, but he was expected to be at his brother’s side, looking like he gave a particular damn. He could win an Oscar for that performance alone. It could be awarded by Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman, both experts at looking like they cared.

He could hear Nicole’s sexy accent caressing the words. And the winner of the I Look Like I Give a Fuck Award is Connor Griswald! Multitudes cheered him, applauding as he walked up to accept his award.

God knows, he’d earned it. From the age of eighteen, he’d been Kent’s toady. How had he let it go that long? Because the money was great, the perks—amazing. The lifestyle of Hollywood had suckered him in and his own need for recognition had kept him tied to Kent like a puppet on a string. Now, almost thirty-five, he had no identity of his own. He was, and would always be, Kent Griswald’s slightly less talented younger brother. That is, until Elise started her company. Then he’d be free.

And who will you be then, huh? Elise Stapleton’s man-sized vibrator? Chances are good when she gets away from Kent, she’ll dump your ass. She doesn’t like you anyway, but you provide a much needed service—you service her. She’s gonna look for some boy toy who’s younger and has twice your stamina. That will be the end of Connor Griswald’s usefulness, thus the end of your less than stellar career. Welcome to the ranks of the drunk and unemployed.

A sharp kick to his right calf startled him so much, he spilled his drink.

Kent, what the hell!

He stood, shaking alcohol from his hands. The cold, sticky liquid rolled down his legs. His khaki shorts had a growing stain and he slowly became aware of the fact he looked like he’d wet himself.

Pay attention when I’m talking to you, Con. What the hell? I don’t pay you to daydream!

What now? Didn’t they fold your towels right? Maybe you need more shit you can fling at someone. What, Connor demanded, do you need now? Someone to kiss your hairy ass? Lemme see what I can do. He headed for the door.

Connor. Kent followed him, putting his hand on the door as his brother opened it. Two inches of solid wood slammed shut, nearly on Kent’s fingers. Con!

What? Connor’s dark eyes flashed dangerously.

Sorry, Bro.

Connor blinked. Kent was apologizing? It was so out of the norm, he stopped. Kent never apologized for anything.

I need your help.

Also a new facet. He never asked, he demanded.

This meeting tomorrow. I can’t take it. I’ve got something I have to do that I can’t shake. But the folks need a Griswald at the helm. They’ve got to know I’m behind this venture.

It’s that important?

That important. This could break me if we fuck this up.

Who’s behind this, Kent? You never. . . . You look scared to death, Bro.

Connor’s concern was genuine. If anything happened to Kent’s career, his went with it. Like it or not, they were connected. His welfare and Kent’s were forged in steel.

You don’t wanna know. I can’t get out of this other thing. You take the meet-and-greet on the beach. Do that thing you do, charm them.

Kent being complimentary? Acknowledging the fact that someone other than him could be charming? Something was dreadfully wrong.

Sure, Kent. We’re blood, right?

I’ll make it up to you. You name it, it’s yours.

You’ll owe me one, Connor said with a sly grin. Like old times, right? I come at you for a favor sometime, you do it, no matter what.

No matter what. Thanks. He paused, sighing. I’m gonna catch a nap.

No problem. I’m gonna hit the hot tub, maybe do a few laps. When should I call you?

Give me a couple hours. I’m beat.

Kent put his hand on the back of Connor’s neck, his forehead against his brother’s the way