Eeny Meany Miny Die (Cat Sinclair Mysteries) Read Online Free PDF Page A

of me with my Hollywood friends. I think that called for a shopping excursion later in the week.
    First, Frank Karvea. Jenny had sent me a text with her manager's details, and I wrote them down on a notepad. I wasn't sure if it was enough for a background check, so I flipped open The P.I.'s Manifesto and skipped to the relevant chapter. After half an hour, I had a page of notes on what I needed to find as well as phone numbers and websites to start my search.
    With the time difference between Illinois and California, I was able to make a few phone calls to Frank's home state before closing. What I learned in such a short time blew me away. Anyone could do this.
    I found out Frank had been married before, had no children, no criminal history, and he was the contact for DataSync. Bingo! Excitement tingled down my spine. This was my first hit and the rush was incredible.
    Next I called the DataSync office, but the number was directed to a messaging service. The woman on the other end offered to give my message to the president of DataSync.
    "Is that Frank Karvea?"
    "Yes."
    I thanked her and hung up.
    I now had a direct connection between Karvea and DataSync, but I needed more. It was unethical to advise one of his clients to invest in his own company, but not illegal. Nor was it illegal for a company to use a messaging service to answer its calls, although it didn't seem appropriate for a medium-sized firm. Messaging services were generally used for one or two person businesses that didn't want to hire a full-time secretary.
    Not a bad start, Cat Girl . But what I really needed was someone to check out the DataSync offices and find out first hand how large they really were. I had a few contacts in L.A., so I started dialing.
    The first two couldn't help out because they were too busy on set. The third was on location in Mexico, but she did mention that Frank Karvea had been in trouble before when I just happened to drop his name.
    "My boyfriend was a client of his a few years ago," Athena said. "He's an actor too, been in a few big budget movies. This was before Karvea set up Play Group. Anyway, Mitch got suspicious that he wasn't getting paid enough for a few roles he'd taken, and when he confronted his manager, Karvea shot him down for not trusting him. Mitch dumped him and he's since heard it happen to someone else too."
    "Did Mitch file charges?"
    "Are you kidding me? His name would be a curse in this town if he dared question Karvea's integrity. No, he just got another manager and moved on."
    I thanked her and hung up. I definitely needed someone in L.A. to check out DataSync. Frank was looking shadier than ever. Instead of tracking down my reliable old buddies who all would have been too busy with jobs or auditions, I contacted an unreliable one. Someone I knew would have a lot of time on his hands.
    One of my exes, Evan, had started out as an actor but ended up as a professional surfer and groupie. In his spare time—which I'd bet a pair of Birkenstocks he had in abundance—he hung around celebrity haunts hoping to get free drinks and the girls discarded by the stars.
    I called him up and a woman answered. I asked for Evan.
    "Who's this?" she snapped.
    "Cat Sinclair. I'm a friend of his."
    "I've heard of you." She made it sound like I'd passed on a deadly disease.
    "Can I speak to Evan, please?"
    There was a rustle at the other end and muffled kissing sounds before Evan's lazy voice came on line. "Hey, Catwoman, how's shit?"
    "Good, Evan, real good. How's the surf?"
    "Wet and warm, just the way I like it, Gorgeous." He chuckled until a female voice shouted, "Evan!" in the background.
    God only knows what I'd seen in him to date him for two months. I guess I was young and bored and he was fun and carefree, which was exactly what I wanted at that time of my life. Evan was a sexy thirty-year-old with an athletic frame and a broad chest you just wanted to nibble. He was delicious, happy go lucky, and women loved him. When he