“What’s your definition of cheap?” Alex butted in. “I’m just dying to know.”

              “She’s referring to a woman of low moral character, specifically one who has sex with a variety of unsavory men,” put in Jacob.

              “Thank you, Jacob,” said Kim shortly. “So why do you care, Miss Stryker? It sounds like a waste of energy to be concerned about a young actress you barely knew.”

              “You’re right.” Charlene perched on a chair and folded her long, tanned legs. “I don’t care.”

              “Spoken completely in character. Bravo,” said Alex, clapping slowly.

              “Enough,” Kim put in. She drew a deep breath. What had Alex seen in this creature? That he’d married such a woman spoke volumes about his character.

              “Miss Stryker, where were you two nights ago between midnight and 2 a.m.?”

              “At home with my David, of course,” she purred, looking lovingly at the handsome man shadowing her. Alex instantly shot a look of death in his direction. David flinched and looked away.

              “Can anyone confirm this?” Kim asked.

              The pair looked at each other for a moment. “My ex-wife,” David said slowly. “She called around that time. Charlene answered the phone.”

              “She’ll be happy to confirm my presence,” the blonde put in, her aqua eyes gleaming evilly.

              “Why would she be happy?” Jacob asked, puzzled.

              “Enough.” Kim gathered the scraps of her patience and motioned for them to leave. “We’ll get in touch. In the meantime, I suggest you stay in New York, Miss Stryker.”

              Charlene pouted, her pink lips puffing coquettishly. “I’m happy to oblige, Detective. After all, I have a full filming schedule.” She shot a look at Alex. “Remember what that was like, darling?”

              “My three Emmys won’t stop reminding me,” he snapped back. “If only you had the pleasure.”

              Charlene, who had never even been nominated for an Emmy, blushed darkly. “I think it’s time for my scene, Detective. Excuse me.”

              “Gladly.” Kim left as quickly as she could. She was mad at herself for wasting precious time over a marital dispute when she could have been hunting down a killer. She needed to convince Captain Woodside to cut Alex loose, or she’d never solve a single case again.

Chapter Nine

              Back at the precinct, Kim sat down heavily at her desk.

              “Coffee?” asked Alex, perching opposite her. He handed her a tall paper cup, his signature grin lighting up his face.

              Kim handled the cup like it was an unexploded ordnance. “I don’t drink caffeine.”

              Alex looked stuck. “Jacob?” he said to her partner, who was hovering nearby.

              “I find it aggravates my mild social anxiety. So no, thank you.”

              “Damn, is that coffee?” asked Maria Langley, who was sashaying by. “Thank God. I’m operating on empty today.” She was just about to grab the coffee when she spotted Alex. She started, blushed, and began to grin madly. Kane smiled back while surveying her curves appreciatively.

              “Oh my God, I just have to say I’m a huge fan of Time After Time,” Langley began in a girlish voice Kim had never heard before. “I couldn’t believe that plot twist with your evil twin…”

              “And I can’t believe this plot twist where we have zero progress on our case,” Kim snapped. “Guys, focus. Charlene Stryker clearly has a grudge against our victim. Can she be connected to the poker ring?”

              Officer Phillips walked over. “The producer’s ex-wife confirmed that she spoke with Charlene Stryker around 1 a.m. the night of the murder. Phone records confirm the call to a landline.” He shook his head slowly. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

              “Now we have less than zero,” Kim commented, running her hands through her hair with frustration.

              “Maybe not. The ex-wife told me that Charlene wasn’t the only woman he was seeing. She found pictures of a blonde woman – another blonde, this one with curly hair – on his phone. I asked her to forward them to me.”

              “Virginia?” asked Jacob, puzzled.

              Phillips nodded. “You bet.”

              Alex flinched. “Too soon.” Phillips shrugged apologetically.

              “Bring him in,” Kim ordered. “In the meantime, we’ve got an appointment with the sister. Don’t you have to go put your face on, Kane?”

              Alex batted his eyes flirtatiously. “I always want to look my best for you, Officer G…” He shut up quickly and affected a guise of mock innocence. Kim shot him a thunderous look.

              “Save your repartee for your ex-wife,” she said shortly. “We’ve got a case to solve.”

**

              Mary-Jane Winters had the same curly hair as Virginia, but the angelic blonde hue was mousy brown instead. She barely looked at the officers as she slumped on her sofa in her stylish Chelsea apartment.

              “When was the last time you spoke to Virginia?” Kim asked gently.

              “The day she died. We went for coffee around the corner.” She took no notice of Alex, who wisely hung back. His movie-star handsome features had been toned down into a generic charm under layers of expertly applied make-up. Ordinarily he wouldn’t have liked the transformation, but the idea of going undercover more than made up for it. Now this was real police work!

              “Did you notice anything unusual about your sister?” Jacob asked.

              “Definitely. She called me up that morning, anxious to talk. We’re not that close, so that was weird enough. We had a quick coffee. She seemed really nervous. She told me that she’d been having money trouble. I offered to lend her what she needed, but she said she’d found a way to get some quick cash as long as she was really lucky.”

              “Lucky?” asked Jacob. “She must have been referring to the poker game. Did she say anything about where she was going or why?”

              Mary-Jane shook her curls. “Nothing. She didn’t say a thing about a poker game. I figured she’d be doing some sleazy modeling job. Virginia took shortcuts when she needed to, which was often. She’s always made bad choices, but she’s had terrible luck as well. I didn’t press her. I figured she’d just racked up some credit card debt buying clothes for an audition. She was crazy to become a famous actress. She’d have done anything to get ahead.”

              “Miss Winters, was Virginia a regular poker player? Did play with a certain circle or frequent any places?” said Kim.

              Another shake of the head. “She used to play when she worked in Vegas. I think she was pretty good at the time. But she dropped the habit when she moved to New York, as far as I know. She was probably too busy gambling on bad relationships.”

              “Tell me, Miss Winters, did Virginia ever talk about actress Charlene Stryker or a producer named David Jones?” said Alex, creeping forward. Kim looked at him with wide eyes. Did he want to be recognized? Scratch that – of course he did.

              Mary-Jane wrinkled her nose. “From that terrible soap opera, Time After Time? The only worse actor on that show than Charlene was Alexander Kane. I’ve seen it a couple times. It’s not acting; it’s like a form of televised hysteria.”

              “Well, from what I’ve heard, Mr. Kane won a number of Emmys for his role,” put in Alex peevishly.

              “It was three. Three Emmys,” said Jacob.

              “There you go. I’m pretty sure they don’t give them out for hysteria.”