CHAPTER SEVEN

"What is the meaning of this?!" Riot demanded to know as he marched into the LAPD Detective Unit with his team of attorneys in tow.

"May I help you?" one of the detectives hesitantly asked, eyeing the two men and one woman in dark suits who accompanied him.

"Where might I find a detective Mitchell Reynolds?" he asked, trying to recapture some composure. It had been a whirlwind of an hour since Riot received the phone call from Kimber about Jerrica. Despite speaking to his attorneys earlier in the day, Riot had no clue about Eric's death and the subsequent investigation into his murder.

"You must be Rory Llewelyn," said a male voice. It was Detective Reynolds. While only in his mid-thirties, Reynolds was a seasoned veteran of the LAPD. He spent most of his career with the Hollywood precinct. Therefore, celebrity matters were nothing foreign to him. Despite standing a few inches shorter than Riot, the rock star's stature and celebrity were of no intimidation to him.

"You must be the detective," Riot replied without hesitation, trying hard no to erupt at the man for detaining Jerrica. After all, he was only doing his job. However, in Riot's eyes, he was doing his job poorly for making such a foolish mistake.

"Yes, I am," Reynolds began, "and you must be here about Jerrica Benton." Riot nodded. "Please, come this way," the detective motioned for him and his attorneys to walk before him and into a private room. The two men exchanged brief glares as Riot passed by.

"Is she here?" Riot asked as he took a seat at the table next to his lead attorney, James Foster. The other two opted to stand behind them.

"Yes," the detective answered, taking a seat across the table from the two men. "She's just down the hall," he explained. "She's been quite cooperative with this investigation."

"Is she a suspect?" Foster bluntly asked, much to Riot's surprise.

"Not quite," the detective replied, opening his folder of paperwork related to the investigation.

"Then why is she here?" Riot interrupted before the detective could continue.

"I realize the concern in regards to your girlfriend," Reynolds briefly paused, waiting for confirmation of their relationship from Riot. The Stinger nodded. "However, it's just our customary procedure in helping us narrow down our suspect list."

"And whom might be on that list?" Riot asked without hesitation.

"Without naming names," the detective began, "we believe the person behind Eric Raymond's murder is the person who owns these earrings." Reynolds pulled out a clear bag from his coat pocket. Inside were the Jem Star earrings. Riot was taken aback. "Would you happen to know that person?" the detective questioned him, seeing his reaction to seeing the earrings.

Suddenly, a million thoughts ran through Riot's head. Were those the actual earrings stolen from Jerrica, or were they a replica to frame her, or Jem? If they were the actual earrings, how did they tie Jerrica/Jem to Eric Raymond's murder? How much has Jerrica told him about those earrings and Jem?

"Umm," Riot stuttered, unsure of exactly what to say.

Before he could continue, his attorney jumped in. "Before we proceed with the questioning, I'd like to have a word privately with my client," he said to the detective.

"Of course," Reynolds answered, getting up from his seat to give them a moment alone. Riot watched as the detective disappeared from the room, shutting the door behind him. Certainly, Riot knew they could be seen through the mirror in the room.

As Riot spoke to his attorneys, Reynolds wandered down the hallway to the interrogation room where Jerrica was being held. "Your boyfriend's here," he said to her as he entered the room.

Jerrica quickly perked up. She had been sitting quietly, pondering the thought of revealing Jem's real identity to the detective to save the Starlight Foundation. The success of the foundation rested heavily on the success of Jem and the Holograms. With the Christmas album projecting huge profits, half of which was slated to go directly to the foundation, Jerrica had to protect the integrity and image of the Jem brand, and of course, Jem herself.

"Can I see him?" she quickly replied. While she was quite the independent woman, Jerrica needed Riot more than ever. As upset as she was earlier that he didn't tell her sooner about Minx and Rapture, she knew that paled in comparison to what she was about to face when it came to Jem's identity.

"In due time," Reynolds answered. "We have some questions we need to ask him first."

"So what does that have to do with keeping me here?" Jerrica wondered. "I've answered everything you've wanted to know."

"Except for one question," Reynolds replied. "Where's Jem?"

Jerrica stayed silent. She had already told him she didn't know other than she left town yesterday as the Holograms were now on break from recording and touring. However, the detective didn't buy it. Despite Jem's mysterious background, Reynolds knew if there was anyone who could get to her, it was Jerrica.

She sighed. "Look, Detective –,"

"You don't need to answer that!" It was one of the attorneys from Riot's legal team.

"You have no right to barge in here!" Reynolds barked at her.

"I have every right to be present with my client," she countered. "I'm Leslie Middleton, Miss Benton's attorney."

Just as Jerrica was about to ask who sent her, Reynolds quickly replied, "You can't be her attorney! You're his attorney!"

"Mr. Llewelyn has dismissed me from his legal team," she explained. "My services are now with Miss Benton," she said, turning to Jerrica. Her client nodded in agreement, unsure of exactly what was going on, but figured Riot knew what he was doing.

"Very well," Reynolds grumbled.

"Now," Leslie continued, "unless you have any concrete evidence that links my client with the murder of Mr. Eric Raymond, you have no choice but to release her."

Reynolds sighed. He was dumbfounded. He was sure Jerrica would tell him exactly what he wanted to know about Jem if he led her to believe that Riot was a suspect as well. "Alright," he agreed. "But I would advise my client not to leave town if I were you," he warned her as he quickly glanced at Jerrica.

Ignoring the detective's threat, Leslie turned to Jerrica, "Let's go."

"What about Riot?" Jerrica whispered to her as they left the interrogation room. She saw Riot and his two attorneys through the window.

"He shouldn't be too long," Leslie reassured her. "He said to wait for him back at the mansion."

"I don't have a car," Jerrica replied. "Detective Reynolds drove me down here."

"I can take you," Leslie replied. "We have a lot to discuss."