She shook her head. “Whatever.”

“The papers said that Jake died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Did he take them regularly?”

“Sometimes. Usually when he had to get up early, like for a shoot or audition. He didn’t want to shortchange himself on sleep, so he’d take the pills, go to bed early, wake up fresh for the camera the next morning.”

“How many pills did Jake usually take?”

“One or two.”

“How many did he take that night?”

“I don’t know for sure. The police said it looked like he’d taken a handful, at least.”

I leaned forward, realizing just how important the answer to this next question was. “Alexis, do you think Jake would have done that? Accidentally taken so many more pills?”

She shrugged. “Look, Jake was no rocket scientist. It’s possible he panicked about the audition and took too many.”

“Who else knew your husband took sleeping pills?”

She toyed with a piece of lint on the armchair. “I don’t know. He didn’t exactly keep it a secret.”

“Would, say, his coworkers have known? People he was filming with?”

“Probably.”

Like Pines. It wasn’t exactly conclusive evidence, but it didn’t disprove my theory either. Which was a start.

“Who else is in the book?”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“The book you’re writing? Which other deceased stars are in it?”

“Oh…uh…” I drew a total blank. Where was Max when I needed him? “I wish I could tell you, but my publisher wants me to keep a lid on it until they’re ready to put out a press release. You understand.”

“Oh.” Alexis nodded, even though it was clear she didn’t.

“Just one more question,” I said, feeling like I was losing my audience here. “Did Jake ever mention anything about the boy who played his son?”

“I guess so. I mean, he said the kid was cute.”

“Really? Did Pines think so, too?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Look, I know he’s been in some trouble with the law lately, but Pines is still the most powerful director in town. It would be career suicide to say anything negative about him.”

I hated to say it, but from the looks of her, it was clear her career had jumped off a tall bridge years ago.

Unfortunately, it was equally clear that if Jake had told his wife about Pines’s little fetish, she wasn’t sharing.

“Thank you, Mrs. Mullins. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us,” I said, rising.

Cal followed suit, Alexis unwinding herself from her perch to walk us to the door.

“Hey, let me know when the book’s out, ‘kay? I’d like to have a copy.”

“I’ll send you one,” I lied as she shut the door behind us.

“So,” Cal said as we crossed the Ralph’s parking lot, “Jake died just like the papers said. Accidental overdose.”