Mr. Alibi — Kristine Kathryn Rusch

No-nonsense private eye Belinda Sweet, the only person in Los Angeles who wants no part in fame, avoids cases that bring her attention. Until she stumbles on one in a bar, when a barfly asks her to act as his alibi for killing his wife.

When the cops arrest him but then let him go, Sweet needs to know why. She's lived in LA long enough to recognize an actor when she sees one. And she refuses to stop until she uncovers the real story -- even if fame inevitably follows.

“Rusch's short fiction is golden.”
-- Kansas City Star