“I’m sure wherever my mother is, she’s pretty happy about the way this turned out. Actually, she might have arranged for it to happen,” Priscilla said with a laugh. “Before this, I never would have let you in. I guess I’m ready to let in all kinds of new experiences. On one hand, I’m terrified, and on the other, I’m terribly excited.”
“It sounds like you don’t have a lot of friends.”
“That might be the understatement of the year. I have none, zero, zip, nada. I’d never let anyone get that close to me even if they wanted to, although I have to admit, they weren’t breaking down the door to get to me.”
“What I was going to say is that I’d love to get together with you for lunch after you get all your ducks in a row,” Marty said. “I live about a half hour from Palm Springs, but I’m usually here in town at least once a week, sometimes more often. I mean it. Please, give me a call. Here’s my phone number,” Marty said as she jotted it down on a piece of paper and handed it to Priscilla.
With that she stood up and said, “I’ve taken enough of your time, Priscilla. You need to heal and think about all the wonderful things that are just about ready to happen to you. I’ll be sending friendly thoughts to you. Goodbye.”
“Thank you for your offer of friendship. I don’t think anyone has offered that to me before. I’m touched. I’ll be calling.”
When Marty and Patron were back in the car she said, “Well, that was interesting. What a story. If all else fails, she can write a book about her life. It would probably become a bestseller. Rags to riches, ugly to beautiful. She’ll probably end up marrying some gazillionaire and live happily ever after in some McMansion. Sure never thought that’s what we’d learn when we started out today. However, that’s one more name crossed off the list of possible suspects. Now on to Eve.”
CHAPTER 21
Eve lived very close to Priscilla’s apartment. In fact, the apartments could have been interchangeable. Same era, same maintenance or lack thereof, same tired feeling to it. Marty wondered if they’d been built by the same developer. The sidewalk even looked the same.
When she and Patron walked into the building and checked the roster posted next to the elevator, she saw that Eve Wright lived in apartment 1D. Jeff had been able to get her work schedule from the restaurant where she worked, so Marty was hopeful she’d be home.
When they reached her apartment, the door was slightly ajar, and Marty said in a loud voice, “Hello. Mrs. Wright, are you in there?”
A moment later a middle-aged woman with brown hair flecked with grey walked through the small living room to the door and said, “I’m Mrs. Wright. What can I do for you?”
“My name’s Marty Morgan. I wondered if I could talk to you for a few minutes. It’s about your brother, Jimmy Joseph.”
“And you’re with?” she asked.
“Unofficially the police department. I often help one of the detectives when that department gets overloaded which happens to be the case right now because of the triple homicide that occurred at the music festival. This is in regards to your brother’s death. First of all, my condolences. Even though he’d had a heart attack, that still doesn’t prepare one for a sudden unexpected death.”
“No, it doesn’t. Come in Marty. I take it your bringing your dog with you?”
“Yes, he pretty much goes everywhere I go.”
Eve gestured toward two worn armchairs in the living room. Marty was struck by the vast difference between where Eve lived and where Jimmy had lived. It was like night and day.
“How can I help you?” Eve asked.
“I don’t know if you’ve been told, but your brother was murdered. The police have not released the news yet, hoping that the person who committed the murder will do something to reveal themselves.”
A number of emotions flickered across Eve’s face as Marty told her of Jimmy’s murder – fear, anger, guilt. All of which were gone in an instant.
“I’m not only here to offer my condolences, as well as the police department’s, but also to ask if you can think of anyone who might have killed Jimmy? Did he ever say anything to you about someone he was having problems with?”
Eve was quiet for several moments and then she stood up and walked over to the window. Her back faced Marty as she said, “My brother and I were not close. I’m sure you’d find that out one way or another. You see, my family hated my husband. Dad and Jimmy always thought my mother died because of a broken heart and my marriage was what caused it.”
She turned around, walked back to her chair, and sat down. “Because of that I became estranged from my family. In fact, I haven’t seen Jimmy in years. The last time may have been at my father’s funeral, but even then there was so much tension between us I think we may have said hello to each other and that was it.”
“It must have been hard for you to see Jimmy rise to fame and you weren’t able to be a part of his inner circle or congratulate him on his accomplishments,” Marty said.
“Actually, what was harder was to see what his accomplishments had brought him in the way of money, like the way he lived and his home. Several times I drove by it comparing it to this tenement-like apartment I live in. Jimmy and my parents had been right. My husband was a real loser. He left me in the dead of the night with a small child and no money. I divorced him, but the years have not been easy for me, as you can see. I have to work two jobs just to maintain this dumpy apartment.”
“Did you ever ask Jimmy for help?” Marty asked.
“No. I was too proud, and he never offered. Once he told me he had left me something in his trust, but that was the only time money was discussed. I’ve often thought it was his way of punishing me for marrying my husband, and in Jimmy’s mind, causing my mother’s death.”
“You mentioned you haven’t seen Jimmy in years. Have you talked to him?”
Again, emotions flitted across Eve’s face. Marty was interested in what she was going to say, because she knew that Eve had spoken with Jimmy about a week before his death. If she said no, then she’d be lying, although Marty couldn’t call her on it.
“No, I haven’t talked to him in years. I have no idea if he’s changed his trust, or if I’ll even get anything from his estate. It’s too bad when a brother and sister can’t at least have a relationship where they call each other from time to time, but that’s the way it was with the two of us. It’s been years since I’ve talked to him, unfortunately.”
Marty looked at Eve’s hands which were tightly clasped in her lap, so tightly clasped her knuckles were showing white. She remembered Jeff once saying every person who was trying to hide something had a tell, something they inadvertently did that revealed they were lying or guilty or whatever. Marty wondered whether Eve’s tell was her tightly clasped hands.
“Eve, do you have any children?”
“Yes, I have a son, Mickey. He lives in Las Vegas and rarely gets to Palm Springs, unfortunately. I miss him.”
“Since you and Jimmy weren’t close, what about your son and Jimmy? There would be no reason for Jimmy not to see him.”
Eve looked away and then back at Marty. “No, they never have been close. I wish they could have been, but Jimmy chose to have nothing to do with me or my family, and that included my son.”
“What does your son do in Las Vegas, Eve?”
Her eyes darted all around the room as she tried to avoid eye contact with Marty. “He deals with finances. I’m really not sure. Mickey’s always had a very good mind for figures, so doing things in that area was a natural for him.”
Right, Marty thought, I suppose gambling could be construed as doing something with figures, but that’s a pretty big leap. Maybe that’s how she justified his gambling, but if he was all that good at it, I rather doubt he’d need his mother to call his uncle to see if she could get money for him to keep him from being killed for not paying his gambling debts.
“That’s wonderful,” Marty said in an upbeat voice. I’ve never been any good with figure
s and things of that nature. I think it’s a gift. He’s fortunate to have that ability.”
“Yes, he is,” Eve said.
“When do you plan on seeing him again?” Marty asked. “With so little family, it must be hard on you not to be able to see him more.”
“It is, but I really don’t know. He’s very busy in Las Vegas, and with my jobs, I can’t take time off to visit him. Oh well, we’ll work it out somehow. You’ll have to excuse me for cutting this short, but I need to get ready for work. I hope what I told you helped, although there wasn’t much.”
You helped me more than you’ll ever know, Marty thought. You just lied about your son and the only reason you’d do that is to cover for him. You’ve just succeeded in moving him up to number one on my suspect list.
“You were very helpful. I’m just sorry I have to be here under these circumstances. Thanks for taking the time to see me. Let’s go, Patron.”
After Marty left Eve’s apartment, she and Patron walked down the sidewalk to her car. Patron was perfectly calm, hackles unraised.
Well, based on Patron’s response to Eve, Marty thought, I’m pretty sure I can cross her off the list, not that she was ever a high priority suspect, but her son, that’s an entirely different matter. I need to call Jeff. Maybe they could get someone from the police department to go to Las Vegas and interview him or have the Las Vegas Police Department bring him in for questioning.
CHAPTER 22
Marty had packed a lunch for herself and a dog food snack for Patron before she’d left the compound earlier that morning. She had a little time before she was scheduled to pick Carl up at his shop and decided to drive to a nearby park where she could walk Patron and they could both have something to eat. It would also give her an opportunity to call Jeff and tell him how Eve had lied to her.
After Patron finished his bowl of dog food, he promptly stretched out in the warm sun and fell sleep. While he was eating Marty enjoyed the large salad she’d packed. She would have preferred to go to In N’ Out again, but an inner voice had warned her if she started going there regularly, she’d have to get a second job to pay for the new wardrobe her weight gain would require.
When she was finished, she took her cell phone out of her purse and called Jeff. He answered on the first ring. “Marty, I was just getting ready to call you. Oh, excuse me a minute.” She heard him telling someone in his office that he’d be there in five minutes and to please close the door on their way out.
When he got back on the phone he said, “Marty you wouldn’t believe the day I’m having. Turns out the mayor’s son was selling drugs at the concert. We had an undercover officer there who had bought drugs from him right before he was murdered when a drug deal he was involved in went bad. That’s why his two friends were murdered as well.”
“Oh Jeff, I can’t imagine the firestorm that must be bringing to your department.”
“I’m sure you can’t. The press got wind of it and the whole morning has been a juggling act of press, politicians, and the mayor trying to squelch the story. He’s called a news conference for 3:00 this afternoon, and the talk is he’s going to resign his position as mayor. This has got to be one of the most grueling days I’ve ever spent.”
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. At least I can brighten your day with my news.”
“Shoot. It couldn’t come at a better time.”
“I’ve solved the Jimmy Joseph murder case,” she said proudly.
“You’ve what?” Jeff asked in a loud voice.
“I said I’ve solved the Jimmy Joseph case. I’m almost certain that Mickey Wright, Jimmy Joseph’s nephew, murdered him.” She went on to tell him about her meeting with Mickey’s mother and how she’d lied to Marty. “I’m sure she was lying to cover up for her son. You need to have one of your men or maybe a Las Vegas detective question him.”
“Oh, Marty. I hate to burst your happy bubble and do away with your good news, but Mickey is the reason I was getting ready to call you. You see, I just had a telephone call from my contact in Las Vegas. I called him first thing this morning and Mickey was already on his radar for a number of things.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that Mickey was in jail in Las Vegas the day that Jimmy was murdered. That gives him an airtight alibi. He’d been arrested for being drunk and disorderly the night before, and it took him until this morning to get bail money so he could get out. There’s no way he’s the murderer. Sorry.”
“Oh, dear. I wonder why his mother lied to me?”
“I’d bet she knew he was in jail and she was probably trying to get bail money for him. I’m sure she realizes what a bad apple he is and just didn’t want him to have any more problems than he already has.”
Marty was quiet for a few moments and then said, “Yes, that makes sense. It would be pretty hard to turn your son over to law enforcement authorities, no matter how you felt about the things he’d done. Kind of like the umbilical cord is still attached.”
“Exactly, Marty. Listen, sorry to cut this call short, but I’ve got to go. I’m trying to keep the press from getting any more information until the mayor holds his press conference.”
“One last thing, Jeff. Did your contact in Las Vegas mention anything about Jimmy’s manager, Randy Allen?”
“No. He’s still working on it. Sorry, Marty, I have to go now. See you tonight. Loves.”
He ended the call and Marty looked at the phone for a moment before she put it in her purse. Poor guy, she thought. Talk about being in a pressure cooker. When it involves politicians and the press, that’s got to be brutal. Maybe I can find something out about Miles Reed when Carl and I go there this afternoon, although I have a feeling that’s a long shot.
She threw her trash in a nearby trash can, woke Patron up, and together they walked back to her car. A few minutes later she drove by Carl’s shop, but couldn’t find a parking place in front of it so she turned down a side street, parked, rolled the windows down slightly for Patron, and walked to the Palm Springs Antique Shoppe.
“Good afternoon, Danivs,” she said to Carl’s assistant. “How are you and Carl doing with the decorating arm of the business? When Carl told me he was concerned you’d be leaving the shop to open your own business, I suggested that he make it part of the antique shop. Seemed like a natural. I think it was a good decision.”
“Marty, you wouldn’t believe it. It was the most natural pairing in the world. Carl has the best antiques in Palm Springs. I do the home decorating with carte blanche to use items from the shop and everybody’s happy. The clients love what I do. I make money and Carl makes money selling clients the things I decorate with. Kind of like a hand fitting in a glove. I’m so glad you suggested it to him. He knows everybody who’s anybody in Palm Springs, so it was perfect. Thank you.”
“I’m glad I was able to help. Speaking of Carl, we were supposed to meet here at 2:00.”
“He’ll be out in a minute. One of his better clients wants to buy a number of things from Carl as a gift for his daughter and son-in-law to be. He’s on the phone with the man now giving him suggestions. Ah, speak of the devil,” she said as Carl emerged from his office in the rear of the shop.
“Sorry, Marty, but that was one telephone call I had to take. I can close the shop and do nothing for the rest of the month with what that phone call just brought in. Let me get my autograph book and I’m ready to go.”
“Carl, you were serious, weren’t you? You’re going to hit Miles up for an autograph, aren’t you? This is downright embarrassing. He’s going to think we’re a couple of wackos.”
“Speak for yourself, darling. Anyone who’s in show biz loves to have someone ask them for their autograph. It’s what they live for. You know, adulation by the masses. Now that Jimmy’s dead, I wonder if I should show that Elvis jacket to him? I never was paid for it even though Jimmy said he wanted it.”
“That’s a moral dilemma I’ll leave up to you. Please don’t involve me
in that.”
“Okay,” he said cheerfully, “I’m ready. Do you think I look okay?”
Marty had been looking at an early Dresden figurine and had barely looked up while she was talking to him. She set the figurine down and studied him before speaking. “Carl, you look great. You’re one of the few men living in Palm Springs who can wear an ascot and not look silly. And the white suit with your tan is great. I’m sure Miles will be duly impressed.”
“Thank you, sweetie, I try. I wanted to show him that I value what he does, so I dressed up a little. Figured he’d like it.”
“I’m sure he’ll feel honored.”
Carl opened the door for her and they started walking to her car. “Actually, Carl, the pickings are getting slimmer.” She told him about Carla, Priscilla, Eve, and Mickey. “The only other two left on my suspect list are Miles and Jimmy’s agent, Randy Allen. If it turns out to be neither one of them, I will have hit a block wall and with what Jeff is dealing with at the moment, it’s the last thing he needs.”
“What is he dealing with?” Carl asked as they got in her car. He reached back to pet Patron whose whole body was wiggling in joy at seeing Carl.
“Oh, just that the mayor’s son who was murdered was dealing drugs at the concert, that the press and politicians are camped out in Jeff’s office, and that the mayor is holding a press conference at 3:00, probably to resign.”
Carl’s hand reached for his phone in his pocket and Marty immediately put her hand on top of his. “Don’t even think about it, Carl. I know you’re the disseminator and main conduit for any news that happens in Palm Springs, but this was told to me in confidence by a law enforcement person, and it is to stay confidential, a word I know is not very prevalent in your vocabulary.
Murder in Palm Springs Page 9
