Murder in Palm Springs

by Dianne Harman

  While Carl loved his antiques, the one thing he treasured more than anything was good gossip, and what Marty had just told him was some of the best he’d recently heard.

  It’s a shame I can’t let people know what’s happening, he thought, but after our meeting with Miles I might even have better gossip. Since I’ll be sitting in on whatever happens there, it won’t be gossip, it will be the truth.

  “Marty, my lips are sealed,” he said, making a motion of locking his lips. “Upward and on to meet with Miles. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Miles Reed lived in the guesthouse of a large home in the old Palm Springs area. It was located behind a pink stucco house with a matching colored half stucco wall topped by tiles. The guesthouse repeated the same theme with a heavily tiled swimming pool separating them. Marty, Carl, and Patron walked down the driveway to the guesthouse and rang the bell. Marty was encouraged that there was a car in the driveway. She hoped it meant Miles was home.

  “Coming,” a voice said from inside. A moment later the door was opened by a man in his early forties dressed in a light beige short-sleeved shirt, matching chinos, and dark brown tasseled moccasins. He was deeply tanned with jet black hair which was beginning to grey at the temples.

  “May I help you?” he asked, looking down at Patron.

  “Yes,” Marty said. “My name is Marty Malone. This is Carl Jenkins, and the dog is Patron. He’s pretty much my shadow. We’d like to talk to you about Jimmy Joseph. May we come in? I promise Patron is very well-behaved.”

  “Yes, but I don’t understand why you want to talk to me. I don’t have much time to talk,” he said as he walked into his living room. “I have to catch a flight to Las Vegas.” Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Carl nodding as he looked at the Native American rug on the tile floor. She assumed that meant Carl thought it was good.

  “This won’t take long Mr. Reed. My husband is a police detective who at the moment is overwhelmed by too many murders in the Palm Springs area. I was doing a personal property appraisal for Mr. Joseph the day he was murdered. Since my husband’s department was overloaded, and I’d been in the home and gotten to know the people who worked with him, I told my husband I’d see if I could find out anything.”

  “So you’re not here in an official capacity, is that correct? And you, sir, what is your involvement?” he asked as he turned and looked at Carl.

  “Quite simply, Mr. Reed. I’m a huge fan of yours. I own the Palm Springs Antique Shoppe and was helping Marty with the appraisal of Jimmy’s memorabilia collection, and like her, I was at Jimmy’s home the day Jimmy was murdered. When she told me she was coming here, I asked if I could tag along.”

  “Wait a minute,” Miles said, “I don’t remember seeing anything on the news or in the paper about his death being caused by murder.”

  “That’s true,” Marty said. “The department hasn’t released that information yet. There was speculation, but they wanted to keep it quiet while they investigated, however, with the other murders at the music festival, they’re stretched a little thin at the moment.”

  “Yes, I heard about that. Three young people died. What a tragedy.”

  Marty could sense Carl was doing everything in his power not to tell Miles what Marty had told him about the deaths. She was certain if she hadn’t been there, Miles would be well aware of information regarding the mayor and the mayor’s son by now.

  “If you can tell me anything about Jimmy Joseph, I’d appreciate it. I know that you used to play at the Red Velvet Lounge and then Jimmy took over, and from what I’ve heard, a lot of people were sorry that you were no longer there. It must have been hard for you.”

  “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard at first. In fact, my brother even suggested if Jimmy wasn’t around, that I could probably get my old job back. But I’m a Buddhist and with all the meditation I’ve done, and the retreats I’ve attended, I’ve learned that things generally happen for a reason. Actually, the Red Velvet replacing me with Jimmy turned out to be a godsend.”

  “That sounds quite provocative, Mr. Reed. I’d heard that you had talked to the owner of the Velvet about still playing there in addition to Jimmy, but he didn’t want to do that.”

  “Yes, that’s true. When he told me, I didn’t know what I was going to do. He said he knew Jimmy’s manager and he’d give him a call recommending that he talk to me about being my agent. I didn’t think much about it, and I was able to get some short-term gigs playing at two other clubs in town. They’re nowhere near the caliber of the Velvet, but they have decent enough crowds. I’ve developed a following in both of them in a rather short period of time.”

  “Maybe I’m missing something, but I still fail to see how losing your job at the Red Velvet turned out to be a blessing for you,” Marty said.

  “Over the weekend I got a call from Jimmy’s manager, Randy Allen. The owner of the Velvet had called Randy and told him since Jimmy could no longer travel and the only place he was playing was at the Velvet, that he could probably use a new client. He recommended me highly. Randy asked me to go to Las Vegas and meet with him.

  “When did you go?” Marty asked.

  “I left the morning Jimmy was murdered. I spent the night there. If you’re asking if I have an alibi, I certainly do. I have plane tickets, a hotel receipt, plus a number of people in Randy’s office, and even where we went to lunch, can vouch for me. I treated Randy to lunch, so I even have a receipt for that. I was in Las Vegas the entire day that Jimmy was murdered.”

  “I hate to ask this of you, Mr. Reed, but would you mind showing them to me? I can tell the police department that there is no way you could be considered a suspect once I’ve seen those receipts.”

  “Certainly, now I’ll tell you how this is a blessing, then I have to go. When I met with Randy, he asked me to audition for him. He did a demo tape of it and told me he was going to see if he could get any bites on it. He called late yesterday and told me that I would be opening for one of the largest stars in Las Vegas beginning tomorrow.”

  “Wow, I knew it. I just knew it,” Carl said.

  “What are you talking about?” Miles asked.

  “When Marty told me your name, I remembered going to the Velvet and seeing you with some friends. Afterwards, we were all talking about how good you were and that you should be performing in Las Vegas, rather than Palm Springs. By the way, Mr. Reed, I brought my autograph book with me. Would you mind signing it for me?” Carl asked with a big smile as he reached into the satchel he always carried.

  “Of course.” He quickly wrote his signature and then said, “You can look at the receipts while I finish packing. My Uber driver will be here shortly.” He walked into his bedroom and returned with the receipts, handing them to Marty.

  She looked them over and said, “Looks perfectly good to me. And you were with Randy Allen all this time?”

  “Yes. He actually picked me up at the airport at 9:30 and I was with him until he took me to my hotel that evening about 8:00. I hope all of this helps you.”

  “Very much. Thank you for your time and congratulations on your success. I’ll look forward to seeing your name in the papers and on the news. I wish you well,” Marty said as she stood up and began walking towards the door, Carl by her side.

  When they got in her car, Marty looked over at Carl who was beside himself with excitement. He looked like a football player who had just scored the winning touchdown on the last play of the game. “I knew it, I just knew it. This autograph is my most prized possession. I am so excited. I actually talked to the man who is going to replace Elvis and Elton John.”

  “Carl, I don’t know if I’d go quite that far. They set a pretty high bar.”

  “Marty, if you’d heard him play like I did, you wouldn’t be saying that.”

  “Well, I’m glad for him, but…”

  “Oh, Marty. Oh no.” Carl exclaimed, a look of horror on his face.

  Marty loo
ked at him, having no idea what was causing Carl’s anguish. “Carl, what is it?”

  “Marty, I missed my opportunity. I can’t believe I was that starstruck,” he said pounding his fist on his thigh.

  “You’ve completely lost me. Care to fill me in?” she asked as she drove towards Carl’s shop.

  “The jacket. I never told him about the Elvis jacket. Maybe we should turn around, and I could show him the picture of it that I have on my phone.”

  “No. This is definitely not the right time. I think it would be much better if you sent a letter to him here at his house and enclose the picture of the jacket. Let him take the lead from there.”

  “But Marty, think how wonderful it would be if he could wear it tomorrow night. I mean it would cement his career. Elvis’ jacket. What a way to start your career out and he’d be so indebted to me, he’d probably give me tickets to his show for life. You know, right on the front row, and I’ll bet he’d give me a pass so I could go backstage after his shows. Then I could probably get to know all the other stars and they’d want to buy antiques from me. I could probably open an antique shop in Las Vegas. Of course, I’d have to move there. What do you think?”

  “I think you need to take a deep breath and slow down, Carl. One jacket does not an antique shop in Las Vegas make. Start with the letter. One step at a time.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right, but this may be the most exciting day of my life.”

  “If you’re that into stars, why wouldn’t meeting Jimmy Joseph be your best day ever?”

  “Because he was the setting sun. Miles is the rising star. It’s like with him all things are possible. It’s a new day. When the sun’s setting, things are pretty much over, don’t you agree?”

  “I’ll think about it, Carl. I’ll think about it,” she said as she shook her head and rolled her eyes back in a show of mock disbelief at Carl’s antics.

  CHAPTER 24

  After she dropped Carl off at his shop and was driving back to the compound, Marty said, “You were great today, Patron. Not one bark or growl. That’s the good news. The bad news is I guess that means none of the people we visited today are the murderer. Agreed?”

  Patron let out a small woof and with his head between his paws, resumed sleeping in the back seat.

  “Thought you’d agree with me. Thanks, Patron.” All was quiet in the back seat.

  A half hour later she pulled into the driveway of the compound and saw that all the residents, plus Max, were there, including Jeff. She got Patron out of the car, opened the gate so Duke could join them for a short walk in the desert. She watched them greet each other happily and then run a short distance into the surrounding desert, scattering desert life in their wake.

  Marty called them to her and the three of them went back to the courtyard where her friends and husband were enjoying a glass of wine, catching up on the events of the day.

  “Be with you in a minute. I need to change clothes, drop off these notes, and feed the starving beasts. Don’t start anything interesting without me,” she said with a laugh.

  A few minutes later Marty, Duke, and Patron walked out of her house, the dogs calm and content after having been fed. They walked up to Jeff who willingly gave them ear scratches. They then completed a circle of the table, demanding the same from everyone.

  Marty looked at her husband and said, “Jeff, I’m surprised you’re home this early. I thought you were up to your neck in alligators, so to speak, and wouldn’t be here until much later.”

  “I think alligators would have been easier than the politicians and the press, although I’m not sure that both of those groups wouldn’t qualify as alligators. If you haven’t heard it on the radio or television, let me be the first to tell you that we have an interim mayor in Palm Springs. It’s come out that the mayor’s son was a major drug dealer in Palm Springs and the mayor decided it would be prudent for him to resign before anyone called for his resignation.”

  “Wow,” Les said. “I’ll bet the press was all over that story. You couldn’t make one up like that.”

  “It was like a feeding frenzy. The disgraced mayor was escorted away from City Hall by several members of Palm Spring’s finest, my fellow law enforcement people. To make the whole thing even worse, the other two young men killed at the music festival, were all sons of prominent Palm Springs business people.

  “Turns out when the drug deal went bad and the shooting started, it was the mayor’s son who shot and killed the other two, but not before they fatally wounded him. A nearby security camera caught the whole shootout on tape, so that’s what happened.

  “Oh yeah, it was a great day. I finally said I’d had enough and left. Think it was Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind who said, ‘After all, tomorrow is another day.’ That saying is the only thing that got me through the rest of the day. Okay, enough from me, how about all of you? How were your days?”

  “In a completely different vein, mine was similar to yours,” John said. “I made the mistake of parking my Red Pony Food Truck in front of a large office building. I’m usually in that spot a couple of days a week. Wrong day to do it. I didn’t know that one of the companies that has an office in the building had brought in all their sales managers from across the country. The manager of that particular office is one of my better customers. In fact, Max and I have catered a number of events at the office, as well as at his home.

  “Anyway, he told everyone that he would buy lunch for them at The Red Pony Truck in front of the building. My bank deposit was hefty, but looking out the food truck window and seeing a line snake around the block in the blink of an eye, is not the best experience in the world. Particularly when you’re not expecting it.

  “Max and I have never worked so hard, and we ran out of everything. I mean, the last guy got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I tried to make it as gourmet as I could by slicing off the crusts and putting fried bananas on it, but I don’t know if it helped. Sure would have appreciated the manager giving me a head’s up on that one.”

  “John, after that experience, the last thing you need to do is cook for us. Why don’t we all go into town, and I’ll treat everyone to pizza,” Laura said.

  “Bite thy tongue, woman. What I need is comfort food and comfort is what you’re getting for dinner. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a killer chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake. Nothing is better than comfort food at a time like this.”

  “I agree, John. In fact, just hearing what we’re going to have is improving my mood. Thanks for the great timing,” Jeff said. He turned and looked at Marty. “What’s wrong? You look really glum.”

  “That’s because I am. I’m sorry, Jeff, but I feel like I’ve really let you down. Miles Reed was a no-go as well.”

  “Wait a minute,” Les said. “What do you mean as well? As well as what?”

  Marty spent the next half hour relating her conversations with Priscilla, Eve, and Miles. When she was finished, she said, “That’s about it except for Randy Miller. He’s the last one on my suspect list, and given what Miles said, I’m sure Randy will have an alibi as well, actually, pretty much the same one Randy has. I would expect there would be security camera footage of him going in and out of his office building, condominium, and the restaurant where they had lunch which will corroborate his alibi.”

  “I was going to tell you that my friend in Las Vegas called me on the way here and confirmed what you’re saying. Randy Miller is not the murderer, so I guess we’re back to square one. Let’s just let it go tonight, enjoy John’s comfort food, and get a good night’s sleep. I’m sure things will look better in the morning.”

  “Think that’s my cue for dinner,” John said. “All I need to do is fix the mashed potatoes. Max and I will be back in a minute.”

  Marty turned towards Laura and said, “Got any words of wisdom about now? I feel like I’m at a dead end, and I sure could use some help.”

  As she usually did when she was being asked for psychic advice or
thoughts, Laura became quiet and closed her eyes, as if deep in thought. After a few minutes she said, “I told you about the mailbox and that turned out to be valid. I still don’t know the meaning of the words, ‘Act of Mercy’, but I am getting something new. The words are superimposed over a cell phone. Does that mean anything to you?”

  It was Marty’s turn to be quiet. Finally, she said, “Not at all. I mean, everyone has a cell phone, so why would one be more important than any other? Are you getting anything else?”

  “Sorry, Sis, not a thing. We’ll just have to wait and see what it means. These things always become clear at some point in time.”

  “I know, but after today, my patience and ability to wait until something is clear has run out.”

  “The only other thing I’m getting is that it’s almost over. I have no idea what that means, but at least it sounds positive.”

  “I agree,” Marty said.

  After they’d finished dinner and John and Jeff had helped themselves to seconds of everything, Max came out of John’s house with the cheesecake. “This is the first time we’ve tried this. Hope you like it,” he said as he sat down and began serving them.

  “No, I don’t like it,” Jeff said. “I absolutely love it. This is one of the best things you’ve ever made. I mean who wouldn’t like cheesecake on a chocolate chip cookie crust. Yes, thank you very much, I will have a second piece.”

  *****

  “Jeff, I really am sorry,” Marty said as they got ready for bed. “I was so sure it was one of them. They all had motives, but after today, I have no idea where to go with this.”

  “Nor do I, but we’ll worry about it tomorrow. The good news is that at least the mayor’s son’s case is finished and other than dealing with some press people and finishing up some paperwork, I’ll be free to work on the Joseph murder case. Get some sleep, Marty, and remember Scarlett’s words, ‘After all, tomorrow is another day.’ Good night, love.”