Scottsdale Silence: a fun, romantic, thrilling, adventure... (Laura Black Mysteries Book 9)

by B A Trimmer

  “Okay, how did she react?”

  “She didn’t look happy. When I asked her about it, she said she wasn’t sure if having an actual boyfriend was working out or not. She said this right before she started chatting up this football player from ASU.”

  ~~~~

  I went back to my cubicle and pulled out my phone. Grandma had given me the contact information for her wedding planner, a woman named Kristine Darby.

  When I called her, she said she’d be happy to meet with me and could do so right away. I didn’t need to be up at Scottsdale General Hospital to start following Michael Palmer until about eleven-thirty, so I said I’d be right over.

  ~~~~

  Kristine Darby worked out of her home, which turned out to be a little south of Gainey Ranch, about two blocks from where Danica and Alex Sternwood lived.

  When I drove into the neighborhood, I realized I hadn’t been here since I’d gone over to Danica’s house to look for Alex when he’d turned up missing. It startled me a little to think that had been almost a year ago.

  I quickly found Kristine’s house. It was a lovely ranch with white stucco and a red tile roof. Like all the houses in the neighborhood, the tropical oasis landscaping in the front was beautiful.

  I parked in front of the house and knocked on the door. The woman who met me seemed pleasant enough.

  She was about my age, a little taller, and dressed a lot nicer. Slender but not athletic. She had styled blonde hair that hung a little past her shoulders and subtle makeup. She wore several gold jewelry pieces, including a wedding band and an engagement ring with a center diamond that must have been over two carats.

  “You must be Laura Black,” she said as we shook hands. “Call me Kristy. Please come in. I have a room in the back I use as my office.”

  She led me to a bright den in the back of the house. I could see out a picture window to a sparkly-blue lagoon-style pool with a big splashy waterfall. Her backyard was landscaped with a dozen orange and palm trees, along with one of the most beautiful arrangements of flowering plants I’ve seen.

  “I love your house,” I said. “Your backyard is gorgeous.”

  “Thanks,” Kristy said with a laugh. “I grew up in Denver and really hated the snow. I always wanted to live in the tropics on a white sand beach next to a blue ocean. Scottsdale is as close as I’ve come so far.”

  The room had a small round conference table and several comfortable chairs. As we sat, I looked around the office.

  Kristy certainly seemed like she knew what she was doing. On a bookshelf on the back wall were several large catalogs and notebooks for everything you could think of associated with a wedding.

  “You said you’re with the Henderson-Peckham wedding at the end of the month?” she asked.

  “Mary Peckham’s my next-door neighbor. She wanted me to come over to make sure things are still going alright with the preparations.”

  Kristy’s face fell a little. She also became somewhat quieter.

  “Oh, sure,” she said. “Let’s take a look.”

  A laptop computer sat on the desk and she opened it up. On the wall, a large TV mirrored what was showing on her computer screen.

  She quickly brought up the details of Grandma’s wedding. There was information on the venue, the flowers, the catering, the DJ, the photographer, and a dozen other things that happen at a wedding.

  “Um, yes,” she said as she went down the list. “Everything’s still on track. The venue at the Barrington is beautiful. We’ll have the Victorian Chapel and the Classic reception hall. We were able to get a last-minute change on the table stationary. And since it’s on New Year’s Eve, the Barrington has thrown in a midnight champagne toast, on the house.”

  “You’re very organized, “I said. “It looks like you’ve been doing this a long time.”

  “It’s been almost nine years. It started as a hobby back in college. But even as a kid, I liked throwing parties.”

  “Is it a successful business?”

  “Very much so. I know my husband, Andrew, thinks I work too much. And honestly, it’s not like we need an extra income. But we don’t have kids, and I’ve always enjoyed doing it. With our circle of friends, there’s always somebody ready to get married.”

  “I’ve heard you’ve been having a string of bad luck lately.”

  She let out a sigh. “I thought that might be why you came here. But I can assure you, before the wedding happens on New Year’s Eve, I’m going to reconfirm everything with each vendor, multiple times. I’ll do everything I can to make sure they have the perfect wedding.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” I said. “I’m not here to give you a hard time. I’m here to help.”

  At this, she visibly relaxed. “Thank goodness,” she said. “I thought you came over here to let me know they’d canceled.”

  “Has that been happening a lot?”

  “Twice, so far. In addition to this wedding, there’s been one in March. Fortunately, I’ve found other couples who’ve been able to take advantage of the arrangements. Still, my reputation has taken a serious hit.”

  “I know you’ve had a rough patch lately. Any idea what’s happening?”

  “The last several months have been a nightmare. I could see one or two things going wrong, but lately, every single wedding seems to have some sort of disaster.”

  “And you don’t see any kind of pattern to it?”

  She barked out a laugh. “I wish I did. But every time, it’s something out of left field. I’m not sure if it’s simply bad luck or if someone’s actively behind it.”

  “Do you really think someone could be deliberately doing this?”

  “I’m starting to suspect that may be the case. The odds of so many crazy things happening on their own seem pretty low. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about hiring someone to look into it.”

  “I’d only planned on looking into this informally, but if you’re serious about getting to the bottom of it, I work at a law office here in Scottsdale. It’s a little outside of what we normally do, but if there’s the possibility you’ll need to take legal action against someone, you could hire our firm. I’d be the investigator.”

  “Thanks, maybe you coming here today is a sign. I’ve wanted to clear this up and maybe I needed a push. If you give me the number, I’ll give your office a call.”

  “Perfect,” I said, handing her my card. “Call the office and Sophie will set up an appointment.”

  ~~~~

  From Kristy’s, I drove up Hayden Road and arrived at Scottsdale General Hospital around eleven-thirty. I then spent several minutes driving around the campus until I found the doctor’s parking lot.

  According to Jessica, her husband, Michael, drove a red Porsche Boxster. I quickly found it among the other high-end cars. I parked in a spot that let me keep an eye on the Boxster, but would also allow me to easily tail him when he left.

  At about twelve-twenty, I saw a man get into the Porsche and drive away. He closely matched the picture Jessica had shown me of her husband. He was tall and good-looking, somewhere in his late forties.

  I followed the Boxster south on Hayden until we had almost reached Indian Bend Road. He then turned west and pulled into a group of attractive townhouses on Via Camello Del Norte.

  He drove past a dozen homes and pulled his car into the driveway of one of the nicer townhouses towards the rear of the group. He got out of the Porsche and used a key to go inside.

  Since it looked like he’d be there for a while, I parked across the street and three houses down. I had a good view of the road, and from what I could tell, there hadn’t been anyone else in the townhouse when he arrived.

  Less than ten minutes later, a white BMW Z4 roadster pulled into the driveway next to Michael’s Boxster. A pretty woman, about my age, got out and walked to the townhouse.

  She was tall and thin, almost to the point of being skinny. She had long blonde hair that was styled so it bounced when she walked.

 
She was in a short strawberry-colored dress with a small matching cross-body bag and medium-heeled shoes. The outfit looked expensive, but was low-cut and revealing enough that it fell more on the slutty side of the fashion line.

  Without knocking, she let herself into the house. From the way she seemed to know her way around, this wasn’t her first time here.

  I called Sophie and asked her to run a check on the townhouse and the blonde’s license plate. Once we learned her name and where she lived, it might make surveillance simpler in the future.

  ~~~~

  As I waited for them to come out, my phone started playing Rihanna’s song S&M, Sophie’s ringtone.

  “Hey,” she said when I answered. “How’s it going?”

  “They’re still in there. But I’d say this is the right place for me to get the pictures. What did you find out about the townhouse?”

  “The owner’s listed as our client’s husband, Michael Palmer.”

  “Okay, that makes sense. He has money. It wouldn’t surprise me if he bought it as a stand-alone love-nest. What about the blonde?”

  “The car’s registered to a company called Progressive Possibilities.”

  “I’ve never heard of them.”

  “Me either. The business’ address is only listed as a post office box in Paradise Valley. They don’t have a website, so I imagine they’re pretty small. I’m running a search now. I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”

  ~~~~

  I’d been waiting in the car for about an hour when my phone started playing the theme to The Love Boat. Sophie had programmed this as Max’s ringtone several months before. She laughs whenever she hears it, and I’ve never changed it.

  “Hey,” he said when I answered. “How’s your afternoon? Does your new assignment look like it will be anything worthwhile?”

  “Not really,” I said with a laugh. “I’m doing a stakeout. Same as always.”

  “Will you be busy tonight, or will you still be involved?”

  “So far, I think I’m free. Did you want to get together? It might be the last time for a few days.”

  “I have meetings later on tonight,” he said. “But I’ll have time for a quick early dinner. Swing by my office a little before five? You can see the changes we made. Then we can head down to the bistro.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done. Hopefully, I’ll be on time.”

  ~~~~

  I ended up waiting almost three hours for them to leave the townhouse. When the door finally opened, the blonde came out first while Michael trailed behind her.

  As she got into her car, I couldn’t help but notice her hair was again perfect. I wasn’t close enough to tell for sure, but I suspected her makeup was as well. I could only guess at how long she must have stood in front of the mirror to put herself back together after the afternoon’s events.

  As she walked to her convertible, my eyes focused on her cross-body bag. It wasn’t nearly big enough to hold everything she would have needed to redo her hair and make-up.

  Even though the townhouse was owned by Michael, the blonde must have loaded up the bathroom with her things. I was starting to agree with our client. This had probably been going on for quite some time.

  I waited in my car for another five minutes to make sure neither Michael nor the blonde would return. Putting on a baseball cap to partially obscure my features, I reached over and grabbed my clipboard. It held a dozen pieces of paper crammed under the clasp.

  One of the best pieces of advice I’d ever gotten from Gina was the use of the clipboard. As long as you’re holding one, people will assume you’re somehow on official business. They’ll usually leave you alone, even if you’re doing some otherwise suspicious activities.

  Holding my clipboard, I walked up to the townhouse and rang the doorbell. I didn’t think anyone was still inside, but I’ve been fooled before. It’s always embarrassing when someone looks back at you while you’re peeping into their window.

  When no one answered after two rings, I walked around the unit to see what I could learn. A large window in the living room was uncovered and I was able to peer inside.

  From what I could tell, the place had the sterile look of a home with furniture but no personality. It reminded me of a furnished apartment I’d once rented, soon after I’d graduated from college.

  There were no pictures on the walls, no books in the bookcase, and no television anywhere. The entire living room consisted of a couch and two chairs.

  Next, I found a window that looked inside the kitchen. Like the living room, it appeared to be unused. There were no appliances on the counters and nothing on the walls.

  After walking around the townhouse, I determined the bedrooms were all on the second floor. Looking up from the outside, the windows appeared to all have closed shutters or miniblinds.

  I sighed. If this was where Michael Palmer and his paramour would be meeting, I’d need to find some way to get in the townhouse and plant cameras. Hopefully, some way that wouldn’t get me arrested.

  ~~~~

  “How’d your meeting with the wedding planner go?” Sophie asked as I walked up to reception. “Is she a scatterbrain Jane?”

  “No, she seems alright. Her name’s Kristine Darby and she’s as concerned as anyone. She wants to hire us to look into it.”

  “That makes sense, she called a little earlier, and I set her up with an appointment. At least you won’t have to sneak around and do it behind Lenny’s back this time. You know how much that annoys him.”

  “That’s assuming he’ll take her on as a client. We’re pretty busy.”

  “Why would he care? You’re the one who’ll be doing all the work. Wave some money in front of Lenny’s face and he’ll let you do it.”

  “You’re probably right. Were you able to find out anything about Progressive Possibilities?” I asked.

  “Not a lot. The only thing I’ve been able to find out so far is they’re listed as a company that provides personal services.”

  “What? Like an escort service?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe she does in-home massages or reads his palm and tells his fortune. Who knows? I’ll let you know more as it comes in.”

  “Thanks, something about this seems off.”

  “What did you decide to get Max for Christmas?” Sophie asked. “It must be hard to get something for a guy who could buy his own department store.”

  “You’re not kidding. I’ve been searching the internet and found half a dozen high-end French roast coffees. I hope he likes them. Some of them were like thirty dollars a pound.”

  “I know what you mean. I asked Milo what he wanted, and all I could get out of him was he was thinking about getting a Kill-A-Bear knife.”

  “What kind of knife is that?”

  “It’s the military fighting knife they issued to the marines in World War II. I guess the marines shortened the name to KA-BAR. Fortunately, the same company still makes them and sells them over the internet.”

  “It sounds like a good knife.”

  “According to the company, the knife got its name when a guy was in the woods and actually killed a bear with it.”

  “Damn.”

  “I know, right?”

  Lenny opened his door and walked over to us. “What have you got so far on the Palmer investigation? Did he have an appointment with a woman today?”

  “Yes, they met at a townhouse off of Hayden. She’s a pretty woman with long blonde hair. From the way they acted, it wasn’t their first time together.”

  “A townhouse?” Lenny asked. “Who owns it? The blonde?”

  “No, Sophie ran a check on it. It turns out our client’s husband owns the property.”

  “Wait a minute,” Lenny said. “How did he buy real estate without his wife’s signature?”

  “It looks like he used the name of his surgical group, but he paid in cash, and it’s his name on the deed,” Sophie said.

  “Nice work,”
Lenny said. “Hiding assets is always a good sign. See what else you can dig up. He may have assets stashed all over the place.”

  “No problem,” she said. “I’ve already started a search.”

  “At least it’ll make it easier to run surveillance on him,” Lenny said as he looked at me. “Go ahead and load up the place with video cameras.”

  “Breaking and entering?” I asked.

  Lenny shook his head. “Sophie, call our client. Have her sign a blanket authorization for video surveillance on all of her properties. Don’t list any specific location.”

  “Will that fly if her name’s not on the deed to the townhouse?” I asked.

  “It’s still marital property. By the time they untangle the actual ownership, the issue of surveillance will be moot.”

  “By the way,” I said as casually as I could. “I found us a new client. She should be calling to set up an appointment.”

  “Oh really?” Lenny asked. He was looking at me like I was trying to pull something on him. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Tony DiCenzo, does it? After dealing with him the last time, I don’t ever want to hear that name again.”

  “No, nothing to do with him.”

  “Is it a criminal or family law case?”

  I shook my head. “She’s a wedding planner and she’s concerned because something always goes wrong with her weddings.”

  Lenny looked at me like I was an idiot. “A wedding planner? That’s it? You do realize I can’t take someone to trial over a bad wedding.”

  “I know, it’s probably only billable hours. But she’s the wedding planner for my next-door neighbor. I’ll need to look into it, one way or the other. We might as well get paid for it.”

  “Well, I do like your way of thinking, but this isn’t the time of year to take on charity cases.”

  “It shouldn’t take too long and I don’t think it’ll interfere with anything else. Weddings are usually at night or on the weekend.”

  Lenny thought about it for a moment, then looked at Sophie. “Okay, when she calls, give her an appointment. It sounds like this will be a quick one.”

  “She already called,” Sophie said. “She’ll be here first thing tomorrow morning. How do you want to set her up?”