by B A Trimmer
“Alright, stay outside while we go upstairs. The parking lot is the obvious entry point. Give me a call if you see anything.”
“Copy that,” the big man said.
“Hi, Carson,” I said as I waved.
“Ma’am,” he said with a nod. As with Tony, it was pretty obvious he wasn’t going to say anything else with Max standing next to us.
We took the elevator up to my floor and entered my apartment. I loaded up my overnight bag with a couple of outfits and some things from the bathroom. I also stashed my old twenty-five caliber pistol back in the drawer.
Hoping I wasn’t forgetting anything important, we stepped into the hallway and I locked my door.
“I should tell Grandma Peckham I’ll be out for the weekend,” I said. “I don’t want her to worry.”
I knocked on my neighbor’s door. When she opened it, she was wearing her purple jogging suit.
“Well, good morning,” she said. She then saw my boyfriend standing next to me in the hallway. “Hello, Max,” she said. “It’s good to see you again. Come on in. Could I make you a cup of mountain oolong tea?”
“Not today,” he said. “We’re just on our way out. But thank you.”
“Were you planning on being here this weekend?” I asked. “I was planning on spending a couple of days over at Max’s. I wanted to make sure someone would be around for Marlowe.”
“Other than running around doing some final things for the wedding, I’ll be here all weekend. I’m supposed to spend time with Bob’s family and do Christmas morning, but that hopefully won’t last more than a few hours. I’ll be glad to take care of Marlowe.”
“Thanks. I’d hate for him to be lonely over Christmas.”
“Oh, whenever you go somewhere, I think the main reason he cares is because only one of us is feeding him. He keeps looking at me like I should feed him more to make up for it.”
“I’m looking forward to the wedding,” Max said. “Is everything still on track? I heard there were some challenges with your wedding planner.”
“As far as I know, everything’s still good from my side,” Grandma said. “Is everything’s still going well on your end?” she asked, looking at me.
“Nothing’s changed since last night,” I said. “There’ve been a few challenges that have come up, but Kristy and I are doing our best to make sure things go smoothly next Saturday.”
“Well, my fingers are crossed about the wedding,” Grandma said. “Oh, when you come back on Monday, stop by my place. I have something for you. It’s only a little Christmas present.”
As soon as Grandma mentioned presents, I remembered I had her and Max’s gifts back at my place.
“Hold on,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
I went back to my place and found Max’s bags of coffee beans. They weren’t wrapped yet, so I spent a few minutes looking for a gift bag to put them in. The closest I could find was one that said Happy Birthday, but I figured it would be close enough.
I’d already wrapped Grandma’s present, two sets of soft fluffy towels that matched the colors of her bathroom. Presents in hand, I relocked the apartment and went back next door.
When I got back to Grandma’s, I could tell something weird had happened. Grandma was looking into space and seemed to be on the verge of crying. I set her present down and looked at her.
“Grandma?” I asked. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh,” she said as she sniffed back a tear. “Everything’s fine, dear.”
I looked between Grandma and Max. “Well?”
“I asked Grandma where they were going for their honeymoon,” Max said. “She said with the wedding happening so quickly, they didn’t have anything left over for a trip. So, I offered them four nights at one of the casitas at the Blue Palms with a full food and beverage comp.”
“Wow,” I said. “Nice wedding present.”
Max pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Hey, Cassy, it’s me. Which of the casitas are still open for New Year’s Eve? I’d like to set up a four-night complete comp package. That’s right. New Year’s Eve through the fourth of January. Put it into my discretionary cost center.”
He listened for a moment. “Okay, that’ll be perfect. Hold on.” Max looked at Grandma. “What will your name be next month?”
Grandma looked at him blankly for several seconds. Then she broke out into a sweet smile. “Henderson,” she said.
Max got back on the phone. “Mary and Bob Henderson. They’ll arrive late on New Year’s Eve, probably one or two in the morning. Also, set up the honeymoon package in the room. Champagne and strawberries, monogrammed bathrobes, the works. Perfect. Thanks, Cassy.”
“Okay,” Max said as he disconnected. “You’re all set. Head to the Blue Palms after the wedding reception next Saturday and they’ll have everything ready.”
I looked at Grandma and saw a tear sliding down her cheek. “You’ve got yourself a keeper,” she said.
~~~~
We went back down to the parking lot. Max let Carson know everything was alright and he could head back to the Blue Palms.
Carson gave me a nod and said, “Ma’am,” which I took as his way of saying goodbye. He then climbed into his SUV and took off.
~~~~
We were about halfway to Max’s house when my phone rang with the Mazda dealer’s number. I hit the speakerphone answer button. “Hello?”
“Miss Black?” a woman asked. “This is Mia. I wanted to let you know your car’s in. It’s ready to go anytime you want to pick it up.”
“That’s great,” I said. “It’s Christmas Eve. How late are you open?”
“Until one,” she said. “If you think you might be a little later, I could see if someone would stay until you got here.”
I looked over at Max, but he was already pulling into a parking lot to turn the car around.
“We’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” I said.
~~~~
We drove over to the Scottsdale Auto Show at Pima and the Loop 101. This is a group of seven or eight auto dealerships bunched together in one place along the highway. It’s where Max and I had spent much of our Thanksgiving weekend, looking for a new car.
We parked in a visitors’ space and went into the showroom. A woman came over and I recognized her as the one who had sold me the car. Unfortunately, I’d completely forgotten her name.
“Laura,” she said as she held out her hand.
“It’s good to see you again,” I said, hoping my forgetfulness hadn’t been noticed. “I hear the car came in.”
“It came in yesterday afternoon,” she said. “It’s right over there.”
She pointed to a shiny white Miata convertible, sitting by itself in the middle of the showroom floor. A red and yellow “Sold” sign was posted on the windshield.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful!” I knew I was squealing, but I couldn’t help it.
“It’s all prepped and washed,” the saleswoman said as we walked around the car to admire it. “We even filled the tank.”
“Thank you so much,” I said as I signed a paper saying I’d received the vehicle.
Two of the salespeople opened a set of double-glass doors and I drove my car out to the parking lot. It felt so wonderful to be sitting in a shiny new convertible. I completely loved it.
I followed Max as he led the way to his house. About halfway there, Rihanna’s S&M started playing on my phone.
“Hey, Sophie,” I said when I answered. “I just got my car. Oh, my god, you have to see it. It’s so beautiful.”
“Wow, that’s great news. Are you still sure you don’t want to ditch your old one? If we’d have known, we could have just picked your purse out of the trunk last night, and you could have left your old POS sitting up at Nothing.”
“Shut up. You know I’ll want to use the old one when I’m working. Think what would have happened yesterday if I’d been driving the new Miata.”
“That’s true. It would be over the
border by now.”
“Anyway,” I said. “You called me. What’s up?”
“Um, do you remember one of the doctors the blonde chick was nailing? Isaac Elmaghrabi, or however you say it?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I can’t forget that name, Doctor Sloppy Seconds. She had him on Wednesday afternoon.”
“Well, I’ve got some bad news. They just fished him out of Tempe Town Lake.”
“Seriously?”
“Serious as a heart attack. According to the paper, they think he jumped off the Scottsdale Road bridge sometime last night. The body washed up on the shore near Tempe Beach Park. A couple of ASU students were out rollerblading when they found him.”
“Damn.”
“I know. The newspaper’s saying it’s the curse of Scottsdale General.”
“What’s that?”
“According to the article, about once a year, one of the top people at Scottsdale General will commit suicide. It must be a crappy place to work. Even worse than our law office.”
“Why would someone who makes that much money commit suicide?” I asked. “It seems pretty stupid if you ask me.”
“Maybe this has something to do with the blackmail? Maybe they told him about the evidence they had on him and he decided to go for the big-sleep option.”
“I don’t know. But the whole thing still seems pretty messed up.”
~~~~
“I need to head over to the Tropical Paradise for Kristy Darby’s next wedding,” I reminded Max as we were cuddling on his couch. “I’ll need to be there by four.”
“I’ll be glad to come along, if you don’t mind the company. While you’re busy with the wedding, I’ll work on some projects I have going on.”
~~~~
A little after three-thirty, we climbed into the Miata and took off. I was disappointed the temperatures were only in the sixties. It was too cold to put the top down. If Max hadn’t been in the car with me, I probably would have lowered it anyway and turned on the heater.
Chapter Nine
We pulled into the valet line at the Tropical Paradise. Our doors were opened, and we both got out. The attendant got into my car and took off. As he did, I stopped and stared in wonder.
Like most of Scottsdale’s resorts, the Tropical Paradise has seven or eight parking slots next to the front entrance. These were used to display some of the fancier cars the customers arrive in.
Tonight was no different. A red Ferrari, an orange Lamborghini, and a white Rolls Royce were lined up for display.
The thing that shocked me was that the attendant drove my Miata to the slot closest to the entrance, then efficiently backed it into place. Even though I knew he only did it because I was with Max, the sight of my shiny white car sitting in the display parking area was a little emotional. After so many years of having the crappiest vehicle on the street, seeing my Miata parked next to a Lamborghini amazed me.
~~~~
After a quick hug, Max took off for his office and I walked over to the Wedding Grotto, the site for the ceremony. Like most of the venues at the Tropical Paradise, it was a beautiful intimate space. Counting out the white chairs, there looked to be seating for about a hundred and twenty guests.
Kristy was already checking on the accommodations, her tablet in her hand.
“Well?” I asked. “How does it look?”
“So far, everything’s good. The flowers are perfect, the seating is just as we ordered, and the alter looks great.”
“What about the officiant?”
“The bride has a friend who can perform marriages in Arizona. He’s back with the wedding party getting ready.”
“Is there anything else we need to check?”
“Of course,” she said with a laugh. “But I’ve covered the things that could be major problems, at least at the ceremony. Next on my list is making sure the setup in the reception ballroom is complete.”
I followed Kristy for the next twenty minutes, and it became apparent everything looked good. The ballroom looked sophisticated and stylish, with fifteen tables fully set with elegant stationery, immaculate place settings, and gorgeous flowers.
While Kristy checked on the bride, I walked back to the Wedding Grotto and sat in one of the white seats. In the silence, I was able to really get a sense of the venue.
Even though no one else but me was in the space, it was exciting to know what was about to happen here. It made me think back to my wedding and how full of hope and optimism I had been that day.
As I thought about the ceremony, I was surprised I felt a touch jealous of the bride. I’d only met her a few minutes before, but I was suddenly envious of her getting married.
What the hell?
Ever since my divorce, I’d been telling myself I never wanted to get married again. But was that still true?
When I was with Reno, I occasionally fantasized about living with him and growing old together. But that’s all they ever were, occasional fantasies. So, why had I suddenly become emotional at the thought of getting married again?
~~~~
The ceremony went off without a hitch. About halfway through, as they started to say their vows, I stopped paying attention to the ceremony and started thinking about the reception and everything that could go wrong.
It was a little strange, looking at the event as a planner and not as a guest or someone in the wedding party. In my mind, it was starting to become a checklist, with forty or fifty things that all had to happen at the correct time and in the proper order.
I was beginning to see why Kristy carried a tablet with her the entire night. I was also starting to see how trying to plan a dozen weddings at once could lead to mix-ups and confusion.
As the wedding party exited the Grotto, Kristy and I went to check on the reception. We walked back into the ballroom, and Kristy took in everything at once.
To me, it all looked beautiful. But I noticed her stiffen and suck in a breath.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“The DJ isn’t here yet,” she said, sounding annoyed. “I’ve worked with her before, and she’s usually set up by the time the guests start to arrive.”
“Do you have her number? I’ll call and make sure she’s only running a little late.”
“Thanks,” she said as she texted me the number. “Her name is Rainbow Raven. While you do that, I’ll go back to the kitchen and make sure nothing else is wrong.”
Tablet in hand, Kristy took off through a door in the back. I called the number, and a woman answered.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m looking for Rainbow Raven.”
“You’ve got her,” the woman said in a bright and cheerful voice. “What can I do for you?”
“My name is Laura Black and I’m helping out Kristine Darby tonight. Are you still on your way over here?”
The phone went silent for a few seconds. “Um,” she said. “Are you talking about the wedding at the Tropical Paradise?”
“That’s right.”
“But, um, I was told the gig was canceled. Something about the bride getting cold feet.”
“No, it’s still going on. How soon can you be here?”
“Crap,” she said, sounding genuinely distressed. “Are you serious? This totally sucks, and I’m really sorry, but I won’t be able to make it tonight. When the wedding canceled, I drove out to my sister’s in Riverside to do Christmas. It’s like a five-hour drive back.”
Damn.
“Who told you the wedding was canceled?” I asked.
“It was Kristy. I got an email from her, like three or four days ago.”
“Do you still have it? I’d like to see it.”
“Sure, if you give me your address, I’ll forward you a copy. Are you saying Kristy didn’t send it?”
“I don’t think it was her. If you got an email, someone might have hacked their way into her account.”
“Wow. Tell Kristy I feel terrible about this. But when I got her note, I assumed it was legitimate.”
>
I gave Rainbow my contact information then went to look for my client. I found her in the kitchen, still looking over the dinner preparations.
“Kristy,” I said. “Rainbow’s in California and isn’t coming. She said she got an email, presumably from you, saying the wedding had been canceled.”
“What?” Kristy asked, clearly upset. “You’ve got to be joking. Why would I tell her the wedding was canceled? This is great. Now you’re saying someone’s hacked into my email account?”
“Rainbow will be sending me a copy of the email, but it looks like it.”
Kristy looked to be on the verge of crying. “I can’t have a reception without music,” she muttered. “There’s no way.”
“Do you have anyone else that can fill in?”
“On Christmas Eve?” she asked with a laugh. “I was lucky to get Rainbow, and I had to book her six months in advance.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let me try one more thing.”
I pulled out my phone and called Max.
“Hey,” he said when he answered. “How’s the wedding going? Does everything look okay so far?”
“Actually, no. Someone emailed the DJ and told her the event was canceled. Now she’s out in California. People are starting to roll in, and they’re standing in a very quiet ballroom.”
Max seemed to think for a moment. “This is sort of a longshot, but I might be able to help. One of the team members who’s working tonight as a valet also moonlights as a DJ. I was thinking about that as he parked your car. I don’t know what types of music he’s into, but I could see if he wouldn’t mind getting his equipment and working a wedding instead.”
“Would you ask? It would save us a huge problem. Call me back when you get an answer?”
Five minutes later, my phone rang with the theme to The Love Boat. As always, hearing the ringtone made me smile.
“Rafael said he’ll be glad to do it,” Max said. “As luck would have it, he worked a Christmas party last night and still has the equipment loaded in his van. Although, he’s asked for his usual DJ fee on top of what he was going to make working here tonight.”
“I’m sure Kristy will pay him. She’s pretty desperate. Um, are you good with paying someone who won’t be working for you tonight?”
