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

by B A Trimmer

  “Dani,” Largo said in a fatherly tone. “We must leave before the police arrive.”

  “Yes,” Danielle said, a tone of command in her voice. “Get everyone out, right away.”

  Danielle’s men had gone through the house and removed any sign we’d been there. It wasn’t likely the police would care when they raided the place, but you can never be too careful.

  We went out front to several waiting SUVs and vans. Men were hurriedly loading equipment into the vehicles.

  I was standing next to Danielle when two men dragged Benny out of the house. As usual, he didn’t look happy.

  His hands were cuffed behind him, and he had a black gag stuffed in his mouth. The side of his face was red from where I had stunned him.

  Even though he had recently taken several thousand volts to the face, he was still able to weakly struggle and kick out. As they ushered him to the bakery van, he noticed Danielle and me standing against one of the SUVs.

  His face twisted in anger, and he shouted out a long stream of profanity. Even with the gag, it was pretty easy to hear what he wanted to do to us. None of it was complimentary.

  The men finally stuffed him into the back of the van and swung the doors closed. We could still hear him cursing at us through the walls of the vehicle. It was almost like the words were coming out of the cupcakes.

  “What are you going to do with him?” I asked.

  Danielle gave me a small twisted smile. I’d never seen her look like that before, and honestly, it gave me the chills.

  “Benny’s going to be our guest. From the sounds I heard in the basement, I take it you have his stun-gun. Would you mind if I borrowed it for a few days?”

  I pulled it out of my pocket and gave it to her. “You can have it, but I’m afraid it’s dead. I drained it when I used it on Benny’s face.”

  “Thanks for letting me know,” Danielle said. “I’ll send someone out for a box of fresh batteries. I wouldn’t want Benny to miss out on any of the fun.”

  Danielle looked down at the stun-gun and twisted her hand to get a good look at it from several angles. She shook her head and gave out a grunt of laughter when she saw the smiling cartoon kitty on the side of the device.

  “What’s going to happen to him?” I asked, nodding my head toward the van.

  “Well, now that I have Benny’s pretty pink stun-gun, the one he likes to use on women so much, I think I’ll hang him up someplace nice and secluded. I need to pay him back for what he did to me. I’ll then make sure everyone in the core group takes a turn at giving him a few volts.”

  “What happens when you’re done with him? Will you turn him over to the authorities?”

  Danielle shook her head. “Laura, I wouldn’t worry about Benny. After three or four days, no one will ever see him again. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

  “Um, no, sure. I understand.”

  Danielle shrugged. “Benny’s an animal and must be treated as such.”

  The groups finished packing and had started to climb into the vehicles to take off. I could see Danielle was beginning to fade. It had been a long day for her.

  “Thank you for coming to rescue me,” she said. “I know I haven’t always treated you like I should, but you’ve always been there for me. I won’t ever forget that.”

  “It’s no problem. I know you’d do the same for me. Although, I’m hoping neither of us has to rescue the other one, for at least a little while.”

  She let out a small laugh. “Here’s to hoping. See you at the wedding.”

  She climbed into the front of the lead SUV, and everyone took off.

  Max dropped me off to get my car. He offered to let me stay at his place, but I needed to go home and make sure my apartment door was secure for the night.

  On the way home, I called Sophie. “Hey,” I said when she answered. “You aren’t going to believe the day I’ve had today.”

  “Don’t tell me,” she said with a laugh. “Was it shitty?”

  “Shitty doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’ll tell you and Gina all about it later, but I wanted to give you a head’s up. There’s a chance J. Barrett Knight might call the office looking for Lenny to represent him in his role in the hospital narcotics operation.”

  “Seriously? That would make Lenny forget about Elle. He could milk a butt-load of money from something like that. He wouldn’t have any excuses for not redecorating the office.”

  “I know, but it might not happen. Don’t tell him ahead of time.”

  “Are you kidding? If Lenny finds out he had a million-dollar payday slip through his fingers, he’ll be worse than ever. But don’t worry. I’ll keep his schedule light for the first part of next week, just in case.”

  ~~~~

  I made it back home and looked at the door. It was still shut, but both the door and the frame would need to be replaced. I rolled my eyes at how expensive that would be.

  When I went in, I searched the apartment, but no one was there. I also didn’t see any signs that anyone else had been there during the day.

  I shoved the couch against the door and went to sleep.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I woke up the following day to the sound of women’s voices coming through the bedroom wall. It took me a second to remember that today was New Year’s Eve. Grandma would be getting married tonight.

  As I listened to the conversations, I could tell it was the happy and good-natured talking of three or four women, including Grandma herself. I supposed she’d have people coming and going all day.

  Marlowe was asleep in the bed with me. He doesn’t take to strangers and must have escaped Grandma’s as soon as the first of her visitors arrived.

  ~~~~

  After I crawled out of bed and got myself going, I called Kristy to get an update. When she answered, she sounded tired.

  “How are you doing?” I asked.

  “It’s been a rough couple of days. Apparently, Andrew’s known about Julie’s feelings towards him for quite some time. I don’t think they were having an actual affair. It was more like some sort of low-level office flirtation.”

  “That has to be hard to learn about.”

  “Yes, but I’m glad everything’s out in the open. We can start to deal with it. At least the problems will stop.”

  “What did you learn about the wedding tonight?”

  “I called Maggie at the Barrington and told her what happened. She said she’d gotten a voicemail but suspected some mischief. She was going to call me before she fully canceled the venue.”

  “That’s great news.”

  “I also got ahold of the florist, the photographer, the videographer, and the DJ.”

  “And?”

  “Well, the DJ was upset. He’d already made plans to go to a New Year’s Eve party, but everyone will show up. The florist also wasn’t happy, but since I’d already paid ahead of time, they couldn’t say no. I also explained to everyone what had happened and that the problems will stop.”

  ~~~~

  An hour before I was due to head over to the wedding, I pulled on a mid-length maraschino-colored dress. I didn’t often get a chance to wear it, but I liked this one. Since it had a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps, it would really show off the diamond Tony had given me.

  I walked next door to Grandma’s to retrieve my jewelry box. The door was open, and the place was a hive of activity. People I didn’t know were busily making phone calls and attending to last-minute details.

  I saw a woman in the kitchen with a drink in her hand. I immediately recognized her as Megan, one of Grandma’s granddaughters.

  “Hi, Megan,” I said as I walked up to her. “I recognize you from the pictures. I’m Laura, Grandma’s next-door neighbor.”

  Recognition flooded her face. “Of course. Grandma’s told me all about you. You’re the private eye who’s been helping to make sure everything’s going okay with the wedding planner.”

  “That’s right. I’m happy to report ev
erything’s going to be perfect for tonight.”

  Megan blew out a sigh of relief. “I’m thrilled to hear that. After hearing about all of the problems, I was starting to get worried. I’m glad you were able to take care of things.”

  Grandma came up to us. “Laura,” she beamed. “You look gorgeous.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’m heading over to the Barrington to help Kristy with the last-minute arrangements. I wanted to let you know I talked with her this morning. It looks like everything will go smoothly tonight.”

  “Thank you for your help. I know I often ask favors from you, but I do appreciate everything you do for me.”

  My face flushed with heat, and it probably came close to matching my dress. “It’s no problem,” I said. “I was happy to do it.”

  I grabbed the jewelry box from Grandma and went back to my place. I put on the pendant and looked at it in the mirror.

  The rainbow sparkles that flashed from the diamond were breathtaking. As I hoped it would, it looked stunning with the dress. It also brought up memories of my first adventure with Max and Tony.

  When I looked down at the box, I realized I couldn’t leave it in the apartment with the broken door. I decided to go all out and put on Jackie’s diamond and ruby tennis bracelet, along with Elizabeth’s ruby ring.

  I next slipped on the earrings Max had given me at Christmas. As I suspected, they matched the other pieces perfectly.

  I usually don’t wear all of my jewelry at once, especially if someone was looking for me. But today, I felt relatively confident. Plus, I knew with Max and Danielle at the wedding, we wouldn’t be robbed. Something might blow up, but nothing would be stolen.

  ~~~~

  I made it to the Barrington a few minutes before five. The wedding wasn’t going to be until seven, but I wanted to be there to help with anything that might happen at the last minute. I’d promised Grandma her wedding would be perfect, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen.

  Once I got there, I quickly found Kristy. She was walking through the chapel, holding her tablet.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “Everything looks great,” she said with a wide smile. “I think tonight will go well. Thank you for your help. It was well worth the money to know the problems will stop.”

  “I’m glad we could find out who was sabotaging you.”

  Kristy’s face fell a little. “Yes, it really sucks about Andrew and Julie. But I’ll worry about that next week. Tonight is all about having a flawless wedding.”

  I nodded my head in understanding.

  “By the way,” Kristy said. “I love your dress. It’s the first time I’ve seen you dressed up….”

  Her voice trailed off, and I saw her eyes dart between my pendant, the earrings, the bracelet, and the ring. She was about to say something but held it back with a slightly confused look.

  I followed Kristy around for another twenty minutes, and she’d been right. Everything looked perfect.

  ~~~~

  While the wedding party was gathered in the chapel for pictures, the girls started to drift in. Gina was first to arrive, holding hands with Jet. She was in a sapphire dress and was wearing the diamond earrings Elizabeth had given her.

  It was the first time I’d seen Jet dressed in anything other than casual clothes, and he looked incredibly handsome. I felt a tweak of jealousy but quickly shook it off. I was glad Gina had finally found someone who could keep up with her.

  Sophie arrived next with Milo trailing behind her. She was wearing a green dress with Raquel Welch’s diamond and emerald necklace.

  Milo had on a brown suit that was a bit tight on him. From the way he fidgeted as he walked, I could tell he was only waiting for an excuse to take the tie and jacket off.

  “You’re looking like one of the cougars with all that hardware on,” Sophie said as she eyed my jewelry.

  Gina laughed and shook her head. “I figured you would have sold some of that by now.”

  “The only thing I’ve sold is the gold nugget from Mindy. Maybe I’ll sell the rest someday, but everything has a memory behind it.”

  Sophie started laughing, and I turned to see Danielle and Roberto slowly walking towards us. He was limping slightly but looked good. She’d used make-up to cover the bruises she’d gotten the day before.

  But what had gotten Sophie’s attention was Danielle’s dress. She had on a red spaghetti strap that looked remarkably like mine.

  “Oh my god,” Gina laughed. “You two really do look like twins tonight.”

  As Danielle stood next to me, Sophie pulled out her phone and had us pose while she took pictures.

  “I should have remembered you’d wear a red dress to match your jewelry,” Danielle said as she laughed and shook her head.

  “You look great,” Gina said to Danielle. “It’s good to see you. We’ll all have to go out again sometime soon.”

  “I know,” Danielle said. “It’s my fault. I’ve been busy with work. I’ve gotten some new responsibilities, and I never seem to have any free time.”

  “That’s amazing,” I heard Max say as he came up to us. “You two really do look remarkably similar.”

  Max was dressed in a black suit, a white shirt, and a black bow tie. He looked utterly delicious. My heart sped up as he stood next to me and gave me a hug.

  Damn, he’s gorgeous.

  Kristy stuck her head out of the chapel and opened the doors. We all ended up in a pew on the bride’s side. With a bit of subtle maneuvering, we got Max on one end and Danielle on the other. I knew they both like to be on the outside, and there was no use tempting fate by having them sit next to each other.

  Something seemed wrong, and I realized Roberto wasn’t acting as Danielle’s bodyguard. I swiveled my head around to the back.

  In one corner stood Señor Largo. His leather satchel hung over his shoulder as he slowly scanned the crowd.

  In the other corner stood Gabriella. Her black bag was also dangling against her side as she watched over the chapel.

  I know I should have felt terrified at the thought of the two of them together like this. Still, after the events of the previous day, I knew I was probably safer in this room than anywhere else I could be.

  ~~~~

  The ceremony between Grandma and Bob was beautiful, and we all dabbed our eyes the entire time. Fortunately, there were no problems, and everything went smoothly.

  We then drifted into the reception hall and found our table. Earlier in the evening, I had switched around the place cards to make sure Max and Danielle weren’t sitting next to each other.

  I kept looking for problems, but everything went off without a hitch. The appetizers and dinner were served, and the drinks flowed from the bar. The music was pleasant, and everyone was having a great time.

  After we finished dinner, I found myself at the dessert table with Gina. “Sophie was telling me Andrew’s admin had a creepy crush on him,” she said. “And she’s the one who’d messed up everything?”

  “Yup, she was very efficient at doing it. She almost succeeded in ruining Kristy’s business.”

  Gina got a melancholy look on her face and shook her head. “You know, this puts Kristy and her husband in a no-win situation.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it. Things can’t stay the way they are. Andrew either has to fire his admin or divorce his wife.”

  “Well, sure. I assume he’ll fire Julie. It seems like a no-brainer.”

  “I wouldn’t make that assumption. Think about our office. Sure, it’s Lenny’s name on the door, but Sophie’s the one who actually runs the place. If this admin’s been with Andrew for over ten years, she’s the one who’s keeping the business going on a day-to-day basis.”

  “Do you think he would divorce his wife so his business wouldn’t suffer?”

  “I guess it depends. Is Julie older or younger than Andrew?”

  “She’s younger, by maybe ten years.”


  “And is she pretty?”

  “Yeah, she’s okay.”

  “There you go,” Gina said. “Even if Andrew divorces his wife, he has a ready replacement.”

  “Wow, do you really think it could work out that way?”

  “We’ve both seen stranger things.”

  “Well, if they do get divorced, at least we could send some more business to Lenny. I didn’t use up the original retainer Kristy gave us, and you know how he hates giving refunds.”

  ~~~~

  After dessert, I walked over to where Señor Largo was standing. He had staked out one of the back corners of the ballroom. Gabriella had the other. They were both continuously scanning the crowd for any unforeseen trouble.

  “Señor Largo,” I said. “It was good working with you again. I’m glad you were here for the rescue.”

  “It is my job,” he said with a shrug. “It’s a shame we were so quickly put out of action, but the final results were good. It was fortunate you were there to help us out again.”

  “Danielle’s a friend of mine. She would have done the same for me.”

  “Still, this is the second time you have performed such a service for our group.”

  Maybe that’ll make up for the time I tipped off the police to your shipment of heroin?

  “Hopefully, this is the last time you’ll need to come up to Arizona to work on a problem. I heard on the news that the police raided the safehouse where Lillian and Oswald Knight had been hiding.”

  “Yes, our men followed the black sedan to the new location in Queen Creek. We then called in an anonymous tip to the police. They were very eager to get their hands on both of them.”

  “Um, should I ask? How’s Benny doing?”

  Señor Largo’s smile was twisted. It reminded me a lot of Danielle’s, and I shivered in fear.

  “I’m afraid Benny is not doing very well. Danielle ordered everyone in the core group to use the pink stun-gun on him. Unfortunately, at this point, it doesn’t take very many shocks before he passes out from the pain.”

  “Really, I would’ve assumed he was a tough guy. Um, how many shocks before he passes out?”

  “Sometimes it takes four or five, sometimes only one. It depends on where you apply the electrodes. Some areas of his body seem to be especially sensitive to pain.”