A Dead Daughter (Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Book 3)

by Anna Burke

  “Jessica, Libby is a suspect in what may be a murder investigation, depending on how Carr died. Have you checked with Dad and the Palm Springs PD?”

  “No, Frank, but do you think the Palm Springs PD will be more willing to go on a search for a little blue suitcase based on the rant by a mentally ill young woman, suspected of kidnap and maybe, murder? When? Call Uncle Don and see what he says. My guess is his colleagues won’t be any more eager to run this down than Hernandez. But the ways of homicide detectives are mysterious, so what do I know?”

  “Homicides get top priority, Jessica. The contents of that suitcase could contain evidence for a motive to shoot Carr or push him off the rocks up there. I’ll remind you, Jessica, red devil or no red devil, there still is a gunman on the loose—a professional sniper with excellent aim.” Frank was getting annoyed and annoying. So, what? Jessica wanted a look at what was in that suitcase for herself.

  “Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m curious about what’s in that suitcase. I have a client who gave me permission to visit the scene, on behalf of her incapacitated daughter who, crazy or not, asked me to find it. We’ll wear gloves—I do not want to touch anything that’s been in contact with Carr’s bodily fluids anyway.” A little shudder went through Jessica’s body and she put down the rest of the uneaten empanada, having lost her appetite. “Do you really think a gunman’s after me? If Libby and I were both on the hit list I can’t believe pros wouldn't have sent more than one guy to the hospital. And, if you’re worried about my paparazzi and fans, I’ll wear dark glasses and plain clothes, nothing flashy. I won’t use my own car. I’ll have Peter drive me. You’ll do that won’t you, Peter?”

  “Sure, Jessica, we can work something out.” Brien was nodding as Peter spoke, as though he had something to say about it.

  “I have to go along, Jessica. I need to see your mother, too.” Bernadette spoke in a solemn way, but there was a spark in her eyes that gave her away. She was eager to find out what was in that suitcase. “No offense, Peter or Brien, but I’d rather drive, unless you all will let me ride shotgun.” Brien sat up straight.

  “Uh, that’s my job, Bernadette. I’m the one who needs to be in that seat. Just in case something happens and Peter needs professional help.”

  “You are not qualified to provide that kind of professional help, Brien. No guns,” Peter admonished.

  “That goes for you too, Bernadette. No guns!” Jessica added. She wasn’t sure what was more terrifying, the thought of Bernadette or Brien, armed with live ammunition. That reminded her she still had her dad’s gun in her purse.

  “Here’s an idea, Bernadette. You drive, but use one of our agency cars instead of the Escalade. The vehicle I have in mind protects passengers from bullets. Brien and I will follow you. When we get to the condo, I’ll make sure the underground parking area is secure before you get out of the car. That ought to make you feel better, right Frank?”

  “What if you find something that needs to be taken into evidence? Then what? Gloves won’t prevent a smart lawyer from arguing that the evidence was tampered with, somehow, before it got to the police.”

  “Okay, so you come along, Frank. Get Uncle Don to put you into the proper chain of custody. You’re all Riverside County law enforcement. Better yet, bring him along, too. We’ll do everything by the book, Frank. I promise.”

  “Field trip, field trip,” Tommy chanted. “I say we all go. Why don’t we check out Carr’s office and condo, too?” Tommy said, his eyes brightening at the thought of an adventure.

  “Now you want to trample those places, too, by taking the entire Cat Pack through them?” Frank was in full blown cop paranoia mode.

  “The cat what?” Betsy asked with a puzzled expression on her face. In response, several members of the Cat Pack, excluding Kim who had yet to say a word, spoke at once. “Wait a second, please. This is getting more confusing, not less. You need to appoint an official spokesperson and clue me in.” Heads swiveled in unison, like cats all following the same dangling string, toward Jessica.

  “That would be me.” Jessica spent the next few minutes filling Betsy in on their loosely-constructed association. Betsy got it right away. She was well aware of the valley’s legendary status as a playground for the much more sophisticated “Rat Pack,” headed up by that other Frank.

  “In response to your question Frank, no I don’t think we should all go traipsing through Carr’s home and office. But Tommy has a good idea. Why don’t we divide up—you and I can take a team to Libby’s condo and car. The rest can go to Carr’s office in Beverly Hills, and to his house in Pacific Palisades. Betsy had a great idea that we might learn something about Carr’s silent partner by going through Carr’s rolodex and his client referral system.”

  “What does that mean for the whole chain of custody thing?” Peter asked. “Frank can’t be everywhere.”

  “Uncle Don can go with us, and he can be on our team,” Tommy said with excitement.

  “I doubt he’d agree to any of this. You know what a stickler he is. Besides, he’s not even in the homicide division. He won't have anything to do with this looky-loo business.” Frank was stuck in stubborn cop mode.

  “It couldn’t hurt to ask, could it?” That was Kim, breaking her silence to weigh in on the idea.

  “Field trip, field trip, sleepover, sleepover,” Tommy chanted again, stopping when several pairs of eyes focused on him. “What? We’ll be in Beverly Hills, Jessica. Chichi hotels, shopping, restaurants, spas... did I say shopping?”

  “Tommy, you will get me into so much trouble with Father Martin. He’s trying to get me to do more for my favorite charities instead of shopping.”

  “Are you saying I’m not a favorite charity?” Tommy’s bottom lip poked out like a spoiled child. “I can’t afford lunch at Spago, or a night at the Ritz Carlton, with a bottle of bubbly and a romantic couple’s massage.” Jerry blushed as Tommy looked at him lasciviously. Frank choked.

  “The Ritz Carlton? Are you kidding?”

  “Oh okay, Frank, are you a Four Seasons fan? How about the Beverly Wilshire Hotel—we can relive the best moments from Pretty Woman. I loved that movie. Heck, you can almost spit on Rodeo Drive from the window of your hotel room. It is soooo close! We won’t even have to drive in order to shop ‘til we drop.”

  “Uh, I don’t think it’s a good idea for anybody to spit on Rodeo Drive, Tommy,” Brien said. “I do like that movie. Julia Roberts is still bangin’—for an older babe.”

  “Tommy, the Beverly Wilshire is obscenely expensive, too. You don’t have to shell out that kind of cash for me, Jessica. Besides, if we find something, Dad and I will want to drive back to Riverside County and put it into evidence as soon as we can.” In that moment, Jessica realized the decision had been made. Even Frank was in.

  “Yes, we don’t have to stay there, but it would be fun. That light in Jessica’s eyes tells me she's ready to wave that black AMEX card around. Our angel heiress loves to play fairy godmother,” Laura sighed, smiling ruefully at Jessica.

  “It is a great hotel,” Kim said, deadpan. “My old boss did a film shoot there. That put a different spin on the Pretty Woman thing.”

  “Ooh, tell us, Kim,” Tommy said, knowing the “adult-themed” films Kim’s former boss made.

  “No, please don’t. I’d prefer not to know...” Jerry insisted. “I'll agree to let Jessica pay for an overnight, but I don’t want to be flashing on anything that little creep might have done.”

  Jessica’s head was spinning with all the chatter. Laura was right that she needed to get to work, wielding that black AMEX card But what to do first? Call Don Fontana; make hotel reservations for Saturday night; figure out how early they should leave in the morning or should they drive in tonight? How could she explain this to Father Martin? Bernadette came to the rescue.

  “We need to eat before the food gets cold. Dig in, you guys. Jessica, I don’t think Father Martin will mind. If you want to go to Malibu and Manhattan Beach in one day
, you'll be exhausted. Staying overnight isn’t a bad idea. We could stay at Hank’s place in Brentwood, but I don’t think he’s ready to face the whole Cat Pack, do you?” Bernadette asked.

  “No, I don’t think he’ll ever be ready for that,” she replied. “Frank, will you call your dad and see if he’ll agree to go with us? If he says yes, it’s a deal, okay?” Frank pulled out his phone and hit a button.

  “Dad, have you got a minute?”

  “Frank, ask him to have lunch with us at the Beverly Wilshire so we can all debrief, okay?” Frank nodded, understanding Jessica’s request. Jessica did a quick count in her head, regarding the number of rooms they would need. Not more than a minute later, Frank gave her a thumbs up. Uncle Don was in, it was go.

  “Betsy, do you want to join us?” Jessica glimpsed a little flash of something pass over Peter’s face—anticipation, maybe? Hmm, Jessica noted, in passing.

  “I’d love to, but I’m doing an in-service training tomorrow.”

  “On a Saturday?” Peter blurted out.

  “Yes, and I don’t dare let my staff down or they’ll be looking around for training on Law of Attraction Therapy, or some other nonsense to get continuing education credit. Not all the wackiness in my life comes from my clients. I’ll take a rain check, though, and I'd love to hear all about it, if you'll call me later, Peter.” That big goofy smile was back on his face as Betsy wrote her cell phone number on a business card and handed it to him.

  In the meantime, Tommy whipped out his phone. In another minute he punched in a number and handed his phone to Jessica.

  “The Beverly Wilshire, Jessica,” he said, doing a little happy dance as she took the phone from him. Jerry rolled his eyes, at Tommy’s audaciousness. “What?” Tommy asked as Jessica shushed him.

  “Yes, I’d like to reserve several rooms for tomorrow night...” With that she was off and running. No need to dig out that black AMEX card. The information emblazoned on the card stood out in bold relief in her head. She used that card so much she had committed the numbers to memory. In minutes it was all arranged—a dinner reservation at Spago, too.

  Betsy's words played over in Jessica's mind, “Not all of the wackiness in my life comes from my clients.” So true! Libby was not her client, but Jessica couldn't let it go. What could be stashed away in that little blue case? Could it help them find Carr's silent partner? Jessica glanced at Betsy, who was chatting with Peter like they were old friends. She thought of the conviction in Betsy's voice when she assured Jessica that Carr's associate was close. How close and did he have a hired gun waiting to take another shot at Libby or her?

  In over my head, time to swim for it, she thought as she looked up. Frank stood there with a plate of food for her. That look said it all, “Come on in, the water's fine.”

  22 Condo Search

  On Saturday morning Jessica awoke with anticipation thinking about the day ahead. Peter would drop off their specially-equipped, nondescript, late model car. That car would be unfamiliar to anyone tailing them, whether from the media, or on the payroll of the red devil. Peter and Brien would provide escort in another of the vehicles owned by his security company, choosing one they used for surveillance, rather than the black SUVs they preferred to use as escort vehicles.

  Once they were on the road, Jessica called Detective Hernandez and let him in on their plans for the day. She didn’t go into all the details about their “field trip” and “sleepover” at the Beverly Wilshire because it was too early in the morning to tangle with him if she got him riled up. She had worried needlessly. He was almost effusive in his praise for the way Jessica had planned her latest foray into sleuthing. He was grateful for the help given how shorthanded they were in Cat City. As it also turned out, he was still a homicide detective without evidence of a homicide. The body found in Cathedral Canyon was not Shannon Donnelly, but a homeless woman who was a long-time drug addict. They wouldn’t know for sure what caused her death, until they got a tox screen back from the lab in another week.

  “I'll owe you one after this, Jessica. I’d warn you off, given that incident at the hospital, if Frank and Don hadn’t been willing to go with you. They’re both good cops and should be able to keep you out of trouble.”

  “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, I think.”

  “You’ll keep me in the loop on anything you discover that might apply to Ms. Donnelly's disappearance. If you find that suitcase, you’ll make sure it gets into proper hands.”

  “Yes, Detective, that is the whole point behind having police officers with us, even on their day off.”

  “Nice of them to do that for you.”

  “True, but they owe me one for the work I did to find Kelly’s killer, and they’re willing to take a chance on this being a wild goose chase to get more information about Carr and Libby. And, if it’s not a wild goose chase, there’s the possibility that something might link one or both of them to whoever's behind that attempt on Libby’s life.”

  “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to be careful and do exactly as the Fontanas tell you.” This was getting old fast.

  “No problem, Detective. I’ll talk to you later.”

  The road trip to Manhattan Beach was uneventful. Sitting in that car for over two hours, even with the seat back about as far as it could go, was not comfortable. Jessica tried to keep apprehension from overtaking her—not just about what they might find at Libby’s condo, but what awaited them later in Malibu. With GPS, none of them had trouble finding Libby’s condo. When they arrived, Jessica spotted Frank’s car parked at the curb near the entrance to the underground parking area. A quick call to the security team at the condo complex got them access to the area in no time.

  Once inside the garage they checked Libby’s car first. Jessica used the electronic key Libby’s mother had given her to unlock the doors. Peter, who had already taken pictures of the scene as soon as they identified Libby’s car, snapped photos of the car’s interior. Donning a pair of latex gloves, Frank opened all four doors as Peter circled the car snapping away. Jessica and Bernadette hung back, champing at the bit to find that suitcase. But from where they stood, a few feet away, it was clear there was no suitcase in the car.

  Frank bagged the few items in Libby's car. He checked the glove compartment and found nothing there, either, other than the items you’d expect to find, including a vehicle owner’s manual, insurance card, registration, and a California road map. Jessica realized she had been holding her breath as Frank searched all the pockets and compartments in the car, finding nothing in them.

  “Peter, I will pop the trunk so you can photograph that too, okay?” Jessica said, as Frank finished his search of the car's interior.

  “Sure,” Peter said, moving to the back of the car. Jessica hit a button on the electronic key fob and released the latch on the trunk. Frank stepped around to the back, too. He lifted the trunk lid and Peter took a couple of photos. More disappointment gripped Jessica. There was a bag in the back, but no blue suitcase. Instead, they found a dark green duffle bag containing a pair of yoga socks, leggings and a t-shirt, a towel, and a lightweight, rolled up mat that Frank unrolled and then re-rolled. As he looked through the items, Peter continued to document each item.

  “I’m not sure what we’re looking for since there’s no blue suitcase in here.” Frank placed the items he had removed back inside the duffle bag. “I’ll put this in my evidence container in the back of my car anyway.” Frank stacked the few bagged items from the car interior on top of the gym bag and picked them all up.

  “Oh my God, Frank, is that a rosary?” Jessica asked.

  “Yes, it’s broken, but I’m pretty sure all the pieces are there.”

  “Bernadette’s the expert on that front. Can she take a look?”

  “As long as she doesn’t remove it from the bag, sure.”

  “Do you want me to put on those snooper gloves, first?” Bernadette asked.

  “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. Let
Peter take a couple pictures, though, before you touch it.” Frank took the bag containing the rosary and flattened it out for the photo. He flipped it over and had Peter take another shot. Bernadette peered at the broken string of beads for about a minute before speaking.

  “There are pieces missing. It’s broken right near the section holding the crucifix. See how there are three brown beads and then a silver bead, then the cross? There should be a silver bead first then the three brown beads. That’s the ‘Glory Be’ bead that’s missing. There should also be some kind of small medallion linking the sections together, but that’s gone too.” They were leaning over Bernadette’s shoulder trying to see what she was talking about.

  “What’s up, guys?” They all jumped about a foot off the ground. Brien, who had fallen asleep riding shotgun, had joined them. A surge of pain shot through Jessica.

  “Argh! Brien, don’t go sneaking up on people like that,” Bernadette chided him.

  “Why not? I was practicing being stealthy. Guess I’m getting good at it too, huh?”

  “I’m an old lady, Brien, you coulda’ given me a heart attack!”

  “Oh, okay, sorry. What’re we doing?”

  “We’re taking a look at a rosary found in Libby’s car.”

  “Wow, that’s good, isn’t it? Libby said you should find that, right, Jessica?”

  “True, but it’s not clear yet what we can learn from a broken rosary. Frank, are you sure you collected all the pieces from the car?”

  “I can check again, but I think so.” Frank said. “When did Libby tell you about a rosary? Why didn’t I hear about that?” Jessica explained how the rosary issue had only come up the day before when Libby had that episode in the ICU. Bernadette interrupted Jessica’s conversation with Frank. She had been peering at the broken rosary.