Scottsdale Squeeze: a romantic light-hearted murder mystery (Laura Black Mysteries Book 2)

by B A Trimmer

  “I might do that. A girl can’t be too careful when it comes to this sort of thing.”

  SIX

  I went back to my apartment and took a quick shower. I still had dirt and bits of grass in my hair from laying on the driveway. Standing in the shower was wonderful and helped me deal with everything that had happened at Pam’s house. I wished I could stand there all afternoon.

  After the shower, I put on minimal makeup and put my hair back into a ponytail. I wasn’t feeling fancy and I wanted to get back on the job.

  ~~~~

  I drove back down to the office. Jackie had been kidnapped and I wasn’t sure what to do next. I parked in my space behind the office and went in through the rear door.

  I walked up to the front offices and saw Sophie bent over her desk and furiously typing away on her computer. She always does this when Lenny is on the warpath and she wants to keep out of the way.

  “Hey chica, how’s Lenny taking the news?”

  She motioned me to bend down and started talking in a low voice.

  “The police called about ten minutes after you did. Apparently, the homicide detective thinks Lenny set the whole thing up. Lenny went ape shit and has been drinking and screaming ever since.”

  “OK, let me go in and talk to him.”

  I walked into Lenny’s office. He was standing at the window, looking out at the shoppers walking on the street. He had a glass of Jim Beam in one hand and a cigarette in the other. From the half-full ashtray on his desk, he’d apparently been smoking most of the afternoon.

  When he heard the door open, he turned and looked at me. When he’s upset, Lenny speaks extremely slowly, as if he’s talking to an idiot.

  “All you had to do was to keep the client out of trouble until Monday. After they arrested her, she’d be in the system and we could have better dealt with this. As it stands, the homicide detective is probably at assistant DA’s office, thinking up charges they can press against us when our client doesn’t show up on Monday.”

  Hey,” I said. “We were jumped by three guys with guns. Unless you wanted a shoot-out on the street there was nothing I could do.”

  Lenny took a long drink of his Jim Beam. He seemed to think about it for a minute then he walked over and ground out his cigarette in the ashtray on his desk.

  “Yeah, OK, you’re right. But this is really bad. We need to somehow figure out how we can make this work for us.”

  He downed the rest of his Jim Beam. I could see he was going through his thought process on how to best deal with this.

  “OK,” he said. “On the negative side, our client, the obvious suspect to the Roger Wade murder, has disappeared. Unfortunately, we only have our story about how it happened.”

  “Didn’t any of the neighbors see anything?” I asked.

  “Not a thing. Several people heard the gunshot and a woman screaming, but no one actually saw anything. The police on the scene believed your story, so that will help. It’s a shame you weren’t more seriously hurt. A gunshot wound would have gone a long way to helping us establish our story.”

  What?

  I didn’t get upset over Lenny’s comment. I knew from experience he wouldn’t have a clue as to how he had hurt my feelings.

  “On the positive side,” Lenny continued, “If we can show who kidnapped Jackie or even why she was kidnapped, it will most likely strengthen our defense. It’s also possible the same people who kidnapped Jackie were also involved in the murder. I want you to find that tie-in.”

  “And get the client back?”

  “Yeah, get the client back too. Don’t be surprised if everywhere you look, a cop will have already been there. Turns out both our client and the deceased are well known in the Scottsdale social and celebrity scenes. There will be plenty of press coverage on this and you know how that tends to fuck things up. The only thing in our favor is our client isn’t officially missing unless she doesn’t show up for her scheduled meeting with the detectives on Monday morning. Go find out what’s going on and get her back.”

  Lenny pushed the intercom button.

  “Sophie, set up a call with the deputy mayor. I need to start getting in front of this.”

  I took this as a good time to leave.

  ~~~~

  I walked out of Lenny’s office and went to the back offices. I grabbed a Diet Pepsi from the break room fridge and downed four aspirins. I then sat down at my cubicle.

  My head was still throbbing but I needed to think of the best way to solve a problem that had no obvious solution. I had no idea who took Jackie or why they took her. I had no idea where she was being held. And, I had no idea where to start looking. After about twenty minutes of getting nowhere, I did the only thing left to me.

  Shit, I am so going to regret this.

  I pulled out my phone and called Maximillian.

  I had met Max a few months before while working on an assignment. He’s the number two man in the DiCenzo crime family. Max is a complete mystery to me. I’ve only been with him a few times and I don’t really know anything about him, including his last name. He seems to have an education, he dresses well, and he has impeccable manners. From the way he talks and acts, he seems to have some military in his background. Where Reno has the body of a boxer, Max is more the long distance runner. He’s somewhere in his mid-thirties, tall, lean, and always seemed to have endless energy. I can’t help but wonder how that would translate in the bedroom.

  Stop that.

  In looks, Max reminds me of the former pro-wrestler, now actor, Dwayne Johnson. The comparison to “The Rock” stops at Max’s lips, which are larger and more sensual. I also knew from experience they were incredibly soft and delicious.

  I had an immediate sexual attraction to Max, which is very rare for me. Unlike Sophie or Gina, it usually takes me weeks of getting to know someone before I'm ready for intimacy. With Max, it took all of ten seconds before we were in an embrace, his kisses pushing my libido up to the red line. What was worse, he knew exactly how I felt about him.

  Max answered on the third ring. His voice was soft and strong, but it also sounded surprised.

  “Laura Black,” he said. “I’d almost forgotten I’d given you this number. Not many people have the direct line. I’m glad you kept it.”

  Like I’d ever get rid of it.

  “Max, I need to talk to you. I’m working on the Roger Wade murder and I need some advice.”

  “OK, do you want to meet somewhere public or private?

  Like maybe my bedroom?

  “We should probably keep it public,” I said. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to get over to the zoo before it gets too hot. I hear they’ve added some new exhibits. I’ll meet you on the bridge. When is good?”

  “Tony called a meeting for later tonight, but I have some free time until then. I can meet you there in about half an hour. That will give us some time to talk.”

  “Perfect,” I said, “I’ll see you there.”

  Damn.

  That only gave me fifteen minutes to run to the bathroom and fix both my hair and my make-up.

  ~~~~

  The Phoenix Zoo is on Galvin Parkway, about ten minutes southwest of the office. It’s one of the gems of the city and is popular with both the locals and the snowbirds. The yearly highlight at the zoo is called Zoolights. Every night between Thanksgiving and the middle of January, the zoo lights up with millions and millions of colored lights. There are hundreds of animated lighting displays, from the comical to the beautiful. Every tree becomes a living light sculpture and every path becomes a magical adventure. Even though it is technically winter in Scottsdale, it is not uncommon to have evening temperatures in December in the sixty’s or even the seventy’s. Thousands of people come each night to walk through the zoo and experience the event.

  My favorite part of Zoolights is when they combine the animated lights with music. Along two of the main trails, dozens of huge trees light up to the pulsing beat of the Christmas music as it plays thr
ough hidden speakers.

  To get to the zoo from the main parking lot, you need to cross a turtle filled lagoon over a long bridge. This is where I was standing, waiting for Max. It was almost five-thirty and the sun was in the western part of the sky, about a half hour from going down.

  I watched as Max walked in from the parking lot and as he crossed over the bridge. He was wearing a black shirt, a white tie, and a white linen jacket. He had on the same tinted sunglasses I remembered from the first time we had met.

  Seeing Max again was enough to speed my heart up several notches and to give me a severe case of the butterflies. My libido had also gone up several notches and I was glad we were somewhere public. Self-control was never my strongest virtue and I’m not sure what would happen if we were ever to meet somewhere private.

  OK, so I knew exactly what would happen.

  He walked up and gave me a hug. As we embraced, I felt a wave of heat rush up and down my body and I clung to him for several seconds. At last, I came out of it and let go. He was looking down at me with a touch of amusement. As if he had just read my mind.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go walk through the zoo.”

  We went in and I picked a trail at random. In a few minutes, we found ourselves walking on a long path with animals on one side and a beautiful lake on the other.

  I love going to the zoo and seeing how they change it each year. I felt happy for the first time in days. I didn’t want to break the mood by jumping straight into murder and kidnapping. I was content just to stroll and chat for a bit.

  “I talked to Danica the other day,” I said. “She said Alex is doing OK.”

  “Actually, he’s doing better than OK. At first, Tony and Mrs. Sternwood had agreed only to give him a token role in the new resort, mostly to keep him out of trouble. But he’s really thrown himself into it. He works seventy and eighty hours every week. He’s already made a dozen suggestions and all of them will make the resort better, plus he seems to have real leadership abilities. I think he’s found a way to combine his years of being a con man with his sales skills. He has a knack for getting people to work together. As it turns out, even his recent experience with the other side of the business has been a benefit. During the police questioning, Alex never even hinted of an involvement by Tony in the affair and, from what we understand, the police actively tried to make a connection. Tony values loyalty more than anything. Of course, we also heard Lenny helped shield Alexander from the worst of the police questioning. I know Tony appreciated his efforts.”

  “I’m glad Alex is working out so well. I never really got a chance to get to know him, but he seems to make Danica happy.”

  “Tony and Mrs. Sternwood have agreed to have Alexander take over the day-to-day running of the hotel portion of the resort, once it gets up and running. In the meantime, he’ll help oversee its construction and he’ll be in charge of hiring some of the senior staff. Of course, our guys will have his back and make sure things go smoothly. Family or not, building a resort this size is a serious business. If we were to fumble it, it could have repercussions for the other resorts and even the other side of the business.”

  We then walked in silence through the beautiful trees and foliage. We had moved into a part of the zoo with a tropical rain forest theme. There were bamboo plants, palm trees, and broad-leafed banana trees everywhere.

  “You wanted to ask about the murder?” Max softly asked.

  Back to reality.

  “Yeah. Lenny is representing a woman named Jackie Wade. She’s a wealthy Scottsdale socialite. Her husband, Roger Wade was killed sometime last week and Jackie’s the prime suspect. She was kidnaped this morning by a group of armed men and I need to get her back. Roger apparently was involved in some of the resorts and now that he’s dead, everything will probably go to Jackie. I was wondering if you or Tony knows anything about Roger Wade that could help me piece this together.”

  “When it comes to Scottsdale resorts,” Max said, “it’s a relatively small group of people and everyone knows each other, more or less. Even the resorts owned by the chain hotels are still built and run by the same local group. The Wade family has been involved in Scottsdale resort development since the beginning. We directly worked with Roger on a project a few years ago. On that project, Roger Wade and Howard Spencer were the two active partners. We were part of the financing, along with a couple of other groups. After the project was completed, we took the payout and backed out. Tony may have worked with him on other projects, but it’s the only one that comes to mind.”

  “Jackie mentioned another man. He’s apparently the leader of a group of investors Roger’s been working with over the last couple of years. He’s tallish and broad, with short black hair and a black mustache. He has a big scar on the left side of his face and speaks both English and Spanish. According to Jackie, he has some deep anger issues. She thinks this is the same man who had made threats against her a week before.”

  “No, doesn’t ring a bell. But again, Tony may know more. I’m assuming you’d like to talk with him?”

  “Yes, I need to find out everything I can about Roger and what he was involved in. If Tony’s available, I’d like a few minutes of his time.”

  Yikes!

  “OK, I’ll pass along the request. Things are kind of busy at the moment but he likes you and I’m sure he’ll want to fit you in.”

  “Thanks Max, I really appreciate it.”

  We were still walking in the middle of the rain forest. Off the main path, there was a small trail leading into the tropical jungle. Max took my hand and led me down this trail. It went in about twenty yards, took a bend, and ended at an “employees only” gate. Still holding my hand, he looked down at me.

  “OK, enough business. Have you thought any more about my offer?”

  Only every day.

  “I’d still like to see if there is something between us,” he said. “I’d be glad to start out slow and see where things take us.”

  Oh, I know where things would take us.

  “Maybe we could take off for a quiet weekend,” he said. “Somewhere beautiful with a white beach, a blue ocean, and a lot of palm trees.”

  Yum!

  “You don’t know how good that sounds,” I said. “But every time I think of being with you, I get visions of being asked to be on Mob Wives of Scottsdale. I don’t think I could be part of that lifestyle.”

  “Wife, huh? Well, maybe someday I can make you change your mind.”

  And then he put his arms around me and pulled me in for a kiss. I didn’t even try to fight it. Actually, as he led me down the path, I was secretly hoping he would kiss me. Kiss me at the very least.

  As with my first kiss with Max, I seemed to enter into a dream world. The noises of the zoo faded into the distance and the sunlight seemed to dim. The only thing I could feel was Max with his arms around me and his lips on mine. My breathing stopped, the whole of my being was taken over by waves of mounting excitement. As before, my lips took on a mind of their own as I began to kiss him back. He curled his arm around my waist and pulled my body against his. I felt his body responding to mine as the kiss deepened and lingered. The heat from his body was intense. My mind started racing and my libido, which had been awakened by being with Max, had now kicked into high gear. The fluttery butterfly feelings in my stomach had now traveled throughout my entire body. I felt helpless and I felt like I was floating. I wanted him and all the arguments about who he was or what he did for a living dissolved and were gone.

  No, no, no. Damn it!

  I pushed myself away from him. The sensations were starting to overwhelm me. My breathing was fast and I knew my face had blushed a bright red. I lowered my head and hid my face in my hands.

  After a moment, I started to calm down. I looked back up at Max, who was still loosely holding me in his arms. He now had a slight knowing smile. The smile annoyed me, a little bit.

  “How can you do that to me?” I asked. “I tell myself I wa
nt no part of you, then you kiss me and I’m ready to have your babies.”

  “Babies, huh? I’m not sure we’re ready for babies, but I do like the way your mind is going.”

  “Shut up,” I said. “Come on. Let’s get back out to the main path. Otherwise, I’ll make you do something to me that might get us both arrested. Neither one of us needs that right now.”

  Max held my hand and walked me to the main path. We then walked back through the zoo and out to my car. He said he would give me a call when he could arrange a meeting with Tony, but it probably wouldn’t be until sometime the next day or even the day after.

  Although he didn’t kiss me again when we parted, he also didn’t let go of my hand the entire time as we walked back through the zoo. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I know I liked it. I liked it a lot.

  ~~~~

  The sun had set and the western sky was still bright with fiery oranges and reds. The day had already been a long one and I didn’t have another move I could make until I talked to Tony.

  Without thinking, I found I had driven the fifteen minutes back to my apartment building. I parked, and then took the stairs to my floor. After the kidnapping, the thought of being alone in an elevator was still too much for me.

  I went into my apartment and collapsed on my couch. Marlowe must have heard me come in. I heard the cat door in the bedroom swing open. A moment later, he hopped onto the couch and collapsed on my lap.

  I had been petting Marlowe for about two minutes when my phone rang. It was Pam.

  “How are you doing?” I asked. “You were amazingly brave today. Thank you for trying to warn us.”

  “Thanks, but it didn’t do a lot of good. They still kidnapped Jackie and from what I heard they almost killed you.”

  “I’m fine and we’ll get Jackie back. So far, you’re the only one who’s been injured.”

  “I’ll be OK. My face hurts where they hit me and I’ll have a bruise for a few days but I don’t think they seriously injured me. I put an ice pack on it and the swelling is almost gone. Do you have any news on Jackie?”