Murder and Mega Millions: A High Desert Cozy Mystery

by Dianne Harman

  “What do you mean you can’t make it home and go to the dinner party with me? Don’t tell me you have to work late. I know you’re with your little tramp. I’ve been thinking, dear husband, I haven’t seen you for three days. Maybe it’s time something happened to that little tart of yours. If she wasn’t around, you wouldn’t need to spend all of your money on her, would you? I’m getting very tired of you putting me on a starvation budget. Do me a favor and tell the trollop she better watch her backside, because someone might want to help her have a bad accident. If that happened, I could have the money you’re wastefully squandering on her.”

  Carl was oblivious to the conversation. He’d wandered into the living room, and was looking at the some of the pieces Rhonda had recently bought. Marty’s heart was racing. She hadn’t eavesdropped, but she’d just overheard a conversation that sounded extremely ominous. She knew she had to tell Jeff about it and see what could be done, if anything. From the threat Rhonda had just made, it seemed like Dr. Wesley’s mistress might be in danger. Marty moved away from where she was standing in the hallway and joined Carl in the living room.

  Evidently, based on what Marty had just heard, Rhonda Taylor had a side to her that few people knew about. Marty wondered if Melissa had seen that side of her. Who knows? It may have been the last thing Melissa saw.

  A few moments later a smiling Rhonda walked down the hall to the living room where Carl and Marty were waiting for her. “I’m sorry about that. It was my husband telling me how much he misses me and that he’d be home soon. You wouldn’t think a man would be so attentive after so many years of marriage. I must be the luckiest woman in the world. Thank you both for coming. I love to show off my treasures to people, and now that Melissa isn’t around to take any away from me, I can have them all. Yes, life is very good.”

  Carl and Marty thanked her again, left the house, and got into Marty’s car.

  “Well, what did you think?” Carl asked.

  Marty intentionally guarded her response. “I agree with what you said earlier. She has an incredible eye and incredible collections. Thanks again for setting it up.”

  “Did you find out anything that will help you or Jeff?” he asked, clearly wanting to get some tidbits of gossip from her so he could scatter them here and there.

  “I’m not sure. I need to think about it.” She knew if she told him about the phone conversation she’d overheard between Rhonda and her husband, it would be all over Palm Springs before morning. And she still wasn’t sure what all of it meant.

  She dropped Carl off at his shop and spent a lot of time thinking about what she’d heard as she drove back towards the compound in High Desert.

  CHAPTER 17

  Marty was having trouble trying to make sense of what she’d learned. She knew the two meetings she’d had could be important to Jeff’s investigation. When she pulled into the driveway, Patron and Duke were waiting at the gate for her, bringing a smile to her face.

  “Hi, guys,” she said to the dogs as she unlatched the gate. “How was your afternoon?” She bent down to pet both of them. Duke wagged his tail, greeting her with a sloppy dog kiss on her hand. Patron sniffed her legs, and then backed up, growling with the guard hairs down the center of his back stiffened. He continued to growl until Laura came to the gate to see what the problem was. She knelt down and spoke softly to him, and a few minutes later he, too, wagged his tail and slobbered on Marty’s hand.

  “Laura, we need to talk about what’s going on with him, but first let me take my things into the house. Back in a minute,” she said as she waved to Jeff, Les, John, and Max, who were seated at the big picnic table in the courtyard. She walked into the house followed by Duke and Patron.

  A few minutes later Marty walked out to the courtyard and after Jeff lightly kissed her he said, “Sit down, sweetheart. I’ve got some important news for you. The coroner has confirmed that Melissa was murdered. Whoever did it used some strange type of poison produced by a poison dart frog. I’ve already shared this information with the others here at the table, but I wanted you to know, too. So now I’ve got a full-blown murder case that I have to solve. We’ve been waiting to hear about your meetings, and I didn’t want Laura to tell us about her meeting with the coroner until you were here.”

  “Wow,” Marty said. “That’s a real shocker, when you consider Melissa was so well-thought of here in the Palm Springs area. But before we start discussing our meetings, I have to ask Laura something. Laura, you briefly mentioned psychic dogs. Can you tell us anything else about them?”

  “This is about Patron, isn’t it?” Laura asked as she took a sip from her wine glass.

  “Yes, I stopped by the Hi-Lo Drugstore this afternoon on my way into town. Lucy wanted to see a picture of the newest addition to the compound. It led to an interesting conversation. Here’s what she said.” Marty recounted to the group what Lucy had said about psychic dogs. When she was finished, the group collectively looked at Laura, curious as to what her response would be.

  Laura was silent for several moments. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet but firm. “I haven’t wanted to say a lot about it, but ever since Patron acted strange before you went to the gala, I’ve been wondering just how extensive his psychic powers are. His behavior has been unusual.” She looked at Marty. “Remember when he didn’t want us to go to the appraisal and how he acted? When you got home this evening, it confirmed what I’d researched today.”

  “Laura, this is making me really nervous. Get to it,” Marty said, while Jeff poured her a glass of wine.

  “Okay. I found out that there are numerous instances of where dogs have had psychic abilities. I think I mentioned before that a lot of people with health issues such as epilepsy have therapy dogs, or I’d call them psychic dogs. These dogs know when their owner is about to have an epileptic seizure, and steps can be taken to prevent it or mitigate it. Also, there are a number of instances where a dog has diagnosed cancer,” Laura said.

  “Yes, but I wouldn’t call those things psychic,” John said. “Surely it’s just what we call animal instinct, isn’t it?”

  “Well, think about it. At some level these dogs have sensed something from a paranormal perspective. In other words, what they have sensed is beyond the normal five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. I would call it using psychic abilities.”

  The other five were silent while they thought about what she’d just said, and then Jeff spoke up. “When you first mentioned it, I didn’t take you too seriously, but let’s say we agree with what you’ve just said. I assume you’re saying that some dogs are capable of having a sixth sense and that Patron has that sense. Would I be right?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Patron is apparently able to sense things about Marty. For instance, the night of the gala Marty saw Melissa, who was murdered a few days later. I think the morning Marty and I discovered Melissa, Patron was in some sort of a psychic state. It seems to have something to do with warning Marty that there is danger.”

  “I can see why that might be,” Marty said, “if we accept that Patron’s psychic, but how do you explain his behavior when I got home this evening? He was agitated again, but I never saw Melissa today.”

  Laura continued in earnest. “When I got home after my meeting with the coroner, I did some research on dogs, specifically their psychic abilities regarding danger and death. There have been numerous instances where dogs have warned their owners before a disaster or danger. I feel pretty certain that Patron is metapsychically linked to you, Marty, and he’s hard-wired to let you know when you’re in danger.”

  “That would explain why you can calm him down. Kind of a one psychic to another type of thing, but that still doesn’t explain the way he greeted me this evening,” Marty said. “What do you make of that?”

  Laura thought it over. “I think it has something to do with your meetings today. I think one of those women presents a danger to you, and in the only way he can, Patron is letti
ng you know about it.”

  “I’ll go along with everything you’ve said up to this point,” Marty said. “But I fail to see how two of the most prominent women in Palm Springs present a threat to me.”

  “Keep thinking about it. I have no idea what or who it is, but Patron does,” Laura said with finality.

  “Okay, on that note, it’s time for dinner,” John said, “but from now on, I’m going to be looking over my shoulder at Patron. Anyway, dinner is kind of a feel-good thing we serve at the Pony. People love it, and I thought you could use something to make you feel better given what’s been going on in the last couple of days. It’s my take on a bacon and egg sandwich. After that, get ready for the dessert. It’s pretty spectacular. Max and I will be serving you shortly.”

  After he’d finished his first sandwich, Les said, “You can serve this to me anytime. Actually, I’ll take another one. I need the energy.” John passed around the platter of the bacon and egg sandwiches and was pleased to note that everyone helped themselves to a second one. It was pretty apparent why the sandwich was such a hit at the Red Pony.

  After they finished eating the sandwiches, John said, “At the receptions, cocktail parties, and other events that aren’t sit down dinners, we pretty much serve finger food. Desserts are usually cookies or small pieces of cake or little tarts that can be eaten without utensils. Since almost everyone loves chocolate, I thought a chocolate platter or even a chocolate bar, depending on the client’s available space, would be fun. Give me a minute, and I’ll get my rendition of one.” He and Max stood up and walked towards his kitchen.

  When they returned, they were each carrying large white square platters with different kinds of chocolate candies and pieces of chocolate bars on them.

  “John, this is beautiful,” Marty said, looking over the delights before them. “You’ve got white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and truffles, and even some with nuts and caramel. I like the addition of chopped apples and dried fruit. Keeps the tongue from sticking to the roof of your mouth. Problem is, I don’t know where to begin.”

  It was quiet in the compound as the residents slowly made their way through the chocolates.

  “John, I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that was a huge hit. Yes, you definitely need to serve this at your catering events. If you have the space, I’d set up a special table, maybe with roses or something kind of romantic. The only problem is, I ate so much chocolate, with all of the caffeine it has in it, I may never get to sleep,” Les said, “but maybe that’s okay. I’ve been working on a painting all day that I was hoping to finish, but didn’t. The caffeine in the chocolate just might make me stay awake to do the last few things that need to be tweaked on it.”

  Les was one of the most well-known artists on the West Coast. His pieces commanded huge prices and each one sold as soon as the paint was dry on it. The San Francisco gallery that was his primary venue had a waiting list for them. He could easily afford to live anywhere in the world, but he’d grown to love the compound and the peace and quiet of the high desert. The fact he and Laura were devoted to each other was probably another factor.

  “Laura, we’d all like to hear what happened at the coroner’s today,” Jeff said. “You’re on.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Max and John cleared the little that was left of the chocolate dessert trays and sat down, ready to hear about Laura’s meeting with the coroner.

  “This was a first for me,” Laura began. “I met the coroner, Darcourt LeBleu, at the county morgue. He couldn’t have been more gracious to me. We talked for a while about New Orleans and his background. He’s Creole, and all I can say is that we sort of connected on some level. I think he has some psychic gifts he doesn’t talk about. Anyway, I asked him if I could be alone with Melissa’s body for a few minutes.”

  “Did ya’ have the jimjams?” Max asked. “Know I would, bein’ with a dead body. Jes’ the thought of it gives me the icks.” He wriggled his upper body about and made an ugly face.

  “No, I didn’t feel that way. Here’s what happened. Darcourt had put her body on a table in a cold room in the morgue. He left me alone with the body and closed the door. I immediately felt something, but I didn’t know what it was. A shimmering light started to hover over her body, and then it turned into what I guess you’d call a female ghost.”

  There was an audible sound of breaths being drawn in as the five others at the table leaned forward so they wouldn’t miss a word of what Laura was saying.

  “This ghost, or apparition, or whatever you want to call it, seemed to be very kind. I decided to treat it as a real person, so I asked who she was. She told me, or I sensed it, or her response entered me by osmosis. I just don’t know how it happened, but in one way or another she was able to communicate with me. Anyway, she said she was Melissa’s mother, just as I told you I’d suspected. I asked her if she knew anything about Melissa’s murder, such as who the murderer was.” Laura paused and took a sip from the glass of water in front of her.

  “Well, what did she say?” John asked, hanging on every word she said.

  “She told me she got there too late to save her daughter, but she saw someone running out of the house, and she had a feeling it was a woman. She said ever since she herself had died, she’d been able to protect Melissa, but this time it was too late. She said the only blessing was that Melissa had died almost instantly and she was glad whoever it was had used frog poison…”

  Jeff interrupted her. “Wait a minute. Did she specifically used the term ‘frog poison’?”

  “Yes.” Laura nodded vigorously. “At the time I had no idea what she meant by that. But now it makes sense to me since the coroner told you that Melissa’s death was caused by poison produced by a poison dart frog. Do you know anything about it?”

  “Very little, but here’s the interesting thing.” Jeff said. “One of the detectives working on the case was in my office when Darcourt called. Like I told you earlier, Darcourt told me the preliminary cause of death was attributed to the secretion from a poison dart frog. The detective who was there overheard the conversation. Turns out he knew about these types of frogs from the time he spent in Costa Rica, one of the countries where they are found. He’s looking into it for me.”

  “I don’t know how that fits in with what Melissa’s mother said about it, but that’s way too much of a coincidence,” Laura said. “Anyway, the apparition told me she had to leave because very soon she and Melissa would be together again. Then she disappeared.”

  “That was it?” Jeff asked.

  “Yes. I waited a few more minutes to see if she’d return. I know you’re going to say this is pretty weird, but I’d swear I saw something leave Melissa’s body. Maybe it was her spirit, and she and her mother are together again. That’s just speculation on my part, but who am I to say that’s not what happened?”

  Everyone sitting at the table was quiet, then Laura spoke again. “I know how difficult this must be for all of you to believe, but it’s the truth, just the way I described it.” She turned to Jeff and said, “Does this help you at all?”

  “At the moment, no. If it was a woman, as this ghost image of yours implied, that rules out Melissa’s brother and uncle. I find the frog poison reference really interesting, and I’ll be curious to see what my guy comes up with. He said he visited a place in Costa Rica that sold poison dart frogs, and he was told they are commonly smuggled into the United States, particularly California.”

  He turned to Marty and said, “Marty, you met with two women today. Since Laura’s ghost indicated a woman did it, maybe one of them is the murderer. Although I find it hard to believe either one of those two pillars of society would have been involved in Melissa’s murder.”

  “So do I, but my meetings were interesting. Both of those women hated Melissa for taking over their respective spots as number one, either in philanthropy or art and antiques. I did hear things from them, however, that might make either of them a suspect. Let me
recap what I found out.” She told them about both of her meetings and how happy each of them had been that Melissa was no longer around.

  When she finished, Jeff said, “Even if one of them was the killer, the only shred of evidence I have is that Laura heard a ghost say that she thought it might have been a woman. Plus, there’s nothing I can think of that would tie either one of them to a poison dart frog. Trust me, those are not grounds for arrest. If I arrested one of them based on what we have so far, I’d end up looking like a fool and my days as a detective would be long gone.”

  Jeff let out a sigh. “Ladies, I appreciate what you did today, but I have to say I’m not much further along in this investigation than I was last night. I guess now I need to look for a frog and a ghost. These are things I was never taught at the academy.”

  By mutual consent, the six of them headed for their respective homes. Max stayed overnight at John’s, since they were catering an early morning breakfast. After Jeff had walked the dogs, and he and Marty were turning off the lights, he looked over at Patron and said to her, “What if Laura’s right?”

  “About what?” Marty asked, her hand on the bathroom door.

  “What if Patron sensed you were in danger today because of your meetings with Tammy and Rhonda. What if Laura’s ghost was right, and it was a woman?”

  “Still won’t stand up in court, Detective,” she said with a knowing look and a shake of her head.

  “I know, but Laura sure has proven to be right in the past when she helped us with other murder investigations.”

  “Whatever it is, it will wait until tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep, and maybe something will come to you in a dream.”

  “’Fraid not, sweetheart, I missed out on getting the psychic gene. I’m going to have to solve this the old school way, but I sure am anxious to find out what my detective finds out about the poison dart frog.”