Scottsdale Sizzle: a romantic light-hearted murder mystery (Laura Black Mysteries Book 3)

by B A Trimmer

  Elizabeth took off in her rental car. The police called in a cab to take Les back to his hotel. I was grateful for that. I started home and called Lenny. Being woken up put him in a bad mood but he perked up when I told him I had discovered a body. His mood again got sour when I said the police didn’t arrest Les and it didn’t look like he was involved.

  I pulled into my parking lot and had to shake my head to clear it. I was mentally drained. Between the late night and being grilled by Lenny, I was more than ready to call it a night.

  ~~~~

  I walked into my bedroom and noticed Marlowe wasn’t laying on the bed. He must have been spending the night at Grandma Peckham’s. I didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. I tossed my clothes into the basket, pulled on an oversized ASU Sun Devil’s t-shirt, and crawled into bed. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  ~~~~

  I had finally made it to Hawaii and was sitting on Waikiki Beach. Diamond Head was to my left and a row of beach hotels were stretched out to my right. The air was warm, humid, and smelled like tropical flowers. The ocean was a deep blue and the waves gently pounding on the beach were soothing and relaxing. I planned on sitting on the beach for the rest of the afternoon, watching the sunset, and finding the perfect place for a big seafood dinner.

  This is just about perfect.

  I sat on my lounge chair taking in the people and the scenery. I hadn’t been this relaxed in months and I felt great.

  Over the sound of the ocean, I started to hear faint music. It was a light and catchy tune, but for some reason it made me a little sad. As it went on, I realized it was a song called S&M from the singer Rihanna. For some reason, knowing what song was made me even sadder. I became so sad the beach started to fade and swirl around me. The sky above the ocean dissolved and gradually became the ceiling of my bedroom.

  No, no, no. I love the beach!

  Unfortunately, the beach was gone and now all I heard was Sophie’s ringtone. I rolled over and picked up the phone from my nightstand. I had to look at the screen twice to push the right button.

  “Sophie, why are you calling me? I’m dreaming about Hawaii. What time is it?”

  “It’s almost eight-thirty. You need a big clock in your bedroom so you don’t have to ask me what time it is whenever I wake you up. By the way, you sound terrible. You should try to sound a little more cheery when you wake up. I read on Yahoo that how you wake up sets your mood for the entire day.”

  “I’m sorry, but so far today I’m not feeling very cheery. Why are you calling me?”

  “Why can’t you ever leave the office without finding a dead body? Do you know how much paperwork I need to do whenever you find a dead body? I’ve been doing paperwork all morning and I’ll probably be doing paperwork all afternoon.”

  “It’s not like I went looking for another dead guy. We just stumbled across this one. And you think you have problems? Reno’s going to shit kittens when he finds out about this. The murder was across city lines, so it may take a day or two, but you know he’ll eventually find out. I don’t think he’s over being upset about the last one I found.”

  “Lenny’s real disappointed that Lester Murdock wasn’t arrested. You know how much he likes having a rich client charged with murder. Ever since he got in this morning, he’s been making calls to his police contacts to see if they’re looking at anyone in particular. He said he wants you to come in as soon as you can. He’s looking for anything that can point him in the direction of who actually did it. He’s starting to catch the scent of a big fee out there and he doesn’t want it to slip away.”

  “Well, I won’t be able to help him a lot with this one. The dead guy was locked inside a vault no one had the combination to.”

  “So what are you saying? He was transported Star Trek style into the vault? That would cause a stir. Or maybe you’re thinking there’s some sort of space alien involvement? You know, I once saw a movie about a bunch of twenty-something’s who could walk through walls. Maybe you’re thinking something like that happened?”

  “No, but I don’t have a clue who did it.”

  “Too bad, we’ve never had an assignment involving space aliens. That would have made my day a lot more exciting. The only aliens we deal with around here speak Spanish. I’ll tell Lenny you’ll be in as soon as you can. I’ll be pretty vague so you can take your time. But for real, next time don’t call him at two-thirty in the morning talking about a rich client and a murder. Lenny said he’s been awake since you called. I think he got all excited thinking about collecting another big fee. By about three this afternoon he’s going to get tired and cranky, and you know who he’ll take it out on. Sophia, that’s who.”

  “Now that there’s a dead body,” I said, “I don’t know where it’ll lead. We might need to start looking into both Lester and his sister Elizabeth. Would you have any time to start a file on them?”

  “I’m way ahead of you. That’s the first thing Lenny wanted me to do when he came in today. Like I said nothing but paperwork today. But I should have some information when you get in.”

  “Thanks, chica. You’re the best.”

  “I know. But don’t leave me alone with Lenny for too long today. You know how he gets when he’s waiting for something to happen. He’ll get that pulsing vein-thing in his forehead. You know how gross that is and I don’t want to see him pacing in front of my desk all morning.”

  I switched off the phone and stretched until I started to wake up. Marlowe sauntered into the bedroom, jumped on the bed, and settled on my chest. He was purring, demanding to be petted.

  I got up and put on a pot of coffee. Marlowe followed me into the kitchen and reminded me he was nearly dead from starvation. I ignored his food demands. I was still a little queasy and I didn’t want to deal with watching him throw up his breakfast.

  After a long hot shower, I put on a pair of white capris and an oversized teal top. I dug in my closet and found a pair of white canvas shoes I could run in if I needed to.

  I looked in the mirror and was shocked at how bad I looked. The worse thing about getting up early after a late night were the bags under my eyes. It took me almost twenty-five minutes but between the blow dryer and my makeup drawer, I was feeling better about myself.

  I went into the kitchen and poured the pot of coffee into The Big Pig, my oversized plastic travel mug. I plopped a spoonful of Turkey Deluxe dinner into Marlowe’s bowl. As always, he attacked the food as if he hadn’t been fed for several days. I grabbed a couple of chocolate chip granola bars for breakfast and headed out the door.

  ~~~~

  In the Sonoran Desert, surrounding the city, the flowers and hurried growth appearing after the brief winter rains were long gone. It hadn’t rained for several months and the few rivers snaking through the city had become bone-dry ditches. The desert had taken on a dry, dusty, dormant appearance. In the mountains north of the city, the tinder-ridden forests had been shut down since mid-May to any activity other than day hiking. Even at that, several forest fires were already blazing away and more were sure to start at the slightest provocation. From Scottsdale, you could see the towers of smoke reaching up into the sky along the northern horizon.

  They liked to give each fire a name, sort of like giving a name to a hurricane. This way, the local TV news broadcasters could give each fire a personality. In this way, you could have the Dude fire, the Rodeo-Chediski fire, the Wallow fire, and the Cave Creek Complex fire.

  Having lived here all of my life, I knew this was as it should be. May and June were the months when the forests burned. It happened every year like clockwork. Instead of calling it late spring, it could be called the season when the forests burn. I knew that by the end of June, rain clouds would start to appear over the northern mountains in the late afternoon. By the middle of July, the clouds would make their way down into Scottsdale and the annual summer monsoon thunderstorms would begin. With the rain, the fires in the mountains would all go out and the forests wou
ld gradually open back up. From mid-July until late September, crowds of people would again flock to the cool mountains for camping, hiking, and fishing.

  I always looked forward to the afternoon rains of summer monsoon season. It wasn’t so much for the rain, which the deserts always need, but more for the change in the daily routine of heat, blue skies, and sunshine. Besides, being from Scottsdale, I’m always a little fascinated to see water just falling from the sky.

  ~~~~

  The drive to the office was uneventful. I turned into the alley behind the office and parked in my space. In addition to the red Porsche, the black Range Rover, and the lemon yellow Volkswagen, there was also Annie’s sky-blue Ford. Like my Accord, Annie’s Fiesta had been around for a while and had a few creases and dents on the body. Although, I’ve seen her drive and I’m pretty sure she didn’t get her dents the same way that I did.

  I used my key and went in through the rear security door. The back offices were quiet so I made my way up to the front reception area.

  Sophie was at her desk, typing out a report. Gina was talking to Annie next to the main conference room. Lenny had his door closed, which could mean either he was on the phone or he needed some naptime.

  “Hey girl,” Sophie said as I walked up to her desk. “I’m glad you made it in. Lenny’s already starting to get cranky. From now on, you should always try to find your dead bodies in the daytime. It’ll make things in the office go a lot smoother for me. It’s creepy how he was in the vault. I mean, what if you hadn’t been able to find a way in, he could have been there for years.”

  “It was the last thing I expected to see. We were hoping for a treasure chest full of jewelry and instead we find a dead body. Has there been any word on an ID for the corpse? With Les and Elizabeth standing there I didn’t think I should go through his wallet.”

  “Not yet, but I’ll give you a call when we find out. Speaking of a treasure chest, what are they going to do with all of that jewelry when they find it?”

  “I imagine they’re going to put it up for auction, well most of the pieces anyway. Apparently, it’s worth twenty or thirty million altogether. Are you getting visions of needing some new jewelry?”

  “Well, you’d think a small finder’s fee would be in order. You know, maybe a couple of necklaces or some earrings. Even a gold broach with a few accent diamonds would be good with me.”

  “Jewelry?” Annie said, as she and Gina walked over to Sophie’s desk. “I heard about the treasure chest full of jewelry. Shame you didn’t find it yet.”

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be studying for finals? How many more do you have?”

  “I needed a break so I came in to catch up on the filing.” As usual, Annie was full of smiles and good cheer. “I’m down to my last final. It’s on Thursday. With any luck, I’ll graduate on Saturday. I hope everyone can still make it?” She looked expectantly at the three of us.

  “We wouldn’t miss it.” Gina said.

  “Are you kidding?” Sophie said. “I already bought new shoes for it. Of course, after I got the shoes, I realized I didn’t have a bag to go with them. So, I got a new bag too.”

  Annie looked at me. “Well?” she asked.

  “Of course I’ll be there,” I said, mentally crossing my fingers and hoping nothing would come up to prevent me from going. I’ve been known to miss out on things like weddings, birthday parties, and funerals. It’s a part of the job I really don’t like.

  “Are the girls all still coming?” Sophie asked.

  “I only got a tentative yes from Shannon and Sonia’s in Europe for the summer. But everyone else should be there.”

  “How are the plans for the reception going?” Gina asked.

  “Still no problems,” Annie said. “The graduation ceremony will be over about three and we’ll meet on the Hohokam terrace at the Saguaro Sky at about four. The reception is from four to six-thirty. The girls wanted to have a band but since there won’t be more than about fifty or sixty of us, I thought a DJ would probably be better. We aren’t having a formal dinner but there won’t be a lack of food. Make sure to come hungry.”

  “Won’t be an issue,” Sophie said.

  “I’d better go back and get to studying,” Annie said. “Accounting has never been my strongest subject and the final will be a bear.”

  “Good luck,” Gina said.

  “Yeah,” Sophie said. “The next time we talk, you’ll have a new degree.”

  “Thanks, cross your fingers for me,” Annie said as she headed to the back offices.

  “You know,” Sophie said after Annie had left, “I might need to buy a new skirt too.”

  Gina looked over at her with a look of motherly concern.

  “It’s not my fault,” Sophie said, a little exasperated. “I never know what to wear around the cougars. I know they’re our friends and all, but I always feel underdressed whenever I’m around them.”

  “I don’t think it’s only the clothes,” I said. “For me, it’s the perfume. I haven’t even asked the girls what they wear since I’d never be able to afford any of those perfumes.”

  “I know what you mean,” Sophie said. “Being around them is sort of like being in the perfume section of a duty-free shop. Also, they always have on at least a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry. It’s hard to compete with that, no matter how nicely you dress.”

  “Jealous?” Gina asked us both.

  “Of course,” I said.

  “Absolutely,” Sophie said with a laugh.

  Lenny’s door was still closed. Gina went into the back offices to work on a report while I stayed up front with Sophie.

  “How’d your date with Michael go last night?” I asked.

  “Him? I’m going to drop that loser. I told you the past couple of dates have only been dinner then a hop in the sack. Well, last night he picked me up at my place and he didn’t even want to take me to dinner first. I think I’ve only become a booty call for him.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Are you still feeling those long-term relationship urges?”

  “Yes and they’re getting stronger. Going to Danica’s wedding isn’t going to help. It’s a week and a half away and I’m already starting to get excited about it. Speaking about long-term urges, how are things with you and Reno?”

  “We talked last night and things are good. Of course, that was before I found the dead guy. I don’t know how I’m going to tell Reno about this one. For some reason, whenever I find another dead body, I get another lecture.”

  “I still think he should be a little more understanding. In his line of work, he finds dead bodies all the time.”

  “That’s what I think, but he still doesn’t see it that way. What have you found out so far on Lester and Elizabeth Murdock?”

  “Well, Elizabeth is the easy one. Elizabeth Bright Murdock seems to have a normal life that includes growing up in Chicago, Ivy League education, getting married, and then getting divorced. She works in advertising at a big Chicago firm. No kids, her credit’s clean, and she’s never been in any legal trouble. She seemed to split a sizeable inheritance with her brother when their father died. That was about 15 years ago.”

  “What about Les?” I asked.

  “Lester Murdock is more of a problem. He also grew up in Chicago, also has an Ivy League education, was married, divorced, but his current situation is murkier.”

  “He seems to be doing well,” I said. “When I was with him yesterday he bought part of a hotel in Vail.”

  “Well, yes and no. Yes, he seems to be well off, and no, he doesn’t seem to actually own anything.”

  “You’re confusing me.”

  “Yes, he lives in a big house and he drives a nice car. But the title to both the house and the car seem to be held in some sort of trust. He has several hundred thousand dollars in available credit but he doesn’t show an income. I don’t know what to make of it.”

  “You know what I’m thinking?�
�� I asked.

  “I know, use the ‘super-secret’ software.”

  The previous year, Lenny had helped the DEA in an investigation that had apparently gone well for the Feds. I’m not sure what Lenny’s fee was, but soon afterwards, a nondescript man came into the office and installed a program into Sophie’s computer. He gave her a security key fob along with two separate passwords to access a secret database. We’ve never been able to figure out exactly what the database is called or where it comes from. All we know is, you can get amazing information on almost anyone by simply typing in a name.

  “I hate using the secret database,” Sophie said. “I know someday I’ll punch in the wrong name and we’ll get a visit from the men in black. No matter what Lenny did for the Feds, eventually they’ll realize we shouldn’t have it.”

  “But until then,” I said.

  “I know, use what we got. I’ll do a deep dive and let you know what I find out.”

  Lenny’s door opened and he stuck his head out.

  “Laura,” he said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. “I’m so glad you could make it in. If you aren’t too busy let’s talk about the mess from last night.” He then disappeared back into his office.

  “I can see how this is going to go,” I said.

  “Have fun,” Sophie said.

  ~~~~

  I walked into Lenny’s office. There were half a dozen cigarette butts in the ashtray on the corner of his desk. When he gets nervous or stressed, Lenny tends to chain smoke. He’s also been known to take a glass or two of his favorite Jim Beam.

  Lenny’s short, balding, and starting to get pudgy. For some reason, he’s always reminded me of Danny DeVito when he played the character of Louie in the old TV show Taxi. Lenny makes up for being short by being in a sour mood most of the time. I sat in one of the two wooden chairs in front of his massive desk. The chair legs have been cut short so you have to look up at Lenny as he sits at his desk.