by B A Trimmer
Special Agent Conquest had been accurate in his description of Horace Morningstar. He was short, no more than five foot five. He must have weighed close to three hundred pounds. Even with all of the weight, he carried himself well, as if he was not affected by the extra load. He looked to be somewhere in his mid-fifties, had a receding hairline with short grey hair, and had a chubby baby-like face. He was dressed in a nicely tailored white suit and had black leather shoes that looked soft as butter.
Les was seated alone in a leather chair, drinking a beer, and staring out of the large picture window. He looked drained of emotions but I was glad he looked good physically. I walked over to where he sat.
“Are you OK?” I asked.
“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind I’m looking for the jewelry with these guys. You already know my situation with them. I guess as long as we find it before Elizabeth, that’s all that matters.”
I lowered my voice so the goons couldn’t overhear, at least not clearly. “I’ve talked with her. She’s willing to split everything no matter who gets it first. Let’s find it and then figure out what to do with these guys.”
Vannier Magic was nervously pacing in front of the window, occasionally stopping to look out to the valley below. He was again dressed all in black with black boots, black cargo pants, and a black tee shirt. Seeing him again pissed me off and I had to control thoughts of going after him. Thoughts of being pistol-whipped and waking up in the trunk of my car flashed through my head. I noticed as he walked, Magic’s head bobbed up and down. His movements seemed so bird like that I would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so serious. As I was watching Magic do his birdlike walk he let out a giggle. Morningstar and Les both ignored it. I remembered he had giggled when we had met him the first time and I assumed it was a noise he often made. To me, it was the creepy giggle of someone who was insane. But, that’s just me. It made me nervous that he was looking out into the courtyard but I didn’t want to do anything to draw attention to it.
Morningstar walked up to me and warmly shook my hand, as if we were good friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while.
“Miss Black, it is truly good to meet you. Lester has told me of your assistance in the recovery of the jewelry. We have much to discuss. What will you have to drink with me? Lester has already taken a beer and I do not let Magic drink alcohol. However, I’ve noticed the service staff has kept the bar fully stocked with some excellent spirits. It would be a pity to waste such an endeavor.”
“Scotch,” I said, “one ice cube.”
“Very good,” Morningstar said with a laugh. “I like a woman who knows how to drink. It tells me you are not afraid alcohol will somehow make you weak or make you say things you are not supposed to say. I myself prefer brandy. Like scotch, it is a drink for the connoisseur. In fact, I have my eye on a bottle of Rémy Martin Extra Old. It is brandy produced in the Cognac region of France and is therefore more properly called a Cognac. It is truly a rare spirit and should be consumed only by those who can appreciate its subtleties.”
Morningstar went to the bar and pulled out two glasses. From the freezer he took out what appeared to be a sealed bag of ice cubes. As I watched him, I knew Gina would scold me for taking a drink from an enemy. Although I didn’t think Morningstar would try to poison me, it was best not to take the chance. I might have told Les I drank scotch and he may have told Morningstar. I saw that Morningstar had grabbed a bottle of 18-year-old Macallan. Since I had already searched the room multiple times over the past several days, I knew that next to the Macallan was a sealed bottle of Caribbean Cask Balvenie.
“Hey,” I said. “Since we’re both raiding the liquor cabinet, I’ll take the bottle of Balvenie to your left.”
“Excellent,” Morningstar said as he switched bottles. “I like a woman who can freely discuss her wants and desires. I hope you’ll continue to be frank with me and in turn, I will be open and honest with you. I distrust a woman who is not open with her thoughts. It shows she is keeping secrets. In my business, secrets are the things that get people killed.”
Morningstar took the drinks to one of the couches. He gave me a glass with three fingers of scotch and a small ice cube. In his other pudgy hand, he had a large snifter with five or six ounces of brandy in it. I took a seat away from Morningstar but one that gave me a good view of Magic. After what had happened the day before, I wasn’t going to let him get behind me again.
“One ice cube,” Morningstar said. “The melting water serves to open up the flavors of the spirit in the nose and on the tongue. Similar in effects to letting a bottle of wine breathe before drinking. When I take a scotch, I prefer a few drops of room temperature spring water but the effects are much the same.”
He spent several seconds swirling the snifter then brought it to his nose for a deep sniff. He loudly exhaled and looked at me. “As I said, a truly excellent Cognac.” He then lifted his glass and drained about half of it in one massive swallow.
I brought my glass to my nose and inhaled, as Morningstar had. I was rewarded with the wonderful and complex aroma I have come to expect from a Balvenie scotch. In addition, the scotch had a subtle undertone of smoke from being finished in a charred oak barrel previously used for Caribbean rum. Smelling the scotch gave me a pleasant memory of sitting next to a sparkling blue pool, talking with Muffy Sternwood. It seemed like a long time ago, although it had only been about six months. Thinking about her made me smile.
I brought the glass to my lips and took a small sip. I took in enough so I could physically detect the effects of any poison that might be there, but not enough to succumb to it. At least that was the theory. When I took the sip, my mind left all thoughts of poison behind. I was instead overcome with a sensation of warm pleasure that started in my mouth and slowly went all the way down.
Well, if I have to go, this is the way to do it.
Morningstar saw the look of joy that must have been on my face. “Outstanding,” he said. “I like a woman who can appreciate a fine scotch. It tells me she knows the difference between the ordinary and the exceptional. But now to business. Lester tells me you’ve been employed to assist him in locating a large and ornate wooden chest which belonged to his grandfather and is said to contain a substantial quantity of valuable jewelry.”
I looked over at Les. He was still sitting on his chair, sipping his beer, and vacantly looking out the window. Magic was still pacing and occasionally giggling. Like the others, I was learning to ignore it. I purposefully kept my eyes from the window, not wanting to draw attention to what was beyond.
“That’s right,” I said. “We’ve been working on finding it since Tuesday.”
“Yes, so I have gathered. Lester has shown us all of the locations that have been searched in the house and we have gone up together to South Mountain to look for a coffin rock. I assume you know what I am speaking of.”
“Yes, I went back there today and I didn’t find a thing. I feel like I’m running in circles.”
“As do I. However, we must both continue to persist. I have given the matter much thought and I feel to succeed we should work in two physically separate groups. You will pursue the clues you find. I will pursue the clues I find. You will use all of your instincts to locate the chest using your own techniques. I will do the same. We will need to be in constant communication to share what we have learned, of course, but two groups working independently will have a greater chance of success than if we explore as a single pack.”
“That makes sense. My employer is having me continue to look, even though Les is with you. We’re contracted to help him locate the jewelry and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Excellent. I was thinking perhaps it would be helpful if I had Magic work with you. He’s quite clever and an excellent problem solver.”
I again got a vision of the way he’d pistol whipped me and then left me to die in the trunk of my car. I did my best to maintain a steady voice, even as my anger started to rise. “No, I can’t
work with him. He’s the jerk that knocked me out and stuffed me in the trunk of my car. He then left me to die on the side of the road. I’ve still got a lump on the back of my head. If we were together, I’d be looking for an excuse to shoot him. Not a threat, just being open and honest.”
Morningstar seemed surprised at this. He looked over at his subordinate. “Magic, did you do those things to this woman?”
Magic didn’t say anything. He rapidly shifted his eyes between Morningstar and me. Panic showed in his face and he let out a loud nervous giggle.
“Very well,” Morningstar said. “Perhaps it’s best if Magic does not accompany you. It is true he is young and can act rashly at times. I hope there will not be any lingering feelings of ill will between us over the incident. However, it is still best that you have another person to help you. The saying that ‘two heads are better than one’ has withstood the test of time for a reason.”
“I’ve been working with Lester’s sister Elizabeth today. She has an interest in the outcome and she’ll be a good partner for me.”
I saw Les had looked up at Elizabeth’s name but he remained silent.
“I can accept that,” Morningstar said. “However I expect you to report back to me on a regular basis. I also expect a phone call the moment you discover the location of the chest.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, although I had already mentally crossed my fingers on that promise.
Morningstar lifted his glass in a toast. “Well then, to a successful hunt.”
I hadn’t felt any ill effects from the first sip and it seemed a shame to waste the outstanding scotch. I lifted my glass and took a long sip. I was rewarded with another wave of warm pleasure.
~~~~
As I drove east on Camelback Road, I got a call from Gina. I told her what had happened in the room and thanked her for watching over me.
I next called agent McCoy and downloaded him on the meeting. I let him know Lester would be working separately with Morningstar and that both of us would be looking independently for the chest.
As agent McCoy was talking, I heard road noise in the background. I assumed that since I told them when and where the meeting was, the two agents were again following and keeping an eye on Les. I hoped they would do a better job of trailing Morningstar than they had done in following me. I had noticed the tail right away.
~~~~
I got back to my apartment building and took the elevator up to my floor. Since it wasn’t even ten, Marlowe seemed surprised to see me. He walked over and brushed against my leg. He then trotted into the kitchen and sat next to his food bowl. He looked up at me and let out a pathetic little squeak that is the best he can do for a meow.
Ignoring his food demands, I went into the bedroom, threw my clothes into the basket, and found a big tee shirt. As I climbed into bed, I thought I would be up for at least an hour going over the facts in my head. That’s the last thought I had before I was asleep.
~~~~
I woke up Saturday morning to a bright room and my ringing phone. I picked up the phone and saw it was Elizabeth.
Please don’t let this be anything horrible.
I answered the phone. Elizabeth was talking so fast I could barely make out what she was saying.
“I think I found it. It was right in front of us the entire time. It turns out we weren’t reading the clue literally. Gina was right. When it says the next clue is below the coffin shaped rock as seen from Dobbins Lookout that’s exactly what it means. You’ll need to see this so we can figure out what to do next. I’ll drive back to my hotel. Meet me in the lobby in an hour. I’ll be by the queen palm. We can go up to the lookout together. Bring your binoculars. I’ll show you what I found. Hurry up. I don’t want the mafia guys to find it first.”
“An hour? My mind still wasn’t taking everything in. What time is it now?”
“Are you OK? You sound terrible. It’s six-thirty. I’ve been up since three thinking about Les and everything. Did you talk to him last night? Is he alright?”
“He’s fine. I’ll be there as soon as I can. But it might be more like an hour and a half.”
“OK, in that case, I’ll be having breakfast in the restaurant. Come find me. I’ll wait for you there. The sun just came up. It’s a beautiful day in Arizona.”
~~~~
I slowly got up and almost fell over. I was having a hard time waking up. I stumbled into the shower and stood for twenty minutes under the hot water. By the time I got out, I was feeling myself again. I went into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Marlow trotted into the kitchen beside me and again sat down next to his bowl. I went to the cabinet and opened a can of Deluxe Turkey Supper. I plopped a big spoonful into his bowl. As always, he gobbled down the food as if there were five other cats trying to fight him for it.
Since it looked like I was still going to be hunting treasure, I put on a comfortable outfit with loose tan shorts, a light blue tee shirt, and white sneakers.
From the kitchen, I heard the sound of somebody being strangled to death. Aaaack! Aaaaack! Aaaaaaaaaak!
Unfortunately, I knew the sound. Marlowe was in the corner of the kitchen, throwing up his breakfast. It was sort of like a gagging hairball sound but with a wetter vomit ending. I knew from experience that Marlowe would wait until I left the apartment before he would eat his pre-chewed breakfast. The thought of this always brought on a faint wave of nausea. I’m thankful he only did it on the tile in the corner of the kitchen on “his spot.”
I kept the makeup to a minimum and I used a clip on my hair to keep it out of the way. Today, Elizabeth would need to take me as I am.
I grabbed my coffee mug and my purse. When I walked out of my apartment, I made sure not to look in the kitchen.
~~~~
The drive to the hotel was pleasant. Since it was early on a Saturday morning, traffic was nonexistent and I could see no one was following me. The temperature was still at the low for the day, a pleasant ninety-three degrees. I had my arm resting out of my open window as I drove up Hayden Road, listening to the latest pop song from Taylor Swift.
The parking lot at the hotel was only about half full and I got a good space. My car would be in the shade for at least a half hour. I took the escalators up to the lobby level and found Elizabeth eating breakfast in the Southwest Bistro. I sat down and ordered a coffee and toast.
“I can’t wait to show you what I found,” she said.
“Well?”
“No, you have to see it. But I’m sure it’s it. Did you bring your binoculars?”
“There in the car. OK, let’s finish up and we can head up there.
~~~~
Twenty-five minutes later, we were in my car and headed east on Doubletree Ranch Road. We hooked up to the south Loop-101 then took the west Loop-202 into the city. Twenty-five minutes after that, we pulled into the Dobbins Lookout parking lot. I was surprised there were already a half dozen cars parked in the lot.”
“When I first got here,” Elizabeth said, “there were a bunch of people waiting for the sun to come up. Some of them had binoculars to watch the birds. I borrowed one and started looking around. Come on, grab your binoculars and I’ll show you what I found.”
She hopped out of the car and trotted down to the overlook. I grabbed my binoculars from the trunk and followed.
Elizabeth was standing next to the stone ramada and pointing to Camelback Mountain. “Look at Granddad’s house.”
I raised the binoculars and trained them on the house. Even from a distance of almost ten miles, the details were sharp and clear. Living in the desert has its advantages.
I looked at the house for fifteen or twenty seconds. I saw the courtyard, the windows, the roof, the pool, and the terrace next to the library. I didn’t see anything that looked like a coffin. “What am I looking for?”
“Look to the left a little. Look at the mountain right above and behind the pool.”
I moved the binoculars to the left and looked at the po
ol, then to the mountain behind it. When I did, I saw the rocks on the mountain come into focus in the shape of a coffin. It was like seeing an optical illusion. Once you saw it there was no way not to see the pattern. The bottom of the coffin shape was only a few feet above the back deck of the pool. Right where Elizabeth’s granddad had his statue.
“I see it!” I shouted. “Right above the pool.”
“You see how the rocks form a coffin shape?” Elizabeth said excitedly. “I know it isn’t one big rock shaped like a coffin. It’s a bunch of smaller rocks and it’s only because of the angle we’re looking at it. But I don’t see how it can be anything else.”
“The bottom of the rock is right above where the bust of your granddad is,” I said.
“I know,” Elizabeth said as she laughed and clapped her hands together. “Let’s go back to the house and get the jewelry.”
~~~~
We hurried back to my car and took off down the mountain. We had gotten back on I-17 when my phone rang with Rihanna’s song S&M, Sophie’s ringtone. I answered and it sounded like Sophie had just woken up.
“Hey girlfriend,” Sophie said with a yawn. “I wanted to remind you the Annie’s graduation is at one and the reception is at four. She won’t care if you miss the graduation but you know you’ll hurt her feelings if you don’t make it to the reception.”
“I know and I’ll try, but no guarantees. Did you just wake up? How late were you out last night?”
“Oh it wasn’t too late but this is the first time I’ve gotten to sleep in for weeks. How goes the treasure hunt?”
“We found the coffin rock and we’re off to the house to get the clue.”
“No shit? You found the rock?”
“Elizabeth found it. When I see Gina next, I’ll tell her she’s a genius. She had the right idea all along.”
“Well I hope you find the treasure. Then be sure to come to the reception and tell me all about it. Wear some jewelry that belonged to the Queen of England or something.”
