Poppy Harmon and the Hung Jury

by Lee Hollis

  Poppy did a slow burn. She felt sorry for Rod, but she was also fiercely determined to see Lara face justice. “What are you going to do?”

  “I need her to confess, but I think it’s safe to say she won’t confide in either you or me. I was hoping you might be able to talk to her father; maybe he can get the truth out of her. . . .”

  “No, she’ll never tell him anything,” Poppy said, frustrated, then gasped as an idea quickly came to her. “But perhaps there is someone she may open up to given the opportunity.. . .”

  Chapter 46

  “Poppy is a deeply controlling woman. She pressured me for months to stay loyal to her daughter, Heather, even though I tried to tell her a dozen times I was ready to move on, but she expected me to wait until she was released from prison, and just pick up where we left off, even though I obviously didn’t love her anymore,” Matt said, cold and detached.

  “Why didn’t you just quit and be done with both of them?” Lara asked.

  “Because frankly I needed the job. I had to keep playing the role of private investigator Matt Flowers even though I hated every minute of it. I really just wanted to be back in LA working on my acting career.”

  “When Daddy told me you weren’t really the boss, that Poppy was actually the one in charge, I felt so sorry that you were stuck working for that horrible woman! I could tell there was something weird going on when I met you.”

  “Honestly I just wanted to grab you and kiss you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, Lara, but I couldn’t because Poppy was watching me like a hawk. I had to pretend that I wasn’t interested out of fear she’d lash out and fire me.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore, Matt,” Lara purred. “You’re finally out from under her thumb, and there is nothing she can do now to keep us apart.”

  “I’m going to have to find a way to pay rent,” Matt said sullenly.

  “You don’t have to worry about that. Daddy will help me find a place in LA and take care of the rent, at least for a while, until my album comes out. . . .”

  “And I start booking some roles,” Matt said, his voice brimming with confidence.

  Poppy, in the back of a police van parked across the street from Rod Harper’s Palm Springs home, was huddled next to Detective Jordan as they listened to the conversation through Matt’s phone. She put a hand to her mouth. “He sounds so convincing, it’s chilling.”

  “You said he was a good actor,” Detective Jordan said, taking a sip of his Starbucks coffee.

  “I didn’t know he was that good,” Poppy said, impressed.

  They heard some ice clinking, presumably one of them sucking down the rest of a drink. “Another mojito?” Lara asked.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?” Matt asked playfully.

  “That’s my master plan,” Lara giggled.

  “I’m good. If I get too sloppy, my brain will get fuzzy, and I want a crystal clear memory of everything that’s going to go down this afternoon.”

  Poppy knew he had punctuated that statement with a charming wink. She could hear Lara breathing heavily as she excitedly anticipated a steamy seduction ahead of her.

  “Come on, let’s go swimming,” Lara cooed.

  “I didn’t bring my suit,” Matt said.

  “It’s Palm Springs, stud. Swimsuits are optional, though highly discouraged.”

  Poppy and Jordan could hear some rustling sounds, like Matt and Lara were shedding their clothes.

  Poppy covered her eyes instinctively. “Oh, Matt . . .”

  Detective Jordan chuckled. “It’s not like you can see them.”

  “I’m suddenly getting a visual image, which is just as disturbing!” Poppy wailed.

  They heard splashing sounds as the young couple jumped into the pool and then some lip smacking as they kissed hungrily. Finally, Matt spoke. “What if your father comes home?”

  “He’s got a meeting in LA with some studio execs about this new TV show that shoots in New York. He won’t be back until late tonight,” Lara promised.

  More splashing.

  More lip smacking.

  Poppy felt physically ill picturing Matt frolicking with Rod’s overindulged, damaged daughter. After what felt like an interminable amount of time, the young couple finally came up for air.

  “Have you talked to Heather yet?” Lara asked.

  “No, she’s left me a few messages, but I’m ghosting her. Pretty soon she’ll get the message and stop bothering me.”

  “Let’s hope her awful mother follows suit, too.”

  Poppy frowned. This heinous, beastly young woman was working her last nerve. And she hated putting Matt in this position of pretending to be attracted to Lara Harper in order to guide her into confessing what really happened on the day Tofu was shot. He had been playing it cool and casual, but Poppy knew the opportunity had just arisen for him to make his move now that Lara had inquired about his relationship with Heather. And like the pro he was quickly becoming, Matt did not disappoint.

  “What about Dominick?” he asked.

  “What about him?” Lara replied, sounding almost bored.

  “He’s not going to be a problem for us, is he?”

  “God, no . . . He’s already told the police his version of what happened. He did it. He was the one who shot Tofu. If he suddenly changes his story, they’ll just think he’s a desperate liar trying to shift the blame away from himself.”

  “Why would he change his story?”

  Lara giggled. “You feel so good. . . .”

  “I love holding you, having you in my arms. . . .” They could hear them kissing again.

  Then, after a long pause, Matt gently said, “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Lara was clearly struggling with herself, not sure if she should say anymore. “If Dominick says he was the one who shot Tofu, then that’s what happened.”

  Matt gasped. “You little vixen . . . it was you, wasn’t it?”

  More water splashed as Lara presumably climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel. She was much louder now because she was standing next to Matt’s phone, which he apparently had put down next to a stack of towels. He must have followed her out as well because his voice was louder now, too.

  “Come on, you can tell me. . . .”

  “It’s probably best if we drop this,” Lara warned.

  “You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t know,” Matt said.

  “Why? Would it make a difference if I told you Dominick’s story wasn’t the whole truth?”

  “No, of course not. Nothing you tell me would ever make a difference.”

  They stopped talking while Lara made them both another drink.

  They clinked glasses.

  “To us,” Matt said softly.

  Detective Jordan was starting to get impatient in the back of the van. “Come on . . . She’s so close to telling him. . . .”

  Poppy put a reassuring hand on his arm.

  She knew just how good Matt was at getting people to talk when they shouldn’t.

  “Whatever secrets you have in that pretty little head of yours can stay there,” Matt said. “I don’t have to know. I just want to protect you from anything that might harm you.”

  This reasonable argument seemed to land because within seconds Lara was spilling the beans. “It was me.”

  “What?” Poppy heard Matt say, sounding as if he was surprised his charms had worked so fast.

  “I shot Tofu,” Lara admitted before quickly adding, “But it was self-defense, I promise!”

  “Okay . . . ,” Matt said calmly, waiting for more.

  He didn’t have to wait long before she was off and running.

  “Dominick was telling the truth about Tofu showing up at the recording studio in Tony’s house, where we were working, and making a pass at him while I was in the booth singing, and he did push her away, and she did storm off and get drunk, and then come back with a gun. . . . I saw her waving it around, yelling at Dominick, and s
o I came out of the booth, and Dominick held up a hand and said not to worry. She wasn’t going to hurt anyone, she was just upset. He managed to calm her down until she finally put the gun down on the soundboard. Dominick said he was going to go get his father and he left the two of us there but he forgot to take the gun. Tofu was sobbing like a little baby, and I was so mad at her for scaring us like that, so I picked up the gun and I pointed it at her, just to show her what it felt like to have a real loaded gun aimed at you. I told her she was a pathetic, old has-been who was way past her prime and I found her disgusting for chasing after her own stepson, and she should probably just kill herself! That set her off and she started screaming at me. I thought she was going to attack me so I pulled the trigger. She dropped down to her knees, clutching her stomach, and blood began seeping through her silk robe, and it’s kind of funny, I remember thinking, what a shame because I’m sure that robe cost a fortune.”

  There was a long pause.

  Matt clearly had no idea how to respond to what he had just heard.

  Poppy and Jordan exchanged stunned looks over the complete lack of empathy from Lara over killing a woman in cold blood.

  Lara continued. “Dominick came back alone; apparently his father had left. When I told him what happened, he said he loved me with all his heart and didn’t want me getting into trouble, so he decided to say it was him. He figured enough of the household staff had witnessed Tofu leering at him and would back up his claim that she had come on to him. So I slipped away before anyone called nine-one-one and came here. I told Daddy I had been soul searching in Nepal so no one would think I was anywhere near that mess at Tony Molina’s house. Little did I know he had hired your detective agency to find me and you were such a smarty-pants and uncovered evidence I was hanging around here in Palm Springs the whole time!”

  Lara waited for Matt to speak, but he didn’t.

  “So now you know everything and this can be our little secret.”

  Still nothing from Matt.

  “Say something. You’re making me nervous,” Lara said with a little laugh.

  “You said it was self-defense,” Matt said.

  “It was.”

  “You said you thought she was going to attack you. Did she or didn’t she?”

  “I was scared for my life! She was yelling at me! I was just protecting myself!” Lara cried, not happy that the love of her life was suddenly challenging her version of events.

  “But did she make a move to grab the gun away from you, or come at you with some kind of weapon . . . ?”

  “No, she was across the room,” Lara said flatly.

  “Then it wasn’t self-defense,” Matt whispered.

  “It was, I swear. Isn’t there some kind of stand your ground law where you can shoot somebody if you think they’re a threat?”

  “Not in California,” Matt said.

  Another long silence.

  “Okay, fine. But nobody has to know. Everyone thinks Dominick did it anyway.”

  “That’s it,” Detective Jordan said, charged and ready to move. “Let’s go.”

  He jumped up and threw open the back doors of the van and raced across the street toward Rod Harper’s house. Poppy followed closely behind him. Jordan kicked open the gate leading to the backyard, and when they rounded the corner, they found Matt, with a towel wrapped around his waist, standing a few feet away from Lara, who was still totally in the buff. At the sight of the big, intimidating detective, Lara yelped and grabbed a towel and quickly held it up in front of her.

  “Lara Harper, I’m placing you under arrest for the murder of Tofu . . .” Jordan stopped, not sure of a last name since Tofu was known publicly only by her first name.

  “W-what the hell is going on . . . ? H-how did you . . . ?” Lara stuttered.

  As the reality of what was happening finally began to sink in, especially when she saw Poppy hovering behind Detective Jordan, Lara whirled around to Matt, eyes on fire.

  Matt reached down and picked up his phone off a chaise lounge. “It’s all right here, Detective. Her full confession.”

  “Matt . . . What did you do . . . ?”

  Matt scowled at Lara Harper, thoroughly put off. “You will never be even close to the kindhearted, bright, incredible woman that Poppy Harmon is.”

  Lara howled as the full impact of Matt’s betrayal hit her, and she dropped the towel and charged at him, her fists raised in the air. “How could you? I loved you!”

  Matt took a step back, but she never managed to reach him because Detective Jordan pounced on her and wrestled her to the grass near the pool. He got her facedown as she kicked and screamed and vowed vengeance upon Matt. Jordan finally was able to snap his handcuffs on her wrists, subduing her. Finally, she stopped fighting and lay on the ground docile, accepting that she had just sealed her own fate.

  Matt dashed across the lawn toward Poppy and hugged her. “I hated saying those mean things about you. I didn’t mean a word of it.”

  “You gave the performance of a lifetime,” Poppy said, smiling. “We really need to revisit you focusing on that acting career of yours.”

  Matt gratefully kissed her on the cheek.

  Poppy patted his face lovingly, like an adoring mother, because Lara had been right about one thing: Matt could indeed be her son.

  “I’d better call Rod,” Poppy said, pulling her phone out of her bag, and heading back out the gate toward the street. She knew this was going to crush him and so she wanted to prepare him before he saw it on a newsfeed or heard it from a local reporter looking for some kind of statement or reaction once the story broke.

  Chapter 47

  When Poppy returned to the Desert Flowers garage office, she was in a depressed mood due to her sobering phone call with Rod, who had just left an upbeat studio meeting where the executives were wildly enthusiastic about him playing the starring role in their hot new police procedural only to be told that his daughter had just been arrested for murder back in Palm Springs.

  Poppy came clean about her own role in exposing Lara, and although he said he understood, she knew from the underlying tension that he was having trouble coming to grips with it. She knew he had to be asking himself, What if I had never reached out to the Desert Flowers Detective Agency, never hired them to find Lara? Perhaps my daughter might still be a free woman.

  Poppy assumed any father would feel guilty for setting into motion the events that would bring about his daughter’s downfall, but she hoped that with time he would be able to see that ultimately Lara was solely responsible for the death of Tofu, and she would have to pay for that crime. But that didn’t make it any easier. After a cursory “thank you” Rod said he needed to get back to Palm Springs to be with Lara and abruptly hung up.

  Poppy parked in front of Iris’s house and walked around to the side of the garage, then entered the office to find Wyatt at his desktop computer and Iris and Violet rifling through some printed-out paperwork.

  Iris glanced up, irritated. “Where have you been while we have been working hard here on a case we are not getting paid for?”

  “Working on the other case we’re not getting paid for,” Poppy said, crossing to the minikitchen. “Do we have any chilled wine in the fridge? I need to calm my nerves.”

  “There is half a bottle of Chardonnay,” Violet said. “We had a glass with our chicken salad sandwiches during our working lunch. Except for Wyatt, of course; he had a Sprite.”

  “So are you going to tell us what you were doing or not?” Iris asked gruffly.

  Poppy opened the bottle of Chardonnay and poured herself a glass. She gripped the stem of the glass and tossed back a generous gulp. “Breaking Rod Harper’s heart.”

  She then gave them a brief rundown of the events that had transpired at the Harper house not forty-five minutes earlier.

  All three listened intently, with disbelieving looks on their faces.

  “It’s been a very difficult day,” Poppy murmured.

  Wyatt jumped up
from the swivel chair at his desk. “Where’s Matt?”

  “He went to my apartment to let Heather know Lara Harper won’t be bothering her anymore,” Poppy said. “So where are we on the Alden Kenny situation?”

  Violet glanced eagerly at Wyatt, who broke into a wide grin. He sauntered over to Poppy and began talking in a deep, professional voice, attempting to muster up the gravitas of a seasoned private investigator, lessons he had clearly learned from watching Matt play the esteemed Matt Flowers.

  “We’ve been working on a complete dossier on Tony Molina’s bodyguards, Griffin and Tammy Goodwin.” Wyatt gestured toward Violet. “Show her Grandma.”

  Violet popped up and handed Poppy a folder full of papers. Poppy flipped it open and began reading the information.

  Wyatt was enjoying his role as lead detective to the hilt, pacing back and forth in front of her, keeping his voice deep. “As you can see from the intel I hacked from a government—”

  Violet quickly cut him off. “He means from publicly available records!”

  Wyatt took the cue from his grandmother and nodded in agreement. “Right. Anyway, they met while both serving in the military, worked some Black Ops missions as part of the same unit, retired early, both decorated with medals of distinction, and that’s when there is a gap in available information.”

  Poppy flipped through more pages. “That was in twenty sixteen. They started working for Tony Molina in twenty eighteen. What were they doing during those missing two years?”

  Wyatt shrugged. “Beats me. But my guess is they were doing mercenary work, hiring themselves out as private contractors on the down low to take care of problems for rich people who could afford their services.”

  “There would not be much information if they were doing a lot of illegal jobs,” Violet added breathlessly. “Especially if they used aliases.”

  “But then at the end of twenty eighteen they wound up here in the Coachella Valley working security for Tony Molina,” Iris said, pointing to some tax returns filed by the couple listing Tony Molina as their sole employer.

  “That’s when things get interesting,” Wyatt said excitedly. “It turns out—”