A Grand Plan

by Ann Roberts

  “And Tony unveils his idea for the Bali Hi,” Ari continues. “TRIO decides to go against him because its success, coupled with the redevelopment of Grand, could tank the Roosevelt Apartments and hurt RoRo’s bottom line.” She paused and scratched her head. “I’m still not completely sure how the crime wave fits—or the death of Ms. Wonders.”

  Molly wagged a knowing finger. “Remember, it’s all about appearances. Tony said the family was nervous about keeping the Bali Hi and working with him because of all the crime. They were getting cold feet.”

  “So you’re thinking this was never about destroying an existing business, but instead making sure the Bali Hi never happened.”

  She nodded and added some more notes. “And I think we know that Ms. Wonders saw some things she shouldn’t have seen.”

  “Which was why she thought they were on to her. What about the gang fight?”

  Molly shrugged. “Maybe that was just coincidence. It was the one event that happened in RoRo.”

  “And the reason you were hired. If the gang fight had never occurred, the council never would’ve hired a PI.”

  “That’s true. The last thing Lev probably wanted was a PI sniffing around, but he couldn’t say no. He’d already shown himself as someone who supported LGA.”

  “Okay, so Lev and Sebastian are working against Tony. That makes sense. But a trio is three people. Who’s the third?”

  Molly sifted through the documents on the table and picked up Lev’s business card. “Here’s another thought. I can’t picture him in his Birkenstocks crawling around air ducts and planting smoke bombs.”

  “An accomplice.”

  Molly picked up the parking decal. “Exactly. Maybe Drew Sachs bought himself a place at the table because he was willing to get his hands dirty.”

  Chapter Twenty

  After two days of following Drew, Molly found nothing suspicious about his behavior. His life was rather routine, alternating between sleeping, working out at the gym twice a day, putting in four hours at a sales company as a computer tech, touring LGA with Yoli and returning home to his couch with a takeout dinner. The only interesting fact she’d learned was that Yoli was becoming a fixture in his life. Not only did she traipse through LGA with him, but they also went to the gym together in the late afternoon. Molly knew Yoli valued loyalty to the team more than anything. She’d brought him to Nelson Security and he was her responsibility.

  Two days in her truck cab gave Molly plenty of time to reflect on her feelings for Ari and her relationship with Yoli. She couldn’t believe she’d so easily fallen into the typical rebound trap with someone who treated her so poorly. It was complete role reversal. She was usually the partner quick to anger, and when she reviewed the two years she’d spent with Ari, the haze of her alcoholism shrouded much of it. Over the last several months the anger she’d pointed toward Ari for kissing another woman had turned inward. The more she owned her behavior the easier it was to forgive her for a moment of weakness. Dr. Yee had helped her with those revelations.

  In fact, she’d helped her change her entire outlook on life, which was why she was entering the Desert Song yoga studio before her meeting with the council. Ari was already on her mat in lotus position when she joined her on the floor. Ari opened one eye and her smile brought forth a dimple on her cheek. Molly very much wanted to kiss that dimple, but she restrained herself and breathed deeply, ridding her mind of all thought.

  The hour passed quickly and their walk to the parking lot was slow as they shed the yoga trance. They held hands and said nothing until they reached Ari’s 4Runner. Ari tossed her gear into the back and asked, “When’s the council meeting?”

  “Four.”

  “It should be very interesting. Have you thought about what you’ll say?”

  “I’ll come across as overconfident. If Drew has been feeding Lev information then he already knows our team’s coverage plan. We need to be ready. I found out from Tony that the owners are making a decision about the Bali Hi by Monday.”

  “Then tomorrow could be the last chance to convince them to abandon Tony and sell to TRIO. Maybe TRIO has one more act of sabotage planned for Third Friday as a way to seal the deal and guarantee the owners choose them.”

  Molly’s grim expression suggested she’d thought of that possibility. “That’s why the team needs to be ready. I’m going to meet Yoli for lunch. I think she should know about Drew and what’s going on.”

  “Are you sure that’s the right move?”

  “I don’t think I have a choice. She’s my second-in-command and she needs to know if we suspect something might go down. We have a responsibility to the council and to the Third Friday crowd. Besides, I don’t think she’s involved. She’s too upstanding.”

  Ari disagreed but she looked away and said nothing. Molly noticed and said, “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking this is all very complicated now. Your personal relationship with Yoli, your professional relationship with her and her relationship with Drew. Where will her loyalties lie?”

  Molly stepped into her personal space and caressed her cheek. “Yoli and I are done, so there is no personal relationship. And she’s always shown herself to be about the team. She’ll do her best to protect everyone from danger, even if it means sacrificing herself. She and I might not be right as a couple, but I’m certain she’ll look out for the crew.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Ari whispered. “I really do.”

  * * *

  Yoli was already at a table on Cibo’s patio. The weekday lunch crowd was substantial enough to ensure its survival, but it wasn’t as crowded as Angel’s. She slid into the seat across from her and the waitress appeared to take their orders immediately.

  “You’re late,” Yoli said. She was right but it was only five minutes.

  “Chill,” she replied, and Yoli’s stony expression shifted slightly. Usually she apologized for everything, but not anymore.

  “We need to be ready tomorrow night. I have a feeling something else might go down. This isn’t over yet.”

  Yoli remained stoic. “Why do you think that?”

  “We’re putting the pieces together.”

  “‘We’ meaning you and Ari,” she said.

  “Yes. We believe that this has to do with a real estate deal that’s going to be finalized on Monday. How it’s decided will be affected by Third Friday. It needs to be calm and free of problems.”

  “It will be.”

  She shook her head and leaned forward. “You can’t know that. And one more thing, you need to keep a close eye on Drew. He’s involved in this and I suspect he’s the one who’s caused all the trouble. He might’ve even killed Ms. Wonders.”

  Yoli’s expression finally shifted to exasperation. “No, that didn’t happen.”

  “You know this for a fact?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty certain. We’ve had a lot of talks in the last week. I know all about his sick mom, how he went to work at the Rosenthal Group and how much he adores Lev Rosenthal. He’s his idol. And Margaret’s been really good to him too,” she added.

  “And we tend to do things for people we adore,” said Molly. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  They reviewed the game plan for Third Friday until the food arrived. Once they’d had time to dig in, Yoli resumed the subject. “You know, there are other people interested in LGA’s failure. Take for example Maya Corbett, the woman who owns MonOrchid. Did you know she’s deep in debt and wrote a letter to the city protesting the zoning in LGA?”

  “No,” Molly said between bites of her salad, “but Crosby told us there’s been all kinds of shenanigans between the RoRo and LGA communities so I’m not surprised.”

  “And did he tell you what his shenanigans entailed?” Her smug expression seemed to suggest she should be the one hired as a detective. Molly gestured for her to continue. She looked around and whispered, “He’s the one who set the Bali Hi on fire.”

  “What?” Sh
e couldn’t believe it. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “That’s what my source told me. It happened about a month after Tony put together his business plan. He made the mistake of showing it to Crosby and Reverend Glass. Next thing you know, it’s torched. But I don’t think Tony put two and two together. I don’t think he’s incredibly bright. Seems gullible,” she decided.

  “So, who’s your source?” Molly asked casually.

  Yoli’s green eyes focused on her pizza slice. “Nah,” she said. “You’re the PI. You need to figure that out by yourself.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ari looked out the window of Mel’s Diner while she waited for Lorraine. She yawned for the tenth time in as many minutes. She and Molly had spent Thursday night discussing the case, Third Friday and their relationship, now that they’d both decided they wanted to have one. Molly hadn’t left Ari’s place until after two a.m., both of them still feeling that they needed some individual space.

  Molly had recounted the incredibly strained council meeting when they unanimously agreed to rehire her since Ms. Wonders’s killer was still at large. Molly had only been in front of the council for three minutes, just long enough to update them on the plans to keep tonight’s Third Friday clientele safe and for them to take a quick vote. She’d noticed nothing different in Lev Rosenthal’s behavior and even Crosby Brunell and Sebastian King had voted yea.

  A streak of blue flew by the window as Lorraine’s Lexus darted into a parking space, but she didn’t emerge immediately. Such was the case in real estate. You talked on the phone while you drove around and often sat in your car completing the calls. She needed to tell Lorraine the truth about Lev Rosenthal, and it had occurred to her that Lorraine knew a lot about the commercial real estate game and possibly could provide insight on all the players.

  “Maybe she already knows about TRIO,” Molly had offered the night before.

  “No,” Ari disagreed emphatically. “I’m positive she has no idea that Lev is playing both sides and attempting to take the Bali Hi from Tony. She’ll be livid.”

  “I feel horrible for her,” Molly had said. “It sucks to be betrayed.”

  “I can only imagine how you felt.”

  Molly whipped her head to the side and saw Ari’s tears. “Shit, no, I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. That just came out. I was talking about Lorraine.”

  She wiped her cheek and nodded. “I understand. It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay.” She cradled Ari’s face in her hands. “Honey, I pushed you away with my drinking. I spent so much time worrying that I wasn’t good enough for someone so beautiful and so smart. I was such a jealous mess. Every day I thought you’d leave me.” She paused, tears streaming down her own face. “We were never gonna make it. Everything that happened needed to happen. I could’ve killed someone driving as drunk as I did…” Her trembling voice faded away.

  Ari had pulled her into a tight embrace and they held each other. Molly’s revelation about their past was salve over a gaping wound that she’d carried for much of their partnership. She’d lost track of the number of times she’d doubted them as a couple and then felt terrible for ever thinking it.

  She looked up as Lorraine came through the door, her trademark smile in place. “Hola, chica,” she said, sliding into the booth.

  They ordered their breakfast, and as the waitress walked away, Ari took a deep breath and said, “Lorraine, Lev doesn’t share your belief in LGA.”

  She blinked and her coffee cup paused on its way to her lips. “What are you talking about?”

  “I know for a fact that he’s part of a group called TRIO and he, along with Sebastian and a third person we haven’t identified yet, are trying to buy the Bali Hi. I’m sorry I have to tell you this,” she said, squeezing her hand. In so many ways Lorraine had replaced Lucia Adams as her mother. “I just couldn’t keep it from you. We’re too close.”

  Lorraine looked toward the back dining area, and Ari was certain she was reprocessing multiple conversations, perhaps pillow talk, that she and Lev had exchanged.

  “I just need a moment,” she whispered.

  When she finally met her gaze, she wore a look of resignation and she dabbed at the tears that were forming in her eyes. She’d been in real estate long enough to know that the business was cutthroat and the richest agents tended to live by a flexible moral code. “Tell me what you know.”

  “TRIO built the Roosevelt Apartments along with Hamada Enterprises. Do you know them?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I met Karim Hamada at a Phoenix Chamber of Commerce event last year. His family had never invested in Phoenix.” She looked away and said, “Come to think of it, Sebastian introduced us. We were standing by the bar and Karim flirted with me. We’ve actually exchanged a few emails.”

  “Did he ever mention the Bali Hi? Hamada is in on that deal as well.”

  She massaged her temple, careful not to smudge her artfully applied makeup. “Oh, this is such a mess.” She looked up suddenly. “Tony must be clueless. He sits there in those council meetings attempting to be civil to the rest of them, and I know he thinks Lev is an ally.”

  “You’re right. Lev is playing him and he has no idea.”

  Lorraine’s polished nail traced the outline of the coffee cup handle while she contemplated the situation. Her face fell into a frown and deep lines appeared at the corners of her mouth. She rarely frowned, maintaining that it made her look older. In Ari’s mind it made her look dangerous. She was an eternal optimist but one who should never be crossed.

  When she raised her eyes she said, “I’ll take care of this.”

  Ari felt a shiver go down her back. Lorraine’s past was filled with unsavory characters, some of whom were family members. She’d grown up in South Phoenix, a product of the barrio. Her brothers had been part of a South Phoenix gang and she’d told stories of her papi teaching her to shoot. She knew people who could make problems go away. Since joining Southwest Realty Ari had been questioned by other agents many times about the pistol Lorraine supposedly kept in her purse, a gift from her brother when she passed her real estate exam. Ari had never seen the pistol, but she’d never rummaged through Lorraine’s many handbags either.

  She gave Lorraine some processing time before continuing. “There’s more. Molly and I are rather certain this is all tied to Ms. Wonders’s death and the crime spree. We’re just not sure who’s at the center. It could be Lev or someone else, maybe the person we haven’t identified yet. Please don’t do anything,” she pleaded. “Let us handle this. It’s what Molly’s paid to do.”

  Lorraine sipped her coffee, her expression still dark. “I’ll think about it.”

  They moved to other topics like the Stapley building and the potential renovation ideas for the Scrabble property. Lorraine supported her interest cautiously. “That corner has failed twice, chica, and those cabins, cute as they are, could be a liability. We need to proceed carefully.”

  “One more thing,” Ari said. “Don’t forget Molly’s surprise birthday party is on Saturday.”

  The reminder instantly cheered her up and she smiled for the first time since she’d arrived. “I haven’t forgotten, but have you told Molly?”

  Ari looked at her quizzically. “No, of course not. It’s a surprise.”

  She squeezed Ari’s hand and shook her head. “Honey, she hates surprises. As her partner, you need to give her a heads-up.” Lorraine held up a finger and said, “But I’d do it after tonight, after Third Friday goes smoothly and she can relax.”

  Ari appreciated Lorraine’s optimism, but since the owners of the Bali Hi were about to announce their decision, she had a nagging feeling that something dark was around the corner.

  They’d parted with a hug in the parking lot and as she’d pulled away she saw Lorraine sitting in her car again on her phone, probably canceling all of her appointments for the day. Not because she was distraught over the behavior of her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, but because
she was planning revenge.

  Ari headed up Grand and saw Chynna’s Malibu in front of Scrabble. She made a quick U-turn and pulled into the side parking area. Chynna was outside watering the plants, and when she saw Ari approach the fence, she shook her head.

  “This place is a mess now. Sitting in jail for two days just about killed everything. I’m having a hell of a time keeping anything alive.” She dropped the hose in a flowerbed and wiped her hands on her jeans. “You still interested in buying?”

  “I am. I’m really thinking about it. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been to jail before. So you don’t mind buying a place from a criminal?” she asked with a wry smile.

  “I’d say you have some anger issues but throwing a rock through the window of a business that’s closed for the evening is certainly not the same as murder.”

  Her face set into a serious expression. “No, it’s not. I didn’t kill her. Do you believe me?”

  “I do. But why didn’t Crosby come forward right away? And why did you keep quiet about him to the police?”

  She sat against the planter and stretched out her legs. “It’s complicated. He’s so involved in RoRo, the politics and the drama. He’s one of the pioneers. To align himself with someone from LGA wouldn’t go over well, isn’t going over well. Sebastian is threatening to throw him off the council.”

  “Can he do that?”

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he was the one who made the anonymous phone call to the police, the one that got me arrested.”

  “Why do you think it was Sebastian?”

  “He’s got spies everywhere. He lords it over the art community like he’s God. People will do anything for him. I mean how in the hell did that rock get back here in the first place?” She gestured toward the cairn garden in front of Ari.

  She looked up quizzically. “Wait a minute. You mean you didn’t bring the rock back here after you threw it?”