by Rayna Morgan
“Was Joey forcing you to stay in the business?” Lea asked. “Did he have a hold over you?”
She snorted. “I’ll say! He got hold of fifty percent of the profits.” She put the dog on the floor and threw a toy for him to chase. “I did most of the work lining up the johns. All he did was manage the girls.”
Amber snorted. “If you ask me, he did a crummy job of it.”
Lea threw her companion a back-off look. “So you don’t have bad feelings toward Amber for testifying?”
“Are you kidding? It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Lea’s eyebrows arched. “Because you could get out of the business?”
“Because I could take over the business.” Cleo held up one hand and spread her fingers, inspecting the polish on her nails. “I’m running a much classier operation now.”
The dog returned the toy, but she shooed him away. Lowering her hand, she looked at Amber. “I treat the girls better than Joey ever did. No more of those cheap motels like the fleabag he put you in,” she bragged. She took a cigarette from a box on the coffee table. “My girls only work in good hotels. I even bought a condo for them to use.” She looked over her shoulder as if a neighbor might hear. “Not here, of course, but a nice place. I furnished it myself.”
Without lighting the cigarette, she rolled it in her fingers. When she saw them watching her, she shrugged. “I’m giving it up. Bad for your health.”
“The business you’re in is bad for your health,” Lea observed.
“Yeah, well…”
Lea didn’t want to put Cleo off. She moved back on topic. “Would one of those better hotels you mentioned happen to be the Surf and Sand?”
Cleo stiffened. “I don’t give out specifics except to customers. What’s your interest?”
“We’re trying to track down information on a woman we think was soliciting men who stay at the hotel.”
“My girls are the only ones—”
Amber cut in. “She might have been pulling a different kind of hustle.”
Cleo pulled up her other leg and sat in a cross-legged position. “You can give me a name, but people I know change identities all the time. I might not recognize the handle she goes under.”
“Went under.”
“She’s gone? Good. I don’t like competition.”
“She’s dead.”
“Oh.” The woman’s complexion turned a shade lighter. “I assume you’re not looking into death by natural causes.”
Lea spoke gently. “I’m afraid it was murder, Cleo. We’re trying to determine why to find out who did it.”
“What’s the dead woman’s name?”
“According to the driver’s license in her possession at the time of her death, her name was Kim Hunter.”
“Kim, really?”
“You knew her?”
“Actually, I’m relieved. I mean, I’m sorry to hear what happened to her, but at least I know there was no competition moving in. Kim’s way above turning tricks.” She nodded toward Amber. “You saw her at my place once or twice. And you’re right about a different kind of hustle. Kim’s a con artist, but at the professional level. She dealt with high priced stuff. Jewelry, art, antiques. The stuff rich people are into.”
“Why would she have picked up a stranger at the hotel? Could she have been looking for married men to blackmail?”
“I doubt it. She was probably just passing through and picking up cash or cards on her down time.”
“Cards?”
“Credit cards. You know, snatching someone’s cards and buying airline tickets with them. Who knows, she might have wanted to make a run on high fashion boutiques to spruce up her working wardrobe.”
“Some of us earn paychecks to do that,” Lea quipped.
“Doing it that way would take too many paychecks for Kim. She wore all designer stuff.”
“What did you mean when she said she was passing through?”
“This isn’t Kim’s territory. She didn’t have a home base; she was mostly on the move. She worked all over. Never in one place for long.”
Lea leaned over to pet the dog sniffing her shoes. “Why not?”
“Kim didn’t like to hang around after she pulled a job, but sometimes an item was too hot to fence. She waited until things cooled down, then sold it and moved on.”
Lea shooed the terrier away from her purse. “Why didn’t she take the stolen goods with her?”
Cleo snapped her fingers to get the dog’s attention. “Too risky transporting stolen merchandise over state lines. There are plenty of local guys who can dispose of the goods.”
“Have you heard of any recent jobs Kim may have been in town for?”
Cleo shook her head. “I’m not into that stuff. I don’t keep up with the talk on the street.”
Lea felt discouraged. Cleo wasn’t shedding light on any motive for Kim’s murder which put it back on Eric. But the woman’s next remark caught her off guard. “It’s too bad about Kim, but I can’t say it surprises me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She pushed the code of conduct.”
Lea tried to hide her sarcasm. “You mean there’s such a thing as honor among thieves?”
“It’s a business like any other. If you cheat your partners, they never forget it. Your reputation is ruined.”
Lea perked up at the sound of a new lead. “Did Kim cheat a business partner?”
“The verdict’s not in. There was a heist several months ago in the northern part of the state. Kim and some guy stole some expensive jewelry. Kim took the goods to a fence while the partner led the cops on a false trail. They were supposed to meet to split the cash later, only Kim never showed. Instead, someone snitched on the whereabouts of her partner and the cops nabbed him. Kim wasn’t heard from for a long time after that until she surfaced last month doing business as usual.”
Thoughts swarmed through Lea’s mind. She didn’t have the resources, but Tom could question the man in prison to find out if he sent someone on the outside for retribution. A buzzing sound interrupted her thinking.
Cleo looked at her cell phone and unwrapped her legs to stand up. “I should return this call.”
Lea signaled to Amber that it was time to leave. She dropped a card on the table. “Thanks, Cleo. You’ve been a big help. If I can ever return the favor…”
They were at the top of the stairs when she turned and reached into her shoulder bag. “One more thing.” She held out a pen and notepad. “Could you jot down the names of aliases Kim used? It may help us track down her activities since she’s been in town.”
Cleo hesitated.
“It could help us find the person responsible for her death,” Lea added.
Cleo reached for the pen and paper. “She may have cheated her partner, but she didn’t deserve to die.”
She scratched out several names and returned the pad. “Those are the ones I remember. There might be more.”
Lea dropped the paper in her purse. “This will do. Thanks again.”
Lea and Amber were at the door when Cleo called from the top of the stairs. “If you ever change your mind, Amber…”
Amber turned around and walked back up the stairs. She wrapped her arms around Cleo. “If you ever change your mind, I’ll help you study to get your diploma.”
* * *
Driving toward the freeway, Lea stole a glance at the young woman gazing silently out the window. “You handled yourself well with Cleo. It couldn’t have been easy, being reminded of all that. I’m proud of you. It shows you’ve put your past behind you.”
Amber’s head turned toward Lea, but her eyes were unreadable. “It will always be part of me. It’s a piece of what makes me who I am.”
“You’re more in control of your life now,” Lea reminded her. “In the future, you’ll be more selective about which pieces you choose.”
They rode in silence for several moments, each woman lost in her own thoughts.
&nb
sp; Lea saw a drive-through restaurant on the left. “Want to grab lunch before I take you back? My treat.”
“Sure. That’s my favorite place.”
“Mind if we eat in the car?”
“Embarrassed to be seen with me?” Amber teased.
“No, silly.” Lea pulled to the drive-through window. “I want you to help me make some calls.”
“We can’t do that inside?”
“I don’t want to be overheard.”
“Sounds intriguing. It also sounds like you’ll owe me big time. Make mine a double-double.”
Sitting in the parking lot, Lea and Amber called the hotel between bites. Lea read the first name on Cleo’s list to the receptionist.
“Sorry, there’s no one by that name registered here.”
“Thank you. I must have the wrong hotel.” Lea hung up. She handed the list to Amber. “Your turn. I hope you get the right name, or I’ll have to disguise my voice.”
Amber pretended to have a delivery of red roses for the second name on the list. “Lucky someone,” she was told by the receptionist, “but it’s no one staying at our hotel.” She wiped away traces of greasy fingers before returning the phone.
Lea pushed the speaker button to distort her voice. “Here goes. Let’s hope the receptionist doesn’t recognize my voice.”
When her call was answered, Lea asked for the room of the third name on Cleo’s list. She crossed her fingers and waited for the voice to come back on the line.
“One moment, please, while I connect you to her room.”
It was no surprise when no one in the room answered, but Lea had plenty of reason to be excited. “Kim checked into a room at the hotel before she met Eric. There could be evidence in that room to suggest who her killer is.”
“I hear your gray cells churning. What are you thinking?” Amber asked.
“Let’s just say I’ll owe you more than a burger by the time we’re through.”
Chapter Twelve
Before they left the drive-through, Lea typed a message to her sister. Found vic’s room at hotel. Arrange meet with Tom. 3:00 Starbucks.
Her phone rang a minute later.
“Where are you? What are you doing? What’s going on?”
“I can’t talk now. I’m on my way to a tour. Just set up the meeting. I’ll explain then.”
Lea ended the call as she pulled up in front of Amber’s school. “See you soon,” she told the young woman.
She raced to the Adobe, arriving in time to join a group of people assembled in the parking lot. The tourists stretched their legs and pulled out cameras as they milled in front of a large purple and blue bus parked in the shade.
Francisco opened the wide metal doors to the courtyard. With a nod in Lea’s direction, he welcomed the visitors and began the tour.
After the tour, Lea waited while the curator turned the tourists over to a volunteer in the gift shop to sell them postcards and posters. He led her to his office. “Did you enjoy the tour?”
“Fascinating. It helps to visualize their everyday life when you’re in the rooms where they ate and slept, and where the children played.”
“Perhaps now you can help me understand how the necklace disappeared.”
“I’ll do my best, Francisco. Tell me everything that happened prior to discovering the theft.”
“I realized the necklace was missing yesterday when—”
“Back up a day. What about Thursday?”
He flipped through the calendar on his desk. “The day before an event is typically spent getting ready for the concert. I only booked two appointments for Thursday morning since I knew the band would arrive in the afternoon for a practice session to test the acoustics.”
“Who was your first appointment?”
“Barney from Bar-B-Que Heaven. He was right on time at ten o’clock. I showed him a diagram of the seating and where his truck would be. He gave me a copy of his permit. I pointed out the electric and gas hookups and where to get access to water. He wandered around making sure the turning radius was wide enough for his truck.”
“Did he go inside the Adobe while he was here?”
“I saw him by the main building at one point. I asked if I could help. He wanted to use the bathroom. I reminded him it’s at the back of the parking lot.”
“He knows where the restroom is?”
“He attended our last event. That’s where he got the idea to ask about catering the summer concerts.”
“When did he leave?”
“I gave him the serving hours and how many meals he should expect to sell. We had just finished when the wedding planner arrived for an eleven o’clock appointment.”
Lea pulled out her notepad. “Wedding planner?”
“Alicia Mason.” Francisco scratched his head. “No. Maybe it was Matthews.”
“Did you get a card?”
“I don’t remember that she gave me one, but I’ll look through my papers when we’re finished.” He rummaged through his pockets as though the card might appear. “She came with a photographer.”
“I don’t suppose you got his name?”
He grinned sheepishly and lowered his head. An instant later, he snapped his finger. “But I asked him to sign the guest register.” He pulled a ledger from a drawer in his desk. “I tried to put her off until after the busy weekend. The event she’s planning isn’t until September, but she insisted. She said the girl’s family is visiting this weekend. The bride-to-be wants her mother to help her choose the venue while she’s in town.” He paged through the ledger. “The bride and groom were deciding between two other places, but Alicia told me she has a special fondness for the Adobe. She convinced the couple to give it consideration. She told me if the photographer’s pictures met with the bride’s approval, she could bring the parents to see it this weekend.”
“Did she spend time looking at the jewel display?”
Francisco’s face registered shock. “You think Ms. Mason had something to do with the theft? Surely not, she was so charming.”
Lea didn’t respond.
For a moment, the man remained quiet, his brows knotted in concentration. “No, she wasn’t at the display long. I asked if she wanted to know the history of the necklace. She said it wasn’t necessary to take my time. She knew all about it.”
Francisco paused. Again, Lea remained silent.
“The photographer wanted to take a picture. I told him pictures of the necklace exhibit are not allowed, but he could take all the pictures he wanted of the rooms where the wedding ceremony and reception would be held. He asked me to help him with camera angles so he and I moved into those rooms. We set up some nice shots. I knew the bride-to-be would be excited when she saw what a perfect place this is to get married.”
“Where was Ms. Mason while you were helping the photographer?”
“She was with us, I think. No, maybe she was…” His mouth gaped as Lea’s question hit home. “I don’t know where she was—”
“Or what she was doing?”
“No, I—”
“When did you see her next?”
“In the children’s room. She was fascinated with the tiny beds and stuffed dolls and wanted her photographer to take pictures.” He shook his head. “I had to tell her we don’t allow pictures in that room either. She was disappointed, but said she understood. After that, she decided they had what they needed and left.”
“What time was that?”
“Just before noon,” he answered. “I remember because I decided to go for a sandwich before the band arrived for rehearsal."
“Did the planner call you later to set up a viewing for the couple’s family?”
He scratched his head. “To tell the truth, I forgot all about her. She said she’d be back, but I never heard from her again.”
“Did you lock up before you went to lunch?”
“Of course,” he bristled. “I never leave the premises unsecured.”
“When you returned, did you
make sure everything was the same as before you left?”
He gave her an odd look. “Why would I do that?”
“You’re right. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Go on. What did you do next?”
“I heard cars and went out to the courtyard. The band had arrived. I spent the next hour watching them. That’s one of the best parts of my job. Every entertainer’s rehearsal feels like a private performance for me only. I listen to the music from different parts of the courtyard and let them know of problems with the acoustics.”
“Did any of the band members go inside the Adobe?”
He raised his hands. “There was no reason.”
“What about the display? Did any of them show an interest in it or ask about the history of the necklace?”
The curator laughed. “Believe me; no one in that group is interested in history. The only time they’re interested in is the tempo of their music, or the time they make with the female fans.”
Lea looked at her notes. “Were there any other visitors to the Adobe after the band left?”
“No one else came. I spent the rest of the day doing paperwork and answering phone calls.”
“I’ll want to talk with those people. Where can I get hold of them?”
Francisco stroked his goatee. “Let me think. Barney’s easy. He’s got a hole-in-the-wall place downtown. Do you know where it is?”
“My husband’s car goes there by rote. What about the band?”
“They’re harder to get hold of. They’re usually on tour, but I have their agent’s number. I’ll email it to you.”
She clicked her pen. “Good. And the wedding planner?”
“She said she’d contact me. I had no need to ask for her number.”
Lea felt a stab of disappointment. “Would you recognize the planner and the photographer if you saw them again?”
“Oh, yes, I’d remember Alicia.” His face lit up. “She’s beautiful.” The next instant, he lowered his eyes shamefaced. “Of course, not as lovely as my Maria.”
“What about the photographer?”
Francisco chuckled. “He, too, is easy to remember, but not for his beauty. With him, it’s a thing he does with his face. A twitch near the right eye every few minutes. I didn’t notice at first, but after a while, I waited for it to happen again. If I passed him on the street, I might not know him. But if we talked, I’d be looking for that twitch.”
