A Dead Husband (Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery) (14 page)

“Pendejo,” Bernadette replied since Jessica’s mouth was still too full to say anything
.  “And saying it in Spanish doesn’t make it less rude, Jessica.”

“Yeah, some pen-de-jo,” Brien said, pronouncing each syllable
. He finished his drink and set it down a little too heftily on the table. 

“So much brawn,” Jessica thought, “but so little brain.”
The extra muscle hanging around might make someone think twice about busting in on them.  She had a lot of running around to do so that meant Bernadette and Laura would be alone a lot this week.  Jessica chanced one more swig from the margarita, delicious, but deadly.  At least it wasn’t spiked with a roofie!  And she could not resist another handful of nachos.

“Okay, Brien, but no heroics
. You don’t have to handle anybody, just call security or the police.  Actually just call everybody if you see someone sneaking around or trying to get in here. You need to come over here and hang out when I have to run around so Laura and Bernadette won’t be alone. If you can juggle your pool jobs this week to help out I’ll make a donation to your North Shore surf safari fund.  Deal?”

“Deal.” He held out his hand and Jessica shook it with the hand not loaded down with nachos
. 

“What about me?” Tommy asked
. 

“You could help me with a few things,” Jerry offered
. “You have any experience with computers?” Jerry asked. 

“I could help you with a lot of things,” Tommy said quickly
.  “And I’ve got plenty of experience—with computers, I mean.”  Jerry was blushing again. Jessica wasn’t sure how much of this young love she could take as she nearly choked on a mouthful of nachos.

“I’ll have him do some background searches for me
. We’ll find out what we can about this Eric guy. I can get a last name from the restaurant manager in the morning, if you’re sure Laura doesn’t have one.”

Jessica smacked her head with the palm of her hand
. That hurt.  “Shiii—shoot! My list!” The things she needed to ask Laura were on her phone. 

“It’s okay, Jessica, I got you covered.” Jerry tore a page out of the little notebook he carried with him and handed it to her
.  There was her list. Just like she had put it there herself, along with several things she didn’t even know she needed to ask.

“You’re amazing Jerry.” Now
she
had him blushing. 

“Can I borrow your phone?” Jessica
asked. She took the phone he offered and called Laura’s cell. It was one of the few numbers she knew by heart.

“Hello,” Laura said picking up on the first ring.

“Laura, this is Jessica.  I have a lot to tell you but I’m running behind. It’s probably going to be closer to seven, after dinner, by the time I get to you.  Will that work?” 

“Sure, Jessica, that’s fine
.  It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“That’s what you think,” Jessica thought.

“Also, I wanted to give you a heads up Laura. Things didn’t go as planned at the house today.  Have the police called?”

“Uh, no, why?  What happened?”  The pitch of her voice started to rise.

“Somebody broke in while Jerry Reynolds and I were there. Jerry’s the P.I. that Paul’s law firm loaned us for a while.  He’s going to follow up on a few things tomorrow. I just wanted to check with you to see if you remembered Eric’s last name.  You were going to think about it, right?”

“What do you mean somebody broke in, Jessica?”

“A man broke into your house, using the door leading from the patio into your bedroom. He sort of trashed your bedroom, especially the closet. I got into it with him. I tried to stop him, but he got away.  The police were still in the middle of their investigation when we left, but I’m sure at some point they’ll get in touch with you about this.  I promise I’ll give you the whole story when I get to your house later, okay?  Now how about Eric. Did you come up with anything more about him? Jerry is going to try to track him down tomorrow. I told Detective Hernandez about Eric. He’s been assigned to handle Roger’s case. The police can start tracking Eric now, too.”

“I’m sorry
Jessica, but I don’t know his last name. I’m sure he told me but I had a lot to drink. All I know for sure is that he had just started working at Lulu’s, so he’s a new employee, if that helps.  He was staying at a friend’s condo in the Villa Caballeros complex. A two bedroom place, on the first floor, next to the pool. I think he said his friend was Joe Abercrombie or Abernathy, something like that. He might have said the guy is a cousin, but I’m not sure about that either. I can’t believe I sort of remember his friend’s last name and not Eric’s.  I’m so sorry I can’t tell you more.”

“It’s okay Laura, Jerry’s a pro
. If anybody can track this guy Eric down, he can. After speaking to Detective Hernandez today, it looks like we have plenty of time to sort all this out. They’ve got the guy I ran into in your bedroom to investigate now, too. He’s got to be higher on their suspect list than you or anybody else right now.”

“That’s good, I guess
.” She sounded relieved, like somebody taking in air after holding their breath for a long time. 

“
A couple quick questions before I let you go. Did Roger use his office at home to meet with clients?”

“No, not that I know of
. Mostly he met clients at the site where he would be doing the work for them.  Sometimes he met with them elsewhere like at a realtor’s office.  When his shop was still open he met with clients there of course, but never at home.”

“Okay, Laura, last question for now
.  Off the top of your head do you have any idea who someone with the initials MT might be?  Roger had lunch on Thursday, at the Adobe Grill in La Quinta, with someone with those initials.”

“Nobody comes to mind
. It could be someone he works with or a client. Lunch meetings weren’t unusual.  I honestly don’t know.”

“No problem
.  I’m going stop by the restaurant tomorrow. I’ll show them Roger’s picture and see if anybody remembers seeing him there with a lunch partner.  I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

“H
ow will I ever be able to thank you, Jessica?”

“
Laura, we all have to count on our friends now and then.  You were there for me a lot during last few weeks.  It’s your turn to lean on me for a change. Hang on, I’ll be heading your way in a bit.”

Jessica handed Jerry his phone and went over the information with him
.  Most of it he had already. That Eric was living with a cousin or a friend named Joe Abernathy or Abercrombie was something new.

“I’ll head over to the condo complex after I check
with the manager at Lulu’s for information about Eric.  Tommy, you can find out who manages the complex, okay?  They may or may not be on the premises. Give me a call tomorrow when you get that information. Hopefully, by then, I’ll have a last name for Eric and you can run a background check on him.”  Tommy nodded soberly as Jerry went on, obviously taking all of this very seriously.

“I want to go back to Panorama and talk to Laura’s neighbors before too much more time goes by
. I’d like to hear for myself what they remember while it’s all still fresh, and before they start reading anything in the papers.  I was planning to do that today before the incident with the intruder, but I’ll take tomorrow afternoon to do that instead. I still want to do a more thorough search of Laura’s house at some point. I’ll try to squeeze that in tomorrow, too, when the police have finished their work—again.  Somebody needs to get in and clean the place. I need to finish my search in order for that to happen.  I can get you the name of one of the companies we use to clean up crime scenes if you want, Jessica. Tommy can also check for locals if you’d prefer.”

“Tommy you check the web for locals, but get the name of the company Jerry’s talking about and see if they service this area
.  If not, find out who they recommend, okay?”  Tommy was smiling ear-to-ear typing rapidly on his phone. 

“How about we all plan to meet here for dinner tomorrow night to check in
and see what we’ve learned. I’ll get pizza delivered and salad, Bernadette, so you don’t have to keep feeding our little army.”  More like a herd, Jessica thought, a herd of cats. 

“That’s awesome, Jessica
.  I’ll bring some brewskies.  Not that I plan on getting drunk while I’m on duty. I’ll only bring a case.”  Jessica thought at first Brien might be putting her on but he was so earnest she just let it slide with a “sure, thanks.”

“Great, make that a herd of drunken cats,” she thought as she headed to the garage for her car
.  She took a last look over her shoulder at the odd little gathering on the patio, cooling mist swirling around them as they ate, drank and chattered away.  Her own little “cat pack” but with none of the sophistication that characterized the “rat pack” that hung out in the desert during their heyday.  That included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin; Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford for a while. Jessica hoped she was up for the task of playing cat whisperer to keep them from all wandering off or getting into mischief.

CHAPTER 11

It was a few minutes past 4:00 when Jessica hit the road for the trek from Mission Hills to Palm Desert
. There was more traffic than there had been that morning but it wasn’t bad. Normally about a fifteen minute drive, she covered the distance in twelve. She pulled into a parking space on El Paseo near the Apple store and about half a block from Saks.  Thankfully, the Apple store wasn’t the mob scene that it could be during the “season.” It took less than 20 minutes to get a new iPhone and download her apps, music, contacts, and other items from the iClouds, wherever that was.  She was grateful to have it all back. Nobody said a word about her appearance. She kept the dark glasses on in the store hoping to hide the worst of the damage from prying eyes and questions she didn’t have the time or the inclination to answer.

At fifteen minutes to five
she walked into Saks, black AMEX card in hand.  Unfortunately, the store closed at 5 on Sundays.  She was looking distraught when one of the saleswomen recognized her.  Well, Jessica recognized
her
anyway, given her many recent shopping binges there. The sales clerk’s eyes strayed to the black card, then to Jessica’s face, and back to the card.  She paused for a moment scrutinizing Jessica’s face, but said nothing.

“I’m in a jam
.  I had a little accident so I wasn’t able to get the things I badly need for a friend of mine.  I can head over to Macy’s but I’d really rather shop here.  I know you’re going to close in a few minutes. Is there any way you can help me?”  Jessica ticked off a few of things she needed, starting with a simple black dress suitable for a funeral in this heat.  Two of them actually, since she had no idea if she could find anything appropriate for herself to wear amidst the chaos of her closet.  The mention of a funeral caused the sales woman to raise her eyebrows, but she still said nothing. Jessica went on indicating they needed shoes and bags to go with the dresses, and pajamas, a robe, house slippers, and underwear for her friend, as well as 2 or 3 casual outfits for her too. That included tops, pants, and casual shoes.  If Jessica convinced Laura to stay with her in Mission Hills, she could use a swimsuit, some flip-flops, and a cover up to wear around the pool, too. Jessica was still enumerating items on the list when the salesclerk interrupted. 

“Hang on a second
, please. Let me see what I can do.  Can you come with me and bring that,” she said pointing to the black AMEX card.  Time was ticking but Jessica presumed the saleswoman knew what she was doing. Jessica followed her to a nearby customer service station.  The clerk went behind the counter and picked up a phone.  At the same time she began pulling up information on the computer.

“Yes, this is Amelia
.  I have a customer here, a Ms. Huntington-Harper. who’s going to need several of us to help her after five o’clock. I want to keep my register up and running a little longer than normal so we can check her out through here. She’s going to use her AMEX black card, right dear?”  Amelia looked up at Jessica who nodded assent.  She smiled but couldn’t help lingering on Jessica’s battered face a little longer than normal.  A moment later, she was back punching numbers into the computer in front of her while speaking on the phone.

“I’m doing that now, Mr. Hargrove, but I’m sure I’ve seen her in here before
.  It all checks out.  Okay, I’ll ask.” She looked up at Jessica again.

“I don’t mean to inconvenience you, but do you have another form of identification?”

“Of course, and it’s no inconvenience.”  Jessica pulled out her California driver’s license and handed it over.  She looked at Jessica and the photo on the I.D., finally convinced the woman in the photo and the one standing in front of her were one and the same.  Given what her face must look like at the moment that was a relief. The helpful sales clerk punched the driver’s license numbers into the computer, too then, handed both the AMEX card and the driver’s license back to Jessica. 

“That checks out, too.” She said to Mr. Hargrove
.  She was tapping her toe, maybe worried that Jessica was going to get annoyed and bolt. Or maybe she was wondering what kind of “accident” had left Jessica’s face in its current shape and why she was shopping for dresses to wear to a funeral. It looked like Jessica was going to get her shopping fix, so she was feeling less anxious than she had all day. 

S
he had a duty to fulfill.  The privilege of a black AMEX card required that you spend, and pay off, of course, 250 thousand dollars a year.  She and Jim had no trouble doing that as a couple.  In the world of private equity and venture capital, entertaining was routine and expensive.  It cost a lot to keep up with the lawyers who served Wall Street and the investment banks, whether on the west coast or on their own turf in Manhattan.

Once Jim’s career advanced and he added bespoke clothing to his wardrobe of off the rack designer jeans, hoodies, and
high-end athletic shoes, he could make a lot of progress toward the annual minimum with one shopping trip to Madison Avenue.  He didn’t even have to go that far to run up the tab.  A dozen shirts from Anto’s in Beverly Hills or any number of items from his favorite tailor in San Francisco could make a significant dent in the annual minimum.

The amount of money it took to make money was sometimes staggering
. In the rarefied world of start-ups and IPOs, the pay offs were also enough to give you vertigo.  There was a heady difference in the capacity to spend by the merely rich and the ultra-rich that Jim found intoxicating.  Despite her shopping ‘jones’, Jessica was less enthralled than Jim by the prospect of buying-to-impress, but she did her part.  Her work with community development agencies didn’t require the sort of demonstration of status that the Wall Street crowd expected. Nevertheless, she got pulled into the whirlwind of a charity circuit that had her chasing down designers to create one-of-a-kind gowns she’d only wear once or twice.  It took a lot of money to raise money for worthy causes, too.  Until she signed the divorce papers, Jim was on the hook for half the tab she ran up on the AMEX card, so what the heck.

Amelia hung up the phone. “Okay Ms. Huntington-Harper, it’s all taken care of
.  Let’s get to work.”  As she spoke she waved at a younger version of herself who looked like she was closing out her register.  She motioned for her to join them.

“We should find the dresses first, then the shoes and bags
.  While we’re doing that, though, I’d like you to tell Courtney what you want in the way of loungewear, swimsuits, and lingerie.  If you can give her sizes, colors, styles, she can hunt down some things while we’re searching for the right dresses and the casual wear you need.” 

Jessica presumed Courtney would have said something in protest if she had a hot date or some other pressing engagement and objected to being kept past closing
.  This was a slow time of the year and since at least part of their compensation came from commissions on sales, the extra time was going to be well worth it to both Courtney and Amelia.  Once Jessica gave her the information, Courtney went happily on her way with the promise to meet them back at Amelia’s register in 20 minutes with a selection of items. 

Jessica followed Amelia across the store toward the designer dresses
.  On the way, they passed the cosmetics counter and Jessica paused. “Do you need cosmetics or personal care products?” 

“Please,” Jessica said
. 

A clerk in a white smock had been tidying up and restocking items in the area
.  She moved toward them from behind one of the nearby counters as Amelia explained.

“Monica, Ms. Huntington-Harper needs you to pull a few things together for her
. I’ve kept my register open.  When you’ve got them, key in your associate number, ring her up and I’ll cash her out for you when we’re done elsewhere.”  Monica nodded assent.  Toiletries were always kept on hand for guests at the house, but Laura had asked Jessica to pick up her makeup bag and other products that were in the master bath that was now off limits, for the time being, as part of the new crime scene.  Jessica knew a lot about what Laura liked from their recent visit to the spa together and similar retreats over the years.  Monica made note of the things Laura needed.  She also recommended several things that were on sale for bath and shower, and a good line of hair care products.  When they had settled on the list of items the associate agreed to pack them in cosmetic bags after ringing them up. The one exception was a Chanel no. 5 gift set for St. Bernadette. Jessica asked her to keep that separate.  The woman was indeed a saint and was likely to have to prove it again and again over the next few days. 

It seemed like Saks had about a thousand little black dresses
.  If Jessica hadn’t been under time pressure, she would have found that entertaining.  Under the current circumstances she wanted to get this done.  She wanted something classic, not too short, and in a cut and fabric that wouldn’t kill them if it was a hundred degrees outside during the funeral.  In a matter of minutes, much to her surprise, they found a simple St. John cap sleeve dress made from fine spun Italian wool.  Amelia assured Jessica that the light wool was perfect, insulating the body and keeping it cooler than would synthetic fabrics.  Jessica soon found a sleeveless Boss black tropical wool sheath for herself.  Jessica stopped to linger a moment, gazing at the cut and drape of the fine Italian fabrics.

They picked out a pair of Jimmy Choo black patent leather pumps for Laura
, not too shiny with high heels, but not stilts.  Jessica chose a pair of black peep toe pumps for herself with an even lower heel.  Jessica already owned at least a half dozen pairs of designer pumps in black, but that little pair of peep toes called to her.

Jimmy Choo also made a gorgeous soft black leather shoulder bag in black, and a clutch
.  She wasn’t sure which Laura would prefer so she took both. Jessica could use the one Laura decided against.  They also had a great sale on Cole Haan sandals in two different neutrals, and Repetto lambskin ballet flats in black that Jessica knew were wonderfully comfortable to wear, since she had a couple pairs buried in her closet somewhere.  A Marc Jacobs buttery leather tote in a medium brown would be great for Laura to use with her more casual clothes and the sandals.  Jessica picked out one of his cross-body bags in the same luscious buttery leather for her own use.  On sale the bag was irresistible. She ran her fingers over the handsome leather bag before surrendering it to Amelia who added it to the items that were going home with Jessica. Caressing that bag had unleashed a flood of endorphins, a runner’s high without all the sweat and battered joints.

For casual wear they went with a great pair of Vince stretch leggings in khaki
, with a loose fitting silky stretch crew tee to go with them.  A pair of Eileen Fisher organic cotton ankle pants in white and Elie Tahari pants in black, along with two pair of stretch cotton knit jersey leggings, one cropped and the other full length, went into the ‘to go’ pile. A couple button-down blouses, an oversized boyfriend shirt, and half a dozen tees in assorted styles and colors were added. Laura would have plenty of outfits to choose from even if it took another week, or longer, to get the horrifying scene at her house straightened up. With luck, her homeowners insurance would get a check to Laura soon after she filed a claim so she could go out and replace whatever else was destroyed by the maniac in her closet.  This was a good start!

Jessica couldn’t resist adding a few items for herself
. After all, she was going through clothes at a pretty good clip these days, thinking about the outfit she had trashed earlier in the day.  She chose skinny ankle-length Tahari pants in black and a cropped pair in a deep indigo blue shade.  Two Boss cotton stretch button down shirts, one in white and a pale blue would look fabulous with those pants.  She picked out several other delectably soft tops: an Elie Tahari jersey knit shirt in cobalt blue; and Armani stretch jersey tops in black and white.  Of course, the purchases more than made up for the clothes lost to an unanticipated scuffle at a crime scene, but who was counting?

By the time they had hauled everything to the register
, with Monica’s help, since she had decided to stick around too, Courtney was back.  In addition to basic undergarments Jessica had asked her to get for Laura, she had a selection of sublime pajamas and loungewear. The items exuded comfort and relaxation, exactly what Jessica had asked for and Laura needed immensely. They would offer small consolation for all she was going through, but Jessica hoped it was better than nothing. 

They were so inviting Jessica wished she could go straight back to the house, put on a pair and climb into her bed
. Or maybe she’d sit by the pool and finish the margarita she had left behind in one of the cozy-looking lounge sets or plush robes.  The dilemma was not what to put back, since she was going to take them all.  It was more about how to divvy them up between herself and Laura.  In the mix, Courtney had a found a stunning Natori robe in bright colors that had Bernadette’s name written all over it.  She could see the look of delight that the riot of color and silk would bring to her beloved Bernadette’s sweet face.

Jessica chose a couple pajama sets for herself and took the other three for Laura
.  French terry sweatpants, decorated with lace cuffs and matching tops were too sweet to resist, too.  She got a set for each of them but in different colors, as well as black knit pajama shorts and with matching tank tops for herself and for Laura.  There was a short white waffle weave robe like you’d find in any spa in town and a longer, super-soft jersey robe in a heather grey. Jessica took them both for Laura.  She also selected two of the more conservative one-piece swimsuits Courtney had picked out for Laura, including a beautiful Karla Colletto in garnet with a matching cover up. One in black too, along with a white hooded cover up in a lacy soft woven knit. Given that Brien had offered his services as bodyguard, Jessica thought Laura would be more comfortable in suits that were not too revealing.  She had Courtney get a second of the black swim suits in one size larger for herself, an absolute necessity given how serious she was about working out.  She also had her retrieve a couple more of the jersey robes in whatever colors she could find, one for herself and one to be put in a gift box for Laura’s sister Sara.  Courtney had dutifully brought along several pairs of zories that could be used poolside, large Hollywood film-star sunglasses, one pair in black and one in a turtle shell, as well as a gorgeous floppy hat that Laura could use to stave off the sun.