A Dead Husband (Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery) (16 page)

“I promise that Bernadette and I will take good care of Laura
.  Anytime you can get away, come on over to keep her company.  She’s going to need your help making the arrangements and getting the word out to family members and friends once the arrangements have been made.  I’ll leave your name at the gate so the guards will let you in.”

“I’ll be glad to help
. Dave gets home around 3:00 tomorrow.  I’ll head on over, okay?”

“Can you stay for dinner with us? I’ve already told Bernadette I’m ordering pizza so she doesn’t have to cook
.  You can meet the P.I. who’s helping out. He’s quite impressive.  Tommy Fontana will be there and Brien, our wannabe surfer dude pool boy who has been hired on as extra “muscle” for the time being.  Not that I expect we’ll actually need him, but it’s all hands on deck at this point.” 

“That’ll be great, Jessica
.  Dave can feed the kids and get them to bed on his own. I’ll make mac-n-cheese before I go.  That’s one of Dave’s favorites that the kids love, too.” She was smiling brightly, still holding the robe close. Jessica wasn’t sure if the smile was because of the gift or the thought of time off from the kids and dinner with grown-ups, even if it was just pizza.  Before Jessica could ponder the matter further, Laura was back.  All she had with her was her purse.

“Okay, I’m ready to go.” Seeing Jessica eyeing her one possession, Lau
ra held up the bag and added, “my wallet and keys, and a few other things that I happened to have with me Friday night. Things I still had in my possession after that visit to the ER. Besides that, I’ve got a toothbrush and a gown to sleep in, courtesy of my sister, as well as the borrowed clothes I’m wearing. You can see why I needed you to get my stuff,” she said.  “Thanks so much, Sara, I’ll get your things back to you. I love you and I’ll see you again soon, I hope.”  She gave Sara a big hug.

“No rush on getting anything back to me
.  And I will see you soon, sis.  I love you too.”

Sara and Laura were both getting teary
.  “She means that, Laura.  She’s coming over tomorrow to help you plan, and will have dinner with us.”  Laura looked pleased and a little puzzled.  “I’ll tell you more on the drive back to my house,” Jessica said, giving Sara a hug.  Laura and Jessica waved to Sara as they reached the car.

Jessica beeped open the car doors so Laura could get in on the passenger side
.  Her stop at Sara’s had been brief so the car was still cool.  Jessica’s car was a bimmer convertible, great fun when the heat wasn’t in the triple digits.  For now the top was up and the leather interior felt nice and cool.  As Laura got into the car she looked at the back seat loaded with bags from Saks and a carry-on that still had the tags on it.

“You went shopping?” Laura asked
, not yet realizing anything out of the ordinary was going on. She knew Jessica used shopping as therapy.

“I had to get a new phone after my encounter with that jerk at your house and Saks was right next door
.  They had a great sale going on so I thought I’d pick up a few things for us.”  Jessica tried to sound as matter of fact about the whole thing as she could, but she actually felt a little excited about all the goodies she had gotten for Laura and Bernadette and, yes, for herself.  The twinge of anxiety that lay beneath the excitement activated as she saw Laura’s eyes widen.

“
Jessica, what did you do?” she asked. Jessica sped away from the house, hoping to get to a main road quickly. There she could achieve speeds that would prevent Laura from leaping out of the car as she explained.

CHAPTER 13

Jessica talked nonstop all the way back to Mission Hills, not giving Laura a chance to object to the decision to outfit her, for the time-being, from Saks
.  She used logic: A) Laura couldn’t go on without her things from home, but B) she couldn’t get to the things from home, therefore C) she had to have new things.  Jessica laid it out as a simple syllogism.

She went on about how much more convenient it had been to go to Saks since it was right there rather than shop around; how much she enjoyed shopping for others instead of just shopping for herself–especially now that she didn’t have Jim to shop for; what a disaster her closet was and she didn’t think she had the right thing to wear to Roger’s funeral either so she had to shop anyway
.  She went on and on like that for the entire 15 minute drive. She was talking so fast and so relentlessly that she was getting lightheaded.

It must have worked though, because when she pulled up and hit the button to op
en the garage door to park, all Laura said was, “Jessica, I’m grateful beyond words.  You must have set some new record getting all of this done before you got to Sara’s today.”

“You’re probably right about that
. Want to help me haul in the day’s catch?” Laura nodded in agreement as Jessica parked the car, cut off the engine, and hit the button on her key that popped the trunk.  Laura’s eyes widened again as she got a look at Jessica’s trunk. Before she could say anything Jessica began handing her things. 

“This bag is for Bernadette
. Can you take that? Here’s another one.”  Jessica pulled the carry on out of the back seat, set it on the ground and yanked the handle out to its full length so Laura could roll it.  That freed Jessica to carry the rest of the things from her back seat. 

As they stepped from the garage into the house, Jessica nearly collided with Bernadette
.  “We’re home.  I’ve got Laura with me, just like I promised.”

“Welcome, Laura
.  We’re so glad you’re going to be stayin’ with us for a while.”  Bernadette reached out and patted Laura on her cheek.  “Can I help you with your things?” Bernadette asked.

“These are for you, Bernadette
.  Sounds like Jessica had a shopping melt down after fighting off that creep at my house.  We’re the beneficiaries of her spree.”  She handed the bags over to Bernadette.

“Thank you Jessica
, ooh my favorite!” Bernadette cooed as she pulled the Chanel fragrance collection out of a bag. She moved back, making room for Jessica to roll on into the kitchen with some of her loot. 

“I’m going to take Laura to the guest room next to my room
, Bernadette.”

“That’s a great idea
. I’ll come and help you get settled in...” Bernadette stopped speaking abruptly.  “Dios mio, Jessica this is the most beautiful robe I have ever seen.”  Jessica was two for two on robes for the day.  Now if she only did as well with her choices for Laura.

“I knew the instant I saw it that it was made for you, St. Bernadette.”  Jessica relished Bernadette’s happiness as she inspected the
robe, taking in the array of colors that adorned the soft, silky fabric.

“No saint ever had a robe this gorgeous
.  Let’s get you into your room, Laura and see what Jessica got for you.  She is the best shopper, you know?”

“I do know,” Laura replied.

“Then we’ll have a little supper on the back patio. I’m going to go put on my new robe.”

“I’m not very hungry,” Laura interjected, “please don’t go to any trouble on my account.”

“Well, I’m starving,” said Jessica.  She dropped enough of what she was carrying on the counter to grab a glass of water and a couple aspirin, downing them in seconds.

“It’s no trouble
, Laura. We’ll have sandwiches and salads, leftovers from our lunch with Jerry Reynolds.” 

With that, they all hurried down the hall to the guest room where Laura was going to stay
.  It was a suite, really, with a huge bed and a comfortable sitting area along with a luxurious bath and a walk-in closet.  Like all the guest suites in the house this room had sliders that opened to the patio, leading out to the pool.

It took them the better part of an hour to haul in and go through all of the booty from Jessica’s car
.  It might have gone faster except that there was so much oohing and aahing about the gorgeous things Jessica had bought.  When they had done enough to get Laura set up for the night they all agreed to meet in bathing suits and robes for a dip.  After another hour or so of camaraderie, good food, and a dunk in the hot tub, followed by a stint sitting in the evening breeze. Jessica figured they were all doing about as well as anyone could under the circumstances.

Despite the twists and turns of the day Jessica felt good about it all
.  Laura looked a whole lot better than she had when Jessica first saw her yesterday. Of course she couldn’t say the same for herself.  It occurred to her, however, that she had hardly thought about herself or her own sorry lot in life.  In fact, she felt downright thankful for all the good things in it including friends like Laura and Bernadette, and the fact that the stupid brute in the closet at Laura’s house had not ended it for her altogether.  Yes, things could have been much worse.

It was 10:00 when they all decided to call it a night
.  Jessica took a quick shower.  Her third for the day set another record.  Slipping into a pair of her comfy new shorty pajamas Jessica spent an hour going over the files on Roger’s laptop pertaining to his business and their personal finances.  It was a good thing Jessica was so thoroughly exhausted by the events of the day. Otherwise, she might have lain awake, or been wakened later by nightmares, after what she found.  She hated the thought that she had to give Laura more bad news.  Would it ever stop?

CHAPTER 14

When
Jessica rolled out of bed Monday morning, she was sore from her wrestling match the day before.  She decided not to use her discomfort as an excuse to skip a morning swim.  Her encounter with that tattooed fiend had, in fact, made her more aware that you never know when you’re going to need a little extra speed or strength to get out of an unexpected situation.  Of course, for the past several years such situations would more likely have involved outmaneuvering another shopper for a primo parking place at Santana Row or going elbow to elbow with an overly aggressive bargain hunter at Bloomingdales in Palo Alto. 

She put on the suit she had worn the night before
, the new black Karla Colletto one-piece that she had rinsed and hung to dry in her bathroom.  The suit fit like a second skin, only better with a little lift here and a tuck there that made the best of her 30-something figure, even with a little extra “baby weight.”  It was perfect for the workout she had planned.  Jessica did a quick inspection in the full length mirror as she ran a comb through her hair.  From the neck down she didn’t look too much worse for wear.  There was a large bruise forming on the back of her left thigh, likely the result of banging into the nightstand. There were also bruises in the shape of fingerprints on her right forearm where the guy must have grabbed her at some point.  In a few days they’d fade and she’d be good as new.

Her face was another story
.  The full spectrum of color was in bloom on her face, more red and purple than black and blue but dramatic, nevertheless.  She touched her face, gently, especially around her left eye which was tender and swollen.  A dark circle was settling in under her right eye too. She would skip the goggles while swimming, even though that would take a little off the effectiveness of her workout.  She was going to make quite an impression on Paul at lunch tomorrow.  With that thought she experienced her first anxious flip-flop of the day.  She had a lot to do today if she was going to have much more to tell Paul by lunchtime tomorrow.  Well, that wasn’t really true. She had plenty to tell him, just not much that was going to help Laura.

A second bout of fluttering fought to take hold as she thought about the problems she had discovered in the files on Roger’s laptop
.  None of the accounts were up to date. This year and last, Roger’s business financials had gone from bad to worse.  Roger’s business had dwindled down to almost nothing. He was in a hole and a pretty big one. 

Their personal finances
were in pretty bad shape too. The mortgage payments hadn’t been made on the house in Cat City for a couple months. Roger had been juggling credit card, auto loan and household bills for the past year. He paid some one month and let others go, then made a stab at catching up here and there.

Jessica began to assemble a list of unhappy topics to discuss with Laura
.  There were likely to be more questions, though, after going through the remaining documents collected from Roger’s office. She’d put off the “talk” until she had a more complete picture.  Laura was sure Roger had a life insurance policy that would help cover expenses, including funeral arrangements.  That would be a blessing, now that Laura would have to get by solely on her income as a nurse. 

“Please, Roger, don’t let me find out you let the life insurance premiums lapse,” Jessica whispered as she slipped on her robe and sandals
.  Grabbing a towel, she left her room and nearly floated to the kitchen on the aroma of freshly brewing coffee. 

Bernadette was
hovering over a French press of steeping coffee wearing her robe of many colors. She had three hefty mugs sitting nearby.  Jessica was giddy with anticipation.

“What is it, Bernadette?  It smells absolutely wonderful.”

“It’s that mocha tsunami—sanini—you know what you get from Peet’s in the mail.”  She plunged the French press on the pot of coffee and poured two cups, putting milk in her own and sliding the piping hot dark brew in the other cup toward Jessica.

“Arabian mocha sanani, Bernadette
. It’s the bean that grows on little bushes in Yemen.”  Jessica sipped the dark rich coffee, savoring the intense flavor.  She would have preferred to drink it black, but added milk to tame the steaming brew and cool it quickly so she could get on with her swim. 

“Sanini, sanani—whatever
.  It does taste good, though.  You want me to fix you some breakfast?  I’m going to have some scrambled eggs with cheese and veggies and can fix enough for two.  Should I make some for Laura?” 

“Sounds yummy but I’ve got to swim first,” Jessica replied, continuing to sip her coffee
.  “Go ahead and eat. It’ll take me a half hour or more to do my laps and then I’ll have to shower. You’ll be starved by then.  Have you heard anything out of Laura yet?”

“Not a peep, chica
.  I think that might be good. She needs to rest with all that she’s been through.  And it’s not over yet.” 

“You’re right about that Bernadette
.  Let me worry about Laura and me.  If I don’t hear from her by 10 or so I’ll go make a nuisance of myself. I’ll bang on the door just to be sure she’s not too depressed to get out of bed.  I’ll fix something for breakfast.  After that you can take over and help her with what she needs to do in order to get the funeral arrangements underway.  I’ve got my own list of things to do, starting with a visit to the Cathedral City police department, hurray.  I hope Detective Hernandez is in a better mood.”

It was unfortunate that their first meeting had bee
n marked by such aggravation. A crime scene probably isn’t the best place to make a new acquaintance. Jessica had anticipated clearing the air regarding Laura’s mistaken account of her whereabouts Friday night with more aplomb and without drawing any more unflattering attention to her friend than necessary.  Of course, if a troubled marriage was a motive for murder, there were dead-men-walking around everywhere. One in particular came to mind. 

“You sure you’re okay doing extra duty today, Bernadette?”

“Okay with me, Jessica. I’ll be glad to do what I can to help the poor girl. Aye, que Dios mio, there’s just too much trouble sometimes.” Bernadette said, already pulling items from the fridge to make breakfast.

Jessica finished her coffee, po
ured a large glass of ice water and made her way out to the pool.  Despite the beating her body had taken from her ill-fated wrestling match the day before, her workout went smoothly.  By the time she was done with her laps she had a pretty good idea about how to make the most of the day ahead.

As soon as she was done with her workout she showered and dressed
.  There was little reason to put much effort into her hair or makeup given that she looked like she was in recovery from a rhinoplasty.  She slipped on a pair of the Tahari pants she had bought and paired them with one of the Armani knit shirts. She added ballet flats unearthed from the debris in her closet. 

She spent the next twenty minutes or so organizing the closet from hell
. Jessica was only mildly surprised by how much she was able to do in that amount of time.  Wasn’t that often the case, though?  Tasks that loomed so large in your mind became more manageable when you actually dug in and tackled them.  Cleaning the closet was, in part, a way of avoiding what she had to do next. She needed to take another stab at going through the materials from Roger’s office. 

In another hour Jessica had sorted through most of the items she had taken from Roger and Laura’s home in a sort of triage fashion
. That included documents that were easy to figure out, obviously relevant and needing attention right away. Next were those that were easy to figure out but not important or that required no attention. Finally she was left with a stack of items enshrouded in various degrees of mystery about their meaning or relevance. 

Most of the items in the latter category were rel
ated to Roger’s business as far as Jessica could tell. Laura might be able to clear up some of the mystery regarding such items, but Roger was either sloppy or intentionally vague about matters related to his business. From what Laura said he was increasingly upset and demoralized over the past few months. Maybe he had just given up trying to keep track.

At least Jessica had some good news for Laura
. The premiums on Roger’s life insurance policy were, indeed, up-to-date. A hard copy of the policy itself was in a file, clearly labeled “insurance policies.” The homeowner’s policy was in there too. Thankfully, it was paid up, too. Laura needed help cleaning up the disaster left in the wake of two crimes committed there in less than a week and that policy gave her the resources to do it. 

It was nearly 10:00 and Jessica’s stomach was growling
. She needed more coffee and food.  Now that she had some good news for Laura she hoped that would make the bad news about their financial situation more palatable. Jessica scooped up the pile of insurance papers and began to organize them so she could put them back into the folder for Laura.  She had only taken a passing glance at the auto insurance policy and was about to put it away when she noticed a couple pages in the pile that were askew.  Jessica’s heart skipped a little beat when she realized that what she had in her hand was an add-on to Roger’s basic life insurance policy. It was an Accidental Death & Dismemberment policy rider, doubling the payout in the event of Roger’s death from an accident. 

AD&D policies were notorious t
hanks to
Body Heat,
the film that had rocketed Kathleen Turner to stardom.  That movie was a remake of one of Jessica’s favorite noir classics called Double Indemnity.  Barbara Stanwyck, the conniving wife, and Fred MacMurray, insurance salesmen turned co-conspirator, plot to make murder look like an accident. No wonder wives were so often suspects when husbands turned up dead. Crime stats bore out the fact that it was worth taking a careful look at those closest to the murdered victim. You’re far more likely to be killed by the one you love than by a stranger even though “stranger danger” runs rampant in news and prime time crime shows.

AD&D riders were always a little tricky
.  Not all insurance companies included murder as an accidental death but if it was, the payout on Roger’s death benefit would double, in this case from $250,000 to $500,000.  That amount could make a huge difference for Laura, eventually.  The insurance company would do a thorough investigation into the cause of death and the circumstances surrounding Roger’s death.  Life insurance companies had been taken to task in California and elsewhere for delaying or withholding payment of death benefits, even without the added wrinkle of a double indemnity clause. Of course they would not have to pay out if Laura was implicated in Roger’s murder in any way.

Jessica po
red over the policy.  She examined every word and read the fine print. According to the policy, accidental death included: “death resulting directly and solely by external, violent and accidental means, without warning or anticipation.” The policy went on to
exclude
death by violence or trauma related to acts of war or terror, drug use, suicide or willful negligence. Murder was not on the list of exclusions.  The rider, signed by Roger Stone, had been in place for well over a year.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up
. Roger was either prescient, or had a more tangible reason to believe he might meet with an untimely accident. Jessica was obviously still spooked by the events of the previous day. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Roger knew he was in trouble.