Scottsdale Squeeze: a romantic light-hearted murder mystery (Laura Black Mysteries Book 2) (21 page)

“I can do it. When I get the paper, where do you want me to take it?”

“I have people watching the bank. I will call you when I know you have it.”

The phone went dead, but I spent almost a minute with it still held up to me ear. I needed more information and my mind was desperately thinking what to do.

My first thought was to call Reno and ask for advice. He would know police procedure and the best way to get the key without a fuss. But Reno wouldn’t let it stop there. He would need to know why I needed it. He would also want to make it official business and we’d have yet another argument about letting the police do the police business. But I had heard Carlos’ voice. Carlos the Butcher. I knew that if I screwed this up Jackie would be hurt or killed and it would be my fault.

I made a decision and called Gina.

“Hey, I need your help.” I then downloaded her on my conversation with Carlos.

“This is the part of the job I always have a problem with,” she said. “We’re obligated to go to the police with anything like this. They are better equipped to handle this type of situation and legally it’s the only thing to do. On the other hand, morally, our first duty is to our client. I don’t doubt what Carlos says, and at the first sign of a cop anywhere near where he is holding Jackie, I believe that he will kill her.”

“What I can’t understand is why there is a police guard on the house,” I said. “Getting into a crime scene has never been a problem before.”

“New procedure,” Gina said. “Anytime there’s a major crime at a home of someone who is considered a celebrity, it’s guarded. Otherwise, people break in and steal souvenirs to sell on eBay.”

“OK, so how are we going to do it?”

Gina thought for a moment.

“As an investigator for the law firm representing Jackie, you could make a case for entering the murder scene. Homicide and forensics have already gone through the house and so they probably won’t object. Chances are there is only one officer on the scene and he’ll regard it as a low value assignment. If two people go in the house, I imagine that you could distract the officer and pilfer anything that you wanted.”

“OK, that could work. I’ll get Sophie to help.”

“Yes, but it’s only step one.”

“OK, what’s step two?”

“You need to get into the safety deposit box.”

“I’ll have the key.”

“Yes, but you also need to sign to get it. If the signatures don’t match, they won’t let you have it or it will raise a red flag at the very least.”

“OK, I’ll work on that. Is there a step three?”

“Step three will be finding out where Jackie is. You said Carlos would call you back. He’ll probably use the same phone again. It’s likely he’ll be somewhere close by Jackie when he does. Let’s set it up with the cell carrier to get a location on the phone when he calls back. Maybe they can even give us a general idea where the first call was made from. It
will give us a starting point on where to look. You work on getting the key and going to the bank. I’ll make the calls and set up the location trace with the cell phone company. When he calls back, we’ll have an address.”

I walked back up to reception and collapsed into one of the red leather wing chairs next to Sophie’s desk.

“What happened? She asked. “I hate to tell you, but you sorta look like shit again.”

“I’m going to need some help,” I said. I then told her about my conversation with Carlos and with Gina.

“Damn,” she said. “Why do the crazy ones always call you? Oh well, what can I do to help?”

“My first step is to get the key. Gina is right, the police probably won’t object if we say we just need to take some pictures of the murder scene.”

“I’ll grab the camera,” she said. “And since we’re trying to distract the cop guarding the house, let me take my car separately I’ll stop by my apartment first. I’ll put on something that will help distract him.”

Sophie took off in her car and I took off in mine. My first phone call was to the lead detective in charge of the murder investigation. We had chatted a few hours earlier and he had given me his card. He still wasn’t happy I had shed doubt on his lead suspect, but I could tell his mind was occupied elsewhere. He was probably thinking about Carlos the Butcher and what it could mean to his murder investigation. Going after a pretty Scottsdale cougar was one thing. Going after an international drug smuggler and known killer was something completely different.

After talking for about five minutes, he gave permission for me to enter the scene and take pictures, with the understanding I would be escorted by the officer, and I wouldn’t touch anything. I mentally crossed my fingers when I said I wouldn’t. He then said he would radio the officer on scene and give permission for me to enter.

My next call was to Pam. I said I had to go to Jackie’s bank and get some things from her safety deposit box. I asked her if anyone in the group knew what her signature looked like.

“Oh, sure,” she said. “I can do Jackie’s signature. We sign each other’s credit card receipts all the time. “But you know they need more than a signature. I have a box at the same bank and they also compare photos.”

Photos? Shit.

My heart sank.

“Damn, how were we going to get the papers now?”

“I think I know a way,” Pam said. “I have an old wig I can wear. The color is close to Jackie’s. The length is too short, but it should be close enough. Jackie and I both wear the same size so it should work.”

“Are you sure you want to go into a bank and impersonate Jackie? I’m not sure doing this is exactly legal.”

“Do you think it will help get her back?”

“I can’t make any promises, but it might.”

“Then, of course. Why are you even asking? I’d do anything for her.”

“OK, perfect. I’ll give you a call before I come over, but it shouldn’t be too long.”

ELEVEN

I pulled up in front of Jackie’s house and parked behind the patrol car parked directly in front of the driveway. I got out and told the officer who I was. Fortunately, the detective had already called and I was expected.

About five minutes later Sophie pulled in behind my car. She got out holding the big digital camera from the office. She hadn’t been kidding about dressing to distract. She had put on a low-cut red knit top and a wonder-bra where her boobs were all but falling out. As she walked up to the officer, I saw he had taken notice and was indeed being distracted.

The officer had us both put on a pair of blue plastic booties then led us through the garage and into the kitchen. I saw the rack with the keys hanging on the wall, just as Carlos had said.

“Why don’t you two go up and take the pictures,” I said. “We all don’t need to go up and there’ll be less chance of disturbing the scene.”

The officer took another look at Sophie’s distractions and eagerly agreed. They disappeared into the living room and I heard them climb the stairs. I went to the rack and found he key. It was as Carlos had said. It was an unusual round shafted key on a blue Scottsdale National Trust Bank key ring. I took the key off the rack and slipped it into my pocket.

In less than ten minutes, Sophie and the officer came back into the kitchen. They were chatting like old friends. Sophie thanked the officer and he said it was his pleasure. He then pulled out a card and handed it to her. She dug one of hers out of her purse and handed it to him. Sophie extracted a promise for the officer, whose name turned out to be Michael, to call her. He promised he would.

As we got to our cars, I started laughing.

“You were supposed to distract him, not set up a date with him.”

“Well, why not. He’s cute, actually single, and besides you’re dating a cop. I was thinking maybe I should start dating one too.”

Sophie left to go back to her apartment to change her clothes. I headed over to Pam’s house. As I left, I called her and told her I was on my way.

I made it to Pam’s house and knocked on her door. When the door opened, I had to look twice. It appeared Jackie was standing in front of me.

“Well,” Pam said, as she posed for me. “What do you think?”

“That’s amazing. You could be her twin.”

“It’s not so amazing. I know how she does her hair and make-up. This wig won’t hold this style for more than an hour or two, even with all of the product I used, but it should work long enough for us to get what you need.”

~~~~

We pulled into the bank parking lot at four-fifty. I looked around, but I didn’t see any of Carlos’s men. Since the bank closed at five, we hurried into the lobby and went straight to the receptionist. She didn’t look happy that customers had appeared minutes before she was to go home. Pam placed the key on the receptionist’s desk and apologized that it was so late but said she needed to grab something from her box.

The receptionist typed the key number into her computer and I saw a picture of Jackie pop up. I had a terrifying thought -- maybe the woman would recognize the name of Jacquelyn Wade from the news reports. If this was the case, I was hoping she didn’t have a way of summoning the police before we were able to get to the box then leave. But who was I kidding, this was a bank. If she suspected anything amiss, the police would be there within minutes.

Fortunately, the receptionist just wanted us out of there as soon as possible. She had Jackie sign an electronic pad with an oversized stylus, which made her signature all but illegible.

So much for their high-security system.

Since the guard, or whomever was supposed to lead us into the vault, had apparently already gone home for the night, the receptionist motioned us follow her. She had us stand at the entrance to the vault while she went in.

The vault was smaller than I thought it would be, with only about fifty safety deposit boxes, all in a group on one of the walls. The receptionist went to one of the boxes, inserted Jackie’s key, and then inserted a key dangling from a plastic bracelet on her wrist.

My heart pounded and my breathing came in rapid gulps as I waited to see if we would get the box. So many things could go wrong. Pam was apparently having similar thoughts because she had grabbed my hand and was squeezing it to the point my fingers were going numb.

The receptionist smoothly turned both keys, opened the small metal door, and then slid out a long metal box. She then handed it to Pam and hurried back to her desk.

There was a small room next to the vault with a door and a small table. Pam and I went in and set the box on the table. We both stared at the box. Finally, I reached out and lifted the metal lid.

Inside was a thick file with maybe a hundred pieces of paper. The file had been folded in half in order to fit into the small box. I carefully lifted the file so the papers wouldn’t all fall on the floor.

I put the file in my bag. Pam went back to the receptionist and told her she could have the box back. The receptionist gave her a grateful look and went to retrieve the box. We then walked back to my car.

I dropped Pam off at her house. I thanked her and told her I would call with any news. I then drove back to the law office in Old Town.

Sophie had beaten me back and was in the reception area, talking with Gina. I walked in with a big smile and told them I was successful. Lenny must have also been waiting because he came out of his office as soon as I started talking to Sophie and Gina.

“Well?” Lenny asked.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the file. I then carefully put it on Sophie’s desk, making sure none of the loose papers fell out.

“Sophie,” he said, as he picked up the file and started flipping through it. “We don’t know how long we’ll have these documents. I want you to make a copy of everything in the folder.”

“I’ve set it up with the cell carrier to trace the location of the next ten phone calls made from Carlos’s phone,” Gina said. “The first call was made from somewhere in south Scottsdale. With the next call, we’ll be able to get the location of the phone down to about three hundred feet.”

“OK,” Lenny said. “That’s good. Our best bet is to make the exchange as quickly and as smoothly as possible.” He then looked over at me. “Stick by your phone and answer it right away when it rings. Plug it in so it has a good charge. This Carlos sounds a little insane and I don’t want an incident because your battery went dead.”

Lenny went back into his office. I nervously made small talk with Gina while Sophie sat at her desk and started organizing the documents to be copied. Every few seconds I looked at my phone and imagined it was about to ring. I was half wishing it would, so we could get it over with, and half hoping that it wouldn’t.

Sophie said she had used the magic software on Carlos. She said other than a few up-to-date pictures there wasn’t a lot of new information. She also said she left the single-page report on my desk in a folder. I was about to walk back to my cubicle and read it over when my phone rang.

I looked down and saw the same Phoenix number flashing on the screen. I looked back and forth between Sophie and Gina. Lenny had come out of his office and was twirling his finger and giving me the hurry-up signal.

“Hello,” I said, as I answered the phone.

“Listen carefully,” a voice I now knew as Carlos’s said. “By now, you should have the paper I want. This is correct, no?”

“Yes, I have it.”

“Very good. You will bring me the transfer document undamaged. If everything is correct, I will give you your friend and you may leave. If you try to deceive me, or if I see any police, you both will be killed. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“I will call you tomorrow morning with the time and location of where to bring the paper. Make sure to answer your phone when I call.”

The line went dead and I fell into one of the red leather chairs. The brief conversation with Carlos had mentally wiped me out and I was already starting to get nervous about the exchange, even though it wouldn’t happen until the morning.

Gina got on the phone and called her contact within the phone company. She wrote down the location, thanked the person, and hung up. She then looked at the address for a few seconds then her eyes got big.

“Oh shit,” she said. “That’s my abandoned grocery warehouse in south Scottsdale, the one just south of Curry Road.”

I’d had some experiences with the industrial and warehouse district of south Scottsdale and they weren’t fun memories.

“Why oh shit?” I asked. “And how do you know it’s an old food warehouse?”

“Because that’s where my drug exchange is supposed to take place tomorrow.”

”Oh, shit.”

“Exactly,” Gina said. “Up until now, I didn’t know or really care who got the drug shipment. Our only interest was in establishing an alibi for our client. Who, by the way, is obviously deeply involved in the drug trade and should turn himself in and throw himself on the mercy of the court,” she said looking at Lenny.

“Yeah,” he said. “We should consider that.” His tone told me he wasn’t ready to give up his fee from the client quite yet.

“Well, I think we can now assume Carlos is the one who will be receiving the drug shipment,” Gina said.

“Oh shit,” Sophie said.

“Why ‘oh shit’ now?” I asked.

“Are we sure Tough Tony isn’t involved in the drug delivery or exchange?”

“Hold on there,” Lenny said. “Do you think DiCenzo is part of this drug thing? If he is, we are going to need to back away. He’s still legally a client of the firm. If we go to the authorities on this drug delivery thing and DiCenzo’s involved, it could boomerang right back to us.”

“I don’t think he’s involved,” I said. “When I talked to Max and DiCenzo, Tony seemed truthful when he said he didn’t know who Carlos was. I think he would have at least told me this was something they were involved with and we would need to stay out of it.”

“What?” Lenny said. “Do you have some sort of hold over Tough Tony so he has to tell you the truth?

If you only knew.

“Just because Max is a panty dropper,” Sophie said, “it still doesn’t mean he’s telling you everything he knows about the drug thing. Maybe you should ask him about it directly.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Gina said. Let him know we know about the drug exchange and we may be obligated to go to the police on it. See how he reacts.”

“Yeah,” Lenny said. “I like that. Talk to him and find out for sure. I don’t want to be at the top of Tough Tony’s shit list.”

I had to agree. Talking to Max made sense. I walked back to my cubicle and made the call.

“Max, I need to see you.”

“Change your mind about Puerto Vallarta?”

Oh, Yum!

“I still need the rain check on that one. I have a question and it’s something I don’t want to discuss over the phone. Would you have anytime to meet tonight?”

“Sure. Do you have time for dinner? How about
Different Pointe of View
? That restaurant has the best view in the city.”

That would be so romantic.

“Definite rain check on that. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time tonight. Could we just meet for drinks somewhere close, like the Casablanca?”

“Of course. When can you meet?”

“As soon as you can get there. What’s your schedule tonight?”

“I can be there in a half an hour.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you there.”

I hung up the phone and realized meeting in a half hour gave me almost no time to fix my make-up or hair. Good thing it’s so dark in there.

~~~~

It was less than a five-minute walk from the office to the Casablanca. When I got there Max had already picked out a table with a beautiful view of the city.

I got a pang of regret my job kept interfering with my love life. Maybe if I had a normal office job, I could also have a normal personal life. I had another brief vision of going out on a date on a Friday night and then having the date last the entire weekend. I knew this was something normal people did and I was a little bit sad it didn’t happen to me.

Max stood up, then pushed in my chair as I sat. A waitress came to our table. Max ordered a Tanqueray & Tonic while I ordered a Diet Pepsi.

“Diet Pepsi?” he asked. “You must be busy tonight.”

“Oh, you don’t know how good a scotch sounds right now. But you’re right, I do have a lot going on tonight and I need to focus.”

“It was nice seeing you on Saturday. We should do it more often.”

“It was great playing golf with you. Why didn’t you tell me you were so good?”

“Now you want to know my secrets?”

“Well, I imagine you have some interesting things to uncover,” I said with a smile.

Stop flirting.

The waitress came back with the drinks and Max handed her a twenty. We each took a sip of our drinks and waited for the other to start talking.

“OK,” he said after a moment. “You wanted to ask me something?”