Warning Signs (Alexis Parker Book 19)

by G. K. Parks

  Instead, I put everything back, checked the bathroom and hall closets, and left the apartment. Eve didn’t have a wedding gown, veil, or shoes. No garters, at least not the kind that gets tossed into a crowd, or any bridal memorabilia. Not one ounce of taffeta or a single invitation or save the date card. Eve Wyndham might be the best event planner on the planet, but she hadn’t done a damn thing when it came to her own special day.

  After making sure Eve’s car hadn’t moved from its spot in front of Elegant Events, I headed to Cross Security. The side mirror remained lopsided, so I left the company car in one of the visitor spaces for Cross to fix and went to my office to conduct more research.

  “Ms. Parker,” one of the assistants said the moment I stepped foot into the break room to grab a cup of coffee, “Andre North phoned an hour ago.”

  “Did he leave a message?”

  “No, he said he’d try back later.”

  “Thanks.” With my cup in hand, I unlocked my door and turned on my computer. Additional background checks and profiles had been compiled and left in my dropbox concerning the women who worked so closely with Eve. I skimmed the details, but aside from two of the ladies having received DUIs and one count of indecent exposure, the rest of Eve’s staff didn’t have records. Samantha and Valerie, another of her assistants, remained in the clear.

  Picking up the phone, I dialed Justin’s extension and waited. He answered in his usual professional manner.

  “This is Alex Parker,” I said, though I was sure he already knew that. “How are we coming on Eve’s client list?”

  “Still working on compiling all the details.”

  I’d asked for everything imaginable. That would take time and patience. “What do you have so far?”

  “The names of her clients and the list of locations where they held their events, dating back for the last six months.”

  “Go ahead and forward those to me. I’ll get started while you continue to dig.”

  “Right away.”

  Clicking open the tab on my dropbox, I brought up the spreadsheet with the names, dates, and locations. It didn’t give me much to go on, but it might be enough. The first thing I did was compare it to the list I’d already pulled from the data Andre had brought us. Everything matched, but there’d been several holes which were now filled. As I read, I recognized the names of three hotels.

  “Shit.” After checking the corresponding dates, I cursed again. This wasn’t good. Grabbing the phone, I called upstairs. “How are we coming on those financial records I requested?”

  “Still working on getting bank records and the corporate credit card charges. Ms. Wyndham has four authorized users on her corporate card, each with a separate expense account.”

  “Do your best to put a rush on it.” I hung up, the unease growing in my gut.

  I didn’t have anything yet, but from what I could tell, Eve had hosted parties at three of the hotels where the killings occurred. The parties took place two or three months before each murder, but that didn’t mean much. At least they didn’t happen on the same day. What was going on? And what did an event planner have to do with a serial killer?

  Opening a tab on the computer, I perused Eve’s social media pages. According to this, she’d been out of the country when two of the murders occurred. I turned back to check the details I’d read on her assistants. One of them could have done it. The events would have given the party planners access to the hotel, the rooms, the layout, security, and all kinds of other things, which would have made sneaking in and out a lot easier.

  “Hey, Nick,” I said when he answered, “you need to check the hotel security footage prior to the killings. See if you spot anyone familiar. I’m sending you a photo. Let me know if this looks familiar.” I forwarded the photo of Eve’s scarf to O’Connell.

  “Could be what the cowboy’s date wore to Landau’s poisoning,” he said.

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “Who does it belong to?”

  “Eve Wyndham.”

  “You said she was out of the country.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you think she let someone borrow it?”

  “I have no idea, but Elegant Events hosted events at those hotels prior to the murders. We know Eve has the Priapus app on her phone, and we saw the way she works in tight quarters. Her assistants have access to everything, including her phone and computer. Have you found anything concrete connecting Eve’s business with the murders?”

  “Elegant Events threw a wedding, a bat mitzvah, and an executive retreat at the hotels where our serial killer struck.”

  “How’d you get that so fast?” Even I didn’t have those details.

  “I called the hotels and asked. The ballrooms, conference halls, and catering were paid for by Elegant Events. I’m looking into Eve and her associates as we speak.”

  “So am I.”

  “I thought you were maintaining eyes on her.”

  “I got bored.” Before I could say anything else, my desk phone rang. “I have another call. We’ll finish this later.” I hung up and answered. “Cross Security.”

  “This is Andre.”

  “What can I do for you?” I asked.

  “Eve didn’t come home last night. She told me she had plans with girlfriends. They were having some kind of bride squad thing. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. Eve’s entitled to blow off steam with her friends, but when I spoke to her this morning, she told me she promised to do a friend of ours a favor. I’m not sure how she could do both.”

  “Friend?”

  “Colton Raine.”

  “How do you know him?” I asked.

  Andre made a sound. “You saw her with him, so it’s true. Shit.”

  “I’m not sure what’s true. That’s why I’m asking you what she told you.”

  “Colton’s launching his own performance parts brand. He’s holding a launch party tomorrow night and a press luncheon on Saturday to answer questions and make sure no one misses the press release. Eve’s running herself ragged. I know her. She should have said no. She shouldn’t be anywhere near that guy.”

  “Didn’t you say Colton’s a friend?”

  “Mine, originally. He bought a vacation property from me, but he wanted some very specific things included. We worked closely together for three months while I did the renovations and decorating to make sure it was up to his standards.”

  “What did he want?”

  “I shouldn’t say.”

  “Andre, I don’t know much, but I’ve seen Colton. I know several men who are a lot like Colton. Why does his presence have you so freaked out?”

  “He’s into alternative lifestyles.”

  “That encompasses a lot of things. Can you be more specific?”

  “He wanted me to build him a sex dungeon. Bondage, hooks for chains and built in cases for whips, that sort of thing.”

  Flashes of the spiked collar and riding crop from Eve’s closet came to mind. “Do you know anything else about his dating habits?”

  “Dating?” Andre snorted. “Please. He’d bang anything that moves.” He sighed. “I’m worried about Eve. He’s a famous race car driver. He’s attractive and wealthy. Was she with him last night? Is that why she didn’t come home?”

  “No, I followed them yesterday. Nothing happened. They visited a venue and made arrangements for his launch. Then Eve left to meet friends.”

  “Okay, so I shouldn’t worry?”

  “Not about Colton.” Under different circumstances, I wouldn’t have opened this can of worms, but O’Connell was right. Murder trumped cheating every day of the week. I just wasn’t sure how to ask about the Priapus app. “How far along are you and Eve in your wedding planning?”

  “Not far. We were supposed to pick out flowers Saturday, but that got postponed because of Colton.”

  “What about her dress?”

  “What about it?”

  “Does she have one?”

 
“Of course.”

  “Have you seen it?”

  “No, that would be bad luck, but I paid for it.”

  “And your tux?”

  “In my closet. What is this about?”

  “I just wondered how much planning you still had to do. You’re three weeks out from the big day.”

  “Yeah, so? Eve’s a brilliant wedding planner. She’s coordinated much more complicated events than this. We’re just having a small, intimate gathering. Only our closest friends and relatives will be here. We’re having it in the backyard. If she can throw together a launch with hundreds of people in two days, she can get our wedding off the ground in three weeks.”

  I’d seen his backyard. I doubted he could fit more than ten people out there. Maybe they weren’t having a wedding with bridesmaids and groomsmen. “True.” But I wasn’t convinced.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Just curious.” I should have come up with a better excuse, but nothing came to mind. I blamed lack of sleep. “Do you know if Eve ever used a dating site or app before the two of you got together?”

  “She did. We both did. That’s how we met.”

  “Do you remember which site it was?”

  “I don’t remember the name, but it was designed for professionals.”

  “Do you still have an account?”

  “Of course not. Why? Did you find Eve on one of those sites?”

  “No, but we’re looking just to make sure. So far, I’ve found nothing indicating she’s been unfaithful.” Except the Priapus app. “At Cross Security, we like to be thorough.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  “We tend to pull up a lot of old records. You know what they say. Nothing deleted from the internet is ever truly deleted, which is why I was asking. I wanted to make sure if we stumbled upon any old dating profiles we’d know immediately they were inactive. You really don’t remember the name of that dating site where you met?”

  “No, I don’t, but it wasn’t one of the big ones. It was small. It just helped people who were always bogged down at work to connect in person. I don’t think it had photos or anything. It was almost like those old want ads in the paper. ‘Real estate mogul looking for companion. Must be a thin brunette with a sense of adventure.’ That sort of thing. Frankly, I’d be surprised if it even exists anymore. I doubt you’ll find it.”

  “Like I said, we’re thorough.” I also couldn’t help but think Andre and Eve first hooked up through Priapus.

  Thirty-five

  “The scarf’s not a match.” O’Connell slid a blown-up printed copy of the photo I sent him next to the image from the surveillance footage. “Those are diamond patterns. Eve’s scarf has squares.”

  I picked up both photos and studied them closely. “You’re right.”

  “You sound disappointed. Shouldn’t you be relieved they’re different?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.” I put my head in my hands. “This is a mess. Why are you trying to get your case tangled up in mine? The two should have absolutely nothing to do with one another.”

  “Hey, you’re the one crossing the streams. You told me Landau belonged to Priapus, and then you told me you saw the app on Eve’s phone. I didn’t do that. You did.”

  “I thought it might be relevant.”

  “I appreciate that. I’m just saying it might not matter.” He rocked back in his chair. “Priapus has over three hundred users. We aren’t even positive one of them is the killer or that the other three victims were members. The only thing we know for certain is Victor Landau was a member, and he was killed during or immediately after hosting a sex party. Ritch Summers verified that sex party was part of the secret underground sex club. But other than that, Ritch Summers won’t talk. He won’t tell us if the other victims were part of Priapus. Our perusal of the app didn’t get us anywhere. So I don’t know.”

  “The techs can’t crack it?”

  “I was laughed out of the lab when I asked.”

  I massaged my temples. “This sucks.”

  “I bet Landau said the same thing.”

  “Ugh.”

  “I think it’s time to start over.” O’Connell wheeled his chair closer to the murder board. “The first victim was an addict. We thought he died of an overdose. Police found drugs at the scene. That’s a direct violation of the Priapus guidelines, which might mean he wasn’t a member or didn’t give a shit about the sex club’s rules. Since he’s dead, we can’t exactly ask him about it.”

  “And the other two?”

  “I don’t know. What I do know is the two members of Priapus we’ve spoken to refuse to tell us anything else about the club. Summers made it sound like everything got coordinated through the app, which isn’t going to get us anywhere. Locating and questioning other sex club members probably won’t help. They’re all too afraid of unwanted exposure and potential legal recourse for violating their NDAs. It’s time we look elsewhere.”

  “What about Elegant Events?”

  “As far as I know, they’ve never hosted a sex party or club retreat for Priapus, unless I missed that photospread in the portfolios we looked at.”

  I gave him my best withering stare. “That’s not what I meant. When you left, you were following up on leads. What did you find?”

  “Eve hosted events at every venue where a murder occurred, even the first, but not on the same days. Always before. I checked the hotels’ security footage. I saw Eve and her assistants walk through various parts of the hotels at some point prior to and during the events and cleanups, but nothing after that. They never went near the suites that were used for the sex parties, and I can’t place any of them at the hotels during the murders. Eve didn’t have any rooms registered in her name or in her business’s name, but with disguises and all, who knows? She could have snuck in under an alias. Didn’t you say Cross told you Eve had a lot of friends in high places who might not travel under their real names?”

  “Uh-huh.” That didn’t make me feel any better.

  “Do you believe Eve’s a suspect?”

  “No, but one of her assistants could be. They drink green smoothies and celery juice. That’s bound to make anyone homicidal.”

  “Does Martin have you on a health food kick again? You sound like you’re projecting.”

  “No.” Though if I’d told Martin the shrink had wanted me to avoid caffeine, he would have taken away my coffee, which might have resulted in unnecessary bloodshed. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about that happening since I’d kicked that manipulative bitch to the curb. “But the circumstances are right. Elegant Events had access to the hotels and all sorts of flowers.”

  “So do several other event planners, vendors, hotel suppliers, and hotel staff. I’m already looking into the possibilities.”

  “All right. Good.”

  But my mind had circled back to O’Connell’s question about Eve. She had masks, questionable lingerie, and the Priapus app on her phone. More than likely, she and Andre were members or had been members. “Given Eve’s clientele and Andre’s connections, don’t you think it’s possible one of them knows the killer?”

  “You think they witnessed a murder?” O’Connell asked.

  “No, but someone in their circle, a business partner or client, could be the killer.”

  “That would explain why the killer chose to attend the sex parties in those hotels. He or she already had time to case the place.” O’Connell leaned forward and scribbled a note. “I’ll do what I can to get the guest lists and cross-reference them. If we’re lucky, we’ll find a match.”

  “The killer might not be on a guest list. You heard Eve. She invited us to check out the events she has planned to help us decide what we want for our wedding.”

  “Didn’t she say she’d put us on the list?” O’Connell added more details to his note. “I might have to ask her about this if I don’t find any other commonalities.”

  “I know.” It’d blow my cover and destroy my
surveillance. It’d also potentially put a chink in Andre’s wedding plans. I pointed to the large question mark written beside Priapus on the murder board. “Do you think this goes back to Priapus?”

  “You gave me that lead, Parker, so I dove in head first. Now I’m wondering if we jumped too soon. Cross gave you the sex club as a possible motive for Landau’s murder. He led us to that, but we both know he despises helping the police. I’m thinking he might have led us on a wild goose chase for shits and giggles.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. Would Cross do that? My brain said yes, but my gut wasn’t sure. I approached the board to examine the printed pages hanging beneath a clip magnet. “What’s this?”

  “Landau had several dating profiles, so did the other victims. We’re scouring records to see if there’s any overlap. If someone in particular contacted them or spent an inordinate amount of time visiting the victims’ profiles, we might have a suspect.”

  Flipping the pages, I found printouts from most of the major sites and several of the less popular ones. “Were all four victims on the same dating sites?”

  “No, so I have to contact each company separately, get their records, check profiles, and compare user IP addresses, since plenty of people don’t use identifiable photos.”

  “Or real photos,” I said. “Maybe that’s why want ads are so appealing.”

  “What?”

  I shook my head. “That reminded me of something Andre said. I’m pretty sure he and Eve hooked up through Priapus. He called it a dating site.”

  “Well, most people aren’t going to tell you they met their spouse in a sex club.”

  “Probably not. I need to figure out how to ask Eve about it. With enough drinks, I bet she’d spill the beans.” Maybe that’s how I could determine if she was cheating. I’d asked several leading questions last night at Olympus, but the other women always butted in with their answers before Eve could say anything. I needed to get her alone or see what she did and where she went when she thought she was alone.