Death By High Heels (The Kim Murphy PI Series Book 1)

by Violet Ingram

  “I haven’t hassled anyone, yet.” With that I walked down the hall without looking back.

  In the car, I leaned back against the headrest and closed my eyes. Where was Angie? Was she okay, or would hers be the next body the police found? I slammed my fist into the steering wheel, blasting the horn.

  The third day on the case and all I had to show for it was a friend of Brian’s had been murdered and now his ex-girlfriend was missing. There was something else missing—clues. I had two hours before my meeting with Lindsay’s lawyer, Mr. Hardin. Needing to take a break from the case, I decided to be productive. I went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, something that should never be done on an empty stomach. Half an hour and a full cart later, I checked out and began my least favorite part of shopping, putting the groceries in the car. I had just picked up two bags when an idiot wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and a ski mask grabbed my purse and turned to run, only to be yanked back, banging his leg on the cart.

  What the idiot hadn’t realized was I always strapped my purse into the child restraint. Thank God it worked. I dropped the bag in my hands and grabbed for his shirt. He yanked out of my grip and took off running.

  A young woman with a baby on her hip and toddler at her leg rushed over.

  “Oh my gosh, are you all right? I called 9-1-1 and the police are on the way.”

  Swell, just what I needed. Another woman, mid-thirties, hurried over. “I got the whole thing on my iPhone.”

  Oh no, this was gonna end up on YouTube. Worse, my family and the entire police department were going to see this. Just freaking great, let the embarrassment begin. A patrol car pulled up, lights flashing, drawing the attention of everyone in the parking lot. Wonderful, even more people to witness my mortification.

  As if I hadn’t spent enough time with Officer Duncan lately, he was the lucky officer to arrive. I was just pleasantly surprised when he didn’t bring up the dead guy in Lindsay’s apartment or ask me if I’d found another dead body. He took one look at me and whispered into his radio before making his way over to me. I filled out yet another police report while the two women filled out reports of their own. The one with the video of the incident agreed to go to the police station so they could make a copy of it. Not that it would help. I wouldn’t recognize my own brothers in that outfit.

  “You really can’t stay out of trouble, can you?”

  I turned toward the voice. “Grant, what the heck are you doing here? There aren’t any dead bodies.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Ha, ha, ha. Volunteering for the role of corpse?”

  “I guess you’d be volunteering as the suspect.”

  “You never answered my question.”

  “I heard you were involved so I came by to see if you, I mean, if everything was okay.”

  “Huh, wonder what little birdie whispered in your ear.” I watched Duncan and the helpful women go back to their cars and leave. “You must not be too busy if you have time to stop by and check on me or things.”

  “I was off duty, and I wrapped up three cases this week.”

  “Brian and Adam?” I asked.

  “No. Those are the only ones still on my desk.”

  “It sounds like you’ve been having as much luck as I have.”

  “We can’t discuss this.”

  “You know we should compare notes. It could be the only way to solve these cases.”

  “You want me to compare notes with a possible suspect?” He smirked.

  “Funny. You know I had nothing to do with their murders.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Good, it’s about time you stopped looking at me like I was a suspect.”

  “I don’t see you as a suspect.”

  “Oh really, then what do you see me as?”

  Grant looked me up and down and I felt a familiar sensation in my female regions. I stepped back, not wanting to embarrass myself by pouncing on him, and stepped on one of the bags I had dropped and forgotten. I picked it up and looked inside.

  “Gross.”

  Grant walked over and peered inside. “Well, you can make scrambled eggs.”

  “Yeah, but I’d rather they not be pre-scrambled.”

  He chuckled. “That is pretty disgusting-looking.”

  “So, do you want to follow me back to my place?”

  Grant’s eyes locked on mine.

  “I…I mean, I meant we could talk while I put what’s left of my groceries away,” I stammered.

  “Are you sure that’s what you meant?”

  “Huh, yes, of course.”

  “Too bad. Well, I have things to do before heading into the office so try to stay out of trouble.” He turned and strode back to his car.

  God, I was a horny idiot. At home I put the groceries away then had a turkey sandwich and a Diet Pepsi. With lunch over I got in my car and headed north on Main Street. Twenty minutes later I found an elusive empty parking space within walking distance to the Chase Bank building in downtown Dayton. Inside the elevator, I pressed the button for the eighth floor. The elevator began to move and my heart began to pound. Maybe I should have asked Mr. Hardin to meet me downstairs in the same restaurant where he met Lindsay. Oh well, it was too late now. I closed my eyes but that only made it worse.

  Finally the doors opened on Mr. Hardin’s floor and I hurried into the hall. Glass doors led to a black-and-white marble floor reception area. Behind a large wood desk sat a young woman in her early twenties, with black hair and enough black eyeliner to be seen from the International Space Station.

  I told her my name and was told to have a seat in one of the red and chrome chairs. A few minutes later, I followed Mr. Hardin’s assistant, a woman in her fifties, her blonde hair graying at the temples, down a hallway with purple walls and carpet. At the end of the hall she ushered me into her boss’s office and left without another word.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Murphy. Please have a seat.”

  Mr. Hardin resembled the few pictures I found of him on the web. He was six feet tall, bald, with brown eyes. Not exactly the type I would have expected Lindsay to supposedly be in love with. Everyone knew Barbie belonged with Ken, not Dr. Phil.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hardin, for seeing me on short notice.”

  “Of course, any friend of Lindsay’s so to speak.”

  Friends? Was he kidding? Evidently not. “Actually, I’m here to discuss the cases I’m working on.”

  “Yes, well, as I’m sure you know, I can’t discuss my clients. Also, anything we discuss here I expect to be covered under a confidentiality agreement between us.”

  With that he slid two documents and a pen across the desk at me.

  “Take your time. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Boy, he wasn’t joking. “Before I sign this I need you to understand two things. First, the only thing I’m interested in is clearing Lindsay’s name. Second, if I find out anything the police need to know, I will take it straight to them.”

  “Good, then we’re on the same page.”

  “Okay, so let’s get to it.” I pulled a notebook and pen from my purse. “I need to know where you were Tuesday from the time you got up until five o’clock in the afternoon.”

  “I was expecting that question. I got up at six in the morning, worked out, got ready for work. I spent about an hour in the office then headed to court. I was there for several hours then picked up Lindsay for a long lunch.”

  “Where did the two of you have lunch?” I asked.

  “At Le Petite.”

  I looked up from the notebook. “Isn’t that in the lobby of the Miami River Hotel?”

  “Yes, it is, and to answer your next question, yes, we went upstairs for a little over an hour before returning to the building.”

  “Do you happen to have any proof that the two of you were together during the time of the victim’s murder?”

  “Yes.” He opened the top desk drawer and pulled out several receipts. I took them from his hand. The
receipts showed purchases at the hotel, the restaurant, and a gas station for the day and times but that didn’t mean that one of them didn’t slip off and kill Brian.

  “So you and Lindsay were together that whole time?” I asked.

  “Yes, Miss Murphy, and I’ve already given my statement to Detective Tompkins.”

  “Okay. What about your clients, Brian’s friends? Any reason any of them would want him dead?”

  “Now you know I’m bound by client-attorney privilege.”

  “Yes, I know, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t try.”

  He chuckled. “I understand and I’m glad you’re working hard to help Lindsay. She could never do anything like that. It’s just preposterous.”

  “Yeah, it is. Thank you for your time.” I stood up to go. “Oh, one last thing. Does your wife know about you and Lindsay?”

  “No, and I have no intention of her finding out.”

  “Not now or not ever?”

  “I think we’re done, Miss Murphy.”

  Yeah, I kind of figured we were. During the elevator trip down to wonderful terra firma, I focused on what should be my next move. Since my office was as good a place to be as any I headed there to do some thinking. Inside, the machine was taking a message. I grabbed the phone and said hello but it was too late, the caller had hung up. I pushed play and was surprised to hear Brian’s sister, Sara, leaving a message. She said she had to talk to me about her brother’s murder. She claimed she couldn’t go to the police and I was the only person she could talk to.

  I called her back but, unfortunately, the call went to voice mail. After the way she had acted when I was at her mother’s house, it didn’t make sense she would want to talk to me. She had been dealing with the loss of her brother so that had possibly played a large part in her attitude. I never wanted to feel what she had been going through. I left a message for her to call me back. Since I had forgotten to charge my cell phone, again, I gave her my home number.

  I pulled the prescription bottle and mangled picture out of the desk. Something about these things still bothered me. Why would Angie hide them? Did they have anything to do with Brian’s and Adam’s murders or Angie’s disappearance?

  The phone rang, jarring me from my thoughts. I put the items down and answered the phone. “Murphy Detective Agency.”

  “Yeah, this is Sara Lewis.”

  “Sara, how can I help you?”

  “I need to talk to you about Brian.”

  “Okay, you can come to my office now if you’d like, or I could meet you somewhere.”

  “I can’t now, I’m on my way to a client’s.”

  “Well, you tell me what time is good for you.”

  “I’m working late, so is eight o’clock okay?”

  “Sure, where?”

  “My place, I have something to show you.”

  “That’s fine.”

  She gave me her address and ended the call.

  Somehow I must have earned her trust; that or she was so desperate she was willing to take a chance with me. Gee, wonder which it was? Not that it mattered. If she had information that could find her brother’s killer, I’d be forever grateful, as would Lindsay. Okay, maybe not Lindsay, but I sure as heck would be.

  Since I had dodged a certain client’s calls for the past two days I figured that was one job I may as well get out of the way. I turned on the laptop and typed up a report, excluding the location of the meeting and the confessions of the other members of the group. I printed it up and wondered if I was taking the cowardly way out. I was and I was better than that. At least my parents always thought so. Instead of putting it in an envelope, I left it on the desk, grabbed the phone, and called her.

  “Hello.”

  “Mrs. Pollowitz, it’s Kim Murphy.”

  “Kim, it’s nice to hear from you but I can’t really talk right now. I’m on my way to the airport. My aunt passed away and my husband and I are leaving for the funeral.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you. She was in her eighties and had a wonderful life. So, how about I call you when I get back?”

  “That’ll be fine. Have a safe trip, and again, my condolences.”

  “Thanks.”

  Oh, thank God. I didn’t have to tell her, at least not yet. My relief was short-lived. An old lady had died. Granted I hadn’t known her, but she had loved ones who would miss her. I did a silent prayer for the deceased and her loved ones.

  I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes to consider my next move.

  ***

  “Busy at work I see.”

  I jumped up and opened my eyes. Brandon was seated across from my desk; a grin on his face that looked a lot like Garfield’s when he was presented with a pan of lasagna. “What are you doing here?”

  “Nice to see you too.”

  “Sorry, I meant—”

  “I know what you meant. I’m here because you seem to have forgotten something.”

  “Yeah, what was that?”

  “You forgot to tell Tompkins I was at the restaurant with you.”

  “Oh crap. How did you find out?”

  “Does it really matter? Don’t you ever do something that stupid again!”

  “It wasn’t stupid. I was protecting you.”

  “And just who the hell was protecting you?”

  “I don’t need protection.”

  “Really? That’s funny, ’cause you’re the one with a target on your back.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Angie’s missing and you’re one of the last people to see her.”

  “Oh, come on. No one believes I had anything to do with Angie’s taking off. Do they?”

  “Not seriously, no. We both know Tompkins won’t ignore something that big. Or have you forgotten the last time?”

  “No, I’ll never forget that. Spending the night in jail was hell.”

  “I bet. So what do you think twenty to life will feel like?”

  “Okay, I get it.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. So what’s going on with our case?”

  “Our case?”

  “Yes. I’m involved whether you like it or not.”

  “Not.”

  “Too bad.”

  “If Dad or your boss find out, you’re toast.”

  “Let me worry about that.”

  “Brandon…”

  “Kim…”

  “Agh. Fine.” I put the empty pill bottle and picture on the desk in front of him.

  “What’s this?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “Where’d you get them?” he asked.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “No.”

  “Kim!”

  “Okay, I may have found them in Angie’s apartment.”

  “What? Are you crazy?”

  “Stop yelling at me. I’m not crazy.”

  “You could have fooled me. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

  “Look, it isn’t as bad as it seems.”

  “Want to explain that?”

  “Well, I went over to Angie’s after she was a no-show at Max’s Diner.”

  “Then what? Broke into her apartment?”

  “No, the door was open.”

  “Oh, so you just let yourself in. Much better.”

  “Sarcasm much?”

  “Stupid much?”

  “Ouch.”

  “Too bad. All right, go on. You let yourself into Angie’s apartment and…”

  “It was small but very clean, like OCD clean.”

  “I hope you got more than that.”

  “Not really. I looked around. These were the only things I found that didn’t seem to make sense. She was hiding them in a shoe box, under her bed.”

  “An empty pill bottle and a damaged photo? This sure isn’t a heck of a lot to go on.”

  “I know.”

  “I
s this all you’ve got?”

  I chewed on my lower lip, debating if I should tell him about the phone call from Sara. I knew he’d be pissed if he found out about everything else, but I still didn’t want him involved. He may not have been concerned about his well-being, but I sure as heck was.

  “No, that’s it.” I tried looking him in the eye but couldn’t quite do it so I stared at his nose.

  “Okay, well, I’ve gotta go. If you find out anything else, give me a call. I don’t want you doing something stupid on your own.”

  “So, if I’m going to do something stupid, you want to be there?” I laughed.

  “You are such a pain.”

  That seemed to be a common opinion of me lately. “Right back at ya,” I said.

  He grabbed the pill bottle and put it in his pocket.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “I have an idea. I’ll let you know if it pans out.”

  “Brandon…”

  “See ya.” With that he was gone.

  Brothers. Before he arrived I had two clues, now I was down by one. Not that it really mattered at this point. I was at whatever was worse than a dead end. The picture was too badly damaged to make out the faces of the people. The fancy clothes worn made it appear they were attending a party.

  This was no help, at least as far as the case was concerned, but it had reminded me I needed a dress for my mom’s party. Since I was my own boss I decided to give myself the rest of the day off so I could go shopping. I shut off the laptop then heard someone knocking on the front door. If it was Lindsay or that reporter, I wasn’t going to answer the door. Instead, on my doorstep stood someone who could be an even bigger problem. I calculated the amount of money in my checking and savings accounts to see if a short vacation, taken immediately, was doable. Unless my dream vacation was spending several days in Cincinnati, it wasn’t. I was stuck here. More out of curiosity than anything else, I opened the door and plastered on a smile.

  “Sorry, I thought I had unlocked it.”

  “Oh, that’s fine.”

  “So, how can I help you?” I asked.

  “I was hoping we could go inside and talk.”

  “Oh yeah, of course, follow me.”

  In my office I motioned for her to have a seat. “I guess I should introduce myself, I’m Kim Murphy.”