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

by B A Trimmer

  “Sure I know her. That’s Jackie-D. I haven’t seen her in a while but a couple of her friends just left, maybe a half hour ago. There was the brunette named Pammy and the younger blonde. I’m not sure what her name is. I think they were headed over to Nexxus.”

  ~~~~

  Nexxus is only about half a mile east of the Rock Bar, but it’s a pain to get across Scottsdale Road on foot. I went back to my car and drove over to Nexxus on Indian Plaza. I surprised myself by finding parking on the street only two blocks from the club.

  As far as clubs in Scottsdale go, Nexxus is one of the nicest and also one of the most expensive. It’s been around forever and it’s where the rich and famous go to see and be seen. It’s really two clubs in one. One side is an ultra-modern dance and live music club and on the other side is a more comfortable cocktail lounge. I’d been there a few times over the years, usually with a guy who wanted to impress me to the point I’d go to bed with him. Can’t blame them for trying and sometimes it even worked.

  I went in and looked around. This time, I got lucky. Sitting at a table in the lounge was a blonde woman who looked familiar. It only took a few seconds for me to place her. I realized this was Annie and I had met her a couple of months before while working on an assignment. Seated next to Annie was an older brunette woman who I didn’t recognize.

  Annie was in her mid-twenties, medium height, and had a medium build. She wore white jeans and a light pink oxford button down. On her feet, she wore pink socks and brown leather sandals. She had short blonde hair, cut in a style that nicely wrapped around her face. Her lipstick was the same shade of pink I remembered from before. I again thought it went well with her skin and hair. As soon as I recognized Annie, the woman in the picture also started to make more sense.

  I walked up to Annie and said hello. She looked at me quizzically for a few heartbeats then recognition flooded into her face.

  “Laura?” she asked, jumping up to give me a hug. “Wow, it’s so great seeing you. It’s been months since Jeannie’s.”

  Annie turned to the brunette.

  “Pammy, this is Laura. Laura, this is Pam.”

  Pam was in her forties, tall, and athletic. She had short brunette hair and bright blue-green eyes. She had the perfectly toned body that comes from having a personal trainer, a healthy lifestyle, and great family genes. She was dressed in a stylish blue cocktail dress. On her fingers were several sparkly gold and diamond rings and around her neck was a gold rope chain with a large sapphire pendant. She was wearing some type of expensive perfume I couldn’t place. My first impression was she was one of the wealthy single women I occasionally see shopping in the Scottsdale Fashion Plaza. One of the ones who always seem to have four or five bags from the high-end stores swinging from their arms.

  I held out my hand and Pam shook it.

  “I’m glad I caught up with you,” I said to Annie. We need to talk. The last time we met, we didn’t get around to discussing what I do for a living. I’m an investigator for a law firm here in Scottsdale.”

  Pam and Annie both turned to look at each either, shock and surprise on their faces, then they both turned back to me.

  “You’re looking for Jackie!” they both said at once.

  They saw the surprise on my face.

  “Wow,” I said. “Yes, I am. What do you know about it?”

  “We haven’t seen or heard from Jackie in a week,” Pam said. At first we thought she’d hooked up with someone and we’d hear from her in a day or two.”

  “Yeah,” Annie said, talking over Pam. “When she’s with someone, we usually don’t see her for a couple of days. But even then, she’ll still send out some texts or tweets. But there hasn’t been anything since last Monday.”

  “When’s the last time you saw her?”

  “We all went to the Roxy last Saturday night. There was a band Jackie wanted to catch.” Pam said.

  “Dog Farts?” I asked.

  Annie wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t that the grossest name for a band?”

  “She had planned on hooking up with the singer after the show, so we all went,” Pam said. “Even Elle and Shannon went and they both hate Terry Lennox. Elle was with him a couple of times last year but now she says his singing voice reminds her of cats having sex. Jackie and Terry took off together after the show and it’s the last time we saw her. She sent out a couple of texts and she was on Twitter Monday but nothing since.

  I pulled out the picture of Jackie Terry Lennox had given me. I showed it to Annie and Pam.

  “Annie is this the woman I met with you at Jeannie’s a couple of months ago? When I met her, she was made up and had big hair. This picture is from a distance and her hair is wet but it looks like her.”

  “Sure,” said Annie. That’s Jackie. I took the picture the last time we all went down to Rocky Point, maybe a month ago. Jackie leases a house in Las Conchas and we’d been there at the beach all afternoon.”

  “Do you think she could be there now?”

  “I doubt it,” Pam said. “Mexico is safe enough when you go down in a group, but I couldn’t see Jackie going down by herself.”

  “I’ve already talked to Terry Lennox,” I said. “He says Jackie’s his girlfriend.”

  At that, both Pam and Annie burst out in laughter. Annie laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe and tears began to roll down her face. She finally stopped, looked at Pam, then they both started laughing again.

  “Boyfriend?” Pam said, still laughing. “Terry isn’t exactly the kind of guy you would want to be with long-term.”

  “Yeah,” Annie said. “And with Terry, long-term would be anything more than about an hour. You said you’ve talked with him. Then you’ll know the man is as stupid as a rock.”

  “So true,” Pam said with a smile. “Terry is clueless but Jackie said he was good enough for what she wanted him for.”

  “Sooo, you wouldn’t say they were dating?” I asked.

  “Terry was only a hook up,” Annie said. They’d been together four or five times in the past month. He’s cute and can sing but he gets annoying fast. I can’t stand Terry but Jackie said he was OK, as long as he didn’t talk too much.”

  “I’m about out of leads on Jackie,” I said. “I know you don’t think she would go down to Mexico by herself but something is starting to feel wrong about this. I’m thinking tomorrow I’ll drive down to Mexico and look for her there. Do you have the address of the house Jackie’s leasing?”

  “I’m not sure it has an address, at least not one I’ve ever seen,” Pam said.

  “I’m free tomorrow,” Annie said. “I go to college part-time but I don’t have a class tomorrow. I’ll go down and show you where the house is. I’m worried about Jackie and I’d like to help.”

  “Perfect,” I said and gave her my card. “Meet me at the office at nine o’clock and don’t forget your passport.”

  ~~~~

  Walking back to my car, it started to bug me I knew both Jackie and Annie from a previous assignment. It almost seemed like too much of a coincidence. I had met them both at a strip club in south Scottsdale called Jeannie’s Cabaret while I was trailing a guy named Alexander Sternwood. Since the club was only about ten minutes away, I jumped in my car and headed down Scottsdale Road to see if I could find out anything.

  ~~~~

  Jeannie’s Cabaret is at the top end of Scottsdale strip clubs. From the outside, the building appears to be an upscale restaurant or a small casino. There’s a big fountain, along with groups of royal palms, lantana, bougainvillea, and sculpted citrus trees. On the inside, it’s classy and clean, at least as far as strip clubs go.

  As I drove into the parking lot, I saw it was almost full. Pretty amazing for a Tuesday night. I drove around to the back of the club and saw a familiar blue Porsche 911 parked near the stage entrance. I drove back around to the front of the club and parked in an open space relatively near the main entrance. Standing on either side of the entrance was a huge bouncer. Each was dressed
in a black coat and tie. They looked me up and down then let me in.

  It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the low lighting as I entered the cavernous club. There was a deep red carpet on the floor, the walls were royal blue, and the ceiling was flat black. Both the walls and the ceiling were covered with hundreds of metallic silver stars. The first thing I notice about these places is the music. It is always classic rock and always played loud. As I walked in, Warrant’s song Cherry Pie was pounding throughout the club.

  The club had five stages, with the main stage attached to a long catwalk that came out from a backstage area. Near the end of the catwalk was a brass pole, currently being used by a tall skinny blonde. Each of the other stages had a woman who was dancing and swinging her hair to the beat of the music. Each stage was surrounded by men, and a surprising number of women. Many of them were holding out a dollar bill.

  I looked around and saw my friend Danica Taylor was working as a cocktail waitress. She was dressed in a scant red, white, and blue leather cowboy outfit, complete with long fringe. She was walking back to the bar with an empty drink tray in her hand. I was about ten feet from her when she noticed me walking toward her. Her face broke out in a smile that lit up her face. She squealed and ran over to give me a hug.

  I had met Danica a couple of months before when her boyfriend had turned up missing. I helped find him and eventually got him back where he belonged.

  “Danica,” I said. “It’s so great to see you. How’s everything going with you and Alex? Everything still OK?”

  “Better than OK,” she said as she held up her left hand. On the third finger was a huge sparkly diamond engagement ring.

  “Oh my God!” I said and I hugged her again.

  “I know I shouldn’t wear it in here, it cuts down on tips, but I can’t help it. Alex gave it to me last week and I don’t want to take it off.”

  “How’s Alex doing?” I asked.

  “It’s so amazing. He’s going to be a manager at a new resort his grandmother is building in north Scottsdale. He moved in with me last month and that’s working out great. His grandmother even released his trust fund. I’m not sure what all happened, but after Alex was kidnapped he finally seems to have found himself. Thank you again for everything you, Gina, and Sophie did. Things could have really turned out differently.”

  “I’m just glad things worked out,” I said. “Actually, I was wondering if you could help me out with a new assignment I’m working on? I’m looking for someone named Jackie Wade.” I pulled out the picture of Jackie on the beach. “Do you know her?”

  “Sure, that’s Jackie-D. She likes to hit the dance clubs, usually with her group of cougars.”

  When Danica referred to Jackie and her friends as cougars, the light came on in my head and that part suddenly made sense. Scottsdale is famous for its cougars, wealthy and attractive middle age women who hit the clubs and bars to pick up guys half their age. Cougars will typically use the guy for a night, or maybe even a weekend, and then release him and start the hunt for the next one. I wasn’t sure what Annie was doing in that group, since she was only in her mid-twenties.

  “Why Jackie-D? Her last name is Wade.”

  “It stands for Jackie Delicious. It’s what the bouncers and the guys in the clubs call her. I never knew what her last name was. Cougars usually just go by first names.”

  “Have you seen her lately?”

  “I saw the group of them about two weeks ago in one of the clubs, Maya, I think. Is Jackie OK?”

  “As far as I know, she’s OK. She’s dropped out of sight for a few days and her friends are a little worried.”

  “Well, good luck finding her. Jackie-D’s always been nice to me. I’d hate to think she could be in trouble. Let me know if I can do anything.”

  “Thanks Danica,” I said. “This is a huge help. Congratulations on the engagement.”

  “Tell Sophie and Gina hello. The wedding’s in June. I’ll be sending everyone a wedding invitation in a few weeks. I hope they both can make it, you too. Come back sometime when it’s slower here. I’d love to catch up.”

  ~~~~

  I talked to both of the huge bouncers at the front door and to the two women tending the bar. They all knew Jackie by her picture, but none of them had seen her in the past week.

  I went out to my car and drove back to my apartment. I dug around in my junk drawer until I found my passport. I tossed it in my bag, along with a bottle of sunblock. I set the alarm, put on an old t-shirt, brushed my teeth, and collapsed onto the bed.

  THREE

  I woke up to the alarm and rolled over. I had set it for six and for some reason that now seemed way too early. I hit the snooze three times and then had to rush into the shower.

  Since I was going into Mexico, I wanted something comfortable and would help me blend in. Of course, I also wanted something that would work in a fun beach town. I settled on white capris and a maroon and gold Arizona State University Sun Devils t-shirt. I slipped on a pair of serviceable sneakers that were comfortable and still looked OK.

  I poured a fresh pot of coffee into The Big Pig, fed Marlowe, and was out the door. I had purposefully timed Marlowe’s feeding so I wouldn’t have to deal with his morning ritual of eating, throwing up, and then eating again. Even the thought of it made me a little queasy.

  ~~~~

  When I got to the office, it was about eight forty-five. Gina was already there, talking with Sophie at her desk.

  “Good morning ladies,” I said.

  “What’s happening?” Sophie asked.

  “I saw Danica Taylor last night, she’s engaged to Alex.”

  “Oh my God, that’s great!” Sophie squealed. “When’s the wedding?”

  “Sometime in June. We’ll all get invites. It should be an amazing party. I bet Muffy knows how to put together a celebration. Danica wanted me to thank both of you again for rescuing her and Alex.”

  “I’m glad no one on our side was seriously hurt,” Gina said. “We were lucky on that one. How’s your missing person coming along?”

  “Slow, Jackie’s been nowhere for a week. Have there been any hits on her credit cards?” I asked Sophie.

  “Nothing on any of the cards, although she did take a butt-load of cash out of three different ATM’s in Scottsdale last Monday afternoon. If you ask me, she knew she had to disappear for a while.”

  “There’s a chance she’s down in Rocky Point,” I said. “One of her friends will be here in a few minutes and we’re going down to look for her. If either of you would like to come along, the company would be great.”

  “Wish I could, but I’ve got a full day ahead,” Gina said.

  “Actually, that might work for me,” Sophie said. “We had two depositions scheduled for today but I got a call that opposing counsel has the flu and they postponed. My calendar is clear until tomorrow morning at eleven. As long as you don’t mind I’ll be answering e-mails all day on my tablet, I’ll be glad to go. I’ve been aching for a Rocky Point shrimp cocktail for weeks.”

  “Perfect. I’m glad you’re coming. There are some things starting to seem weird about this. Apparently, Terry Lennox and Jackie Wade aren’t as close as he let on. Seems odd Terry would go through so much trouble to find her when Jackie was using him for occasional sex.”

  “Maybe it was only sex to Jackie but love to Terry?” Gina asked.

  “Terry Lennox,” Sophie said. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

  “He’s the lead singer for Dog Farts,” I said.

  “Of course!” Sophie said. “I knew that name sounded familiar. I love Dog Farts. I’ve seen them a bunch of times. I’ve had their first CD, Silent Surprise on my iPod for a couple of years now. I even got their new CD, Smell of Success, a couple of months ago when they played at my cousin’s wedding. They signed it and everything. Terry Lennox is a total panty dropper. You could have come with us too, but you were busy being kidnaped by gangsters that night or something.”

  I
looked over and saw the door to Lenny’s office was closed.

  “What’s up?” I asked. Client?”

  “Nope,” Sophie said. “He’s doing another admin interview. He did the two yesterday, but I guess he wasn’t impressed. The one yesterday afternoon had a business degree and she’d worked in a law office before.”

  “A business degree? So why was she interviewing for an admin job?”

  “I guess times are tough.”

  “What about this one?”

  “Don’t know much about her, Lenny brought her in a few minutes ago. I haven’t seen her resume. He said her name is Amber.”

  “What’s she like?”

  “Dresses trashy. Looks slutty. Stinks like a farm animal. Nice shoes though.”

  “I guess she doesn’t know sexy women scare Lenny,” said Gina. “I can’t even remember the last time Lenny had a date.”

  I had been smelling something nasty since I had walked up to Sophie’s desk. The odor now made more sense.

  “Amber’s Perfume? Is that what the stink is? Seriously? It smells more like an old cat box,” I said.

  “I had a friend who had a ferret and his whole housed smelled like Amber’s perfume,” Sophie said. “It got to be so gross people stopped going over there. Smelling it for more than a few minutes made me want to vomit.”

  The front door opened and Annie came in. She had on a turquoise knit pullover top and cream cotton shorts. She had on the same brown sandals as before, but this time with blue socks. She had a pair of red plastic sunglasses resting on the top of her head and a big purple beach bag over her shoulder. I made introductions with Sophie and Gina.

  Annie looked around the office and made kind of a strange face.

  “Don’t worry about the nasty stench,” Sophie said. “I expect the woman wearing it will be leaving the office soon.” She looked over at Gina and me. “She’s been there for almost twenty minutes. It shouldn’t be long now.”

  We heard a strange noise coming from Lenny’s office. It was sort of a cross between a pig grunting and a dog whining.

  “What was that?” Sophie asked. “It sounded sorta like Lenny.”