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

by B A Trimmer

  “When we were together before, you had talked about someone called Valentino. You said you felt like you were under attack. What ever happened with that?”

  Tony stopped walking and looked at me. His face had gone stony.

  “I trust you Laura Black, so I will be candid with you. Since the last time we talked, the situation has only been getting worse. It’s like there’s a cancer eating away at my interests in Arizona. I have reached out to my friends who control the activities outside of Scottsdale and their reports are similar. There’s something fucked up going on out there and I’ve spent the last few months trying to get my hands around it. As I told you, it started out small, maybe six months ago, with rumors of things amiss. But over the last couple of months, there have been too many things going wrong at once to be coincidence. I’m certain I’m under a coordinated attack, but there isn’t a pattern and nothing makes any sense. Word on the street is something big is about to go down. Shipments of mine have disappeared. People I care about have been roughed up and molested. Entire warehouses of my goods have been cleaned out. People have even started to disappear. Truth be told, I think there are some new graves out in the deep desert.”

  “You still don’t know who is behind it?”

  “No, and that’s the maddening part. If I knew who my enemy was, I could begin to confront the situation. But as of yet, the only name I have to go on is Valentino. I don’t know if that is the name of the group or the name of the man in charge of the group. Maybe it has something to do with the cologne he wears. Who knows? So far I don’t know shit.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Keep your ears open. You’re a smart and resourceful girl, Laura Black. It’s why you’re on my team. I think you’ll know something is amiss when you hear it.”

  We walked up to the green without talking. Tony was furthest out and he two putted. I should have gone next, but Max had an easy putt and I offered to let him putt out. Ok, so I thought it would be fun to watch him putt, then to watch as he bent over to pick up his ball.

  I’m such a bad girl.

  Max easily made his putt, leaving the last putt to me. I was a good ten yards from the hole and I took my time lining up the putt. It felt creepy knowing both Max and Tony were watching my butt as I bent over and lined up the putt.

  I hit the ball solidly and it started out way too fast and too far to the right. Remarkably, it gradually curved towards the cup, slowed down, and then fell in with a beautiful plinking sound.

  I couldn’t help it. I raised my fist into the air and shouted out “Yes!”

  I turned and saw both Tony and Max were laughing and clapping. Max took our clubs and walked them back to the cart, leaving me alone again with Tony.

  “Laura Black,” he said. “I had an enjoyable time with you today. We should play again sometime soon. I can tell you haven’t played in a while, but your fundamentals are sound. If you need some pointers, you should give Max a call. He’s a good teacher and I’m sure he could help your game out. Plus, just between us, he still talks about you and I know he would enjoy your company.”

  “Thanks for listening to me today Tony. I’m worried sick about Jackie and I wasn’t sure whom I could even ask about it. I think I have some new directions to head now.”

  He held out his hand and I shook it.

  “Not to worry,” he said. “If I receive any information or find out anything else that might help, I’ll have Max give you a call. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have another meeting. Milo will drive you back to the valet.”

  I glanced over at the thirteenth and saw two men standing in the tee box, nervously glancing at us. One was smoking and the other was pacing. They both looked like they had on brand new golf outfits.

  I waved good-bye to Max, and he waved back. I then got into the green cart and Milo drove me back to the clubhouse.

  ~~~~

  I drove back to my apartment house, climbed the stairs, unlocked my door, and then flopped onto my couch. Marlowe must have heard me come in because once again his cat door squeaked open in the bedroom. Thirty seconds later, he was on my lap, demanding to be petted. After a minute of listening to my happy cat purr, I got up and pulled out my cell phone. I called Sophie and let her know what my Saturday afternoon had been like.

  “No shit,” Sophie said. “You met with Tough Tony again? Anybody get beat up this time? Anybody get shot? What about the buildings? Any buildings blow up?”

  “It was pretty quiet in the violence and property damage side this time. Actually, it was kind of pleasant going out and playing golf with Max and Tony. It’s a beautiful course and I got a lot of information.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t get too chummy with Tough Tony if I were you. He reminds me of this boa constrictor my cousin once had. My cousin would buy mice and drop them in the glass tank where the snake lived. Sometimes the snake would eat the mouse right away but sometimes the snake would completely ignore the mouse. Sometimes they would be together for days. The mouse would get over its fear, and play with the snake, and sleep all curled up next to the snake, like they were best friends. Then one day, the snake would reach over and swallow the mouse whole. The mouse never saw it coming but it’s what snakes do. Mess around with Tough Tony too many times and you and the mouse may have a lot of things in common.”

  “So why are you dating Milo and always trying to talk me into dating Max? Besides, I’m hoping I don’t need to talk with Tony anymore.”

  “Let’s hope so. I’d be totally bummed if anything happened to you.”

  “From last night and today,” I said, “the name Howard Spencer keeps coming up. Plus, I know I’ve heard it before last night. I’m going to look into him and see if it gets me anywhere.”

  “Howard Spencer? Name doesn’t ring a bell with me, but then again, I don’t get out as much as you do. Maybe Gina or Lenny will know. I’ll be glad to do a search on him. Umm, do you need the standard one or do you need the up-close and personal search? Do you need it today or can it wait until Monday.”

  “Well…”

  “OK, I figured that. I’ll swing by the office and start the secret search in a few minutes. Milo and I are going to try and make it to the Rhythm Room again tonight, so I can work on it until about seven o’clock. Hurricane Carla and Johnny Guitar are coming up from Tucson to play tonight. It should be a good show, maybe you should come with us. You could invite Max and we could make it a hoodlum holiday.”

  “I’m not inviting Max.”

  At least not yet.

  “Fine,” Sophie said, “but you’ll be missing out. Max is one fine looking man.”

  “And speaking of Max,” I said, “why does the theme to Love Boat play when he calls me? Have you been messing with my ring-tones again?”

  “Well, maybe. But you‘re getting nowhere fast with Reno and I know Max likes you. The Love Boat’s one of my favorites. Remember when we binge-watched a half-dozen episodes last year? It was nice seeing everyone fall in love.”

  “I think you liked the show more than I did. I thought it was kind of lame. Besides, I am too getting somewhere with Reno and you know I can’t date someone who’s in organized crime.”

  “It’s not so bad. When I’m with Milo we never talk about business and everyone is real polite to us.”

  “Could it also be Milo is six foot four, weighs two hundred and twenty pounds, and is armed?”

  “Well, I suppose that could have something to do with it too. I’ll call you when I have some information put together on Howard Spencer. You can swing by the office and pick it up.”

  I was about to hang up when Sophie started singing the theme to Love Boat.

  I shook my head and hung up.

  ~~~~

  Rather than have Sophie come in and work alone late on a Saturday afternoon, I decided I would go down and keep her company. I changed out of my golf outfit and into a white cotton top and pair of navy blue capris.

  I drove down to the office, parked in th
e back, and went in through the rear security door. Sophie was already working at her desk. On her computer screen, I could see she was already deep into the background of Howard Spencer. The printer was churning out papers and I could see Sophie had already started the several small piles of paper containing the personal information, financial information, credit information, and any miscellaneous information she happened to pick up along the way. Sophie will then take these piles and combine them into a single, easy to read, report.

  “Hey chica, what have you got so far?” I asked.

  “Well, at least this one’s interesting. Much better than most of the guys Lenny has me look up. From what I can tell, Mr. Howard Spencer used to be rich and right in the middle of the Snottsdale social scene. Up until about two years ago, he was at every charity party and every social event in the city. His picture was in the paper at least once a month for an art gallery opening or some kind of charity fundraising event. He was a partner in a real estate development company and, as far as I can tell, Howard, Jackie, and Roger Wade were the only employees. He was making like over ten million dollars a year for as far back as I can go. He had a house on the north side of Camelback Mountain and vacation homes scattered around the world.”

  “Not bad,” I said. “Sounds like a pretty good life.”

  “Well, then, about two years ago, something happened. The partnership collapsed and Howard’s fortunes went to shit. He started a new development company, with himself listed as the only partner. That company has lost money each of the last two years. Last year it lost over six million dollars. He sold the houses and I don’t even have a current address for him. He’s completely dropped out of the social scene. His credit’s gone to shit. And, if it wasn’t for his financial trail, it would have seemed like he’s totally dropped out of sight.”

  “Wow, I’m always amazed at how you get so much information so quickly. Why don’t you have Lenny set up your computer so you could do this from home? It would save you from having to drive down here at weird times.”

  “No way. If I had it at home, he’d have me working nights and weekends. I don’t mind doing it for you and Gina sometimes, but Lenny would want it all of the time.”

  She then motioned for me to get closer. As I bent over her voice dropped to a whisper.

  “To be honest, I’ve always been kinda suspicious at how easily I can get all of this really personal information on anyone, by typing in a name and a couple of items of personal history. I’m not sure all of this special software is completely legal. Lenny won’t let me put it on the office servers, the only place he lets me keep it is on my desk computer. We got the software right after Lenny helped out with that DEA case last year and I think it came from them. I need to enter three different passwords and then type in a six-digit random security code from a key-fob Lenny gave me. Once I get in, the database doesn’t even have a name. It just spews out information on whoever I want.”

  “Well, if it came from the government that makes it legal, right?”

  “I don’t know, it sorta scares me and I only use it when I have to but it sure has made my job easier. I hope no one comes in the middle of the night and takes it away. For important things like this, I’d hate to rely only on the standard searches that only go through the credit bureaus and the internet.”

  “According to Tony, Howard and Roger were both involved in a big resort project that failed about two years ago. They both lost a ton of money. Did you get any information on the creepy scary guy Jackie saw working with Roger and Howard?”

  “Not a word. It’s like he doesn’t exist either. Of course, once I get a name, it will probably make the searching a lot more effective. I’ll need to dive into the history of Howard’s new company. If Howard had a silent partner on the financing side, it will probably come out in those records. I don’t do searches like that very often but somehow I get the feeling this secret software will let me do it.”

  “I hope so. If it was his voice on the phone the day Jackie was threatened, he must somehow be involved in her disappearance. How long until you can get those records?”

  “Even with the magic software, it will still take a day or two. Don’t ask me why, but deep company financial records always take that long. Maybe there are elves on the other side who need to look up stuff in filing cabinets or something.”

  “What’s Gina up too? I might need some help with this one.”

  “Lenny still has her booked solid. She’s down to two cheating spouse patrols, that’s counting Raul the pool-boy. But she also has that drug guy where she’s trying to establish an alibi. That’s been taking up most of her time. From what Gina says, the guy is most likely guilty as sin. I think she’s been building up a case for his guilt more than his innocence.”

  “Gina can’t help but be a police detective. Even after all this time.”

  “Yeah, about once a year Lenny loses a big fee because Gina won’t let him represent someone that she knows is guilty of a major crime. She always makes them turn themselves in and plea bargain. It has to piss Lenny off, but that’s just what you get when you hire a cop.”

  As we talked, Sophie organized the piles of paper she had printed. In less than ten minutes, she handed me the report of everything she had gathered so far. She then took off to get ready for her date with Milo. I told her I might swing by the Rhythm Room and meet up with them later; assuming nothing else came up during the night.

  I went back to my cubicle and started reading the file. The one thing that stood out for me was the same thing that had attracted Sophie’s attention. Up until about two years ago, Howard had been wealthy and among the city’s elite. Then, something happened that had made it all crash down. From the information Tony had given me, I knew the crash was the result of a resort project that had gone badly.

  I went through the rest of the file, but as Sophie had said, Howard didn’t have a record of where he was currently living. He had sold his house on Camelback Mountain six months before for seven million dollars. The year before, he had sold vacation houses in both Belize and on the Kona Cost. He apparently had also been in the process of selling a beachfront house in Jamaica when the property went into foreclosure and he had lost it. With the exception of a single business account and a personal checking account, Howard had closed all of his brokerage, savings, and checking accounts. His old business, the one he had with Roger, was apparently called Spencer-Wade Land Development, Inc. As far as I could tell, it still existed, but I didn’t see any more information on it. Howard’s new business was simply called Howard Spencer Land Development, Inc. The company was registered in Delaware and there was no local address given, other than the house he had just sold.

  I pulled out my cell phone and gave Gina a call. She picked it up and I could hear she was in the car.

  “Hey Gina. How’s it going?”

  “I’ve been busy. It’s been one of those weeks where I won’t get a lot of sleep. Are you getting anywhere on Jackie Wade?”

  “I’m not sure. I took your advice and met with Tony DiCenzo.”

  “Good, I’m glad you talked with him. How’d it go? Anything blow up this time?”

  “That’s so not funny. No, nothing exploded, but I did get a lot of background on Roger Wade and his involvement in the resort development business. But, there’s a name that keeps coming up. And I know what you always say when a name keeps coming up.”

  “If you hear a name once, remember it. If you hear a name twice, look into it. And if you hear a name three times, drag him in for questioning.”

  “That’s the one,” I said. I keep hearing the name Howard Spencer. Do you know anything about him?”

  “Ummm, I remember a Howard Spencer as being one of the Scottsdale party people, but that was a few years ago. He was some kind of businessman.”

  “Yup, that’s the one. But, I know I’ve heard someone talking about him within the past few days, and it wasn’t in connection with Jackie. It’s nowhere in my notes, so I’m a
sking around.”

  “Sorry partner, it wasn’t me. By the way, keep your ears open for anything related to drugs, drug shipments, or major drug buys in the next week or so. Next Tuesday especially. Nothing small, I’m looking if you hear of anything big.”

  “Is this part of your drug alibi guy?”

  “Yes, and I’m running into a wall. Actually worse than a wall. My guy has started to back off on telling me about the shipment. It’s like establishing an alibi isn’t as important now as protecting his sources.”

  “No problem. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

  I disconnected and gave a sigh of frustration. I then punched in Lenny’s number. The phone rang five times and was about to go into voicemail when Lenny picked up.

  “What? Have you found Jackie yet? I got off the phone with the lead detective a few minutes ago and his mood hasn’t improved.”

  “I’m working on it. I keep getting hits on somebody named Howard Spencer. He was the partner of Roger Wade. “I know I’ve heard the name before but I can’t place him. Gina doesn’t know him; I thought maybe you did?”

  “Oh, I know Howard Spencer and yeah, I told you about him. Matter of fact that was who the detective wanted to talk to me about when he called. I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this. Where are you? We need to talk.”

  “I’m in the office. Sophie ran a deep report on Howard Spencer and there are too many coincidences.”

  “Perfect. Stay there and I’ll be down in about twenty minutes.”

  I went into the break room and pulled a Diet Pepsi out of the fridge. I went back to my desk and flipped through the rest of the report on Howard Spencer while I waited on Lenny.

  I went through the financial information, which told a bleak story of a once profitable businessman falling into bankruptcy, and worse. He now owed millions of dollars to over a dozen large banks and creditors. I went through his real estate holdings, which had gone from dozens of large tracts of land to one small parcel that he was having a hard time even giving away, due to some sort of soil contamination issue.