Booby Trap

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

  “Excuse me a minute, I need to take this in my office.”

  Another long pause while I was put on hold, followed by Mason coming back on the line. He took a deep breath before speaking.

  “I’ve been following the news, and yes, I knew all the women killed, except one. I’d never met the Luke woman. I knew who she was but never met her in person. I started working on the Thomas home after she was killed.”

  I decided to let him think that Laurie was part of the Blond Bomber death stable, or at least let him think I believed that myself.

  “Are you still doing work at the Thomas home? I understand Jane turned that project over to you after Laurie Luke was killed.”

  “Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have put the rest of the project on hold. I just finished up what Jane was working on when their son’s fiancée was killed.”

  “What about Madeline Sparks? Did you know her?”

  “Madeline Sparks? What does she have to do with this?”

  “Didn’t you see the news last night or this morning?”

  He laughed. “I was at wrap party last night. The only thing I saw this morning was a pot of hot coffee.”

  “Madeline Sparks was found dead last night in Laguna Canyon, just like the others.”

  “Oh no!” He sounded shocked and upset, but without seeing him in person it would be difficult to tell if it was genuine. “She was such a nice person.”

  “Who was she, Mason? How is she connected to Jane?”

  “She was a client of Sharp Design—or at least her sugar daddy was. About two years ago, some old guy hired Jane to decorate this adorable little beach house for his mistress.”

  “Madeline Sparks?”

  “Yes. She was going to grad school at the time and he was putting her through.”

  “And do you know if Jane slept with Madeline’s … um … benefactor?”

  “Of course she did. She slept with them all. For a while, I was sure he was going to dump Madeline and put Jane up in the beach house.” He laughed lightly. “I don’t know what old Janie girl did in bed, but some of the guys became obsessed and did not want to let go. Almost made me want to turn straight for an afternoon and have a go.”

  My ears perked up. “I heard that Jane’s husband suspected you and his wife of having an affair.”

  “Dr. Brian? No way. He knew I was gay from the get-go. In fact, I even went to him to have a little work done. And just last year, he removed a facial scar I’d had since childhood. I’ve also referred him to many of my friends.”

  Was Jane lying about the fact that her husband thought she was having an affair with Mason Bell? And if so, why? Was she trying to make it look like her husband had a motive for murder?

  “You said some of the clients didn’t want to let go. Did any of her past clients cause trouble once she ended it sexually?”

  “Some of them dogged her for a while, then gave up. Some showered her with gifts and promises, especially that idiot Harold Kerr, but she was strictly a do ’em and dump ’em kind of girl. As soon as she cashed the final check for the job, the guys were given the boot. And what could they do about it? Most were married. They weren’t about to cause a fuss.”

  “Were there any that might have done more than just pursue her? Any that might have stalked her?”

  “You mean were any crazy enough to start killing to get back at her?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. All the victims looked like her.”

  “Madeline didn’t. She had red hair the last time I saw her. Short red hair.”

  “Jane Sharp’s hair is now short and red.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line, then a moment of silence.

  “You mean the killer is killing women who look like Jane and whom Jane knows? Are you sure about that?”

  “Looks that way to me, but I could be wrong.” I backtracked a bit with my line of questioning. “As far as you know, would Mr. Thomas be the last client she might have had a fling with?”

  Mason paused again before speaking. “The Thomas gig was a bit different. Jane wasn’t sleeping with Mr. Thomas—not that she didn’t try, but he wouldn’t have any of it. Politely turned down her advances.”

  “How do you know this? You weren’t still working with her, were you?”

  “It’s a small community, Ms. Grey. Employees love to gossip. Although word on the grapevine is that she did finally get a Thomas, just not the lord of the manor. After the old man turned her down, Jane set her sights on the son and nailed him.” He made a clicking sound. “Another notch on her belt.”

  Son? I remembered Lisa talking about Kirk’s family, but I didn’t recall her talking specifically about his brothers and sisters, or that he had any.

  I took a stab in the dark. “Which son did she finally nail?”

  “Kirk, of course. The other boy’s only fourteen or fifteen. Even Jane Sharp has her morals.”

  At the time of Laurie Luke’s death, Jane Sharp was sleeping with Kirk Thomas? If the gossip were true, then Kirk was toting around enough guilt to last several lifetimes. It made me wonder if Jane knew about the smuggling.

  “Mr. Bell, if you’d be so kind as to answer one last question.” When he didn’t respond, I ploughed ahead. “You’ve known both Jane Sharp and Dr. Eddy for several years. Do you think Brian Eddy is capable of killing?”

  “You think Jane’s husband is behind the killings?”

  “You never know. After all, it’s no secret that his wife was sleeping around. She didn’t try to hide it. Misplaced rage. Symbolic killings. Maybe he was sending some sort of sick message to her.”

  “I don’t know about that. Dr. Brian’s a pretty nice guy. Rather mellow and humble for all his talent and fame. She’d been cheating on him for years. Seems like he would have flipped long before now, doesn’t it?”

  “Thank you for your time, Mr. Bell. I appreciate it.”

  “Then again,” he continued, ignoring my goodbye, “they always say it’s the quiet ones.”

  After my talk with Mason Bell, I placed a call to Paul Milholland. Might as well pick his brain while I was on a roll. I only reached a mechanical voice mail. After leaving a short message to call me, I took a quick shower, applied my makeup, and got dressed in a pair of khaki trousers and a lavender sweater set. I stuck my feet into some cute new open-toed shoes with a nice heel, but on second thought threw on some socks and a pair of rubber-soled flats, sacrificing style for comfort. Who knew where the day would take me, and it was hard to think when breaking in new shoes.

  I was about to call Jane Sharp’s office and see if I could talk to her about Madeline when my cell phone rang. The display said it was Lil. Great, I thought. She might be able to give me a direct line for Jane instead of going through her office. I also braced myself for hysterics about last night’s murder.

  “Hi, Lil.” I tried to keep my voice upbeat, but my effort went unnoticed.

  “Jane’s disappeared.”

  Immediately, it occurred to me that the Blond Bomber had tired of playing his little game and had gone after his main target: Jane herself. Not wanting to put ideas in Lil’s head, I kept my theory to myself. I need not have bothered.

  “Oh, dear, Odelia, what if the Blond Bomber finally came for her? I was getting worried that she was in danger—the children too—I wished I had said something sooner.”

  I noted that she didn’t say Brian came for Jane, just the Blond Bomber.

  “Slow down, Lil, and tell me what’s happened.”

  Lil took a couple of deep breaths before answering. “Brian called me this morning and told me that when he and the children got up this morning, Jane was gone.”

  “Gone gone, as in vanished without a trace? Or gone as in packed her bags and moved out?”

  “Hard to say. My granddaughter was the first to notice her mother was gone.”

  “Not Brian?”

  “Brian and Jane have not shared a bedroom in quite a while, and usually Br
ian leaves very early to do rounds at the hospital before going to his office. This morning, he was running late.”

  “What else did Brian tell you?”

  She took another breath. “He said Jane didn’t come home for dinner last night, so he took the children out to eat and later to a movie. He told me when they got home, which was after ten, Jane was sitting in the dark in the den drinking a glass of wine. She didn’t talk to any of them much beyond saying good night. When they went to bed, she was still in the den drinking. But this morning, she was gone, and there was no note. Brian said that some of her clothes are missing, too.”

  “Sounds like Jane just decided to leave, Lil. You knew that she and Brian were separating.”

  “That’s what Brian thinks, Odelia. In fact, he called to see if she might have shown up on my doorstep.” There was a short silence before Lil continued. “But what if she didn’t? What if that monster finally came after her? You heard about that poor girl from yesterday, didn’t you? Her hair was the same as Jane’s is now.”

  “Lil, I seriously doubt that if the Blond Bomber came for Jane, he’d give her time to pack a bag.”

  “You’re right, of course.” She let loose a nervous chuckle. “I’m probably overreacting. It’s just that she was so frightened yesterday after talking with you. And then that girl yesterday must have put her right over the edge.”

  “Did you speak with Jane about Madeline Sparks? You know, the dead girl with the short red hair?”

  “No, I did not. I didn’t hear the news until early this morning. I was going to call her, but Brian called me first.”

  “I spoke to Mason Bell just a little while ago. Jane decorated a home the Sparks woman was living in.”

  Lil gasped. “Just like the others.”

  “Yes, just like the others.”

  Immediately, a thought hit me. If Jane had not cut and colored her hair, would Madeline Sparks have been spared? Did the killer have someone else in mind, only to have his plans change when he noticed Jane had altered her look? Jane said that she had changed her hair only about two weeks ago. Whoever was killing the look-alikes was either someone she saw regularly or someone who was stalking her. A lot of women complain that their husbands or boyfriends never notice when they make changes to their appearance, yet here was one man who was paying attention—deadly attention.

  “Lil, do you still think Brian might be the Blond Bomber?”

  “No, not anymore, Odelia.” There was a long pause on her end.

  “Lil, you still there?”

  When Lil answered, she spoke barely above a whisper, as if the two of us were sharing secrets in a crowded room. “There’s something else about Jane and the Blond Bomber.”

  I waited, but Lil said nothing further. I prodded. “Yes?”

  “Jane asked me not to tell anyone, especially Brian, but I think it’s okay to tell you.”

  On the other side of the phone, I was dancing a jig of impatience. Come on, out with it.

  With a sigh, Lil reluctantly let loose with the information. “Jane called me last night. I didn’t tell Brian when he called this morning, because she didn’t say anything about leaving and specifically asked me not to tell him about the call. She said it was for their safety—Brian and the children.”

  The hair stood up on my arms. Something told me this might pop the doozy meter enough to send it to the moon. “And?”

  “Jane called about nine thirty last night. It was late for her to be calling me, so I knew it had to be important.”

  “And?” I prodded again, ready to bust a gut.

  “Odelia, Jane said she now knows who the Blond Bomber is, and it’s definitely not Brian.”

  The hair standing at attention on my arms was nothing compared to the scary tingle that shot up and down my spine. “Did she tell you who she suspected?”

  “I asked, but she wouldn’t tell me. I’m very worried about her, Odelia.”

  Now so was I.

  “Maybe, Lil, Jane is running from the Blond Bomber. By leaving the house, maybe she thought she could remove the danger from her family.”

  “Or maybe he already has her.”

  “I think you should tell the police, Lil. Right now, as soon as we hang up. Under these circumstances, they need to be looking for Jane. And you need to tell Brian everything.”

  “But I can’t, Odelia. I can’t tell him his own mother suspected him. Or why.”

  “Would it be better to have Jane found dead and tied to a tree?”

  Silence.

  I made the decision for her. “I’m hanging up and calling the police myself, Lil. You do what you need to do, but I have to do what I have to do.”

  After disconnecting the call, I placed one to Dev Frye. I gave him the details and answered any questions he had as best I could. There really wasn’t much more to go on beyond what I’d told him this morning, but the fact that Jane Sharp had flown the coop right after telling Lil that she knew who the Blond Bomber was might help in some way. I also knew if he felt the information important and helpful, he would make sure it got put to good use. And, in a way, it was my way of washing my hands of the scary mess.

  If Brian Eddy wasn’t the Blond Bomber, then mission accomplished. I could walk away, right? Right? I asked myself again with more oomph. I could go back to being a middle-aged newlywed, where my biggest problem would be picking up warm cinnamon buns in the morning and working off my time debt to Mike Steele. After all, I had promised everyone that I was only trying to prove that Brian Eddy wasn’t the Blond Bomber. Now that that was pretty much a done deal, I had to fulfill my promise to my loved ones and butt out.

  I called Greg and gave him the update. Immediately, his brain went to the obvious.

  “So, you’re out of the murder business now, right?”

  “Looks that way. Dev has the new lowdown on the Blond Bomber. The feds and the Laguna Beach Police are handling Harper and the Luke murder. Lisa Luke is in good hands. Even my father is doing fine and said not to visit until this weekend.”

  “Great. So what are your plans for today?”

  “I’m not sure. I could go into the office.” I looked at my watch. It wasn’t even eleven, yet I felt like it should be four in the afternoon. “I have work to do, but nothing that has to be done today.”

  “I think you should take the day off, sweetheart. Relax. Go shopping. Sleep. Whatever you want. Then tonight, I’ll take you out for a nice romantic evening. How’s that sound?”

  I felt a purr start to rise from my chest. Plans for a facial, manicure, and even a massage danced around in my brain.

  “Sounds heavenly. Maybe I’ll even go to the mall and get some new candles for the bedroom.”

  Greg chuckled. “Too bad that hot outfit isn’t ready.”

  In spite of that scary thought, a smile came to my lips. “I’m sure I can come up with something suitable to wear after dinner.”

  After giving Greg a sloppy phone kiss, I transferred the clean towels to the dryer and placed a call to the office to tell them I would be taking a vacation day. At least that way I wouldn’t be running up the tab with Steele. Then I dialed Zee’s house. I knew she was heading to Compton to see Lisa today, but maybe later she’d have time to come with me for a little pampering.

  When I got the answering machine at the Washington’s, I called Zee’s cell. She answered on the third ring.

  “Odelia! I’m so glad you called.” Her voice sounded anxious, not pleased.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Is Lisa with you?”

  My heart stopped. “No, why would she be?”

  “We hoped maybe she called you, and you picked her up.”

  I didn’t like the sound of the word hoped. “Are you saying she’s not at Miriam’s?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. When she didn’t get up this morning, Miriam thought she was just sleeping late. Later, when Lisa still didn’t stir, Miriam checked the bed and found pillows under the covers.”

&n
bsp; As my plans for a relaxing day of girly stuff sailed away into the horizon without me, I wondered what in the hell Lisa was thinking by leaving Miriam’s without telling anyone.

  “Why, Odelia, would Lisa pull a fast one on us?”

  “I have no idea, Zee, but I intend to find out. When was the last time Miriam saw her?”

  “Last night about nine thirty. Miriam said Lisa was sitting up reading when she went to bed. She didn’t check the bed until just after nine this morning. That’s when she called me. I dashed up here as soon as I got the call.” I heard Zee talking to someone before coming back on the line with me. “Miriam just told me that Lisa seemed nervous last night, but she attributed that to everything she’s been through.”

  “Dev was here this morning. He also said Lisa seemed antsy last night. Said she told him she wanted to get back to her life.”

  “Doesn’t she realize the danger she’s in?”

  “Dev said he really pushed her to understand that, and she seemed willing to wait it out a couple of days. She even got a leave from work.” I paused a moment. “Speaking of Dev, did you call him about this yet?”

  “No, I wanted to check with you first. It was a long shot, but I really hoped she was with you.”

  “Why don’t you stay at Miriam’s for a bit, just in case she turns up there?” Another long shot in my mind, but you never know. “I’ll call Dev and also drive down to Lisa’s place to see if she returned home.”

  Compton’s about a forty-five minute to an hour drive from Newport Beach with good traffic. If Lisa did return home, how in the world did she manage it? She didn’t have a car. Did she call someone to come pick her up? Compton is definitely not the sort of place to wander around late at night, especially if you don’t belong there in the first place.

  “Zee, did Lisa have her purse at the hospital, and a cell phone? I can’t remember.”

  “She did have her purse. I remember because she told me how thoughtful Kirk had been in remembering to take it to the hospital for her insurance information. I don’t recall seeing a cell phone though.” I heard Zee talking to someone again, probably her Aunt Miriam.