Engaged in Murder (Perfect Proposals Mystery)

by Nancy J. Parra

  “I’m not an investigator.” Jeb frowned. “I have work here.” He waved over his stack of papers. “Besides, the cops want me to stay out of it. Didn’t they tell you to stay out of it?”

  “Yes, but as I said, this concerns my sister and her future happiness. Listen, I get it if you don’t want to investigate. Let me see what I can do,” I said. “Give me access to the grounds and the crew and I’ll keep you in the loop.”

  “What about Detective Murphy?” Jeb asked.

  “He won’t share anything about the investigation.” I shook my head. “But as far as I can tell, they are only looking at Warren and I really don’t think he did it.”

  Jeb narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and let silence surround us. I let him figure out what he was going to do. I had made my case. Now it was up to him to give me permission or not.

  “I suppose you’re going to investigate whether I allow you to or not.”

  “Yes.” I was honest. “I’d rather enter with a visitor badge on than have to figure out how to sneak past Jimmy.”

  Jeb gave me a thoughtful look. “I suppose it would be in my best interest to keep track of when you come and go.”

  “Does this mean you’ll let me investigate?” I felt my spirits perk up.

  “It means I’ll let you on the property as long as you promise to always sign in with Jimmy and notify me immediately if you discover anything relevant to the case. That means no more sneaking around bribing my guys with cupcakes. Is that clear?”

  I cringed. So he knew about the cupcakes. He’d probably hear about the cookies, as well. I might as well admit to it up front. I needed Jeb to trust me. “It’s crystal clear,” I agreed. “I won’t sneak onto the property and I will let you know everything I know as soon as I know it.”

  “Good girl,” he said. “The flight crew is out for today. Come back tomorrow around ten. I’ll let Scott—our crew chief—know you’re coming.”

  I stood. “Thank you, Jeb. This means a lot to me.”

  “If you can solve this thing quick, it will mean a lot to me as well. Now get out of here. I have work to do.”

  “Right.” I left the office with a smile on my face. I’d just been given permission to conduct my own investigation into Randy’s murder. There might be something helpful that I could learn. I mean, people would be more prone to tell me things that they wouldn’t tell the cops. After all, I didn’t have the ability to arrest them.

  I hitched my purse over my shoulder and left hangar one. The first thing I was going to do was get the lay of the land. That meant walking around all the hangars and looking for entrances and exits. Taking pictures with my camera phone so that I could create a murder board, like the cops on television had.

  Maybe, just maybe, I’d get lucky and find the killer before they struck again. Or before my baby sister’s fiancé was arrested.

  Chapter 17

  My cell phone rang as I was walking about the airport. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Pepper, this is Cesar.”

  “Hi,” I said and put him on speaker so I could take pictures of hangar four with my phone. I tried not to think about how creepy it was to come back to the crime scene armed with nothing but my phone.

  “I wanted to let you know I have the video done from your sister’s engagement.”

  “Oh, awesome. That was fast.”

  “I did some editing and added music and ended with that picture montage you asked for along with their favorite song.”

  “Oh, she’s going to love it!” I gushed in anticipation of Felicity’s excitement.

  “I’ve got the master stored on my server, but I’ve burned you a DVD. Let me know if you want more than one. I’ll burn more for twenty dollars a pop.”

  “Great. I know Mom and Dad will want one and I want an extra as well. I’m building a portfolio. I’ve started my own business planning proposals and engagement parties.”

  “Wow, well, remember me if you want more video. I take a lot of footage then cut it down to the very best shots and put it together seamlessly.”

  “Send me your price list and I’ll add it to my options.”

  “Cool.”

  I went to hang up when it occurred to me that he said he had a lot of footage. “Wait . . .”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you still have the raw footage of that night?”

  “Sure, you never know when a client might want something switched out or added. Why?”

  “No reason.” I chewed on the inside of my mouth. “Do you mind if I see the raw footage?”

  “Sure, I’ll burn it to a separate DVD. Do you mind sharing your reason? It’s a lot of film to watch just for fun.”

  “Why don’t you bring both DVDs by my apartment later this evening and I’ll explain.”

  “Will do.” Cesar hung up. I took a couple more shots of the empty hangar. It was locked up with yellow crime- scene tape across the door so there was no way I was going to get inside. But at the very least I had all four sides of the building. I could see the doors and the alleyways.

  Maybe the pictures would stir some memory in Cesar. Maybe he caught evidence in his raw footage. I was surprised Detective Murphy hadn’t asked to see it yet. I went back to my car, unlocked it, and waved to Jimmy, who waved back. I started old blue up and she hummed like only an old car can. There was something comforting about sitting in a big Oldsmobile boat. If I were ever attacked, I knew old blue would be solid metal between me and a killer.

  All in all, it was a good day. Mom behaved herself at lunch for the most part. Jeb Donaldson was receptive to my wanting to investigate, and Cesar was willing to let me see his raw footage.

  Everything was coming up roses until I saw the police lights in my rearview mirror. I checked my speed. Okay, so I was six miles per hour over the limit. I thought that was usually okay. I pulled to the side of the road. Maybe he simply wanted me to get over so he could go on by.

  Yeah, that didn’t happen. He pulled in behind me and parked. There is nothing more embarrassing than sitting on the side of the road with a cop car behind you. The flashing lights caught everyone’s eye. When you got pulled over, passersby had to slow down and look to see what criminal had been caught in the act. I slumped deeper into old blue.

  My heart pounded in my throat and my face was hot from embarrassment. I remembered he’d probably want to see my license and registration. So I grabbed my purse and dug out my driver’s license. I glanced at the awful photo. Why is it that you always look drunk in your driver’s license photo? Did they do that on purpose?

  A glance in the mirror told me the policeman had gotten out of his car and was headed toward my car. I opened my glove compartment and pulled out the book with my registration in it. Then I rolled down my window.

  “Hello, Officer.” I smiled brightly.

  “Miss.” He glanced in the car. “May I see your license and registration?”

  “Sure, I have them right here.” I handed him the two pieces of paper. “What’s this all about?”

  He glanced at them then slipped them onto the clipboard he carried. “I saw that you came out of the Executive Airport.”

  “Yes.” My heart pounded in my chest. I tried to put on my most innocent expression.

  “You realize that there was a murder there a few nights ago.” He pinned me with his dark eyes. I could see them through his sunglasses.

  “Yes, sir, I’m the one who found the body,” I said and tried not to sound smug.

  “Dispatch got a call from an employee telling us that they saw a suspicious woman taking pictures of the hangar where the murder happened.” He tilted his head slightly and lowered his chin. “They gave the description of your car. Were you taking pictures of the hangar?”

  “Yes,” I said and folded my hands in my lap. “I didn’t know that was a crime. Besides, I had permis
sion from the head of security, Jeb Donaldson. You can call him and ask. Tell him it was Pepper Pomeroy who took the pictures.”

  “It’s not a crime to take pictures,” he said. “But it is suspicious. Have you heard of the saying, ‘If you see something, say something’?”

  “Yes.”

  He gave a short nod of his head. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Someone did.”

  “I see.” I dropped my hands in my lap. “Like I said, I had permission from Jeb Donaldson, the head of airport security, to look around.”

  He glanced at my identification and then back at me. “Are you a reporter?”

  “No.”

  “A private investigator?”

  “Oh, gosh, no.” I shook my head. “I’m an event planner. I planned Warren Evans’s marriage proposal to my sister in a plane in that hangar. It’s why I was there and why I found the body.”

  “I see. Had you been to the hangar prior to that day?”

  “No.” I frowned. “I told all of this to the officers who are investigating the murder. Call Detective Murphy. He’ll tell you I’m cooperative.”

  “You do know that it is a crime to interfere with an investigation, right?”

  “I wasn’t interfering,” I said. “I was merely taking pictures.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He walked back to his vehicle and climbed inside. I could see in my rearview mirror that he was checking my identification on his computer. Thank goodness I didn’t have any outstanding parking tickets and my plates were all current.

  There really wasn’t anything he could do. Was there? I glanced at the time on my phone. It was 6 P.M. Which meant rush hour traffic would be winding down. I still had some work to do at home if I hoped to get the invitations sent out for the engagement party. Plus Cesar was scheduled to come by with the engagement video. Then there was Keith’s event to put together, and I wanted to call Michael today to find out if he was interested in my services and see how he would feel about my fees. I planned to have to negotiate some of the fees, but would stick firm on others. Keith said that Michael had money, so I made a silent promise that I would not undervalue myself or my abilities.

  It’s what I had done for so long with Bobby. I had undervalued my love and my worth as a woman and a partner. All out of fear that I wouldn’t find anyone else who would see past my frizzy red hair to the heart underneath.

  Silly, I suppose. But truly, I deserved a man like Warren. One who went out of his way to try to please me. Someone who would plan a romantic proposal and know me so well he would have the ring of my dreams already sized and ready to slip on my finger.

  What was so wrong with wanting a man who wanted you more than beer, more than pool, more than countless nights at a bar?

  Warren showed me there were men out there who were different. Now all I had to do was figure out how to find one.

  The police officer slammed his car door and came back to my window with a clipboard in hand. He wrote a note on it. “Your right taillight is out.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know.”

  He ripped a pink sheet off the clipboard. “It’s a fifty-dollar fine. I’d recommend you replace both taillights at the same time so that it doesn’t happen again.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said and took the ticket along with my ID and registration.

  He leaned down into my window. “Let me give you another piece of advice.”

  “Okay.” I drew my eyebrows together. He made me nervous with his cool cop gaze.

  “Stay away from the murder scene. Too many murderers get involved in investigations. You don’t want to throw suspicion on yourself, now do you?”

  “No, sir.” I shook my head. “I simply want to keep the suspicion off Warren Evans. He’s going to marry my sister.”

  “Detective Murphy is the best,” the officer said. “He’ll catch the guy who did this—even if that person is Warren Evans. Your involvement will not stop him from finding the killer.”

  “I was only trying to help . . .” I looked up with my most innocent expression.

  “The best way to help is to let the professionals do their job. Have I made myself clear?”

  “Yes,” I said and held back a sigh.

  “Good.” He tugged on the bill of his hat. “Take care of yourself and your car.”

  “Okay.” I watched him walk back to his car. Then I rolled up my window and put my paperwork away. Sheesh, a fifty-dollar fine all because my back taillight went out. I knew I wouldn’t have gotten a ticket if someone at the airport hadn’t called me out as suspicious. I had to wonder . . . were they really worried about my taking pictures or had I made someone nervous that I might learn something they didn’t want anyone to know about?

  This brought me back to Cesar and the raw footage of that day. Maybe, just maybe, he caught something important. Whoever called the cops on me wouldn’t know that. Which meant I didn’t have to go back to the airport to continue my investigation. Unless, of course, there was something left to investigate. But then I’d take Jimmy or Jeb with me and I’d make darn sure my car was working properly.

  Chapter 18

  My day went from bad to worse.

  “Bobby, what are you doing here?” I asked as I came up the steps to find him hanging out in the hallway next to my apartment.

  “You put my stuff out in the hall.” His tone was accusatory. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I proposed marriage and you put my stuff out in the hall. What is going on with you, Pepper?”

  I clutched my keys in my hand. “Come on, Bobby, you didn’t really mean that proposal.”

  “What if I did?” He shrugged. His leather jacket, plaid shirt, and jeans looked like they needed a good cleaning. His hair was shaggy, and for the first time I noticed the paunch around his stomach and the softness in his jaw.

  “A man who means to propose does not complain about getting down on one knee and does not sneer his proposal as if it were the dumbest idea in the world. He also doesn’t start by saying, ‘I suppose you want to get married now . . .’”

  “Hey, baby, look, if I had known you wanted hearts and flowers, I would have given them to you. You know that.”

  “No, I don’t know that.” I pushed him aside to unlock my door. “If you really loved me, you would know better than to give me some lame proposal.” I turned and faced him. “Face it. Bobby, we’ve been over for a long time. We’ve only been going through the motions because it was easy.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Trust me, baby, there isn’t anything about you that’s easy.”

  I winced. The man knew how to hurt me. “Then you must be relieved to be done with me.” I shoved my key in the lock. “Now you don’t have to work so hard.” I slipped inside and went to shut my door in his face, but Bobby was stronger than me. He held the door open.

  “Come on, baby,” he said. “Don’t do this. Look, I’ll be better. I’ll even get you that ring you’ve been eyeing at Pond’s Jewelry Store.”

  “What ring?” I was confused.

  “The one with the square diamond and the blue stones.”

  I searched my memory. “Bobby, I haven’t been in Pond’s Jewelry Store in four years.”

  “See, I remember what you like.” He looked pleased with himself.

  “No, Bobby, you don’t.” I sighed. “You and I never looked at rings together. In fact, I don’t remember ever going to Pond’s with you.” I frowned. “Who did you go to Pond’s with?”

  Guilt washed over his face. “You, baby,” he said. “You’re the only one for me.”

  “It was Cindy Anderson, wasn’t it?” I pursed my lips.

  The look on his face was priceless . . . at once guilty and smug.

  Cindy Anderson was two years behind us in school. She was blond and worked as a barista at Starbucks. She’d been sniffing around Bobby for the last two years. I
had suspected he liked it. I never thought he’d actually acted on it.

  “Good-bye, Bobby.” I closed the door in his face. This time he let me. I threw the dead bolt into place and went to the kitchen. My hands shook as I set down my keys and purse. Bobby had been two-timing me and had even gone ring shopping. When was he going to tell me? After he got married?

  I leaned against the sink and tried to calm my upset stomach. Did he think he could have us both? Then I realized that he probably did believe that. After all, he’d already been doing it for a while.

  I took off my coat and hung it up in the closet. Then I poured myself a glass of wine and sat down on my couch. For a smart woman, I sure hadn’t realized how bad my relationship had gotten. The room seemed so bare with his things gone.

  “Room for new things in my life,” I said aloud and raised my wineglass. New things from my list, and all purchased with Warren’s seed money. They sat in boxes along the wall that once held Bobby’s game collection.

  “No sense in crying over how stupid I’ve been.” I rolled up my sleeves and distracted myself from Bobby by ripping open boxes and reading instructions. The desk and chair had to be put together. The computer and printer and fax had to be connected.

  Four hours later, my new business was set up in my ex–living room. I cleared away the boxes of Chinese takeout that I’d ordered halfway through figuring out how to put the desk together. I wiped everything off with a dust cloth and carefully arranged my business cards and calendar.

  My apartment was small, but without Bobby in my life, there really was no need for a living room. I moved my TV and DVD player into my tiny bedroom. The rest of my stuff was put in the kitchen.

  I arranged the love seat–sized couch to face my desk, which was angled in the corner. That way clients could have a comfortable place to sit. The tiny table that I used to use for my dining room table was now set up with a display of local venues and photos of some of the events I had planned in my old job. There was a poster board set up on an easel with all the pieces of Felicity’s proposal event and then the pieces of her upcoming engagement party.