Engaged in Murder (Perfect Proposals Mystery)

by Nancy J. Parra

  I unlocked my door and closed it quickly behind me, making sure to lock the dead bolt. I stepped away from the door and the image of him moping in front of it. This was best, I told myself. I’d wasted years of my life hoping he’d love me. If we were truly right for each other, I’d know it by now.

  When I said “love,” I meant real love. The kind of love I’d seen between Keith and Amy, and Felicity and Warren. The kind of love my parents had. The kind where if they spent one day apart, they were miserable.

  Bobby and I had been broken up two weeks now, and besides having to remember not to say “I love you” when I said good-bye, there really wasn’t anything I missed.

  I went to the stove and turned on the tea kettle. I took out a porcelain mug and one of my favorite herbal teas. I had a lot to think about. Bobby was, for once, the least important on my list.

  * * *

  “Hi, Gage.” I stopped by the prop house to look at new furnishings and try to drum up ideas for Mike’s proposal.

  “Hey, Pepper.” Gage’s face lit up. “Good to see you.”

  “It’s nice to see you as well. Listen, I want to thank you for helping make Keith’s proposal so great.”

  “It’s not a problem, really.” Gage stepped up close. I could smell his cologne on his warm skin. He wore a blue dress shirt with the collar open and the sleeves rolled up. Even though he had a warehouse and rows of dusty props, Gage always dressed like a professional. His pants were pressed and his shoes clean. His pretty blue eyes sparkled.

  “Listen, this time I need some things for this guy named Mike Moorehouse and his girlfriend, Juliet.”

  “No problem.” Gage smiled. “What kind of things?”

  “This one has an Eastern theme. They recently took a trip to China. She fell in love with the décor while he fell in love with her.” I put my hands around Gage’s arm and walked toward the warehouse door. “He wants an opulent and over-the-top proposal. Best of all, Mike has a budget of twenty-five thousand dollars. So I need your best props and I will pay your best prices.”

  “Ah, Pepper, you know I’d loan them to you for free.”

  “Gage, you are in the prop business and I have a customer who can pay. Let’s see what you have.”

  “Okay, come on to the back.” He drew me toward the far left corner of the warehouse. “These are things from a movie that was filmed downtown a few years ago. What’s your venue?”

  “I’m renting the top deck of the Willis Tower,” I said. “Mike wants them to literally be on top of the world.”

  “Cool,” Gage said. “Let me show you a few things. You pick out what you like and I’ll have my guys deliver, set up, and tear down.”

  The warehouse was nearly a block long and two stories high. The floor was concrete and there were rows and rows of wide, sturdy shelves crammed with everything from a giant stuffed bear to dining room sets to chairs and dishes. It was a decorator’s dream. Most of the things were used only a few times and then stored for years.

  The building echoed with the beeps of a forklift and rattled in the wind. It smelled of concrete, dust, and old fabric.

  In the back corner were three sets of wide shelves with wood platforms and steel legs. They were filled with assorted bits of pottery and chandeliers and bling.

  “Let’s dig through these and see if you like anything.”

  “You are the best,” I said and admired his bottom while he climbed a stepladder to the second and third shelves.

  He handed down three four-foot-tall vases made of the finest porcelain and hand painted with romantic Chinese scenes such as a boat on a lake and cherry blossoms.

  “What else do you have?” I asked.

  “Working on it.” He popped his head over the top of the shelf. “I’ve got a komodo dragon with gold-trimmed toenails.”

  “It sounds awesome. Hand it down.”

  We spent two hours together combing the warehouse for pieces to go in the ballroom at the top of the Willis Tower. I eventually picked out the best pieces to be set aside and took photos of them with my phone. Later I would download the photos along with the dimensions and place them inside the computer 3-D picture. Once I was happy with the design, I’d send pictures of the entire space to Mike for his final approval.

  “Have you heard from Bobby lately?” Gage asked as I snapped pictures.

  “Yeah, he showed up at my door yesterday,” I said as I moved around the pieces to change angles. “He thinks he misses me.”

  “Do you miss him?” Gage asked.

  “You know . . .” I winced, put my arms down, and turned toward Gage. “I don’t miss him.” I blew out a long breath. “That sounds horrible, doesn’t it? Don’t get me wrong . . . I miss the idea of him, but frankly, Gage, I don’t miss Bobby. I know you are his best friend, but—”

  He put his hand up to stop me. “Don’t ever feel as if you can’t tell me something, Pepper,” Gage said. “Yes, Bobby’s my best friend, and I know you two broke up . . .”

  “You were there,” I said. “Wasn’t that the most awful thing ever?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t blame you one bit. I don’t want you to ever feel as if you need to spare me because Bobby and I are friends. I know what a jerk he can be sometimes. I was surprised you stayed with him as long as you did.”

  I sent him a wry smile. “I guess I kept hoping that the high school football star would fall in love with me. I can see now that simply because I wanted it doesn’t mean it would happen.”

  “Are you still in love with him?” Gage’s tone went soft. “The high school football star?”

  “Oh, gosh no,” I said and shook my head. “That’s the thing. I think I was more in love with the idea of having a quarterback for a boyfriend than I was in love with Bobby.”

  Gage was quiet for a moment.

  I took two more pictures. “How’s it going with Emma?” I asked and tried not to look at Gage. “Did you get back together?”

  “No.” His tone was brisk. “I never wanted to get back together with her. You see, unlike Bobby, I knew I didn’t love her.”

  “Oh.” I turned toward him slowly. “So you’re single like me.”

  “Yes.” He nodded and shoved his hands in his back pockets. “I’m single, like you.”

  “Funny how things work out, isn’t it?” I stood frozen to the spot. My phone dangled from my fingertips.

  “Yes, it is.” He took a step toward me.

  “Is it hard for you to work with me since you are Bobby’s best friend?”

  He drew his brows together and his mouth tightened. “What do you mean?”

  I shrugged. “Girls don’t date their friend’s exes. It’s like an unwritten rule. In fact, a real friend will bad-mouth him more than I do.” I tilted my head. “Don’t guys do that? Or are you still friends with me so that Bobby can keep tabs?”

  Gage laughed; it was a loud and hardy sound. “Men do not worry about that kind of thing . . .” He grew sober. “Well, at least I don’t. Listen, Pepper, I’ve known you since grade school. You broke up with Bobby, not me. I would never snub you because of your choice to date or not date Bobby.”

  “That’s a relief.” I blew my bangs out of my face. “I know that I would miss you.”

  That was about the biggest hint I was ready to give the guy.

  His smile grew and he took another step toward me. “I would never abandon you, Pepper. You can’t get rid of me as easy as Bobby.”

  “Oh,” I said and stared up into his beautiful gaze. He caressed my arms with his thumbs, sending a shiver up my spine. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” He dipped his head and kissed me. I was thrilled to discover that Gage was as good a kisser as he was a friend. I put my arms around his neck and stepped in closer. He smelled of cologne with a hint of hard work under his starched shirt.

 
I leaned in to the kiss and felt the excitement clear down to my toes.

  He pulled away just about the time I was ready to go deeper.

  “What?” I asked, trying to hide my disappointment.

  “I’m not sorry I kissed you.”

  “Oh, well, neither am I.” I took a step back. “But there’s still the problem of Bobby.”

  “What about him?” Gage asked. “You broke up with him, right?”

  “Right,” I said seriously. “But I don’t want to cause you to lose your best friend.”

  “Don’t worry, Pepper.” He brushed the hair out of my eyes. “I’m a big guy capable of making my own decisions.”

  Chapter 26

  “What about a zeppelin?” Mike asked me. “To keep with the opulent, out-of-this-world theme of my engagement. Is it possible to get a zeppelin to dock off the Willis and carry us away to our hotel destination?”

  “A zeppelin?” I repeated. Do they have zeppelins in the United States? Well, there was the one they used to televise golf and other sporting events. “I’ll see what I can do. Keep in mind there are flight regulations around the buildings in town.”

  “I know you can make it happen, Pepper.” Mike’s voice was sincere through my cell phone. “Remember, money is no object. If you have to grease a few palms, simply say the word and I can get it done.”

  “Got it.” I hung up the phone. Where the heck would I get a zeppelin, and what kind of permits would I need to have it dock at the Willis? I assumed it could dock wherever a helicopter would be able to land. I had no idea if that was a safe assumption or not. Who would know about zeppelins?

  Jimmy might know, or Jeb or even Laura for that matter. If she was still talking to me after I suspected her of murder.

  I drove up to the airport gate. Jimmy waved me through and I parked near the guard shack. Luckily, I had picked up a dozen donuts earlier. It never hurt to keep bribing my guy on the inside.

  Besides, if Laura didn’t do it, then I still didn’t know how to help Warren. It wouldn’t hurt to do a bit more snooping under the guise of asking questions about zeppelins and their docking regulations.

  “Hey, Pepper, what do you have that you need tasted today?” Jimmy opened the guard shack door. Today he wore jeans and a uniform shirt embroidered with the word SECURITY and his name.

  “I don’t need anything tasted,” I said as I wiggled out of old blue.

  “Oh.” His shoulders slumped and his mouth curved down.

  “But I did bring my favorite security team some donuts.” I pulled the bakery box out of the car. He was beside me in a moment.

  I was wearing a shift dress. I figured it never hurt to show a little leg when I needed information. No, that was a lie. To be honest, I was hoping I’d run into Gage. I couldn’t get last night’s kiss out of my mind.

  “Wow, jelly filled.” Jimmy’s face lit up. “Come on in. I have coffee.”

  “Thanks, Jimmy,” I said. “I don’t need coffee.” I followed him into the shack. “Do you know if there is anyone in the area that rents a zeppelin?”

  “A zeppelin? What is that?” He had already gone through two donuts by the time I sat down.

  “You know that big balloon-like thing that floats over parades and golf tournaments and such.”

  “Oh, huh, I never really thought about a zeppelin . . .” He shoved a third donut into his mouth and spoke with his mouth full. “You should talk to Jeb. If anyone knows the air scene around Chicago, it’s Jeb.”

  “Great.” I stood. “Is he in this morning?”

  “Yeah, I think he’s in the main office.” Jimmy looked down at the remaining donuts. “Did you want to take him a donut?”

  “No, you keep them,” I said. “Thanks, Jimmy.”

  “Hey,” he called after me.

  “What?”

  “Don’t forget to sign in.” He held the door open for me with one hand and clutched the donut box with the other.

  “Oh, right, thanks.” I went inside, signed the log book, and picked up my ID badge. “Thanks, Jimmy.”

  “No problem,” he said from his perch on the stool with his mouth full of donuts.

  Jeb was sitting at his desk when I knocked on his office door. His muscular form appeared bulkier than usual. His hair was freshly cut in the military manner he preferred. He exuded intimidation as easily as I exuded awkwardness.

  “Come on in, Pepper,” Jeb said without looking up.

  “Hi, Jeb, Jimmy said you might know the answer to my question.”

  He looked up as I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “What can I do for you?” His dark eyes were sincere under bushy brows.

  “I have a client who wants to get a zeppelin to dock at the Willis and carry him and his gal away after the proposal. Do you know where I can rent one?”

  “Ha!” Jeb laughed and then leaned forward. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” I said. “Do they even have one around here? If so, where can I find it?”

  “Of course they have them. This is Chicago. There are all kinds of events here where the blimp is involved in filming.” He wrote down a name and number on a piece of paper. “Here’s the name of a friend of mine. Call him. He’ll help you out.”

  I took the paper. He had written down the name Brian Bradford. The phone number had a Chicago area code. “Thank you. Can I tell him you sent me?”

  “Sure.” Jeb leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “How’s the murder investigation going?”

  “I don’t know, you tell me.” I played it cool.

  “Oh, come on, we both know you don’t think Warren did it. Then I saw you poking around here the other day and you didn’t come see me and keep me in the loop—like you promised.”

  “Oh, no, I wasn’t investigating,” I sat up straight and worked hard to calm the blush that always came when I fibbed. “I was scoping the place out for future proposal events. I’m sure I told you that I started my own small business, Perfect Proposals.” I handed him my card. “It was Warren’s idea.”

  He studied the card. “What did Laura Snow have to do with a proposal event?”

  “Laura?” I drew my eyebrows together.

  “I saw you two talking.”

  “Oh, yes, I asked her to give me a tour of the plane so that I could figure out where to hide the videographer.”

  “I see.” Jeb put down my card. “That was it?”

  “Sure, why?”

  “I could have sworn you followed her out of the gate. Do you suspect her of something?”

  I froze. “Um, no?” Then I smiled. “I mean, what would it matter if I did? The cops have their suspect. The last thing they would do is listen to an event planner.”

  “Right,” he said. His smile turned bland. “I told you that I like to keep tabs on the comings and goings around the airport. You promised me you’d keep me in the loop if you discovered anything.”

  “Yes, I remember and I told Jimmy on my way out that I didn’t learn anything. Didn’t he tell you?”

  “He gave me some story, but then again he didn’t see you talking to Laura.” Jeb eyed me. “I found it suspicious that you both left at the same time.”

  “You keep tabs on when I leave?”

  “It’s my job.” He crossed his thick arms.

  “You wouldn’t know anything about a cop who stopped me as I left the airport the other day, would you?” I watched him closely to see if my question surprised him. Unfortunately the man had a solid poker face.

  “Why would I?”

  I shrugged. “It’s interesting that you watch me leave because you think I’m acting suspiciously and then a cop stops me and tells me an employee at the airport called in the description of my car as suspicious.”

  He raised one bushy eyebrow. “Were you acting suspiciously
?”

  “No. I told him you said I could look around. Then he fined me fifty dollars for a taillight being out.”

  “Was it?”

  “Was what?”

  “Your taillight, was it out?”

  “Yes, but that’s not the point.” I waved my hand as if to dismiss the idea. “You’ve trusted me with my own security badge. Why would I act suspiciously and keep something important from you if it meant losing my privileges?”

  “Indeed, why would you risk losing your privileges?”

  “I wouldn’t.”

  He studied me, his gaze unwavering. I concentrated on the space between his eyes. “Fine. I had to ask. It’s my job as head of security.”

  “I completely understand.” I relaxed.

  Jeb nodded at me and then smiled. For a moment I got the impression his smile was predatory. But then it turned genuine.

  “Call Brian. He can hook you up with a zeppelin guy.”

  “Thanks, Jeb.” I left him in his office. Strange how Jeb had noticed my following Laura. If he paid that close attention to the comings and goings at the airport, how did he miss a murder right under his nose?

  It was something to think about. Stepping outside, I figured that while I was at the airport, I should stop and see if Daniel was about. It was high time I asked him a few questions. I left old blue at the guard shack and walked over to hangar four. The airport was small but there was some traffic. A Learjet took off in the distance. Someone drove a limousine up to hangar five. A truck loaded things onto a plane in hangar six.

  I went into the side door and called out, “Daniel?”

  “In here,” I heard a male voice say from the office. I went in to find him on the computer. “Hey, hi, I was in talking to Jeb and I thought I’d see if you were around.”

  He pushed the keyboard aside and put the full force of his blue gaze on me. He grinned. “Hello, Pepper, you look wonderful.”

  I patted my windblown hair down. “Thanks.” It took work not to protest, but Felicity had told me I needed to do better at taking a compliment. “How have you been?”