The Master Plan (2009)

by Carol Costa

  A Dana Sloan Mystery

  A Deadly Hand

  Other books by Carol Costa:

  Love Steals the Scene

  Labor of Love

  Carol Costa

  This title was previously published by Avalon Books; this version has been reproduced from the Avalon book archive files.

  For my grandchildren, Angela Ann, Joseph Robert,

  Michael Riley, Catherine Ryan, Justine Annette, and

  Anthony James, who fill my life with joy.

  Thanks to my husband, Frank, for his patience and willingness to let me talk through my ideas on plotting and characters.

  Thanks to my agents, Andree Abecassis and Lettie Lee at the Ann Elmo Agency.

  Thanks to all my friends in The Society of Southwestern Authors for their support and inspiration.

  I'm getting married," Casey said breathlessly. She held out her left hand to show the glittering diamond on her ring finger. "I'm sorry, Dana. I just couldn't hold it in any longer."

  It was Monday afternoon and the weekly staff meeting at Globe Investigations was taking place in Dana Sloan's office. Dana, her secretary, Marianne, and two other investigators, Casey Jordan and Bob Farrell, had been discussing a new case involving an auto-repair garage that had recently opened in Crescent Hills.

  Globe Investigations had received several letters of complaint about the garage, stating that when a car was brought in for maintenance or minor repairs, the garage called the owners and reported that the vehicles needed major work done, and then charged the owners exorbitant prices to fix the cars. They had just agreed that Casey would bring a car to the garage for an oil change and see what transpired.

  "Does that mean you're going to stick me with the garage gig?" Bob asked Casey with a grin.

  Marianne was already on her feet, enthusiastically hugging Casey. "When did this happen? I didn't even know you were seeing someone." "

  "I'm just kidding, Casey," Bob said as he lifted himself carefully from the chair he had managed to squeeze his plump body into when the meeting began. "Congratulations"

  "You're not supposed to say congratulations to the bride," Marianne told him. "That's what you say to the groom."

  "Okay. Where is he? Is he someone we know?"

  "No," Casey replied. "His name is Tony Hunter. I met him on the golf course at the Crescent Hills Country Club."

  "How did you get in there?" Bob asked. "That's where the rich folks play."

  I had a bit of a windfall and I used it to join the Country Club a few months ago." Casey looked at her coworkers and smiled weakly.

  "It must have been some windfall to get you accepted into that snob haven," Bob persisted. "Well, I'm happy for you, kid. Whoever he is, Tony Hunter is a lucky man."

  "He sure is," Marianne agreed. "And you are going to be a beautiful bride."

  "You will keep helping me?" Casey asked Marianne. "Tony probably wouldn't have looked at me twice if you hadn't taken me under your wing"

  "Oh, wow," Marianne said, her lovely green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Can I help you with your hair and makeup for the wedding?"

  Casey nodded.

  Marianne was the resident beauty expert, mostly because she was a gorgeous young woman with wavy auburn hair and a face and figure that stopped traffic. Fortunately for the staff at Globe Investigations, Marianne was as smart and efficient as she was beautiful, and they all admitted she made the office run like a well-oiled machine.

  Before Marianne and her hairdresser had worked their magic on Casey, the investigator had never bothered to try and enhance her attractive features with makeup or clothes that actually complimented her tall, slim frame. Casey had worn her dull brown hair long, letting it hang straight or pulling it back into a ponytail. Her normal attire consisted of jeans and T-shirts in the summer, and jeans and sweatshirts in the winter.

  Now Casey's hair was highlighted with blond streaks and cut short so that it framed her face and made it look fuller. Her eyeglasses had been replaced by contact lenses and the expert use of mascara and eye shadow had made them her most outstanding feature. She still refused to use standard lipstick, but Marianne had showed her how to use a light blush on her cheeks and a lip gloss that had only the slightest hint of color.

  The jeans and baggy shirts had disappeared. Casey wore skirts and slacks with matching jackets and blouses that gave her a chic, professional appearance.

  "You already had the looks," Marianne said proudly. "We just helped you make the most of them"

  "Uh-oh," Bob complained. "If you gals are going to start discussing makeup and hairdos, I'm leaving"

  Dana, who had been strangely silent, finally rose from her chair and walked over to Casey. "I'm very happy for you, Casey," she said as she embraced her.

  "Thanks, Dana. I think I've got it all worked out now."

  "I hope so," Dana said softly.

  "What does that mean?" Bob asked.

  "Nothing you have to worry about, Bob," Dana said. "Well, I've got to meet with Sam in a few minutes, so I guess I'd better adjourn this meeting. Both of you have assignments for the next few days, so we'll just meet again on Thursday afternoon for reports and any new cases that come in"

  Dana headed for the door and everyone else prepared to follow her out. Marianne and Casey were chattering away about weddings in general, and Bob was using the phone to call his wife. Dana opened the door to the hallway and walked to the elevator.

  Dana Sloan had been working for The Globe newspaper in Crescent Hills, Illinois, since graduating from college with a degree in journalism. Her talent for digging below the surface of a story and uncovering facts often overlooked by other reporters had soon come to the attention of the Globe's managing editor, Sam McGowan.

  Within a few years, Dana was moved from a tiny cubicle in the newsroom to her own office. From there she moved into her current position as the lead investigator and supervisor of Globe Investigations.

  Crescent Hills was a growing, prosperous community about fifty miles from Chicago. Sam McGowan believed that a town's primary newspaper should do more than report the news and social events; it should service its community by listening to problems and trying to find solutions. Sam had expanded his desire to help Crescent Hills residents into a separate investigative office supported by the newspaper. Over the years, Dana and her staff had answered the thou sands of calls for help that came in daily by way of telephone, regular mail, and e-mail.

  When readers reported businesses like the garage that was suddenly discovering costly repairs, Dana or one of her staff investigated the allegations and either proved them right or dismissed them.

  While Globe Investigations tried not to interfere in police matters, sometimes Dana and her staff's efforts to help their clients led them into the midst of a serious crime. As Crescent Hills grew in population, so did the reports of murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery. There had been several occasions when Dana's efforts had uncovered crucial evidence or leads in criminal cases.

  A recent investigation had pitted Dana against a corrupt politician and pushed her into the path of a deranged serial killer. That same case had also caused a serious rift in Dana's relationship with Homicide Detective Al Bruno.

  Bruno thought that lovely young women like Dana should not be sleuths. He wanted the thoughts under Dana's light brown curls to be about marriage and babies. He wanted Dana to use her intelligence and quick wit to plan menus and parent-teacher events. Although Dana admitted that she loved Al Bruno and would probably marry him someday, she was not ready to give up her career for him. She liked working for Globe Investigations and relished the excitement of working on the cases brought to her attention by the reading public.

  Dana and Bruno had formed a
recent truce and were supposed to be working on building a stronger relationship. Both of them knew that it was just a matter of time before another case came along that would cause more problems in their romance, but in the meantime they were trying to concentrate on the things that had brought them together rather than the things that pulled them apart.

  As the elevator deposited Dana on the second floor of the building where the newsroom and the managing editor's office were located, Dana's thoughts had already settled on the next conflict between herself and Bruno. When she told him that Casey was getting married, Dana was sure Bruno would be upset. After all, Casey had only known Tony Hunter for a few months, while Dana and Bruno had been together for more than two years.

  It was after four and the newsroom was quieter than usual. The evening edition was already rolling off the press, so the newsroom staff had wound down. Some of the reporters were out on the streets looking for headline events to include in the early-morning edition. Others were working on the columns and less newsworthy items that would also appear in the morning paper.

  Dana made her way across the room toward Sam's office. A number of people called out greetings and waved to her, but Dana was already late for her meeting and didn't stop to chat.

  "Sorry I'm late," Dana apologized as soon as she entered the office. "Casey announced her engagement in the middle of our staff meeting."

  "Really?" Sam's bushy gray eyebrows rose slightly. "I thought she was going to dump that guy?"

  "I thought so too, but she told me they worked things out. And she's got a lovely diamond on her finger to prove it."

  "You don't sound happy for her."

  Dana sat down in one of the leather chairs facing Sam's desk. "I'll be happy when I'm sure she's going to be happy."

  Sam nodded. "Are you going to tell Bruno?"

  "Actually, I'm going to ask him to check this guy out. Casey asked me to help her do that right after they started dating, but neither of us could find information on him dating back more than two years. On the surface he looks like a great catch, but I'm afraid he may be too good to be true."

  "When's the wedding?"

  "I don't think they've set a date yet"

  Sam's phone rang, interrupting their conversation. He spoke to a reporter in the field for a few minutes and then hung up and turned back to Dana. "The reason I called you in here was to give you a new case to work on. It concerns a friend of yours, and I thought you'd want to handle it personally."

  "What friend?" Dana instantly came to attention, pushing her concerns about Casey and Tony Hunter out of her mind.

  "Del Pitman."

  "What's wrong with Del?" Dana's voice conveyed her concern.

  "He's fine, but the new artist he's been promoting is too upset to finish the paintings he needs for the showing. It seems her husband disappeared."

  "Has she called the police?"

  "I don't know, but Del is beside himself. He's spent a ton of money promoting this gala event and only has three small paintings to show. She's supposed to have several more in various stages of completion, but has gone into a depression and refuses to lift a brush"

  "That's strange," Dana told him. "Most artists only work on one painting at a time."

  "My wife said the same thing when she told me about Del's problem." Sam's wife, Emily, worked at the Pitman Gallery on occasion. She and Dana shared an appreciation for art and both of them were artists themselves. Emily did watercolors and when Dana had moments to spare she worked on oil paintings.

  "Emily is the one who actually requested my help?"

  "Yes, but Del asked her to call."

  "Why didn't Del call me directly?"

  "He's away on business. Emily has been minding the gallery for him. When he called this morning and found out Porter hadn't delivered any of the paintings she promised him, he asked Emily to contact Globe Investigations. He wants us to find out what happened to the husband so his artist will get back to work. I went over there to have lunch with Emily and that's when she asked me if we would take the case. I wouldn't ordinarily ask you to look for a wayward husband, but since Emily asked me. . " Sam shrugged.

  Dana nodded. Sam ruled the newsroom and the Globe in general with as much strength and authority as the captain of an ocean liner, but at home, Emily steered the boat.

  "Do you have the artist's name and address?"

  "Right here." Sam handed Dana a sheet of paper with the Pitman Gallery's logo on it.

  "Judy Porter," Dana said thoughtfully. "I met her a few months ago at one of Del's parties"

  "Good. Then you don't need a special introduction to talk to the woman. Oh, and Emily said that Porter is scheduled to do some interviews next week on some of those local television talk shows and Del is afraid he'll have to cancel."

  "Okay," Dana said. "I'll call her tonight and see if I can arrange a meeting for tomorrow morning."

  "Since Emily is going to be at the gallery until after six, we're letting the boys fend for themselves and going out to dinner. Would you like to join us?"

  "Thanks, but Bruno is off duty tonight and I promised to cook for him."

  Sam grinned. "Great. You can soften him up with a good home-cooked meal and then you can ask him to check out Casey's boyfriend and get you some information on Judy Porter's missing husband"

  "That's what I'm thinking," Dana replied, rising from the chair. "I was going to serve vanilla ice cream for dessert, but now I think I'll stop at the bakery on the way home and pick up an apple pie. It's Bruno's favorite"

  Sam laughed. "That cop doesn't stand a chance"

  With some of the ideas she and Marianne had discussed about weddings floating around in her head, Casey left the office and drove straight to the Crescent Hills Mall where she was meeting two of her girlfriends for dinner.

  She wondered if she would have time to look in the bridal shop before she went to the restaurant. Her friends would be so excited when she showed them her ring. They would both be her bridesmaids for the wedding, with two of Tony's single friends as groomsmen. It was all part of the plan.

  After parking her car in the lot, Casey hurried into the mall and walked toward the bridal shop. However, when she reached the shop, she didn't go inside. Instead, Casey sat down on a bench in front of the display window and stared at the lovely white gowns. The thought of her actually wearing one of those dresses and marching down the aisle to marry Tony suddenly frightened her.

  What did she know about this man she had just agreed to marry? He was rich and good-looking, but his background was a mystery. She had tried to get information from him, but it had become a silly game. He answered all her questions with a question of his own.

  Perhaps Tony was not being totally honest with her, but Casey was not being totally honest with him, either. Tony had been nothing but kind and loving toward her and she had convinced herself that she had a lot of nerve being suspicious of Tony when she was the one who was conning him. That's why she'd finally decided to accept the ring she wore on her left hand today. He'd already asked her several times and her girlfriends were urging her to say yes. It was, after all, a crucial part of the plan.

  Casey closed her eyes and recalled the night three months earlier when the plan had been conceived.

  Casey Jordan, Carmen Manuso, and Cathy Willis had been friends since high school. They were together so much that everyone called them the three Cs.

  On that fateful night, the three friends were having dinner at a new Mexican restaurant in the Crescent Hills Shopping Mall.

  "I'm so tired of working," Carmen told her friends. "My boss is an ogre." Carmen worked at an insurance agency.

  "Quit," Cathy said casually. "You've got great computer skills; you can find something else."

  "I don't want to quit. I want to marry a rich man who will support me in the manner in which I want to become accustomed."

  Casey laughed. "Don't we all"

  "You can say that again," Cathy agreed.

  "Except
girls like us don't have the social status or contacts to meet any rich guys. All the ones I meet at the insurance agency are struggling to make ends meet like I am" Carmen shrugged her shoulders and flipped her hand through her short blond hair.

  "We need to join the country club set," Cathy said. "My cousin, Lucy, works in the office there and says there are lots of eligible rich men walking around."

  "Can she introduce us to some of them?" Casey asked.

  "No. The help is not allowed to talk to the elite members unless they talk to her first. Well, they all know she's poor or she wouldn't be working in the office, so they act like she's invisible. That suits her fine. Lucy is happily married with two teenage boys."

  "It's like one of those catch-22 things," Casey said thoughtfully. "If you're rich, you socialize with people in your own tax bracket and usually marry someone who is also wealthy. If you're middle income, like we are, you end up with a middle-income mate"

  I would love to have enough money to join that snooty country club and meet some of those rich guys." Carmen turned to Cathy, who worked at Crescent Hills Savings and Loan. "Does your bank give loans to middle-income girls who want to improve their social status?"

  "If you have collateral."

  "Does the country club run a background check to make sure the people that join are really well-to-do?" Casey asked her friend, the bank teller.

  "I don't know."

  "Can you call your cousin and find out?"

  "Now?"

  "Yes, right now," Casey replied.

  Cathy shrugged, took out her cell phone, and dialed a number. Her cousin answered and Cathy questioned her about the membership requirements at the country club.

  She hung up and repeated the information she had obtained to Carmen and Casey. "Lucy says there's an application you have to fill out, but no one checks to make sure the information is accurate. If you attach a check for the membership fee and the first year's dues, you're an instant member. The membership fee is fifteen thousand dollars and the dues are ten thousand dollars a year. Of course, that gives you unlimited access to the golf course"