Beauty Secrets Mystery Boxed Set 2

by Stephanie Damore

  “Tomorrow afternoon,” Mrs. J. said.

  “Tomorrow afternoon?”

  “The gala? You know, the planning committee? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all about it.”

  Of course I had forgotten about it. My life was a little crazy at the moment. You’d think the woman would cut me some slack, but I wasn’t going to say that. Mrs. J. clearly wasn’t going to give me any sympathy, and I wasn’t going to go looking for it.

  “No, I didn’t forget. I’ll see you at the library,” I said.

  “Two o’clock. And don’t you go being late. This is crunch time. We got a lot of business to discuss. I want everything to be perfect.”

  “Got it.” I turned to walk away. Mrs. J. touched my arm.

  “If you see that husband of yours, you tell him to march his buns right to the police station. I’m not gonna have a fugitive on the loose during my gala, you hear?”

  “I’ll be sure to pass the message on,” I said over my shoulder while walking Captain Jack the rest of the way into the store, grateful to put Mrs. J. behind me.

  “And don’t forget his truck!” Mrs. J. hollered.

  I just nodded in response. She had asked me last week if Finn’s truck could pull the parade float. I told her it could, but she wouldn’t take my word for it. She wanted to see it. Give it a once over to make sure it was up to the task.

  “Everything okay?” Anna asked me when the bell clinked behind me.

  “Yeah, just a crazy morning.” I closed my eyes and let the aromas of lavender, lemon and chamomile fill my senses as I took deep breaths of the calming scents. I was pretty sure I’d have to bathe myself head to toe in the oils for them to have any true soothing effect, but at least the smell was pleasant. Anna was looking at me like I’d lost my mind.

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just promise me that if you hear anything crazy about me that you come directly to me and asked me about it. I can guarantee ninety percent of it is rumors.” Okay, maybe eighty percent.

  I looked behind me at the store’s front window and spotted Mrs. J. sitting in her car on her cell phone. Heaven only knew whom she was talking to. In my mind, it was the equivalent of a news bulletin being sent out. Speaking of which, I sincerely hoped this mess would be solved before the reporters got a hold of it. What were the chances I’d be that lucky?”

  It turned out, not that lucky.

  Twenty minutes later, I recognized Adam Cunning, reporter for TV 25, before he even had a chance to walk through the doors. Instead of being my usual boss babe self, Captain Jack and I snuck into my back office and I told Anna to tell him I wasn’t in. Chicken? Absolutely. Necessary? Absolutely. I had no idea what was going on and there was no way I was going to let any reporter know that. This time, avoidance was my best course of action.

  “What about you? Do you have a statement?” I overheard Adam ask Anna.

  “About what?” Anna replied.

  Oh no. Perhaps I should have filled her in a bit more? I thought as I peered out my cracked office door.

  “About the murder.”

  “I, uh, say what?!”

  I smacked my hand on the top of my head. Why couldn’t Mr. Cunning just keep his questions to himself? So much for work being a quiet place where I could think. This was going to take some smoothing over. That is, after Adam Cunning left.

  “She stopped in too?” Aria asked me. We are sitting poolside, sharing a pitcher of margaritas and a bowl full of guacamole while I recounted my day.

  “Not only her. Pretty much every major news outlet in the Savannah area stopped in. It must be a slow news cycle,” I said while swirling my drink around.

  “Well, murder and missing husbands freak people out,” Aria replied.

  “Tell me about it.” I downed my glass.

  “I’m sorry, girl,” Aria said.

  “I just hope Finn’s okay.” It had been over twelve hours since I had found Cody’s body, and still no word from Finn. As far as I knew, the police still considered him a suspect and not a victim. How they could be so set in their ways? I blamed it on Agent Cooper. He better pray that not even one hair was harmed on my husband’s head or he’d never hear the last of me. I’d have his badge, and that would only be the beginning.

  Captain Jack laid snoozing on my lap. As long as Aria stayed downwind and she made sure to take antihistamines every four to six hours, she was golden.

  “What did your mom say?” Aria asked.

  “I haven’t talked to her.” I looked sheepish.

  Aria stared back at me wide-eyed. She knew how my mom could be. Avoiding her wasn’t in my best interest.

  “After talking with Mrs. J. and dealing with work, I just didn’t have it in me to return her calls.”

  “Speaking of Mrs. J., what is with her lately? She’s nuts,” Aria said.

  “I know! This gala has her going off the deep end. She’s convinced of Finn’s guilt. As if Finn has ever shown a cruel regard to anyone, let alone murder his childhood friend and abandon his wife.”

  “Finn’s such a nice guy. What is it with people not giving him the benefit of the doubt?” Aria asked.

  “Thank you! That’s my point exactly. I know on the outside it doesn’t look so hot for him, but come on! What does anyone really have on him? As far as I know, it’s all circumstantial evidence and weak at that. Hearsay, I would even say.”

  “From the sound of it, more like a vendetta,” Aria added.

  I nodded my head and filled my glass. “Agent Cooper has some serious issues with Finn, which I think is clouding his judgment.”

  “What are you going to do now?” Aria asked

  “Solve this crime like all of the others.” I took a healthy sip of my margarita, allowing the tequila to embolden me. I just had to think of where to start. “Here, help me make a suspect list. With its history, this case has to have more leads than just Finn.”

  A little over an hour and another pitcher of margaritas later, we had a list to work from. I had started by thinking back to the photo Agent Cooper had shown me. Finn and Cody obviously popped out, but I didn’t know who the other two guys were. But that didn’t mean that Finn’s sister, Kat, wouldn’t know them. In fact, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought until now to check in with her. I’m blaming the bombardment of press today for my slip of thought. Juggling a PR nightmare and a personal crisis made it hard to think clearly.

  I quickly scrolled through my phone book and dialed Kat, though I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer. She worked most nights and was rarely able to answer her phone when tending bar. I did a quick Google search and called the bar’s direct line, but that didn’t get me anywhere either. The phone just rang and rang and rang. They must be slammed. Hole in the wall or not, Red’s clientele knew how to have a good time. My third option was to shoot her a text, which I did this time and told her to call me as soon as possible.

  I shrugged my shoulders at Aria. “That’s the best I can do on that front.”

  I had no way of contacting Finn’s dad or his mom, and I wasn’t even sure if he could either. That was still a very touchy subject, and I rarely prodded it. Instead, I let Finn talk about it whenever the mood struck him and tried to be as supportive as possible. He definitely got the short end of the parenting stick.

  When it came to Cody, I also wasn’t sure where to look, not knowing where he was from. But I could do an Internet search for his name over the coming days and hope an obituary would pop up, that is once his family was notified. I was confident Agent Cooper knew Cody was the victim. It was only a short matter of time before everyone else did, too. I looked at my short list. It was a starting point.

  “Catch up with Kat, track down Cody’s family, and pray Finn turns up in the meantime.”

  It felt good to have a plan. I wasn’t sure if it was that, or the tequila, but I suddenly felt very tired.

  “Here, let me tuck you in,” Aria offered. We both rose from the poolside sun chairs. Even though the sun had set hour
s ago, the evening spring air was pleasantly warm. The lights from under the water gave the pool a soft glow, as the filter hummed in the background.

  “No worries, I’m good,” I replied to her offer.

  “Do you want me to stay out here?” Aria asked.

  “What? Seriously, no. You go inside. I’m sure Vince is waiting for you.” Aria’s husband was head over heels for her. It was absolutely adorable. And it would make me cry and miss Finn even more if I thought about it another second. “Shoo, I’m serious. Captain Jack and I are perfectly fine out here. I’m sure we’ll both be asleep in a hot minute.” Heck, I would’ve been fine staying at my own place if the police had cleared it. I could only imagine how much evidence the FBI would bag and tag. The thought made my stomach squirm. Thinking of Agent Cooper going through my personal belongings made me want to punch someone. Forget being tired, I guess tequila had a tendency to make me violent.

  “If you’re sure…” Aria said, no doubt picking up on my mood.

  “I am. I was just thinking about Agent Cooper. I think I’m going to add him to my list for tomorrow as well. He’s not the only one with unanswered questions.” I stood up and stretched. I was happy to note my shoulder felt completely normal. I could probably thank the tequila for that, too.

  “Just be careful Ziva. I’m sure Mr. Anders would advise you not to do that.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” Just like I was sure Aria knew I didn’t care what the attorney thought. Speaking of which, I never did catch up with him. I listened to his voicemail, along with the various calls for comment, in case Finn had called me from an unknown number, but that was as far as I got.

  As predicted, my head hit the soft, feathery pillow and it was lights out. For about ten minutes. Captain Jack woke at the same time I did. His low warning growl told me I hadn’t just imagined the sound in my sleep. I laid in bed, not daring to move, and listened as intently as possible. There, I heard it again. It sounded as if someone was walking along the back wall of the pool house. The side by the hedge. The sound of breaking twigs and rustling brush signaled their movement. In the back of my mind, I was thinking I should’ve picked up a weapon on my way over tonight. I had been confident I’d be safe in Aria’s pool house, and that was a mistake. A mistake I wouldn’t be making again.

  I lightly laid my hand on Captain Jack’s back to let him know that I heard it too. He stopped growling but stood on the end of the bed, waiting for our intruder to enter. As stealthy as possible, I slipped out of the side of the bed and crouched down between the wall and the bedside table. A seashell-themed lamp sat atop the table. I fumbled for the cord, unplugged it, and flipped the hand-sized lamp over so the shade was upside down and I could use the base as a weapon. Captain Jack was beside me now. I was hoping that when the person entered, my pup would provide enough distraction for me to strike the intruder before being struck. I moved along the same wall as the would-be intruder, lining myself up behind the door so I would be able to hit the person and flee toward the main house.

  The moment they turned the door handle, I would be ready for them.

  But I didn’t have to be.

  Just them jostling the handle was enough to set off an ear-piercing siren. I dropped the lamp and clapped my hands over my ears. Captain Jack went ballistic, springing himself repeatedly off the pool house’s door. The noise was compounded by the sounds of barking dogs followed by the alarm at Aria’s main house. It was a deafening cacophony that was sure to wake the entire plantation. Speaking of which, the neighborhood security detail made an impressive appearance, following in short order with Vince at the head as they came to my rescue. Aria had stayed back with the kids.

  “Someone tried breaking in,” I said to Vince after opening the door to him.

  “Did you see who?” Vince asked.

  “No, I just heard them. The alarm went off before I got a chance to ID them.”

  The security detail didn’t even wait for directions. They split into two groups and began searching the grounds.

  “Do you think it was Finn?” Vince asked, his voice low.

  I slapped my hand over my mouth. “I’m such an idiot. I didn’t even think of that.” I started looking around the yard in earnest, staring up at the trees and the surrounding bushes for any sign of movement, but all was still.

  “If it is, I hope they don’t find him,” I whispered back.

  “Here, let me have one of the men escort you to the house. I’ll secure the grounds with them out here, and then we’ll talk.”

  “Okay.” I picked up Captain Jack and allowed the security detail to walk me back to the main house, all the while keeping a lookout for Finn or whoever was planning to pay me a visit. As I walked I thought of the time Finn and I had snuck onto Vince’s property in search of Aria. That had been a wild night. We had found her, that was for sure. I tried not to think of it seeing Aria and Vince had been in a compromising position. Regardless, that wasn’t the point. The point was that I knew Finn was capable of sneaking in. Like me, I know he wouldn’t have expected an alarm on the pool house. Aria must have set it after I went in, or remotely.

  Aria met me in the kitchen, an extra silk robe in hand. I put Captain Jack down and slipped it over my over-sized T-shirt. Aria eyed my poodle but managed to keep her sneezing in check.

  “Do you want me to put him in the laundry room or something?” I asked. Captain Jack tilted his head as if the idea was completely foreign to him, which it was. He was king of the castle at our humble abode.

  “He’s fine, seriously. I popped a twenty-four-hour allergy pill earlier. We still have a few hours left.”

  Taking it as her blessing, Captain Jack trotted out of the kitchen and into the living room, where I watched him make himself comfortable on Aria’s very plush couch.

  “I’m never going to get him to leave,” I joked.

  “Ziva, I’m not worried about the dog. What in the world happened out there?” I couldn’t look directly at Aria because, truthfully, the incident left me feeling jumpy. I managed to relay what had just happened, including Vince suggesting it was Finn.

  “For the record, if it was Finn, he could’ve just used the front door,” Aria said.

  “If it was him, he would’ve done that if he didn’t think your house was being watched.”

  “You think my house is being watched?” Aria tugged her robe tighter around her.

  “I’m just saying it’s a possibility. You haven’t met Agent Cooper yet.”

  Vince joined us a few moments later.

  “Did you find anything?” I asked.

  “Nothing, but we have the security footage. I’ve asked to view it privately, so that way if it was Finn we can keep that between ourselves.”

  “Good thinking,” I replied.

  Aria nodded in agreement. “Want me to put on some coffee?” she asked her husband.

  “Thanks, that would be great. It won’t take long to check out the tapes from just now, but the rest of the day and the different cameras will take some time.”

  I couldn’t thank Vince enough for offering to stay up all night to identify our would-be intruder and I said as much.

  Vince’s eyes turned dark and I took a step back. “No one breaks into my home,” he said.

  And then, right there, I saw the ruthlessness, the fear, that Vincent Delgado brought to business. It was one of the reasons he was so successful and that no one ever thought to double cross him. I, for one, was just happy he was on my side.

  4

  “She look familiar?” Vince asked me. I looked closer at the freeze-framed image on his computer screen. Even with high definition technology, it was hard to make out the woman’s identity. As soon as Vince un-paused the frame, the woman, after tripping the alarm, sprang up cat-like, scaled the trellis to the pool house roof then gracefully dropped into the hedge below, disappearing from sight. Her movements were so fluid that it was scary. The word assassin came to my mind. Dressed in black, she moved like smoke a
cross the starlit night. I could only assume her intentions were just as dark.

  “Holy guacamole. That woman is like a ninja or something,” Aria said. I couldn’t have agreed more. It made me fear the worst for Finn.

  “Can you send that video to me?” I asked Vince. “I want to share it with Agent Cooper. Maybe that’ll force him to start looking beyond Finn.”

  “If that doesn’t, I don’t know what will,” Aria said.

  “I’ll go ahead and email you a secure link that you can share with him,” Vince replied, typing on his computer keyboard.

  “That would be awesome, thanks,” I replied. I was ready right then to head out for the day when there was a knock outside Vince’s office door.

  “Where would you like it, sir?” Frederick, the Delgado’s butler, asked. He had wheeled in a tray full of pastries, fresh fruit and coffee. I knew the pastries were a courtesy for me, as Aria normally didn’t allow such sugary treats in her home. For all her kids knew, frozen yogurt was the same as ice cream and fruit was considered dessert. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with a sweet tooth in the house as Vince reached for the cheesecake-stuffed Danish. A personal favorite of mine as well.

  “And your chai latte, ma’am,” Frederick said, motioning to my own personal miniature carafe. A woman could seriously get used to this level of service. I suddenly had another brilliant idea. Maybe the other houseboats would like their own butler. We could hire someone to come in the morning and deliver breakfast. Room service on the water. Now that was an idea. I filed it away for later when my normal life resumed and Finn was back here safe and sound. I had to hold out hope that he was okay. Of course, I didn’t want him to be a murderer, but I liked the thought of him on the run even if I didn’t understand the circumstances. That was a much better scenario than the alternative.

  I considered pouring myself a to-go cup of the latte and still heading out the door right that minute when Aria said, “Eat. At least take one to go with you, please?”