A Tango Before Dying

by Anna Celeste Burke

  “Whoever she is, she must be the killer. I’m glad it wasn’t Kevin. He’s got enough trouble in his life with a bump on the head, a broken leg, and Carter on his hands. I honestly believe he and Charlotte were fond of each other. If the video caught them in a heated exchange not long before she died, it’s not too surprising. Their relationship was always volatile and passionate. I’ll bet he feels awful about it now.”

  “If he even knows she’s dead. He was in such bad shape last night, I’m not sure the doctors or the detective told him. Kevin’s lucky he didn’t end up like her. Which leads me to a question about another issue. Did Charlotte have a really nice pair of character shoes with her?”

  “Sure, she did. I saw her wearing them during rehearsal.”

  “Were they taupe-colored, with a soft leather upper and a t-strap, on two or three-inch heels?”

  “Two and a half inch heels, but otherwise you’ve described them perfectly. Why are you asking?”

  “We may have found one of them. I’m not sure how it might help to know for sure, but I wonder if hers are missing.” Carol’s skin paled a little when I explained how one of those shoes might have been used to assault Kevin. She sighed with relief, though, when I added that the police had also found a hypodermic needle when they discovered the shoe.

  “Thank goodness! Whoever left them in a trash can so close to where Kevin Whitley was attacked isn’t thinking straight. I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a fingerprint on the shoe or the needle. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have this nightmare over soon?”

  “It would, but Jack always tells me not to hold my breath. The long arm of the law takes its good, sweet time when it comes to solving a murder. That’s one reason I don’t believe I’d make a good cop. I’m way too impatient.”

  “Me too. Let’s do what we can to give the cops another clue or two if we can. I need to gather up Charlotte’s belongings anyway. That’ll be a perfect opportunity to hunt for those shoes. Thanks for coming with me. The idea of being alone in that suite is sad and creepy.” My nightmare about being chased around by a pint-sized maniac with an enormous needle flitted through my mind.

  “I get it.” I stood up and took our plates to the dishwasher when I remembered another question for her. “I don’t want you to go to Santa Barbara alone, either. Will you have to take care of her home and business there, or did she appoint someone in the area to act on her behalf?”

  “That’s a great question. I know she has a lawyer because she gave me his name a while ago when she was going through another round of trouble with Natalie Bucco. After all the grief she caused Charlotte, I’m sorry to hear she’s off the hook.”

  “Not completely, since there’s about half an hour when her whereabouts are unaccounted for.” I paused wondering if the woman who last entered the room could possibly have been Natalie in disguise. Then, I dismissed the idea that she could have come up with any disguise good enough to fool Charlotte. “If you want me to do it, I can ask Max to press charges against her.”

  “What good would that do now? Let’s see if they can find out where she was and what she was doing during that gap. Even if she didn’t do it, maybe she saw something that can help figure out who killed my godmother.”

  “Let’s hope so. She’s in police custody and Detective Spencer plans to speak to her this morning. If she has an ounce of sense left, Natalie will share every bit of information she has with the police.”

  Before she becomes another victim, I thought but didn’t add aloud.

  “Natalie must have seen or heard something to have been back at Versailles Veranda shrieking about Charlotte’s death before anyone else knew about it.”

  “Brett’s off the hook though, right?”

  “Yes, as far as I’m concerned. He’s another person who ought to be in a room with the police sharing anything and everything he can remember about what went on yesterday. I can understand how anxious he is, but going to Jack is the best thing he could do.”

  “I’m sure he’s scared. Still, that was a bit of dashing derring-do wasn’t it to show up as a masked man at the ball with police detectives and Security Associates everywhere?” Carol’s eyes were lit up with a little spark.

  “It sounds like you’re more curious about this dancer than you were about Carter, am I right?” I tried not to smile as I asked that question.

  “Yes, why not? He didn’t just go to the ball wearing a mask but dressed as a swashbuckling Versailles Fox.”

  “Without the makeup,” I replied, smiling. Carol’s comment reminded me about the whiskers found on Charlotte’s body. That made me skeptical once again about the idea of a witless killer leaving the murder weapons in the trash. Brett was lucky he was captured on film both coming and going from Charlotte’s suite while she was still alive if the killer continued to try to frame him.

  I’d barely finished that thought when I was flooded with doubts. What if he wasn’t as innocent as he claimed? Was there any way he could have doubled back later? Could he be in cahoots with the mysterious woman seen leaving Charlotte’s suite later? I glanced at Carol’s sweet face, hoping she was right to view Brett in such a positive light. Ruminating about it wasn’t going to resolve the matter.

  “Let’s get going. We’ve got snooping to do in addition to picking up your car, gathering up your godmother’s belongings, and making a few phone calls. If we have time, Jack suggested we work out and then you make those calls from a hot tub.”

  “Sounds fine to me. You don’t think Brett’s in any danger from the killer, do you?”

  “I doubt it. Plus, you’re right about how clever he is.” I almost sprinted down the hall as I said that, awash in a wave of guilt. I’d been so preoccupied at the prospect that he was a suspect, I’d given too little thought to the idea that Brett might be the killer’s next victim.

  14 Fox Hunt

  “I called Jack to see what the police are doing about Brett,” I said when I returned to the kitchen to find Carol already dressed and waiting for me. “He’s already following up with the friend who called Brett to warn him when Natalie was looking for him at Versailles Veranda. Jack wasn’t sure how soon someone from Julie’s team could to that, so he’s sending someone to see if Brett’s friend has heard from him or knows where he is.”

  “The fox hunt is underway, huh?”

  “It has been for some time now. Brett’s already led them on a merry chase.”

  “I might have been rooting for him to evade them. Now I hope they catch him soon.” Carol’s phone rang, and she slipped it from her purse. She was quiet for a minute or two as she listened to what the caller had to say.

  “That’s just great, isn’t it? Uh-huh, okay. No, I don’t need a ride. I’m already on my way. Do you have any clue about who did it?” She went silent again. “Okay, thanks for the heads up. I’ll see if I can get someone from the road service to meet us there.”

  “Was that about your car?” I asked as soon as she ended the call.

  “Yes.”

  “Did something happen to it—in the parking garage?”

  “Hold on to that question, will you?” Carol spent the next few minutes arranging for a tow truck to meet us at the hotel. When she had jumped through the hoops required to do that, she answered my question as if we’d never been interrupted.

  “Not in the parking garage because I left it in a lot out in front of the hotel. Max was going to meet us at the hotel entrance, so I figured he’d drop us off there later. I should be glad no one towed my car away since I’m not a guest of the hotel and it must look like an abandoned wreck now.”

  “I can’t believe someone slashed your tires!”

  “Keyed it, too! It’s scary after all that happened yesterday. I should have left it in the parking garage. I didn’t have a problem when I left it there in the morning while I watched Charlotte rehearse before we drove to Arcadia Park for lunch. It’s too bad I didn’t do it when I returned for the reception later.” She put away her phone. “S
hould I take this personally, or am I just another victim of big city life?”

  “We can’t know that until the police have investigated the incident. Not unless the jerk who trashed your car left a nasty spray-painted message.”

  “Gary probably would have mentioned that. He said he called the police and an officer is already there. There are surveillance cameras in the lot, so he downloaded the video recording and passed on a copy.” Carol shrugged. “I don’t believe he would have forgotten to tell me if someone had written ‘die, Carol, die!’ on my car.”

  “Gary’s on the ball, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. I know he feels sorry for me. He was very apologetic when he escorted me from the hotel to the gala last night and started again over the phone just now.”

  “I suppose he would have told you if your creepy dance partner, Carter, did it. That’s assuming Gary reviewed the video footage before passing it along to the police.”

  “He did look at it. According to Gary, the video picked up a figure in a hoodie, baggy sweats, and athletic shoes. It was too dark to make out details. It only took the sleazebag seconds to scrape my car and slash my tires before he ran away.”

  “Were you the only victim or were other cars vandalized, too?”

  “That’s a good question. We can ask Gary since he’s likely to be waiting for us. The police will tell us, won’t they, even if Gary’s not still around?”

  “They might as well because Jack can find out anyway. I’ll call him and tell him what’s happened as soon as we get to the hotel.” Neither of us said any more about it as I drove as quickly as I could to the hotel and entertainment center complex. There was no doubt in my mind that this was no random act of vandalism. I couldn’t fathom why anyone might hold a grudge against Carol other than Carter.

  My heart went out to my beleaguered young friend. She was doing her best to carry on despite the bewilderment and sadness on her face as she stared out the passenger side window.

  “I don’t get the real world, do you?” Carol asked as she continued to gaze out the window. “Maybe that’s why I enjoy Marvelous Marley World so much.” I reached out and patted her hand that clutched her seatbelt as if she were hanging onto it for dear life!

  “I wish I could say that someday all of this will make more sense to you, but I’d be lying. Your performance on the dance floor last night made the world a more enchanted place than anything that ever sprang from Max’s mind. Your godmother prepared you for that moment, so her legacy is still here even though she’s left us.” Carol gave my hand a squeeze as I turned into the hotel parking lot.

  My heart pounded when I spotted her car, surrounded by people, including uniformed officers. I didn’t say anything to Carol, but I felt fortunate they were gathered around her car—not her! This mess wasn’t over yet. I wondered if it had occurred to Carol that Brett might not be the only one at risk.

  Once I pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked, there was little time to talk about anything. We were immediately swept up into the police investigation. It took close to an hour to deal with the police and get the car towed to a body shop.

  “Now what?” Carol asked as her car disappeared after it had been loaded on a flatbed.

  “We load your godmother’s belongings into my trunk.”

  “Aye, aye, Commander. We still have a mission to finish, don’t we?”

  “We do, indeed! Let’s use this,” I said as I snagged a big brass luggage cart sitting in the lobby. We were almost at the elevator when Jack called. He sounded excited and worried at the same time.

  “Jack wants to know how you’re holding up.”

  “Tell him I’m copacetic.”

  “She’s fine.” I shut up so I could hear what Jack had to tell us. “That’s wonderful. Let me tell Carol.” I held the phone close to my chest.

  “The fox hunt is over. Brett’s alive and well. He walked into the County Sheriff’s department and asked for Jack. Jack says Carter, who was on his way out, gave him a dirty look and made a nasty comment.”

  “Why? I didn’t know they’d even met. I hope Brett gets out of the police parking lot without slashed tires. Did you tell Jack about that?”

  “Yes, I did.” Jack said something that I missed.

  “What, Jack?” I asked. “Carol wondered if I told you about her car. She hopes Brett’s car doesn’t get the same treatment if Carter’s the person who wrecked hers. Of course, he’d have to know which car belongs to Brett. Carol didn’t realize the two men had ever met. Maybe Brett can set you straight about why Carter spoke to him in passing.” Jack had his own take on the issue.

  “Jack says Brett is still getting lots of media exposure from his lunchtime heroics yesterday. His face has been showing up all over the place—with and without the fox makeup. Carter could have recognized him from the news feed.” Jack added another point that made me chuckle. “Or, Carter might have scowled at anyone he passed since Jack had given him a lecture on the trespass laws when he returned his driver’s license and his grandfather’s medic alert bracelet.”

  “Good for Jack!” Carol gave me two thumbs up.

  “Okay, she’s relieved. Me, too! We were both afraid Brett was being set up or was on some screwy hit list. What are you going to do with him, now—just in case our worries about him aren’t completely baseless?” I listened silently to the proposal Jack made.

  “I don’t mind at all. That’s a good idea, and I can handle Chef Tomás and Max if giving him the time off is a problem.” I glanced at Carol before I answered Jack’s next question. “No, I don’t believe it will bother Carol at all. We’re finally on our way upstairs to reclaim Charlotte’s belongings, and then we’ll head back to Crystal Cove. Okay, four for dinner it is. Love you, too!” I smiled as I hit the elevator button and the door popped open. Carol and I maneuvered the luggage rack inside and headed upstairs.

  “What won’t bother me at all?”

  “We’re taking Brett into protective custody for a few days. I’m going to run interference if his bosses object. The Versailles Fox and the Tango Princess will be under the same roof! You’ll have time to ask him all sorts of questions!” Carol blushed.

  “You won’t tease me about it in front of him, will you?”

  “Of course not! You two hardly know each other—it’s too soon to tease either one of you. Now, if you had brothers like I did, it would be too bad for you both.” When the elevator opened and we stepped into the hallway leading to Charlotte’s suite, I was relieved. There was no crime scene tape or a big, burly guard barring us from entering the floor or her suite.

  “How are we going to get in?” I asked when we arrived at the door.

  “I have her keycard.” Carol slipped it into the slot and got a red light. She tried it again with no better luck. “Shoot! I bet the hotel rekeyed it.”

  “It’s no big deal. We should probably have stopped at the front desk and told them we were here to clear out her suite anyway. I’ll bet Gary and his security buddies are on high alert about anything having to do with you or your godmother.”

  “Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll run down and take care of it.”

  “Oh, no you don’t. I’m older than you are so I remember all those old horror and science fiction movies. Never, never split up!”

  “That’s not an outdated meme. It’s still used in every scary movie I’ve ever seen. All two or three of them.”

  “Let’s take a chance on leaving this thing here.” As I said that, I spotted a housekeeping cart and heard a vacuum cleaner running in a suite a couple of doors down. “Maybe we can get help making sure no one takes it while we’re gone.”

  “Excuse me!” I cried as the woman who went with that cart stepped out of the room where she was cleaning.

  “Yes, do you need towels or something?”

  “Or something.” I introduced myself, explained what we were trying to do, and pointed to the luggage cart. She nodded when I told her who Carol was, and that the keycard sh
e had no longer worked.

  “I heard all about it, Ms. Shaw. News about a murder gets around quick.”

  “It’s Georgie, please.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Meg, as you can see on my name tag. Meg Burton, but it’s just Meg to everyone around here.”

  “How did the news get out, Meg?”

  “First the EMTs showed up. Then, the police, and after that a van from the ME’s office—they don’t send somebody out unless there’s trouble. When the body went out of here, it was in one of those special bags they use when they’re not done with it yet.” She paused and shrugged as if the answer to my question was easy to figure out.

  “Lots of clues, huh?”

  “Yep! We haven’t been able to get in there and clean up yet. If you get what you need, and clear out, then we can get in there and do our job. How bad is it?” She whispered as we walked down the hall closer to where Carol was standing. Carol looked so tiny standing next to the tall, shiny brass luggage cart.

  “Not bad at all,” I replied. “When Carol found her godmother, she had no idea that foul play was involved. Nothing appeared out of place or disturbed.”

  “That’s good. At least the poor little thing won’t have a gruesome, bloody scene stuck in her head. You and Carol don’t need to go all the way downstairs. I can use my card and let you in. Take as much time as you need. Find me when you’re done so I know it’s okay to can clean up in there.”

  “It’s a deal! Thank you so much.” She opened the door, but before Carol stepped inside with that cart, I had an idea.

  “Before we go inside, I want to check something.” I opened the snippet of video footage I’d asked Jack to send me. I maneuvered the luggage cart until it was lined up with the wall like that housekeeping cart was in the video. Then, I asked our housekeeping friend to stand at the door. She was several inches taller than Carol. “Okay, your turn, Carol.”