Three-Day Weekends are Murder Read online

  “The one and only.”

  “Be careful. He could look for a chance to bust your chops. Things could get dicey.”

  She shrugged. “Unless he put out the hit himself, he could hardly have planned this whole thing to get back at me.”

  “No, but he might have heard the Chief needed a stand-in on this case and volunteered.”

  “Don’t worry. I can handle myself.”

  A few months ago, Tom might have questioned that. After seeing her in action, he had no doubts she could. “Keep your eye on him, anyway. The other problem with Cranston taking over—”

  “You mean besides his cutting corners when it comes to correct procedure?”

  “Yeah. He’ll want to give the Chief fast results by closing the case with Eric. He won’t get out and beat the bushes. Instead, he’ll put together circumstantial evidence and pitch it to the district attorney. A prosecutor looking for a quick name for himself will file charges for the sake of getting headlines even knowing the case may fall apart in court.”

  Pat grabbed his wrist, turned the palm over, and put something in his hand.

  Tom glanced at the flash drive and closed his fist. “What’s this?”

  “I made copies of the case docs before I turned the file over to the Chief.”

  “Are you crazy! We could both get in trouble for this.”

  Fisher’s head dropped. She looked at the ground. “Want to give it back?”

  “Heck, no!” Tom flashed a broad grin. “I’ll be in touch, Rookie.”

  Chapter Ten

  Maddy flashed a smile and leaned over the bar. “Remember me?”

  “The woman with the flirting ex. Is that why you divorced him?”

  “You nailed it,” Maddy told the barman. “Are we that obvious in public?”

  “I saw you leave when I clocked out. You didn’t look happy.” He had a grin that lit up his face. “Don’t feel bad. I see a lot of it standing behind a bar eight hours a day.”

  Without offering an explanation, Lea gave a description of the victim and asked if he waited on her.

  “I didn’t wait on her, but I remember her. Hard to forget a looker like that.” He lowered his eyes. Lea was certain he knew she was dead.

  “We’re looking into what happened. Any information you can give us will help.”

  He looked around. There were no customers he needed to serve but there was also no reason for him to be idly chatting during his shift.

  Lea picked up the vibe and ordered two Bloody Marys. He talked as he prepared the drinks. “She came into the bar and looked around the room. At first, I thought she was meeting someone.” He placed a drink in front of Maddy. “Same as you. When I remembered who she was, I figured she was just checking things out.”

  “What do you mean?” Maddy asked. She licked the liquid off the celery stalk and chewed on it.

  “Her hair was different, and she was wearing glasses, but I’d seen her before.”

  Lea and Maddy looked at each other.

  “I tried to take her order. She said she’d be joining someone for drinks. I told her if she described the guy, I’d help her locate him. She said she could find him. I moved to another customer and didn’t talk to her again.”

  Lea read pain in the young man’s face. “I know it's difficult, but we need to hear what happened.”

  “When I came in today, I stopped by the reservations desk.” He swiped the counter before wringing out the bar rag. “The girl at reception and I have a game. We bet on who hooks up after they’ve been in the bar. When I went off shift yesterday, I told her to keep an eye on the blond in the designer eyeglasses. My money was on her.”

  “Did the girl at reception tell you what happened?” Maddy asked.

  “She said the woman didn’t have the kind of night she would have wanted. She got carried out of here in a body bag.” The words sounded more callous than his tone conveyed. He shuffled his feet. His voice turned wary. “Hey, you aren’t reporters are you?”

  Lea handed him a card embossed with the inscription ‘Lea Austin, Consultant’ and an email address. Paul always complained that the one word description was less than forthcoming, but no one asked what she consulted about. She kept her answer vague. “We’ve been asked to look into the matter.”

  He seemed reluctant to continue. Lea glanced outside and got an idea. “There's quite a breeze stirring up out there. Bet it puts a damper on the patio trade.”

  “My tips drop with the temperature,” he confirmed. “People leave the beach and go downtown to check out the local stores. Not many hang around the bar.”

  “Maybe we can help you make up some of those lost tips.” She put a twenty on the bar and nodded at Maddy.

  “Really?” Her sister frowned before reaching in her bag and plopping another twenty on the bar.

  The bartender’s head swiveled in each direction before he pocketed the bills. “She’s been coming around every few months for the last year. After the first couple of times, I started thinking she was running some con on the hotel guests, but we never had reports of thefts. I couldn’t figure it out.”

  “Maybe she was a single woman looking for a hot date,” Maddy suggested.

  He drained the red liquid from a jar of maraschino cherries before dumping them into a condiment holder. “She always came to the bar alone. Single women trying to get hooked up for the weekend come in groups of three or four. If things go well, at least one ends up having her last drink with a guy. The others get tipsy and call a taxi. This woman was different.”

  Maddy finished her drink and pointed at Lea’s full glass. “You going to drink that or let it evaporate?”

  Lea pushed the glass toward her sister without taking her eyes from the barman.

  “I watched her work and finally put it together,” he continued. “The giveaway was in the guys she picked.”

  He held up one finger and walked over to the register where he rang up a tab and placed it on a barmaid’s tray.

  “What kind of guy was her type?” Lea asked when he returned.

  “Most chicks check out men who look like they’re single. She seemed to be interested in dudes wearing a wedding band.” He rubbed a glass with his towel to remove water spots. “Suits here on convention. You know, the ones who get liquored up fast, enjoying freedom from their ball and chain.”

  “You mean she was a hooker?” Maddy asked.

  “Nah. It wasn’t that obvious. I suppose she could have been, but they’re usually set up by phone or internet and meet a guy in a room.”

  “So she was alone when she arrived?” Lea clarified.

  “I only said she didn’t come in the bar with anyone. When she checked into the hotel, there was a scruffy-looking guy with her. She had an overnight bag and the little guy carried a pouch slung over his shoulder.”

  “A guitar player?” Maddy asked.

  “No way that dude’s a musician,” he snickered. “More like a camera case.”

  * * *

  People filtered into the bar causing Lea to look at her watch.

  “They start early on a holiday,” the barman explained.

  “Thanks for your help,” Lea told him. Maddy grabbed a cherry from the condiment tray on their way out.

  She and Maddy conferred in the hallway.

  “What’s your read?” Maddy asked.

  “The woman said she was looking for someone when she entered the bar. If she wasn’t a prostitute looking for a john, maybe she planned to steal from hotel clientele. Or Eric may have been a specific mark. It doesn’t point to a motive for her murder, but it shows us where to look to find out more about her. She’s in the con business in some capacity.”

  “It sounds like it,” Maddy agreed. “We need to find the dude with the camera case. If they pulled something at hotels before and got caught, Tom could pull their rap sheets except…”

  “Except what?”

  “For the time being, he's in no position to do that.” She told her sister ab
out her message from Tom.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Lea asked.

  “Because I feel terrible. It’s all my fault.”

  “Regardless of your feelings, it means he won’t be much help. We’re more on our own than I thought. Luckily, we’ve got our own source. You stay at the hotel and talk to the manager. Find out about anyone who’s caused trouble in the past.”

  “How am I supposed to switch from talking about art to asking about con artists?”

  “You’ll figure it out. Fabrics and fabrication are right up your line.”

  “What will you be doing while I’m jeopardizing the relationship with my new client?”

  Lea smiled and raised a finger. “A woman in the victim’s line of work most likely has enemies who may want her dead. I’m going to talk to someone familiar with the business to see if we can narrow the list.”

  “And track down the little guy?” Maddy asked.

  “That, too.” They gave each other a high five.

  * * *

  Lea left the hotel and stopped at the Visitors Bureau to buy a ticket for a tour. She visited the Castillo Adobe several years earlier as a parent chaperone for Jon’s school class, but she wanted a refresher. This time she would look more for facts than artifacts, and possibly add her own footnote to the Adobe’s colorful history.

  Her destination was not far from Buena Viaje, but freeway construction slowed traffic to a crawl. As she joined a line of cars waiting for a flagman to signal them through the one-lane traffic, she thought about Amber.

  The young woman helped Tom in a sting to bring down her pimp. Since then, Lea had been helping her get her life back on track. Together, they found a government-subsidized apartment across town from the seedy hotel where she used to turn tricks. During the day, Amber attended classes to get her GED and took part in a jobs training program. At night, she waited tables at a delicatessen, away from bars and restaurants serving alcohol.

  Lea parked close to the campus and made her way to the computer lab. Several students typed furiously as instructions flowed through their headphones.

  She tapped Amber on the shoulder. The young woman jumped, startled from deep concentration.

  “Can you take a break?” Lea whispered.

  They walked into the courtyard and found a shaded bench under an oak tree.

  Lea handed Amber a cup of cappuccino. “I hoped I’d find you here.”

  “Thanks, I can use this.” Amber gestured toward the lab. “It’s only open four hours today. It gets intense, but I love it. My speed has improved. I keep up with the recording with no typos and without looking at the keyboard.”

  Amber’s face radiated a pride completely missing after her handler destroyed her confidence. Tom had done more than save her life from the hit-man sent to kill her. He had rid her of the insufferable controller in her life by putting her pimp behind bars.

  Her appearance had blossomed as well. A chic short style replaced long, stringy hair. In place of sunken eyes and hollow cheeks was a healthy complexion highlighted by a light dusting of blush and expertly-applied mascara.

  After several moments of chitchat, Lea got to the point. “I need information about someone you may have known.”

  Amber’s muscles tensed. Her smile froze in place.

  “It’s nothing to worry about.” Lea put her hand on Amber’s arm. “I’m looking into an incident at the hotel last night.”

  “The woman who was murdered.”

  Lea was surprised Amber knew of it so soon.

  “It’s homework for my social studies class,” Amber explained. “We choose one story from the news each day and write an essay on how it affects our community. I saw the woman’s picture.” She lowered her head like a turtle disappearing into its shell.

  Lea imagined how difficult it must be to dredge up memories of a painful past. “I wouldn’t ask except my sister’s ex-husband has been arrested. He had nothing to do with the murder but we need to prove that to the police.”

  “What do you want to know about her?” Amber asked.

  Lea felt a rush like a jolt of caffeine. “So, you knew her?”

  “Not well. She came to Cleo’s place twice when I was staying there.”

  “Cleo.” Lea thought a moment. “The woman who recruited you for your pimp?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So the woman was a prostitute? Lea guessed. “Was she working for Joey?”

  “I don’t think she even knew Joey. She wanted to get hooked up with a fence.”

  Lea’s face registered surprise. “She was dealing in stolen goods!”

  “That’s the impression I got. She had a diamond bracelet, nothing she was wearing on her wrist or anything, and she talked about some painting. Something by a guy with a French sounding name. It must have been worth a wad of dough. Hearing about it made Cleo light up like a Christmas tree. Believe me, the only thing that lights Cleo up is money or a good line of coke.”

  “What’s the woman’s name?”

  “Cleo never uses names. She calls everybody sweets or hon.” She saw Lea’s head drop. “I’m not being much help.”

  “You’re doing fine,” Lea assured her. “One more question. Was there a short guy with her?”

  “Not when I saw her, but Cleo asked her about a half-pint.”

  “What did the woman say?”

  “Something about sending him to their next stop because she needed some space. Cleo laughed at her and said ‘I knew having a partner would get on your nerves.’”

  Lea carried the empty cups to the trash container while she considered her next move. She hesitated to get Amber involved with her old crowd. She wasn’t sure the young woman was strong enough to stand up for herself. On the other hand, it could be the right next step to prove to Amber that she was in charge of her life and ready to call the shots in her future.

  She resumed her seat beside Amber. “I’d like to talk to Cleo. Can you set up a meeting?”

  Lea watched Amber consider the request. Instead of giving an answer, Amber asked a question of her own. “Is Lieutenant Elliot working this case?”

  “As a matter of fact, he is.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it. I owe him for saving my life.”

  “You repaid Tom when you testified against Joey.”

  “Maybe,” Amber said. She took Lea’s hand and smiled shyly. “But it’s nice to be working on the right side of the law this time.”

  The glow on Amber’s face spoke volumes of how far she’d come.

  Chapter Eleven

  They were thirty miles east of Buena Viaje on a road that ran parallel to the ocean. Amber pointed to a billboard depicting a luxurious condominium project encouraging buyers to Make your Next Home your Ultimate Living Experience. “Next block on the right,” she said.

  Lea slowed in front of a walled property with a manned security gate. “Looks like a fancy place.”

  “Cleo’s kind of digs.” There was a bitter edge to Amber’s voice. A man with a clipboard approached the car. She leaned over Lea. “We’re here to see Cleo Masters in Building 5. She’s expecting us.”

  He ran a pen over a paper on his clipboard before pressing a remote. He stepped back as the gate swung open. “Number 506. Straight ahead on your right. Have a nice day.”

  The complex was a landscaped neighborhood comprised of two-story Spanish style buildings. Manicured green areas with flower beds and trimmed hedges surrounded each building. Tables and chairs or hammocks were visible on most balconies. They passed a swimming pool, tennis court, and clubhouse on their way to Building 5.

  Lea looked over at Amber.“You sure you’re okay about doing this?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  Lea pulled into a space for ‘Building 5 Guests.’ A moment after ringing the bell, they heard the metallic sound of heels descending stairs. The woman who greeted them was heavily but attractively made up. She wore tights, jean shorts, a white cropped top, and a blazer. Her black hair was knotted in a
ponytail.

  She grabbed Amber’s shoulders and tried to give her a peck on the cheek. “Hey, hon, look at you!”

  Amber backed away.

  The woman covered the awkward moment by turning to Lea and extending her hand. “Cleo Masters. You must be Lea. Angie told me about you.”

  “Not Angie,” Amber protested. “It’s Amber now.”

  The voice was too tense for Lea’s comfort. She caught Amber’s eye as she reached past her to shake hands. She noticed the woman’s long nails and black polish. “Nice to meet you, Cleo.”

  The woman started up the stairs. “C’mon up. Don’t worry about the dog. He’s a barker, but completely harmless.” She scooped up a small yapping dog at the top of the stairs. “Aren’t you, baby?”

  “Terrier?” Lea asked.

  “Toy fox,” Cleo confirmed. “Great watchdog, even better buddy. He loves curling up and watching TV with me.”

  The room at the top of the stairs was decorated in a blend of marine and ultra chic furnishings which maintained a balance between luxury and lived-in. Everything spoke pricey from the wall-mounted television to the pictures on the walls. Lea could see how easily this lifestyle would impress Amber or any girl without means of her own.

  Cleo waved an arm in front of them. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

  Lea and Amber sat on the sofa. Folding a leg under herself, Cleo dropped into an armchair. Her eyes scanned Amber from head to toe. She nodded with approval. “You look great, hon.”

  Amber didn’t acknowledge the compliment.

  “Looks like those rumors about you going straight are true. Good for you. I’m glad to see it.” Her voice had the ring of sincerity. “I always thought you were wrong for the business. I even had a, what do you call it, a premonition. I told Joey he’d get in trouble over you.”

  Amber clenched her jaw.

  Watching for Cleo’s reaction, Lea tackled the elephant in the room head on. “You know Amber testified against him.”

  “I’m glad she did.”

  The response took Lea by surprise.

  “It was a monkey off my back when that creep got sent away.”