Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 07 - Cupids & Crooks

A Presley Thurman Novella

By Laina Turner

Five Seas Ink, LLC

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“How did it go today?” Cooper said, setting down his bag and loosening his tie.

I was lounging on the couch reading my latest US Weekly. “Eh. It went well enough, but same old story. Too qualified for an entry-level job, they don’t think I will be happy if I take an entry-level job, they are concerned I will leave as soon as a better offer comes along. I get it, after years in the human resources field myself, I realize from their perspective it is a legitimate concern, but dammit, I’m really trying to change careers here.”

I had a business degree
, and had been the VP of human resources at a large corporation for years thinking it was my dream career. Turned out I was wrong, and after quitting that job had tried a few different things, with nothing being that dream job I was looking for. I wasn’t even exactly sure I knew what it was that would be my dream job. I loved books and writing, but had been struggling with actually finishing anything, and I was enough of a realist to know that the chances of making a career out of writing were slim, and at best would take years to ramp up enough to support me and my shopping habit. As I had been soul searching to figure out what I wanted to do with my life I had continued to work part-time at Silk, a high end retail boutique I had managed for a while. Today my interview had been with a small publishing company for a position as an editor. It was an entry level job paying far less that I had made during my last stint in corporate America, but more than I made as a part time sales girl at Silk. It was a job I thought I would enjoy, and these days that was much more important to me than money.

“Well I have something that might cheer you up?”

“What? Not another offer to work with you, is it?”

“Would that be so bad? I didn’t think it went too terrible in Dallas,” he said, referring to the bet I had won, and subsequently he had made me part of his team on one of his recent jobs. His company had been hired to figure out who had been harassing, and then killing, contestants at Pageants Unlimited, the premier beauty pageant company in Texas.

“Not at all, but I thought you said new clients were on hold for now until you decided what to do about the company?”

“It is,” he said, planting a kiss on my cheek as he sat down next to me on the couch. “I’m meeting with the potential buyer tomorrow morning. It’s the after-meeting part that I think you’ll be interested in.”

“What?!” I turned to face him. “What do you have up your sleeve?” I looked at his suspiciously.

“He leaned over to where he had set his bag, rifled around for a couple seconds, and pulled out an envelope which he then sat on my lap.

I looked down. “What’s this?”

“Well go ahead and open it and find out,” he said smiling.

I opened the envelope and pulled out two tickets. After looking them over I turned to Cooper. “We’re going to Cabo San Lucas?”

He nodded, still smiling.

“We’re going to Cabo San Lucas,” I shrieked and threw my arms around him, and then sat back grinning from ear to ear. Being mid-February it was cold and snowy here in Chicago, and getting away somewhere warm would be amazing.

“I kind of thought you would be happy. Can you be ready by tomorrow afternoon?”

“Uh, yeah! I can be ready right now. What brought this on? Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled, but you’re not usually Mr. Spontaneous.”

“Well for once I’m trying to change that. After all it is Valentines Day Friday, so what better time to be spontaneous?”

“You’re the best boyfriend ever!” I was beyond elated. I mean I had hoped for dinner and some candy, though that was the last thing my hips needed, not a trip to Mexico. I grabbed my laptop off the coffee table and opened the lid. I looked at the ticket and brochure that accompanied it and typed the name of the resort we were staying at in the search bar. “Wow! Look at this, it’s gorgeous!”

“It comes highly recommended by one of my clients. I think you will find the poolside to your liking.”

“And the five star restaurant and the snorkeling! This is the best Valentines ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I said again hugging him trying not to let the laptop slide off into the floor.

“You’re welcome. Now, you can keep looking at the website, I’m going to jump in the shower.”

“Ok. What do you want for dinner?”

“What are my choices?”

“Well I could cook, or order a pizza?”

“Spinach and mushroom please,” he requested walking to the shower, and I laughed. I wasn’t a very good cook, and while he tolerated it well he rarely passed up a chance to forgo my cooking. I reached for the phone to call the pizza place and then started making a mental list of everything else needing to be done before I left.

*****

“You said you’d be ready. Now c’mon, the car is waiting,” Cooper said a bit exasperatedly at me.

“I know, I know. Just need to grab one more thing.”

“That’s what you said three things ago!”

I rolled my eyes. “Got it,” I said grabbing the pair of shoes I was looking for and stuffing them in my suitcase.

“Good, now let’s go!”

I locked the door behind us and we made our way down the elevator. Coming out into the lobby I waved at Charles, the doorman who had worked at this building longer than I had been alive.

“Going somewhere, Miss Thurman.”

“Just a few days in sunny Mexico!” I smiled.

“That sounds fun. You have a good time and I’ll keep an eye on things.”

“Thanks, Charles,” I said waving over my shoulder as Cooper rushed me out the door.

“Where’s your car?” I asked him, looking around and not seeing anything besides a black Lincoln Town car that didn’t look like the Buick he had rented from Enterprise when he got to Chicago a few days ago. Cooper officially lived in San Diego while I resided in Chicago. While not the optimal situation, he traveled a lot, so we were able to make it work. Though if he sold his business like he had been talking about things could change.

Cooper motioned to the Lincoln. “This is your airport transportation today.”

“Ok, wait a minute,” I said, setting my Louis Vuitton bag down and crossing my arms in front of my chest. “What is going on here? Did you win the lottery or something?”

Cooper laughed. “Nothing that exciting. It’s John’s. The guy I met with this morning. When he heard I was headed to the airport after our meeting he offered me the use of it. Said he didn’t need it until later and the driver would have plenty of time to drop us off. Who was I too refuse?”

“I’m glad you didn’t. This trip just gets better and better.”

Unfortunately, the trip getting better stopped at the airport. O’Hare was always a crapshoot when it came to flights being on time, and this trip we lost big. Two delays and an hour on the tarmac waiting for other planes in front us to take off we finally were on our way just to arrive at the airport in Cabos to a lock down by the Policia because someone had been caught smuggling drugs.

“I’m hot, tired, and hungry,” I said as we finally we able to leave the airport, and were settled in a taxi to take us to the resort.

“In a few minutes you can sit poolside and refresh yourself with a cold margarita,” Cooper said.

I closed my eyes. “That sounds like heaven.”

We rode in silence the rest of the way to the hotel. Me because I was thinking about that refreshing margarita and every time I opened my eyes to look at Cooper he was checking his email.
I felt the taxi come to a stop and the driver put the car in park and I opened my eyes wide. Stepping out of the taxi my weariness wore off as I could smell the ocean and see a sliver of the beach from where I was standing.

The driver sat our
luggage down on the stone driveway and Cooper paid him, and then Cooper grabbed our luggage. Walking in to the lobby I was greeted by a young women passing out what appeared to be a fruity drink of some sort, which I gladly accepted and I took a drink.

“Ummmm…rum punch. Now I am starting to feel refreshed.”

“Why don’t you have a seat and enjoy your drink and I will get us checked in.”

“Thanks, babe,” I said kissing him on the cheek. “You’re too good to me
, you know that?”

“Right. I’ll remember that next time you
’re mad at me,” he joked.

“Are you ready?” I asked Cooper, who was still in the bathroom doing who knows what.

“Just about. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you up and ready to go so early and so fast.”

“That’s because it’s easier to get up and get dressed when I’m looking forward to my morning coffee by the pool overlooking the ocean. Now hurry up!”

By the time we had got checked in and to dinner last night the sun had been already going down, so this morning I was excited to enjoy the beautiful sunshine out by the pool followed by a day of doing nothing but laying by the pool drinking beverages appropriate for the time of day. I was thinking mimosas, followed by bloody mary’s, and then moving on to wine. Of course interspersed with naps and reading; I had a new book by one of my favorite authors, Richard David Bach, downloaded on my Kindle ready to go.

“You look nice. Is that a new suit?”

“Yep,” I said, happy that he noticed. My new black polka dot two piece bathing suit and black maxi dress I had over the suit fit well considering I hadn’t been to the gym in longer than I could remember. I had thought I had a few more months before needing to don a bathing suit and then this unexpected trip came up. Goes to show you should always be ready.

“Poolside breakfast?” Cooper asked.

I looked at him sideways.

“OK, stupid question. Poolside it is. I assume you wish to relax by the pool today?”

“Of course. What else?” I replied, putting on my oversized sunglasses to prepare myself for stepping off the elevator into the open-air lobby.

“Then I assume you won’t mind if I sign up for the golfing excursion?”

“Not at all. Golf away.”

The elevator doors opened and we stepped out, but instead of the relaxing tranquility of the main floor we experienced yesterday, and that I had been looking forward too today, the place was crawling with cops and the area of the foyer, which led into the main pool, area was cordoned off with police tape.

“What the hell is going on here?” I said to Cooper in a loud whisper. I couldn’t help but wonder. These things always got my interest.

“Let’s not worry about it. We’re on vacation remember? We should be relaxing without a care in the world.”

“I know that, but aren’t you the least bit curious?”

“No,” he said.

“Folks, I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but our poolside area is currently closed. If I could escort you to the patio overlooking the golf course we have a full breakfast buffet being set out as we speak,” a handsome concierge told us.

“What happened?” I asked him as he led us to the other side of the hotel?

He was silent for a minute. “Well I’m not supposed to say, but there was a murder this morning,” he said in a hushed tone.

“Really?” I said leaning a little closer to him.

“Yes. Lucia Vegas,” he said with a bit of awe in his voice.

I had no idea who that was and my face must have shown that because he continued.

“Lucia Vegas is a famous soap opera star here in Mexico. She was staying here for a few days. But you didn’t hear it from me,” he added as an afterthought.

I made a show of zipping my lips. “They won’t hear it from me.”

We made it to the patio and Roberto, that’s what his name tag said, waved his arms in the direction of the empty tables. “You can have a seat anywhere you’d like and help yourself to the buffet. Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” Cooper said.

After settling down with a cup of coffee and a plate piled high with fresh fruit and a gigantic blueberry muffin, and trying not to think about the carbs in the muffin, I said to Cooper, “So what do you think happened to this soap star?”

“I was wondering how long it would take before you brought it up,” Cooper said, taking another bite of his eggs.

“Well of course I’m interested. Aren’t you?”

“Presley, this has nothing to do with us. We are here to relax.”

“How can I not be curious about a murder in our hotel. Should we be worried about our safety? There was that special on Investigative Discovery about women being kidnapped and brought to Mexico to be used in the sex trade.”

“First of all that was Juarez, Mexico, not Cabo San Lucas, and yes while bad things can happen anywhere the chances of it happening here are slim. Besides…” He paused.

“Besides what?”

“Besides you don’t exactly fit the profile those guys look for,” he said trying to hide a smile.

“And why is that?” I said with mock sternness. “Are you saying I’m too old?”

“Not at all, they just typically like blonds,” he laughed as I threw a strawberry at him.

“Jerk!”

“More coffee, miss?” The waiter asked me.

“Yes please,” I nodded. “What am I going to do if I can’t go to the pool?” I assumed it would be a while before the crime scene tape was taken down and the pool was opened up to the pubic.

“They have another pool here. I saw it in the hotel materials back in the room w
hile you were showering. It’s smaller and I’m not sure exactly where it is, but you should still be able to lay out and enjoy the sun.

“
Good. What time do you think you’ll be back from golfing?”

“In time to get ready for dinner. Does that work for you? Speaking of which, I need to get going if I’m going to make the class before tee time,” he said looking at his watch.

“Yep. Shall I make reservations at the steak place or seafood place?”

“Let’s try the seafood place and save steak for tomorrow.” Cooper sat his napkin down over his plate to signal to the waiter he was done and pushed his chair back from the table. He stood up and planted a kiss on top of my forehead. “Have fun at the pool.”

“I will. You have fun golfing.” Cooper walked away and took the last sip of my coffee and gathered my own things to head to the pool. I walked back toward the foyer and saw Roberto. “Hey, Roberto,” I called out. He turned toward me.

“Yes, miss?”

“Do you know how long the main pool will be closed for?”

“I’m not sure, but I can show you to our other pool. It’s not quite as large, but I assure you it is beautiful and has all the same amenities.”

“That would be wonderful.” We headed across the foyer and he pointed me to the hallway that lead out to the gardens and then to the pool. I found a lounge chair and sat my stuff down. A skimpily clad pool hostess came over and gave me a couple towels and I got comfortable. The sun was already warm overhead and although I had just finished breakfast thought I might be ready for a short nap.

I closed my eyes and was just drifting off when I heard two women having a conversation come sit down at the chairs next to mine.

“I can’t believe we paid this kind of money to stay here and there was a murder right in front of us,” one of the women said hotly. “I told Randy he needs to get some money back.”

“I agree, Denise. It’s unsettling to say the least.”

“I heard the lady who was murdered was someone famous. At least here in Mexico. I wonder if she had a stalker.”

“Roberto told me that she was here recovering from minor plastic surgery and that’s why she was out at the pool so early. She didn’t want anyone to see her.”

That Roberto was an awful blabbermouth
, I thought. I opened one of my eyes slightly to get a glimpse of the women. Big mistake as they caught me.

“I’m sorry, were we talking too loud? Did we wake you?”

“Oh, no. I was just sitting back with my eyes closed. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help overhearing. It’s awful what happened. My name is Presley, by the way. Presley Thurman,” I said sitting up to properly greet them.

“Nice to meet you, Presley. I’m Denise Pruitt and this is my best friend Regina Spice.” They both nodded at me. Both women looked to be in their mid fifties and the kind of well to do women who wore more jewelry to the pool than I owned altogether.

“It is awful what happened,” Denise continued the conversation. “I just shudder to think that could have been one of us.”

“Denise, don’t be so dramatic. That lady was a celebrity, none of us are. Unless you are, honey?” Regina said to me smiling.

“Nope. No celebrity here.”

There was a pause in the conversation as someone came over to take our drink orders. Any shyness I may have felt about ordering a Bloody Mary at nine am vanished when both Regina and Denise ordered Mojitos. These were my kind of ladies.

“So what did you hear about this morning,” Denise asked me. I was quickly getting the impression she was a direct person.

“Nothing more than you,” I shrugged.

“I wonder how famous she was,” added Regina.

“Let’s find out,” I said pulling my iPad from my bag. “What was her last name again?”

“Vegas,” said Regina.

“Wow, there’s already a bunch of information, or rather speculation on what happened to her.” I was silent for a second as I continued to read. “It says here she was on the soap opera, Rich Man, Poor Man. A saga on the financial highs and lows of a powerful Mexican family. Lucia played the oldest daughter and had been on the show for eight years.”

“That’s a pretty good run,” commented Denise.

“There is an article here that says an unidentified source said Ms. Vegas was found facedown in the pool at the Grand Cabello Resort with two bullet wounds. It is not known at this time whether Ms. Vegas drowned, or was shot first.”

“Wow. Dead in the pool. I’m not so sure I want to go back in there,” said Denise.

Regina grimaced. “I have to agree with you there.”

“Does it speculate as to who killed her?” asked Denise.

“Hmmm…it says police have no leads at this time and goes on to say she was well liked by her co-workers on Rich Man, Poor Man and didn’t seem to have any enemies. Everyone is shocked and saddened by the loss…more typical stuff.”

“Just goes to show you always have an enemy out there somewhere,” said Regina.

I put my iPad back in my bag, leaned back, and closed my eyes again for a few minutes. As we all sat in silence I couldn’t stop thinking about Lucia Vegas. A gorgeous, according to the photo online, actress who was reasonably liked, in the prime of her career. Was it jealousy that turned someone against her? A competitor or jilted lover?

I tried getting my mind of
f Lucia by pulling out my Kindle and opening to a book I had been reading on the plane and really enjoyed. Regina and Denise were doing the same thing and I should have been enjoying the relaxing sunshine and my Bloody Mary. I just couldn’t focus and my mind kept going back to the murder. What would the harm be in asking a few questions? Just to satisfy my curiosity. Of course Cooper would tell me it was none of my business that we were here on vacation and I should stay out of it, but he wouldn’t even have to know. A couple questions and then I could drop it. I was in a foreign country, so it was not like I could do a whole lot. My Spanish didn’t go much past ‘hi’ and ‘what is your name’. I sat up and put my things back in my bag.

“Ladies, please excuse
, me I think I am going to go back to my room and cool off.”

“It was great meeting you, Presley. I’m sure we will see you around the hotel.”

“I look forward to it.” I headed back to my room and changed out of my suit into a bright green maxi dress. I had brought one every color. They were so comfortable and cool. Matching flip-flops and no jewelry completed the look and I grabbed my big tote again. It had my laptop and Kindle. You never knew when you might need electronics. I had plenty of time before Cooper came back from golf to poke around and I was going to take advantage of it.

I headed back down to the main lobby and was hoping Roberto was still working. He seemed talkative and maybe would be willing to give out more information if he knew any. Other than that I wasn’t sure as to what I was going to do. Stepping off the elevator there were a lot less people standing around than earlier this morning. Maybe that meant the police were almost done? Though I agreed with Regina. I’m not sure I would care to go in that pool after a dead body had been in there. Surely they drained it and filled it back up.

I saw what looked to be reporters standing by the police tape talking amongst themselves. Maybe one of them would be willing to share. I walked up to them and received a couple friendly smiles.

“Are you a reporter,” one of the women of the group asked me after a few minutes of me just hanging out there. She was well dress in a soft yellow linen suit, a fabric I was never very successful at wearing without looking like a wrinkled mess. Which she was not. A wrinkled mess that is.

“No. Just a curious hotel guest,” I shrugged somewhat shamefully. I did feel a little bad being a rubber necker to someone’s untimely demise.

She smiled again warmly, sensing I was a little uncomfortable being called out. “Don’t worry. You’re not the only one curious,” she spoke with English just as good as mine and only a hint of an accent.

“Then may I ask what happened?” I stepped a little closer to her.

“Another young life wasted in senseless tragedy,” she said with a bit of a dramatic flair. I could tell already I was going to like her.