Murder & The Monkey Band: High Desert Cozy Mystery Series (10 page)

“As you well know, I’m not an antique
collector, but these bottles are charming. Tell me something about them,” Laura
said, “and while you’re at it, what do you want me to do here?”

“First of all, I’d like
you to put each bottle on either this white piece of cotton fabric or on this
black velvet piece. Spread it out, so I can photograph the bottle. If it’s a
clear bottle or a white bottle, put it on the black velvet. Like Carl, I always
carry a piece of white fabric and some black velvet with me for use as a
backdrop when I’m photographing small items.

“This is probably the
finest perfume bottle collection I’ve ever seen. I remember going out on an
appraisal years ago and the client had an extensive perfume bottle collection.
The woman was paranoid about it. She told me she lived for that collection, and
every spare minute she had she spent studying auction catalogues and going
online to see if any new bottles had come on the market, but the reason I
remember that particular appraisal so well is that she told me I couldn’t touch
any of the bottles. She said she would stay in the room with me the whole time
while I appraised the collection to make sure I didn’t lay one finger on any of
the bottles.”

“Don’t you have to look
for identifying marks, and aren’t they often found on the bottom of the
bottles?”

“Exactly. If something had
ever happened to any of those bottles, I’m not sure the insurance company would
have paid a cent based on all the caveats I put in the appraisal report about
not being able to see the identifying marks, etc. I’ve often wondered whatever
happened to her. I hope she and her collection are happy, because I think
that’s about all she had.

“Anyway, you asked about
antique perfume bottles. They were made in all kinds of mediums, including
glass, silver, metal, art glass, cut glass, pressed glass, porcelain, and
enamel. Even Meissen made perfume bottles and unless I’m way off, I’d be
willing to bet that figurine towards the back of the collection depicting a
monk carrying a young girl on his back is a Meissen. Yes,” she said, picking it
up and looking at the bottom, “there are the crossed swords in the underglaze
blue, the early mark. Believe me, a Meissen perfume bottle made in the 18
^th
century is hugely desirable. I wonder if Henry Siegelman knows about it. If he
does, I’m sure he’d want to add it to his collection.”

“I’d love to see his collection,”
Laura said, “but even the thought of him fills my mind with the color black. I
don’t need to be around that kind of dark energy.”

“If he had something to do
with the theft and the murder, I would think black would be the operative color
for him. Okay, let’s get started. I just did a quick count, and we’re looking
at over two hundred pieces. That’s going to take at least three hours. We can
probably do the perfume bottle collection and then finish up with one of the
guest bedrooms, and that will be it for today.”

“Where do you want me to
start?” Laura asked.

“I’d like you to arrange
them by category, you know, put all of the silver ones together, then all of
the cut glass, and so on. That will make it easier for me when I research
them.”

A few hours later Rosa
knocked on the door, even though it was open. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I
didn’t want to startle you and have you drop one of those perfume bottles. Mrs.
Jensen loved that collection.”

“I’m not surprised. It’s a
superb collection. What can I help you with?” Marty asked.

“Mrs. Bolen is here and
would like to talk to you. She says it’s important.”

Marty raised her eyebrows
in surprise. “Really? That’s kind of thought-provoking. I can’t imagine what
it’s about. Would you tell her I’ll meet her in the breakfast nook in a minute?
I’m down to the last one of these perfume bottles, and I’d like to finish up,
so I don’t lose my train of thought.”

“Marty, why don’t you talk
to her alone? She didn’t ask for me, and it may be a private conversation. I’ll
stay here and put the bottles back just the way we found them. I can take some
photographs of the items in the guest bedroom. It looked like it was just
furniture, a couple of rugs, and some paintings. You can finish up after you
talk to her. Okay?”

“That would be a big help.
I really don’t want to stop what I’m doing to talk to her, but if she came out
here to talk to me, I probably better make the time,” Marty said as she walked
out of the room.

Nikki was sitting in the
breakfast nook sipping a glass of the pomegranate rickey Rosa had served them
at lunch. She was just as beautiful and just as impeccably dressed as she had
been yesterday. A simple turquoise sleeveless linen sheath hugged the curves of
her body, making the dress appear to have been custom made for her. Silver
bracelets, earrings, and rings with turquoise pieces studding them accented her
dress as well as her dark hair which had been woven by her hairdresser with
auburn strands. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, and she knew it.

She looked Marty up and
down as Marty approached the table. Marty read the silent disapproval and felt
like she not only belonged back in the Midwest, but probably should have been
in one of the barns back there. Nikki looked every bit the uptown girl and next
to her, Marty felt like she was a “farm girl.”

Well, I am what I am
, Marty thought.
Might
as well get this over with as fast as I can.

“Good afternoon, Nikki.
What can I do for you?”

“Sorry if I appeared to be
giving you the once over, but I was. You really should consider getting your
hair styled by a good hairdresser. It would be a start and would help you a
lot. I’ll make this brief. The only reason I’m here is because Pam was my best
friend. I called Jeff this morning to talk to him. He and I have been out to
dinner quite a few times, and I was under the distinct impression it was more
than a casual relationship. Evidently I was wrong. He told me he didn’t want to
see me anymore, and that he was interested in someone else. I asked him if I
knew that someone else, and he told me it was you. Sorry, Marty, but I’m having
a hard time thinking you’re more appealing to a man than I am, but that’s what
he told me.”

Jeff thinks I’m more
appealing than this vision,
Marty thought incredulously.
Think the man needs to have
his eyes checked. I would have bet the farm that the two of them were probably
an ongoing item and that last night was nothing more than a hiccup in his
social life. Maybe not.

“Anyway, that’s history. I
have enough men interested in me that you’re more than welcome to him. This is
the reason I’m here. I met a friend for lunch at Mai Tai Mama’s today. Pam and
I met there almost weekly for years, and I know everyone who works there. The
hostess, Jill Lakey, was visibly upset when I got there. I know her well enough
that I asked her what was wrong. She told me that the owner, George Ellis, had
really been acting strange the last few days. Jill knew he and Pam had been
seeing one another, and she wondered if he was grieving over her death.”

“If he’d been seeing her,
I wouldn’t think that was particularly unusual,” Marty said.

“Nor would I. Jill told me
that a few minutes before I’d gotten there she’d knocked on his office door to
see if she could bring him something to drink. She’d seen him go into his office,
so she knew he was in there, but he didn’t answer her knock, and so she walked
in. He was seated at his desk, and there were a bunch of small china figurines
on it. She thought that was really strange. She asked him if she could get him
anything, and he was furious she’d come into his office without his consent. He
screamed at her to get out, or he’d fire her. She ran out of the room.”

“I probably would have
left too if someone had screamed at me to get out of their office.”

“Yes, but here’s the thing
I need to tell you and you probably need to tell Jeff, since he won’t accept my
calls. I tried calling him with this information, but it went to voicemail, and
I know he monitors his calls. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk to me. Jill
told me she’d never seen anything like those little figurines. I asked her what
was so unusual about them, and she told me they were little monkeys all dressed
up in old time costumes and playing musical instruments.” Nikki sat back and
watched Marty’s reaction.

“The Monkey Band,” Marty
gasped. “Do you think it was the Monkey Band that’s missing from here?”

“I have no idea, but I
think it’s really a strange coincidence that George would have been seeing Pam
for several months, Pam breaks it off, and then after she’s murdered he
suddenly has a Monkey Band set. I’m sure Pam would have told me if he had a
Monkey Band set. I know she liked him, but that was it. After Brian’s death she
told me she would never marry again, because Brian had been the love of her
life. What do you think?”

“I don’t know what to
think,” Marty said, “but I certainly agree that it’s strange. I’ll mention it
to Jeff. I’m sure it might very well have some bearing on this case.”

Nikki stood up and said,
“I’d say it was nice seeing you again, but we both know that would be a lie.
Enjoy Jeff. He’s a nice man.” She turned and in a loud voice said, “Goodbye
Rosa, I’ll let myself out.”

Marty stood for a moment
before she went into the guest room, knowing that what Nikki had just told her
was important, but not sure where it fit into the murder of Pam Jensen and the
theft of the Monkey Band.

“We’re at a good stopping
place,” Marty said, “Let’s call it a day. We can finish this tomorrow. The main
thing tomorrow will be the Meissen collection and the furniture and art in the
living room. There are a couple of other rooms we haven’t done yet, but they’re
not a problem. I have a book expert coming to appraise the antique books, and
he’s going to meet us here at nine tomorrow morning. That should give him
plenty of time. I’ll be glad when this one’s over. Way too much drama for me.”

“I agree.
While you’re doing a quick scan of your photos, I’ll tell Rosa we’re leaving.”

They walked
out the door to Marty’s car with Rosa following. Rosa turned around and went
back in the house. “Go ahead, I need to turn on the alarm,” she said. She came
out of the house, waved to them, and began walking towards the bus stop.

Laura looked
to Marty and said, “See that car over there. It’s probably a psychic thing, but
I think it’s following Rosa, and she doesn’t look the least bit nervous. I’ve
got a feeling it’s the police, and they’re watching her. Maybe she told Jeff
something that led him to believe she needed police protection.”

“Come on,
Laura. Police protection? That’s a pretty big stretch, even for you. I know
Jeff was going to talk to her, and maybe it has to do with that. If it turns
out it is police protection, I’ll owe you a big apology.” They put the camera
equipment into the trunk and got into the car. Marty turned to Laura. “You’ve
been here with me for two days. Any thoughts on who did it?”

“Well, one
thing I’m noticing is that Rosa looks like the weight of the world has been
lifted off her shoulders. We’ll have to ask Jeff what happened during their
talk.”

“I’m glad. She
seems like a very nice woman. I’m sure Jeff has to talk to everyone connected
with the case, but I’d hate to hear she had anything to do with it.”

“She didn’t.”

“How do you
know?” Marty asked.

“Same way I
always know. I just know. Just like I know the car following her is police
protection for her. Now tell me what Nikki wanted to talk to you about.”

Marty related
the conversation she’d had with Nikki and concluded with, “I’m glad she told
me. It does indeed sound strange that George would have possession of a Monkey
Band set.”

Laura was
quiet for a moment. “You need to tell Jeff about that. Somehow that’s a very
important part of the case.”

“What makes
you say that? I agree, it’s weird this George Ellis guy would suddenly have a
Monkey Band set when one was stolen out of Mrs. Jensen’s house, but I sure
can’t see him doing anything to harm Pam Jensen. Remember, he wanted to marry
her. You usually don’t murder someone you want to marry, right?”

“Maybe if
you’d been thinking your whole life you were going to marry a certain woman,
and then she tells you she has no intention of marrying you, you might do
whatever is necessary in order to make sure that no one else ever marries her
if you can’t have her.”

“Laura, that’s
a little farfetched even for you. You don’t seriously think that the man who
wanted to marry her was also the person responsible for killing her?”

“It may be
farfetched, but the spirits or whatever in the heck you want to call them, are
telling me he needs to be investigated. I strongly suggest you tell Jeff, and
if you don’t, I will.”

“Well, you
don’t need to get all high and mighty on me. I’ll tell him. Anyway, he’s coming
for dinner tonight.”

“I’m well
aware of that. If you remember, I was the one who had to ask him, because you
were afraid of what your friendly neighbors in the compound would think if you
did.”

“I’m beginning
to think it’s a good thing I’ve never taken you on any of my appraisals before
this one. I’m beginning to think it’s affecting your common sense.”

“I think it
is, too. Let’s hope you don’t have any more appraisals where the owner gets
killed, and one of the victim’s collections is missing and playing a major role
in solving the murder.”

“Laura, we
don’t have any proof she was killed for the Monkey Band. At this point, it’s
sheer conjecture.”

“It’s not only
sheer conjecture, I’m actually certain that was not the reason for her death.”

“So you think
it was a random thing. Someone just happened to gain access to her house, offed
her, and then stole the Monkey Band set. Please Laura, that’s a little hard to
swallow.”

“Maybe so,
Sis, but when this is over and done with, I’d like you to think back to this
conversation and remember what I said about the Monkey Band not being the
reason for her death.”

“So you think
the theft of the Monkey Band was collateral damage?” Marty asked.

“Yup, that’s
what I think,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Well, you’re
entitled to believe whatever you want. Anyway, I need to stop at the Hi-Lo drug
store and pick up the photos I uploaded to their photo department last night.”

“Since we
don’t have to cook again tonight, no problem,” Laura said. “I need to pick up
some eye drops anyway. I love living here, but this desert air really affects
my dry eye syndrome. As long as I wear my contact lenses, I’m fine, but when I
wake up in the middle of the night and in the morning, I can barely get my eyes
open. Feels like sandpaper.”

“I had no idea
it was that bad. I’m sorry, Laura. I’m going to change the subject, but I have
to tell you how much I love this little town of High Desert. I mean, look at
the buildings. They’re old-time, not some modern monstrosity. Everybody keeps
their houses and offices up beautifully. It has a great deal of charm. We’ve
got all the basics here like a doctor, a dentist, and those types of services.
And I love the market. It’s a real market where people come into town and bring
what they grew in their gardens, although that’s not so easy to do in the
desert. The owner of the market even puts colorful plants in the flower beds
next to the entrance. You never see that in big cities, but I think what I like
best of all is that the people here are real people. Every time I’m in Palm
Springs, all I want to do is get back here and be around people like Max,
people who have lived here all their lives and can’t imagine living in some big
city and probably wouldn’t be able to survive if they did.”

“I know
exactly what you mean,” Laura said. “I never thought I’d be happy in a town
that has one main street, one church, and one market, but I feel so lucky I
stumbled on this place. I find the local residents to be absolutely charming.
They don’t have pretenses, and even though I’m a newcomer they’ve accepted me.
Wherever I go, they greet me and sincerely seem to care how I’m doing. After living
here, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

Marty pulled
into a parking space in front of the Hi-Lo drug store and said, “This may not
be healthy, but I also love this drug store. When’s the last time you ever had
a pharmacist ask you if you could tell him about a Victrola record player he
inherited from his grandfather? It’s wonderful.” They opened their car doors,
stepped out, and walked into the store.