Booby Trap (22 page)

“You think Jane’s husband is behind the killings?”

“You never know. After all, it’s no secret that his wife was sleeping around. She didn’t try to hide it. Misplaced rage. Symbolic killings. Maybe he was sending some sort of sick message to her.”

“I don’t know about that. Dr. Brian’s a pretty nice guy. Rather mellow and humble for all his talent and fame. She’d been cheating on him for years. Seems like he would have flipped long before now, doesn’t it?”

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Bell. I appreciate it.”

“Then again,” he continued, ignoring my goodbye, “they always say it’s the quiet ones.”

After my talk with Mason Bell, I placed a call to Paul Milholland. Might as well pick his brain while I was on a roll. I only reached a mechanical voice mail. After leaving a short message to call me, I took a quick shower, applied my makeup, and got dressed in a pair of khaki trousers and a lavender sweater set. I stuck my feet into some cute new open-toed shoes with a nice heel, but on second thought threw on some socks and a pair of rubber-soled flats, sacrificing style for comfort. Who knew where the day would take me, and it was hard to think when breaking in new shoes.

I was about to call Jane Sharp’s office and see if I could talk to her about Madeline when my cell phone rang. The display said it was Lil.
Great
, I thought. She might be able to give me a direct line for Jane instead of going through her office. I also braced myself for hysterics about last night’s murder.

“Hi, Lil.” I tried to keep my voice upbeat, but my effort went unnoticed.

“Jane’s disappeared.”

Immediately, it occurred to
me that the Blond Bomber had tired of playing his little game and had gone after his main target: Jane herself. Not wanting to put ideas in Lil’s head, I kept my theory to myself. I need not have bothered.

“Oh, dear, Odelia, what if the Blond Bomber finally came for her? I was getting worried that she was in danger—the children too—I wished I had said something sooner.”

I noted that she didn’t say Brian came for Jane, just the Blond Bomber.

“Slow down, Lil, and tell me what’s happened.”

Lil took a couple of deep breaths before answering. “Brian called me this morning and told me that when he and the children got up this morning, Jane was gone.”

“
Gone
gone, as in vanished without a trace? Or gone as in packed her bags and moved out?”

“Hard to say. My granddaughter was the first to notice her mother was gone.”

“Not Brian?”

“Brian and Jane have not shared a bedroom in quite a while, and usually Brian leaves very early to do rounds at the hospital before going to his office. This morning, he was running late.”

“What else did Brian tell you?”

She took another breath. “He said Jane didn’t come home for dinner last night, so he took the children out to eat and later to a movie. He told me when they got home, which was after ten, Jane was sitting in the dark in the den drinking a glass of wine. She didn’t talk to any of them much beyond saying good night. When they went to bed, she was still in the den drinking. But this morning, she was gone, and there was no note. Brian said that some of her clothes are missing, too.”

“Sounds like Jane just decided to leave, Lil. You knew that she and Brian were separating.”

“That’s what Brian thinks, Odelia. In fact, he called to see if she might have shown up on my doorstep.” There was a short silence before Lil continued. “But what if she didn’t? What if that monster finally came after her? You heard about that poor girl from yesterday, didn’t you? Her hair was the same as Jane’s is now.”

“Lil, I seriously doubt that if the Blond Bomber came for Jane, he’d give her time to pack a bag.”

“You’re right, of course.” She let loose a nervous chuckle. “I’m probably overreacting. It’s just that she was so frightened yesterday after talking with you. And then that girl yesterday must have put her right over the edge.”

“Did you speak with Jane about Madeline Sparks? You know, the dead girl with the short red hair?”

“No, I did not. I didn’t hear the news until early this morning. I was going to call her, but Brian called me first.”

“I spoke to Mason Bell just a little while ago. Jane decorated a home the Sparks woman was living in.”

Lil gasped. “Just like the others.”

“Yes, just like the others.”

Immediately, a thought hit me. If Jane had not cut and colored her hair, would Madeline Sparks have been spared? Did the killer have someone else in mind, only to have his plans change when he noticed Jane had altered her look? Jane said that she had changed her hair only about two weeks ago. Whoever was killing the look-alikes was either someone she saw regularly or someone who was stalking her. A lot of women complain that their husbands or boyfriends never notice when they make changes to their appearance, yet here was one man who was paying attention—deadly attention.

“Lil, do you still think Brian might be the Blond Bomber?”

“No, not anymore, Odelia.” There was a long pause on her end.

“Lil, you still there?”

When Lil answered, she spoke barely above a whisper, as if the two of us were sharing secrets in a crowded room. “There’s something else about Jane and the Blond Bomber.”

I waited, but Lil said nothing further. I prodded. “Yes?”

“Jane asked me not to tell anyone, especially Brian, but I think it’s okay to tell you.”

On the other side of the phone, I was dancing a jig of impatience.
Come on, out with it.

With a sigh, Lil reluctantly let loose with the information. “Jane called me last night. I didn’t tell Brian when he called this morning, because she didn’t say anything about leaving and specifically asked me not to tell him about the call. She said it was for their safety—Brian and the children.”

The hair stood up on my arms. Something told me this might pop the doozy meter enough to send it to the moon. “And?”

“Jane called about nine thirty last night. It was late for her to be calling me, so I knew it had to be important.”

“And?” I prodded again, ready to bust a gut.

“Odelia, Jane said she now knows who the Blond Bomber is, and it’s definitely not Brian.”

The hair standing at attention on my arms was nothing compared to the scary tingle that shot up and down my spine. “Did she tell you who she suspected?”

“I asked, but she wouldn’t tell me. I’m very worried about her, Odelia.”

Now so was I.

“Maybe, Lil, Jane is running from the Blond Bomber. By leaving the house, maybe she thought she could remove the danger from her family.”

“Or maybe he already has her.”

“I think you should tell the police, Lil. Right now, as soon as we hang up. Under these circumstances, they need to be looking for Jane. And you need to tell Brian everything.”

“But I can’t, Odelia. I can’t tell him his own mother suspected him. Or why.”

“Would it be better to have Jane found dead and tied to a tree?”

Silence.

I made the decision for her. “I’m hanging up and calling the police myself, Lil. You do what you need to do, but I have to do what I have to do.”

After disconnecting the call, I placed one to Dev Frye. I gave him the details and answered any questions he had as best I could. There really wasn’t much more to go on beyond what I’d told him this morning, but the fact that Jane Sharp had flown the coop right after telling Lil that she knew who the Blond Bomber was might help in some way. I also knew if he felt the information important and helpful, he would make sure it got put to good use. And, in a way, it was my way of washing my hands of the scary mess.

If Brian Eddy wasn’t the Blond Bomber, then mission accomplished. I could walk away, right?
Right
? I asked myself again with more oomph. I could go back to being a middle-aged newlywed, where my biggest problem would be picking up warm cinnamon buns in the morning and working off my time debt to Mike Steele. After all, I had promised everyone that I was only trying to prove that Brian Eddy wasn’t the Blond Bomber. Now that that was pretty much a done deal, I had to fulfill my promise to my loved ones and butt out.

I called Greg and gave him the update. Immediately, his brain went to the obvious.

“So, you’re out of the murder business now, right?”

“Looks that way. Dev has the new lowdown on the Blond Bomber. The feds and the Laguna Beach Police are handling Harper and the Luke murder. Lisa Luke is in good hands. Even my father is doing fine and said not to visit until this weekend.”

“Great. So what are your plans for today?”

“I’m not sure. I could go into the office.” I looked at my watch. It wasn’t even eleven, yet I felt like it should be four in the afternoon. “I have work to do, but nothing that has to be done today.”

“I think you should take the day off, sweetheart. Relax. Go shopping. Sleep. Whatever you want. Then tonight, I’ll take you out for a nice romantic evening. How’s that sound?”

I felt a purr start to rise from my chest. Plans for a facial, manicure, and even a massage danced around in my brain.

“Sounds heavenly. Maybe I’ll even go to the mall and get some new candles for the bedroom.”

Greg chuckled. “Too bad that hot outfit isn’t ready.”

In spite of that scary thought, a smile came to my lips. “I’m sure I can come up with something suitable to wear after dinner.”

After giving Greg a
sloppy phone kiss, I transferred the clean towels to the dryer and placed a call to the office to tell them I would be taking a vacation day. At least that way I wouldn’t be running up the tab with Steele. Then I dialed Zee’s house. I knew she was heading to Compton to see Lisa today, but maybe later she’d have time to come with me for a little pampering.

When I got the answering machine at the Washington’s, I called Zee’s cell. She answered on the third ring.

“Odelia! I’m so glad you called.” Her voice sounded anxious, not pleased.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is Lisa with you?”

My heart stopped. “No, why would she be?”

“We hoped maybe she called you, and you picked her up.”

I didn’t like the sound of the word
hoped
. “Are you saying she’s not at Miriam’s?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. When she didn’t get up this morning, Miriam thought she was just sleeping late. Later, when Lisa still didn’t stir, Miriam checked the bed and found pillows under the covers.”

As my plans for a relaxing day of girly stuff sailed away into the horizon without me, I wondered what in the hell Lisa was thinking by leaving Miriam’s without telling anyone.

“Why, Odelia, would Lisa pull a fast one on us?”

“I have no idea, Zee, but I intend to find out. When was the last time Miriam saw her?”

“Last night about nine thirty. Miriam said Lisa was sitting up reading when she went to bed. She didn’t check the bed until just after nine this morning. That’s when she called me. I dashed up here as soon as I got the call.” I heard Zee talking to someone before coming back on the line with me. “Miriam just told me that Lisa seemed nervous last night, but she attributed that to everything she’s been through.”

“Dev was here this morning. He also said Lisa seemed antsy last night. Said she told him she wanted to get back to her life.”

“Doesn’t she realize the danger she’s in?”

“Dev said he really pushed her to understand that, and she seemed willing to wait it out a couple of days. She even got a leave from work.” I paused a moment. “Speaking of Dev, did you call him about this yet?”

“No, I wanted to check with you first. It was a long shot, but I really hoped she was with you.”

“Why don’t you stay at Miriam’s for a bit, just in case she turns up there?” Another long shot in my mind, but you never know. “I’ll call Dev and also drive down to Lisa’s place to see if she returned home.”

Compton’s about a forty-five minute to an hour drive from Newport Beach with good traffic. If Lisa did return home, how in the world did she manage it? She didn’t have a car. Did she call someone to come pick her up? Compton is definitely not the sort of place to wander around late at night, especially if you don’t belong there in the first place.

“Zee, did Lisa have her purse at the hospital, and a cell phone? I can’t remember.”

“She did have her purse. I remember because she told me how thoughtful Kirk had been in remembering to take it to the hospital for her insurance information. I don’t recall seeing a cell phone though.” I heard Zee talking to someone again, probably her Aunt Miriam.

If a woman has a cell phone, chances are it’s kept in her purse. Many purses now even have separate compartments for them. Unless Lisa left it on a table at home and it was overlooked when the paramedics came, I was pretty sure she’d have it with her.

“Odelia, Miriam confirmed that Lisa has her cell phone with her. She said Lisa got two calls on it last night. She knows one call was from Detective Frye because he also spoke a minute or two to Miriam, to thank her for her help. She’s not sure about the other call or whether or not Lisa received or made any after she went to bed.”

“Did Lisa ever call you while she was in the hospital? If so, and she used her cell phone, her number might be stored on your phone.”

There was a pause while Zee tried to remember. “No, sorry. I coordinated everything with Detective Frye.”

“The only way Lisa could have gotten out of Compton last night without us knowing was to have called a cab or called someone to pick her up.” I paused. “Or she could have taken a bus. Do busses run late at night in that area?”

“I’m not sure, but there’s not a bus stop near Miriam’s. So if Lisa left the house on foot to catch a bus, she wouldn’t have any idea where to go to get one or where it was headed.”

I started pacing the kitchen floor, trying to piece all the probabilities together. Something was fishy. Lisa was obviously dead set on going back home, if that’s where she went after leaving Miriam’s. And she was willing to risk her life to do it.

“I think she called someone or someone called her. But just to be safe, Zee, why don’t you call the cab companies that serve Compton and ask if anyone picked her up last night and where they took her—if they’ll even tell you.”

I grabbed my tote bag. “I’m on my way to Newport Beach,” I told Zee as I left out the back door and headed for the garage.

I was in the car, ready to back out of the garage, when I remembered the laundry.

“Hey, Odelia, where ya going?”

The question came from Silas. He was standing by our garage door, holding onto his bike.

“Just running an errand, Silas.”

“Can I come?”

“Actually, I’m heading to a friend’s place in Newport Beach. And I’m in an awful hurry. Besides, you should be in school.”

“Teacher conferences today, so no school. And Billy’s home with a cold. I’m bored.”

“Sorry, sweetie, maybe next time. Okay?”

I scooted back inside and checked the towels in the dryer. They were far from dry, so I reset the timer and hit the start button. A moment later, I was back in the car and hitting the road.

There were two calls I had to make ASAP: one was to Dev and one to Greg. I had promised Greg I would keep him informed, and I intended to keep that promise. Once in the car, I dialed Greg first, knowing that call might take less time than the one to Dev. As soon as Greg came to the phone, I filled him in. He wasn’t pleased that I was heading to Lisa’s.

“I don’t like it, Odelia. Harper could be watching the place. You could be heading right into danger.”

“I’m calling Dev right now, Greg. Either he’ll be there or he’ll send someone long before I arrive.”

Greg was silent for a moment. “Do you have keys to Lisa’s place?”

“No, of course not. I’m just going to see if she’s there and she’s all right, that’s all. I’m thinking that maybe she called a friend to take her home.”

“Good. Then make the call to Dev, pronto. If you insist on going, then just wait outside until he arrives, preferably in your car with the engine running. Although I’d prefer you to just call Dev and keep your nose out of it altogether.”

“I just want to make sure Lisa’s okay.”

“Sweetheart, Lisa made her choice to leave Miriam’s. If she’s in danger, she did that to herself. It doesn’t mean you have to follow her into the land of stupidity.”

My nose twitched, not because what he said offended me, but because I knew Greg was right. Lisa did make this choice on her own and without my involvement.

“As soon as I see whether or not she’s there, I’ll turn everything over to Dev. How’s that? It’s just that I’d feel better knowing myself. And if she is there, Dev might be able to convince her to leave. Maybe she just wanted to go home and pack a few things. Maybe there’s something very personal she needed, and then she was going to go back to Compton.”

“Do you really believe that, Odelia?”

“Not for a New York minute, but I have to know, Greg. As of this morning, both Jane Sharp and Lisa Luke have disappeared. I don’t know if they’re connected or even know each other, but it would drive me crazy to sit home.”

He gave me a big, exaggerated sigh.

Just as I was about to say something more, there was a loud noise, followed by my car acting funny. I pulled over to the curb.

“Greg, I think I have a flat tire. Hold on.”

I got out of the car and checked. Sure enough, my rear right tire was blown. But at least it blew on a surface street and not while I was sailing along on the freeway.

“Honey, I have a flat—the back right tire.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“No, don’t bother, it’s no biggie. I’ll call the Auto Club. They’ll send someone. That’s why we have them.”

“Okay. Damn, I knew those tires were getting bad. First thing tomorrow, we’re taking your car in and having all four replaced.” He laughed. “Someone must be watching out for you, sweetheart. At least the flat will keep you out of trouble for a while and give Dev time to get to Lisa’s.”

My nose twitched again, because again Greg was right.

After hanging up from Greg, I dug out my AAA membership card and called them. The dispatcher said they were very busy and it might be about twenty minutes before the service truck came. Nuts.

I was about to climb back into my car and call Dev when a vehicle pulled up—a white van I didn’t recognize. Although it was broad daylight and I was on a busy street, my natural instinct as a woman alone was to dash back into my car and lock the doors. Then the driver got out and asked if I needed help. I gave a sigh of relief. It was Paul Milholland, Jane Sharp’s delivery man.

“Hi,” he said, standing by the front of his van. “I thought I recognized you when I drove by, so I made a U-turn and came back. Can I give you a lift somewhere?”

“Thanks, but it’s just a flat tire. I called the Auto Club.”

“There’s a nasty tie-up on the 405. Four or five vehicles playing bumper cars. Might be awhile before a tow truck gets to you.”

“They warned me when I called.”

He ran a hand through his sandy hair. “If you have a spare, I’ll change it for you. Hate to see a woman stranded.”

“I couldn’t impose.”

“Not a problem. Why don’t you pop your trunk so I can get to work while you call the Auto Club back and let them know you’ve been rescued?”

It certainly sounded like a great plan to me and would save me a lot of time. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He made a gesture for me to open the trunk. After thanking him, I returned to the driver’s side of the car, reached inside, and pulled the trunk release.

Back standing on the curb near the front of my car, I called the Auto Club and cancelled my service call. Then I called Dev but only got his voice mail. I left him a message letting him know that Lisa was missing and I was heading to her place to see if she was there. I asked him to call me if he knew anything about her whereabouts.

Finished with my calls, I walked to the back of the car and watched Paul work. He had the spare out of the trunk and the car up on the jack, and was working on releasing the lug nuts. He worked efficiently, handling the wrench with tanned, muscled arms and work-worn hands. In spite of the slight breeze, he was dressed in just a tee shirt and jeans. On his feet were heavy work boots. At Lil’s I hadn’t noticed that his face was lined beyond his years.

“You have such a deep tan for so early in the year—do you work outside a lot?”

He shook his head. “Nope, actually spend most of my workday inside or driving.” He glanced at me and gave me a smile. “But I do love to surf. I do it almost every morning. When I’m not working, I spend most of my time at the beach.”

“My husband and I live less than a mile from here, just a few blocks from the beach. Sometimes we go to Sunset Beach on weekends to watch the surfers before breakfast.”

“You ever surf?”

“No, but my husband does on occasion. He’s in a wheelchair, a paraplegic, and very athletic. But his big sport is basketball.”

“Amazing what guys in chairs can do, isn’t it?”

I gave Paul a big smile. “He’s absolutely amazing.”

The last time I had a chance to talk to Paul Milholland, I was in a rush. I really needed to ask him some questions, so maybe the flat tire was a blessing in disguise.

“I left you a voice mail earlier today,” I told him.

“You did? Sorry I missed your call. I’m always missing calls when I’m in and out of the van, then forget to check for messages.” He looked up from his work for a quick moment. “What’s on your mind? Was it about that job you might have for me?”