Murdered By Plastic Surgery Read online

  Lucy threw back her head and roared with laughter. “Don’t know ‘bout Killer bein’ house trained, but the old man and I sure are puppy trained.”

  Marty interrupted her. “Lucy, please don’t tell me you named that beautiful yellow Lab puppy, Killer. If I were to pick one name that didn’t fit a yellow Lab that would be it.”

  “Well, Marty. Ya’ know how it goes. Sometimes ya’ jes’ gotta roll with the punches, and in this case the punch was the name my old man had always wanted to give to a dog if’n we ever got us one. I couldn’t even put an ante in the poker pot, if ya’ know what I mean. From the moment we got the little guy, his name was Killer.”

  “Well, I guess that’s that. So, tell me, how is Killer doing, or more importantly, how are you and your husband doing with a puppy?”

  “Dang dog has a lot more pull with the old man than I do. Only way I could ever get the old man outta the sack on a weekend mornin’ was by cookin’ up a load of bacon. He couldn’t resist the smell. Well, ya’ probably don’t wanna hear this, but that dang dog sleeps between us at night. Anyways, when he wants to go outside in the mornin’, Killer jes’ licks the old man’s cheek, and next thing I know the old man’s boundin’ outta bed and walkin’ Killer. Don’t that beat all?”

  “I’m getting the impression that Killer has definitely wrapped himself around your husband. Are you happy you got him?”

  “Can’t imagine life without that little love bunny, but I’m kinda gettin’ tired of the cookin’.”

  “Lucy, don’t tell me you’re cooking special meals for a puppy that doesn’t seem to have any health problems.”

  “No problems I know ‘bout. Funny thing. Right after we got him, we was cookin’ a steak out on the BBQ. Next thing I know the old man is givin’ a big piece of it to Killer. From then on no matter what meat or fish we was cookin’, Killer was sittin’ ‘bout as purty as a dog can sit lookin’ up at us with them big brown eyes. Can’t say I really cook for him, but will say I sure think about what we’re gonna have, so we can share it with him. Killer likes people food.”

  “I’ll bet he does. That’s going to be a hard habit to break.”

  “If’n the old man has anything to do with it, that habit ain’t gonna be broke. I mean, it’s the least we can do for the little guy. He doesn’t ask much in return fer all the love he gives us. Will say my old man has bought every dog toy ever made. He hates to go into Palm Springs fer anything and guess who made a trip yesterday to Palm Springs?

  “Yep, ya’ guessed it, my old man. Said something ‘bout needin’ a special light bulb they didn’t have at the hardware store here in High Desert. Right. Like the hardware store in Palm Springs has dog toys? Old man came home with a whole bag of ‘em. I didn’t even ask. He had his head down when he put ‘em in Killer’s toy box, so I’m guessin’ he was a little embarrassed. Yep, our lives have definitely changed, all thanks to you and us takin’ care of Duke when ya’ was helpin’ out John with the food truck at that country music festival where some poor guy went and got hisself murdered.”

  “Yes, I well remember it. Glad to hear it’s working out, Lucy. I probably better get home. John doesn’t like it when people are late for dinner.”

  “Can’t say I blame him. Oh, I got a question fer ya’. I saw a woman in one of them photos, yeah I know I ain’t supposed to be lookin’ at ‘em, but kinda figure you and me got an arrangement ‘bout that. Anyway, her face looked weird. Seen some women down in the Springs that looked kinda like her. Looked like maybe a bad knife job.”

  “I’m sorry, Lucy, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t take pictures of people, just the items I’m appraising.”

  “Hand me the envelope, honey, and I’ll show ya’ what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.” She quickly rifled through the photos and picked out one. “Here’s the one I’m talkin’ ‘bout. See the woman in the background? You’ve heard of a bad hair day? Think she had a bad lift day. Looks like somethin’ happened to her face, and I ain’t talkin’ in a good way.” She pushed the photo across the counter to Marty.

  Marty look at it and involuntarily said, “Good grief she looks like…” She stopped talking and looked up at Lucy. “Sorry Lucy, I saw someone earlier today who looks a lot like her. I have no idea how she got in this photograph. It looks like a doorway in the background, and she’s on the other side. Maybe she was walking down the hall when I took the photograph.”

  “Could be, but doncha agree with me she looks kinda weird?”

  “Lucy, she’s my client’s wife, and I try to never discuss my clients with anyone, but between you and me, yes, I’d have to agree with you.”

  “I dunno. Maybe it’s cuz all them rich women start lookin’ like one another, know what I mean? They all starve themselves so they can look skinnier than they oughtta, wear fancy clothes, have people put paint in their hair, and they call it highlights,” she said as she made quote marks with her fingers. She continued, “and they’ve all had a little work done, although in her case it looks like it was a lot of work, and it sure wasn’t by any doctor I’d be wantin’ to visit, not that I’m gonna do somethin’ like that. Old man tells me he likes me jes’ like I am.”

  “Lucy, I’d have to agree with him,” Marty said laughing. “You’re an original. I really do need to go. Thanks. Here’s my credit card. Why don’t you ring me up, and I’ll be on my way?”

  CHAPTER 6

  Marty knew John didn’t like it when the residents of the compound were late to the dinners he prepared almost every night for them. Each of them gave him a monthly stipend in return for the dinners, but all of them still felt guilty about the small amount of the stipend considering how creative and wonderful his food was. Many times they’d raised the subject of increasing the stipend with him, but it always fell on deaf ears. The only nights they had to fend for themselves were when John and Max, who ran the second Red Pony food truck, had a catering event.

  When Marty drove in the driveway she was painfully aware that all of the other residents were already there. She quickly got out of her car and hurried through the gate into the central courtyard where the others were all seated around a large picnic table, catching up on the events of the day.

  “Hi, guys. Be with you in a minute. I need to put these photos in the house and walk Duke…”

  Jeff, her husband of a few months, interrupted her. “I’ve already done it, Marty, and I’m happy to tell you he is now at peace with the desert. I’ve been able to convince him that I’m the alpha male.”

  He was referring to Duke’s maddening habit of refusing to put his feet on the desert floor unless he wore the pink booties Marty had bought for him months ago out of frustration. The booties had provided the buffer Duke needed between him and the desert. Les, the very successful and sought-after artist who had been with Laura for many years, had finally broken Duke of his pink bootie habit when he’d walked him a few weeks ago. Les told them that it was very simple. He’d just made Duke aware that he was the alpha male, and Duke was not going to wear booties again. Marty really didn’t care how Les had done it, she was just glad she didn’t have to put the pink booties on him anymore. She was pretty sure Jeff had taken Les aside, and they’d come up with a scheme so Jeff didn’t have to walk a dog wearing pink booties. As a detective with the Palm Spring Police Department, she was sure Jeff was worried about his macho image and reputation. Privately she agreed. Pink booties and a police detective didn’t seem to go together.

  Marty put the photos she’d picked up at the Hi-Lo Drugstore on the desk in her house and returned to the courtyard. She sat down next to Jeff and took a sip of wine from the glass he handed her. “Laura was just telling us about your lunch and how one of the women at the bar was talking about your doctor client. She told us the woman wasn’t happy with the facelift the doctor had done, although Laura thought she looked okay, even if she did have big lips.”

  “Yes, it was very interesting. A couple of things came up this afternoon that are kind
of in that vein.” She told them about her conversations with Carl and Lucy. “Let me get the photo of Dr. Ramsey’s wife. Evidently I inadvertently took a picture of her, and I’d like all of your opinions as to how she looks. Laura, I’d particularly be interested in what you have to say.” Marty stood up and left the table. A few moments later she returned with the photo and passed it around.

  “I’ll go first,” Jeff said. “I think she’s attractive, but something seems a little off. She’s a little too plastic looking for my taste.”

  “Thanks, love, that just got you off the hook for having to pay for me to have an expensive operation,” Marty said. “If you’d raved about how gorgeous she was, I’d probably have to call a plastic surgeon to get me in on an emergency basis. You just saved us a bunch of money,” she said laughing.

  Les, Max, and John agreed with Jeff, that the woman in the photo was attractive, but something was off. Laura spent quite a long time looking at the photo. She raised her head and looked at Marty. “Remember when I mentioned the Stepford Wives at lunch? Well, looking at a picture of your client’s wife certainly brings it to mind. She looks a lot like that Brandy woman who was sitting at the bar complaining about her facelift. Quite frankly, it kind of creeps me out.”

  “I agree, Laura. I thought the same thing, but I wanted your opinion. Now I’d like to know if you’re getting any psychic vibes from the picture.” The residents of the compound and Max looked at Laura expectantly.

  She was quiet for several moments, and then she said, “Marty, I told you at lunch I had a bad feeling about the doctor. Seeing the picture of his wife does nothing to allay that feeling, and if anything, it enhances it. Actually, I have a very, very bad feeling about all of this. Something is going to happen, and it’s going to happen very soon. I think it’s going to involve you and Jeff.”

  Everyone was quiet while they absorbed what Laura had said. They had learned not to take Laura’s predictions lightly, so there was a sense of gloom and foreboding at the table. Jeff was the first to break the silence. “Okay, I’m sensing a dark mood at our table, so I’m going to lift it by sharing some news.”

  They all turned towards him, and Marty was the first to speak. “Jeff, please, don’t make us wait. What is it?”

  “Well, you may be looking at the future chief of the detective division of the Palm Springs Police Department. The chief called me in this morning and told me I was the frontrunner for the position. He said he’s also considering two other detectives, but right now he’s leaning towards yours truly, and he said he’d make a decision very soon.” He sat back smiling, clearly pleased.

  “Jeff, you never said a word to me about it. You even told me once you weren’t sure how the chief felt about you. When did all of this happen?” Marty asked.

  “He’s kind of hard to read. Actually, I was quite surprised. Anyway, here’s what happened. Last week the chief called a special meeting of all the detectives and announced he was taking applications for the position of chief of the detective division. He said it had been vacant for several years, but he felt that it should be reinstated. Anyone who was interested was asked to submit an application. I submitted one a day later. Not only is it a prestigious position, there’s a pay increase as well.”

  Les stood up and walked around the table to where Jeff was sitting. “Let me be the first to congratulate the new chief detective for the Palm Springs Police Department. I have no doubt you’ll get the position, and now I can say that I was the first to congratulate you.” He put out his hand and Jeff shook it.

  Jeff looked at Laura. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask your take on this, given what I’ve seen you do the last few months. What are your thoughts?”

  “You’ll get the position, but, and don’t ask me why I’m going to say what I’m going to say, but I’m seeing you running an obstacle course for the next few days.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s a good news and a bad news thing, but at least you see me getting the position,” Jeff said. “I suppose it could have been worse.”

  John motioned to Max, and said, “It’s time for us to go perform our miracle in the kitchen. Actually, the miracle has already occurred. I’ve just been keeping it warm in the oven. Dinner will be served shortly.”

  “Good timing, John. I see I’ve got a call from the chief and given what I just told you, I can’t afford to let this go to voicemail. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” Jeff walked through the front gate so he could talk to the chief in private.

  As it turned out, it was the kind of a call you really don’t want to get when you’re being considered for a promotion.

  CHAPTER 7

  “Good evening, Chief. This is Jeff.”

  “Sorry to interrupt your evening, Jeff, but we’ve got a new case, a murder. It happened in Palm Desert, but their police chief just called me and asked if we could handle it for them. They’re small, and they’re overwhelmed right now. I told him you’d be the lead detective on it. It goes without saying that when I make my decision regarding the new chief of the detective division, I’ll be looking at how you handle this case. You probably better get over there right away.”

  “I’m on it, Chief. Who was murdered, and where was the person murdered?”

  “He’s a plastic surgeon,” the chief said. Jeff felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was this what Laura had been referring to a few minutes earlier? The chief said, “His name is Keith Ramsey, Dr. Keith Ramsey. Here’s his office address where the murder occurred.” After hearing the name of the victim, Jeff realized that his sinking feeling was justified. The chief continued, “I want you to notify his wife. I know you’ve done this kind of a notification before, but try to see to it that she has someone with her when you tell her. That kind of news is never easy on a spouse.”

  Jeff wrote down the address and said, “That’s in the new area of Palm Desert, isn’t it? The one with all the fancy shops in it?”

  “Yeah, it is. I guess when people pay you big bucks to make them look better, you can afford the high rent district. I’m calling the men who will be working the case with you right now, and I’ll tell them to meet you over there. When you’ve had a chance to figure out what went down, give me a call.”

  “Will do. How was he murdered?”

  “Somebody put a scalpel in his back. Pretty fitting for a guy who makes his living using a scalpel, don’t you think?”

  “I’d say it’s a very interesting choice of a murder weapon,” Jeff said. “Wonder if it figures into the murder?”

  “Don’t know, Detective. That falls into the area of your investigation, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  “That I will. Talk to you later.”

  Jeff walked back into the courtyard just as John and Max were serving fried chicken, cole slaw, sourdough biscuits, and red rice. “I’m sorry, John, but the chief just called, and there’s been a murder. He’s putting me on the case as the lead detective, and I have to leave.”

  He turned to Laura, “Your psychic abilities were right on, Laura, but what you didn’t tell me was that the victim would be the very doctor the woman at the bar was talking about when you and Marty had lunch today. And he’s the same doctor who was, and I hate to use that word, since he’s now past tense, who was Marty’s client.”

  “Oh, no, Jeff!” Marty exclaimed. “I can’t believe it. Can you tell us anything about how he was murdered or when?”

  “Marty, here’s what the chief told me.” He related his recent conversation with the chief to them. “That’s all I know. I’m on my way to the murder scene. I’ll try and call you later tonight. If you don’t hear from me, go to bed, and I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  “Jeff, one thing before you leave. I’m supposed to go to Dr. Ramsey’s office tomorrow morning to complete my appraisal. I wonder if that’s even going to be possible.”

  “I’ll put your name down as someone who’s allowed to have access to his office which is now a crime scene. His st
aff is going to have to go in and cancel his appointments and surgeries. I have no idea if he has a partner or anything else at this point. I really need to leave. See you all tomorrow.” Jeff turned to go into the house and get his gun before be left.

  The remaining residents and Max were quiet after he left, then Marty spoke. “I think I’m in shock. I only met the doctor a couple of times, and while he wasn’t a particularly warm fuzzy type of person, I can’t believe someone would want to murder him.” She turned to Laura and said, “You probably better call Dick and tell him what’s happened. I don’t know whether to submit the appraisal report as an insurance appraisal or as a probate appraisal, so I’d like you ask him what he wants me to do.”

  “You’re right. I’ll call him right now. My phone’s in the house. Back in a few minutes,” Laura said as she stood up.

  When she returned, she said, “Dick wants you to complete the report. He’s going to call the doctor’s lawyer in the morning and find out how he wants you to proceed with the appraisal, but he said it would probably be an appraisal for probate. I don’t know if that changes the values you’ll place on the items, but I think you told me the pieces are quite unique and that you needed to do some research on the Internet. Does that help?”

  “It helps, but I’m dreading going into the place where he was murdered. Just the thought of it makes me uncomfortable. I’m really curious to see what Jeff finds out.”

  “Well, everybody, look at it this way. We have a front row center seat at a story which will probably be on all the news reports tonight as well as the lead headline in tomorrow’s paper,” Les said. “I’m sorry about your client, Marty, but John, I can’t help myself. For some perverted reason, all this talk of death makes me hungry. Maybe it’s because I’m alive. I’m sure some shrink would have a wonderful time trying to figure that out, but I have to tell you that the chicken looks delicious. I’m going to be the first to help myself,” Les said.