Murder & The Monkey Band: High Desert Cozy Mystery Series Page 8

  “Rosa, this is Carl Mitchell. He’s going to appraise Mrs. Jensen’s jewelry, and I’ll be helping him. By the way Carl, her son mentioned she had a ten carat marquise cut diamond ring with a platinum setting that wasn’t in the floor safe. He asked me to be on the lookout for it. He opened the safe to show me what was in it, and that’s when I decided I needed your expertise. I closed it, and Jim gave me the combination. Let’s go back to her bedroom where the safe is. I’ll open it, and we can get started.”

  “Ms. Morgan,” Rosa said. “I remember seeing Mrs. Jensen wearing that ring. It was one of her favorites, but I haven’t seen it since she died. I thought you might like something to eat this morning, so I made some sweet rolls and a pot of coffee. May I bring you some?”

  “That would be wonderful. Thanks!” They walked down the hall to the bedroom, and Marty walked over to where the floor safe was. She took the combination from her purse and opened it. “How do you want to do this, Carl?”

  “I’d like you to take one piece of jewelry at a time out of the safe. Place each piece on this black velvet cloth I brought and photograph it. We’ll follow that process until you’ve photographed each piece, and I’ve examined each one. I want frontal and side photos as well as any shots of identifying marks. Make sense?”

  “Yes, here’s the first piece. Let me photograph it, and we’ll go from there.”

  Carl had just finished with the last piece when Laura walked into the bedroom holding a butcher’s knife and a cutting board in her hands. “Good grief, Laura, what are you doing?” Marty asked, at a loss as to why her mild-mannered sister was walking into the room with a butcher’s knife in her hand.

  “You haven’t found the missing ring, have you?” Laura asked.

  Carl and Marty both shook their heads, indicating no.

  “I know where it is. I just had a vision that told me where to look for it.”

  “What are you talking about?” Carl asked. “I’ve seen some pretty strange things while I’ve been in this business, but I’ve never had anyone walk into a room where I was conducting an appraisal with a butcher’s knife and a cutting board.”

  “Carl, we don’t tell many people this, but in addition to working for an insurance company, Laura’s a psychic, and that’s what she means by a vision,” Marty said.

  “Marty, this is way over my head, and I’m not sure I’m comfortable with it. Laura, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Carl asked.

  “Yes. Do you see that styrofoam wig stand at the end of the closet shelf? It’s shaped in the form of a human head so a wig can be displayed on it. Carl, you’re taller than we are, would you please lift it down and put it on the cutting board?”

  Carl stood for a moment clearly trying to decide whether or not Laura was deranged. “Carl, please,” Marty said. “I’ve learned if Laura says she wants someone to do something strange, there’s a very good reason for it.”

  He stared at her for a moment then lifted the styrofoam head off the shelf and asked, “Do you want me to put it on the board upright or lay it down?”

  “Roll it over so the back of the head is upright, and I’d like both of you to take a couple of steps back.” They did as she asked, and a moment later she raised the knife over her head and brought it down, splitting the wig stand from top to bottom. A ring with a large diamond in it rolled out of the split head. “Here’s the missing diamond ring. Do you want me to put it on the black velvet so it can be photographed?” Laura asked.

  “How did you know that’s where it was? I’ve never seen anything like this in all my life. My mind is having a hard time accepting what my eyes just saw,” Carl blurted out with an amazed look on his face.

  “Thanks, Laura. We’ll take it from here. Knew there was a reason I wanted you on this appraisal. It’s not uncommon for women who live alone to hide something valuable in unusual places like the pocket of their bathrobe or some other place, although I’ve never seen anything quite like this.” She photographed the ring and handed it to Carl whose eyes were uncommonly large as he stared, gape-mouthed, at the large sparkling diamond ring.

  “I’m almost afraid to touch it. Laura, could this thing be hexed or something? I guess what I’m asking is if I’m going to have something horrible happen to me because I’m about to touch it?”

  “No, I did a protection chant before I came into the room. We’re all going to be just fine.”

  “You did a protection chant,” Carl said. “Swell. I can’t even believe I heard those words, much less that I’m saying them. I’ve heard of a sixth sense, but this is definitely the first time I’ve ever experienced it. Do you realize if you hadn’t found that ring it probably would have been thrown out when the room’s unneeded items like the wig stand were cleaned out and dumped in the trash? Wow! I’m impressed.”

  Carl finished up his examination of the ring and said, “I need to leave. Marty, it should take me about a week to get my report to you. Thanks again for asking me to do this. Laura, I should say it’s been a pleasure to meet you, but instead I think I’ll say you’ve provided me with the most extraordinary experience I’ve ever had in my life, and I rather doubt anyone would believe me even if I tried to tell them about it. I know you two ladies have a lot more to do here, so I’ll let myself out.”

  “Thanks, Carl. I’ll be talking to you,” Marty said.

  He walked out of the room, shaking his head and mumbling to himself.

  CHAPTER 19

  “Laura, I don’t know if Carl will ever accept another appraisal of mine after you broke open the styrofoam head with the butcher’s knife and found the ring.”

  “Yeah, it was kind of exciting,” Laura said, laughing, “Now what?”

  “As long as we’re in the bedroom, I’d like to do the furniture and decorative items and finish up with the antique perfume bottle collection on the vanity.” The master bathroom was a huge room with a tiled floor, a large tiled shower with six jet sprays, a claw foot tub, and an antique vanity which displayed the perfume bottles. The bathroom overlooked the hills and the only window coverings were white silk tieback drapes. Brightly colored blooming orchids were placed throughout the room.

  “Sounds good. Shall I be the official holder of the tape measure like yesterday?”

  “That would work for me. We’ll start with the bed.” For the next two hours Laura held the tape measure and whatever else Marty asked of her while Marty painstakingly took the dimensions of the item and anything pertinent to it, recorded it, and photographed it.

  At noon, Rosa walked into the bedroom and said, “I’d like to fix lunch for you, if that’s all right. It will be ready in about twenty minutes.”

  “That would be great, and those sweet rolls were wonderful. Thank you. Actually your timing’s perfect. I’ll finish up everything but the perfume bottle collection before lunch, and after lunch we can tackle it.”

  Twenty minutes later, they walked into the breakfast nook where Rosa had set out lunch for them on the table. “This looks fabulous Rosa. Thank you so much,” Marty said, “What do we have here?”

  “I made stuffed avocados with a chicken salad filling and a fruit compote. The drink is a virgin pomegranate blueberry rickey. Mrs. Jensen had one almost every day at lunch. I hope you like it.”

  “Thank you, I’m sure we will.”

  A few minutes later the buzzer rang, indicating there was someone at the gate. “Who’s there?” Rosa asked as she pressed the intercom.

  “It’s Detective Combs.”

  “I’ll open the gate for you and meet you at the front door.”

  A few minutes later Jeff walked into the breakfast nook. He greeted Marty and Laura and turned to Rosa. “If you have any more avocados and fruit, I would love some. I haven’t had time for lunch, and it looks like it’s going to be a busy afternoon.”

  “I have plenty. I’ll be right back.” Jeff sat down at the table, “Well ladies, how was your morning?”

  “Pretty unbelievable. You should have be
en here,” Marty said. She told him about the diamond ring, how Laura had a vision of where it was hidden, and Carl’s reaction to it.

  “I’m with Carl, but I have to admire him for staying in the room. No offense, Laura, but if you’d walked into a room where I was with a butcher’s knife, I’m not sure I would have stayed around to see what was in the wig stand. That’s pretty unbelievable. I’m kind of sorry I missed it. Would have made a great water cooler story.”

  Rosa set a place for him and put a luncheon plate in front of him along with a big glass of the rickey. He took a huge sip. “Rosa, that’s not only delicious, but it’s one of the most refreshing things I’ve ever had.”

  “I agree, Rosa. If you have time, I know someone who would love to have that recipe,” Marty said. She turned to Laura and Jeff. “Here’s another one I can see being served at The Red Pony.”

  “Certainly, Ms. Morgan. Mrs. Jensen has a copy machine in her office. I’ll make a photocopy for you.”

  “Thanks. Jeff, how was your morning?” Marty asked.

  He put one of his hands out in front of him, palm facing down, and wiggled it back and forth as if to say, so-so. “I called Henry Siegelman early this morning and told him I wanted to meet with him this morning. The nice thing about being a detective is that a person will generally agree to see you. The not so nice thing about being a detective is that the smart ones have their attorney there and don’t answer many questions on the attorney’s advice. Henry is one of the smart ones.”

  “I’m picking up that his attorney was there when you arrived. Would I be right?” Laura asked.

  “You don’t need to be a psychic to figure that out. Yes. Of course Henry denied any involvement in Mrs. Jensen’s death. He said he’d approached her several times about buying the three pieces of the Meissen Monkey Band that his collection lacked. He said she’d told him she had no intention of ever selling them. I asked him if I could see his set. He showed it to me, and I have to say, I don’t know a thing about antiques, but the Monkey Band is kind of cute. These little monkeys, and I mean little, they’re only about five inches high or so, are charming in their little 18th century outfits and playing their various different musical instruments. I can see where he’d want to complete the set.”

  “So what do you do now?” Marty asked.

  “There’s not much I can do unless something breaks. I have an appointment with Pam’s son, Jim Warren, this afternoon. I’d like to know where he was the night of the murder. I’m also curious how he’s taking the news that his mother signed a Will which nullified the one he has, and he stands to inherit half of what he thought he was going to get.”

  “I’m glad you’re the one who will be talking to him and not me. He’d probably be number one on my list of suspects,” Laura said.

  “Coming from anyone but you, I’d take that lightly. With what I’ve seen and I’m hearing about you, I kind of wish you hadn’t said that,” Jeff chuckled. “Since you feel that way, I’ll be very careful when I interview him, although people tend to put on their best face when the detective comes calling.” Rosa walked over to the table and put a plate of cookies on it. “Rosa, if you have a couple of minutes, I’d like to talk to you. You may know something that’s more important than you think.”

  “Certainly, Detective Combs. May I clear the dishes first?”

  “Of course. While you’re doing that, we can enjoy these cookies. They look delicious. I never met Mrs. Jensen, but from the pictures I’ve seen of her she didn’t look the least bit overweight, but after eating this lunch, I don’t know how she managed to stay so slim and trim.”

  Rosa laughed and carried a load of dishes over to the sink.

  “Well, ladies, enjoy the rest of your appraising. I’m going to talk to Rosa, and then it will probably be time for my meeting with Jim. I’ll call you later. Marty, I’d like to know how the rest of the appraisal goes today.”

  “Actually, why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?” Laura said. “John mentioned he was making a special dish tonight, and I’ve never had one of his special dishes that wasn’t fabulous. Plus, he always makes more than enough.”

  “You’re definitely a psychic. I was angling for an invitation, but I just wasn’t sure how to go about it.”

  “Consider it done. Marty, let’s go. I’m interested in the antique perfume bottle collection. Meet you in the master bathroom.” She stood up from the table and walked away.

  I hope it’s okay with you that I wangled an invitation to dinner,” Jeff said.

  “Absolutely. I was trying to think of a way to do it without risking the three of them making a big deal about it. You saved me the embarrassment. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing you this evening.”

  “That makes two of us,” he said, lightly brushing her cheek with the back of his hand and then walking into the living room where Rosa was waiting for him.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Rosa, this shouldn’t take long, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t interview you, because you, more than anyone else, know the details of Mrs. Jensen’s activities prior to her death. First of all, how long have you been working for Mrs. Jensen?” Jeff asked.

  “I started working for Mr. and Mrs. Jensen ten years ago,” she answered in a soft voice, avoiding his eyes.

  “How many days a week did you work for them, what hours did you work for them, and are they the only ones you work for?”

  “I’m here five days a week, from eight in the morning until five in the evening. They always gave me the weekends off. You see, I have two little granddaughters that my husband and I are raising. I don’t work for anyone else.”

  “Tell me what you did for the Jensens.”

  “I made certain the house was always clean and that the collections were always dusted. I usually made lunch for Mrs. Jensen if she didn’t have other plans.”

  “So as part of your duties, you regularly dusted the different collections, is that correct?”

  “Yes, as I told you yesterday I usually dusted the collections once every week or so. I probably dusted the perfume bottle collection weekly because it wasn’t under glass. The Meissen collection was behind glass and didn’t get as dusty.”

  “Tell me about the Meissen collection.”

  “Mrs. Jensen loved to collect things, but the Meissen collection was her favorite. She was always getting calls from antique dealers or auction houses telling her about different Meissen pieces they had available. She occasionally bought from them. She subscribed to a number of antique magazines and was on the mailing list for catalogues from all the major auction houses. She often told me how lucky she was that her husband was so wealthy and never put any restrictions on what she bought. She told me it made him happy to see her enjoy something so much.”

  “When you left the house on the evening Mrs. Jensen was murdered, did you observe anything strange?”

  Jeff noticed that one of her hands was on top of the other one, clutching it so tightly her knuckles were white. The sheen of perspiration on her upper lip had intensified. She answered, “No, sir, when I left she was here. She said she wouldn’t be going out that night and told me she’d see me in the morning. When I came back the next morning she was in her bedroom, dead.”

  “What did you do when you found her?”

  “I called 911 and pretty soon a lot of policemen and other people were here.”

  “Let me change the subject for a moment. I noticed a security alarm when I came in today. I assume you knew the code and how to arm it and disarm it. Would that be correct?”

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “When you left in the evenings, did you arm it?”

  “I usually did, although for the past couple of months Mr. Jensen’s ex-partner, George Ellis, usually took her to dinner. I always asked her if she wanted me to arm it or if she would take care of it.”

  “And the night she was murdered?”

  “She asked me to arm it, because she was staying in for the evening an
d would not be going out to dinner with George Ellis.”

  “And do you know why she wasn’t going out to dinner with George Ellis when she’d been doing so for some time?”

  “I’m not sure, but I overheard her talking to her friend, Nikki Bolen. She’s the one who was here yesterday.”

  “Yes, I know Nikki Bolen.”

  “Well, she told Mrs. Bolen that George wanted to marry her, and she had turned him down. She said she had no idea he felt that way about her.”

  Jeff continued to carefully watch Rosa. He could tell she was nervous about something, but he didn’t know what. She began to blink rapidly.

  “Rosa, I’ve been in this business long enough to know when someone is withholding information from me, and I know you are. Why don’t you tell me what you know? I promise whatever it is, no one will know what you’ve told me.”

  She began to sob softly and said in a whisper. “I can’t say anything. He said he was going to hurt me or my granddaughters. I promised I wouldn’t say anything, but I’m responsible for Mrs. Jensen’s death. I intentionally didn’t turn on the alarm like she asked me to.”

  “Rosa, I can get round-the-clock protection for you and your granddaughters, but I need to know what you know. If I don’t have that information, I can’t help you. Remember, whoever it was who said that has to know you’re talking to the police, and it’s been my experience that they don’t keep their promises. There’s a very good chance he’s afraid you’ll talk to the police, and he’ll kill you anyway. I don’t know your marital situation, but that might make it very difficult for your granddaughters. Please, tell me what you know, and I’ll help you,” he said in a friendly, coaxing voice.

  Tears slowly ran down her cheeks. “I’ve never done anything like this in my life. My granddaughter needs surgery, and we don’t have the money. My husband, Julio, has been out of work for months, and we can barely make it through the week. We’ve been living on what Mrs. Jensen paid me.” She stopped and pulled a Kleenex out of her pocket, wiping her eyes.