Engaged in Murder (Perfect Proposals Mystery) (18 page)

“What about a zeppelin?” Mike asked me. “To keep with the opulent, out-of-this-world theme of my engagement. Is it possible to get a zeppelin to dock off the Willis and carry us away to our hotel destination?”

“A zeppelin?” I repeated. Do they have zeppelins in the United States? Well, there was the one they used to televise golf and other sporting events. “I’ll see what I can do. Keep in mind there are flight regulations around the buildings in town.”

“I know you can make it happen, Pepper.” Mike’s voice was sincere through my cell phone. “Remember, money is no object. If you have to grease a few palms, simply say the word and I can get it done.”

“Got it.” I hung up the phone. Where the heck would I get a zeppelin, and what kind of permits would I need to have it dock at the Willis? I assumed it could dock wherever a helicopter would be able to land. I had no idea if that was a safe assumption or not. Who would know about zeppelins?

Jimmy might know, or Jeb or even Laura for that matter. If she was still talking to me after I suspected her of murder.

I drove up to the airport gate. Jimmy waved me through and I parked near the guard shack. Luckily, I had picked up a dozen donuts earlier. It never hurt to keep bribing my guy on the inside.

Besides, if Laura didn’t do it, then I still didn’t know how to help Warren. It wouldn’t hurt to do a bit more snooping under the guise of asking questions about zeppelins and their docking regulations.

“Hey, Pepper, what do you have that you need tasted today?” Jimmy opened the guard shack door. Today he wore jeans and a uniform shirt embroidered with the word
SECURITY
and his name.

“I don’t need anything tasted,” I said as I wiggled out of old blue.

“Oh.” His shoulders slumped and his mouth curved down.

“But I did bring my favorite security team some donuts.” I pulled the bakery box out of the car. He was beside me in a moment.

I was wearing a shift dress. I figured it never hurt to show a little leg when I needed information. No, that was a lie. To be honest, I was hoping I’d run into Gage. I couldn’t get last night’s kiss out of my mind.

“Wow, jelly filled.” Jimmy’s face lit up. “Come on in. I have coffee.”

“Thanks, Jimmy,” I said. “I don’t need coffee.” I followed him into the shack. “Do you know if there is anyone in the area that rents a zeppelin?”

“A zeppelin? What is that?” He had already gone through two donuts by the time I sat down.

“You know that big balloon-like thing that floats over parades and golf tournaments and such.”

“Oh, huh, I never really thought about a zeppelin . . .” He shoved a third donut into his mouth and spoke with his mouth full. “You should talk to Jeb. If anyone knows the air scene around Chicago, it’s Jeb.”

“Great.” I stood. “Is he in this morning?”

“Yeah, I think he’s in the main office.” Jimmy looked down at the remaining donuts. “Did you want to take him a donut?”

“No, you keep them,” I said. “Thanks, Jimmy.”

“Hey,” he called after me.

“What?”

“Don’t forget to sign in.” He held the door open for me with one hand and clutched the donut box with the other.

“Oh, right, thanks.” I went inside, signed the log book, and picked up my ID badge. “Thanks, Jimmy.”

“No problem,” he said from his perch on the stool with his mouth full of donuts.

Jeb was sitting at his desk when I knocked on his office door. His muscular form appeared bulkier than usual. His hair was freshly cut in the military manner he preferred. He exuded intimidation as easily as I exuded awkwardness.

“Come on in, Pepper,” Jeb said without looking up.

“Hi, Jeb, Jimmy said you might know the answer to my question.”

He looked up as I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “What can I do for you?” His dark eyes were sincere under bushy brows.

“I have a client who wants to get a zeppelin to dock at the Willis and carry him and his gal away after the proposal. Do you know where I can rent one?”

“Ha!” Jeb laughed and then leaned forward. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” I said. “Do they even have one around here? If so, where can I find it?”

“Of course they have them. This is Chicago. There are all kinds of events here where the blimp is involved in filming.” He wrote down a name and number on a piece of paper. “Here’s the name of a friend of mine. Call him. He’ll help you out.”

I took the paper. He had written down the name
Brian Bradford
. The phone number had a Chicago area code. “Thank you. Can I tell him you sent me?”

“Sure.” Jeb leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “How’s the murder investigation going?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” I played it cool.

“Oh, come on, we both know you don’t think Warren did it. Then I saw you poking around here the other day and you didn’t come see me and keep me in the loop—like you promised.”

“Oh, no, I wasn’t investigating,” I sat up straight and worked hard to calm the blush that always came when I fibbed. “I was scoping the place out for future proposal events. I’m sure I told you that I started my own small business, Perfect Proposals.” I handed him my card. “It was Warren’s idea.”

He studied the card. “What did Laura Snow have to do with a proposal event?”

“Laura?” I drew my eyebrows together.

“I saw you two talking.”

“Oh, yes, I asked her to give me a tour of the plane so that I could figure out where to hide the videographer.”

“I see.” Jeb put down my card. “That was it?”

“Sure, why?”

“I could have sworn you followed her out of the gate. Do you suspect her of something?”

I froze. “Um, no?” Then I smiled. “I mean, what would it matter if I did? The cops have their suspect. The last thing they would do is listen to an event planner.”

“Right,” he said. His smile turned bland. “I told you that I like to keep tabs on the comings and goings around the airport. You promised me you’d keep me in the loop if you discovered anything.”

“Yes, I remember and I told Jimmy on my way out that I didn’t learn anything. Didn’t he tell you?”

“He gave me some story, but then again he didn’t see you talking to Laura.” Jeb eyed me. “I found it suspicious that you both left at the same time.”

“You keep tabs on when I leave?”

“It’s my job.” He crossed his thick arms.

“You wouldn’t know anything about a cop who stopped me as I left the airport the other day, would you?” I watched him closely to see if my question surprised him. Unfortunately the man had a solid poker face.

“Why would I?”

I shrugged. “It’s interesting that you watch me leave because you think I’m acting suspiciously and then a cop stops me and tells me an employee at the airport called in the description of my car as suspicious.”

He raised one bushy eyebrow. “Were you acting suspiciously?”

“No. I told him you said I could look around. Then he fined me fifty dollars for a taillight being out.”

“Was it?”

“Was what?”

“Your taillight, was it out?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point.” I waved my hand as if to dismiss the idea. “You’ve trusted me with my own security badge. Why would I act suspiciously and keep something important from you if it meant losing my privileges?”

“Indeed, why would you risk losing your privileges?”

“I wouldn’t.”

He studied me, his gaze unwavering. I concentrated on the space between his eyes. “Fine. I had to ask. It’s my job as head of security.”

“I completely understand.” I relaxed.

Jeb nodded at me and then smiled. For a moment I got the impression his smile was predatory. But then it turned genuine.

“Call Brian. He can hook you up with a zeppelin guy.”

“Thanks, Jeb.” I left him in his office. Strange how Jeb had noticed my following Laura. If he paid that close attention to the comings and goings at the airport, how did he miss a murder right under his nose?

It was something to think about. Stepping outside, I figured that while I was at the airport, I should stop and see if Daniel was about. It was high time I asked him a few questions. I left old blue at the guard shack and walked over to hangar four. The airport was small but there was some traffic. A Learjet took off in the distance. Someone drove a limousine up to hangar five. A truck loaded things onto a plane in hangar six.

I went into the side door and called out, “Daniel?”

“In here,” I heard a male voice say from the office. I went in to find him on the computer. “Hey, hi, I was in talking to Jeb and I thought I’d see if you were around.”

He pushed the keyboard aside and put the full force of his blue gaze on me. He grinned. “Hello, Pepper, you look wonderful.”

I patted my windblown hair down. “Thanks.” It took work not to protest, but Felicity had told me I needed to do better at taking a compliment. “How have you been?”

“I’m good.”

“I went to see Laura the other day,” I led into my story. “Did she tell you?”

He grinned. “Yeah, she said that you thought we were having an affair. That was an interesting idea. I have to say, though, as pretty as Laura is, I do love my wife.”

He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his fist.

“So you’re a big flirt is all,” I teased him.

“Only when a woman is as pretty as you.”

I widened my eyes and blushed hot. “Can I ask you a question or two about the night Randy died?”

“Ask away, doll.”

“Was there anyone in the luggage compartment? You know, the part of the plane you told me was for authorized personnel only?”

“Was there anyone in the luggage compartment? Like who? Who do you imagine would be in the luggage compartment? If he flew away with us, then he’s probably dead, and if he’s dead, then the smell would be overwhelming . . . I imagine.”

“I don’t know who. That’s why I’m asking you. I saw Laura talking to someone while she stood next to the compartment door. If there was someone else in the hangar at the time of the murder, the police need to know it.”

He tilted his head and studied me a moment. “I was in the luggage compartment. I loaded the luggage. Normally Ralph, the plane mechanic and all-around guy on the go, would do it. But he was on vacation that day.”

“Ralph was on vacation. How come I haven’t heard of Ralph before?”

“There’s no reason for you to have heard of him,” Daniel said. “He wasn’t there. He was with his wife on a cruise. I’m sure the cops already checked that angle.”

I blushed harder. “I’m not checking angles.”

He gave me the eye.

“Okay, I might be checking angles, but only because Warren is innocent. I just know it.”

He reached out and took my hand in his. “You seem so sincere. I wish I could help you. The truth is I like Warren and was shocked by his arrest. If I knew anything that could help you, I’d tell you. Okay?”

“Okay.” I got up. “Thanks, Daniel.”

“Anytime, doll.” He went back to his computer.

The only thing left to do now was to concentrate on my business and call the zeppelin guy Jeb had told me about. Helping to prove Warren’s innocence would have to wait.

I took old blue out into the countryside. The suburbs were considered country if you lived in the city, but this, this was real rural Illinois. Complete with flat prairie, cornfields, and cows.

The zeppelin didn’t pan out, but the guy Jeb sent me to knew a guy who flew a biplane. I had him set up a meeting to discuss the use of the plane. If it were in my budget, I would consider using it for Felicity’s engagement party as well. A biplane would be a great addition to a
Great Gatsby
–themed event.

But first I had to convince Mike that a biplane was better for his proposal. Once I’d done that, I’d look into hiring a wing walker. How cool would that be for Felicity’s party? Maybe even have them write a message in the sky.

I knew Mike would like the idea of “Will you marry me?” written across the sky. It didn’t get much more opulent than that.

I was tasked with checking out the plane, gathering details and photos, and getting back to Mike. If this panned out, there would be an extra five-hundred-dollar bonus in it for me that I could use as my gift for Felicity and Warren’s party. I really wanted this to work out.

I checked my GPS one more time as I careened down the winding two-lane highway. “In one half mile, your destination is on the left,” the machine told me. “Your destination is on the left.”

Spotting a long driveway, I turned off the road and down a dirt two-track that ran between two rows of pecan trees that were enormous and, therefore, very old.

The dirt track ended about three-quarters of a mile from the highway. I parked old blue and got out. I grabbed up my camera and studied the sky. It was bright blue with wisps of puffy clouds. That special autumn blue that meant the sky above was cold. I wondered if the pilot would have to wear a down flight jacket as he flew or if cold weather mattered to old biplanes.

The plane was parked under a tarp that stood next to a large oak tree in what looked like a cow pasture. I snapped a couple of pictures from that distance. The pilot/owner had given me permission to look around the plane, even hop in if I liked. I approached it with caution.

Unlike the jet, this plane had a front propeller so I knew to stay away from the front end. I snooped around a bit, amazed that they could simply leave a plane out in the open like that. This one was tan with chrome trim and a polished wood dashboard. The seats were leather. I opened the pilot side door and peered in. It was not like a car at all. There was a steering wheel and some kind of sticks to shift, but I wouldn’t have any idea what to do.

I looked around. The pilot, a Mr. Hank Menturm, owned the farm and had built his own runway. In the distance was a big barn and I imagined that he housed the biplane in there. He’d gotten it out for me, of course, and it rested at the very end of the mowed runway.

The wings were long and held together with strong cables. I tugged on them and tried to picture someone climbing out of the backseat and onto the wings to do tricks. One quick glance around told me I was alone, so I hopped up on the wing and pretended to walk it. The wing surface was tilted as the tail was down and the nose was up, but I held on to the cables and climbed around.

It struck me that it would be fun to take a picture of me on the wing. I could then Photoshop out the ground and make it look as if I were actually on the wing in flight.

In my trunk was a tripod I had just bought so I could interview prospective brides’ families. Having the interviews recorded would allow me to go back and watch them when I was stuck for ideas. A glance at my watch told me that I had at least twenty minutes before the pilot arrived. So I hopped down and strode back to my car.

I grabbed the tripod and spotted a large gold trophy prop Gage had left behind at the splash event. I grabbed both and headed toward the plane. In a flash I had the camera set up to take video. Then I climbed up on the wing and pretended to wing walk, showing off my trophy at the end. I waved and blew kisses to my adoring public.

“Hello, Pepper.” Jeb appeared from behind a stand of trees to the right of the runway.

“Oh!” I put my hand on my heart as embarrassment rushed through me. “You startled me. I didn’t know anyone was here.”

He sauntered over to the camera and pulled it from the tripod. “Go ahead, wave. I’ll take a still shot.”

My heart pounded in my chest at getting caught walking on the wing. The last thing I needed was photographic proof of the moment. “Um, no, no, that’s okay. I shouldn’t be up here.” I scrambled down off the wing with the trophy in my hand.

Jeb was beside me when I turned around. “You have a bad habit of being places you shouldn’t.” The tone of his voice sent shivers along my spine.

“I’m sorry?” He was getting even closer, so I put my hand out and touched his chest in a clear message to stop. “Back off. You’re scaring me.”

“That’s funny. I’ve been trying to scare you for weeks and you simply didn’t get it. Now all I have to do is get close to you to scare you?”

“What do you mean? Why are you acting this way?” I tried to scoot by him, but he had me trapped up against a cable.

“I know I saw you follow Laura out the gate the other day. Why did you do that?”

I shrugged. “I suspected Laura and Daniel might be having an affair.”

“So?”

“So.” I swallowed hard. “Randy could have found out about it and been blackmailing them. Even Jimmy knew Randy was a regular at the casino. Everyone knew he needed money.”

“So you confronted Laura, even after they arrested Warren Evans?”

“I told you. I have to know the truth. My sister’s future depends on it. Besides, I can’t imagine Warren killing anyone. Can you?”

“Evans?” He let out a dangerous laugh. “No, no I can’t imagine him doing the deed. A guy like Evans is too soft.”

The look in Jeb’s eyes scared me, and I realized that we were quite alone and a long way from anyone that could help me. I clutched the handle of the metal trophy I held behind my back. “But you could do it, couldn’t you, Jeb?” I whispered. “You could kill Randy.”

“What did Laura tell you?” His eyes had a dark color to them. His brows drew down and he looked dangerous. His mouth was a thin line. I swear he radiated displeasure.

“She didn’t tell me anything.” I held on to that trophy like it was a life preserver. He stood too close. If I brought it up now, he could deflect it or take it from me. I stepped toward him and he instinctively took a step back. It was enough to give me room to maneuver around the cables so that my back was no longer against the wing.

“Liar!” He grabbed my arm and shook me. “You were in her house a very long time. What did she tell you?”

“How do you know how long I was in her house?” I answered his anger with anger. It was either that or tears and I refused to let a bully see me with tears.

“I followed you out that day, you little snoop. I knew I couldn’t trust women and you two proved it. She told you, didn’t she, about her not-so-little gambling problem.” His voice grew silky. His breath was hot against my face.

“She told me her husband bailed her out twice,” I agreed. “She also told me everyone knew she didn’t have money so there was no way anyone—not even Randy—would try to extort money from her.”

“Did she tell you she was desperate? Did she tell you that she just couldn’t help herself and had gotten into financial trouble a third time?”

“No.” I shook my head. “No, besides she’s still with her husband. He would have kicked her out had she gotten into trouble again. She told me so herself.”

“That’s why she came to me for help,” Jeb said. “Oh, she tried Daniel first, but that guy’s all talk and no action. He laughed her away.”

“But you didn’t, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. I’ve been watching her for months, flirting and carrying on with Daniel, a married guy. She never once gave me the time of day.”

“Until the day she was desperate for money . . .”

“She came to me in tears,” he said. “She told me Evans wouldn’t help her because he was too good a friend to her husband. He would tell on her for sure. She rubbed up against me and led me right to my checkbook.”

“You bailed her out knowing she couldn’t repay you?” I took a step back. “But it wasn’t money you wanted. Was it?”

“No, it wasn’t money. She knew it then. She teased and promised until she cashed the check.”

“Then she refused you?”

“The tease wouldn’t go through with the affair. I took to reminding her on a daily basis.”

“You stalked her.”

“I reminded her of our bargain.” Jeb’s face grew dark. “The bitch thought she could handle me.
Me?!
As if I’m some stupid jock.”

“She couldn’t handle you, could she, Jeb?”

His gaze turned hard. “She thought she was so smart. She took adrenaline from that nursing home she works for and lured me into the ladies’ room.”

“She was going to kill you?” That was hard to imagine . . . Laura killing Jeb. “She had to have been terribly desperate.”

“She didn’t have the guts to kill anyone,” Jeb spat. “She threatened me with the syringe but I called her bluff. I had her up against the wall so fast she didn’t know what hit her.” He took a step closer and I took a step back. I could hear his breathing speed up at the memory. “I got the syringe out of her hand when that damned janitor came busting in.”

“You killed Randy.”

“Damned right. He threatened me with the mop. I reacted as any combat veteran would. I swung. I forgot about the syringe until it landed between Randy’s neck and collarbone. It only took a second before I pushed the plunger.”

“He dropped to the ground.” I finished the tale.

Jeb’s eyes glittered. “I had Laura good then. You see, she was the one with the syringe. The stuff came from her workplace.”

“It would be your word against hers and who wouldn’t believe you? A war vet? A good guy . . .”

“The security chief.” Jeb’s smile was predatory. “Oh, I had her all right. She knew it, too.”

“If she went to the police, she would look guiltier than you.”

“Right.”

I took another step backward, gauging how far a distance I needed to swing the trophy with enough force to earn me some time to get away. “Whose idea was it to frame Warren?”

“Does it matter?” he asked. “Either way I win. I had that woman right where I wanted her . . . until you came sniffing around.”

“That’s why you were helping me.”

“I had to keep an eye on you. Women tend to talk to each other, trust each other. I couldn’t have you believing her . . . falling for her innocent act.”

It was then I knew how very naive I was. “You knew there wasn’t a zeppelin,” I said. “You got the man on the phone to invite me out here, didn’t you?”

“A little too smart, a little too late.” He grabbed my left arm.

I swung with the right and managed to bounce the trophy off his shoulder. I didn’t knock him out or even hurt him. But the blow was enough to startle him and get him to let me go for a moment.

A moment was all I needed. I scrambled, moving toward him instead of away, and scooted under his arms as he reached for me. Good thing I’d dressed for the country today. My athletic shoes dug into the ground, giving my panic traction. My jeans and pale blue T-shirt were not so tight as to restrict me while I ran.

The problem was that I had no idea where I was going. Jeb was between me and old blue, and besides, I could never remember which pocket I put my keys in and would have to stop to figure out how to get them out of my pocket. All this went rushing through my brain as I realized I had dropped my trophy.

A single glance back told me that Jeb was better at thinking on his feet than I was. He had the trophy in his hands as he rushed toward me. I screamed and sped up. Now was not the time to wish I had spent more time at the gym.

I made a beeline toward the big barn/hangar. I needed a moment to think. To plot. To plan. The only way I could give myself a moment was to find a place to hide.

“There’s nothing in that barn to save you,” Jeb said behind me. The darn man didn’t even sound winded. “You’re just prolonging the inevitable.”

My thoughts turn crazy when I’m scared. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should stop and kick him or something. Right, like that would save me. My heart pounded in my chest. My lungs strained. All he’d have to do was keep chasing me until I keeled over in exhaustion. There’d be no way they could prove I’d been murdered.

Something near the tree line caught my eye. Was that a person? I veered off, suddenly changing paths toward the movement. It meant that for a split second I actually got closer to Jeb; thank goodness his arrogance and my random running caused him to pause.

It was long enough for me to once again get ahead of him. “
Hellllp!
Please somebody!” I shouted as best I could with no wind in my lungs. Okay, throwing up was not an option. I kept running.

I pumped my arms and raced. Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall. In the movies the girl always falls. I was not going to be that girl.

The motion near the trees grew more distinct. It was a man. Please let him be a good man and not the plane’s owner.

“Brian, grab her,” Jeb called behind me.