White Offerings (4 page)

Jane pulled up behind the truck and sprang out of the Porsche. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

Ari sighed and turned up the radio. A flash of movement caught her eye and she watched a jackrabbit scurry under a bush. She smiled at the thought of a wild creature still able to survive in the middle of a huge metropolitan area. Not more than fifty years ago most of the valley had been a desert, but now urban sprawl threatened to destroy the eco-balance, and as a real estate agent, she felt slightly guilty.

Five minutes later Jane hurried back to the Porsche with the woman Ari assumed was Teri following behind. While Jane moved swiftly, Teri sauntered, unwilling to hurry, her stride demanding that Jane slow down to match her pace. A true butch, Teri wore a blue tank top with her overalls, revealing a defined upper body that Ari would never attain. Her dark hair was slicked back and wet, as if she’d just stepped out of a shower. Ari stared at the woman, who was all business with Jane, talking about the price of water heaters and the time it would take to install. She glanced briefly at Ari, and Ari was surprised to find a shiver running down her back. She looked away, feeling the heat on her cheeks, pretending to be fascinated by Jane’s glove compartment.

At an appropriate pause in the conversation, Jane touched her arm. “Ari Adams, this is Teri Wyatt, handy-dyke extraordinaire.”

Teri laughed at Jane’s nickname and stuck her hand over the passenger door. “Hi, Ari. I’ve heard a lot about you. I can’t wait for your birthday party.”

“Oh,” Ari said, surprised. She could only imagine how many total strangers Jane had invited.

“Teri’s gutting this house and remodeling it for me,” Jane said.

Ari nodded, quite familiar with Jane’s many investment properties. She constantly searched through the listings and the Open House section of the newspaper. Although most of the real deals had already been flipped by people like Jane, once in a while a bargain came along. Jane had been thrilled to find this one, and Ari was certain her profit, despite the slumping economy, would reach six figures once Teri was done.

“Are you doing most of the work yourself?” Ari asked with genuine interest. She could always use a good handyperson, and Teri was certainly easy on the eyes.

“I’m doing
all
the work.”

“Really?” She was impressed. Few people had the talent and knowledge to run the electrical systems, install the plumbing and hang the Sheetrock.

Jane threw her arm around Teri and patted her shoulder. “Teri’s my main lady. If I need anything, I go to her.”

Teri smiled humbly at the compliment and checked her watch. “Well, I gotta hurry to Home Depot and pick up my order if I want to get everything done. Ari, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I’ll see you tomorrow, Jane.”

They watched Teri climb into her truck. She threw them a quick wave before she drove off.

Jane said, “So you think Teri’s hot, don’t you?”

“She seems nice.”

Jane laughed and slid into the Porsche. “Good try, girlfriend. I saw you staring just now. You couldn’t take your eyes off her, watching her cute little ass hop into that big king cab.”

“I wasn’t staring.”

“Sure.” Jane started the convertible and turned to her. “Look, honey, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re in a relationship but you’re not dead. You can look, and with Teri, there’s plenty to look
at.
”

“I take it you know from experience.”

Jane shrugged. “Not really. Teri’s more of a loner. We went out for drinks, and I invited her back to my place. She declined.”

“She turned you down?”

Jane flicked a lint ball from her jacket and checked her lips in the rearview mirror. “It happens. Besides, she is totally not my type.” She crumpled her nose in distaste. “Way too butch.”

“I thought every woman was your type.”

“Not
every
woman. But I do believe that there is no greater beauty than the female body. And you were certainly checking out her body.”

“Jane!”

“Don’t worry, honey. I won’t kid you about it in front of Molly. I know she’s very insecure.”

Ari made no comment and they headed to their next stop, a prestigious flower shop in Scottsdale. When they had searched the phone book, Jane had recognized the name, claiming to know the owner. The shop sat on a desirable corner, and the parking lot was nearly full. The automatic doors whooshed open and their noses were instantly assaulted by competing scents. Ari glanced at the various displays around the room, all of which were beautiful and tastefully created.

“How do you know this person?” she asked as they approached the marble counter.

“Oh, you know.”

She rolled her eyes. Another one of Jane’s sexual conquests, but the entire day had been filled with Jane’s bed partners.

A young man in a pink polo crossed the room to meet them. His hips swayed back and forth rhythmically, and even without the pink shirt, she would have known he was family. He flashed two rows of perfectly bleached teeth and asked, “May I help you?”

“I’m looking for . . .”

She realized Jane couldn’t remember the name of this particular one-night stand.

“Clarisse?” the young man offered. “Or Isabel?”

Jane clapped her hands together. “Yes, Izzie. Is she around?”

The young man nodded and quickly sashayed into the back. Ari wandered over to the far wall, which was covered in pictures of orchids. Jane joined her and pointed at the one in the center, the type of orchid that had appeared four times in her life during the past month.

“Jane?” a voice said from behind them.

Ari turned to see a tall, graceful woman approach. She was striking, but what Ari noticed was her sumptuous lips. There were no other words to describe them because they were absolutely perfect, and it seemed to Ari that her other facial features existed to frame her lips. She was dressed in a finely tailored gray suit that molded precisely to her lean body and small waist. Ari was certain the Scottsdale clientele was impressed by her memorable presence, and the woman was certainly Jane’s type.

“Izzie!” They hugged as if they were old friends reuniting after a long absence. When Jane pulled away from the embrace, Ari noticed Isabel remained quite close to her.

“What’s going on, darling?” Isabel asked. “I thought you would have called me, but I am glad to have a visit instead. How long has it been? Two months?” She attempted to sound playful, but a sharp edge to her tone conveyed her hurt feelings.

“I’m sorry, Izzie. I’ve been so busy. I hope you understand. I told you how I am with dating, and we did have an incredible time, didn’t we?”

Isabel said nothing in response, clearly understanding the meaning of Jane’s hollow explanation. Ari doubted if she even remembered Isabel’s visit to her bedroom, and Ari suspected it was her carefree attitude about sex that had made her the stalker’s target. It was amazing she had not been tarred and feathered by all of the regulars at Hideaway. What Jane couldn’t understand was intimacy and commitment and, more importantly, the normal female urge for both. Ari had made endless attempts to explain the female mind to her. Jane, though, was more like a man and loved her sexuality openly. She grimaced every time Ari made the comparison, and it was rather ironic that someone so femme could behave so butch, but Jane did not equate sex with a relationship. The fact that she dated femmes almost exclusively added to the problem, in Ari’s opinion. What Jane needed was a good butch.

Isabel considered Jane’s apology and quickly forgave her transgression, paving the way for the reason for their visit. “How can I help you?” she asked, her perfect lips forming a professional smile.

“Well, this is my friend Ari.”

Isabel turned and gave a slight bow in her direction. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ari. I’m Isabel Collins.”

“Izzie, could you tell us about an orchid?”

“Which one interests you?”

“This one,” Ari said, gesturing to the middle flower on the wall, whose slender white petals burst from the center, like long fingers extended in greeting.

Isabel nodded her approval. “That’s my favorite. The
Gigantic Angraecum
. It’s extremely rare. Usually it grows in Madagascar, but if it can be grown here, it will only bloom with one or two flowers. It is most fragrant at night.”

“Have you been able to grow it?” Ari asked.

Isabel smiled in pride. “Of course. My greenhouses are extensive, and my attention to my flowers is unparalleled.” Isabel paused and her face colored. “But as you can see, Ari, my modesty could use some refinement.”

“Is it expensive?”

“Oh, yes. The more exotic a bloom, the greater the price.”

“Are there other shops that sell this flower?” Jane asked.

Isabel’s eyes narrowed. “Very few, I would imagine. I can only think of two or three in the metro area.”

“Is this the kind of flower you could order online or have shipped from somewhere else?”

Isabel frowned. “Certainly not,” she said with disgust. “At least
I
would never try to ship such an exotic flower in PB size. It would be very difficult to keep it alive.”

“What’s PB?”

“Previously bloomed. It’s much easier to ship seedlings or nearly blooming flowers, but this flower wouldn’t travel well. It is much better to ship flowers when they are in low spike, or just getting started with their buds. It’s much less likely they’ll be damaged.”

Ari suspected as much. She’d surfed the Internet for a few minutes before they’d left her office, and it became apparent that FTD and its counterparts didn’t carry the
Gigantic Angraecum.
“How many have you grown?” Ari pressed.

“Some.”

Ari noticed that Isabel’s gaze drifted to another part of the store. She wasn’t sure if it was because there were serious clients needing assistance or if Isabel was trying to hide a lie.

“So I don’t suppose most people could afford this flower,” Jane joked. Ari saw where she was going with the comment, but Isabel just laughed and continued to look away, her interest in the conversation quickly dwindling.

“Could you give us the names of those other florists, Izzie?”

“Of course.” She wrote down the names and held the slip of paper out to Jane. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.” Isabel’s tone was unmistakable. She would trade information for another night in Jane’s bed.

Without hesitation, Jane plucked the paper from Isabel’s fingers, a wide grin on her face. Ari knew she appreciated someone who could drive a bargain.

“That would be wonderful, darling,” she said, and Ari thought she was genuinely pleased.

Isabel kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll pick you up at seven.” She waved good-bye and headed toward her other customers.

“Well, another night with Izzie won’t be so bad,” Jane said. They climbed into the Porsche and she started the engine.

Ari shook her head, unable to fathom Jane’s sexual ethics. “There’s something about her that’s off.”

“What are you talking about? Izzie is amazing. She’s really smart. She’s got a Ph.D. or something in horticulture and she’s totally hot.”

“In other words, she’s brilliant, knows a lot about flowers and doesn’t mind blackmailing you for sex.” Jane’s jaw dropped and she continued. “She just seems possessive and quite interested in getting her own way.”

“I still don’t think she sent me those flowers. I’m sure it was a man.”

“I’m not,” Ari disagreed. “In fact, after a day with you, I’d almost bet a woman is sending you those flowers.”

Jane shrugged and steered the Porsche into the closest Starbucks for a shaken black iced tea. They stopped by one of the three flower shops Izzie listed, but the salesclerk hadn’t sold any elephant orchids, as Jane now insisted on calling them, in over four months. The day was practically over and Ari demanded that they quit.

As Jane drove back to Ari’s office, talking with Aspen Harper on her cell phone headset, Ari thought of Izzie. She reminded her of a spider—cunning, exquisite and dangerous. Ari would never have dated a woman like her. Then it hit her. Never once during their visit had Isabel asked Jane to explain why she wanted to know about orchids.

Saturday, October 14th

3:18 PM

Molly sank into her desk chair and massaged her temples. They had spent two hours at FBI headquarters analyzing the owners and tenants of Cactus Airpark. A breakdown in communication had occurred and no one had informed Connie Rasp that almost all of the buildings were owned by the same corporation, Johnson Enterprises, a shell company with many arms. One of those was Rondo Dynamics, owned by John Rondo, a cousin of Vince Carnotti. Molly almost laughed when she thought of the confrontation between Rasp and the low-level researcher who had forgotten to e-mail the vital information to her. By the time Rasp finished screaming at him, he walked away without a rear end, having it thoroughly chewed off by her.

Molly located the Tums in her desk drawer and popped four into her mouth to quell her sour stomach. She craved a Scotch but reached for a water bottle instead. Ari had insisted she improve her diet and was now purchasing expensive spring water for her to keep at work. She chugged the contents and searched her hard drive for notes on Itchy. Rasp had instructed her and Andre to find him, and Molly perused some of her notes for the most recent address. She heard footsteps and looked to her doorway, thinking it was Andre.