Murder & The Monkey Band: High Desert Cozy Mystery Series (3 page)

“Rosa,” Pam Jensen said as she got
ready to go shopping, “I know I tell you this every time I see you dusting my
Meissen Monkey Band pieces, but it always makes me nervous. You know how much I
trust you, but those pieces are so special to me, and evidently to a few other
people as well. Please be extra careful with them when you’re dusting. As I’ve
probably told you before, Brian surprised me with them many years ago. I’d
mentioned to him how charming I thought they were, and that I’d love to add
them to my collection of other Meissen pieces. Without telling me what he was
doing, he found someone in China who had a set and bought it for me as a
surprise gift on our tenth anniversary.”

“I know how much you love
them, Mrs. Jensen, so I’m special careful with them. Don’t you worry.”

When Pam was gone Rosa
took a long look at the Monkey Band pieces. She agreed with what Mrs. Jensen
had said – the pieces were special. In fact so special that yesterday a man had
offered Rosa a great deal of money if she would turn off the security alarm
when she left for the evening, so he could get into the house and steal the
pieces. He’d paid her $5,000 as hush money and told her there would be another
$45,000 for her if she agreed to do it. She liked Mrs. Jensen and didn’t want
to jeopardize her job, but with Julio out of work, money for their family had
really gotten tight. Even though Mrs. Jensen paid her well, it wasn’t enough to
support the two granddaughters she and Julio were raising plus themselves. She
felt her blood pressure rise just thinking about her daughter abandoning her
two little girls to go off with that good-for-nothing drug addict.

Like he would be any
different from the rest of the men she’d had relationships with over the years.
I don’t think she even knows who the father is of those little girls. No one is
ever going to give me the Mother of the Year award for raising her. Maybe
that’s why God gave me those two little granddaughters. Sure hope I do a better
job with them than I did with their mother
.

Maybe I should take the
money. Mrs. Jensen would never know about it, and we sure do need it. I told
him I’d call him today and give him my answer. I feel guilty even thinking
about it, because I know how much Mrs. Jensen loves those Monkey Band pieces, but
she has so many other Meissen pieces I don’t think it would really matter if a
few of them are gone.

When I told Julio last
night about the man who offered me the money, he told me he thought I should do
it. He said he didn’t know how much longer we could hang on. I don’t know what
to do. I’ve always been so honest. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking
about it.

Her cell phone rang, and
she saw Julio’s name on the screen. “Yes, Julio. What is it?”

“The doctor just called
with the results of the test concerning Ana’s stomach problems. Baby, it’s not
good. She needs surgery, and it’s going to cost around $40,000. He said it’s
not an uncommon condition among children who are born to mothers who are
addicted to drugs.”

Rosa sat down in shock.
They didn’t have that kind of money, and they didn’t even know where their
daughter, Ana’s mother, was, and even if they did know, Ana’s mother probably
wouldn’t care. She sure hadn’t expressed any concern about her children when
she’d left.

She heard Julio say,
“Baby, are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here. I just
don’t know what we can do. Did the doctor say what would happen if Ana didn’t
have the operation?”

“Yeah, I asked the same
question. He said if Ana doesn’t have the surgery, she would continue to vomit
and have diarrhea and ultimately it could result in her death. Baby, remember
last night when you told me about the man who offered you money to turn off the
security system at Mrs. Jensen’s home when you left for the evening? We could
sure use that money to pay for Ana’s surgery. I don’t think we can get it
anywhere else. I know how much you don’t want to do it, but Rosa, we don’t have
a choice. It’s the money or our granddaughter’s life, and I don’t think either
one of us wants to feel guilty for the rest of our lives because we didn’t take
money that could have saved her life and allowed her to lead a normal life.
What do you think?”

Rosa was quiet for a long
time. “Julio, I suppose you’re right. I couldn’t live with myself if that child
died and I hadn’t done something to save her life when I had the chance. I’ll
call him now. Why don’t you call the doctor back and schedule the surgery.”

A few moments later Rosa
heard a voice, say, “This is Lou.”

“Lou, this is Rosa, Mrs.
Jensen’s housekeeper. When do you want me to leave the security system off, and
when will I get the money?”

“I’ll hand you the money
this evening when you’re waiting for the bus after you finish work. I’ll park
at the curb near the bus stop and wave to you. You wave back like I’m an old
friend and walk over to the car. My window will be rolled down. Hold onto your
purse and leave it open, putting it just inside the window. I’ll place the
envelope with the money inside it. I’ll let you know when I want you to leave
the system unarmed. See you later.”

Just as Rosa ended the
call, her stomach churning, Mrs. Jensen walked through the kitchen door from
the garage. “Rosa, do you feel all right? You’re white as a ghost.”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Jensen.
Julio just called and told me one of his relatives had passed away
unexpectedly. It was quite a shock.”

“Do you want to go home? I
can certainly do without you the rest of the afternoon.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine,
really. I need to go upstairs and finish the bedrooms. Is there anything else
you want me to do today?”

“No. George Ellis is
taking me out to dinner tonight, so I won’t be home this evening. If I think of
anything, I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow.”

Rosa walked up the stairs
with wooden legs, not sure if she would be able to reach the next step. Each
one seemed insurmountable to her. She silently cursed the gods that had allowed
her to be put in a position like this. Mrs. Jensen was the best employer she
had ever had and she, Rosa, was going to be responsible for Mrs. Jensen’s
favorite pieces of Meissen being stolen. Sometimes life didn’t seem fair.

Of course I could think of
it another way. If Lou hadn’t approached me yesterday, I wouldn’t have been
able to tell Julio to go ahead with the surgery, and Ana might have died. I’ve
heard of no-win situations, and I think I’m right in the middle of one.

Late that afternoon Lou
pulled over to the curb not far from the bus stop where Rosa was sitting and
waved to her. She nonchalantly walked over to his car as if picking up an
envelope with $45,000 in it was something she did every day.

“Rosa, I’ll
call you in a day or so, but here’s one thing you need to know. Don’t even
think about double-crossing me. Bad things happen to granddaughters when their
grandmother doesn’t keep her word. We have a deal. When you take this $45,000,
you are agreeing you will tell no one, and I mean no one, not the police or
anyone else about our deal. You don’t know me, and you never saw me. I don’t
want to have to be responsible for causing injury or death to someone in your
family. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

She removed
her purse from the car and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Yes, I
understand. You don’t need to worry. I’m so ashamed of what I’m doing I
wouldn’t want anyone to know about it,” she said tearfully. Rosa turned away
from his car, walked back to the bus stop, and sat down on the bench to wait
for the bus. Lou eased his car back into traffic.

Naturally Lou
Powell wasn’t his real name. He’d been involved in the murky world of crime for
a long time, and one of the first things anyone did when they became a player
in that arena was to use an alias, or two, or three. Sometimes he wore a beard,
other times he shaved his head. He had different colored contact lenses and
fake mustaches and had become a master at reinventing himself. Many years ago
he’d discovered how much collectors of art and antiques were willing to pay in
order to complete a collection or own a certain piece of art they coveted. From
that time on, he’d become a specialist in stealing pieces of art from an owner
and selling it to a desperate buyer so they could get what he or she wanted. He
often thought how much easier this type of crime was than the small crimes he’d
committed for years that barely left him enough to survive on.

When I decided
to specialize in stolen art and antiques, it was the best decision I ever made.
The buyers will pay practically anything to own some art object they’re
determined to have, and there’s always someone close to the owner who’s
desperate for money and finds a way for me to have access to it so I can steal
it. If I have a willing buyer, I can find the piece they want, and I can also
find a way to get it. It’s really not all that difficult.

The buyers he
was dealing with were almost always collectors who never intended for their
collections to be featured in a magazine or on a television show. It was enough
for them to simply possess the item. There was no way they would jeopardize
having an item they had coveted be confiscated as evidence by the police. Their
lips were sealed. Lou only took cash and always got it. A great deal of it. It
had allowed him to buy a condominium on Seven Mile Beach on the western end of
Grand Cayman Island. He also had an offshore bank account there so he could
keep his money out of the United States and safe from the eyes of the IRS.

One of the
things that had been critical to Lou’s success was being able to find out who
collected what and what pieces they desperately wanted for their collections.
He attended auctions regularly and frequented the galleries in New York, Los
Angeles, and San Francisco. Occasionally it involved him being in a foreign
country to get what his client needed. It was a small world where gossip
reigned as king. Identifying the collectors who had “pickers” looking for
pieces at the different auctions had made it that much easier. Over time he’d
learned there was a collector for everything, and they would pay astronomical
figures to complete their collections and feed their egos. It was simply a
matter of finding out who wanted what and then locating the what. He didn’t
like to dwell on the collateral damage that had sometimes occurred over the
years when he’d matched up buyers with the objects they coveted. He regarded it
as a necessary part of his profession.

Occasionally
he’d found it necessary to injure someone when he was stealing the objects he
needed. Once it had even resulted in death. No one would ever link the
brown-eyed mustached intruder who had to shoot the owner of the netsuke
collection with the grey-haired, blue-eyed man who walked with a limp and
relied on a cane. The intricate netsuke ivory carvings from Japan were safe in
the hands of the buyer by the time Lou boarded the plane for Grand Cayman.
Unfortunately, the owner of the netsuke collection hadn’t been quite as lucky.
He’d died three days later in the hospital after his maid had found him the
morning following the theft.

I really
don’t see a problem with this one. As soon as I get the pieces I’ll contact
Henry Siegelman about them. From everything I’ve heard, he’ll pay whatever I
ask for them. The maid, Rosa, will turn off the alarm system, and I’ll go into
the house, grab the Meissen Monkey Band set and be on my way. I’ll sell the
pieces of the set that Siegelman doesn’t want to other buyers, so it won’t look
like he had anything to do with it.

According
to my research, Pam Jensen spends almost every evening with the man who was a
partner in her late husband’s restaurant, Mai Tai Mama’s. I’ll be in and out
before they even get back from dinner. She can collect the insurance on the
stolen pieces, and in a day or so I’ll be on my way to Grand Cayman. Win-win
for everyone. Devan, my brown-skinned Cayman Island beauty, will be waiting for
me with an island drink and that glorious body I’ll lose myself in for the next
couple of weeks. Yeah, time to get this one over with. Grand Cayman is calling
to me.

George Ellis, the owner of Mai Tai
Mama’s, and the former business partner of Brian Jensen, drove his silver BMW
the short distance to Pam Jensen’s home and parked in the driveway. Brian had
been deceased for several months, and George had treated Pam to dinner a number
of times.

He remembered the first
time he’d met Pam, which also happened to be the same date he’d fallen in love
with her. Brian had brought her into the restaurant to introduce her to George.
He was stunned by her beauty and charm. She was short with ash blond hair which
had been professionally highlighted. The skin around her eyes crinkled when she
smiled, making her large grey eyes seem even larger. Her complexion was
flawless, and her hourglass figure spoke to hours spent in the gym. George
couldn’t believe the jealous feelings that immediately overwhelmed him– jealous
that his partner was going to marry this beautiful prize of a woman.

I wonder if she has any
idea how I feel about her. No, actually how I’ve felt about her all these
years. She asked me once why I’d never married. I answered by telling her I’d
never found the right woman. That wasn’t quite true. I’d found the right woman
I wanted to marry, but there was a little problem. She was married to my
business partner and best friend. Sounds like some sleazy romance book. Sure,
there were a lot of women over the years. People always kidded me about my
“flavor of the month,” but they didn’t know that there had only been one woman
for me from the moment I met her. Pam. I never even considered marrying anyone
else

He thought about the ring
he had in his pocket. At their age, what was the point of waiting? Although she’d
never given him a reason to think she’d marry him, on the other hand she’d
never not given him a reason. He’d respected her too much to try and take the
relationship beyond a kiss on the cheek when he took her home after one of
their regular dinner dates. He opened his car door, feeling the butterfly wings
in his stomach fluttering against each other.

No matter how many times
he visited the Jensen home located in an affluent area of Palm Springs, he
still marveled at the difference between the outside and the inside of the
home. While the inside of the house was filled with Pam’s antiques including
her renowned 18
^th
century Meissen china collection, the outside of
the white block style house was pure mid-20
^th
century desert style.
Its U-shape surrounded a large courtyard which was filled with pots and
brightly colored flowering plants hanging in baskets from a large tree in the
center of the courtyard. A gate led into the courtyard, and he could see the
desert hills behind the house, turning to gorgeous shades of mauves and pinks
at this time of early evening. While the infinity pool and pool house weren’t
visible from the street, the overall effect of the house was understated desert
elegance at its best.   

This could end up to be
the best night of my life or the worst,
he thought wryly.
Well, I’ll know
one way or another in a few hours.
He rang the doorbell, and the door was
immediately opened by Pam.

“You are so prompt,
George, far more so than Brian, and I love it. It used to drive me nuts waiting
for him to always do just one more thing,” she said walking out the door and
pulling it closed behind her. “Oops, I forget to set the alarm. Just be a sec.”
She unlocked the door and walked back into the house, returning a minute later.

“Don’t you get tired of
trying to remember to turn that thing on and off?” George asked as he steered
his car towards Mai Tai Mama’s. “That’s why I bought a German shepherd. I tried
a security system for a while, but I never could remember the code, and the
Palm Springs police paid me more than one visit. Eventually they started
sending me bills when my security system alerted them there was a problem only
to find out it was a false alarm.”

“No,” she said, “I just
use my birthday, 5-30-60. That makes it simple.”

“Isn’t that kind of a
common thing to do? I remember reading somewhere that birthdays and pets’ names
are the most frequently used security codes and passwords. If someone knew your
birthdate, they could easily disarm the system and gain access to your home.”

“Oh George, quit being
such a worry wart. Other than my children and now you, I don’t think many
people know my birthdate, and I rather doubt if either one of my children even
remembers it.”

“Pam, I worry about you
living alone in that big house. Plus, you’ve got some pretty valuable paintings
and antiques. I’d feel much better if you’d let me give you a trained guard
dog.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.
I’ve thought about it and decided not to. My security system works just fine,
and I don’t want to even think what one swipe of a dog’s tail could do to some
of my antiques, like the glass paperweight collection on the coffee table. No,
I think I’ll just continue to use my birthdate.”

“Well, the offer holds.
Let me know if you change your mind. Wow, I love to see lots of cars already
here at the restaurant. Looks like it’s going to be a good night for Mai Tai
Mama’s. I know you’ve eaten here more times than you can count, but I still
think we have the best food in Palm Springs. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Are you kidding? Where
else can I go that they know exactly how I like my steak cooked, that I like a
salad very lightly dressed with just three croutons, and that I prefer chives
on my baked potato rather than the standard green onions. And I can’t forget
about the bottles of Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon below the bar they keep
primarily for me. No, George, you never need to apologize for bringing me here.
I’m just glad Brian sold you his share of the restaurant rather than willing it
to me. I love eating here, but I never had any desire to try and run it. You do
a very good job.”

“Thanks.” As soon as the
hostess saw George she stepped out from behind the host stand and guided them
to their table. It never varied – it was the corner table in the main room so
George could wave to people and keep an eye on what was happening in the
restaurant.

Pam always ordered the
same thing every time she came to the restaurant, a pan fried rib eye steak
medium rare with a wine and mushroom reduction sauce. Years ago she’d gotten
the recipe from the chef, and she’d often made it for Brian on special
occasions. Since his death she hadn’t felt like making it for just herself, but
whenever she came to Mai Tai Mama’s that was what she ordered, and she was never
disappointed.

“George, I’m so glad this
is still on the menu. I know with the name of the restaurant you and Brian put
a lot of Asian dishes on the menu, but there are a lot of people like me who
still love a good steak, and this sauce makes it. Even after all these years,
it’s still my favorite thing to eat. Thanks.”

Dinner was superb as
always, but when the present owner and the past half-owner’s wife were the
diners, that might have had something to do with the food and the service. Pam
and George had known each other for over twenty-five years and had shared a lot
of each other’s lives, so the conversation between the two of them was always
easy and periods of silence were rare. Tonight was an exception. George seemed
ill-at-ease, and finally Pam felt she had to say something.

“George, is anything
wrong? You seem distracted and quite unlike your normal self. Want to tell me
about it?”

He swallowed several
times, looked around, and began to speak. “Pam, this is harder than I thought
it would be. You see, I’ve been in love with you from the moment Brian brought
you to the restaurant to meet me. That’s why I never got married.” He stopped
and took a drink of water. “Pam, I want to marry you. I know Brian has only
been gone a few months, but at our age I don’t see much of a reason to wait.”
George reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small velvet box. He
opened it, revealing a large diamond solitaire engagement ring. “Pam, will you
marry me?”

Pam looked at him in
horror. Her mouth was dry, and she felt like she was watching a scene from a
bad movie. Finally she spoke. “George, I consider you to be one of my closest
friends, but I’m sorry, that’s all it is, friendship. I don’t love you, and I
never will. Brian was the only man I ever loved, and I have no plans to ever
marry again. If I let you think otherwise, I’m truly sorry. I’d like to forget
this whole conversation ever happened and go back to the way we were. If what
I’m saying causes you pain, I am so sorry.”

George’s face was ashen as
he stood up and called the waiter over. “Tell the valet to bring my car
around.” He strode out of the restaurant with Pam trying to keep up with him.

When he hadn’t spoken for
several minutes on the way home, Pam said, “George, I apologize again if I ever
gave you cause to think our relationship would turn into something else. I’m
truly sorry. Please, tell me we can go back to the way it was.”

He turned and looked at
her. “For the last twenty-five years I’ve wanted you, and when Brian died I
thought I could finally have you as my wife. Obviously from what you said
earlier, I was wrong. Given that, I don’t think we can remain friends any
longer. After tonight I never want to see you again,” he said as he pulled into
her driveway. She looked at him and opened the car door, realizing he wasn’t
going to get out of the car and open it for her.

“Goodnight George. I wish
you the best, I really do, and I’m very, very sorry if I’ve hurt you.” She
closed the door and walked up the walkway to her home. A moment later George
threw the car in reverse, reached the street and accelerated as fast as he
could. All the wanted to do was put as much distance as he could between Pam
Jensen and himself.

I can’t believe this. This
is a nightmare. I thought she’d take the ring and we’d get married. That’s what
I’ve wanted and thought would happen all these years. Now it’s over. I really
don’t have anything to live for. I might as well be dead.

Slowly his sense of
disbelief gave way to an intense feeling of rage. His cheeks became hot and a
ball of fury started to burn in his stomach. George still couldn’t believe what
she had just told him.

Nobody does this to George
Ellis, not after I’ve put my life on hold for her. I’d rather see her dead than
with someone else. Maybe that’s what I’ll do, kill her. That way, if I can’t
have her, no one else will either.

The code on Pam’s security
system popped into his mind, and he began to consider how he would take his
revenge out on Pam Jensen. For the first time in almost an hour, he smiled as a
plan began to form in his mind.