Author's Note- I waited to part two to do a "cast", because part one served to introduce David and Tanya Lynn. I hope that this will help. Let me know, Tanya Lynn

  

Murder in Pink

by Tanya Lynn

  

Cast of characters

The good guys

David Scott and Tanya Lynn Lamm- our intrepid, dual identity private eye and hero.

Carol Darfler- loyal secretary who knows his dual identity.

Steve Romeros- police detective and Dave's best friend and former partner

Susan Taft- David's girlfriend and Tanya Lynn's best friend.

Various minor characters (cops, etc.)

The victim

Lydia Sisneros- a vicious old lady who had spent her life making enemies and one of them had finally caught up to her.

The Suspects

Diane Caldwell- granddaughter of the old woman and heir to part of the family fortune

Hector Sisneros- grandson and also heir to the fortune- always fighting with Diane.

Karen Caldwell- daughter of Lydia, mother of Diane- wants to control fortune through Diane.

Howard Caldwell- Karen's husband and family lawyer

Juan Sisneros- son of Lydia and father to Hector- in charge of grounds and ongoing construction with Hector.

Bob Strock- manager of the family Chili business- the foundation of the fortune, and about to be accused of theft.

 

As I pulled off my nightgown and climbed in the tub, I cursed the pain in my stomach and the fever. I had to go and explain to my best friend Steve why my client was dead. I didn't have time to shave my legs, so I put on a pants suit and tucked my 9mm behind the waistband. I put on a jacket to cover it. As I drove onto the estate grounds, a cop checked my ID and told me where to find Steve. He looked pissed off and I couldn't blame him. Steve asked me if my clients were dying to hire me, or what.

Instead of going to the main house, we went to the construction. I could see now that it was a smaller version of the big one. We went inside and he took me to what was obviously a panic room. Inside was my client, frozen stiff as a board. Steve said that this was the way that they found her. The panic room was sealed from the inside. The temperature was normal. The question was, how had she been frozen solid after she entered the room? Especially when I had seen her less than 24 hours before.

Steve said, "this kind of crap is your department- you like Whodunits". It was true- I had loved mysteries since I was a kid. Half the time I had wanted to be Nancy Drew. I said to come over for dinner that night (if I could eat) and I would show him the report on the family. As I was getting ready to leave, Diane came up to me with a man that looked kind of like her and said "what the hell are you going to do about finding our Grandmother's killer? It's probably him any way" and pointed to the man with her. He said "you bitch, you probably did it and wanted to pin it on me". He made to strike her and when I got between them, acted like he would hit me. I pulled my gun and said that if he tried, he would never need condoms again. He called me a bitch and some other choice words, so I kicked him in the balls. I told him he was right, I was a bitch, and now he knew for sure. Diane applauded and I got in my car and left. One thing bothered me about the whole thing- I was sure I saw that he had had pink panties on. The waistband showed over his pants. I filed it away in my mind.

I went home and took some more stomach medicine and laid back down with Robert B. Parker's Death in Paradise until I fell asleep. When I awoke, it was afternoon and the fever and stomachache was gone. I had a little appetite and waited for Steve to show up. When he arrived, I made some soup and bread and we went over the report on the family. He said he was going to start questioning them tomorrow and would I like to come along. He said, "maybe you'll have time to shave your legs and wear a dress". Damn him, he just knew me too well.

In the morning, he came by to pick me up to go to the house. I was feeling completely better by now. He said, " I hope you studied that report". I filled him in on the cast of suspects and then we arrived at the estate.

A butler escorted us into a sitting room where all of them had gathered. I saw Diane and Hector sitting with people that were obviously their parents. Another man, obviously Bob Strock, sat at a desk. Steve introduced us to them and said that I was a special consultant on the case. I stepped up to the fore and said that although I had only met the victim once, she had hired me and I was determined to find her killer. Diane and Hector immediately began to accuse each other. Their parents joined in the fray while Strock sat and smiled and enjoyed the show. I let them fume and fight and finally put an end to it. I stepped up and said we were going to do this in a fairly orderly fashion or I would get nasty. Hector was quick to say, "the bitch means it so we better listen". I managed a smile for him and he looked surprised and they all calmed down.

I went to each about their motives for committing the murder. Hector and Diane admitted to their being the main heirs, but both professed undying love for the old lady. They also said that they had spent the previous night in an all-night conference call to Japan. They both sounded rather pissed that they were allaying each other. I went to Hectors parents. They had only each other as an alibi, but doing it to get control of the family fortune for their son seemed like not the strongest motive. It was the same with Diane's mom and dad. I went to Strock and asked him. He said that he didn't have any real alibi, but then, he didn't really have a motive either. He really didn't like any of them and didn't care who was in control. He was just too good of a manager to let go. I asked about the theft accusation and he said "it's bullshit, and that will be proven soon enough. I told them that I would be around to talk to each of them individually as I had time and Steve and I left.

We went to the medical examiner's office. I had seen plenty of autopsies in both personas so there was no problem. The coroner named her freezing as the cause of death. Because of that, it wasn't possible to place a time of death exactly. Just that it was in the last few days. She said that she thought it was possible that the body had been moved, but that sure as hell didn't help. She was still found in the panic room. There were a couple of things that were bothering me on a sub-conscious level that I couldn't pin down. It would come to me eventually.

Steve took me back to my office where I changed into a tank top and jeans after taking off my panty hose. I called the people who Hector and Diane said they were on the call with and they and the phone records confirmed it. The people said that the only problem that there had been was there was a lot of construction noise going on at where they were calling from. I called and asked Diane about it and she said that there had been an all night project going on at the house. I said ok. I also called a friend of mine who was more into the financial side of investigations and had him start on Strock. I decided to take the afternoon off to go to think and started for the mountains. I had a favorite spot on the other side from town to go and think. I made sure I had some water and my pipe and split.

OK, I guess I should admit here that I really don't drink but like to smoke pot on my own time. Steve knew about it and chose to ignore it. He had to deal with random drug tests or else he might have joined me. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with the case, I might have noticed the car tailing me before I got on the mountain road that was deserted. He tried to hang back, but I spotted him. I went ahead to the park where I was going, and fortunately, it was deserted. I pulled out of sight around a hill and ran back to my trunk. I already had my 9MM out, and dug pump-shotgun out of the back, along with 30'06. By the time they came around the hill, I was hidden. They were both carrying pistols. Two guys. I stood up behind them with the shotgun on them and said "drop the guns, boys". Instead, they dove in opposite directions. I took the one who was faster with a blast from the shotgun that thoroughly gutted him and dove back into hiding as bullets went through where I had just been. Damn! They hadn't come from the other guy, so there had to be a third. I peeked over the mound and saw a flash as I ducked back and heard a bullet hit off the mound. One of the guys yelled "hey puta, we're both going to do you at once". Since I wasn't gay, this didn't exactly fill me with anticipation. I yelled back "you don't have dicks that I would feel anyway- I'd need a microscope to find them". As I wanted, one of them was so enraged he stood up to yell and fire and I put a rifle slug in his chest. Even if it weren't the heart, the shock would kill him. The other made to run off and I shot out all four tires on his car. He started firing wildly and I put a bullet in his knee. I wanted him alive for questions. He said I would rather be dead than to surrender to a puta" and put the gun in his mouth and fired. I dug out my cell phone and called Steve.

He and the local cops showed up shortly. The evidence and my reputation backed up my story. I was allowed to leave after walking them all through it and went home. I had AAA tow my car and I rode with Steve. He knew me well enough to not be shocked that it didn't bother me that I had killed. Killing scum never did. Only when innocents or clients got killed was I bothered. What did bother me was that apparently I already knew enough about this case to die for. I just wish I knew what the hell I knew.

 

End of part 2

  

  

  

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