Read Online Scottsdale Heat: a romantic light-hearted murder mystery (Laura Black Mysteries Book 1) by B A Trimmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: B A Trimmer
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the truck had an open bin in the back and had been carrying a full load of oranges, several thousand of which were now scattered across the freeway.
After a minute, traffic began to filter around the accident. I heard sirens in the distance. In the age of cell phones and OnStar, freeway accidents are now reported in real-time. The tattered Lincoln completely blocked the off-ramp Alex had taken. There was no way I could get around them. I supposed it didn’t matter. Alex was already lost for the day.
I followed the trickle of cars going around the jack-knifed semi. I felt the soft squish under my tires as I ran over several oranges. The smell of citrus mingled with of burning rubber.
As I passed the Lincoln, I saw the two men were out of the car, both looking a little shaken. Apparently neither had been wearing a seatbelt. The tall guy was holding a towel to his bleeding nose. The short guy was holding his right arm close to his side, as if in pain. His good arm was holding a cell phone. Although I couldn’t make out the words, the sound of his shouting into the phone carried to my car. As usual, neither man looked happy.
~~~~
I drove back home to decide what to do next. Since my day of surveillance was turning out to be a bust, I decided maybe this would be a good time to get some more background on Meyer’s Jewelers and the creepy people at the Tropical Paradise. I also thought this might be a good excuse to talk to Jackson Reno. Who knows, I thought, maybe my erotic dreams about him were a sign? I took a deep breath, opened my cell phone, and called him at his old number. He answered on the third ring.
“Hey,” I said. “Remember me? It’s been a while. What are you doing for dinner tonight?”
The phone was silent. The kind of silent where you know the person is still on the other end, but they just aren’t talking. I was about to ask again when he spoke.
“Laura Black,” he said with a sigh. “I always knew someday you’d show up again.”
“And, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” I asked.
“No.”
“We always had a good time together.”
“Good time?” Reno said his voice starting to rise. “As I recall, you dumped me. I also remember while we were dating, before you dumped me, you had people trying to kill you. I mean, seriously trying to kill you. How is that a good time? Do you know how it feels to have people actively trying to kill your girlfriend?”
“It was only a couple of times and never while we were actually on a date.”
“There was that guy who rammed into your car and made you crash through the side of a car wash. Remember that?”
“Well, yeah. But it was only a rental and nobody got hurt.”
“And, there was the crazy woman who put all of those scorpions in your bedroom. Remember that?”
“Well, yeah. But wait a minute,” I said, my voice also starting to rise. “You’re a cop. People try to kill you all the time too.”
“No they don’t, and besides that’s completely different.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” he said. “You said we always had a good time together? I don’t remember it that way. What’d we ever do together that was so good?”
“The sex was pretty good.”
There was another pause on the other end of the phone. Then he sighed, again. “OK, the sex was great. But that doesn’t mean I had a lot of fun the rest of the time.”
“Yes you did. You’re just upset because we stopped seeing each other.”
“Stopped seeing each other? As I recall, you dumped me. No good-bye, no kiss my ass, nothing.”
“I didn’t dump you, I was tied-up and couldn’t see you.”
“For over a year?”
“Well, it was only for a few weeks. But when I got untied-up, you had already started seeing someone else.”
“I won’t even begin to tell you I understand a word you are saying. Besides, I haven’t had a serious girlfriend since you dumped me.”
Oh, really?
“I didn’t dump you. And what about Cynthia Redburn? Tall with
After a minute, traffic began to filter around the accident. I heard sirens in the distance. In the age of cell phones and OnStar, freeway accidents are now reported in real-time. The tattered Lincoln completely blocked the off-ramp Alex had taken. There was no way I could get around them. I supposed it didn’t matter. Alex was already lost for the day.
I followed the trickle of cars going around the jack-knifed semi. I felt the soft squish under my tires as I ran over several oranges. The smell of citrus mingled with of burning rubber.
As I passed the Lincoln, I saw the two men were out of the car, both looking a little shaken. Apparently neither had been wearing a seatbelt. The tall guy was holding a towel to his bleeding nose. The short guy was holding his right arm close to his side, as if in pain. His good arm was holding a cell phone. Although I couldn’t make out the words, the sound of his shouting into the phone carried to my car. As usual, neither man looked happy.
~~~~
I drove back home to decide what to do next. Since my day of surveillance was turning out to be a bust, I decided maybe this would be a good time to get some more background on Meyer’s Jewelers and the creepy people at the Tropical Paradise. I also thought this might be a good excuse to talk to Jackson Reno. Who knows, I thought, maybe my erotic dreams about him were a sign? I took a deep breath, opened my cell phone, and called him at his old number. He answered on the third ring.
“Hey,” I said. “Remember me? It’s been a while. What are you doing for dinner tonight?”
The phone was silent. The kind of silent where you know the person is still on the other end, but they just aren’t talking. I was about to ask again when he spoke.
“Laura Black,” he said with a sigh. “I always knew someday you’d show up again.”
“And, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” I asked.
“No.”
“We always had a good time together.”
“Good time?” Reno said his voice starting to rise. “As I recall, you dumped me. I also remember while we were dating, before you dumped me, you had people trying to kill you. I mean, seriously trying to kill you. How is that a good time? Do you know how it feels to have people actively trying to kill your girlfriend?”
“It was only a couple of times and never while we were actually on a date.”
“There was that guy who rammed into your car and made you crash through the side of a car wash. Remember that?”
“Well, yeah. But it was only a rental and nobody got hurt.”
“And, there was the crazy woman who put all of those scorpions in your bedroom. Remember that?”
“Well, yeah. But wait a minute,” I said, my voice also starting to rise. “You’re a cop. People try to kill you all the time too.”
“No they don’t, and besides that’s completely different.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” he said. “You said we always had a good time together? I don’t remember it that way. What’d we ever do together that was so good?”
“The sex was pretty good.”
There was another pause on the other end of the phone. Then he sighed, again. “OK, the sex was great. But that doesn’t mean I had a lot of fun the rest of the time.”
“Yes you did. You’re just upset because we stopped seeing each other.”
“Stopped seeing each other? As I recall, you dumped me. No good-bye, no kiss my ass, nothing.”
“I didn’t dump you, I was tied-up and couldn’t see you.”
“For over a year?”
“Well, it was only for a few weeks. But when I got untied-up, you had already started seeing someone else.”
“I won’t even begin to tell you I understand a word you are saying. Besides, I haven’t had a serious girlfriend since you dumped me.”
Oh, really?
“I didn’t dump you. And what about Cynthia Redburn? Tall with
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