Pampered to Death Read online

  Jane approached us. “Kate? May I speak to you privately in my office?”

  The room around me started to shift. I suddenly felt like a kid being called into the Principal’s office.

  Am I in trouble?

  Paula squeezed my hand, and I stood to follow Jane down the hall to a back room that was her office.

  “Listen,” she began. “Hannah is a good girl, and I know this unfortunate event is obviously not her doing. She’s loyal to this business, and she doesn’t have any connection that I know of to these women. Someone else must be involved. I have some security cameras up and running right now, but they’re in the room with the hot tub – and that’s only because it’s a safety precaution. The other cameras are down because of the construction. I need your help.”

  “What can I do?” I asked.

  “I want to hire you,” she said. “You seem trustworthy, and I want to be completely transparent here. My business is everything. I can’t afford our reputation to get sullied.”

  A flutter of nerves jagged through my body, making me anxious and excited at the same time.

  “You want to hire me as your private investigator?” I asked.

  “That’s what you do, right?” Jane asked.

  Indeed!

  I’d now become San Francisco’s premier post-partum detective!

  Chapter Four

  “But...but,” I stuttered. “We don’t even know what Kelly died from. It could be natural causes.”

  Jane looked grim. “Let’s hope that’s the case, an aneurism or some other truly awful thing that could strike down a person so young. But Kate, I can’t afford the rumor mill to start. I need to be proactive on the PR end.”

  I nodded. I knew only too well how small San Francisco could be. Business was tough and word seemed to spread here faster than a small town.

  Jane picked at the corner of a notebook on her desk. “And, if you must know, I’m not particularly a fan of San Francisco’s police force.... My ex...well, let’s not go into that. Suffice to say, I know they like to get work off their desks as soon as possible. Frankly, I don’t want to see a sweet girl like Hannah get pinned for something like this because it’s convenient for SFPD to close the case fast.”

  “Alright. I’m working on my license. Right now, I’m interning under another P.I. He handles all the paperwork. Contacts, insurance—”

  “I understand,” Jane said. “We’ll work it all out.”

  I glanced at the phone on her desk. “If I can call Mr. Galigani now, from your phone, I’m sure he can start the paperwork, while I...” I stopped short and indicated my wardrobe; I was still wrapped in a towel, with only a swimsuit beneath. “Change into some a bit more professional.”

  Jane laughed. “Oh, I’m so sorry my dear! I’m so used to woman prancing around in robes and towels that I didn’t even give it a second thought. Please take your time. I’ll go check on the staff and see if they’re holding it together in lieu of this unfortunate event.”

  She rose and left me in her office to call Galigani.

  He answered on the first ring.

  “Hey, it’s me. I got us a case.”

  “A case of what?” Galigani joked.

  “Very funny. I said. “I’m at a spa, and someone just died. The owner wants me to look into it.”

  “Died? How? From what? Is this a homicide...or—?”

  “We don’t know yet. The paramedics are here and I understand that the police are on their way.”

  “Why did the owner hire you?”

  “Because she likes me.”

  Galigani laughed. “No, I didn’t mean, like why’d she hire when she could have hired another P.I. I meant, why does she need a P.I.?”

  “I asked the same thing. Said she wants to get ahead of any bad PR.”

  Galigani made a clicking sound with his tongue. I’d grown to recognize this as his thinking sound.

  I stayed quiet.

  “Well,” he said. “She’s either really smart or she’s hiding something. Either way we’ll find out. Your mom’s at rehearsal, so I have a bit of free time. I’ll head down there now. Send me the address,” he said.

  I cringed when Galigani mentioned the rehearsal. Last month, I’d promised another P.I., one who was a budding playwright, that I’d play the leading lady in a staged reading, but he’d put out such an aggressive rehearsal schedule that I’d had to bow out. And now, here I was taking on a case that would likely have longer hours than the staged reading.

  Galigani said, “Hello? Are you still there? I need the address.”

  I brushed aside my guilt. After all, Galigani and I were doing important work. If Kelly had indeed been killed; we’d be tracking down a murderer and serving justice.

  I gave Galigani the address, then hung up and headed to the locker room. I quickly changed into my khaki shorts and my pale denim button up, then ran a brush though my wet hair. I crammed my wet swim suit, towel and cosmetics into my duffle bag and exited the locker room.

  Paula was heading in my direction. “I guess spa day is over, huh?” she asked, indicating my gear bag.

  “Looks that way,” I said.

  Paula nodded. “What did Jane want?”

  “She just hired Galigani and me to work on the case,” I said.

  Paula sighed. “Here I was hoping to be the one to land a client today. This place really needs a designer, but I guess they need an investigator more.”

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

  Paula smiled. “You don’t have to apologize. I know you didn’t steal my client on purpose!”

  “Mind if we stick around for a bit? I don’t want to lose an opportunity to talk to any potential witnesses.”

  “No problem,” Paula said. “I’ll change and meet you in a minute.”

  We parted ways for the time being, and I headed back into the lobby where most everyone was still gathered.

  Brittany had been rushed to the hospital for evaluation and Kelly had been carted away. Now, there were a few uniform officers strutting around and it seemed they were waiting on orders.

  Then I saw him. My nemesis. San Francisco Police Inspector McNearny. He’d been Galigani’s partner when Galigani had been on the force and now, he seemed to live to make my life miserable.

  McNearny spotted me right away, and I swear that man was like a hawk visually latching onto a mouse.

  Goosebumps erupted on to my arms as he swaggered toward me.

  “Connolly?” McNearny barked at me. “What the heck are you doing here? Are you part of this bachelorette party?”

  I shook my head, and shrugged. “Bad timing, I guess. I was on a spa date with my best girlfriend, Paula.”

  McNearny made a face. “How convenient.”

  The sounds of footsteps behind me paired with the expression on McNearny’s face made me turn.

  Jane North approached and looked as if she’d just swallowed a lemon whole.

  She gave a curt nod and said through gritted teeth, “Pat.”

  I turned to McNearny. He looked every bit as bitter as Jane did.

  They stared at each other for a moment in silence, before Jane said, “I figured you’d come.”

  Goosebumps erupted on my goose bumps.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out there was history between them, and by the bad juju that was firing from each them to the other, I figured Patrick McNeary was the ‘ex’ Jane North had mentioned.

  I stepped out of the crossfire of their negative energy and felt immense gratitude flow through me at the sight of my mentor, Galigani, pulling opening the front door to the spa.

  As soon as he spotted McNearny and Jane, he looked as if he’d bolt right out the front door.

  I waved at him frantically, “Galigani! Thank you for getting here so quickly!”

  McNearny spun on his heel and made a noise in his throat that sounded like a bear growling when he spotted Galigani.

  I knew McNearny and Galigani at one point had been very good friends
but along the way they’d had a falling out. Despite that, they’d always found a way to work well together, but now something in McNearny’s demeanor gave me the impression that we’d have an uphill climb.

  Jane’s expression lit up when she seemed to put the parts together. “Kate,” she said with a giggle. “Is Albert Galigani, the P.I. you work with?”

  I nodded.

  She clapped her hands with childish delight. “How wonderful! Albert! It’s great to see you.” Suddenly, Jane seemed to remember the bachelorette party within ear shot, because her face become grave and she added, “Of course, the circumstances are just dreadful.”

  McNearny looked from Galigani to Jane. “Don’t tell me you hired Galigani,” he said.

  Jane smiled. “No. I hired Kate, but I understand it’s a package deal.”

  McNearny’s face clouded and I feared we were about to witness a storm of epic portions. Before he could erupt, I smiled and said as diplomatically as I could, “We’ll all work together.”

  McNearny looked around at the uniform officers strutting around the spa. “We’ll have to close you down for the time being.”

  “You can’t do that!” Jane protested.

  McNearny snapped his fingers at an officer. “When’s does the M.E. arrive? I need confirmation that I’m working a crime scene.”

  The officer stopped in his tracks, his face paling a bit at being singled out by McNearny. “I heard she’s on her way...”

  McNearny’s brow scrunched up, and his cheeks turned an angry red.

  “I’ll find out exactly when, sir. Sorry,” the officer said scurrying away.

  Galigani put a hand on Jane’s shoulder. “It’s for the best. Cancel the rest of the spa appointments for the afternoon and we’ll see if we can’t get a rush on the M.E. for cause of death.”

  Jane pressed her lips together, but nodded in agreement as she headed to the receptionist to discussing closing the spa.

  I reached into my bag for my notebook and pen, but only found my small daily calendar that had a microscopic note section in the back. I rummaged for a pen and found one my mom had given me. It had a ridiculous dangling sunflower on the end of it, but I supposed it would do.

  “I’ll start getting some statements,” I said.

  “You’re not getting any statements. That’s my job!" McNearny squawked.

  Before I could argue, a young man dashed into the spa, screaming, “Where is she?”

  His voice echoed from the entrance of the lobby, and the three of us glanced in that direction.

  The group of bridesmaids all hurried up to him as well as Mrs. Lozano. The man, whom I assumed was the groom-to-be, Ryan, was teary eyed and shaky. We couldn’t hear what they were saying from the distance, but we could all see a very emotional display as the woman surrounded him and let out a wail.

  McNearny shook his head. “I’d be upset, sure, but he’s a bit melodramatic for my taste.”

  “Not everyone is a cold fish—”

  Galigani elbowed me in the ribs to keep me from uttering the rest of the statement.

  McNearny seemed oblivious. “What do you think, Al? You think he’s faking?”

  “I wouldn’t say that he’s faking it,” Galigani said. “The man was about to marry the love of his life. Cut the kid some slack, McNearny. There are a number of suspects here who could be behind this. Besides, we should probably wait on the M.E.—”

  “Any of the girls – could be jealous of the bride-to-be,” McNearny said. “And that redheaded mother-in-law looks crazier than a loon. But let’s not forget about the spa. Jane might be behind it—”

  “Come on!” Galigani said. “You know that Jane would never be involved in hurting someone—”

  “She sure as hell hurt me,” McNearny said, his voice full of venom.

  “Okay,” I said, soothingly. “But Jane wouldn’t intentionally risk her company’s reputation, and then hire a private investigator to look into the case, right?”

  “Well, that’s the thing, sweetheart,” McNearny said. “If she’s worried enough to want to hire a PI, you’d think she’d hire a real one.”

  I stiffened, but Galigani held up a hand to keep me from replying.

  “Anyways,” McNearny said. “I’m going to make sure my boys are progressing on the crime scene.” He pivoted on his heel and left us in the hallway.

  A tall elegant woman with a thick braid of long black hair entered the spa.

  Galigani nodded at me and said, “That’s Becky from the M.E.’s office. I’ll go make nice and try to get us on the inside track for some information.”

  Inside information?

  Yes, it sounded like exactly the kind of information I needed.

  Chapter Five

  I watched as Galigani attached himself to the M.E and disappeared toward the room where Kelly had taken her last breath.

  The lobby was a flurry of activity, but I spotted the masseuse, Hannah, giving her statement to a uniformed officer. When he closed his notebook and stepped away from her, I stepped in. After all, it seemed as good a place to start as any.

  “Hannah,” I called. “Would you mind speaking with me privately for a moment? Your employer, Jane North, hired me to investigate this incident.”

  “I don’t know what happened,” Hannah said, her voice trembling. “I used the same mask that we always do. I had just gotten a fresh assortment from the supply closet too! There should not have been anything wrong with it at all!”

  I put my hand on Hannah’s shoulder. “No one is blaming you, Hannah.” I glanced around at the crowded lobby. It was full of anxious, angry faces. My gut told me I had to get Hannah to calm down if I was going to get any useful information out her.

  “Let’s take a walk, so that we can talk privately,” I said to her.

  Hannah’s hunched shoulders dropped as we stepped away from the din of the lobby.

  “So how long have you worked here, Hannah?” I asked as we found a hallway to casually stroll down.

  “I guess two years? I started working here as a receptionists when I was in high school, and I got certified to be a masseuse last summer,” she said.

  “Mind walking me through exactly what happened?” I asked.

  “I already told the police everything,” she said.

  “Yes, but your boss hired me specifically to help you out, Hannah. She wants to make sure you don’t get any heat for this,” I said to reassure her.

  Although now that I knew about Jane’s history with McNearny I wonder if Jane secretly feared she’d be the target of the investigation rather than Hannah.

  “I’m a private investigator,” I said. “And I have yours and Ms. North’s interests at heart. Is anything you can tell me that could help with my personal investigation?”

  She shrugged. “I did everything I was supposed to. After I gave Kelly and Brittany their massages, I noticed we were out of the face mask we normally use, so I stepped out of the room to go to the supply closet to get more.”

  “Did you see if anyone else entered the room?” I asked.

  “What? No...No...why would anyone go in there?” Hannah asked nervously. Her hand flew to her throat and she scratched at her skin anxiously. “Brittany would have said something if anyone had gone in there, right?”

  I nodded. “Okay, good point. I’m just trying to cross our t’s and dot our i’s.”

  Hannah stopped clawing her throat and dropped her hand.

  “Go on,” I prodded. “You went to the supply to get more and then what happened?”

  “Oh!” Hannah exclaimed. “I just thought of something I forgot to tell the police,” she said. “I forgot about it completely.” She turned to race back down the hallway.

  I grabbed her arm. “Wait. Wait! What did you forget?” I asked.

  Hannah’s face clouded. She was young, maybe twenty-one or twenty-two max. It was obvious, she didn’t know which way to turn or who to trust. She chewed her lip.

  “I’m on your side, Hannah,�
� I said. “You can tell me.”

  She nodded. “Well, when I went to grab the tub of the face cream, I saw another tub that’d already been opened sitting on the shelf. I thought it was weird, because normally if a tub’s been opened, it would have already been brought into one of the rooms. But, I figured someone just maybe topped off an old jar or something. I opened it and it looked fine. I mean, it didn’t seem dried out and crusty or anything. It still looked fresh. I didn’t want the jar to go bad just sitting in the supply closet because it’s really drafty in there...”

  “Someone tampered with one of the jars and left it in the supply closet?” I said.

  “Tampered?” Hannah asked, her voice becoming shrill. “I don’t know.

  I should have just thrown the opened jar away,” Hannah wailed. “I didn’t even think twice about it, you know? I just didn’t want to waste the tub of face mask because it’s very expensive. I never even once thought someone might have...what would someone have done? You can’t kill someone with face mask, can you?”

  Could you?

  I feared Hannah was to leave me with a one-way ticket on the hysterical train, so I ushered her to the supply closet.

  “Show me,” I said.

  She opened the closet, and pointed at the empty space where she’d picked up the tub.

  I noticed the supply closet didn’t have a lock on it. Anyone could have gotten in there and messed with the face mask.

  “Okay, Hannah, please tell Jane about this so that she can go through everything and make sure nothing else has been tampered with. And tell her to put a lock on the supply closet.”

  Hannah nodded and dashed down the hall.

  What could have happened? Could the kill have emptied Kelly’s room of the face mask, knowing the masseuse would have to go get more? Then they had infected the face mask?

  With what?

  An acid, of some sort?

  It seemed far-fetched...but...

  As I exiting the supply closet, Paula emerged from the locker room, freshly shampooed and smelling like a mix of wild strawberries and grapes. I covered my nose and shook my head.