Engaged in Murder (Perfect Proposals Mystery) Read online

  “Nice.”

  He sent me a sideways grin. “I know. I fold myself up inside every time I fly, but I love the open air.” He waved me toward the door and the gangway stairs. “Let’s take a quick tour of the hangar so you know where the important things are, like the bathroom and how to stay safe. We wouldn’t want you walking too close to the jet engines when we fire them up during our preflight test.”

  My eyes grew wide at the thought of accidentally being sucked into an engine. “Probably a good idea,” I said and rushed by him on my way down the small set of stairs. Warren walked into the hangar as Daniel stepped down.

  “Hi, Daniel.” Warren strode over to us. I was so happy for Felicity. Warren was a lovely man, over six feet tall and even fitter than the pilot. Today he wore what I considered the work suit of your average accountant—a starched white shirt, black slacks, thin red tie, and a currently unbuttoned matching black suit coat. His shoes were always polished and his nails buffed. I could admire a man who knew how to pay attention to detail and still be all male.

  I think Felicity loved him for his warmth, straight teeth, and the small crinkles around his dark brown eyes. Warren was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Yes, my sister had every reason to gush over him.

  In high school my boyfriend, Bobby, had that tall, dark, and handsome thing going for him. I remember how he used to smuggle small presents into school for me—a flower, a stuffed animal he’d won from one of those claw machines, or something as sweet as a candy kiss. It had been a while since he’d brought me gifts. I may have forgotten how to gush.

  “Pepper, thanks for doing this.” Warren’s words pulled me from my thoughts as he brushed a dark brown hair out of his eyes.

  “Have you heard from Felicity yet?” I asked.

  “Yes, she called to let me know she left work and would be here in about thirty minutes.”

  “That doesn’t give me much time.” I worried my bottom lip. “Daniel needs to show me the safe areas of the hangar and where the bathrooms are so I can hide without getting hurt. Oh, did you give the gate guy Cesar’s name?”

  “Cesar?”

  “Yes, the videographer I hired to film the entire thing.”

  “Is he going to film inside the plane?”

  I glanced over at the plane, thought through the small interior, and winced. “Yes?”

  “No worries,” Daniel said. “I know right where to stash a body, er . . . I mean man with a camera.”

  “Really?” I tilted my head, trying to decide if he was kidding or not.

  “Really.” Daniel winked at me and I decided he was teasing.

  Warren nodded. A look passed between the men, and Daniel took me by the arm. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

  “Wait!” I turned my head back to Warren. “Felicity still thinks that your car is busted and you need a ride, right? I mean, you don’t think she suspects anything, do you?”

  “I don’t think she suspects anything,” Warren reassured me. “Go, your time is running out.”

  I let Daniel take me away from Warren. “I’m not used to being in a hangar. It’s not like I have my own airplane. Please be specific on the safety stuff. I’m a bit of a klutz and I don’t want to spoil Felicity’s surprise by accident.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be specific.” He pointed out the thick heavy pods under each wing. “Those are the engines. You’ll be safe if you stay in the front of the plane.” He walked me around the nose. “So from the stairs to about here.” He stopped at the edge of the plane’s window on the side opposite the stairs.

  “What about that door back there?” I asked as I craned my neck to peer down the length of the plane. “Why would they put a door in the danger zone?”

  Daniel laughed, showing white teeth. “That’s for the pros. Trust me, you don’t need to go any farther than I showed you.”

  “The bathrooms must be over here, then?” I waved at the cinder block area near the mouth of the hangar. It was almost straight across from the plane’s window. Which meant it was in the safe zone.

  “That’s right, smart girl.” He took my elbow and led me back toward the steps and the interior of the plane. “Now, let’s go inside and I’ll show you where to hide your videographer.”

  I paused and batted my lashes at him. “Is that a line?”

  He tilted his head. “Why, Miss Pomeroy, whatever do you mean?”

  “It sort of sounded like you were asking me inside to look at your sketches.”

  He laughed and waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I was. Why don’t you come in and see?”

  This time I laughed as well. “Thank you for the invitation, but I have a boyfriend. Besides I really have to get to work. My sister will be here in twenty-five minutes.”

  “No harm done, I hope.” He raised both hands in innocent defeat. “I’ll show you where to hide a man and let you get to it.”

  I shook my head at his double entendre and followed him up the stairs. As he touched the railing, I noticed the wedding ring on his finger and shook my head. My boyfriend, Bobby, wasn’t the greatest guy, but at least his presence kept the married flirts an arm’s distance from me.

  Chapter 2

  “You want to put the videographer where?”

  “The toilet is perfect,” Daniel insisted. “He can set up his camera here.” He patted the built-in end table beside the couch. “Then he can stow himself in here until after Mr. Ev—I mean, Warren, proposes.”

  I peered into the bathroom. It was twice the size of a normal plane toilet. The fixtures were sumptuous yet efficient. “Is it safe?”

  “Safer than standing behind the potted plant.” Daniel pointed at my palm tree. He did have a point.

  “Maybe if I brought in the second palm . . .”

  “Don’t you think that would look really suspicious?”

  I tightened my lips and raised a corner of my mouth. “No more suspicious than having him hide behind red velvet curtains with only his shoes showing.”

  He looked at me with drawn together eyebrows. “There aren’t any curtains on board . . .”

  “Inspector Clouseau?”

  “Who?”

  “Pink Panther movies?”

  “I’ve never heard of them . . .”

  “Oh, well, then we can’t be friends,” I said. “If you don’t know the movies where the assistant/butler jumps out and tries to kill the inspector, you’ll never get my sense of humor.”

  “Oh, I get your sense of humor.” There was a smile in his eye that warmed my heart.

  I held out my hand like a stop sign. “Fine, we’ll put Cesar in the toilet. Thanks for your help, but I can take it from here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.” I gave him my best smile and looked knowingly from his wedding ring back to his face. I think he blushed a bit or maybe I’d like to think he blushed. Either way he was nearly to the door before I remembered that I needed to chill the champagne. “Wait!”

  He turned, his eyes wide and eyebrows up.

  “I forgot to ask where the mini fridge is.” I held up the champagne and bakery box filled with my sister’s favorite mini cream puffs.

  “Sure you did.” He gave me a slow wink. “You’ll find the mini fridge built in beside the couch.” He pointed behind me to the table where we planned to stash the hidden camera. “If you think of anything else you need, I’ll be right outside.”

  “No, I’ve got it from here, thanks.” I waved him off and told myself not to admire his backside. Time was running out. I found the handle on the end table and opened it. Daniel hadn’t lied. This really was a mini fridge. Popping the things that needed to be cool inside, I quickly unpacked the bags I’d dragged in.

  I placed a conch shell on the table with a replica of the lei Felicity had worn when they took a trip to Hawaii. It h
ad taken them a full year to save up for that trip, but it was all Felicity talked about. Then there were the posters of the picnic in Grant Park, where they had had their second date. I put a video from the comedy club where they hung out on Friday nights into the plane’s DVR.

  By the time I was done, the place was tastefully decorated to reflect the timeline of Felicity and Warren’s dating history. I had done a bang-up job, if I had to say so myself, and I did since no one else was around.

  I glanced at my watch. The videographer had to be here soon if he was going to get candid shots of Felicity coming in and then hide in the bathroom to await the big moment when Warren popped the question.

  The air smelled of sunset and wine, Felicity’s treasured candles. The soft sounds of the couple’s favorite band played through the sound system. I loved to plan parties. In fact, Mom always said I had thrown my first party at the age of three, complete with hand-picked wildflowers beside my pretend tea and crumbling cookies. It had been so much fun that I had made my baby sister sit through event after carefully planned event our entire childhood.

  Mom liked to say I went overboard, but then again she always knew she could count on me when she needed something important planned. It didn’t matter how busy I was. I loved to come to the rescue and coordinate the event.

  I sighed at the perfection in front of me, making sure that it pleased all the senses. There was a banging near the door and I realized the time. I gathered up the remaining bags and wadded them all into one. I then adjusted the silver metal ice bucket, took one last look, and exited the plane.

  Warren and Daniel chatted about flight details. I scooted around the front of the plane in the safety zone as the cameraman entered the building. Happy to see he was on time, I rushed to him. “Cesar! I’m so glad you’re here. You had me worried.”

  “I’m so sorry. I got stuck in traffic. There was some kind of accident on the Stevenson. Then the guy at the gate had to check my ID.”

  “You’re here now. Let me show you what to do inside the plane and then, if there is time, you can take some candid shots as my sister arrives.”

  “Sure thing.” His dark brown eyes glittered in the light. Cesar was a young guy I’d met a few months ago at a family event. He’d filmed my cousin’s wedding and the video was edited so well I knew I had to have him for Felicity’s proposal.

  I took his smallest case from him and put my arm through his. “Come on. She could be here any moment.” Cesar was about five feet nine inches tall and slender. His light brown skin and soft black hair spoke of his Latin heritage. His camera bag was bigger than the overnight case I’d packed for Felicity, which spoke of his true love—film. He wore jeans and a dark blue T-shirt underneath a dark green, long-sleeved shirt.

  The plan was for Cesar to tape until Warren popped the question, then depart before the flight took off to whatever secret destination Warren had planned for the weekend. It was all hush-hush. But I deduced that it was somewhere warm yet upscale since Warren had asked me to pack Felicity’s swimsuit and a cocktail dress.

  Once I got Cesar all squared away, I exited the plane in search of the flight attendant. It never hurt to give a few tips on how to serve the champagne and the treats I had stowed away in the service area of the plane.

  I was careful to go around the front of the plane and avoid the engines. Daniel was in the cockpit working on his preflight checks. It was best to stay in the safety zone, where he could see me. He looked up and we locked gazes. He winked and I blushed and scurried toward the restrooms. Thank goodness Laura was no longer at the back of the plane. I didn’t want to have to make either one of us cross in front of the engines.

  The rest of the hangar was empty so I figured she was in the ladies’ room. I know it’s where I would be before a flight. I hurried down the tiny cinder block hallway and knocked on the door. When no one answered, I grabbed the handle and turned. It opened with ease. “Laura? It’s me, Pepper. I need to give you a few last-minute tips. Laura?”

  I thought I heard a noise so I stepped farther inside the room. It was all tile with three stalls and three sinks. The lights were fluorescent and buzzed, then dimmed and brightened in random patterns. A glance in the mirror told me that my hair had frizzed up in the humidity. I tried to plaster it down. The last thing I wanted was to look embarrassingly unkempt whenever Felicity showed people the video of her big moment.

  The room was quiet except for the buzzing. I ducked down to see if there were any feet showing under the stall. “Laura?” Two of the stalls had nothing. The third stall was blocked by what looked like feet, except they were large like a man’s and pointed the wrong direction.

  Of course I never believe anything that seems oddly out of place unless I double-check it. “Laura?” I pushed on the stall door and it knocked halfway open. Something large and firm was inside the stall between me and the wall.

  It wasn’t easy but I squeezed my head and shoulders through the opening to get a better look. It was the third stall and outfitted for the disabled so it was two and a half times the size of the other two stalls. That way a person could get a wheelchair in and out of it with ease.

  Instead of a wheelchair, there was a large metal bucket with a mop sticking out between me and the rest of the space. The air in the stall smelled of pine-scented cleaner, most likely from the mop. Clearly it wasn’t Laura in the stall. How did I explain the shoes I thought I saw? I wrestled the mop and bucket out of the way and saw what looked like a pile of men’s clothing until I got to the brown hair sticking through.

  Startled, I might have screamed a little. Then things became a bit of a blur as my heart raced and my adrenaline kicked in. “You can’t be in here!” I was firm and yanked the brown suit coat off the man’s face. He didn’t respond.

  The guy was too well dressed to be homeless. He was fully clothed in a blue shirt and brown slacks and wedged up in the corner half on and mostly off the toilet seat. His limp hand hung down into the toilet water. His head rested against the wall, his mouth slack-jawed.

  I’d seen passed-out guys before, but none of them had gone out this much. Should I shake him? Wake him and force him out?

  I glanced at his feet. He was large, and if I got too forceful, he might wake up a mad and crazy drunk. My wild imagination had him backhanding me by accident, knocking me against the wall. The last thing I wanted was to get accidentally beaten up by a drunk moments before Felicity’s proposal.

  “Hello? Um, wake up!” My words echoed through the bathroom or at least I think they echoed. Maybe my thoughts echoed. I mean, how close could you get to a guy who was passed out without getting hurt?

  I realized I had the mop beside me. It would make a good weapon and a good poker. I yanked it out of the bucket, not surprised that the noise didn’t wake this guy. At this point I figured he was probably deaf, which meant no matter how loudly I yelled, he would sleep on.

  So instead of yelling, I poked him on the shoulder with the mop handle. “Hey, mister, wake up. You can’t be in here.”

  It was then someone decided it was a good idea to pound on the bathroom door. I jumped, startled, and screamed, turning the mop handle toward the door. “What?”

  “Hey, Pepper, get out here. Felicity’s at the gate.” Warren’s voice shot through my shock.

  “Coming!” All my thoughts turned to my sister and her impending proposal. I stepped out of the stall and away from the strange drunk inside it. The mop went back into the bucket and I pushed it out of the way in case the drunk decided to leave on his own.

  One glance back at the man and I had to wonder. Should I say something and ruin Felicity’s big moment, or should I wait until my sister said yes before I mention the drunken man in the ladies’ room?

  Chapter 3

  Of course, I could call the cops on the drunk. But as I stood in the hallway with my cell phone in hand, I saw my lovely sister rush into
the hangar. She looked flushed with excitement. Her long hair gleamed in the sunset. She wore a navy suit, which consisted of a navy pencil skirt and matching jacket with three-quarter-length sleeves. On her left wrist sparkled the diamond bracelet Warren had given her for Christmas the year before. She wore navy and white spectator pumps that showed off her legs.

  Felicity gave Warren a kiss on the mouth hello. He dipped her and my heart stopped. It was a real-life movie moment. How could I spoil it with police cars and questions?

  I glanced at the bathroom door. The drunk guy, whoever he was, wasn’t going anywhere. I decided right then and there to wait until after Felicity said yes and Warren whisked her away. After all, what could it hurt? No one would ever know but me, and even better, the guy might wake up and leave while Warren proposed. Then I wouldn’t have to call anyone.

  A movement on the right caught my eye, and a jolt of fear went through me. Was the drunk man going to wake up and spoil Felicity’s moment? A second later I was relieved to identify the movement as the flight attendant, Laura. She nodded at me and put her finger to her lips as Felicity’s voice drifted into range.

  “Warren, are you okay?” Felicity placed her hands on either side of his face and studied him.

  “Yes, of course,” he replied with a smile. “Come on.” He took her hand and wrapped it in the crook of his arm. “Let’s go inside. You can meet my friend Daniel and check out his plane.”

  “Are you going to tell me why I’m here?” Felicity asked as he helped her up the gangway.

  “I’m working on Daniel’s accounts. Once I’m done, we can go to dinner.” Warren told the lie smoothly. The thought crossed my mind that he lied almost too smoothly—as if he had a lot of practice. Laura and I waited just out of sight until Felicity and Warren disappeared into the jet. Then I caught a tear in Laura’s eye at the romance of the moment, and I found myself crossing into the hangar without another thought.