Scottsdale Heat: a romantic light-hearted murder mystery (Laura Black Mysteries Book 1) by B A Trimmer

doing something big. If you picked him up every time he spit on the sidewalk, you’ll never make the big bust.”
    I knew this, of course, it just bothered me something like that could take place without anybody making too much of a fuss about it.
    “Do you know anything about Arizona Security Enterprises?” I asked. “They’ve been following Alex around since yesterday. They look pretty serious, but more like thugs than anything else.”
    “No, but they’re not one of ours. I can ask around.”
    As he was talking, I looked at his wrist and saw he was wearing the watch I had given him the year before.
    “You’re still wearing the watch?” I asked.
    He looked down at it and shrugged. “It’s a good watch.”
    “Do you think of me when you put it on?”
    “I try not to.”
    There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Dominic brought over coffee. Reno picked up the small pitcher of cream and poured it into his cup. He stared at it, watching the coffee as the cream blended in.
    “So why’d you really call me?” he asked. “Don’t you know any other cops you can pump for information?”
    “Let’s just say I’ve had some very positive thoughts about you over the last few days.”
    He arched his eyebrow, but to his credit didn’t say anything.
    ~~~~
    After lunch, I drove up Hayden to Gainey Ranch. I doubted Alex was with Danica, but I had to start looking somewhere. I went into Danica’s neighborhood and then did a slow drive-by past her house. Most of the interior shutters had been closed and there wasn’t a sign of life in any of the other windows.
    I parked a block away and strolled over to her house. Walking past it didn’t yield any more information than the drive-by. I continued to the end of the block and turned the corner. Danica lived in a newer subdivision where the backyards butted up to each other and there were no alleys. I continued around the block until I was directly behind Danica’s house. Unfortunately, the view from this angle didn’t show anything new. I was debating the merits of hopping the wall and seeing if Danica had left a door or window open when my cell phone rang.
    “Hey Laura,” Sophie said. “Lenny says to get your skinny butt down here right away.”
    “You can tell Lenny he can kiss my skinny butt.”
    “No way, I can’t tell him that . He’d spend the afternoon fanaticizing about it. I think he’s going commando today and I don’t want to see him walking around the office all afternoon with a stiffy. You know how that grossed me out the last time.”
    “Alright, I’ll be right over. What’s Lenny want?”
    “I don’t know, but he asked for Gina too. She’ll be here in about ten minutes.”
    “Didn’t Lenny even give a hint?”
    “No, but he’s in with a client now. Probably has something to do with him. Speaking of butts, you should see the client. This guy’s got an ass as good as Jon Bon Jovi.”
    “Bon Jovi? Have you been watching his old videos again?”
    “They had a Bon Jovi special on VH-1 Classic last night. The man might be getting older, but I still want to have his baby.”
    “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, but save butt man for me. My libido’s running in the red zone right now.”
    “So, you’re interested in men again? It’s about time.”
    “I’ve always been interested in men, just more so today.”
    “Really? How bad is it?” Sophie asked.
    “Just do me a favor. If I proposition Lenny, throw some cold water on me. Or better yet, shoot me.”
    “Sex with Lenny? Eeeeyuuww gross!”
    “I was kidding!”
    ~~~~
    When I got to the office, Sophie and Gina were having an animated conversation about Shawn Phillips, a guy Sophie had met at a Christmas party a few weeks before. They had been having this exact same conversation ever since Sophie found out Shawn was married. Of course, she had found this out on their second date and she’d dated him several times since.
    “Hey Sophie,” I said. “I thought you said