Treated and Dyed (A Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery Book 13) (3 page)

“That might not be true though,” Bekki pointed out. “It is just a rumor.”

“I can tell you when I was on the golf course last week I overheard her husband asking one of the realtors that play there for a card. He was looking for an apartment,” she shook her head. “Married men don't stay in apartments. I think they're on the verge of a divorce.”

“Oh, how terrible,” Bekki frowned. “She's lost her mother on top of that, she must be having a very hard time.”

“You're right,” Nettie nodded. “It isn't right that we gossip about this. Jodie might not be the daughter of the year but it sounds like she's hit a rough patch.”

“Don't be too sympathetic, ladies,” Linda said with a smirk. “I'm sure Mommy's fortune will soften the rest of her path.”

Bekki pursed her lips to keep from speaking her mind. She knew that a beauty salon was like a church for these women, what was said inside of one was sacred. If they didn't feel comfortable speaking freely, even if Bekki didn't agree with their opinions, they would find another salon to patronize.

“You two are all set,” Bekki said. She spun both of the women around so that they could see every angle of their hair.

“Gorgeous,” Hattie said with approval.

“Good job,” Linda agreed. She tugged at one of her curls and watched it bounce. “It's pretty amazing that you can go through the events of earlier and still do your job, Bekki. I guess the time you spent working in the city really toughened you up.”

“You could say that,” Bekki replied. She didn't agree with Linda, but it wasn’t something worth discussing. She walked with the two women over to the register.

“Give me one minute, Nettie, and I'll be right with you,” Bekki said.

“Thanks,” Nettie said. She finally opened her magazine.

Once she had settled the bill for both Hattie and Linda, Bekki escorted Nettie to the shampooing area. The rest of her afternoon went very swiftly. She had her regular appointments show up and then a few walk-ins. Bekki could tell that most of the people that came in just wanted to talk about what happened. All she kept hearing from everyone was how healthy Stella was, and also how harsh she was.

When it was finally time to close, the quiet in the shop made Bekki uneasy. She had a few minutes to think and that was all it took to remind her of what had happened that morning. Her thoughts returned to Jodie. She decided that she would head over to her house and check on her before it got too late in the day. She left some things to tidy up for the morning and hurried out of the salon.

As Bekki drove towards Jodie's house she recalled the few times that she had interacted with the woman in the past. Once was at prom, when Jodie had been a chaperone. Everyone was excited to see her as she would be wearing the latest fashion and was sure to have the handsomest date on her arm. Jodie was late, and by the time she showed up most of the dance was over. Bekki remembered the way she teetered on her heels, and had a sleepy look about her. At the time Bekki hadn't really thought about it. But looking back it was clear that Jodie had likely been drunk. She guessed that alcohol had been a problem for Jodie a long time before her marriage.

When Bekki reached Jodie's house, she second guessed her decision. Was it rude of her to just drop in? Would Jodie be even more upset by having someone who was practically a stranger knock on her door?

Bekki sat in her car for a few more moments. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. She decided that paying her respects was the right thing to do. After taking a deep breath Bekki opened the door and stepped out into the driveway. She walked up to Jodie's front door. The house was modest. However, the window treatments and decorations were not. Bekki could tell that they were quite expensive. Jodie might have had to beg her mother for money, but it did seem that she might have received it on occasion. Bekki rang the doorbell and waited. Through the window beside the door she could see that there was a light on in the living room. The door swung open and Jodie looked out at her.

“What?” she asked.

Bekki noticed her speech was a little strange.

“I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss,” Bekki explained. “I was with your mother when she passed.”

“Oh,” Jodie replied. She looked Bekki over from the top of her head down to her feet and back up again. “The hairdresser right?”

“Yes,” Bekki answered. “She had an appointment with me this morning.”

“Did you kill her?” Jodie asked.

“What?” Bekki gasped. Jodie's eyes sparkled with something between amusement and anger. Bekki realized that she had been drinking from the pink in her cheeks and the scent on her breath. “Are you feeling okay, Jodie?” Bekki asked.

“Just tired,” Jodie said. “Come in.” She moved back away from the door so that Bekki could step inside.

“Again, I just want to say I'm sorry,” Bekki explained. “It must be so hard to lose your mother.”

“If you could call her that,” Jodie said. “Wine?” she offered as she picked up a bottle of red wine.

“Sure,” Bekki said. She didn't really want a glass of wine, but she wanted to keep Jodie company. She sat down on the soft couch. Jodie set another wine glass on the coffee table and began to pour Bekki a generous glass.

“That's plenty,” Bekki said. Jodie continued to fill the glass to the very top.

Jodie set the bottle down and picked up the glass. She turned to hand it to Bekki, but she spun too fast, and all of the wine sloshed out across Bekki's light blue linen pants. She cried out with surprise.

“I'm sorry!” Jodie exclaimed. She swayed on her feet. “I didn't mean to do that. I'm a mess. Let me get you some towels.”

“It's okay,” Bekki said quickly. “I'll take care of it, you just sit down and rest, okay?”

Jodie nodded as she sank down onto the couch. Bekki found some paper towels on the counter in the kitchen. She used a few pieces to soak the excess wine from the material on her pants. As she was tossing them into the trash she noticed an empty bag of candy in the trash. It was the same candy that Stella always had with her. Her eyes misted with tears as she thought of Stella. She stepped back into the living room and found that Jodie had fallen asleep on the couch. Bekki grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over Jodie. She was obviously upset, no matter how she acted. She had lost her mother and though they might have had problems in the past that didn't mean it wasn't still heartbreaking for Jodie.

As Bekki walked back to her car she felt a deep sense of sadness. Only then did she realize she had left Stella's purse at the salon.

“I'll get it tomorrow,” she said to herself. She knew that Nick would be waiting for her at the house. She headed home hoping to be able to relax, but she still felt very uneasy about what happened and how Jodie was handling it. 

***

When Bekki stepped into the house the fragrance of herbs and garlic greeted her. She smiled a little at the smell. She was late, but Nick had still cooked dinner for her. Nick stepped out of the kitchen and leaned against the front wall. He was wearing her apron, which made her smile even more.

“Everything okay?” he asked. He studied her with his brooding gaze. Nick had a way of looking just a little upset even when he wasn't. Maybe it was because as a detective he always had a case on his mind.

“Sorry, I'm late,” Bekki said. She crossed the room towards him.

“What happened to your pants?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. He embraced her warmly. She rested her head against the thick surface of his chest.

“I stopped by Jodie's after work,” she explained. “I just wanted to pay my respects. I thought since I was the last one to see Stella alive, she might want to know what her mother's last moments were like.”

Nick peered down at her curiously. “And?”

“She was a little drunk, which is completely understandable,” Bekki said. “She spilled some wine on my pants.”

“Oh,” he nodded. He smoothed her hair back with the palm of his hand. “Are you holding up okay?”

“I think so,” Bekki nodded. “It just seems like no one is as upset as me. Yes, Stella was a hard woman, but she was still a person, a mother,” she shook her head. “I just don't understand why everyone is acting like her passing is not a great loss.”

“People react to death differently, Bekki,” Nick said. “Give it a few days and I'm sure they'll be planning a memorial service and planting a tree in her honor.”

“It's not funny, Nick,” Bekki said impatiently.

“I'm not trying to be funny,” Nick said. He sighed. “I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted.”

“What's going on?” Bekki asked. She began walking towards the bedroom to change. Nick followed after her as he spoke.

“It’s the Black case,” he said. There was some hesitation in his voice as if he knew that he should not be talking freely about it.

“The Black case?” Bekki asked. She grabbed some pajama pants out of the closet and began to change. “Why would you be investigating a heart attack?”

Nick leaned against the doorway. When he spoke Bekki could hear the concern in his voice.

“The medical examiner found some abnormalities,” he said.

Bekki spun on her heel to face him. “What abnormalities?”

“It's just preliminary right now, but there was no evidence of a previous heart condition. It's unusual I guess for someone in such good health to have a sudden and massive heart attack even if they are older. I believe that the medical examiner also noticed some inconsistencies in the initial blood work. We have to wait on the tox screen to come back to know for sure,” he paused. His forehead creased as he frowned. “Dave and I will probably have to pay the salon a visit tomorrow morning.”

“Wait a minute,” Bekki said. She began to piece his words together. “Are you saying that the medical examiner suspects that this might be poison? That someone murdered Stella?”

“It's too early to be certain,” Nick said. Then he lifted his dark green eyes to hers. “But it is starting to look that way.”

“But she was with me at the salon,” Bekki stammered. “How could she have been poisoned?”

“Who knows. It could have been a slow acting poison that took affect when she arrived at the salon.”

Bekki shook her head slowly. “She looked fine though, I only left her for a few minutes.”

“Listen Bekki, we'll know more tomorrow,” he said. He walked across the room to hug her again. “Try not to let it get to you. There's no way that you could have known.”

Bekki nodded as she relaxed in his grasp. But she couldn't help thinking about the last few minutes of Stella's life which she had spent with Bekki. Had Bekki missed something that could have saved the woman's life? It seemed like everyone at the beauty salon had been right. Stella was too healthy to have had a simple heart attack. Had Bekki been a witness to murder?

***

For the remainder of the evening Bekki tried to chat with Nick. They usually had plenty to talk about, but she kept letting the conversation fall flat.

“So, Dave is turning out to be more interesting than I thought,” Nick said casually. They sat close together on the couch with the television on as background noise.

“Is he?” Bekki asked. She barely paid attention to what he was saying.

“Turns out he has a direct link to the mafia, the feds want me to keep tabs on him for them,” Nick continued.

“That's nice,” Bekki said. She stared at the textured carpet beneath her bare feet.

“It's actually quite dangerous,” Nick said. “I'm fairly certain I will end up with cement shoes.”

“I think the mall is having a sale,” Bekki said. She curled her toes against the carpet. Nick couldn't resist laughing.

“Great, I'll get a discount on my cement shoes,” he said.

“What?” Bekki looked over at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I'm sorry, I could tell you weren't listening, so I had a little fun,” Nick explained.

“I'm sorry, Nick,” Bekki said. “I'm having a hard time focusing.”

“It's okay, I understand,” Nick said. He took her hand in his. “This morning was a lot to deal with.”

“Did you say that Dave is connected with the mafia?” Bekki asked and laughed. “That I would believe.”

“I did say that, but I don't think he is. He's just a tough guy. It's going to take him some time to adjust to this little town,” he said.

“I wonder why he even came here,” Bekki said. “If he prefers the city, why would he move to a tiny little town?”

“I don't know,” Nick said. “Whatever the reason, he's here now. He doesn't talk much about his personal life.”

“So, he could be connected to the mafia,” Bekki said. She laughed a little. Nick smiled at her.

“I'm glad to see you smile,” he said. He kissed her gently. “Why don't we call it a night? It's been a long day.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Bekki said. She yawned as Nick pulled her up from the couch. Once they were in bed, Bekki snuggled up close to Nick. She thought about everything that she had heard about Stella's love life when she was at the salon. At one time Bekki had gone through a serious break-up, a heartbreak she thought she would never recover from. All that had changed, and now she was married to the most amazing man she had ever known. She knew one thing for sure, no matter how hardened Stella had become, the woman did not deserve to be murdered.