Read Treated and Dyed (A Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery Book 13) Online
Authors: Cindy Bell
Treated and Dyed (A Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery Book 13) (9 page)
Once things had been settled at the station, Nick joined Bekki in the waiting area.
“You don't look happy,” Bekki said as he sat down beside her.
“I'm not,” he replied. He fiddled with his wedding ring and took a long breath. “Not at all.”
“I don't understand why,” Bekki frowned. “I did my best to diffuse the situation.”
“You said you were coming to the memorial,” he pointed out.
“I was,” Bekki said. “I just thought I'd stop by and check out things at the Get and Go first.”
“Which you could have told me,” he pointed out and then lifted his eyes to hers. “You should have told me that Jodie had a gun on her.”
“She showed me it wasn't loaded,” Bekki said. She was feeling a little defensive. “I knew that no one was in danger at that point.”
“There could have been a bullet in the chamber,” he said quietly. “She could have reloaded when you weren't looking. That should have been the first thing that you told me.”
“I'm sorry,” Bekki said with a slight shake of her head. “I guess I didn't think about it.”
“As a detective, safety is the first thing I think about when I walk into a scene,” he explained. “Sometimes I think your safety is the last thing that you think about, Bekki.”
“I might not have made the best decisions tonight, but nothing bad came of it,” Bekki pointed out.
“What happened to your pocket?” he asked as he looked down at her torn skirt.
“Maybe we could talk about that later,” Bekki said as she felt heat rush to her cheeks once more. The last thing she wanted to do was explain how she had gotten herself trapped. “I'm supposed to be meeting with McAllister Dane. It turns out Stella left me something in her will.”
“Really?” he asked.
“I was surprised, too,” Bekki said. She tilted her head towards Jodie who was making her way towards the door. “Maybe we should offer her a ride?”
Nick considered it for a moment. “She doesn't look sober enough to drive yet,” he nodded.
“Jodie, we'll give you a ride to the reading of the will,” Bekki offered as Jodie walked past her.
“All right,” Jodie nodded. “I guess I might as well be there when McAllister tells me she left me nothing.”
Bekki frowned. She hoped that would not be the case.
***
Nick drove in silence towards the bakery. Bekki knew that he was still a little annoyed with her, but she also knew that it would pass.
“Are you doing okay?” Bekki asked Jodie. She was sprawled out in the backseat of Nick's car.
“I guess,” Jodie said quietly. “To be honest I thought that Holly being arrested would change how I feel. But it hasn't.”
“No matter what happens to Holly, it won't bring your mother back,” Bekki said. “It's going to take some time to heal.”
“I didn't think I'd miss her,” Jodie admitted quietly.
Nick parked at the bakery. As they walked up to the bakery, Bekki could see that everyone had already left from the memorial. Angela was inside tidying up. McAllister was sitting at one of the tables, waiting for them.
“I was just about to give up,” McAllister said as he looked up at the three.
“Sorry for the delay,” Bekki said.
“Isn't anyone else coming?” Jodie asked as she sat down at the table. Angela brought her a complimentary cup of coffee, as it was fairly clear that Jodie was still intoxicated.
“Stella only named two people in the will,” McAllister said. “You, and Bekki.”
Jodie glanced over at Bekki with disbelief. Bekki shook her head. She had no idea what Stella might have left her. Nick wound his hand around hers and gave it a little squeeze.
“That should make this short then,” Jodie said. “Get on with it, McAllister.”
As McAllister read the will Bekki watched Jodie's expression. She could see that it was finally hitting Jodie that her mother was gone.
“To my daughter, Jodie, who has learned to be as tough as I am, I leave my experiences, my knowledge, and my wisdom.”
Bekki braced herself as she wondered how Jodie would react if that was all she was left in the will.
“To Bekki, who was the only person who was ever kind to me without expecting anything in return, I leave twenty thousand dollars, to cover all of the tips I stiffed her on over all these years. It takes a kind person to continue to welcome me into her place of business, despite my stingy ways.”
Bekki's eyes widened at the amount of money she was left. Nick smiled at her a little.
McAllister continued to read.
“I leave everything else, the entirety of my estate, to my daughter, Jodie. Use it wisely, and live a good life.”
Jodie looked more shocked than anyone else in the room.
“Are you sure that she left it all to me?” Jodie asked.
“I'm sure, Jodie,” McAllister said. “She made sure that her will was kept up to date. She confided to me once that she hoped that after she was gone, the fortune she left you would help to heal the wounds between you in some small way. She only knew one kind of love, tough, but that didn't mean that she didn't love you.”
“I can't believe it,” Jodie said quietly. Her eyes misted as she listened to the words that her mother had spoken.
“Your mother loved you, Jodie,” Bekki said softly and touched the back of her hand. “Even if it wasn't in the way that you needed her to. You loved her, too, that's why you went after Holly the way you did. Maybe you'll never get the relationship that you longed for, but at least you know now how she felt.”
“Yes,” Jodie said with a faint sniffle. “Maybe that's the most valuable thing she could have left me.”
Bekki and Jodie spent the rest of the evening talking about their memories of Stella. Despite the fact that they had both missed the memorial, they still managed to hold one of their own.
The End
Thank you very much for reading, Treated and Dyed, the thirteenth book in the Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery Series. If you enjoyed the book and would like to be updated when I release a new book you can sign up for email updates at
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Cindy Bell is the author of the cozy mystery series Bekki the Beautician, Dune House, Heavenly Highland Inn and Wendy the Wedding Planner.
Cindy has always loved reading, but it is only recently that she has discovered her passion for writing romantic cozy mysteries. She loves walking along the beach thinking of the next adventure her characters can embark on.
You can sign up for her newsletter so you are notified of her latest releases at
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Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mysteries
Hairpin, Hair Dryer and Homicide
Cosmetics, a Cruise and a Killer
Lipstick, a Long Iron and Lifeless
Camping, Concealer and Criminals
Wendy the Wedding Planner Cozy Mysteries
Sage Gardens Cozy Mysteries
Dune House Cozy Mystery Series
Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mysteries
A Deadly Serious Gardening Contest