Styled for Murder

by Nancy J. Cohen

  “Not yet. I’ll get to it during the week.”

  “Who’s Jodi?” Brianna asked. She’d helped Marla with her sleuthing on more than one occasion. Despite Dalton’s attempts to keep her away from the sordid aspects of life, Brianna had a curious nature that wouldn’t be denied.

  “Jodi is a new client at my salon. She’s friends with Caroline from the design center.”

  “Is that how she got your name?”

  “That’s right. Jodi was overly talkative when she sat in my chair.” Marla gave the teen a rundown of their conversation. “I’m not sure I believe her allegations about Caroline. Jodi might have been using this confession to lower my guard so I’d talk about the investigation.”

  “What are you planning to do next?”

  Marla wrinkled her brow. “I’d like to revisit the design center to meet Brad and Nadia. I can use the excuse of thanking Caroline for the referral. Since we’re apparently each trying to snoop the other out for information, maybe I can learn how Reed might have known Jack Laredo. Ma said he’d seemed startled when Jack came by for the first time.”

  “If there’s something Reed doesn’t want known, then it must be for a good reason,” Dalton said, striding alongside them on the wide path. “That’s a trust issue between him and your mom. If there’s a secret he’s hiding, he’ll tell her when he’s ready. It could be something completely unrelated. However, I can dig a little deeper if it’ll put your mind at ease.”

  “I know Ma would be appreciative, although I’ll feel like a snake if Reed finds out.”

  The baby whimpered, and they stopped so Marla could retrieve his bottle from their sack. Ryder grabbed it eagerly and suckled for a few minutes then pushed it out with his tongue.

  “Don’t you want more? You hardly drank anything.” Marla nudged his cheek with the nipple, but he turned his face away. “I guess not.” She capped the bottle after wiping dribble from his chin and replaced the item in her bag.

  Brianna scooted ahead to watch an iguana scamper through the grass. She snapped a photo on her cell phone and then fiddled with the keypad, probably uploading it to social media.

  Marla wished the murder case would go away as quickly. Unfortunately, the black stain would symbolically remain in her mother’s bathroom until Jack Laredo’s killer was found.

  Chapter Five

  Monday morning found Marla back at the design center, ostensibly to thank Caroline for the referral. In reality, she hoped to learn more about the firm and how Reed might have connected with their foreman in the past.

  “Jodi looks so much better with her new hairstyle,” she said, standing in front of the reception desk. “Thank you for sending her to my salon.”

  “I’m glad it worked out for her. I remembered you’d given me your card when she mentioned making a change.” Caroline tucked a strand of wavy hair behind her ear. She looked very businesslike in a crimson blouse with a black pencil skirt. “Have you and your husband reached a decision about your renovations?”

  “We’ve decided to use the money for garage shelving instead. Dalton has been wanting to improve the space since we moved into the house. We’ll have to put off doing anything else for now.”

  Caroline’s face remained expressionless. “You have our brochure and paperwork for when you’re ready. Was there something else I could do for you today?”

  “Jodi mentioned you’d been friends since high school,” Marla said to keep their conversation rolling. “It was kind of you to refer her to us. Word of mouth is the best way to gain new customers. In fact, it was my mom who told me about your company. She’s having a bathroom remodel done by your firm.”

  “Is that right?” The desk phone trilled. “Excuse me a moment. Hello, this is Amaze Design Center.”

  As Caroline listened, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. The delay can’t be helped. We’re waiting on your special order to come in. No, there’s nothing I can do at this end to expedite the process. We’re at the mercy of the supplier. Yes, I’ll give them another call for an estimated delivery date. Thank you for your patience.”

  She hung up and glared at Marla. “The hardest part of my job is customer service. People can be rude and demanding when things don’t go their way.”

  Marla’s pulse quickened. This could be the opening she needed. “Tell me about it,” she said with a sympathetic nod. “We get clients like that at our salon, too. They’re not satisfied no matter what you do. But I understand how frustrating it can be from a customer’s viewpoint, especially with renovation jobs. It disrupts your peace when you have to live with an unfinished bathroom or kitchen for several months.”

  “We always tell our clients to expect delays,” Caroline said, her southern accent becoming more pronounced. “It happens with nearly every project.”

  “What is the actual process? You’d mentioned some of it in our last conversation, but I’m still trying to understand.” Maybe Caroline would drop the names of their suppliers. Detective Wanner had probably obtained a list, but he wouldn’t have reason to share it with Dalton.

  Caroline clicked a ballpoint pen open and closed. The black and silver instrument had an expensive gleam. So did the pendant around Caroline’s neck. Were those real diamonds with a ruby in the center? Her tennis bracelet looked genuine, too.

  Marla wouldn’t expect Caroline to make enough money at this place to cover living expenses plus high-end jewelry. Were they gifts from an admirer? Or perhaps part of an inheritance? For all she knew, Caroline could be independently wealthy.

  “I’ll assign our crew after the cabinetry comes in,” Caroline explained in a somewhat haughty tone. Marla guessed that she liked to show off her superior knowledge along with the power she wielded in her role. “That alone can take several weeks depending on the supplier. Then we schedule the demolition. The same team installs the new cabinets. At that point, you’ll have to wait for other items to come in. People get impatient and blame us for circumstances we can’t control.”

  “Is that why your guys don’t work on one project at a time until it’s finished? Because they have to wait for special parts to be delivered?”

  Caroline nodded. “Exactly. That applies to our craftsmen and their schedules, too. One person might be waiting for the plumber, while another one needs the electrician. Or things could be halted until a slab of granite is cut or the shower doors arrive. It’s complicated. Things should be easier once we hire a new foreman. His job is to coordinate the various aspects of a project.”

  “Jack Laredo was in charge of my mother’s renovation,” Marla remarked, watching for Caroline’s reaction. “She wasn’t happy with how he communicated things.”

  The brackets deepened beside Caroline’s mouth. “Jack wasn’t the best at informing our customers about what was going on. When they couldn’t reach him, they’d call the office. I had to smooth things over.” Her mouth curved downward, revealing her displeasure.

  “Still, his loss must be a blow to the company,” Marla stated. “Are skilled project managers hard to find? I mean, how long had Jack been working here?”

  “Why do you care? You’re asking a lot of questions for someone who has postponed a project.”

  Marla was saved from a reply as the front door opened and a tall, lithe blonde breezed inside. A whiff of classic perfume accompanied her, similar to Ma’s favorite Chanel No. 5.

  “Good morning,” the lady called in an accented voice. She wore a conservative navy suit with a yellow gold chain around her neck and button earrings to match. Brushing past them, she dumped her portfolio case on the round table in the corner.

  At Marla’s curious glance, Caroline introduced them. “This is Nadia Romanoff, our architect. Nadia, meet Marla Vail. She’s a hairstylist and a potential customer.” She said the last with a touch of sarcasm, as though she knew that wasn’t the real reason Marla was there.

  In that event, why was she being so chatty? Was she hoping Marla would let something slip abo
ut the investigation?

  Nadia’s features brightened. “I’d love to hear what you have in mind. Come back here to my office.”

  Marla followed her to a suite of offices on the other side of the showroom. She caught a glimpse of the boss as they passed his open door.

  Bradley Quinn had dark hair and eyeglasses and a harried expression on his face. He’d rolled up the sleeves on his white dress shirt and had a stack of papers piled on his desk. His square-jawed features reminded her of Clark Kent. Flashes of her brother’s Superman comics entered her mind.

  She’d remembered her promise to Anita to get in touch with Michael. She had called him and suggested they meet for lunch. To her surprise, her brother had agreed. They had a date for later this afternoon.

  Nadia waved to her boss as they passed his office. Inside her own private enclave, she seated herself behind a modest oak desk. “What kind of project are you interested in, Mrs. Vail?”

  Marla took a seat and crossed her legs. “Please, call me Marla. My husband Dalton and I are thinking of updating our bathroom. I’m just trying to gather information at this stage and gain an understanding of the process. I love your accent, by the way. Where are you from?”

  “I emigrated from Russia as a child.” Nadia fingered an amethyst ring on her right hand. She didn’t wear a wedding band.

  “Really? My ancestors are Russian. I would love to visit St. Petersburg one day,” Marla said to put the woman at ease with a commonality.

  Nadia smiled, the effect softening her face. “It’s a beautiful city. We have a rich heritage.”

  “Yes, that’s true. So what is it exactly that you do here?” Marla asked for clarification.

  “When you’re ready to move forward, we would discuss the improvements you’d like to make. Then I’ll come to your house to take measurements. After you accept our initial proposal and send in your deposit, I’ll draw the actual blueprints. I enjoy making customers happy. It makes me glad I took this job.”

  “Oh? Where did you work before?”

  Nadia squared her shoulders. “I had a position at a high-end architectural firm in Miami. When I realized I couldn’t go any further there, I left.”

  Marla noticed the framed certificates on the wall. “A lot of women hit a glass ceiling when it comes to professional opportunities.”

  “I see you understand. I’d like to open my own consulting firm one day, but meanwhile, this job provides for me and my son.”

  “You’re a single mother? That must be incredibly difficult. I have a ten-month old child, and it takes two of us to manage him.”

  “Unfortunately, my ex-husband is not helpful in that regard.” Something flickered behind her eyes, but then she plastered a smile on her face. “How did you hear about our company?”

  “My mother is having her bathroom redone, but she’s been having unexpected delays. Jack would tell her workers were coming, and nobody showed up until days later.”

  Nadia glanced at the door and lowered her voice. “That wasn’t necessarily his fault, but things should improve when Brad hires someone new.”

  “I was sorry to hear of Jack’s death,” Marla mentioned, observing Nadia’s response.

  The woman folded her hands on the desk. “It was a shock, especially for him to die in such a manner. Poor man. He didn’t get enough credit for the things he accomplished. Clients complained about him all the time over the silliest things. Sometimes all it takes is a patient explanation to satisfy them.”

  She stared Marla in the eye. “I don’t mean to imply we’ll be better off without Jack. Change can be a good thing, but not when it happens that way.”

  Isn’t the former exactly what you meant? Marla thought. “Does this happen to you, too?” she asked. “Irate customers bother you with complaints?”

  Nadia waved a hand. “We all get them. It comes with the territory of running a business.”

  “My mother’s shower seat isn’t finished. They can’t use the bathroom until it’s done. Is this normally the way things go?”

  “Yes, it’s nothing unusual. If we order granite for the seat top, there may not be enough left after the slab is cut. In that case, we’ll cover it with tile instead.”

  “Lenny, the tile guy, came by to finish the job. He’s the man who discovered Jack’s body.”

  “So I heard. It must have been horrible. But how do you know this?” Nadia asked with a puzzled glance.

  “Lenny found the body at my mom’s place.”

  “Good heaven, I didn’t realize the connection. Now I understand why you are here.” Nadia’s gaze chilled. “I hope you don’t believe Lenny had anything to do with Jack’s death. He’s a good man and highly skilled at his job. Even if he and Jack didn’t always get along, they respected each other’s abilities.”

  Marla sat forward. “Did Lenny have any particular reason to resent Jack, aside from their problems in dealing with customers?”

  “If so, I wasn’t privy to it.” Nadia tilted her head. “Although, there was that one time I heard their raised voices coming from the tile section. I was embarrassed because I was sitting up front with a customer. I had to go back and tell them to keep it down. I’d assumed they were arguing over a tile choice for some client. They should have come to me about it.”

  “Is Lenny the type to bear a grudge? Maybe they were talking about something totally different.”

  “It’s not an issue anymore, is it? Besides, Lenny is a teddy bear. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Moisture glistened in Nadia’s eyes. “Jack might have been a cog in our wheel more often than not, but we’ll miss him. He always brought us our favorite coffee drinks when he came into the office. The man was good at noticing those personal details.”

  Not everyone appreciated him, Marla thought. Who had hated the man enough to break his neck? Moreover, who had the strength and knowledge to subdue him that way? Was it within a woman’s scope to overpower a man and drag his body into the bathroom? Perhaps not, but that didn’t mean she should eliminate Nadia or Caroline as suspects. Either one of them could have had a cohort in crime.

  “Who else might have had a reason to resent Jack?” she asked, not ready to end their discussion.

  “We’ve all had our petty disagreements,” Nadia admitted, making Marla wonder if she’d had personal problems with Jack. “That isn’t unusual when people work closely together.”

  Marla scanned the office looking for clues that would give Nadia a motive. The only item of a personal nature was a set of matryoshka dolls on a bookcase. Marla had collected the Russian nesting dolls herself after her sojourn to Sugar Crest Plantation Resort. That had been a wild Thanksgiving weekend when Aunt Polly had died and Marla met the ghosts at the haunted hotel. She’d also learned about her unusual ancestry there.

  Her attention returned to Nadia, whose distant gaze indicated she was lost in thoughts of her own. “I’m trying to help my mother get things under control,” Marla explained, hoping to loosen Nadia’s tongue again. “Having a dead man in her house has been incredibly stressful. It would help to catch the person who killed Jack. If I’m asking questions, it’s because I want this case solved as quickly as possible. Then everyone can move on.”

  Nadia responded with a sympathetic glance. “If your mother is patient, the police will find the person responsible, and her bathroom will get finished. We can only do what is possible under these circumstances.”

  “I realize that. It’s just tough for me to be in the middle of things. Caroline seems to be keeping her cool. It must be helpful to work with someone who’s so calm under stress.”

  Nadia snorted and picked up a paper clip to twirl in her fingers. “She would get riled at Jack, especially when he wouldn’t reply to her messages. Maybe that’s why she had words with him the other day. I could hear them shouting from down the hall. She’s probably glad she doesn’t have to deal with his lazy attitude anymore.”

  “Didn’t Brad get involved? It’s his company’s reputation at stake.”r />
  Nadia’s lips tightened. “He had his reasons for keeping Jack on.”

  Such as? And why had Caroline been arguing with Jack?

  Marla tried another tact. “Caroline mentioned Brad likes to play with the numbers. Do you have any idea what she meant by that remark?”

  “Sorry, I can’t help you there.” Nadia sorted through the folders on her desk and plopped one on top. “I’ve a client coming in for an appointment. I hope your mother is happy with her bathroom when it’s done. Let us know when you’re ready to proceed with your own project.”

  Marla rose and tucked her purse under her arm, feeling grateful the woman hadn’t thrown her out earlier. “Here’s my card. I own a hair salon and day spa. We give discounts to new customers if you’re ever in the area and care to stop by.”

  “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Is it possible for me to meet Brad on my way out?”

  “I’ll see if he’s available, but please don’t repeat anything from our conversation.”

  Nadia introduced her to Brad as a potential customer and left her inside his office. The company president gestured for her to take a seat. Mounds of papers covered his desk in a disorganized fashion.

  “I was sorry to hear about your project manager,” Marla said, using the proper term for Jack’s job. She took a seat as indicated. “Will that impact your operations?”

  Brad’s mouth thinned. “Caroline is managing the crew until we get a replacement.”

  “How terrible for his family. I imagine the police notified them. Will your staff be attending the funeral?” she asked, laying her bag in her lap. The faint scent of the fellow’s citrusy aftershave reached her nose.

  “That depends. His son lives out of town, so who knows what he’ll decide to do?”

  Marla’s eyes widened. “I didn’t realize Jack had a child. How sad for his father to die in such an awful manner. Did they have a close relationship?”