Philip opened the car door and handed me a sack. “Mandy says hello.” He started the engine, drove to the house, and parked.
The dogwood tree full with spring’s white blossoms and the pink azaleas stood out as though I saw them in 3-D for the first time this season. “I’ll bring my laptop from the shop.”
I stopped by the salon, picked up the computer, met him at my front door, and unlocked it with my free hand. We proceeded to the kitchen and placed everything on the table. I poured our tea while Philip pulled up two chairs, placing them side by side.
He sat down, bit into his turkey on rye, a distant look in his blue eyes. “How do you think someone snuck in my room and put toilet paper in those duffle bags?”
“There’s only one way in.” I joined him.
Philip shook his head. “Obviously, I didn’t put the bolt lock on the door when I went inside to the bathroom. Every time I think about that I get so angry at myself.”
“You’re only human.” I hugged him.
“After Mr. Jacobsen gave me the cash, I was in such a hurry. All I thought about was keeping it safe, and I did just the opposite.” Philip lowered his head.
“It’s all right. Robert will recover Mr. Jacobsen’s money. He’ll handle everything and no one will ever know the cash went missing.”
Philip’s lips thinned to a straight line. “I don’t see how he’ll do that.”
“I don’t know how. I just know he will. He’s so smart. I’ve often wondered if he’s an undercover agent disguised as a mild, mannered, small-town Chief of Police.”
Philip stopped eating, his fork in midair.
I laughed. “I’m kidding.”
“Just so he gives me the cash. He can be anything he wants.” Philip finished his sandwich, put mine and his trash in the garbage can, and sat back down in front of the computer. He rubbed his hands together. “We’ll find a new supplier for you right now.” A few clicks echoed in the room then suddenly names of wholesalers filled the screen. He turned the laptop to face me. “Scroll down and make a few selections.”
My cell phone rang. Just Right Products. I couldn’t answer fast enough. “Eve Castleberry.”
“Hi, this is Ernest Goddard at Just Right Products. I have your file and wanted to go over a few things with you. First, tell me which products were mixed up.”
I repeated the information I’d given Louise about the conditioner, the dye, and the permanents.
“I see. I’m sorry that happened. Which of our salesmen calls on you?”
Unbelievable. They didn’t even know who had my account? “Durbin Brown.”
“Hmm. I see Les Shepherd, who handled your needs for years, retired. We don’t have anyone named Durbin Brown in our sales database. How long has this man serviced your account?”
I stopped breathing as disbelief filled every fiber of my being. “A couple months. Did you say he doesn’t work for you?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s not one of our employees.”
“He fills out forms that say Just Right Products and takes my money.”
“I understand. Anyone can print the words Just Right Products on a piece of paper. Of course, it’s illegal, and we will look into it, but back to your situation. It’s a horrible oversight on our part, but we have overlooked Eve’s Clips and haven’t assigned anyone to your shop. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I hope you’ll give us another chance. I’d like to send Les’s nephew, Andrew Shepherd, to call on you if you’ll let me.”
Words stuck in my throat. Finally, I spit out, “Uh, yes, sure. Andrew can drop by.”
Who was Durbin Brown?
25
I cut off the cell phone. My head spun, Phillip and the kitchen blurring for a few seconds.
Philip stared at me with a puzzled gaze. “You’re as white as New York snow. What did he say?”
“They don’t have a salesman named Durbin Brown.”
Philip’s lips parted. “Bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and dye inside the packages—are they sealed?”
I had to think for a minute. “No. Maybe. The permanents were all sealed.”
“We’ve been so focused on finding supplies that work. We haven’t paid enough attention to the packaging.” Philip shook his head. “If the culprit un-wrapped the boxes and took out the Just Right bottles, he could’ve switched them, or in the case of the neutralizer, removed them, and resealed the containers. He probably did, but how did he obtain them?” Wrinkles creased Philip’s brow. “Tell Chief Grimes. Isn’t this a crime?”
“It doesn’t matter whether it is or not. If I ask Robert to look into it, he will. He hates injustice, but I don’t want to distract him until he’s returned Mr. Jacobsen’s money.”
Philip cocked an eyebrow. “I see what you mean, but we need to untangle this problem, pardon the pun.”
“I believe Les’s nephew will right this situation, but someone needs to put a stop to Durbin’s shenanigans. What else is he up to? After Robert calls you about Mr. Jacobsen’s cash, I’ll tell him Durbin Brown is a fraud.”
“You shouldn’t have to wait,” Philip said.
“No worries. It’ll keep.” I glanced at the clock. “I need to go back to work. It’s almost time for Reverend Binder’s wife.”
Philip scooped my computer into the case, followed me to the shop, and placed the laptop on my desk. “I’ll give you a call around five-thirty. Maybe we can grab a bite to eat somewhere and talk.”
“OK.”
He left and Nancy entered.
She had short black hair, blue eyes, and the most caring spirit I’d ever known. I often wondered how she did it day after day. Occasionally Reverend Binder took snippets of his sermon to explain Nancy’s hard work on a project at church or at home. That was his way of telling us we shouldn’t put any more pressure on her. Both of them accepted the congregants with our good and bad sides and made us feel loved. We tried to follow their examples.
“We’re giving you a cut today, right?”
She touched her split ends as she dropped down into the shampoo chair. “Yes. It’s getting straggly and hard to fix.”
I washed her hair, tapped the conditioner, and an image of Durbin flashed in my head. I wanted to shake him. Why had he tried to destroy my business, calling on me when he didn’t even work for Just Right Products? I rinsed Nancy’s hair. Thanks to Smitty’s Drugstore products, it was soft to the touch and the residue settled in the sink as it should. I towel-dried her locks and she made a beeline to the salon chair.
“Is there anything in particular you’d like today?” I placed my hands on the back of the seat.
“Take off about a quarter-inch, brush it back on the sides, and leave bangs in the front.” She eyed herself in the mirror. “Maybe fluff it up a little at the crown.”
“That will look cute on you.” Following her directions, I snipped her hair. Over the noise blowing it dry, I thought I heard the door shut and peeked over my shoulder.
A harried-looking Philip charged inside. Odd. He’d said he would call. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in.”
Nancy turned around and grinned real big. “Why, you’re not disrupting a thing. Eve’s almost finished with my hairdo.”
Philip sat while I put the last touches on Nancy’s style and passed her the hand mirror. She viewed the new “’do” from all directions, her eyes soft with an approving look. Then she paid and left.
Philip jumped up. “Chief Grimes wants to see me in the morning. He’s giving me all of the missing money.”
Joy ran through every bone in my body. I dashed to the desk and flipped the page on my appointment book. “What time?”
“Around ten to ten-thirty.”
“That works. I don’t have anyone until after lunch.”
“Great. We’ll go together. How about dinner?”
I opened my mouth to say yes, but Ellie Ringgold burst into the shop, huffing and puffing. “Chief Grimes is going to arrest your salesman, Durbin Brown. We’re all gonna’
watch.”
“What?” I couldn’t help but stare at Ellie.
Philip focused on her. “Did Chief Grimes send invitations to the capture?”
Ellie swung her yellow-flowered purse at him. “Of course not. Smitty was over at the jail delivering Robert’s sinus medicine. He overheard Robert telling the secretary at the police station where he was going. Then Smitty called and told me.” Ellie tapped me on the arm. “Durbin is involved in corporate espion-something...it’s illegal.”
Philip put his hand to his mouth. “Espionage.”
“I lay you ten-to-one he messed up your products,” Ellie said.
“Well, how does everybody know to go to the motel? Which one is it?”
Ellie puffed out her chest. “I started a phone tree. He’s holed up at the Triville Motel where you’re staying.”
“I just learned he doesn’t work for Just Right. How did he know about Eve’s Clips?” I asked.
“Oooh.” Ellie drew out the word. “He’s assisting Styles by Carlton, a big beauty shop chain trying to move into all the small towns in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and take the hairstylists’ business. They have a mole inside Just Right Products. He stole the products for Durbin, the boxes, shampoo, dye—everything he needed. Then he supplied details about the shops.” Ellie tilted her head. “Obviously, yours included.”
I recalled how close I’d come to putting out that CLOSED sign for good and weakness swept over me. I plopped down in the chair at the shampoo bowl.
“So far three shops have gone belly-up due to their shenanigans, one in each state.” Ellie waved her arm. “Come on. Follow me. We’ll miss the action.”
Philip pulled me up. We followed Ellie outside, hurried into the rental car, and headed down Main Street to the motel, where we joined a huge crowd standing shoulder to shoulder outside room 103, must have been nearly everyone in Triville. Philip craned his neck in the direction of the commotion.
Lloyd banged on the room door with his large hand, the short sleeves on his blue work shirt billowing in the May breeze. “Get out here, you scum. What do you mean switching Eve’s products?”
Joyce Westmoreland hollered. “Yeah, I had to go to work with a wretched hairdo because of you. I looked as if I’d stuck my finger in a live electrical socket.” She glanced over at me. “No offense, Eve.”
Ellie screamed, “You haven’t heard anything yet. Get out here and face us like a man. You rat.”
The door cracked. “So I mixed up a few products. What’s the crime in that?” Durbin’s voice wafted outside, the cockiness gone from it.
Bonnie Sue sashayed to the front of everyone. “We have a hairicide law in Triville, and you broke it. You killed a lot of perfectly good hairdos. Out, or we’ll come in and get you.”
Durbin stuck out his nose.
“All the way.” Mandy Hawkins’s harsh voice rang out.
Durbin edged out wearing nothing but a white T-shirt and a pair of red boxer shorts with big white polka dots, his spindly legs sticking out like toothpicks.
I snickered. I was so glad he would never call on me again.
Chief Grimes pulled up, lights flashing and his siren blasting over the roar of laughter filling the parking lot.
Robert jumped out of the car, and I recognized his fake serious look from grammar school. With his jaw set firm he approached the crowd. The giveaway was the mischievous look dancing in his eyes. I’d seen it many times when he’d told me later he’d been laughing inside.
“Move back. Out of the way, please.” He passed through the gawkers to the motel, handcuffed Durbin, and dragged him off. Putting his hand over Durbin’s head so it cleared the top of the door frame, he stuffed him in the backseat of the police car then got in and drove off.
The Triville residents disbursed, laughing and clapping.
Ellie sidled over to me and Philip. “Now aren’t you glad I came to get you?”
I gave her a bear hug.
Philip shook her hand. “I wouldn’t have missed it. Thank you.”
~*~
The next morning I sat beside Philip in front of Chief Grimes’ mahogany desk, the sun seeping through the small window behind us onto a stack of papers. Two laundry bags that appeared to be stuffed with money rested on the top shelf of a wooden bookcase on the back wall. The urge to meander over and snatch them pulled at me like a magnet.
Philip patted his foot on the laminate floor.
Finally Robert opened the door and whisked into the room.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. I had a last minute call from the Feds about Durbin Brown.” He sat down, swiveled his chair around, and grabbed the laundry bags. “I think you’ll find it’s all in there.” He handed them to Philip.
Philip clutched the money to his chest. “Who took it?”
“Durbin Brown. He’s also wanted for corporate espionage and drug trafficking in three states.”
I sat straight up. “Why, that scoundrel. We heard about his underhanded business crimes and watched with the rest of Triville while you arrested him.”
Philip leaned toward Robert. “How’d he even know about Mr. Jacobsen’s cash?”
“As you’ve learned, this is a small, gossipy town. He overheard two guys in the drugstore talking about you and Mr. Jacobsen. Apparently, they speculated Mr. Jacobsen would give you cash, and a lot of it. Durbin stayed at the Triville Motel for a couple weeks and figured out who you were. When he saw you with the duffle bags, he put it all together and took a chance the cash was in them.”
“How’d you know he had Mr. Jacobsen’s money?” Philip asked.
“At first, I didn’t. We were watching him because we suspected he was part of a drug deal that went down in Chapsburg. I saw him walking around the motel parking lot with two laundry bags. They were square-shaped, much too symmetrical to have clothes in them. I pulled out my laptop and checked online. Sure enough he’d posted about stealing one million dollars in cash and hiding it in laundry bags.”
“You’re kidding.” Philip emphasized the word kidding.
“No. Criminals are bragging about their capers on the Internet.” Robert shook his head. “I cornered Durbin and asked him if he knew anything about any missing money. He turned pale. ‘The loot in the laundry bags?’ he asked. I knew I had him then. I figured he didn’t want any more attention than I’d already given him for fear I’d discover his other crimes. He confessed he’d taken the money from a guy at the motel. I entered his room, and he handed me the stash. While I was in there, I picked up several notes with threatening messages on them that looked as though a child scribbled them.” Robert scratched his chin.
I slapped my hand over my mouth. “So that’s where they came from. I found some in my shop. They must have been to scare me into shutting down in case his faulty products didn’t run me out of business. But how did he place them inside the building without me seeing him?”
Robert thumped his fingers on his desk. “He probably pushed them through the space in the wall after Philip crashed, or he could’ve squeezed them in between the building and the plastic Pete and Charlie nailed up before they installed the window. I’d guess he did it late at night, or in the wee hours of the morning when you were sleeping. More than likely he parked a ways from the shop and walked to and from the building.”
Philip rubbed his hand over the money bags. “How’d he get in my room?”
“As soon as he figured out who you were he waited until the clerk at the front desk left his post. Then he swooped in the lobby and located a card, plus the code for your room. With his expertise he quickly made a key. All he had to do was look for the money to show up and you to leave it unattended. He brought in the bags of toilet paper and replaced the cash. After I brought him in for theft of the million dollars, some of his big time cronies hired a fancy lawyer who came up here and bailed him out, but Durbin was ordered not to leave town. I gathered enough evidence to make the other charges stick and nailed him.”
/>
I scooted up in my seat. “That’s when you arrested him, and we all watched.”
“Right.”
“I’m so dumb for not using the inside bolt on the door.”
“You’re very bright. You won’t make that mistake again,” Robert said.
“Huh?”
“Know how I know you’re so smart?” Robert placed his palms on the desk.
“No.”
I waited for Robert to say something about Philip being a stockbroker and how his company trusted him to get Mr. Jacobsen’s account.
“You’re dating Eve.” Robert shifted his gaze to me and grinned.
I laughed then, and Robert and Philip did too.
Philip shifted the bags on his lap. “I’m concerned about one more thing. Will this be all over the news when Durbin’s charged? What about the trial?”
Robert peered at him with kind eyes. “I made a deal with Durbin. Since he gave me the names of several lieutenants and drug dealers in the cartel, I suggested the DA drop the theft charges, especially since Durbin returned the money. The DA agreed.” Chief Grimes stood.
Joy pierced my heart like an arrow as Philip and I rose from our seats.
Philip could barely get his palm out and hold onto the bags, but he managed to shake Robert’s hand. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”
“There is. Take good care of Eve.”
“My pleasure.” Philip’s lips turned up.
Robert tilted his head. “And don’t go chasing any more criminals. We arrested Joey and Jack yesterday.” He puffed out his chest and hitched up his belt. “I assisted the Feds.”
Philip stared at Robert. “How’d they get all those stolen car parts on that isolated mountain?”
“I doubt you could see it when you were there, but there’s a makeshift road going to the warehouse. I snooped around one day before we arrested them and had a hard time finding it in broad daylight. It originates in a washed-out gulley barely noticeable between the trees and underbrush on either side of it. I couldn’t navigate the deep gap it made in my police car, but I suspected it was an entrance because of the width, and it was the only gulch around the area. I returned to the station and went back in a four-wheel drive jeep. Once I drove farther up the steep grade, the roadbed widened.”
Hair Calamities and Hot Cash. Page 20
