Hair Brained

by Nancy J. Cohen

  Hair Brained, Copyright © 2017 by Nancy J. Cohen

  First Edition: September 2017

  Published by Orange Grove Press

  Digital ISBN: 978-0-9970038-7-1

  Print ISBN: 978-0-9970038-8-8

  Edited by Denise Dietz from Stray Cat Productions

  Cover Design by Boulevard Photografica

  Digital Layout by www.formatting4U.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed for your personal use only. No part of this work may be used, reproduced, stored in an information retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written consent by the author. Any usage of the text, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, without the author’s permission is a violation of copyright.

  Chapter One

  “What’s keeping Dalton so long?” Marla said, casting an anxious glance at the doorway. She stood by the kitchen sink with a dishtowel in hand, wondering about the phone call that had torn her husband away from their guests on New Year’s Day. He should have returned the call later instead of disappearing into another room, especially with company over.

  “Maybe your friends Tally and Ken are coming after all,” Marla’s mother, Anita, suggested. Her warm brown eyes regarded Marla from under a crown of short, white hair.

  “If that’s the case, why would Tally notify Dalton instead of me?” Marla had invited the couple to their party, but Tally had declined. Her best friend hadn’t mentioned plans for their traditional New Year’s Eve date, either. If she didn’t feel like going out with a new baby at home, wouldn’t Tally have said so?

  “Maybe it’s a work call.” Anita stacked a trio of dirty serving platters in the sink to free up more counter space.

  “Dalton’s partner is supposed to be covering for him today.” As a homicide detective on the Palm Haven police force, Dalton was often on call. Marla had hoped that wouldn’t be the case during their party today. But when he reappeared in the kitchen doorway with a somber expression, her heart lurched. His news couldn’t be good.

  “Can we talk in private?” he said, his voice gruff.

  “Sure.” Marla tossed her dishtowel onto the kitchen counter and followed him toward the study. Laughter and chatter from their guests reached her ears as they passed the living room of their single-story house.

  She faced Dalton inside their home office, where his tall frame and broad shoulders dominated the space. A lock of peppery hair fell across his brow, creased with concern.

  “Tally and Ken are missing,” he began without preamble.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They went out last night and haven’t come home.”

  “Who told you this?”

  “Mrs. Phelps, their babysitter, phoned me. We’re on her emergency call list.”

  “Luke is safe at home, then?” Marla couldn’t conceive of Tally leaving her four-month-old for any length of time.

  “Yes, he’s okay. According to the sitter, Tally said they might be out late and would get a hotel room if that were the case. Mrs. Phelps fell asleep waiting for them. When they failed to show up this morning, she figured they were sleeping in. But as the day wore on, she got worried. She tried to call, but their phones went straight to voice mail.”

  “Tally would never leave Luke for so long without contacting the sitter.” Marla didn’t voice her fear that something serious must have happened. Tally, in her mid-thirties, had tried to get pregnant for years. Their child meant everything to her. It was unimaginable for Tally to be apart from Luke for an entire day without notifying anyone.

  “I called Kat and asked her to look into car accidents and hospital admissions,” Dalton added, compressing his mouth into a thin line.

  Marla hoped his partner’s research wouldn’t bring bad news. She gaped at Dalton as the repercussions hit. “We have to get Luke. I’m listed as his guardian in the event—”

  “I know. The sitter is packing the essentials for us.”

  Tally and Ken had appointed Marla as the child’s guardian in their estate documents. Tally had no close relatives and didn’t trust her brother-in-law in that role. Phil, a confirmed bachelor, lived out west and preferred his single lifestyle.

  “Let me try to call Tally,” Marla said, her throat dry. “Maybe she’ll answer if she sees me on the caller ID.”

  “Don’t bother. I’ve already tried. This isn’t good, Marla.”

  “I agree.” Icy fingers of dread made her stomach clench and her pulse race. “What will we tell people?”

  “Tally has a family emergency and needs us to take her child for a few days.”

  “Our mothers will want to know more.” Dalton’s parents were at the party along with Marla’s widowed mom and her latest boyfriend.

  “We don’t have enough information at this point. We’ll have to break up the party, and then we’re outta here.”

  So much for a peaceful start to the new year, Marla thought. Today should have been a time for celebration. She prayed it wouldn’t be a holiday that marked a tragedy hereafter.

  Forty minutes later, they entered the development where Tally and Ken lived. The upscale community in the western suburbs of Fort Lauderdale boasted high-ceilinged homes with barrel-tile roofs and manicured lawns.

  A sixtyish woman with bleached-blond hair answered the door at Tally’s house. After they identified themselves, Mrs. Phelps gestured for them to come inside.

  “Thank God you’re here. I’ve been worried sick. Have you heard anything from Mrs. Riggs? She adores her son and would never neglect him like this.”

  “Tally hasn’t called us either.” Marla entered the foyer. The smell of furniture polish mingled with the faint scent of vinegar used to clean tile floors.

  “My partner, Lieutenant Katherine Minnetti, is investigating.” Dalton peered around the place as though searching for clues. “If you give me your contact information, ma’am, I’ll be in touch when we learn more.”

  “Oh, please. I couldn’t bear it if something terrible has happened to them.” The sitter’s round face paled, reminding Marla of pastry dough, especially with the woman’s rotund figure.

  The living room stretched to a set of French glass doors that opened onto a screened patio. The aqua water in the fenced pool looked pristine, as though the pool service guy had just been there. Every surface indoors, too, appeared freshly wiped down. Marla wondered if Tally had been upset recently. She tended to clean when stressed.

  A baby’s gurgle turned her toward the sound. Luke sat in his stroller in the formal dining room that opened into the kitchen. She padded over to greet him while Dalton questioned the sitter regarding Tally’s whereabouts. The baby wiggled his arms and legs in constant motion, cooing when he spotted Marla. She smiled in response, stooping to take hold of his tiny hand. Poor little thing. Her chest tightened. Tally would never abandon her child.

  The sitter wrung her hands as she related her story. “Mrs. Riggs … Tally … said they hadn’t meant to go out on New Year’s Eve. She was sorry for calling me last-minute, but her husband had an urgent work-related appointment. Tally decided to accompany him, saying they’d go out for dinner afterwards. They were lucky I was free. I’d been booked for the night, but the wife got sick and the couple cancelled.”

  “I gather you’ve worked for Tally before?” Dalton inquired.

  “Oh, yes. I live in the neighborhood. I’m widowed, you see, and I like to help the young mother
s who want an evening out. Plus, the extra cash comes in handy.” She collected her handbag from a nearby chair.

  “What time did Tally say they’d be home?”

  “She didn’t. As I told you on the phone, she said they might be late, in which case they’d get a hotel room. I expected to hear from her this morning, even if they’d slept in. I got worried when Tally didn’t contact me and I couldn’t reach either one of them. Look, I wrote down Luke’s feeding schedule. It’s in the kitchen, along with his diaper bag.”

  “Thanks, I’ll get them,” Marla replied. At least Tally hadn’t been breast-feeding. That would have been awkward. Her friend wanted to regain her figure fast and go back to work at her dress boutique. Had the employees there heard from her? No, the shop was closed for the holiday. And why would Tally contact them and not the babysitter?

  “How did Tally seem when she spoke to you?” Dalton persisted.

  Marla recognized his hunched shoulders as a sign of tension. His anxiety increased her own concern. She gnawed at her lower lip, letting go of the baby’s fingers and straightening her spine. She’d better see what was packed in that bag before the sitter left.

  “She appeared rattled, if you ask me,” Mrs. Phelps said with a shrug. “Her words came in a rush, and her face looked drawn. Her husband, Ken, was already in the car when I arrived.”

  Had Tally suspected his call wasn’t work-related at all, but instead was an assignation with another woman? Marla had spied him coming out of a restaurant with a brunette one day while driving through Wilton Manors. So when Tally complained that he was acting distant, Marla wondered if he was having an affair. Castaway Café seemed an odd choice for him to meet somebody without being noticed. A heterosexual couple would stand out in that place where gays congregated. Then again, no one would think to look for Ken there.

  Anyway, was this why Tally had joined him last night? To see if he was lying to her? Or did she already know the truth? Tally had been evasive in her conversations with Marla lately, so maybe she’d discovered what Ken had been hiding.

  Marla wandered into the kitchen and spotted the bulging bag on the counter. A quick glance confirmed its contents. She found the feeding schedule and stuffed it inside. Then she scanned the countertops, searching for messages or any other indication of where Tally and Ken might have gone. Nada. The dish drainer was empty, the counters clean. No stray papers cluttered the granite. Things were almost obsessively neat.

  With a sigh, Marla slung the bag’s strap over her shoulder. Holy highlights, that thing weighed a ton! How did mothers do it? Back in the living room, she shot a panicked glance at Dalton as he shut the door on the babysitter’s retreating back.

  “Wait, how will I know what to do?”

  Dalton rounded on her, his eyebrows arched and his gray eyes like polished pewter. “What’s there to know? You change the kid’s diapers, feed him, and put him to sleep.”

  Oh, yeah. Easy for you to say. You’ve been through it once with your daughter.

  “Put him to sleep in what? We don’t have a crib in our house.”

  “That’s okay; we’ll rig something up that will work for tonight. This shouldn’t last too long. Tally and Ken will reappear at some point.”

  “Yes, but what if they don’t? I mean, we’re not equipped to handle an infant. Our house isn’t child-proofed. We don’t have a crib or a changing table or any of the other stuff.”

  “Including a car seat, now that you mention it. I’ll look in the garage. Maybe Tally’s BMW is still inside.” He loped off in that direction, hollering a few minutes later that Tally’s car was parked there, and he’d retrieve her equipment.

  Meanwhile, Marla wondered what she would do if Tally failed to show up in a timely manner. She had clients scheduled at the salon, as well as other commitments.

  Dear Lord. Her throat closed until she reminded herself this wasn’t about her. It was about caring for Luke.

  Moisture tipped her lashes. Nothing terrible had better have happened to his parents. Whatever the reason for their absence, she’d give Luke her loving care. Ensuring his safety was all that mattered. And Brianna could help. Dalton’s fifteen-year-old daughter might get a kick out of having a baby in the family, if only temporarily. They’d figure out the rest as they went along.

  She followed Dalton outside as he went to fasten Tally’s rear-facing car seat inside his sedan. A cool January breeze stirred her hair, the afternoon sun bright against a clear blue sky. Normally, she liked the change of weather in South Florida, but now it made a shiver grip her spine. She hoped the wind wasn’t a harbinger of ill tidings. New Year’s Day should be filled with hope and renewal, not uncertainty.

  After Dalton settled Luke into his safety harness, Marla hurried back to the house to lock the front door with the spare key Tally had given her for emergencies. At least she’d had the foresight to bring it.

  “Wait,” Dalton called. “We should take the stroller. It’ll fold up and fit in the trunk.”

  “Okay.” Marla stood by while he went to retrieve the device. She needed instructions on operating these things. Baby care was a strange new world to her.

  Soon she’d secured the house, slid into the car, and eyed Luke in the rear. Satisfied he was safe, she faced forward and pursed her lips. “Now what?” she asked Dalton as he pulled out of the circular driveway.

  “We’ll take care of Luke until Tally contacts us. Maybe they went somewhere without cell service, or they turned off their phones for some reason. I’ll check in with Kat as soon as we get home.”

  Marla folded her hands in her lap, imagining all sorts of awful possibilities. They should have done a more thorough search at Tally’s house for clues as to where she and Ken might have gone. While part of her hoped this was all just a mishap and her friend would turn up at any minute, the other part made her stomach roil in anticipation of bad tidings.

  Focus on the baby. Luke was the one who needed care. That meant she had to keep a clear head, but it wasn’t easy with anxiety clouding her mind.

  “I’m worried,” she blurted, unable to contain her heart-pounding fear.

  Dalton’s brow furrowed. “So am I, but we’ll find them. If all else fails, I can put out a bulletin on Ken’s car.”

  They lapsed into silence except for the child’s squeals and coos from the back seat. Thank goodness he wasn’t a screamer, Marla thought, unsure what she’d do if he started howling. The poor kid was bound to miss his mother, but at least she and Dalton were familiar faces.

  They made it home in record time. Dalton helped unfold the stroller and place Luke inside. Marla wheeled him into the house while her husband hefted the baby bag.

  She’d barely made it into the foyer before the dogs came bounding at them. Oh, no. She’d forgotten about their pets. The crowd had left, but Ma must have let the animals into the house before leaving.

  “Down, Lucky,” she ordered their golden retriever, whose paws landed on the stroller. Spooks, their poodle, leapt at the strange contraption and barked.

  That set Luke off. He uttered a cry that cascaded into a series of wails.

  “Get them away from us,” she called to Dalton, picking Luke up and swaddling him in her arms.

  Dalton’s sharp commands brought the dogs under control. Freed from their blockade, Marla headed into the kitchen and regarded the dishes strewn across the countertops. Someone had washed and dried everything, but it all had to be put away, along with the folding chairs and other remnants of the party.

  Her shoulders sagged, and she sank into a seat at the kitchen table. Luke continued to howl, his ear-piercing cries grating on her raw nerves. She rubbed his back to soothe him.

  “Don’t worry, Luke. We’re here to take care of you.” But in truth, Marla had no idea what to do. It had been years since she’d cared for an infant as a nineteen-year-old babysitter. Should she have picked him up, or would that spoil him into crying for attention all the time?

  “He probably needs his diaper
changed,” Dalton said, trailing after her. “All this excitement would have made him wet himself.”

  “Oh, joy. Or maybe it’s time for a bottle. Get his feeding schedule for me, would you? It’s in the diaper bag.” She reviewed Mrs. Phelps’ instructions. “Yes, he could use a feeding. I’ll change him first, but where should I do it? We don’t have a changing table.”

  “Put a towel down on the guest bed and use that for now. You’d better bring a supply of plastic bags in there for garbage. I’ll get a bottle ready while you’re occupied.”

  Brianna appeared in the archway. The slim teenager still wore the makeup she’d applied for the party, but she’d tied her toffee hair into a ponytail and changed into jeans. “What is that racket I’m hearing? Oh, cool. You brought Luke home.” Her brown eyes rounded. “Wait, what’s the matter with Tally?”

  “We don’t know where she’s gone.” Dalton related what the babysitter had told them.

  “That’s weird. You’d think she would tell somebody what’s happening.”

  “Would you like to help?” Marla said, gesturing to her. “If so, please carry that bag into the guest room. Luke needs a diaper change. The dogs have upset him, and so has all the commotion.”

  His cries eased as Marla held him. She picked up a towel from the linen closet along the way, then realized she’d forgotten the trash bags Dalton had mentioned. Leaving Luke with Brianna, she hastened toward the laundry room off the kitchen where they kept their supplies. Her trembling fingers plucked a box of small-sized plastic bags from a shelf.

  It wasn’t only her hand that shook. Her entire body trembled. You can do this, she told herself on the way back to the bedroom side of their house. It wasn’t as though she shouldered the responsibility alone. Brianna and Dalton were there to help, and her husband had already raised a child. He could guide her.

  Nonetheless, she felt awkward as she went to change the baby, even though she’d helped Tally with Luke before. Maybe it was because doubts assailed her. Was she up to the task of mothering an infant? When she’d agreed to be his guardian, had she truly believed the role might be hers someday?