Hair Brained

by Nancy J. Cohen

  “Who called the cops if it happened at night?” she asked, steering her mind to practicalities.

  “A neighbor witnessed the accident. Kat requested a copy of his report.”

  “I don’t understand why this news didn’t surface sooner.”

  His eyes darkened to slate. “New Year’s Eve is a busy time of year in terms of accidents. The Davie cops would have had plenty to keep them occupied, and ditto for their rescue teams. The car wasn’t towed from the canal until today.”

  Kat knew how worried they’d been. She should have called as soon as the license tag registered. Marla pressed her lips together, keeping silent on the subject. She’d hoped Dalton’s influence would soften the lieutenant by now, but he still couldn’t crack her stern exterior. Kat had transferred into his department without his chief explaining how or why. Despite Dalton’s subtle inquiries, her past remained a mystery.

  Marla should cut her some slack. Maybe she’d hoped to spare them pain by learning if the car’s passengers had made it. But wouldn’t the police report have mentioned a fatality?

  She returned to her friend’s side, staring down at her in helpless anguish. The constant clicking and hissing from the ventilator sounded in the background. How frail we are, she thought, surveying Tally’s still form with a choked sob. She’d need all the miracles of modern medicine to come out of this unscathed. And poor Luke, who’d grow up without a father.

  Marla turned a tear-streaked face to Dalton. “We should get Phil’s number from the nurse. Maybe we can pick him up at the airport. It’s the least we can do.”

  “We’ll see when his flight gets in. You should get home to the baby. The best way to help Tally is to care for her child.”

  “I’ll want to visit her here, too. I have to talk to Ma about babysitting. If she’s not available, perhaps I can call Mrs. Phelps. It’s not fair to ask Brianna to give up her vacation time.”

  “My mother would probably love to pitch in as well. She wouldn’t mind driving down from Delray. And we have plenty of leftovers from our party, so you won’t have to cook for a few days.”

  His last remark lifted her spirits. How typical for the man to always think about his next meal.

  *****

  Brianna had done fine in their absence, getting Luke through another feeding, giving him a bath, and changing him for the night. Marla complimented the teen while wondering where she’d washed the baby. In one of their sinks? She didn’t ask, adding the baby’s plastic bathtub to her growing list of items to pick up at Tally’s house.

  Fatigue seeped into her bones as she completed her chores. Finally, she and Dalton had some privacy after retiring to their bedroom.

  “Phil got a flight in the morning,” he told her while readying for bed. “I offered to pick him up and give him a key to his brother’s house. He might as well stay there. And he can drive Tally’s car rather than a rental.”

  “Good idea. I found Tally’s living will and power of attorney and faxed them to the hospital.”

  “Let’s hope those choices won’t be necessary.” He slid under the sheet next to her, turned on his side in her direction, and leaned on an elbow.

  “I still can’t believe Ken died in a car crash. It’s awful, and Tally lying there like a limp doll isn’t much better. I’ll have to bring a comb next time I visit.” Her friend’s hair was the one thing in her power to control, and it would help humanize Tally to the staff to make her decent.

  “We’re here for her. Tally can count on us for whatever she needs.”

  “I know.” Marla curled into him, seeking comfort from his embrace. His warmth seeped into her skin and helped her rejoice in feeling alive.

  They stayed folded together for a while, neither one speaking. Marla heard his soft snores and realized he’d fallen asleep. She rolled away, her eyes open and anxiety keeping her awake. Take one day at a time, she advised herself. That’s all you can do in a crisis.

  And this, too, shall pass, said her mother’s voice in her head. With that soothing thought, her breathing slowed and she drifted to sleep.

  The baby’s cry startled her into full alert mode. “Oh, no. What time is it?” She glared at the clock dial, luminous in the dark. Dalton must have awoken earlier and turned off the lights before going back to sleep. It was two o’clock.

  Marla padded into the makeshift nursery where Luke had managed to dislodge one of the towels they’d folded around the bed. Tomorrow she’d have to see about getting a crib. She turned on a lamp and moved to examine the child’s diaper. Her finger came away wet. It wasn’t time for a feeding, so she changed him and put him back. But he continued to fuss and whimper.

  “What’s the matter, little guy? Do you miss your momma?” Marla caught his little fingers in her hand. He squirmed and scrunched his tiny face. If she let him howl, he’d wake the household. Instead, an idea dawned on her.

  She hurried out, retrieved his stroller, and wheeled it into the room. Then she sat Luke inside, strapped him in, and rolled him down the hall toward the kitchen. It didn’t even take ten minutes for him to close his eyes in slumber. Once he was sound asleep, she put him back to bed and then stumbled into her room.

  Marla’s head felt groggy when she finally woke from an unsettled sleep five hours later. Dalton’s side was empty, his sheets ruffled. Had he remembered to give Luke his early morning bottle?

  It was seven o’clock. Marla tossed aside the covers and leapt out of bed. So much to do, not enough time.

  As she trudged into the bathroom, she contemplated which task to attack first. Her bleary eyes stared back at her in the mirror. Luke’s care took priority. She’d call her mother to see if Ma could babysit. Next, Marla considered her work schedule for the day. She’d ask Robyn, the salon’s receptionist, to rearrange her appointments so she’d have time to visit Tally.

  Dalton greeted her in the kitchen, where he’d brewed a pot of coffee and had a mushroom omelet waiting for her to reheat in the frypan. Luke sat in his stroller, gurgling happily, while Brianna was flipping through Teen Vogue at the kitchen table.

  “You’re a sweetheart,” Marla told Dalton, kissing him on the mouth. She poured herself a cup of aromatic coffee and stuck the reheated omelet on a plate. “I gather you fed Luke already. He got up in the middle of the night. I walked him in his stroller until he settled down.”

  “That’s a good technique. We used to do that for Brie when she fussed,” Dalton said with a fond smile for his daughter.

  Marla’s gaze inevitably rose to his broad shoulders and confident posture. He never failed to impress her in a dress shirt, tie, and pressed pants.

  “Any word from the hospital?” she asked, unable to eat a morsel until he responded.

  “Nope. I’ll get the scoop from Kat this morning. What about the baby?”

  “Hand me the phone. I’ll call Ma. She’s always up early.” Praying her mother would be free, Marla dialed Anita’s number.

  “Good morning, bubeleh. What’s going on? I thought I’d hear from you sooner.”

  Marla had disbanded the party after telling everyone they had to pick up Luke. “We got a call around dinnertime that Tally and Ken had been in a car accident on Monday night.”

  “Oh, my God. Are they okay?”

  “Ken was killed.” Marla’s throat tightened. He couldn’t be dead, could he? She still found it hard to believe.

  “What? That can’t be true.”

  In a choked voice, Marla gave her mother an update. “Dalton is getting Ken’s brother at the airport later this morning. I thought to offer my help with funeral arrangements since he’s from out of town.” And I’ve attended enough memorial services to know the local burial places.

  “That would be a nice gesture,” Anita replied.

  “I’d prefer to stay home with Luke today, but I have clients scheduled. Would you be able to babysit? Brianna offered, but I don’t want to ruin her vacation.”

  “Sure, I can come. I’m so sorry. This is horrible new
s.”

  “I know. It’s unbelievable. I have to think about Luke, or I’ll lose focus.”

  “Don’t worry; I’m here to help. Give me a half hour to get ready, and then I’ll be over. We’ll get through this together.”

  That matter settled, Marla stuffed down her breakfast, did the dishes, and put Luke in his makeshift crib for another nap. Dalton dropped Brianna, now free from obligation, off at a friend’s house on his way to work. Marla had time to check her email and call the hospital before Anita arrived.

  “I just spoke to Tally’s nurse,” she told her mother, while Anita plopped her purse and reading material on the dining room table.

  “How is she this morning?” Anita followed Marla down the hall to the baby’s room.

  “She needed a unit of blood because her hemoglobin had dropped. Otherwise, she’s been stable during the night.”

  “Hopefully, she’ll continue to improve.”

  “Yes, but we won’t know the extent of her head injury until she wakes up. What happens if she needs help on a long-term basis?”

  “Worry about one thing at a time. Oh, isn’t he adorable,” Anita crooned upon spying Luke. “Poor little guy to lose his daddy so young.”

  “We’ll take good care of him. We’re not prepared for a baby in the house, though. We don’t have the right furniture or the proper supplies in stock.”

  “Why don’t you borrow the stuff from Tally’s nursery?”

  “Their crib and dresser are too heavy to move. The changing table might fit in our car, and I can see what else is there while I’m at their house. We could end up having Luke for weeks, or even months.”

  The possibility of her friend not making it leaked into her mind. No, that wouldn’t happen. Tally had to survive.

  Her eyes misted, and Marla blinked rapidly. She had to be strong. Breaking down wouldn’t help anyone.

  Anita stroked her cheek. “You’ll do fine. I have faith in you.”

  “I’m glad someone does.” Marla reviewed Luke’s feeding schedule with her mother, said a hasty goodbye, and rushed to the salon.

  She barely had time to stash her handbag inside a drawer before her first customer finished at the shampoo station. A fresh strawberry scent accompanied the woman to her chair, where Marla proceeded to snip and style her hair. Music played in the background on the speaker system, adding a lively beat and competing with the chatter of patrons, the whir of blow-dryers, and the splash of water from the sinks.

  Marla didn’t get a chance to relate her news to Nicole until lunchtime. She drew aside the other stylist, also her friend and oft-time manager, with a tap to her arm.

  “Can I talk to you for a second? I have news. It’s not good.”

  “Sure, what’s up, girlfriend?” Nicole trailed Marla into the rear storeroom, where they could have a moment of privacy. She walked with a bounce in her step, which she’d exhibited ever since Marla had introduced her to Kevin Jones, a hunky EMT at the fire department. Nicole’s crimson top complemented her warm cinnamon skin, as did the tinted gloss on her lips. In her usual sophisticated style, she’d fastened her ebony hair off her face with a clip.

  As Marla repeated the story she’d told her mother, Nicole’s mocha eyes rounded in horror. “What? Ken is dead? Oh. My. God. And Tally is lying senseless in a hospital bed? Marla, how could you even come into work today? You should have let us know. We would have covered for you.”

  “Thanks, but that wouldn’t be fair to my clients. Besides, this could be long-term. Tally has a difficult road ahead.”

  “You’ll figure things out. Go to the hospital. I know you want to be there for Tally.”

  “I want to be there for Luke, too, but I have other obligations. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.” Marla scrubbed a hand over her face. “Dalton has been great, and so has Brianna. And even my mother has pitched in. I’m sure Kate—Dalton’s mom—would want to help out, if I asked her.”

  “Let me know what I can do. When did Tally plan to go back to work?”

  “She hadn’t fixed a definite date but said it would be sometime after New Year’s.”

  “What did she intend to do with Luke? Bring the baby along to the dress shop she owns?”

  “Actually, she’d mentioned day care. I don’t know if she got around to checking places in the area, though.”

  “That would be a solution. Let me research them for you.”

  “I’d appreciate it, thanks.” After Nicole left, Marla dialed Dalton for an update.

  “I picked Phil up at the airport and dropped him off at Ken’s house,” Dalton’s deep voice rumbled in her ear. “I’m on my way to Davie. According to a witness, another car was involved in the accident. It came from behind, sped alongside Ken’s vehicle, and appeared to force him off the road.”

  Chapter Three

  Marla gripped the phone tighter to her ear. “The doctor didn’t say anything about more people being hurt.”

  “The other driver fled the scene,” Dalton said in his flat detective tone. “The man who called in the accident had gone outside his house to let off some fireworks. He saw the second vehicle begin to pass Ken’s car and then swerve into it. Ken must have turned the wheel to avoid a collision. His Acura rolled over down a ditch and landed half-submerged in the canal.”

  “Maybe the other person was trying to get back in their lane and misjudged the distance. How well lit is that stretch of road?”

  “Pretty poorly, from what I’m told. It’s in a low-traffic neighborhood that borders a canal without any barrier. The witness says the second car, a dark SUV, sped away. I spoke to the lead investigator. He says tire tracks support the fellow’s report.”

  “If true, the driver didn’t even stop to help. Or maybe it was too dark for him to see what he’d done. How fast was he going?”

  “I don’t have those details yet. I’m heading over to the scene now, and then I’ll stop by the station in Davie to see what else I can dig up. Meanwhile, we have another case. A guy was stabbed outside a convenience store last night in an apparent robbery.”

  “Oh, great.”

  “Kat’s handling it for now, until I get more info about our friends. But a traffic accident in another town normally doesn’t fall into our ballpark.”

  “What about the phone call from work that drew Ken out on New Year’s Eve? Why would he even be on a dark road in Davie? Did you ask his colleagues?” Marla squirmed with unease. Something struck her as wrong about this situation.

  “Not yet,” Dalton replied. “I decided it’s better to wait. His office staff will have been notified about his death just this morning.”

  “You’re right. They’ll be reeling from the news.” Who would take charge with Ken gone? Didn’t he own the agency? “I should focus on Tally’s recovery and caring for Luke. Ma is over at the house, but I can always call your mom or Mrs. Phelps if necessary. Nicole is researching day care centers for me. I remembered Tally had mentioned this idea when she spoke about going back to work.”

  “Sounds like you have things covered. Any word from the hospital?”

  “Things were stable at the ICU when I called earlier. I’d like to visit Tally before I go home later. It’ll be rush hour, though.” She envisioned the traffic on I-95. It would be slow going, and she wouldn’t get home until after dark.

  “No problem. Do what you have to do, but check in with me before you leave the salon. We’ll compare notes then.”

  Marla hung up with a heavy heart. Prior to this event, she’d often call Tally to exchange updates. She couldn’t believe her friend was lying unresponsive in a hospital bed and fighting for her life. Oh, gosh. Had anybody informed the girls at her dress boutique? They knew she was on maternity leave, but this? Even though Tally wasn’t at the shop from day-to-day, she stopped by periodically to maintain the business accounts.

  Dread pitted her stomach at the notion of informing them. Hopefully the cops had already done that sad task. Nonetheless, she’d have to contact Tally�
��s staff one of these days.

  The salon receptionist peeked her head in. “Marla, your twelve-o’clock is here.” She noticed Marla’s expression. “Are you all right? I’m sorry about your friend. Have you heard any more news?”

  “Tally is stable for now. I’ll be out in a minute, thanks.”

  Marla grabbed a water bottle and took a few sloppy gulps. Her stomach ached, but she didn’t feel hungry. It was more like a sick, anxious feeling.

  Including Tally’s shop assistants, she considered how many people would be affected by the accident. It wasn’t just tiny Luke. Both of her friends’ work forces would be stunned and saddened.

  A dark cloud followed her throughout the afternoon. She regained a sense of control from the normal sounds and smells of the salon. If she thought about Tally, Ken’s funeral, or how their office personnel would cope, she’d be bowled over by the repercussions.

  “How are you holding up?” Nicole said during a momentary break between clients. The other stylist peered at her with concern, a spray bottle of cleaning solution in her hand.

  “I’m worn out already, and I still have so much to do.”

  “You have a lot of burdens right now. But listen, I took care of one of them. A friend of mine who has a six-month-old has just enrolled him in day care. She says this place is the best in the area, but you’d better get your name in now. They always have a waiting list. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but your clients haven’t let up.” Nicole handed Marla a slip of paper with the details.

  Marla flashed her a grateful grin. “Thanks for doing this. It’s one less chore on my list. I’ll see if I can make an appointment for tomorrow morning to check them out.”

  She made the call, then cleaned her station while preparing to leave. A desperate urge to see Luke and cuddle him took hold of her, but she shunted that unfamiliar sensation aside. First she had to reassure herself that Luke’s mother held onto the thread of life.

  Remembering she’d promised to check in with Dalton before leaving the salon, Marla gave him a call once outside. The late-afternoon air chilled her bones. Day turned into night earlier in January, and with the setting sun came cooler temperatures. Glad she’d worn a leather jacket, Marla cradled the phone close to her ear while she headed to her car.