Hair Brained

by Nancy J. Cohen

  Dalton caught her inference. “You mean, he caused the car crash?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “If you believe this Yuri person might be guilty of running your friends off the road, why are we driving to Orlando?” Robyn said from the passenger seat of the Camry.

  “I need answers, and Liam Kelton might have them.” Marla focused her attention on the turnpike. Hugging the right lane, she didn’t mind the Saturday morning traffic zooming by on their left. They’d passed Mount Trashmore but still had about three more hours to go.

  “Can you review everything again for me? I still don’t understand how Liam fits into the picture besides working for the state’s insurance industry.” The salon’s receptionist tugged at her long-sleeved embellished top that she wore with jeans and short boots.

  Grateful for the company, Marla figured it would help to review things in her mind, too. “Okay. Ken gets a phone call on New Year’s Eve. He heads to Davie along a darkened road by a canal. Another car bumps him, causing him to swerve to the right. His car rolls over down a ditch and ends up partially submerged in a canal.”

  “You said he told the babysitter it was a work-related call, but nobody from his office claimed responsibility.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And Tally decided to go with him last-minute. So it would appear Ken was the target, and not his wife.”

  “True, unless the person making the call knew he would leave. When Tally accompanied him unexpectedly, they followed her and caused the accident.”

  “I see several holes in that theory. At the end of the road was a warehouse. Inside was a dead woman. This lady had been working with Ken on an insurance fraud case.” Robyn adjusted her sunglasses. Despite the cooler temperature, Florida’s bright sun still produced a glare.

  “Maybe Louise, the agent, is the one who called him. She could have been forced to make that call to lure Ken out of the house,” Marla said. “What if he’d raced outside that night because he feared for her safety?”

  “It still means another person was involved who knew about her connection to Ken.” Robyn punctured the air with her finger to emphasize each point. “And Ryan’s death makes it even more likely that Ken was the target and not Tally.”

  “We know somebody from his office has to be part of this, especially if the fraud division enlisted Ken as an informant. Ryan must have found out this person’s identity, and that’s why the murderer went after him.”

  “Is it possible the Russian mob is connected to the insurance fraud operation?”

  Marla shot Robyn a quick glance. “They could be separate issues. I’m hoping Liam can tell us more on that subject.”

  “You said a fellow tried to run you down. For what reason? Because you’re a threat to whoever murdered Ryan and the investigative agent?”

  “Yes, I must have made someone nervous with my questions.”

  “Didn’t you say Rissa met with Yuri at each of their tea circle stops?”

  “True, I think he’s the vagrant from the parking lots. Rissa wasn’t giving him a handout as people thought. More likely, she was transferring cash from her illegal side business.”

  “Why would Yuri risk exposing himself at a party?”

  “I don’t know. Not everything makes sense.” Marla shuddered over her memory of the evening at Rissa’s house. She hoped Tally hadn’t been snagged in their net.

  “Let’s look at this from another angle,” Robyn suggested. “Have you eliminated any suspects?”

  Marla chuckled. “Now you sound like Nicole. Do you read mystery novels, too?”

  “Who has time to read, darling? I’m too busy. Just because I gave up my corporate job doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with marketing news. And I work out at the gym in my spare time. You should join me.”

  “I walk the dogs. That’s enough exercise as far as I’m concerned.”

  “I’ll bet Luke keeps you on your toes. Imagine when he’s a toddler.”

  “I hope Tally will be taking care of him by then. Every time I visit, she seems to be getting closer to the surface.”

  “Maybe the emotional trauma is keeping her from regaining awareness. Too bad you can’t bring Luke to the hospital. That might make a difference.”

  “What a great idea! I’ll take a video to play on my next visit.” Marla should have thought of this before. Playing a video of the baby at Tally’s bedside might help to rouse her friend. Hearing Luke’s coos and gurgles might motivate her to rejoin the land of the living.

  “Despite your doubts, you make a good mother, Marla. I can hear in your voice how much you love Luke.”

  She gave a resigned sigh. “I do. I’m anxious for Tally to be normal again, and yet that will mean she’ll take Luke from us.”

  “You have Brianna, although she’ll be going to college in a couple of more years.”

  “Yes, that’s why I—” She cut herself short, almost confessing about her change in birth control methods … or lack thereof.

  “What? Don’t tell me you’ve had a change of heart regarding kids.”

  “You should talk. I don’t see you settling down.”

  “I haven’t met the right guy.” Robyn stared out the side window at various housing projects. Most of them offered box-like structures with little variety.

  “Come on, Robyn. You’ve been a corporate exec. You must have met lots of men.”

  “Yeah, and most of them wanted me to become someone else. They don’t like the brains as much as the beauty. I’d like to meet a guy who appreciates me for who I am, but it’s not a priority. Better to be alone than in a bad marriage, like my mother for all those years.”

  A tanker truck sped by on their left. Marla eased up on the accelerator until it gained a safe distance. Hazardous payloads on the highway made her nervous.

  “Are your parents still around?” she asked her friend.

  “No, they’re both gone. I grew up in Connecticut. My folks divorced when I entered high school, but it should have been sooner. My father’s response to stress was to drink. He rarely showed up for school events and always disappointed my sister and me. When he lost his job, it was the last straw for my mother.”

  “You have a sister? I didn’t know that about you.”

  “Diana is married with a family in New Orleans. Her husband is a chef, and they have two kids. She’s younger than me. When our mom died, I moved to Florida since we have cousins in the area. They invite me over for the holidays, so I’m not alone here.” Robyn unscrewed the water bottle she’d put in the cup holder and took a sip.

  “Tally’s parents were divorced, too,” Marla mused aloud. “She never told me the reason why Lilly and Rubin decided to separate. It happened when she was in college. Now that I think about it, this probably accounts for her odd behavior the second summer. She seemed unusually distant that year. I was wrapped up in my own problems and didn’t pay her much attention.”

  “Do you think Tally’s father found out about his wife’s earlier affair? That might have caused him to initiate their divorce.”

  “Why should it?” Marla countered. “People have flings all the time before they get married, although it wasn’t as common back then. If Rubin loved Lilly, it wouldn’t have mattered.”

  “How do you know the affair ended when Lilly got married?”

  “Tally found a love letter Liam had written to her. He’s the one who broke off their relationship. Lilly married Rubin, and then Tally was born the following year. You see, I’m not only visiting Liam because of what he can tell me about the insurance fraud case. I really want to know about his connection to Tally.”

  *****

  “Get off at Fairbanks,” Robyn instructed her several hours later. They’d stopped for lunch at a turnpike plaza and reached I-4 in Orlando by one o’clock. “Then keep going until you hit Lake Avenue. I’m glad you booked us a hotel room,” she said, fiddling with her cell phone. “Look at all the
things to do in Sunny Grove—museums, boat rides, botanical gardens, shops, and restaurants.”

  “There’s no way I could have driven back the same day. It’s too tiring,” Marla replied, amazed by the traffic on I-4 at this time of day. She was relieved to get off at Fairbanks, past the skyscrapers of downtown Orlando.

  “You’re lucky we didn’t have to take the baby along.”

  “That’s for sure. Kate and John were delighted to watch Luke for us. I just wish Dalton’s mom would stop dropping hints about us having kids, though.”

  “She wants more grandchildren. You can’t blame her.”

  Marla bit her lip to avoid telling Robyn about her recent decision. Instead, she focused on the scenery. Heading east, they passed a seafood market and a popular barbecue place, judging from the number of cars cramming the parking lot.

  At the intersection for Lake Avenue, she turned left as instructed. This brought them to an upscale neighborhood where shops and cafés spilled onto the sidewalk to their right, and a green expanse called Lakeview Park stretched to their left. People walked babies in strollers and dogs on leashes.

  “Look,” Robyn said, pointing. “The farmer’s market is over there past the train tracks. They even have an Amtrak station. You could take the train up from Fort Lauderdale.”

  “I suppose. Where do we go from here?” Marla didn’t care about sightseeing at the moment. She’d come on a mission.

  “We’re meeting Keri Armstrong at her agency. She doesn’t always work on Saturdays but was nice enough to see us today. Her office is on a side street.”

  They found the address on a lane shaded by live oaks with gray moss hanging down like men’s beards. Marla parked in a free public lot farther along the road.

  Outside, the cool January air brought the smell of wood smoke into her nose. It had to be in the fifties. For a Floridian, that was downright cold. By early next week, the temperature was expected to rise into the seventies again, so the blast of northern air wouldn’t last long. She huddled in her leather jacket as they strolled along the sidewalk.

  Robyn’s eyes lit with excitement. “I love this town already. It’s near a big city and yet has a distinct sense of community. The history dates back to the 1800s. Look at the brick on those buildings.”

  “Yes, it’s charming.” Marla located A Friend in Need Agency and pushed open the door.

  Inside, a young woman sat behind one of four desks facing forward like at a travel agency. She rose upon their entrance and came over to greet them.

  “Hi, I’m Keri,” she said with her hand outstretched. She had dark brown hair with layered ends that curled inward, electric green eyes, and a model-perfect face. The business owner looked to be in her late twenties.

  Marla shook her hand and introduced herself. “This is my friend, Robyn Piper. Thanks for meeting us today. I appreciate you coming in on your day off.”

  Keri smiled at her remark. “I often work on Saturdays. Please, have a seat.” She indicated two chairs opposite her desk in the rear row.

  Marla settled herself comfortably. “What kind of agency is this exactly?”

  Keri’s eyes gleamed. “We’re available to act as your personal assistant for anything you need done. No job is too big or too small. We have three staff members. Sharon does most of our virtual assistant jobs and party planning. She handles the big corporate events, too. Purdy manages our scheduling and vets our vendor list. I prefer field work. It’s gratifying to work directly with customers.”

  “How did you get started?” Robyn asked, a rapt expression on her face.

  Keri fingered a strand of hair. “I got laid off from my position as marketing director for a large firm. It was like Fate handing me a second chance. My mother had gotten sick, and I’d been too focused on work to listen to her. When she died of a sudden stroke, I felt guilty. Then when I started getting palpitations, I decided it wasn’t worth the stress to stay on the corporate track.”

  “I know what you mean.” Robyn wagged her forefinger. “I lost my job in marketing, too. Now I’m the receptionist at Marla’s hair salon and loving it. I like the daily interaction with people and the lack of deadlines.”

  “This job can have its frenetic moments,” Keri admitted. “Things get really busy around the holidays.”

  “What kind of things do you do?” Marla’s curiosity compelled her to ask.

  “We run errands for busy professionals, such as gift shopping or taking their clothes to the cleaners or mailing packages at the post office. Planning social events and business meetings are a large part of our job. In addition, we’ll staff booths at trade shows, write company newsletters, or help plan advertising campaigns. I’m especially pleased when elderly people hire us. We pay their bills, drive them to doctor’s appointments, and do their grocery shopping.”

  “I could use someone like you closer to where I live,” Marla remarked with a chuckle.

  “It’s gratifying to know you’re freeing people’s time for the more important things in life. I felt if we could help folks take care of their mundane chores, it might allow them to pay more attention to their families.”

  Like you failed to do with your mother, Marla surmised. Guilt was a great motivator. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

  “It’s awesome,” Robyn said. “I gather you’re the sole proprietor?”

  Keri gave a proud grin. “Yep, I started the business. The demographics work well for us in Sunny Grove. And our online clientele list keeps growing.” She handed them each a brochure with more details.

  Marla offered a business card in exchange. “You’re an entrepreneur, like me. I own the Cut ’N Dye Salon and Day Spa. Please keep us in mind if you have any clients coming to the area who need these services.”

  “I’ll do that, thanks. So I found out what you wanted to know about Liam Kelton.” Keri shuffled through a pile of papers on her desk and withdrew a sheet. “He has a condo in Tallahassee, where he works for the state government. But he maintains a residence in Sunny Grove and comes home for the occasional weekend. Currently, he’s in town for a charity event. Here is his address.”

  Marla took the printout, folded it, and stuck it in her purse. “So do we show up at his door and ring his bell?” She’d prefer to confront him in private.

  “That move would be up to you, Marla. I was just hired to locate him.”

  “Is his record clean? I mean, can you do full background checks on people?”

  Keri’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t realize you wanted an extensive search.”

  “I’m wondering what else you might know about him.”

  “He has a sterling reputation and is well-respected as a hard-working official. It’s known he has political ambitions. He’d like to be appointed as the state’s next chief financial officer. The current CFO hopes to move up to governor.”

  Marla exchanged a glance with Robyn. What they suspected about him could lead to scandal if it leaked out. Then again, all she had was supposition and no proof, other than the letter found in Lilly’s cookbook. Or had Tally found further evidence that linked them together?

  They’d better head over to Liam’s house while the day was still young. Later, he’d be busy getting ready for his charity event. She fumbled inside her purse and took out her checkbook.

  “I appreciate your research on our behalf,” she told Keri. “How much do I owe you?”

  Keri gave her a warm smile. “My discounted rate for new clients is twenty dollars an hour. This didn’t take me much time at all, so let’s consider it a complimentary first visit. Any future referrals you can send my way would be welcome.”

  “Are you sure? You gave up your free time to meet with us today.”

  “No problem. I had a few things to catch up on this afternoon anyway.”

  “That’s generous of you. If you’re ever in Palm Haven, stop by my salon and I’ll return the favor.” Marla put away her checkbook and rose.

  A short time later, she and Robyn rang
the doorbell at an imposing two-story house with a lake view. This neighborhood must range upwards from half a million, Marla thought. Many of the homes had docks for small boats in the back. Meticulously landscaped lawns were the norm along with flowering shrubbery and graceful palms. Liam’s house, like the rest, had a circular driveway in front and a garage attached to the side.

  A uniformed housekeeper opened the door. She had black hair tied in a bun and a careworn face. “May I help you?” she said in a slight accent.

  Marla handed over a business card. “We’re here to see Mr. Kelton. Tell him it’s about Lilly and her daughter.”

  The woman’s expression eased upon learning they weren’t members of the press or constituents soliciting money for a cause.

  “Wait here, please.” A few minutes later, the maid returned and gestured for them to enter. “Mr. Kelton will see you in the parlor.” She took them into a sunny room facing a screened pool and a boat landing over the lake. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Not for me, thanks.” Marla stood admiring the view while Robyn echoed her reply.

  “Ladies, what can I do for you?” boomed a deep male voice a few minutes later.

  Marla spun to face a gray-haired gentleman wearing a dress shirt and navy pants. He had broad shoulders, a lean build, and piercing blue eyes that reminded her of Tally.

  “I’m here to talk about Lilly.” Awkward. She didn’t know Lilly’s maiden name. “Lilly was married to Rubin, and they had a daughter. But you knew Lilly before she wed Rubin.”

  Liam’s brows folded together. “And who are you, exactly?”

  “Oh, sorry. I gave your housekeeper my card. I own a hair salon in Palm Haven. Anyway, I’m a close friend of Tally Riggs. She’s the only child of Lilly and Rubin. Or at least, that’s what she’d been led to believe until she found your letter.” Marla rummaged in her purse for the copy she’d made.

  Liam snatched it from her. His face darkened as he read the scrawled handwriting. “Where did you find this?”

  “Tally discovered it hidden inside one of Lilly’s cookbooks. I stashed the original elsewhere for safekeeping. Oh, this is Robyn, my friend and neighbor. She came along for the ride.” Marla gave her comrade a sheepish grin.