Since I knew these disappearances corresponded to Careen assuming Vanessa’s identity, I believed her, and had already begun to formulate my response. “So you’re not concerned about the blood they found in her trashed cabin?”
“More likely she had a temper tantrum and accidently cut herself.” Her tone remained relaxed at my raised brow. “Vanessa is high spirited and used to getting her way. She can be difficult at times.”
“But you filed a missing person’s report,” I shot back, confused by the woman’s attitude. If Mama had treated me and my sisters with such indifference, we might’ve turned out warped like Vanessa—a steroidal bitch on a witch stick! Poor thing.
She looked so exasperated that for a moment I thought she might slam down her cup and leave the table. “Vanessa’s financial empire is vast and must be protected at all times, my dear. I filed the missing person’s report at the advice of my attorney. I have all the legal documents necessary to protect Vanessa and myself.” Her frosty smile set my physic frequencies tingling—a sure sign of a cosmic misalignment.
Jackpot. Now to dig up the stink. “You have durable Power of Attorney and control over her assets?” My mind tumbled over itself with pressing questions. With Careen dead, could her family have a financial claim to Vanessa’s vast wealth? Could they prove Careen’s authorship of the Dark Enchantment Vampire Series? What about the missing manuscript Vanessa claimed would be another bestseller? It was worth a fortune. And what about Michael Halsey and his role in this entanglement? Whatever it was, something had gone terribly wrong for Careen’s brother.
The breakfast room grew quiet. Not even a peep from the kitchen broke the silence as I sipped my coffee. Goose bumps peppered my skin as a subtle shift in the vibrational frequency penetrated my concentration, and the sweet aroma of pipe tobacco embraced me. My cup froze midway to my lips as my danger preceptors kicked into high gear.
Then, from the far reaches of the house, a shuffling noise and soft voices reached my hearing. A movement from my peripheral vision caught my attention, and I turned to see Sophia standing in the doorway leading from the kitchen. My eyes zeroed in on the butcher knife in her hand. Another beep-beep of the danger meter. Time to skedaddle. With a certainty, I knew the Queen of the Vampires had returned to her roost, and was right now, watching with evil intent.
I swung my gaze back to my hostess. Quick awareness flickered in the woman’s golden eyes. Calculating and dangerous. A look I’d encountered before. My quest for information had now turned into a mission to get my sweet ass out of here before the Death Angel had another crack at me.
Fear poked me into action. With a light smile, I forced my hand to set down the cup and dab my mouth with the linen napkin resting in my lap. “Thank you for a delicious repast, Mrs. van Allen, but I must rush off. I have a full book of appointments at the salon.” I hugged my shoulder bag close to my side and pushed back the chair. If either woman made a move in my direction, the Pink Panther would even the odds. I’d shoot first and ask questions later.
Betty mimicked my actions and climbed to her feet. “Please stay a while longer, my dear. I get lonely out here and would enjoy a longer visit with you.” She moved to the block the entrance. “I can’t let you leave without giving you a tour of the house.”
I unsnapped my shoulder bag and slipped my hand inside to grasp my gun. “Some other time.” The tension in the house built to a breaking point. “I told my sister, Deena, I would be stopping by your house for a short visit. If I don’t arrive at the salon shortly, she’ll be parked on your doorstep.”
My hostess bought the lie and escorted me to the front door. “Please give my regards to your mother, Jolene,” she said as I stepped outside onto the front porch. “I’ll give her a call later today and thank her for having such a considerate daughter.”
Not wasting any more pleasantries on her, I scurried back to my car and watched her disappear inside the house. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I realized the implications of my discovery. Vanessa, and possibly, Michael Halsey, if they hadn’t murdered him too, hid just within reach.
My luck held and I arrived home without a speeding ticket, burst through the kitchen door in a frenzy, and snatched up the receiver from the wall phone. Ignoring Tango’s wail, I punched in Bradford’s number.
“I found Vanessa,” I gushed in a squeaky voice when he answered the call.
“Where?”
“In the House of the Rising Sun.”
“Stop with the riddles, Jolene, just tell me.”
“Her house.”
“What were you doing there?”
“Long story, but I believe Betty could possibly have motive for wanting her daughter temporarily out of the way. And what if she was aware of Careen’s presence all along? What if she’s the mastermind behind all this?”
His sigh echoed over the line. “The details?”
I gave him a quick lowdown of my nighttime venture, including Scarlett’s cryptic message about Snellgrove, my morning chat with Betty in which she admitted she had durable Power of Attorney over Vanessa’s assets.
“You have to admit that’s a powerful motive for kidnapping and murder.”
“I doubt it, however, your information is helpful, Jolene, but promise me you’ll stay out of harm’s way. Remember your mother’s warning to go to the Chief? I’ll take it from here.”
I frowned, ready to protest, but rethought my position. I had no further compulsion to return to Vanessa’s house and face the old dragon and her fire-breathing brat. No, I needed to concentrate on Deena’s wedding and Billie Jo’s upcoming family addition. Plus, multiple issues needed ironing out at the salon. And then there was Preston, and how to mend that fence. Bradford leaving Whiskey Creek I would not think about at all.
“Don’t give me another thought, Bradford. I have other fish to fry.”
“Good girl. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
Satisfied, I disconnected the line, showered and dressed for work in a comfortable pair of dress slacks and heels, and headed out the door. With Vanessa’s impending arrest, my mood had improved considerably, and I drove to work without a care in the world.
Deena greeted me at the rear entrance. Not good. Her brown eyes gleamed fanatical with tension, and she held on to the doorknob as if it had plans to skip town.
“Jolene, you promised me.” Her arms waved with every high-pitched word. “You promised.”
Holy crap. There goes my carefree day. “Okay, Deena, calm down. I’ve neglected my duties as Maid of Honor, but today that ends. You have my full, undivided attention. I promise.”
Deena’s arms dropped to her side. “Well, I’m glad you finally recognized your neglect. I’m out of my head with this wedding and running the salon. Billie Jo is out of commission, and I haven’t found a barber to take her place. Lizzie and Gail are at each other’s throats over some man, and the nail tech gave her two-week notice this morning.”
“We just hired her,” I lamented. “What’s Marisol’s problem?”
“It’s her man Lizzie and Gail are drooling over.”
“Damn, there’s enough single men in this town to go around, Deena.”
“You and I know this, but those two dingbats don’t.” She flung out her hands in despair. “I’ve tried talking to them, but every time he walks through the door, they flutter around him like he’s the only man on earth, which sets off Marisol, and bang, fireworks. The clientele is complaining about the noise. Atlanta is looking better and better.”
I patted her cheek. “I’ll call a staff meeting for this afternoon and put an end to this nonsense. At lunch, I’ll swing by the beauty school and have a looksee at the barber students. This evening, you and I’ll spend quality time tying up loose ends with your wedding. Sound like a plan?”
“It’s a start, sis, but it’s not the reason why I’m angry with you.”
My restraint suffered a setback and anger crept into my voice. “Well, then what’s the problem?”
“You’ll see.” She grabbed me by the arm and practically dragged me through the door to stop in front of the locked facial room. “Your invisible friends are back.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Steaks and Blackberry Wine
I pressed my ear against the panel, and from within the room I could hear the faintest rustlings like the furtive darts of a furry pest. “Maybe it’s a mouse,” I suggested.
“A mouse? Don’t be silly,” she scolded in a loud whisper. “The shop is sprayed regularly by an exterminator. And be quiet. We don’t want to alert the staff.”
“A rat then,” I added in a whisper, and stepped away from the door, now certain we had a four-legged varmint residing in the salon. “I don’t suppose you checked it out?”
Deena shook her head. “Open the gates of Hell? That’s your specialty.”
“Then it may not be what you think, sister, dear.”
“Then what do you suggest we do, sister, dear?”
“Nothing. Let the rat have the room for the day. In the meantime, keep the door bolted shut. Whatever’s in there, we don’t want a client letting it out.”
With the situation handled, we parted ways. Deena to her office and I to my first appointment, which happened to be a talkative Mrs. Eisenberg.
“How’s my favorite client this fine morning?” I gave her a quick hug, then began laying out my tools on the counter.
She beamed a smile in the mirror. “Just fine. The Mister and I are taking an Alaskan cruise in the spring.”
With Mrs. Eisenberg chatting my ear off, I worked fast, and before she could launch into another story, I had shampooed and rolled her hair and set her under the dryer. My next client also went quickly as did the rest of the morning. Just before noon, an unexpected visitor waltzed through the front door and made a beeline for my station. His massive presence created a stir of speculation among the patrons and sparked an undercurrent of electricity in the invisible realm, which had me uneasy and ready to hide. I laid down my scissors and comb on the counter as Sheriff Snellgrove approached me.
“May I have a private word with you, Miz Claiborne?” His hand rested on the butt of his sidearm, and his eyes had a sheen of purpose that gave me the willies.
Oh hell. This can’t be good.
“Give me a minute to finish my client, and I’ll be right with you.” My voice quivered almost as much as my hand. I hated to admit it, but this man scared the living hell out of me. If he arrested me, I might disappear into some murky pond between here and Greenwood County never to be heard from again.
“Make it quick, Miz Claiborne. I ain’t got all day.” He tipped his hat and spun on his heels to stalk to the nearest chair in the reception area.
“More trouble?” My client’s eyes reflected wild curiosity in the mirror. I could almost hear the telephone lines buzzing with flapping lips.
I finished with her hair, and watched her parade to the reception desk to pay her bill, a wide smile plastered on her face. Yep, headed straight for the nearest landline. This I knew because she refused to carry a cell phone. She bragged often that she got along fine without it this long and didn’t plan to change.
Not bothering with cleaning up, I stopped by the reception desk to speak with Holly before leading Snellgrove into Deena’s empty office, silently thanking my lucky stars she had left for an early lunch date with Ryder. After closing the door behind me, I motioned for him to have a seat in one of the chairs across from the desk.
“What can I help you with, Sheriff?” I sank down into Deena’s plush desk chair and reached for a pencil to keep my hands from visibly trembling.
“It’s about the Careen Halsey case.” He removed his cowboy hat and perched it on his knees. “The cause of death has been officially ruled as a suicide. The case is closed.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a sly smile. “I’m here to bring you a little peace seeing how you and Detective Bradford were implicated.”
Since I knew this to be untrue, the news startled and disturbed me, but I kept my silence, not wishing to give away information that could land me in harm’s way as Bradford had warned. Best to play dumb and let the sheriff have his say and get him out of here fast. If my suspicions about the man proved true, I needed to watch my step. One slip of the tongue could have dire consequences. My breathing quickened, and I leaned back in the chair and clasp my sweating hands together. “I appreciate you going out of your way to bring me good news.”
“Well, there is another matter I need to bring up.” His mean eyes flickered over me.
“Yes?”
He lifted a small clothbound bundle from his blazer pocket and placed it on the desk. “Your gun. We’re finished with it, and I thought you might like to have it returned. It’s a sweet piece.”
My stomach bottomed out as I stared at Mini Pearl resting in her cloth shroud. Once my prize possession, it had now been used to take a young woman’s life. I abhorred it and wanted nothing to do with it. My mouth opened to speak, to tell him to take it away, but no sound passed between my lips. As I sat frozen in horror, the sweet scent of pipe tobacco tickled my nostrils.
“Jolene, honey, open your eyes.” Grandma Tucker’s voice echoed again in my mind. My head snapped up bringing my startled gaze to Snellgrove’s smirky visage.
“I can see I was wrong about you, Miz Claiborne,” he boasted. “I’ll dispose of it for you.” He reached for the gun.
For a second, I considered agreeing, my revulsion overwhelming, but my ghostly grandparents’ intercession stopped me. They showed up only when something was amiss. And here was evidence to a murder being placed in my hands by the man possibly responsible for the grisly crime. Why? If he disposed of the gun, Bradford would never be able to prove murder and find justice for the young writer.
“You’re mistaken, Sheriff Snellgrove.” The words burst from my mouth just as his hand closed over the gun. “I’m glad you’re returning Mini Pearl.” Here I gave a shaky smile. “You just caught me off guard. I never expected to see her again.”
“Her? Just like a woman.” His brow quirked with ridicule as he released the gun and sat back in the chair.
With enormous effort, I reached across the desk and curled my fingers around Mini Pearl, ignoring the stinging jolt of electricity upon contact, and drew the offensive weapon toward me. With the other hand, I opened the top drawer and placed the cursed thing inside, knowing I would never handle it again. Exhausted by my mental turmoil, I focused all my energy on getting rid of my unwelcome visitor.
Ignoring his snide remark, I climbed to my feet. “Once again, thank you for stopping by. I can honestly say I hope I never see you again.” I laughed as if joking.
Snellgrove followed me to the door. “Right back at ya, ma’am.” He tipped his hat and sailed out of the salon. Seeing him climb into his sheriff cruiser, I bolted back into the office, locked the top desk drawer, and reached for the phone receiver and dialed Bradford’s number.
****
Mini Pearl emerged from her shroud with pearl grips gleaming like shark’s teeth. I shuddered as Bradford turned the gun over in his hands. “Strange business, this. Not a normal police procedure. Snellgrove crossed a line by returning this gun to you, but I’m glad you had the foresight to accept it and turn it over to me.”
“I’m just glad you could take it off my hands.” A fog blanketed my brain, making it hard for me to converse calmly. “I was afraid you’d be out on another case, and I can’t stand the thought of it being here. Why would he believe I’d want it back with its gruesome history?”
Bradford rewrapped Mini Pearl and stuck it in a plastic bag. “I can’t answer that question, honey, but I intend to put my ear to the ground. Someone’s talking somewhere.”
I slipped off my heels and sank down on the sofa. “Deena will be back soon, so we have to hurry. I don’t want her knowing anything about this.”
“Why don’t you drive out to the ranch after work? We’ll have dinner on the veranda and relax. If the mood
strikes, we’ll crack open the files.” Bradford strode over to the sofa, sat beside me, and drew me into his embrace.
Feeling his strong arms tighten, I let out a long breath and closed my eyes savoring the sensation. Tears pooled in my eyes as I pictured Mini Pearl resting in Careen’s still hands in the abandoned graveyard. Someone had brutally murdered her and left her corpse to be picked off by the wildlife. With the mental image implanted in my mind, I opened the floodgates and cried like a baby, and continued crying as I thought about all the unexpected changes wrecking my life. Especially his looming departure for Wyoming.
After my sobs turned quiet, Bradford dried my cheeks with his handkerchief, gave me a quick kiss, and took his leave. I put on a new face and went back to work, relieved with Mini Pearl’s removal and worked the rest of the day in a serious mood, keeping my distance from Deena as her sparkling smile indicated her return to sanity.
The salon closed without any further incidents leaving me and Deena to finish up the cleaning chores. Seeing my sister glance repeatedly at her watch, I suggested she head out for her date with Ryder.
She gave me a stern look. “I don’t want to leave you with all of this work. There’s still an hour of hard cleaning.”
We were unloading cleaning supplies from the dispensary into the hallway close to the facial room. I motioned to the locked door. “I prefer to handle our rat problem on my own, Deena. We’re not sure who’s in there, and I prefer you stay in the clear.”
“Can you handle it on your own?”
“You ever deal with a rat?”
Her brows drew down in thought. “Not lately, and especially not a dead one.”
“Okay then, you head out, and I’ll take care of the rodent problem.”
Deena wasted no time arguing, gathered her things, and exited out the rear entrance. Left alone, I first did a quick cleaning job on the salon before heading back to the locked facial room and the pest inside.
A Dead Pig in the Sunshine Page 18
