2 A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body

by Cindy Bell

"Afternoon ladies," he nodded to them all as he stepped out of the salon.

  "Oh isn't he delicious," Ethel sighed dreamily. Sammy pushed the dryer down over her head and flipped it on.

  "Sure he's great," she muttered.

  After Ethel was finished, Bekki could tell that Sammy was getting more irritated by the moment.

  "You have the day off tomorrow, why not head home early?" Bekki suggested. She wanted to make sure that Sammy wasn't around when she picked up the cake. "I can close up."

  "Perfect," Sammy sighed and gathered her things. She paused by the front door of the salon and glanced back at Bekki.

  "So I guess I'll see you on Wednesday," she said with a shrug.

  "Sure," Bekki nodded barely glancing up from the papers on her desk. "Night!"

  "Night," Sammy frowned and stepped out of the salon. As Bekki looked up and watched her friend walk sullenly away, she wondered if she should let her in on the truth. But she didn't want to tip her off to the party she was planning.

  Chapter Two

  After closing up the shop for the night Bekki made sure the coast was clear. With no sign of Sammy anywhere she walked directly over to the bakery. The front blinds were down, and she knew the door would be locked. She walked around the side of the building towards the rear of the shop. When she reached the back door she found it unlocked as expected. She opened the door and stepped inside.

  "Lydia?" she called out as the inside of the bakery was dark. She wondered if she might have gone home already and forgotten to lock up. She flipped the switch on and flooded the kitchen with light. There were still some ingredients sitting out that Bekki was sure Lydia would have put away before going home for the night. She began to feel a little uneasy as she walked toward the front of the shop.

  "Lydia?" she called out again, hopefully. She froze as she stood behind the counter of the bakery. Before her was a silhouette. A figure was hanging from a noose tied to a rafter in the ceiling. "Lydia?" Bekki whispered in horror as she flipped on the light. Lydia's body was revealed instantly, dangling limply from the noose.

  "No!" Bekki shouted and ran forward to grab the woman's legs. She nearly tripped over a chair that had been kicked over beneath the woman. "Lydia," she gasped out, clinging to the woman's legs and trying to push her upward just in case she might still be breathing. But she knew from her ice cold legs, she knew that Lydia was already dead. Bekki could not hold back her tears as she fumbled in her pocket for her phone and dialed the police. As soon as they were on the way she dialed Nick's personal cell.

  "Nick," she sobbed into the phone. "Nick, get to the bakery fast."

  Within minutes officers had arrived along with paramedics. Only then did Bekki let go of Lydia. The paramedics shook their heads sadly as there was no sign of life in the woman.

  Bekki backed away from Lydia's body. Despite the fact that she was horrified by what had happened, Bekki's natural attention to detail had her focus in on a few things. On the floor not far from Lydia was what appeared to be a suicide note. It was written on a piece of dark blue paper, which seemed odd in itself. But its message was even stranger. It was a simple apology and goodbye. No real explanation for the action that Lydia had taken. It struck Bekki as odd that the note would be on the floor, not on a counter, or a table. If someone took the care to write a note, would they then toss it on the floor? She crouched down to take a closer look at it, and something else caught her eye.

  "Don't touch it," Nick said sharply from the doorway of the bakery.

  "I'm not," Bekki sniffled. She was looking past the note at the silver glint that had caught her eye. It was the back of an earring, easy to lose, impossible to find.

  "Are you okay?" Nick asked breathlessly as he guided her up from the floor and pulled her into his arms.

  "Nick, this can't be what it looks like," Bekki insisted quickly as the oddities of the situation began to add up in her mind. "There's no way Lydia killed herself. I just talked to her this afternoon, I just ordered Sammy's cake, I…"

  "Shh," he murmured soothingly as he stroked his fingers down through her raven locks. "It's never easy when someone does something like this. We always think we know people, but we don't know everything."

  "I'm telling you Nick," Bekki's voice grew a bit louder. "I just saw her, there is no way she was suicidal. And if she was, why would she have turned all the lights out? Why would she toss the note on the floor?" Bekki demanded.

  Nick sighed as he studied her, attempting to be patient.

  "You can't expect someone who is intent on taking their own life to act rationally, Bekki. This is pretty cut and dry. There’s a note, for God's sake. I mean do you really think someone hoisted her up there?" he said a bit more crassly than he intended. "You have to listen to the evidence that is in front of you," he reminded her. He knew that Bekki liked to play detective. Truth be told she was good at it. "I know that Lydia was your friend," he added in a gentler tone. "It never makes sense when someone we care about chooses to end their life. But this one you're just going to have to accept Bekki."

  Bekki blushed as all of the other officers were looking in their direction. She felt as if Nick was trying to put her in her place in front of his colleagues.

  "No, I don't have to just accept that someone who was laughing and smiling with me a few hours ago decided it was time to end it all," Bekki replied in a subtle growl.

  “Listen, you should go,” he said sternly, his eyes growing darker with his frustration. “We're going to have to take her down, and I think it's best if you don't see that.”

  “Well if you think it's best,” Bekki retorted, wondering why he didn't think it was best to listen to her suspicions. To her it was clear that something was not right. But Nick only nodded, holding her gaze with his own as he did. She pulled away from him and he sighed as he watched her storm off through the back door.

  ***

  As Bekki made her way around the corner of the bakery she nearly collided with Sammy.

  "Bekki, I heard the sirens, what's going on?" she asked with concern. “Did something happen?”

  When Bekki stepped under a street lamp Sammy could see her cheeks were covered with tears.

  "Oh no, are you okay?" Sammy gasped and pulled her into a gentle hug.

  "It's Lydia," Bekki managed to get out. "It's Lydia."

  "What's wrong? Did she get hurt?" Sammy frowned and pulled away from Bekki slightly to glance in the direction of the stretcher that the paramedics were wheeling slowly into the bakery. It was clear that they were not in a rush.

  "She's dead," Bekki revealed and wiped furiously at her cheeks. "I stopped over to pick up your cake and…"

  "Wait, what do you mean she's dead?" Sammy winced and tears began to fill her eyes. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes," Bekki sniffled and tried to calm herself down. "I walked in the back door, she left it open for me, so I could get the cake.” She held her breath for a moment before admitting, "They think it was suicide." She glowered in the direction of a few of the officers who stepped outside of the bakery.

  "Was it?" Sammy asked in a hushed voice.

  "I don't know," Bekki admitted and shook her head. "But it doesn't seem right. I was just there this afternoon, and she was fine. I ordered the cake…"

  "The cake," Sammy interrupted. "You mean for my birthday?" Her eyes widening.

  Bekki nodded, fresh tears gathering. "I wanted it to be a surprise, I'm sorry Sammy."

  "No don't be sorry," Sammy hugged her. "It's just sad to think that one of the last things she was making was my cake. What if something about it made her sad enough to do this?"

  Sammy's words made Bekki's heart slow down. She remembered Lydia's warm smile as she promised to leave the back door open for her. Her stomach lurched. What if she had arrived there just a little earlier? What if she hadn't waited so long to pick up the cake? Could she have saved Lydia?

  "This is all just so horrible," Sammy sighed as she watched the stretcher get wheeled back out, this t
ime with Lydia's body concealed in a dark bag.

  "I just don't see how a person could go from being so happy, to wanting to die, in one afternoon," Bekki said quietly as her nerves finally began to settle. She caught sight of Nick as he paused in the doorway of the bakery. He was looking over something he had written in his notes. As eager as she had been to see him again, now the sight of him only infuriated her. Despite the fact that she was certain things were not as they seemed, he had not been willing to listen.

  "We were going to have a party," Bekki heard herself saying before she even realized she was speaking, “for you."

  Sammy squeezed Bekki's hand gently. "Don't worry about that Bekki, come on, let me take you home. You need to rest."

  Bekki closed her eyes briefly, but all she saw was poor Lydia hanging from the rafter. After Sammy dropped her off at home Bekki lay on her bed with her eyes half open. The flickering shadows in her room kept reminding her of the things she had noticed at the bakery. The note on the floor, which held no personal information, and the back of a silver earring. This stuck in her mind for a long moment.

  “Wait a minute,” she murmured to herself. “That couldn't have belonged to Lydia, she only wore gold,” her eyes widened as she realized this. She tried to sleep, but her mind was buzzing with the possibilities of just what might have really happened to Lydia.

  ***

  The town awoke to the shock of the news of Lydia's apparent suicide. It was all anyone was thinking or talking about. Bekki cringed as she overheard some people talking about the horrible nature of suicide as she walked past them on the sidewalk toward the salon. She wanted to turn around and insist that this might not have been suicide after all, but she knew that would only alert people to her suspicions. So far all she had to base them on was a hunch. When she arrived at the salon she was surprised to find Sammy there.

  "Happy birthday," Bekki said with a sad smile as she hugged her friend.

  "I've postponed my birthday," Sammy said firmly. "Once everyone has a chance to say goodbye, we'll have dinner or something. It's just too sad to be happy about anything right now."

  "I can understand that," Bekki nodded as she glanced through the front window of the salon at the people who had gathered outside of the bakery, some out of curiosity, some out of grief. "But you're still not going to work on your birthday. Home with you young lady," she demanded.

  "I thought after last night that you might need the day off," Sammy explained with a light frown. "That must have been such a tragic thing to see."

  "It was," Bekki agreed, her eyes growing distant as she recalled the scene. "But I'd rather be here, than at home obsessing about it. Working will take my mind off things,” she managed a stern smile.

  "All right," Sammy said reluctantly. "If you're sure?” she questioned one last time.

  "I'm positive," Bekki insisted and hugged her friend again. "And even if it is a sad day, I am still going to wish you happy birthday."

  "Thank you," Sammy smiled into her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "Call me if you need anything, okay?" She met her eyes to be sure that she would.

  "I will," Bekki promised as she sat down behind the receptionist desk. After Sammy left she spent most of her morning fielding calls from clients who were canceling their appointments. The town had come to a standstill as people tried to figure out how someone as cheerful and loving as Lydia had chosen to hang herself. Once the flurry of calls died down and Bekki was preparing to make a list of her suspicions, the door to the salon swung open. She glanced up and was surprised to find a woman about her age who was dressed in the finest and latest fashion. Bekki stood up from her chair as the woman walked further into the salon. Her delicate nose scrunched up at the sight of the simple place, and she cleared her throat.

  "Well, I guess this will have to do," she mumbled to herself. Her glossy blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her eyes were hidden by a pair of dark sunglasses. She looked as if she belonged in a high end salon, certainly not Bekki's.

  "Can I help you with something?" Bekki asked with a friendly smile.

  "I just need a touch up on my roots, and maybe a bit of a style," the woman smiled in return, but there was more loftiness than friendliness in the expression. "Do you think you could do that?"

  "I'm sure I can," Bekki replied, gritting her teeth. She never liked the prissy attitude of some of the wealthier women she had met in the city. This woman had plenty of attitude.

  "Have a seat, and I'll be right with you," Bekki gestured to one of the open chairs. The woman walked over to it, her nose still scrunched. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped off the seat of the chair before sitting down. Then she tossed the tissue in a nearby waste basket. Bekki grabbed a new customer form and walked up beside her.

  "Are you visiting?" she asked as she jotted down the woman's requests.

  "Yes, just for a day or so," the woman explained.

  "My name is Bekki, welcome to Harroway," she managed to retain her friendly tone. She was not going to tarnish the town's good reputation over one woman's disrespectful behavior.

  "I'm Julie," the woman replied sounding a little impatient. "Will this take long? I was hoping to get some lunch and do a little shopping this afternoon."

  "Shopping? Here?" Bekki asked with surprise as she eased the woman's sunglasses off to reveal her pale green eyes. She walked behind her and began releasing the pins that held up her bun. "Don't worry it won't take long."

  "Yes, there's a fabulous antique store I have been dying to visit," she exclaimed as if it was the most delightful excursion she could imagine. Bekki nodded in quiet agreement but she could not think of what antique store she might be talking about. As the woman's hair tumbled down to the base of her neck, Bekki reached forward and swept it back away from her ears. As she did her finger caught lightly on one of the woman's simple stud earrings. She noticed that the earring was silver, but the backing on it was a very different style. She glanced at the woman's other ear and found that the back of it matched its earring perfectly.

  “Calm down,” she told herself. Plenty of people lose those little backs to earrings, and replace them with others. But her mind was reeling at the sight. What were the chances of it being a coincidence? The woman prattled on about her shopping intentions.

  "I am looking for small town memorabilia as I want to do a bit of a diner themed kitchen, you know, just for fun," she laughed. Her laughter was not real. It was the light and airy kind that Bekki always imagined women like her practiced in front of the mirror before they left the house each day.

  "Well, you've come to the right place for that," Bekki said as pleasantly as she could. As she took the woman through the stages of touching up her roots, she tried to ask questions to put her mind at ease.

  "Do you have a friend or family member who told you about Harroway?" she asked casually.

  "No, I just happened upon it, lucky me," Julie replied with a sly smile.

  "Do you live far from here?" Bekki inquired, her words nothing more than the friendly banter of a hair stylist.

  "I'm from Chicago, actually," Julie answered proudly. "But I'm a bit of a wanderer."

  The name of the city burned into Bekki's mind. It was the same city that Lydia was from. Sure, there were plenty of people in Chicago, but what were the chances of two of them ending up in Harroway?

  “I've heard Chicago is an amazing city,” Bekki smiled. “I'll let this set for a few minutes. Would you like some tea, some water?” she suggested.

  “No I'm fine thank you,” Julie replied and settled back in her chair. Bekki's mind was filled with pieces of information that did not fit together. She could not comprehend what Lydia and Julie would have to do with each other, and yet she couldn't shake the certainty that there was a connection. When she returned to style Julie's hair she decided to ask a few bolder questions.

  “Did you just get into town today?” she asked. Maybe, if Julie had been there the day before, she had visited the ba
kery, and that would explain how her earring back might have ended up on the floor.

  “Just this morning,” Julie nodded and watched Bekki like a hawk as she arranged and styled her hair.

  “Will you be staying long?” Bekki wondered as she gave the woman's hair a final fluff.

  “Well, with such an amazing stylist as yourself, I might have to,” Julie cooed as she smiled at herself in the mirror. Bekki tried not to let the compliment make her like the woman more but she couldn't help it. It meant a lot coming from someone as refined and obviously well off as her.

  “Thank you,” Bekki said genuinely. “I'm glad you like it.”

  “Now I can shop in style,” the woman sighed with relief and followed Bekki over to the front desk. She handed her a card to pay with. Bekki held the card in her hand long enough to get a clear view of the woman's full name, then she ran it through.

  “Well, I hope you enjoy your time here,” Bekki said as she plastered on her brightest smile. “Everyone is very close here.”

  “Good to know,” the woman said with an arched brow and then headed for the door. As soon as she was gone, Bekki grabbed a notepad and scribbled down her full name, Julie Ann Brentwood

  “Julie Ann…,” she said aloud.

  “Who's that?” Nick asked as he entered the salon.

  “How do you always do that?” Bekki demanded with exasperation.

  “Do what?” he frowned as he walked up to the desk.

  “You sneak in places, you're like a ninja,” she huffed and quickly tucked away the notepad.

  He quirked a brow and leaned across the desk, meeting her eyes boldly. “I am a ninja,” he stated flatly. “There you know my deepest, darkest secret.”

  Bekki couldn't help but smile a little. She was still annoyed with him over the night before, but there was something about Nick that never allowed her to stay angry with him for long.

  “All right then Ninja Nick, what brings you here? Need that ego trimmed a bit?” her lips curved into a cheeky smile.

  “Excuse me?” he blinked at her words and his mouth dropped open slightly. “My ego?”