by Beth Yarnall
I took out my sparkly notebook and entered the new information along with my thoughts and guesses. There was a lot going on here. And it all made me so sad. Two lives had been lost, and for what?
I guessed that was the million-dollar question. If I figured out the why and what for, then I imagined the who would be as plain as day. On TV they were always talking about motive, means, and opportunity. When they went to court they often got a conviction because they could prove one or more of those things. So that was my new plan. I was going to go all Law & Order on this case.
To do that, I needed a lot more information from a lot more people. And I knew just where to start.
“Juan Carlos, did you and Richard get a chance to speak to Golda, the hairstylist, yet?”
“We did, but she wouldn’t talk at the memorial. She gave me her number, which I was just about to call when you phoned and told me to meet you here.”
“Call her. She, better than anyone, would know what was going on in Dhane’s personal life. She might even know something more about how the company was run and what was happening there.”
“You’re still going to investigate?” Vivian asked.
All eyes fell on me, waiting for my answer. I’d been all in with this thing from the beginning. Vivian being released wouldn’t change that. Whether I wanted to or not, I felt connected to Dhane’s and Trinity’s deaths. The note from Dhane, being there when his head had been found, visiting Trinity, finding her body—each of those events had pulled me further and further into this mess. There had to be a reason for that, right?
Vivian was free, but saving her hadn’t been the only reason I’d gotten involved. And now my ragtag band of hairstylists turned detectives and I were the only ones who believed Trinity’s death wasn’t suicide. The thought of someone killing that poor girl and getting away with it punched all of my injustice buttons. I couldn’t stand by and let her death go unavenged.
Plus, I wasn’t 100 percent sold on the idea of Sora and Ace as killers. They just didn’t seem…I don’t know…smart enough to have pulled off two murders. Their bow-chica-wow-wow session in Dhane’s suite pretty much proved it. Plus, if they’d been trying to hide their affair, they were really, really bad at it. I doubted they could pull off fooling the police.
“Yes.” I punctuated my answer with a sharp nod. “With your help.”
“Yay! I am so buying that fedora I saw in the gift shop downstairs,” Juan Carlos said, clapping his palms together. “Very Sam Spade. We’ll go all Castle on this case.” He folded his fingers down, making a gun with his index fingers. “Book ’em, Charlie.”
“You’re mixing your TV shows,” Richard told Juan Carlos. “Of course we’ll help you, Azalea. Whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“What about me?” Vivian asked.
James returned, letting himself into the room, his arms loaded with bags of food. He stopped when he saw the crowd that had accumulated in his absence. “What’s going on here?”
“I think you’re going to be too busy to help,” I said with a wink. “But we’ll let you know if we need anything.”
James sought out Vivian, and when he spotted her pale, tear-streaked face, he lost it. “Out! Everybody out right now.” He set the food aside and went to Vivian, crouching down on one knee. “Are you all right?”
She reached out a hand and stroked the side of his face. “I’m fine.”
Watching them, my stomach twisted. They were so perfect for each other. Vivian keeping secrets from James was not right. I knew she was afraid of what would happen if she told him about her and Dhane, but keeping it from him had to be worse for them.
I showed Juan Carlos and Richard the hole in my shirt. “I have to do something about my clothes. Why don’t you guys go back to Juan Carlos’s room and I’ll catch up with you in a bit?”
When the guys were gone, I asked for a moment alone with Vivian. James looked like he’d argue, but Viv put him at ease. “It’s okay. I’ll just be a moment. Why don’t you get the food ready? I’m starved.”
Vivian followed me to the door and we stepped out into the hall.
“Does James know about you and Dhane?”
“Just that we were friends. I couldn’t—”
“Vivian…” I couldn’t keep the surprise and disappointment from my voice.
“You don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand. That man loves you.”
“I know he does.”
“Vivian, secrets have a cost. And although I forgive you for lying to Juan Carlos and me, I have to tell you it hurt. You can’t lie to people and always expect them to understand later why you felt you had to. You either have a trusting relationship or you don’t.”
“I don’t like lying. I especially hated lying to you and Juan Carlos. That’s not who I am.”
“I know it’s not, but you still have to tell James about Dhane.”
She looked for a moment like she’d argue further. “I really am sorry I lied to you.”
“I know.”
She dropped her head back and sighed. “This is going to be hard.”
“I know.”
“You’re such a bitch, you know that?” she said with a wry twist to her mouth and no real heat. “I hate you.” She gave me a hard hug and it felt so good, like we were finally getting back to where we’d been before Vegas. “Especially when you’re right,” she whispered in my ear. When she pulled back, her eyes were filled with tears. “I really am sorry. About everything. I had no idea it would lead to all of this.”
“I know.” I wiped the tear that had slipped down her cheek with the backs of my fingers. “Stop crying, or James is going to hunt me down and make me cry.”
We laughed, and the link that had been missing between us slid back together. She gave me a small wave and went back into her room. Alone in the hall, I smiled. It was good to have Vivian back. As I walked to my room, I thought about the things that brought people together and the things that kept them apart.
What had brought Tenchi and Trinity together? On the outside they were more mismatched than Donald Trump and his horrible hair. But the opposite was true of Sora and Dhane. On the outside they’d seem like a perfect match and must have made a stunning couple. So what had made them seek out others? What had made Dhane go after Vivian and Sora give in to Ace?
Jun was my only link to Trinity, and although his information hadn’t been all that accurate, he did seem to have an in with Tenchi, Trinity, Sora, and Ace. He might know more about Sora’s relationship with both Dhane and Ace. But then again, he might start talking in circles and give me a headache.
I also needed to touch base with Alex. There was something nagging at me about the fire and Dhane’s parents’ deaths. Every version of the story I’d read or heard was completely different from the others. I needed to find out if Alex had connected with the detective who investigated the murders and what his account of events would add to or take away from what I already knew.
I slid my key card in the lock and opened the door to my room. As if conjured from my imagination, Alex sat at the desk, talking on the phone. He motioned for me to come closer, then put his cell phone on speaker so I could listen in.
“—the sister, but there wasn’t enough to charge her,” a sexy female voice said. If this was the detective from Kansas, she was wasting her time on police work. She could have made a fortune as a phone-sex operator.
“Was she your only suspect?” Alex asked her.
“We looked hard at the brother, but his alibi was solid. We also looked at a murder-suicide, but the evidence didn’t support it.”
I pulled out my notebook, wrote Alex a note, and handed it to him. He raised his brows at me. I motioned for him to ask her my question.
“Do you know what happened to the brother and sister?” he asked.
“The brother was of age, so the court awarded him custody of his sister. I do know they came into some money. Quite a
bit actually, which is why we looked so hard at them. Money can be a powerful motivator for murder.”
I wrote another note and showed it to him.
“Was the case ever solved?” Alex asked for me.
“A few weeks later we caught the guys who’d set that fire and a few others in nearby neighborhoods. B and E guys who thought setting fire to houses would cover their tracks. They might have gotten away with it if they hadn’t pawned the goods they stole so close to home. Thank God for dumb criminals.”
Alex chuckled under his breath. “I’ve caught a few like that myself.” He raised his brows at me, silently asking if I had any more questions. I shook my head.
So the fire was a dead end. I didn’t know what I’d hoped it would tell me about Dhane’s and Trinity’s deaths, but I did have a lot more insight into their past. It was interesting that they’d come into some money. That must’ve been how Dhane had started his company. He obviously hadn’t gotten enough to go it alone and had to bring in Mac as a partner. What else had Mac brought to the table?
“Thank you for your time, Detective Leary,” Alex said. “Hold on to my number so I can return the favor sometime.”
“You got it.”
Alex disconnected the call and turned to me, looking a little irritated and a lot relieved. “Where have you been? I called you at least twenty times.”
I checked my phone. “Tenchi must have turned it off when I was with Trinity. Sorry.”
“You went to see the crazy sister again?”
“I didn’t set out to.”
“What does that mean?”
I told him all of my misadventures since I’d last seen him. The more I talked, the darker his expression turned, like a low-slung storm moving over an open ocean.
“That’s it. We’re going home.”
“You can go, but I’m staying. Your half of the room for last night should be about fifty bucks.”
“You’re going, too.”
I parked my fists on my hips. I was really tired of people, especially men, telling me what to do today. “Go. Stay. I don’t care, but I’m seeing this thing through.”
He stood up, matching my attitude. “The hell you are.”
“Who do you think you are telling me what to do?”
He leaned down until we were nose to nose. “Your friend. No, boyfriend.” He shook his head and growled, “I don’t know what the hell I am to you.”
“What the hell do you want to be?”
“More.”
“How much more?”
“More than you’re letting me be.”
We stared bullets at each other, our breath mingling. I inched closer, pressing for an advantage. He moved in too, our bodies so close now I could smell him and feel his heat.
“Azalea?” he whispered, causing fine shivers to race up my spine.
Short of breath, I licked my lips. “Yeah?”
“I want to kiss you.”
“Why aren’t you?”
He came at it slowly. And oh, sweet Jesus, he was good at it, taking his time as if he’d thought long and hard how he’d do it when he next got the chance. He pulled me up to sit on the desk and changed his angle, his lips soft and coaxing. I wrapped myself around him, shamelessly encouraging him to take whatever he wanted. I let down my defenses. It felt so good to be held and taken care of. Emboldened, I brought him closer, threading my hands through his hair. It was thicker and silkier than I’d imagined.
Somebody banged on the door, startling us apart. “Azalea! Open up.”
Alex put his forehead to mine. “Can I kill him? I brought my gun.”
I pushed him back and wriggled off the desk. “You can have your shot after I get mine.” I padded to the door and opened it to find Juan Carlos with Golda, the hairstylist, and Richard.
“You’ll never believe it, but Golda is staying right here in our hotel! Isn’t that the most?”
“At least.” I motioned them in. “Come on in. It’s not like Alex and I were doing anything fun.”
“I told you we should have called first,” Richard said.
Juan Carlos put an arm around Golda. “Golda is the genius behind last year’s Hjálmar campaign. You remember the one with the model whose hair color looked like a puddle of gasoline, all black with swirls of rainbow colors running through it?” At my nod he continued, “She’s the one who did that color technique. Isn’t that fabulous?”
“Totally,” I answered. “It’s nice to meet you, Golda. I’m Azalea and this is Alex. Thanks for meeting with us.”
She checked her watch. “I have an hour before I leave for my flight. You get ten minutes of it.” She settled herself on the bed and crossed her legs. “Go.”
I pulled the desk chair over and sat across from her. Juan Carlos and Richard sat on the bed behind her and Alex edged a hip on the corner of the desk, his cop face on.
I started. “I’m so sorry about Dhane.”
“Yes, it’s terrible,” she agreed, looking bored.
“Did you work closely with him? I mean, I know you were his hairstylist and you worked on last year’s campaign—”
“This year’s, too,” she interrupted. “Just tell me what you want to know.”
“Right.” I was having a hard time getting a read on this woman and it put me off my game. “Can you tell me about Dhane’s personal life, specifically his marriage?”
She let out a laugh like she’d heard a bad joke. “Such as it was.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean Sora is a conniving bitch who would sell her mother if it meant cash in her pocket.”
“So theirs wasn’t a love match, I take it?”
“Oh there was love—all on Dhane’s part, at least in the beginning.”
“What happened to change that?”
Golda cracked a smile that was far from nice. “He caught her flat on her back, feet in the air with that boy toy between her legs. That kind of thing tends to make a man fall out of love real fast.”
That was the kind of thing that makes a woman fall out of love real fast, too, as I knew all too well. I’d caught my now ex-fiancé taking his lunch break between my assistant’s thighs. That wasn’t an image you could ever get out of your head. Alex had been the first guy I’d gone out with since that two-timing asshole, and as much as I wanted to unconditionally trust him, I was having a hard time believing his interest in me. Or maybe that was my insecurity cloaking itself in the protective blanket of that-rotten-jerk-cheated-so-all-men-are-untrustworthy.
“What did Dhane do?” I asked.
“Filed for divorce, but then she somehow talked him out of following through. I imagine she had to spend some more time on her back to bring him around to it. Or at the very least on her knees.” She pulled a silver case from her purse. “Can I smoke in here?”
“This is a no-smoking room. Sorry.”
She shoved the case back in her bag. “Figures.”
“What about MacKenzie Todd?”
“What about her?”
“What was her and Dhane’s relationship like? Were they close?” I asked.
“Now there’s a piece of work. Were they close? As close as two people could be without banging each other.”
“I’d heard she and Dhane were cousins.”
“That would be news to me.” She pulled the cigarette case out again. “Are you sure we can’t just crack a window?”
“I think there’s a fine or something.”
“How did you feel about Dhane?” Alex asked, earning all of our attention.
She hitched a shoulder. “Depended on the day.”
“What about the day he died?”
I could see where Alex was going with his questions. Something was off with Golda’s demeanor toward Dhane’s passing. Frankly, I was glad he was asking these questions and not me.
“He was in a good mood,” Golda answered. “So that day I liked him.”
“What was your real relationship with Dhane?”
/>
Golda’s brows dipped over her nose. “What do you mean? I already told you. I was his hairstylist and we worked together.”
“Was that all?” Alex asked. “Or was there more between the two of you than that?”
Golda’s gaze darted toward the door. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“No? Weren’t you lovers?”
What? All four of our heads swiveled toward Alex.
“Lovers?” She gave a weak chuckle, her confidence waning. “Dhane and me?”
Alex looked at her hard, his cop eyes flat and unyielding. I wasn’t even the recipient of that look and I already wanted to give up every single one of my secrets.
Golda shifted her shoulders. “Maybe once.”
Whoa. Alex was good.
“Once? As in one time? Or would it be more accurate to say you and Dhane had been lovers for a number of years?”
“It was once. One time. Okay?” Golda looked like she could really use that cigarette now.
“Where were you when Dhane was killed?”
“What are you, a cop or something?” She popped up off the bed. “I answered your questions. The ten minutes are up. I’m leaving.”
I leaped into her path. “Wait, please don’t leave. I have just one more question. Please, just one more.”
She looked like she didn’t want to, but she nodded for me to go ahead and ask anyway.
“Who would inherit the company now that Dhane and Trinity are gone?”
She blinked, which was hard for her with her hair pulled back so tight. “What do you mean Trinity is gone?”
Uh-oh. Me and my big mouth. “Trinity died this morning.”
“Died? How? How is that possible?” Golda seemed genuinely shocked to learn of Trinity’s passing.
“The, ah, police found her body on the roof of the entrance to her hotel. She’d been thrown off her balcony.”
“Trinity was murdered?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
This news seemed to really rattle Golda. She dropped back down onto the bed and stared off at nothing.
“Are you all right?” I asked, sitting down next to her.
“Yes. No. That poor, sick girl.” She pulled out her cigarette case and lit one with a shaky hand. No one bothered to stop her. She sucked hard on her cigarette, then let out a long stream of smoke on a sigh. “I suppose that bitch Sora would get it all.”
