Dyed and Gone

by Beth Yarnall

  I affected a happily surprised expression and turned toward her. “Oh, hi, Sora.”

  It took her a moment, where I imagined she weighed the options of admitting she knew me or pretending she didn’t. Fortunately recognition won out. “Azalea, right?”

  “Yes. I was so sorry to hear about your husband and now Trinity. My condolences. How are you holding up?”

  Sighing, she returned her attention to her reflection. “Barely.”

  Yeah, she looked a frightful mess. Was that a hickey on her neck?

  “How’s Tenchi doing?” I asked. “I heard he was so distraught he had to be taken to the hospital.”

  “He took Trinity’s death hard, as we all have.”

  Right. “How’s Mac taking it? She and Trinity were cousins, right?”

  Her gaze snapped to mine in the mirror. “How’d you know that?”

  How would I know that if Vivian hadn’t told me? I was so leaving Viv’s name out of this. “I, ah…think I heard somebody say something about it at Dhane’s memorial.”

  “No they didn’t.”

  “In the crowd. I was sitting near a group of Hjálmar employees.”

  “Gossiping monkeys,” she muttered.

  “It must be difficult for Mac…and for you, losing two relatives so close together.”

  “I suppose.”

  O-kaaay. “Is Ace helping you with the funeral arrangements?”

  She angled her body to face me. “You sure do ask a lot of questions. You writing all this down to sell to the tabloids?”

  “I’m a hairstylist, not a reporter. Also, my curiosity borders on pathological.”

  “Just a curious hairstylist?”

  I decided to go for broke. “I noticed that Ace seems to have a…fondness for you.”

  She dropped her lipstick in her bag and snapped it shut. “We’re done.”

  She walked away from me, but not before I’d seen the way worry crinkled her brow and flattened her lips. I got the feeling she was afraid, but not for herself. Could she be covering for Ace?

  If I had to place a bet on who killed Dhane, I’d bet on Ace. His relationship with Sora gave him a motive, which would also give him the means and opportunity. Wouldn’t a wife have a key to the suite she shared with her husband? Wouldn’t that same wife cover up the fact that her lover killed her husband?

  Sora could’ve even helped him afterward. Putting Dhane’s head in that bin of doll heads was a particular bit of genius by someone who knew how important Dhane was in the hairstyling world. It would’ve been a very effective way of demeaning him in front of his peers. Yup. My money was on the Ace and Sora combo.

  I waited another moment before I made my way out of the bathroom, in case Alex had been watching the door. When I reached his side he put his arm across my shoulders and bent so he could whisper in my ear.

  “What did Dhane’s wife have to say?”

  I batted my eyelashes up at him. “Dhane’s wife?”

  Juan Carlos came over to us with Richard trailing behind. “Let’s go before all the good seats are taken.”

  “You’re going to tell me what happened in there,” Alex warned as we followed them into the ballroom.

  I pretended I didn’t hear him.

  We found our seats and the awards ceremony began. The MC this year was that guy from that show about fashion nightmares who get made over in the style of their favorite star or famous person. His face had been made over so many times it looked as though the last time they’d forgotten how all the pieces went back together.

  “He needs bigger veneers,” Juan Carlos whispered. “Where’d he get those, a party store? They come with a fake nose and glasses? Were they left over from his Austin Powers costume? I bet horses get jealous when they see his teeth.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

  “Don’t even get me started on the hair. Didn’t his agent tell him he was hosting a hair awards show?”

  I felt Alex chuckle next to me.

  “Shh, I want to hear this,” I told Juan Carlos as the room grew dark and the video tribute for Dhane began.

  It started with an interview Dhane had done on a morning talk show. His face filled the screen. His lightly accented voice rolled over me, and his piercing gaze speared me to my seat.

  The interviewer asked him how fame had changed him.

  “Fame is the bridge that delivers my work to the people. It shifts, crumbles, gets rebuilt, but it stands. The work?” Dhane turned fully to the camera to deliver the punch. “It is everything.”

  I felt the energy of the crowd change. Dhane’s power and passion came through on video every bit as much as it had in person. He had been made for the spotlight, for fame and fortune. He’d had that intangible star quality that couldn’t be taught or bought. Knowing he was gone too soon, cut down so cruelly, shifted something in me. I got angry. I fisted a hand in my lap, wanting to strike out at something, do something to change what couldn’t be undone.

  But all I could do was sit in that darkened ballroom with all the others, watching Dhane prowl the stage in the video taken on the opening morning of the hair show. His pale hair flowing out behind him, he delivered what no one else could: the bridge that brought his work to the people. It was his last performance on the last day of his life.

  My phone vibrated inside my evening bag as the screen went black, only to relight with a Hjálmar publicity photo of Dhane and the words REST IN PEACE. I took out my phone and looked at the display. Vivian. I clutched my phone to my chest, glad she wasn’t here to see this.

  I leaned to whisper to Alex. “It’s Viv. I’m going to step out and take this.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, I’ll just be outside. I’ll be fine.”

  I edged past him and answered the phone as I made my way out of the ballroom.

  “Viv. I’m so glad you called.”

  “I tried you earlier. Did Juan Carlos tell you? Oh, what am I saying? Of course he did. I’m getting married!” she squealed. “Can you believe it?”

  Hearing the excitement in her voice had me grinning, too. She deserved her happiness. “Oh, Viv. I’m so happy for you. And James, too. Where are you?”

  “In a limo. We’re on our way to get the license!”

  Music from the ballroom drifted out, making it difficult to hear. I wandered away, finding a small hallway to duck into. “Did he get you a ring?”

  “We just came from the jeweler’s. Wait till you see it.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “Thank you for what you said to me about telling the truth. It was hard, but we worked through it and now here we are, getting married. I still can’t believe it.” She sniffed a little and I heard James mumble soothing words to her. “Azalea? I wanted to ask you something. Will you be my maid of honor?”

  “Oh, Viv. I’d love to. I’m so happy for you. I really am.”

  “Thanks. We’re here. I have to go. I’ll see you at midnight at the Little White Chapel. I’ll be the bride in the red dress and black veil.”

  We clicked off and I had to laugh. Leave it to Vivian to do things her way.

  I turned to head back to the ballroom, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in days, and froze. Tenchi stood a couple of feet away, blocking my exit. At first I was glad to see him because of Jun, and then I realized he wasn’t standing right, leaning a hand against the wall to steady himself.

  “You,” he snarled.

  I blinked. The hatred poured off him, scorching hot, obsessively loathing. I put my hands up in defense and took a step back. He matched my move, but his stride was longer, so when we came to a stop he was even closer than before.

  “You couldn’t stop. Didn’t stop. And now she’s dead. My Trinity’s dead.”

  “I know you’re upset, but it wasn’t me, Tenchi.” I shook my head. “It wasn’t.”

  He inched closer, his hand dragging along the wall, leaving a red smear in its wake.

  “You�
��re bleeding. Let me get you help,” I pleaded, making a move to go around him.

  A low sound rumbled from deep in his chest, part growl, part moan. He continued to advance, backing me farther down the hall. I took in everything about him, trying to gage my next move, and that’s when I noticed the knife in his other hand, tip down, resting against his thigh.

  “I loved her.” His knife hand twitched, the point catching on the material of his pants, cutting cloth and skin. There was blood there, too, on the knife and running down his leg. “She was everything,” he whispered, the words wrenched from him. “Everything.”

  I weighed my options, which were quickly running out. Reasoning wouldn’t work here—the look in his eyes told me that. I wouldn’t get past him. We were too far down the hall now, too far to shout. I had my phone, but I didn’t know what he would do if I tried to make a call. I was afraid he’d take it, and then I’d really be out of options. I slipped my hand holding the phone behind my back, disguising the gesture in a glance around.

  His movements were stilted, sluggish, as though he were under the influence of medication or had taken a hard knock to the head. His self-inflicted wounds didn’t seem to cause him any pain. He pulled his hand from the wall, ending the streak of blood abruptly, and pointed a finger at me. “You took her from me.”

  I shook my head. Somehow I had to get him to believe me. “I didn’t. Remember? I was with you when she died. It wasn’t me, Tenchi. I swear.”

  “You swear?” His face grew ugly, twisting with grief and anger. “You killed her! She died because of you. You…you pushed her off that balcony!”

  “I didn’t.” He’d backed me into a door. There was nowhere else to go. I pushed my fear down deep, reaching for the words I’d need to get him to believe me. “Trinity was beautiful, wasn’t she?” It took everything I had to keep my voice from shaking, to keep it soothing, and him talking.

  “Yes.” His eyes filled with tears. The knife turned in his hand. “So beautiful.”

  “She was precious and special.”

  “Yes.” He brought his hands up, the blade slicing his shirt through to the skin as it brushed his side and came to rest clutched over his heart. “She was everything.”

  I kept my gaze off the red stain blooming where the knife had made its mark. “She was everything. Everything good and wonderful.” I felt for the buttons on my phone, tried to make a call.

  “I loved her.” He tilted his head up and to one side, as if searching for something. “Why’d she leave me? Why’d she have to leave?”

  “I don’t think she wanted to. If she’d had a choice, she would have stayed with you. I’m sure of it. She loved you, too.” I didn’t know any of this for certain, but what else was there to say?

  He relaxed his stance a little, a small smile playing around his mouth. “She did. She loved me.”

  “She did love you, Tenchi. She loved you very much, and she wouldn’t want to see you hurt. You’re hurt. Let’s get out of this hall. Let me help you.” I reached a hand out, hoping he’d place the knife in it and not stab it straight through.

  “I hurt so much.” The knife wavered in his hands as he fingered the hilt, the point snagging a spot just above his navel. “So very, very much.”

  “I know you do. I want to help you. Let’s go back down the hall where the people are. We’ll get you that help.”

  “It hurts,” he wailed, shaking now. He brought his hands up to his head, squeezing. “It hurts. Make it stop. Make it go away.”

  “Drop the knife and step away from her.” Kennedy stood, feet braced apart, holding a gun on Tenchi. He’d angled himself so I was out of the line of fire. Alex and the wandering man from my hallway flanked him. “Drop the knife.”

  Tenchi whirled to face them. “Please kill me. Kill me like I killed him. It was me. My fault. I killed Dhane to stay with Trinity. Oh, God, did I kill her, too?” He curled in on himself, holding his head as though it would explode. “I want to die.”

  “Nobody’s dying.” Kennedy made a lowering motion with his hand. “Put the knife down now.”

  “I just wanted it to stop,” Tenchi howled. “I wanted her to hurt like me. You should all hurt like me. It hurts so much.”

  Before any of us could move, Tenchi reared up, bringing the knife down hard into his stomach. He bent over and backed into me, then collapsed into a pile at my feet. I screamed—short, sharp bursts. The next thing I knew, Alex was holding me, ushering me away as Kennedy barked orders into a walkie-talkie.

  He brought me out to the main hallway and held me at arm’s length, examining me from head to toe, then yanked me back into arms. “Are you all right? God.” He kissed the top of my head. “You don’t know how frustrating it was to hear you through the phone and not be able to get to you.”

  I shook so hard it was painful. My mind couldn’t wrap around what had just happened, what Tenchi had done. I clung to Alex, balling wads of his jacket in my fists. “Did you hear him? Did you hear what he said about Dhane?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why’d he do that? I just wanted to help him. I just wanted to help.”

  “I know.” He placed shaky hands on either side of my face and brought my head up. “God. Don’t do that to me again.” And then he kissed me and I felt everything and nothing. I threaded my fingers through his hair, bringing him closer. Drawing strength from our connection, I was swamped with the need for more. More of everything, him, this moment, and answers. I really needed answers.

  I broke the kiss. “Tenchi said he didn’t kill Trinity.”

  “No. Kennedy told me her death was ruled a suicide.”

  “Suicide.” I could barely get the word out. “But how? How’d she get my flower?”

  Alex wrapped me in his arms again as though he never wanted to let go. “Kennedy didn’t give me specifics, just that he was certain she wasn’t murdered. He thinks she might have found your flower or taken it from you.”

  I remembered what Jun had said about Trinity taking things from people she was obsessed with. Poor Trinity.

  So it was over. All of it. Trinity had likely killed herself over the death of her brother, a death Tenchi was responsible for. No wonder he’d been so distraught. He loved Trinity and was inadvertently responsible for her death. I hoped Tenchi lived. I hoped he paid for what he did, what he took. My sadness boiled into anger. Tenchi had caused so much pain, so much suffering. I wanted him to live a long, terrible life, burning with the misery he’d caused so many others.

  “Oh my God, Azalea!” Juan Carlos jumped me from behind, locking me in a double hug.

  “Let her breathe,” Richard said.

  Juan Carlos pulled away suddenly and I turned in Alex’s arms to see that Richard had plucked him off me and still had him by the back of his jacket. Instead of being upset with him, Juan Carlos transferred his hug to Richard.

  “Hold me, big daddy.” He pressed his face into Richard’s chest. “I can’t believe our Zee was nearly cut to shreds by a deranged killer.” Richard patted him on the back, murmuring soothing words. “What is this world coming to?” Juan Carlos sniffed.

  “I’m fine,” I said to him. “Look.”

  Juan Carlos quit his histrionics and eyed me closely. “Not even a scratch? You’re really okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “What happened? Tell me everything and don’t leave one bit of it out.”

  At that moment, we were all distracted by the arrival of uniformed police and paramedics. The wandering man from my hotel directed them down the hall, then came over to where we stood.

  “We’re going to need a statement from you,” he told me.

  “Who are you?”

  “Detective Bolger. When Detective Kennedy is finished with the suspect, he’s going to want a conversation with you. We’re setting up a room now. Hang tight until I come and get you.” At my nod, he went down the hall to where the paramedics worked on Tenchi.

  Tenchi. I couldn’t stop picturing over and
over in my mind the look in his eyes, the way he’d moved. Why’d he do it? Why had he killed Dhane? And then I remembered what Jun had said about Dhane sending Tenchi away. Had he killed him to stay with Trinity, only to have her die, too? The pain and grief had hollowed him out, carved chunks as the blade of his knife had cut his flesh. He’d loved Trinity with a manic fierceness I couldn’t imagine. What it must have been like to be loved like that.

  Did Trinity know? Did she think of him when she died?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  At the edge of the crowd, which had gathered to gape at all the excitement, stood a lone figure, fragile and pale. Jun. He looked confused until he saw me, and then his face lit up. What would I say to him? How would I tell him what his friend had done?

  We moved toward each other, meeting in the middle.

  “What’s happening? Did somebody get hurt?” He looked at me with such open honesty and trust, it broke my heart.

  “Yes, but the paramedics are working really hard to help them. Why don’t you come with me?” I reached for his hand. He took it without question.

  Alex didn’t seem surprised to see me towing Jun.

  “I don’t want to stay here,” I told Alex, trying to send him subliminal messages that I didn’t want Jun to see Tenchi. “Can you tell Kennedy I’m going back to my hotel room?”

  “Do you think that’s such a good idea?”

  “Hang on, Jun.” I motioned for Alex to step away with me. “I’m safe. You heard Tenchi. He confessed. I don’t want Jun to find out what his friend’s done from someone else. He’s lost so much.”

  Alex didn’t look happy about it, but he agreed. “All right. I’ll come with you.” He looked around. “I’m not needed here anyway. I’ll tell Kennedy where we’re going.”

  I went back to our little group while Alex went to talk with Kennedy. Juan Carlos was telling Jun what had happened to me. I walked up next to him and pretended to accidentally step on his foot.

  “Ow! Watch it, Graceless. Look what you did,” Juan Carlos said. “You put a dent in my shoe with your heel.”