by Tina Kashian
“Excuse me. I need to go to the ladies’ room,” Lucy said.
“Go ahead. I see Francesca Stevens. She loves to gossip, so maybe I’ll learn something about Kristin,” Katie said.
Lucy made a right out of the church hall and headed down a long corridor. The church hall had gone through numerous additions and was a maze of corridors. She thought the ladies’ room was one direction, but when she’d walked for a while and didn’t see a sign, she realized she’d made a wrong turn. Just as she was about to backtrack, she heard a male voice farther down the hall.
“I told you not to call me today.”
Was that Ben’s voice? Lucy crept father down the dim hall until she came to the end, then risked a peek around the corner.
It was Ben. He clutched his cell phone and paced back and forth. A row of closed doors, marked with brass nameplates, lined the hall. One of the brass nameplates read SUNDAY SCHOOL.
“I’m not avoiding you. I promise. How about you come see me tonight at the barbershop?” Ben said, wiping his brow with a handkerchief as he paced back and forth.
He was clearly nervous. Lucy wished she knew who was on the other end of the line.
“Tonight. I promise. We can talk then,” Ben said.
Lucy jumped at the sound of a door opening behind her. She swung around to see a man pushing a catering cart loaded with cut pies and pastries toward the church hall. He never looked in her direction.
She turned back in time to see Ben shove his cell phone in his pocket and head her way.
Crap.
She’d never make it back to the church hall in time. Making a snap decision, she turned the corner and ran smack into Ben.
“Oh! Hi, Ben. I’m sorry. I’m looking for the ladies’ room. You don’t happen to know if it’s this way?” Lucy asked, as she quickly masked her nervousness.
Ben’s brows drew downward. “It’s at the opposite end of the hall.”
“Thanks!” she said, then waved and hurried in the direction he’d pointed. She felt his gaze boring into her back as she slipped into the ladies’ room. Heart pounding, she gazed into the mirror and prayed he didn’t suspect she’d eavesdropped on his conversation.
Once she was back among the throng of people, she immediately sought out Katie. Her friend was helping herself to a mini cheesecake from the dessert tray.
“What are you doing tonight?” Lucy asked.
“Nothing. Why?” Katie asked.
“We need to set up a stakeout outside the barbershop.”
CHAPTER 16
Ben’s barbershop was located in a small shopping strip next to Cutie’s Cupcakes. Katie had parked her Jeep down the street. It was late and the sun had gone down. Close to closing time, the spiraling red and white barber pole shone brightly in the darkness. The windows of the Jeep were rolled down and a warm breeze blew the hair at Lucy’s nape and carried a hint of the ocean.
“Looks like he has one last customer inside,” Katie said.
“Hope he’s done soon.” Lucy reached for a coffee in the Jeep’s cup holder. They had hit Lola’s Coffee Shop for two large cups before heading over for their stakeout of Ben’s shop.
Inside, Ben set down a pair of clippers, brushed loose hair from the neck of a seated customer with a bristled brush, then whipped a cape off the man. The customer stood and headed for the counter to pay.
“You sure Ben is expecting someone tonight?” Katie asked.
“That’s what he said when I overheard his conversation. And from the tone of his voice, he seemed uptight about it,” Lucy said.
The customer left the shop, and Lucy and Katie continued to drink coffee and watch the front door.
“What if he changes his mind and leaves to meet the mystery person?” Katie asked.
“If he does, we’ll know it. His car is parked out front.”
They waited for another forty-five minutes until they were out of coffee. Katie yawned. “What’s he doing inside?”
“Maybe he’s cleaning up.” Lucy never left Kebab Kitchen right after the last customer departed. Tables needed to be set for the following day, the dishwasher had to be run, and the kitchen had to be swept and wiped down. She didn’t think it would take as long for a barbershop.
So what was Ben doing inside?
As they watched, Ben sat in one of the black chairs and began to check his cell phone.
“This could take all night,” Katie said.
“Wait! Who’s that?”
Lucy’s eyes were drawn to a black car that drew up to the corner of the shopping strip and parked. The door opened and a pretty woman dressed in a Catholic school uniform stepped out. She was in her mid-twenties, with long brown hair, and lots of makeup. Her pleated blue and green plaid skirt was ridiculously short and she wore a short, collared white top that revealed her pierced belly button. Combined with the tall blue socks and black-and-white saddle shoes, she looked like a centerfold model.
“Check out her getup,” Katie drawled. “She’s a teenage boy’s dream come true.”
“She’s headed for Ben’s shop. Duck so she doesn’t spot us.”
They slouched in their seats and watched as she approached the barbershop. She didn’t enter the front of the shop as Lucy had anticipated, but walked down the side alley of the building toward the back.
“Where’s she going?” Katie asked.
“I’m not sure, but let’s follow her,” Lucy said.
Katie grasped Lucy’s arm before she could open the Jeep’s door. “Are you sure about this?” Her voice was full of anxiety. “Remember what happened the last time we followed a person down a dark alley?”
They’d also hidden behind a Dumpster and barely made it to Lucy’s car before being caught by Mr. Citteroni’s henchman. Lucy pushed aside her trepidation. “I remember that we overheard helpful information that night.”
At Katie’s hesitation, Lucy pressed. “Come on. I don’t want to lose her.”
Katie sighed, then opened the door and trailed behind. They crept down the side of the brick building, careful not to make a sound. A back-security light cast an eerie glow on the trash and recycle cans. An old fishing boat that had been covered with a faded, green tarp sat on cinderblocks in the corner.
The woman stood on the back porch and rapped on the back door. The door opened and Ben stepped onto the porch to join her.
“Did anyone see you?” Ben asked, his voice tense.
“Don’t worry. There’s no one around at night in this town, Benny.”
Benny?
Lucy moved closer. She couldn’t hear the pair as clearly as she wanted, and she didn’t want to miss any of their conversation. She eyed the old boat and motioned to Katie.
Katie shook her head.
Lucy tugged her hand. Katie bit her lip, then nodded in agreement.
They crept closer, careful to stay in the dark shadows of the alley, then sprinted the remaining distance and pasted their backs to the old boat. Lucy feared the pair could hear her pounding heart. She lifted the tarp, stepped on a cinderblock, and slipped inside the boat. Katie was quick to follow.
The seats had been removed, so Lucy and Katie landed on the bottom of the boat. Despite the tarp, there was an inch of old rainwater inside.
“It stinks in here,” Katie whispered.
Lucy pressed a finger to her lips, then lifted the edge of the tarp to peek outside. From here, they could see and hear everything.
“It’s risky, baby,” Ben said.
“I needed to see you, Benny,” the woman said, then sidled up to him.
“God, it’s been too long, Vanessa.” Ben pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She rose on her tiptoes in the saddle shoes and kissed him back.
“Ugh,” Katie mumbled.
Ben lifted his head to gaze down at his girlfriend. “I don’t want you to work at the Pussy Cat anymore.”
The Pussy Cat? Lucy had heard of it—a strip club out of town. She used to see billboards on the Atlantic City Expresswa
y advertising the place, but she hadn’t seen them in a long time and assumed the club had closed.
Vanessa pouted. “You know I’ll quit as soon as you give me a ring.”
“I can’t do that yet. Not until after the election.”
“You’re embarrassed of me.”
Ben shook his head. “No, baby. It’s just that Ocean Crest is a small, family-friendly town. I don’t know how the residents would take to us.”
“You mean because I’m a stripper.”
“Well, yes.”
Vanessa’s face hardened, and she pulled out of Ben’s embrace. “Archie is dead. You don’t have to worry about those pictures anymore.”
Ben’s mouth dipped in a frown. “Archie may be dead. But pictures of our lap dance and more are still out there.”
Vanessa planted her hands on her hips. “That bastard blackmailed you when he was alive. Don’t let him blackmail you from the grave. Find those pictures.”
“I tried once and failed. I don’t know if I can do it again and—”
“You have no choice.” Her expression softened, and she stepped close to rub against him. “Don’t you want to officially tie the knot?”
“You know I do,” Ben whined.
“Then do it for us, Benny. Finish the job.”
* * *
“This will calm our nerves,” Katie said as she handed Lucy a glass of merlot.
Lucy accepted the glass and took a sip. Only after they’d returned to Katie’s house had they been able to breathe a sigh of relief. Their clothes had been dirty and wet from hiding in the old boat, and they’d both changed into yoga pants and T-shirts.
“Mr. Citteroni was right. Politics is a dirty business. Archie had been blackmailing Ben with pictures of him with a stripper,” Lucy said as she sat on a sofa.
Katie refilled her wineglass. “It looks like Ben and Vanessa are having a fling.”
“Not just a fling, but a serious relationship. They were talking about getting engaged.”
“A political candidate and a stripper. That will go over like hotcakes in Ocean Crest,” Katie said.
Lucy sipped her wine. “Archie knew just how bad it would look. Ben’s political aspirations for mayor would be ruined.”
“How did Archie get the pictures of the two of them?” Katie asked.
“Sounds like Ben met Vanessa at the Pussy Cat. Archie could have taken the pictures anywhere. At the club. In the car. Snooping outside Ben’s barbershop or even his house,” Lucy said.
“Ben said he’d tried to get the pictures back and failed. Maybe Archie was blackmailing him for cash, and Ben lured him under the boardwalk and shot him,” Katie said.
“Or maybe Archie wasn’t blackmailing Ben for cash, but something else.”
“Like what?”
“Mr. Citteroni confirmed that Archie wanted a mercantile license to open a bicycle shop. You said Mayor Huckerby was opposed to the idea, and Archie’s license was denied. But Ben is running unopposed for mayor. Once he was elected, he could help Archie get whatever business license he wanted,” Lucy said.
“Archie would have the future mayor in his back pocket. It’s brilliant,” Katie said.
As Lucy sipped her wine another thought occurred to her. “Something else is bothering me. Ben told Vanessa that he’d tried to get the pictures back. What if Ben was the one who tried to break into Archie’s shop?”
“You think Ben was the burglar who was interrupted when the Gray sisters called the police?” Katie asked.
“It’s a likely scenario. Ben had a strong motive to get those pictures,” Lucy said.
“If so, then he never found them. Bill said nothing was taken or disturbed. The burglar fled as soon as he heard the police sirens,” Katie said.
“That means the pictures could still be there. We need to search Archie’s store and find them,” Lucy said.
Katie lowered her wineglass. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”
“We have to find a way to sneak into Seaside Gifts,” Lucy said.
“You’re kidding.”
“We have nothing to lose.”
“Only getting arrested,” Katie said.
“We’ll be careful. More careful than Ben. If we find those pictures, we can give them to Bill. It will help clear your name.”
CHAPTER 17
Early the next day, Lucy visited The Big Tease Salon. It was Friday, and Katie was still covering for a coworker. They’d decided to hold off on their plans with Seaside Gifts until Katie’s lunch hour.
Beatrice Tretola was counting money at the register when Lucy walked into the salon.
“Hi, Lucy! What can I do for you today? A trim? A manicure? Or a pedicure?”
“No, thanks. I’m here for Rita’s services. Is she here today?” Lucy wasn’t sure she’d return to work so soon after Archie’s funeral, but Lucy was rewarded when Beatrice nodded.
“Rita’s out back for a smoke break. She’s been smoking more than working since yesterday’s funeral, but I’m not complaining. Turns out they had a thing for each other, and the ladies here never knew. Myself included.” Beatrice lowered her voice. “Of course, none of us knew he was married. Rita didn’t know either, poor thing.”
Did Rita know or not? Lucy hoped to learn the answer to that question today.
“I’ll fetch Rita.” Beatrice strode off and parted the curtains to the back room. Soon after, Beatrice reappeared through the curtains, followed by Rita.
Rita wore a tight red dress, black tights, and high-heeled boots. Her blond hair was pulled back tightly from her face in a ponytail. The hairstyle emphasized her high cheekbones and sharp chin. Except for missing a whip, she looked like a dominatrix, not a grieving woman. Lucy wasn’t sure she wanted her anywhere near her with a pot of hot wax.
Lucy swallowed. “Hi, Rita.”
“Beatrice says you asked for me.”
“I did. I’d like to have my eyebrows thinned a bit.” A very small bit. Lucy didn’t have bushy brows. She actually liked her God-given eyebrows.
Sacrifices for the greater good. Or, in this case, for information.
“Take a seat over there.” Rita pointed to one of the shiny black seats.
That wouldn’t do. She needed to speak with Rita in private. “Ah, isn’t there a back room?”
“That’s only for customers who want a leg, underarm, or bikini wax.”
Good grief. An eyebrow wax was painful enough. Did she have to endure more to get Rita alone?
“Let’s start with the eyebrows and see how it goes,” Lucy said. “I may want to have my lower leg waxed.”
“Fine. Follow me.”
Rita’s boot heels tapped on the linoleum floor as she walked to the back of the salon. Lucy passed ladies with rollers sitting beneath hair dryers and reading fashion magazines. Rita led her through the back curtain, but instead of heading into the room with all the supplies, they turned right and stopped at a closed door. Rita pulled a key from her pocket, unlocked the door, and ushered Lucy inside.
It was a small room with a table covered with similar paper that a doctor’s office used. The room was painted a buttercup yellow, and what looked like a Crock-Pot sat on a counter. Rita lit an aroma therapy candle and the scent of jasmine soon filled the room.
“Sit on the table.”
The paper crinkled beneath Lucy as she sat. Rita set to work mixing the contents of the pot with a wooden Popsicle stick—the same kind that the doctor stuck in your mouth, held down your tongue, and swabbed your throat with and nearly choked you to death.
“I saw you at Archie’s funeral. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss,” Lucy said.
“It was a bad day.”
“We were all shocked to learn about Kristin.”
Rita halted mixing and her face paled a shade, then she went back to stirring the wax with increasing rigor. It reminded Lucy of a cauldron of witch’s brew.
“I tried to talk to you as you left the funeral, but yo
u didn’t look so good. Was it the funeral or the unexpected appearance of Archie’s wife?” Lucy asked.
Rita swung around. “Are you here to ask me questions or to get your eyebrows waxed?”
She didn’t wait for an answer and approached with the Popsicle stick. Before Lucy could respond, she smeared the wax on a portion of her right eyebrow.
Rip!
“Ouch!”
“Don’t be a baby. It looks much better.” She grabbed a hand mirror and thrust it at Lucy. “See.”
Lucy looked in the mirror. Her right eyebrow was definitely thinner. It also no longer matched her left one.
Damn. She had to go through it again.
“After we’re done with your eyebrows, I can wax your lower legs. The hair only has to be as long as a grain of rice.”
“It’s not. I shaved yesterday.”
“Too bad. Stop shaving and come see me in two weeks.”
No way.
Lucy shifted on the bench and the paper crinkled beneath her. “I know you dated Archie. Did you know he was married?”
Rita planted her hands on her hips. “You’re really here to question me, aren’t you? No wonder you asked to come back here instead of having me wax your eyebrows out front.”
“I’m not here to judge you.”
“Oh?”
Lucy scrambled with a plausible excuse. “I’m on the festival committee, remember?”
“There is no festival. It’s been canceled because Archie was shot.”
Rita was quick to catch on. Lucy decided to just go for it and confront her with what she knew. “I know the engagement ring Archie gave you had a fake diamond.”
Rita’s face fell. “How do you know that?”
“I visited the jeweler. She let it slip.”
“Fine. I’ll tell you, but not because of your fake excuse of a festival committee. When we started dating, I didn’t know Archie was married. He never said a word, and he didn’t wear a wedding band. Neil never said anything either, the jerk.”
“But you found out?” Lucy asked.
