Pampered to Death

by Diana Orgain

  What is wrong with me today?

  Why is every strong scent thrusting me close to the edge of nausea?

  “So have you gotten any leads?” Paula asked.

  “I only know that the masseuse got the face mask from this supply closet, but I suppose it’s a start,” I said.

  Officer McNearny bustled down the hallway toward us. In tow, was a uniformed officer and from their conversation it seemed like the body had already been removed and they’d requested the entire bridal party go down to the station for questioning.

  They could have spoken to any one of them here at the spa, this was just his attempt to keep me away from information.

  Perfect.

  I’d hardly dipped my toes in the water of this case, and I was already experiencing some technical difficulties.

  McNearny gave me a very fake friendly nod as he bailed out into the lobby. “Spa is all yours now, Connolly.”

  Paula made a face. “Why does he have to so rude to you?”

  “Long story,” I said. “Want to help me snoop around a bit before we head out of here?”

  “Ooh, detective work. Sounds fun,” she teased, and we walked toward the room where Kelly had been. The room was closed, complete with crime scene tape. I looked around for Galigani, but he was nowhere to be found.

  “He probably took off with the M.E.” Paula said.

  We checked out another one of the massage rooms, but everything looked in order.

  “Sure, they let me poke around now, after they remove the body, and wiped, dusted, printed, basically digested and regurgitated anything useful here,” I whined.

  Paula patted me on the back. “At least you have a gig. I’d love to work for this place. Look at the paint color. Orange? They really need my help. You’d think a fancy place like this would have hired a decorator,” she whispered.

  “Oh, they’re looking for one,” I heard a familiar voice say as we left the small room and rounded the hall corner, bumping into the spa’s construction zone.

  I smiled. Standing in front of us, was a contractor I’d recently meet.

  “Sean!” I said, “Good to see you. This is my girlfriend Paula.”

  Sean smiled happily and shook her hand, tipping his ball cap in her direction.

  “Long time no see,” he said to me.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  He pointed to the giant hole in the wall that he was currently covering with a plastic tarp. “Working. The spa is right next door to a nail salon, and the two businesses are merging. They have me doing the basic contracting work for the merge.”

  “Nice,” I said.

  “They really should take some time to redo their décor,” Paula muttered.

  Sean quirked an eyebrow. “You know anyone?”

  “Paula’s an interior designer,” I said. “And she thinks this place needs a serious makeover.”

  Sean grinned. “Interesting. I’m a man who believes in fate. I used to have a go-to designer but lately she’s been too busy.”

  “That’s a problem I’d love to have,” Paula said.

  “Well, if you’re looking for new clients, Ms. Paula, I could use a designer who—”

  “Yes!” Paula exclaimed before Sean could finish his sentence. She turned to me and squealed. “Who knew that going to the spa today would be so lucrative for us?”

  I cringed, guilt weighing down on me, it seemed wrong to be happy about finding a case if it meant someone had died. I resolved I’d do my best to get justice for Kelly.

  Chapter Six

  I waited, patiently texting our babysitter, Kenny, to check in on Laurie, while Paula and Sean exchanged information.

  I was missing her like crazy now and feeling guilty for having left her so long.

  While I waited for him to reply, my stomached growled.

  I wanted to propose lunch to Paula, but she and Sean were in the middle of a passionate discussion about paint colors.

  I suppose I could do a little more looking around.

  I headed toward the back of the spa, following the trail of Sean’s equipment, around a corner. The back hallway was a disaster zone; cordoned off with “Under Construction” signage, tarps, orange cones and black tape sectioning it off.

  The warnings not to enter seem to tempt me. I stepped over some of the orange cones and pushed by some hanging tarps.

  “Um, excuse me!” a loud voice called from behind me. A wiry woman wearing one of the spa workers basic black uniforms with the logo above her right chest scurried down the hall toward me. “Excuse me!” she called a second time, a sour look on her face.

  I paused. “Yes?” I questioned.

  “You can’t be over here!” she exclaimed. “This is off-limits. This part of the building is under construction!”

  I heard women’s voices on the other side of the hanging tarp. I desperately wanted to pull aside the tarp and take a peek, but as my hand inched toward it, the attendant was upon me.

  “Off-limits!” she repeated. Now, she was standing right beside me with angry eyes blazing.

  I lowered my hand, deciding a peek was not worth it. This woman was tiny –about half my size, but I know crazy eyes when I see them.

  You don’t mess with crazy eyes.

  “I’m a detective,” I said, a hint of pride in my voice. “Your boss, Jane North, hired me to investigate what transpired this morning on the premises.”

  “Oh,” the young attendant said. “Well, either way, you still can’t go over here. It’s a liability! If you want to go into the nail salon, you’ll have to go outside and go through their front entrance.”

  “So that’s what this hallways leads to?” I asked. “The nail salon next door?”

  “It’s what it will lead to when the hallway is finished,” the attendant said. “Will you please step away before you trip over any equipment?”

  “If you insist,” I said, following her back around to the section of the hall that wasn’t covered in tarp and signs. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” I beckoned as we rounded the corner.

  The attendant crossed her arms. “I guess if Jane hired you for an investigation, I should cooperate, huh?”

  “That would be nice,” I said. “How about we just start with a name?”

  “Erin,” she said.

  “Well, Erin, could you tell me more about this construction project?” I asked.

  “Not much to tell. They’re basically just busting down the wall that separates the two shops,” Erin explained. “They’re going to do an archway leading into the nail salon.”

  A thought struck me. Could the people who worked or owned the nail salon hold some sort of grudge against the spa?

  Was this some sort of business takeover?

  Excitement jolted through me as I considered the possible motive.

  While McNearny was busy interviewing bridal party guests, I might have possibly stumbled over something.

  “So, tell me, Erin, how do the people in the nail salon feel about this company takeover?”

  “Takeover?” Erin chuckled. “No, it’s nothing like that, I don’t think. The businesses are just combining to help bring in more customers. Make it a sort of one-stop shop. As far as I know, there is no ill-will. Jane managed to work it out to where the nail salon didn’t have to lay off a single employee.”

  “Really?” I questioned. “Normally when two businesses merge like that someone gets burned.”

  “Jane isn’t like that though,” Erin said. “She worked with the nail salon’s owner to make sure she wouldn’t have to lay anyone off.”

  “That’s very considerate,” I said, but secretly I was a little disappointed. Looks like I was going to have to turn my attention back to the bridal party. Attempting to ruin the spa’s business didn’t seem like a plausible motive just yet –not unless Jane had some sort of enemy she hadn’t let me in on.

  “So there was not any sort of... assertive takeover?” I asked.

  “I
don’t think so,” Erin said. “I’ve been working here for a while. I probably would have heard something. Jane’s a sweetheart. From what I hear, the nail salon owner was the one who asked Jane to merge in the first place because the business wasn’t doing too great on its own. The merger’s going to be good for both companies.”

  Gosh darn it.

  And here I thought I was onto something.

  No, it was probably something against Kelly, the bride.

  As Erin escorted me out of the construction area, I mulled over my suspects.

  The groom’s ex, Merida, was a possible suspect. The scorned woman – such a cliché, but it was a cliché for a reason. Then there was the mother of the groom who seemed pretty willing to separate herself from the rest of the women.

  Then again, I probably would have too if I was dealing with a bunch of intoxicated younger girls.

  It’d be prudent to wait on the results from the medical examiner before jumping to conclusions.

  When I returned, Paula was still deep in conversation with Sean. I sighed and headed into the lobby. Meeting Sean was a good business opportunity for her, so I wasn’t going to interrupt her any more than she would have interrupted me if I was speaking to a possible client.

  I checked my phone and saw that Kenny hadn’t replied to my text yet. I dialed him instead.

  The poor kid was probably having a freak out watching three little ones since he had Paula’s babies too.

  He answered the phone in a whisper. “Hey, Kate. How is your spa day going?” he asked politely as always.

  “Well, it could be better,” I admitted. “Someone died.”

  “What?” he exclaimed, his voice sounding shocked but still in a whisper.

  “Yeah,” I said. “One of the girls getting a face mask died right there on the massage table.”

  “Are you alright?” Kenny asked, worried.

  “That’s sweet, Kenny. I’m fine.” I said. “There’s a small upside. I got hired by the spa owner.”

  “That’s great,” he said. “If you need any help, I’m your man.”

  Kenny had been more than instrumental helping out on some of my previous cases.

  “You’ll never believe this, though, the lady who hired me is McNearny’s ex.”

  “What?” Kenny asked, his voice full of shock. “Run!”

  I laughed.

  “Seriously, Kate, you should probably run the other way,” he said, still whispering, and I could not ignore it anymore.

  “Kenny, why are you whispering?” I asked.

  “Oh, I just got Laurie down,” he said. “Paula’s kids are asleep too.”

  “Wait, all three of them are asleep? At the same time?” I questioned.

  “Well, yeah,” he said. “You two wanted me to try to get them down for a nap, right?”

  “We did... I just... didn’t expect you to actually be able do it,” I said. “Wow,” he laughed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “But even when I watch all three of them, I don’t manage to pull that off. Good job, Kenny. I’m impressed.”

  “I try,” he said.

  “So, anyways, I’m not going to be here too much longer, but I wanted to give you a call so you would not be wondering why we hadn’t gotten back yet. Paula’s speaking to someone right now about a booking herself, so as soon as she is finished we’ll head back to get the little ones.”

  “So Paula got a booking today too?” he asked. “Superwomen over there.”

  “Are you trying to flatter us so that we’ll tip you again?” I asked him with a grin.

  “How dare you accuse me of being so sleazy!” he said, but I heard a slight chuckle in his voice.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I said. “Relax, Kenny, you know we take care of you for taking care of our babies. We’ll see you soon, okay?”

  “Take your time,” he said. “Like I said, they’re all asleep. I don’t have anywhere I need to go or anything. Uh, but can I order a pizza? The fridge is kinda of empty.”

  “Empty? I thought there was some left over hot wings and ribs from Jim’s barbequed last night.”

  “I already ate that,” Kenny admitted.

  I laughed. “Go ahead and order a pizza, but order enough to leave Paula and me something. We haven’t eaten yet and you seriously don’t want to stand in the way of two nursing women and their food.”

  “Okay dokey, Hawaiian fine by you?”

  “Perfect. Thanks again,” I said and hung up.

  Way to go, Kenny!

  I really couldn’t believe he’d managed to get all three of them down for a nap at the same time. The toddler was difficult enough by himself – but two babies? I was more than impressed. I was a little envious!

  Kenny was quite the natural.

  Paula slipped out into the lobby looking quite embarrassed. “So sorry I made you wait, Kate. You ready to go?”

  I nodded. “You won’t believe this, but Kenny got all three little ones asleep!”

  “What? I can’t even get my two to sleep at the same time!” Paula shrieked.

  “I know, right? Kenny’s a gem.” I laughed.

  We headed out – for real this time, both eager to get home to our babies, because, after all, they were the entire reason we needed to be superwomen!

  Chapter Seven

  My husband, Jim, greeted us at the front door with a finger to his lips.

  I kissed him and whispered, “I didn’t know you were home.”

  “I just got here and relieved Kenny, but I have to say, he didn’t seem to want to go. Between playing with the kitten and eating pizza, he seemed pretty happy,” Jim said.

  Paula made a beeline to the pizza box sitting on my coffee table. “I’m starved,” she said, flipping the box open. She let out a little shriek, loud enough to illicit a cry from Chloe in the other room.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s empty!” she said.

  Jim looked guilty. “Oh, I’m sorry...” He shrugged. “I didn’t know I was supposed to save you some.”

  Paula socked Jim in the arm. “What did you think? Two nursing mothers who spent the day at the spa—”

  Jim rubbed his arm. “I thought you ladies were getting brunch.”

  “We got sidetracked by a crime—” Paula said.

  “We don’t know it’s a crime, exactly,” I said. “Not yet anyway.”

  Paula waved a hand at me. “Well, their décor is a crime at the very least,” she said over her shoulder as she left the living room to go to the nursery.

  I started to trail her to peek in on Laurie, but Jim grabbed my arm. “What does she mean a crime?”

  “Let me check on Laurie and I’ll fill you in.”

  Jim nodded and retreated toward the couch.

  I entered the nursery and found Laurie fast asleep in her crib. Chloe was in Paula’s arms and Danny was still napping in his Spiderman sleeping bag. Our kitten, Whiskers, was snuggled next to Danny, but she pried a sleepy eye open when she heard us, then sat up and stretched.

  Paula winked at me as she settled Chloe into her portable car seat.

  “I’ll get Jim,” I whispered. “He’ll carry Danny to your car.”

  Paula nodded and mouthed to me. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  While Jim helped Paula loaded her kids into the car, I opened a can of food for Whiskers.

  When Jim returned, I said, “I’m starved, and my breasts are killing me. I really need to...” I glanced toward Laurie’s room. I always hated waking her from a nap.

  Jim shook his head. “Let’s enjoy the quiet time. Why don’t you pump and I’ll order some food. How about Indian take-out?”

  My mouth watered at the thought.

  “Yes,” I squealed, then covered my mouth, waiting for Laurie’s inevitable wake up cry.

  Jim froze and we both waited, but only silence greeted us.

  He gave me a thumbs-up and motioned for me to get on with pumping, while he dug
out his cell phone and ordered our take-out in sotto voce.

  Once I finished, I felt a lot better. I changed into some comfy clothes and as soon as the food arrived, we dug in.

  “I can’t believe you’re hungry after eating my pizza,” I said, poking him in the ribs.

  He shoveled a forkful of curry chicken into his mouth, then shrugged. “Honestly, Kenny didn’t leave that much.”

  While we ate I filled Jim in on the events at the spa. He peppered me with questions I couldn’t answer until I finally said. “I’ll know more when we hear back from the M.E.”

  He snuggled up to me. “Okay, I’ll stop with the questions. How about a movie?”

  I glanced at the clock. I couldn’t believe evening was setting in. “I should wake Laurie or she’ll never sleep tonight,” I said.

  “In a minute,” Jim said.

  “Impromptu date night?” I asked.

  He squeezed closer to me. “Uh hum,” he said, “Check this out.” He pulled up a video on his phone and hit play.

  An image of Laurie propped on her tummy filled the screen. Her little voice chimed quietly through the speakers on his phone. “Daba daba daba!”

  “Is this from today?” I asked.

  Jim nodded. “Kenny took it and sent it to me. Watch this part.”

  The video went on for several minutes with Laurie experimenting with her voice. Then the kitten ran across the screen and Laurie reached for her saying, “Kaaa, Kaaa.”

  “Wow...”I said. “I’ve never heard her talk like that. Is she trying to say cat?”

  Jim looked offended. “And dada!”

  Now it was my turn to be offended. “What about mama?”

  Jim laughed, but something inside me hollowed out. I hadn’t realized she was so close to saying her first word, and I’d almost missed it.

  I’m home with her most every day, and the one day I have a date with a girlfriend she becomes a little chatter box! That didn’t seem fair.

  “Kate?” Jim beckoned. “You all right?”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I guess, well, I just don’t like feeling like I missed anything.”

  “Believe me, beautiful, I know how that feels. She’s developing so fast that you feel like you have to be on top of her not to miss something. But it’s okay. We have so many things to look forward to with her.”