Murder of a Botoxed Blonde

by Denise Swanson

  “I see.”

  “And with Quirk on medical leave and so many of my part-timers away for the holiday, I grabbed the chance to get some help. I’ll introduce you two.” Wally motioned to the woman who had been sending Skye death ray looks from across the hall. As she approached, Wally said, “Ronnie, this is Skye Denison, the psychological consultant for the Scumble River Police Department. Skye, this is Veronica Vail, a special agent with the state police.”

  Skye held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Special Agent Vail nodded to Skye, ignoring her hand, and turned to Wally. “Where’s the vic?”

  Wally pointed to the stairs, repeating Skye’s directions, then said, “I’ll go take a look at the body. Ronnie, you can take Skye’s statement and help her with the witnesses while we wait for the forensic people to show up.”

  The special agent pushed up her glasses. “I’m coming with you. I want to get a good picture of the crime scene.”

  “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear when I talked to your boss.” Wally drew himself up to his full six feet and looked down at the woman, who came up only to his shoulder. “The key word here is help, but I remain in charge of the investigation.”

  “But—”

  “Skye needs assistance with the witnesses. There are too many for her to handle alone. Since it’s Thanksgiving Day, I’ve only got a skeleton staff on duty. I’ve called in my other officers, but it will take a while for most of them to get back from wherever they’re celebrating the holiday.”

  ‘This isn’t the best use of my time.” She flicked Skye a dismissive look. “The witnesses are already contaminated. She should have isolated them as soon as she found the body.”

  “Excuse me?” Skye was offended by both the condescending tone and accusation. “I isolated the crime scene and kept the witnesses together where someone not involved in the crime could monitor them, and that’s not enough for you?”

  The woman turned her back on Skye and said to Wally, “I want to see the body since we only have her word that it’s murder. I sure hope she didn’t drag us all out for an accident.”

  “Skye has explained her reasoning and I agree the circumstances are suspicious.” Wally’s nostrils flared. “Either you stay here and follow my orders, or we call your boss right now.”

  Skye saw something flicker in the agent’s eyes. Perhaps she was afraid her superior wouldn’t take her side.

  Once she got herself under control, Ronnie Vail said, “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

  Wally nodded, then spoke over his shoulder to Skye as he headed down the stairs. “Send Simon down when he gets here.”

  Shit! Simon, her lying, cheating ex-boyfriend, was the coroner. How could she have forgotten he would have to be called? So far this holiday weekend there’d been humiliation and murder. Now Simon. What was next? An earthquake? Flood? Tornado?

  CHAPTER 8

  What Did the Client Say to the Acupuncturist? Stop Needling Me!

  Skye wasn’t surprised that Special Agent Vail took over, completely ignoring Skye. Truth be told, she was exhausted both physically and mentally, and happy to sit quietly in a chair and watch. Nevertheless, after a few minutes of rest, it dawned on her that she was wearing a robe that barely fit over a mud-covered swimsuit and she probably smelled like a dirty diaper. No way was she greeting Simon dressed like that. She needed to shower, and put on some real clothes.

  Reluctantly, she abandoned her comfortable haven and made her way over to where, at Wally’s request, May and Loretta were still blocking the staircase until additional officers arrived to secure the scene.

  Edging her mother a few steps from Loretta, Skye whispered in May’s ear, “I’m going to my room for a few minutes. I’ll be right back. Wally said that when Simon gets here, send him right down.”

  May tugged on Skye’s elbow and motioned her even farther away from Loretta. “What’s up with that one over there?”

  She cut her eyes to Ronnie Vail.

  Skye explained Wally’s call to the state police for help and how Special Agent Vail had happened to be in town.

  “Something about her bothers me. I know I’ve seen her somewhere.” May shook her head. “And why is she wearing so much makeup? It almost looks like a mask, it’s so thick.”

  “Well, if she has relatives in Scumble River you may have seen her when she was visiting, and as for her makeup, she was off duty, or maybe she has a scar she’s covering up.” Skye tried to be fair to the woman, but she couldn’t help adding, “She’s certainly taken an instant dislike to me.”

  “I noticed.” May pursed her lips. “I would have sworn it was because she was sweet on Wally, until they had that dust up a minute ago.”

  “I’ll be right back. Keep an eye on her, Mom,” Skye directed as she made her escape.

  She had just reached for the knob of her door when she heard Ronnie Vail’s harsh voice in her ear. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Skye turned and stared at the special agent. “Going into my room to clean up and put on some clothes. Not that it’s any of your business. Why aren’t you with the witnesses Wally told you to watch?”

  “I saw you sneak off and wanted to see where you were going.” The special agent crossed her arms. “And since a couple of Scumble River officers finally arrived, I was free to do something more important than babysit.”

  “Now that we’ve both satisfied our curiosity, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a hot shower with my name on it on the other side of this door.”

  “I don’t think so.” Special Agent Vail grabbed Skye’s arm. “The forensic team will want to take trace evidence from you first.”

  “Can’t I just put my swimsuit and robe in here?” Skye held out the plastic bag with the towel she’d used to clean herself up. She’d almost forgotten she’d been holding it the whole time.

  “Sorry.” Special Agent Vail smiled meanly. “Not my call. We’ll have to wait until forensics gets here to see what they want to do. But since Wally has ordered me to preserve the evidence, you’ll need to stay with me until they arrive.”

  Skye was ninety-nine percent sure the other woman was doing this to make her uncomfortable and as a power play against Wally, but she shrugged, and allowed the agent to escort her back to the holding area in the lobby.

  As Special Agent Vail had claimed, several of the part-time officers from Scumble River’s police force who had arrived were keeping an eye on the people gathered in the lobby. Others were rounding up the rest of the spa guests and employees.

  Trixie, Frannie, and Bunny were sitting together talking to Jeff, one of the more experienced part-timers. Skye smiled when she saw Frannie whip out a notebook and start to read it to the police officer. The teenager must have taken her assignment seriously and recorded what the other guests had talked about.

  Skye had a nodding acquaintance with all of the officers, and she could see that Special Agent Vail was displeased with the friendly way they greeted Skye, treating her as one of their own.

  Skye ignored the woman’s glower and said to the part-timer who liked her best, “Anthony, do you know if the coroner is here yet?” Skye had helped get Anthony’s little sister the special instruction she needed in school, and he and his family had been grateful.

  “Yep, a few minutes ago.” The good-looking officer nodded toward the hall. “He went right down to the crime scene. Do you need to talk to Mr. Reid?”

  “No, not at all.” For the first time since she had set foot on the Bruefeld Estate luck was with Skye, and she wasn’t about to blow it. “Any instructions from the chief?”

  “Nope. Far as I know we’re just rounding people up and keeping an eye on them for now.”

  “Any ETA on the state crime scene techs?” Skye gestured to her robe. “Special Agent Vail won’t let me change until they okay it.”

  Anthony frowned at the other woman. “The chief wouldn’t like her treating you that way.”

  “Probably not, but he’s
busy and it isn’t that important.” Skye pointed to the front door. “Anyway, I think the crime techs just walked in.”

  “Good. I’ll make sure they know the special agent wants you processed ASAP.” Anthony gave Skye a conspiratorial wink before joining the new arrivals.

  Skye let him go, hoping he wouldn’t get in trouble for helping her, but pretty sure Special Agent Vail had little power with the Scumble River PD.

  Anthony had nabbed one of the techs and walked him over to where Skye was standing. A split second later, Special Agent Vail noticed the other crime technicians who were still standing by the door, and went to greet them. Skye’s attention was split between both scenes. It looked as if the agent was introducing herself to the men. That was odd. If they all worked for the state police, shouldn’t they know her?

  Skye shrugged inwardly. Maybe the special agent was new or had worked in a different part of the state. She brought her attention back to the important matter at hand, the man standing in front of her.

  She introduced herself to the tech, explained she worked for the Scumble River PD, described finding the body, and told him about Ronnie’s order regarding her clothes.

  When he nodded his understanding, she asked, “So, I really want to shower, and get into clean dry clothes. What do we need to do to make that happen?”

  The tech scratched his head, looked back at where Ronnie stood, and said, “Excuse me, ma’am. I’ll be right back.”

  Dang. Skye frowned. She had hoped to go over the special agent’s head, but the tech was too well trained.

  He was back a minute later with Ronnie in tow. “All we really need is your clothing,” he said. “Special Agent Vail here will go with you to your room to collect them.” He handed her a folded plastic bag with a twist tie taped to the side.

  “Can we do it right now?” Skye asked.

  “Yes. Let’s get it over with.” Ronnie marched toward the main staircase without looking to see if Skye was following.

  Skye hurried to keep up with the other woman.

  Once they were inside Skye’s room, Ronnie pulled off the twist tie, and shook open the bag, then ordered Skye, “Put everything you’re wearing in here.”

  Skye tried to take the bag from the woman’s hand, but Ronnie jerked it away. “I need to see you put the clothing in the bag.”

  “I have to get naked in front of you?” Skye could feel a massive dose of mortification about to be administered.

  Ronnie surprised her. “None of us has a perfect body. Just strip.”

  Skye looked at the special agent. Now that she mentioned it, Ronnie was no size eight either. Still, she was a couple of sizes smaller than Skye. “Could you close your eyes?”

  “Come on. You have a terrific life—a great job, loyal friends, loving relatives, and a wonderful and handsome guy who clearly adores you, since you’re all he can talk about. The police chief must think your body looks pretty hot. Why don’t you?”

  Skye didn’t have an answer to that. She thought she had overcome her need to be thin to feel beautiful, but this hostile stranger had more understanding about what really mattered in life than Skye herself did.

  After handing over her robe and swimsuit, and the plastic bag with the towel, Skye escaped into the bathroom. When she finished her long awaited shower, and peeked into the bedroom, Special Agent Vail was gone and Skye could dress in peace.

  Choosing what to put on was another matter. She hadn’t packed much, since she was planning to be in either her swimsuit or sweats for most of the weekend, but this situation called for a more formal appearance. That pretty much left the three dresses she had packed to wear for the dinners, or the outfit she had intended to change into for Thanksgiving with her family. Other than that, all she had was the jeans and top she’d been wearing when she arrived.

  The Thanksgiving outfit seemed the most reasonable choice, since it was obvious that no one would be leaving the spa anytime soon, which meant Skye would be a no-show for the holiday meal.

  As she slipped into a mocha knit skirt and matching shell, she sighed—not so much because she would miss seeing her family, but because instead of eating the fabulous, home-cooked dinner of turkey, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole, she’d be dining on two celery sticks and a tofu turkey leg. She didn’t even want to think about what diet pumpkin pie would taste like.

  On a good day her thick wavy hair took half an hour to dry and style. Since this wasn’t a good day, she had two options—a French braid or a ponytail. She chose a form of the latter, gathering it all on the crown of her head with a covered rubber band and forming it into a topknot of loose curls. A quick brush of bronzer and a coat of mascara and she was nearly dressed.

  Brown kitten-heeled slides, a waist-length jacket of swirled cocoa, bittersweet, and ginger, and chunky gold earrings completed the outfit. Taking a deep breath, she exited the safe haven of her room, ready to face the music even if it was a dirge.

  She was surprised to find the lobby empty except for Barb, the receptionist on duty behind the desk.

  Skye greeted her and asked, “Where’d everyone go?”

  “That yummy police chief had all the guests and the live-in staff escorted to their rooms. The day staff and Ms. Mar-got and Dr. Burnett are in the parlor. Everyone has to be interviewed by an officer before they can be released.”

  “I’ll bet they talked to you first so you could handle the phones, right?”

  “Right. No outgoing allowed, and all incoming directed to the answering machine. Hey, are you Skye Denison?”

  “Yes.”

  “Chief Boyd asked me to give you this.” The young woman handed over an envelope with the spa’s return address in the corner.

  Skye slit the top with her fingernail and pulled out a sheet of paper. Wally’s note said that Simon had declared Esmé dead, the crime techs had processed the body, and Simon had taken it to the hospital in Laurel for the Medical Examiner to perform the autopsy. Wally also asked Skye to find him when she was free so she could help with the interviews.

  “Do you know where Chief Boyd is?” Skye asked the clerk.

  She consulted a list. “Each officer took a different treatment room. The chief is in the waxing room. Do you know where mat is?”

  “Yes.” Skye nodded, memories of her hopping to Trixie’s rescue reddening her cheeks. “Thanks for your help.”

  As she hurried toward the waxing room, Skye found her mother walking down the hall with Rudy, the groundskeeper, trailing her.

  Skye stopped her. “Aren’t you supposed to be in your room?”

  May shook her head. “Wally and the other cops interviewed me, Trixie, and Loretta first so we could escort the others to and from their interrogations.”

  “How about Bunny and Frannie?”

  “They’re waiting their turn with the rest of the guests.” May gestured to Skye. “How about you?”

  “I have orders to report to Wally, then help with the questioning.”

  “So, this police consultant job is real, eh?” May raised an eyebrow. “I just thought it was something Wally made up to get into your pants.”

  “Mother!” Skye’s face flamed as she caught the smirk on Rudy’s face.

  May would pay for that remark. Skye wasn’t sure how or when, but it wouldn’t be forgotten or forgiven. Skye stalked away from her mother.

  When she arrived, she knocked on the waxing room door and said, “It’s me, Skye.”

  Wally called, “Come in,” and when she did, she found him sitting on the waxer’s rolling stool facing Margot, who was perched on the waxee’s reclining chair. The ex-model and current spa owner sat erect, both feet on the floor. She was expressionless and seemed calm, but Skye could tell it was an uncomfortable position to maintain.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Chief, but I got your note and am reporting for duty.”

  Wally smiled at her. “Great. We can use the help. Between the guests and the staff, we’ve got over thirty people to interview.”
r />   “Where would you like me to set up?”

  “The room next door is free, but wait here while I finish with Ms. Avanti. I want to go over a few things with you before you start.”

  Skye nodded and leaned against the door to listen.

  Wally turned back to the spa owner. “You were telling me that Ms. Gates was a newlywed. Was this her first marriage?”

  “Good heavens, no.”

  “How many times had she been married?”

  “Mmm.” Margot tipped her head, then counted on her fingers. “Let’s see, there were the Bulgari yellow diamonds, the Bickham sapphires, and Pequot emeralds.”

  Wally scratched his head. “Which means?”

  “Why, three previous marriages, of course.” Margot’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “After all, husbands come and go, but jewelry lasts forever.”

  Wally managed a slight smile, then asked, “How long had Ms. Gates been married to her present husband?”

  “Not quite a year. Rex’s divorce from Christine took forever.”

  “Christine was his first wife?” Wally clarified.

  “Yes, and their divorce was really messy. When Rex’s daughter Whitney expressed an interest in coming to the spa, Rex jumped at the chance for her and Esmé to spend a weekend together. He was hoping they would bond if they were away from all the reminders of the bad times.”

  “Was that working?”

  Margot crossed her legs. “They’d only been here twenty-four hours. I’m sure they would have worked things out if they’d had more time.”

  Wally made a note, then asked, “You and Ms. Gates were friends back from your modeling days, right?”

  Margot nodded.

  “Then you probably know who her other friends were?”

  Margot appeared fascinated with the shoe dangling from her toe. Finally, she said, “Friends come and go, enemies accumulate.”

  CHAPTER 9