by Rosie Sams
Just twenty minutes after they left the house, they arrived at the Happy Frog restaurant on Court Street, where they were meeting Leslie and Wilbur for a meal.
“Good evening,” Hiram Green said as they walked in. The restaurateur was a rotund man and always in a jolly mood. “Leslie and Wilbur are waiting for you at a nice table in the corner,” he said, pushing his black curls away from his face as he guided them to the table. “Let’s hope that tonight ends a little better than your last visit.” He raised his eyebrows and smiled to show that he was joking.
“We’re here for pleasure only.” Alvin returned the smile as he helped Melody into a seat across the table from their friends.” They all remembered the retirement party that had last brought them to the restaurant. The retiree had been found strangled behind the dumpster.
Once they were all settled, Hiram handed them some menus and took an order for wine. Melody choose a Zinfandel that had Wilbur wrinkling his nose, but he agreed to go along with her choice.
Once drinks were served, and their meals were ordered, they relaxed into easy conversation.
“You were going to tell me about your haircut,” Leslie said as a lull broke in the conversation.
Melody felt Alvin stiffen at her side.
“When did you have a haircut?” Wilbur asked. “It looks the same to me.”
Melody looked at Alvin before she answered and was pleased to see that his cheeks bore a touch of pink. He hadn’t noticed which she knew, but it was lovely to see his embarrassment in front of his friend. She was going to work this. “It was this afternoon. I’m sure Al has just been waiting for the right moment to compliment me on it!”
“I… well… I… I love it, but then you always look so great,” Alvin managed.
Melody let out a roar of laughter and reached over and kissed Alvin’s cheek. “Don’t worry, I can hardly tell I had it cut myself.”
Alvin let out a big sigh of relief.
Leslie was staring now. Melody chuckled. “See, even you can’t tell.”
Leslie shook her head. “The change is subtle, but I like it.”
Melody laughed. “You don’t have to humor me. This is not what I wanted.”
“I love the way you look,” Alvin said. “You don’t need to change anything.”
Melody leaned against him and realized how lucky she was. This man loved her for who she was, and that was all that mattered. But, just as she had the thought, the door opened, and she saw Nancy Evans walking in. Her fiery red mohawk was unmistakable. As she laughed and talked with Hiram, Melody knew that this was meant to be. Excusing herself, she left the table and went over.
“Hi, Nancy,” Melody called as she walked up. “Are you eating here?”
“Just waiting for a takeout.”
Melody saw Nancy’s eyes assess her hairstyle, and she felt herself deflate. “It was not quite what I wanted,” she said and noticed that Nancy understood.
“You deserve better, were you looking for a new look?”
“I was, I guess it was my fault as I’m not sure exactly what I want.”
Nancy nodded and walked around Melody all the time her eyes were studying, and a smile broke over her lips. “I have some ideas. Maybe you would like to make another appointment.”
Melody groaned. The thought of going back to the salon and suffering that atmosphere again was not something she wanted.
“I understand,” Nancy said. “I do take on the occasional private client. Come to my apartment tomorrow night. Here’s my card.” She handed over the card. “Then, when, not if, you are happy with the new you, you can spread the word via your bakery that I’m the best stylist in town.” With a smile, Nancy took her bag of food and left.
Melody returned to her own table with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. The new her was coming, and she couldn’t wait. As for spreading the word, they could carry a few of Nancy’s cards, but she was not going to get into a salon war.
“Someone’s happy,” Leslie said as Melody sat down.
“That’s Nancy Evans, she’s the stylist I told you about, and she is going to find the new me.”
“No, you don’t need a new you,” Alvin said. “You look great. Now I’ve had time to study you, I can see the changes. They suit you. Babe, you look gorgeous, don’t let a foolish man make you think you need to change anything.”
Leslie and Melody both started to laugh.
“Do you think he’s suffered enough?” Leslie asked.
Melody nodded. “I think he has. Save the compliments for tomorrow night, once I truly get a new look,” she said, patting Alvin’s cheek.
Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Eight
Melody walked down the street with Smudge pulling gently on her lead. It was a nice night, still warm, with birds singing in the trees. Only tonight, she wasn’t just going for a walk. While Alvin worked the late shift, Melody was about to have her makeover. Though she was excited, she also had a touch of nerves. Would Alvin still like her?
Smudge spun in front of her and then sat on her back legs, waving her front paws in the air. The little blue-grey Frenchie yipped, and Melody couldn’t help but laugh.
“You know he will still love me, don’t you?”
Smudge yipped again before spinning in a circle and setting off down the sidewalk.
It was just a few more minutes before Melody arrived at the address that Nancy had given her. “Here we go then, Smudge.” Taking a breath, Melody knocked on the door and waited. There was no reply. She knocked again and then again, but still, there was no reply. For a moment, she wondered if Nancy had given her the brush off. Maybe Amy and Rochelle had been right about her. Maybe she was unreliable. Pulling Nancy’s card out of her pocket, Melody called the number.
The phone rang and rang and eventually went to voicemail. Nancy’s message was bright and quirky, but it didn’t help.
“Well, Smudge, it looks like this makeover is not meant to be,” Melody said and turned to walk away from the door. Only Smudge wouldn’t come with her. The little bulldog sat down and whined, looking up at the door.
“There are no cookies today,” Melody said and tried to encourage Smudge to follow her. The Frenchie was having none of it. Sitting, she whined gently and pawed at the door.
“What is it?” Melody asked.
Smudge looked at her, her eyes sad as she whined once more. With a feeling of dread in her stomach, Melody reached out and touched the handle. The door was open. Gently, Melody pushed the door open. “Hello,” she called.
There was no answer, and Smudge was pulling at her lead, the Frenchie wanted to go inside. Part of Melody wanted to turn and go. After all, she had come here for her hair cut, not for a mystery. Of course, Melody could never turn a mystery down.
“Hello, hey, Nancy, are you there?” Melody called once more. Still, there was no answer, so she pushed the door fully open and stepped inside.
It was a small neat apartment, very minimalistic but with flair. The walls were a bright deep plum color. There was a leather sofa, and a TV hung on the wall. To the right, she could see an open door to what looked like a kitchen.
“Hey, Nancy, are you in here?”
Before she could wait for a reply, Smudge had pulled her into the room. The little dog had surprising strength as she strained on her lead, pulling towards the left-hand side of the apartment. Just for a moment, Melody thought about ringing Alvin. She was breaking and entering, wasn’t she? But Smudge was still pulling, and there was something urgent in the little dogs whimpering.
Melody let her lead the way. There were two closed, white paneled doors. One straight in front of them and one to the left. Smudge sniffed the air, yipped, and led her to the left-hand door. Melody hauled hard on the lead, not allowing Smudge to jump on the door like she wanted to.
With her heart in her throat, Melody knocked on the door. It was a loud rap, what Alvin would call his policeman’s knock. If anyone was in there, they couldn’t miss it. Still, there was no answe
r. Melody’s heart was in her throat. “Nancy, are you in there? I’m worried about you, so I’m coming in.”
Pushing the door open, Melody gasped at the sight of the fiery-haired stylist slumped on the pink carpet. The darker stain around the woman’s neck told Melody there was no hope. Still, she rushed forward, releasing Smudge’s lead as she dropped to her knees. While Melody frantically searched for a pulse, Smudge sniffed around the hairdresser's head. With a shaking hand, Melody took Nancy’s wrist and searched desperately. There was no sign of life. Realizing that Nancy was dead, Melody picked up Smudge and carried the bulldog out of the apartment.
Leaning against the wall, with Smudge back on her lead, Melody called Alvin. Quickly, she described the scene.
“You hold on, but be careful, the killer might still be there,” Alvin said. “I’m already on my way, and a team will be with you soon.”
As Melody hung up, she looked all around her. Could somebody be watching her? Could whoever did this still be lurking, was she in danger?
Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Nine
Melody stood outside the apartment building, trying not to feel guilty, trying not to feel worried. Why was it that she always ended up near a dead body? For one brief moment, she wondered if it was her fault. Was she causing this?
As if to ease her mind, Smudge jumped up at her leg. The little bulldog whined and looked up, offering support. Melody scooped her up into her arms and hugged her close. The little warm body made her feel much better.
Smudge placed little kisses into her ear, and Melody began to feel better. It took all her willpower to stay out of the apartment. She wanted to look for clues to find a reason for this heinous crime. Luckily, common sense told her to wait for Alvin. As the town sheriff, it would be best if he controlled the crime scene. Once he was here, she was sure she would get another look, but for now, it was best if she stayed outside.
As if in answer to her thoughts, Alvin’s cruiser pulled up; behind it was a crime scene unit and two other cars. Alvin came straight to her and pulled her into his arms.
“Are you all right?” he asked as he leaned his forehead against hers, and they snuggled Smudge between them.
“I am now. It was just a bit of shock.”
Alvin pulled back, and Melody put Smudge back on the ground. The little dog was pulling to go back into the apartment, and Melody had to hold on tight to the lead to keep her from escaping.
“What is wrong with her? Alvin asked.
“I think she has caught the scent of someone. You know how Smudge is, she wants to investigate. Maybe she recognizes someone from the salon and knows who the killer is.” Melody instantly thought of Rochelle, but just as she was about to tell Alvin, she noticed he rolled his eyes. Could he really not trust the little dog by now? Smudge had proved to be one of the greatest sleuths the Port Warren Police Department had ever known, and Melody was annoyed that Alvin was ignoring this important clue.
“Wait here just a moment,” Alvin said. Turning from her, he directed the officers into the apartment. Giving her a quick smile, he followed Wilbur into the apartment, and Melody was left alone with Smudge.
Smudge whined and tugged on her lead.
“I know,” Melody said. “You want to go hunt down the clues and find out the killer. “Was it Rochelle?” Melody didn’t really expect an answer. She was just running things over in her own mind. But Smudge yipped her approval and spun in a circle.
Melody tried to put the awful picture of Nancy out of her mind, but it was hard when she just stood waiting. Part of her wanted to go back inside to let Smudge investigate a little more, but before she could, Alvin came back out.
“I hate that you had to see that,” he said. “It’s my job to keep you safe, and I don’t seem to be doing a very good job of it.”
Melody took his hand in hers. “Yes, you are, you look after me really well, but these things just keep happening. Do you have any suspects?”
Alvin shook his head and reached down to scratch Smudge behind the ears as the bulldog jumped up at his leg. “None so far. Maybe it was a break-in gone wrong. The techs are still looking, but I can’t see much evidence.”
“I think Smudge knows who it is,” Melody said and as if in agreement, Smudge spun in a circle and yipped her approval.
“I don’t see how she can,” Alvin said, “but there again, it might be best to follow her nose and see where she leads. There’s nothing more I can do here, so Dog Detective and Super Sleuth, what have you got?”
Melody groaned and then smiled. She was pleased that he trusted her again but not too keen on his nicknames. “As you know, I went to the salon yesterday, where I met Nancy and the other staff.”
Alvin nodded.
“It’s a shop called Short Cuts, and there was quite an atmosphere. A lot of animosity between the staff.”
Alvin scratched his chin. “In what way?”
“One of the customers was not happy with Nancy, she felt she went too far with her haircut.”
Alvin shook his head. “Are you kidding me? How can you go too far with her haircut?”
Melody bit back a sigh and realized this was probably a man thing. Alvin had lovely thick dark hair, he occasionally let it get a little too long, but his haircut was always the same. Melody guessed it was difficult to understand how different a new style could make you feel. If it was wrong, your confidence hit the floor, if it was right, you felt like a million bucks, and you could take on the world.
“Okay, let me explain. A customer who was a little older and a little stuck in her ways felt that Nancy had gone too far.”
Alvin started to speak, but Melody held up her hand, she had to explain this to him.
“The woman went in with long black hair, longer than mine. I don’t know what she asked for, but Nancy cut it down to just below her ears. It looked stunning, but it was too much, and Nancy was not that diplomatic.”
The look on Alvin’s face would have been funny if not for the dead body close by. “This customer, could she be a suspect?”
Melody hadn’t thought of that. In her mind, it had to be Rochelle, and yet Alvin was right; Eloise was upset, and she had a motive. “I guess it’s possible, she was pretty angry and pretty upset.”
“Then I think we should go talk to her, you know who it was?” Alvin pulled a notebook out of his pocket and started making notes.
Melody shook her head. “I do know who it was, but I don’t think it was her. One of the other staff members, Rochelle, was really angry and believed that Nancy was costing her customers and destroying her income.”
“So, we have two suspects, unless this was just a robbery gone wrong,” Alvin said. “What are their names?”
Melody felt uncomfortable, but she knew she had to hand the names over. Alvin was right, both women were suspects. If this was more than just a random act, then maybe it was one of the women. “The other stylist is Rochelle Crawford, and the customer was Eloise Floyd.”
Alvin wrote the names down and taking out his phone, he did a quick search got their addresses. “Okay, Super Sleuth, which one do we talk to first?”
Melody shook her head. “Will you stop calling me that?”
Alvin grinned. “Why? It suits you.”
Deciding to ignore his attempts to give both her and Smudge a nickname, Melody knew what her instincts were telling her. “I think we go for Rochelle first. The anger she showed seemed real enough for her to want to take it further.”
“Okay, Wilbur is in charge here, let’s go talk to Rochelle.”
As Alvin steered the cruiser away from the sidewalk, he glanced across at Melody. “I have to ask, what were you doing at Nancy’s?”
Melody let out a long sigh. “I wanted a do-over with my haircut. Nancy had offered me an appointment.”
“I don’t understand,” Alvin said. “You look amazing, what do you want to change?”
Melody just shrugged, she couldn’t even explain it to herself, so how could she explain it to
Alvin. There was just a feeling that something needed to change. “I guess I just felt a little jaded, that I needed to change.”
“Well, from where I’m sitting, you look amazing, and you don’t need to change anything.” Alvin pulled the cruiser up outside Rochelle’s house and turned to look at Melody. “Having said that, if you want to change, I’m behind you all the way. Whatever you do to your hair, you will look amazing.”
Reaching over, he kissed her lips. It was just a brief touch, but it filled her with warmth and love right down to her toes, it made her realize just how lucky she was.
“Come on, let’s go catch the bad guys.” With a wink, Alvin climbed out of the cruiser and Melody and Smudge followed.
Chapter Two Hundred Forty
Rochelle was surprised to see them, but she invited them in when Alvin showed his badge and said that they needed to talk. As Smudge followed, Rochelle’s eyes flicked down, and her nose wrinkled with distaste. For a moment, her mouth opened, and Melody knew she was going to complain. However, she closed her mouth and thought better of it. Leading them down a small dark corridor, she took them into an open plan kitchen-come-living room.
“Can I get you a drink?” Rochelle asked.
Melody was about to say no and start on her interrogation, but Alvin grabbed her hand and squeezed gently. “Two coffees would be great,” he said.
“Take a seat while I make them.” Rochelle pointed at a large busy sofa in a terra-cotta red.
The kitchen units were dark wood, the floor tiled in old-fashioned red floor tiles as was the living area. The wallpaper was dark, browns and reds, and like the sofa, it was old-fashioned and busy. The place looked as if it hadn’t been decorated in decades and it reminded Melody of something an old woman would choose.
