by Rosie Sams
As Lulu walked away, Smudge sat leaning on to Melody’s leg and whined sadly.
“Does that mean she’s guilty, or does that mean you feel sorry for her?” Melody asked. Smudge simply spun in a circle and sat on her back legs, waving her paws in the air. Melody laughed and pulled her a cookie from her pocket, tossing it to the little Frenchie.
Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Three
It was just 10 minutes later that Melody walked into the bakery. The bell dinged over the door, and Kerry and Leslie, her two business partners, gave her a big smile.
“Do you want to ice, slice, or finish?” Leslie asked with a chuckle. “We have 25 carrot cakes that are just ready for the next stage.
“I don’t mind,” Melody said.
“I’ll get us all a coffee, and then we can decide,” Kerry said. “Though I’d rather slice. I don’t trust either of you two after last time. The last thing we need is blood in the icing, so we have to start again.”
Melody and Leslie shared a glance, and then both switched off. It was obvious that Kerry was probably on her fourth or fifth coffee, and as always, she would talk their ears off if they let her. Though she did have a point, in the last month, both Leslie and Melody had nicked their finger while slicing. It hadn’t been that big a deal, but Kerry was great at talking things up, and she was not going to let it go.
“You look like you have something on your mind, Mel, what is it?” Leslie asked.
“Oh, of course, you haven’t heard. Nancy Evans, who was going to cut my hair last night, was found dead.”
“That’s why Wilbur was busy,” Leslie said. She was dating the deputy, and Melody was sure that the two were getting quite serious. First, Kerry had married, and now she had, maybe there was something in the water?
Before long, they had a nice production line going. Kerry was slicing while Melody did the butter icing, and then Leslie sprinkled the tops with chocolate pieces and then a decorative and edible carrot.
“So, do you have any suspects?” Kerry asked.
“I have two; actually, maybe you can help me out.” Melody kept applying the icing as the two partners also worked while they talked.
“What clues have you got?” Leslie asked.
Melody quickly explained about Lulu and Rochelle and her reasons for thinking both of them had a motive. Leslie instantly sided with Lulu. She emphasized with her because she had once been in a similar position. As the lowest person on the totem pole, she had once been accused of murder. The injustice of it still burned sometimes, and she didn’t want to see Lulu in the same position.
Kerry, on the other hand, came down in favor of Rochelle. She theorized that the woman had worked too hard and for too long to give it all away. After all, Kerry knew what that was like, she couldn’t imagine someone in her position throwing it all away.
Before long, the two women were having a heated discussion over why their person was the least likely to have committed the murder. Melody felt like she was the cream in this sandwich. Being crushed between the two opposing opinions as the argument became more and more heated.
“Hey, stop,” Melody said as she finished the last cake. “I don’t want another murder in among the cupcakes and cream puffs and definitely not anything that could damage these carrot cakes. We worked hard, ladies, let’s stay friends.”
Leslie and Kerry both nodded in agreement as together, they began to pile the cakes into crates ready for collection.
“Okay, so who do you think did it?” Leslie asked.
Melody shook her head. “I really don’t know, something is missing. Maybe I should go see Amy and see if she can shed some light on the matter?”
“Well, we don’t have much on now for a while, and I’m dying to find out what really happened,” Leslie said.
Kerry agreed, and so with Smudge in tow, Melody headed back to Short Cuts.
With Smudge at her side, Melody left the bakery to walk back to the hair salon. It was a beautiful day, and as they strolled along, her stomach gave a great big groan. Looking at her watch, she realized she had missed lunch. It was nearly 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She decided to call Alvin and see if they could have lunch first. After all, she didn’t have any obvious clues, and maybe Alvin could shed some light on the matter.
Alvin had already eaten but agreed to meet her at a little bistro just a few doors down from the station. As Melody and Smudge walked up, Alvin was waiting. Looking as handsome as ever, he sat at an outside table, his dark hair kissed by a slight breeze.
“Sit, sit, I ordered you a tuna and mayo on rye,” he said as he kissed Melody on the lips and then rubbed Smudge’s head.
Melody sat down just as her sandwich and their drinks turned up. Alvin had an expresso, whereas she had a caramel latte.
“How’s your day?” she asked, her eyes flicking to the expresso.
“It’s not gone quite to plan. I was sure Rochelle was guilty, but she’s not playing ball.”
Melody harrumphed while taking another bite, and Smudge gave a little yip before jumping up at Alvin’s leg.
“How do we catch her, Smudge?” he asked.
Smudge simply spun in a circle and then curled up at Melody’s feet. She was being no help today.
“Are you sure it’s her?” Melody asked.
“She has a motive, her finances are terrible, and she has a temper. There was a complaint from a co-worker in the past, amongst other things.”
Melody felt her excitement building. Maybe it was Rochelle, maybe she was just looking for another suspect as it seemed too easy.
“What sort of complaint?” Melody asked as she finished her sandwich and sipped her drink. “That was just what I needed. Thank you.”
“I know, my girl.”
Smudge whined.
“My girls.” Alvin reached into his pocket and pulled out a treat for Smudge.
“She will get so fat,” Melody said.
“Never, she’s always too busy.”
“Back to the case.” Melody raised her eyebrows to let him know she thought he was stalling, maybe wanting to solve this one alone and quickly. “What sort of complaint?”
“Apparently, she attacked a girl in college, and…” He dragged it out, building the tension. “She threatened another co-worker four years ago… with some scissors.”
Melody felt her mouth drop open. On the floor, Smudge covered her eyes with her paws. “Have you spoken to her about it?”
“She says it was all a mistake. She says that in college, the girl attacked her over a boyfriend, and she hit back. According to Rochelle, she was simply more effective at defending herself than the other girl was at attacking.”
“That’s possible, you know how these things can get taken out of context.”
This time it was Alvin who harrumphed. “The other incident was a disagreement over money. I pulled the complaint. It was a Sarah Healey, she said that Rochelle came at her with some scissors and threatened to cut her throat!”
Alvin paused for effect.
“Is that what happened to our victim?”
“It is.” Alvin had a cat that got the cream look, but it faded fast.
“What?” Melody asked.
“According to the file, Rochelle had accused Sarah of stealing before this incident. Rochelle says that she threatened her to stop her stealing and that it wasn’t a real threat.”
“Did it ever go to court?”
Alvin shook his head. “No, there wasn’t enough evidence, and then Sarah moved to Tampa.” Alvin paused again. “Where she eventually got 3 years for stealing.”
Melody rolled her eyes. Though this looked bad, there was no real substance to the complaints, and Rochelle seemed to be the sort of person who would collect bad luck. She seemed to be the sort that people would take advantage of, maybe she was telling the truth. Her whole demeanor was one of defeat. “Was there any other evidence, a murder weapon, forensics, anything that could help?”
Alvin shook his head. “No, we haven’t found the murder weapon. We searched Nancy’s house, the streets, dumpsters, drains, anywhere that she could have dumped the weapon. I have a call in for a search warrant for Rochelle’s place.”
“I hope it turns something up,” Melody said, for she felt strangely deflated. Her gut said that Rochelle was innocent, but she could see that Alvin would not believe her, and she understood why.”
“Sheriff, the warrant’s here,” Wilbur walked up to their table with a big smile on his face. “How you doing, Melody?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
“And Leslie?”
“Wilbur, she is doing great, as feisty as ever and missing you.”
Wilbur grinned from ear to ear. “Her and Kerry, again?”
“It was nothing, just a disagreement, but you know those two take things to heart.”
Wilbur nodded. “I should see her tonight, all going well.”
His eyes flicked to Alvin, and the sheriff laughed. “I can’t see why not, we should both be home early.” With that, Alvin stood and leaned down to steal a kiss.
Melody sighed with delight. “Keep me informed,” she shouted as the two men walked away.
Lunch over, she knew it was time to go to the salon and see if she could find out any more. Should she have told Alvin? No, she didn’t have any evidence or even a real theory, she would wait. After all, there was no danger in just going and talking to Amy. All she was going to do was pick her brains about Lulu and Rochelle, what could it hurt?
Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Four
Melody walked into Short Cuts, surprised to find the shop busy. There were three ladies in the waiting area, and another two sat in the chairs, one of them having a color. Two new stylists worked on the two customers, and Amy was taking payment from a third. Smudge sneezed and then wrinkled up her nose and grumbled. “I know Melody said, it smells strong today.”
As she finished, Melody approached. “I wondered if I could have a few words with you?” Melody asked.
Amy held up a finger as the phone rang. “Short Cuts, how can I help you?... Yes … Yes … Let me see.” Amy ran her finger down the appointment book and then wrote something in. “We will see you at 4.30… Yes, it’s great to have you back.”
“This will only take a minute or two,” Melody said, but she could see Amy’s eyes flicking to the waiting ladies. “It really is important.”
Amy nodded and walked across to the ladies, she said something but Melody couldn’t quite make out what it was. When she returned, she guided Melody and Smudge through the white bead curtain. It tinkled and shimmered as they walked into the backroom.
The sound of scuffling caught Melody’s attention, and she looked around to spot Lulu huddled in the corner sobbing. The girl had tried to hide, but her efforts were ineffective.
“Lulu, this is not the way to be, we are busy. Clean yourself up and go wash Mrs. Pearson.”
Smudge yipped, and put herself in between Lulu and Amy.
Melody couldn’t quite believe her ears. Maybe she had been wrong about Lulu, her grief looked genuine. Melody offered the girl a smile and was granted a small one in return before she wiped her eyes and went back through the curtain, followed by Smudge. The beads shifted and fell back into place, providing a remarkably solid barrier.
“Now, what did you need to see me about?” Amy asked.
“First of all, I wanted to offer my condolences. It must’ve been a great shock to hear about Nancy.”
Amy’s demeanor changed immediately. Gone was the professional businesswoman, and in its place was someone horrified by Nancy’s death and suffering great grief.
“It has been a terrible shock,” Amy said, her voice was weak and shaky. “And to think that I will lose Rochelle. It is just too much to understand, to comprehend. I do not know where I will go from here?”
“Well, Rochelle hasn’t been charged yet. We don’t know that it was actually her.”
“Who else could it be? I’m sure she will be charged very soon.” Amy said, just as the phone rang again. Melody noticed she was still holding the handset, she answered instantly.
“Short Cuts, how may I help you?... Yes… Yes… we have some new stylists in… I’m sure you will love them… 10 AM tomorrow morning, no problem I’ll see you then.”
While she was on the phone, Melody looked around the room. There were two washing machines and a dryer, a sink and a kettle, and a small kitchen area. To one side was a desk, piled high with paperwork that looked as if it needed a good tidy. Amy hung up the phone.
“Business seems good,” Melody said as her Spidey sense began to tingle.
Amy sniffed as if she was fighting back tears, in between calls. “Some of our old customers are coming back, now they know they will be treated with respect. Was there anything else that you wanted?”
“That must make you shorthanded, to lose Nancy and Rochelle? Are the two ladies new?”
Amy cast away the mantle of grieving employee and was suddenly hard with eyes as sharp as ice. “We will manage, or at least we will if I can get on with my work and not keep answering these inane questions.”
“I’m sorry to have bothered you so much,” Melody said with her most ingratiating smile. “Forgive me for not bringing something, I will return later with some muffins or something for you, this must’ve been so hard.”
Amy’s smile returned, but her eyes were still hard and calculating. “I do apologize. This has been a great shock, and as you can see, I am busy. Of course, working keeps my mind off things, so that’s what I must do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get on.”
“Of course, I am so sorry for disturbing you.”
Melody knew she now had a new suspect, and yet it seemed she would get no more from her today. Following Amy back through the curtain, she noticed that the shop was even busier. How had things turned around so quickly? It was almost as if Amy knew things were changing.
Melody looked around and couldn’t see Smudge. A knife through the heart was a momentary panic until she saw Lulu outside the shop cuddling Smudge. The little dog had understood that sympathy was needed, and as always, she had offered it.
Determined to come back with some offering, Melody walked out of the shop. Maybe she should reevaluate Lulu, maybe the girl was not a suspect, but she could get some more information from her.
Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Five
“I’m sorry,” Lula said as she handed the lead to Melody. “I guess I just needed a cuddle.”
“There’s no need to be sorry, Smudge has a way of knowing what a person needs.”
“I best go back inside, Amy will be looking for me soon.”
Melody nodded, but she wasn’t quite ready to let things go just yet. “Before you do, can I ask you a few questions?”
“I guess I could take my break, I’ve not had one yet today.” Lulu shrugged, and before Melody could say anymore, she had run back inside the shop.
Melody could see her speaking to Amy. The woman looked curt and dismissive, and soon Lulu was back outside with her.
“I sometimes go to the diner across the block,” Lulu said. “On days when it all gets a bit much for me.”
“Lead the way,” Melody said. “My treat.”
She was rewarded with a big smile, and the three of them set off down the sidewalk. Melody decided not to say anything until they were sat down. She wanted to get Lulu to relax, and she wouldn’t do that by barraging her with questions.
Soon they were sat outside the diner with a chocolate chip muffin and a cappuccino each. Melody chewed on the muffin, but it was dry and crumbly. Swallowing, she took a sip of her drink.
“It seems very busy this morning, is the salon usually like that?”
Lulu shook her head, chewed for a moment, and then swallowed. “It used to be, but over the last six months, things have got slower and slower. This morning I came in, and the book was full, and people were already waiting.”
“How com
e?”
Lulu was still chewing, and she held up a finger to say just a moment. Melody almost giggled. It was good to see Lulu relaxed, and suddenly, she knew that this young woman had nothing to do with the murder. In fact, Melody thought she now knew who it was. She just had to work out how to prove it.
Lulu finished chewing and looked across to see Smudge sitting up on her back legs begging. Lulu smiled and handed the puppy a piece of muffin.
“She’s so cute,” Lulu said. “I always wanted a puppy, maybe if I ever get qualified and get my own place, I can have one.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Do you know why it was so busy this morning?”
Lulu shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t make sense, it’s almost as if the customers knew that Nancy was gone. A lot of the ones coming in are those that fell out with Nancy.”
Melody kept her breathing even though her heart was racing as the excitement began to build. “Did Amy know that Nancy was seeing clients behind her back?”
“She never said anything, but I guess she had to. Where else were they going? Besides, you could spot one of Nancy’s hairstyles a mile off, and Port Warren is only a small town. Amy must’ve seen people and knew what was happening.”
“The two stylists that were working, are they new?” Melody asked.
“Today was the first time I’ve seen them, they were in before I got there.”
Melody was really excited now. How did Amy know to get two new stylists unless she knew that Nancy wouldn’t be there? It was too much of a coincidence. Things seemed to be slipping into place. “I just realized how awful it must have looked, me turning up without anything this morning.” Melody went to pay the bill and bought a carrot cake to take back as a peace offering. Carrot cake was nearly always moist and hard to get wrong.
Lulu and Melody made the short walk back. Lulu was delighted to be leading Smudge as Melody carried the cake. Part of her thought she should call Alvin, but she decided to ask a few more questions first. It was just a talk and a chance for Smudge to sniff out the clues, what could go wrong?
