Beauty and the Thief

by Jeff Shelby

  I took a tentative step forward. Shock rocketed through me and I froze in my tracks. Aidan was seated in a black plastic chair, thumbing through a health magazine. Candles flickered from a small table in the corner of the room, continuing the sereneness from the entrance area, and a rolling butcher-block table offered an assortment of teas along an electric kettle filled with hot water. Instead of disposable cups, there were two stacking racks filled with color ceramic mugs.

  Aidan hadn’t looked up yet. Must have been a really interesting article to not notice me standing in the doorway, huffing in surprise.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He looked up, startled. A slow, knowing grin formed. “Wow. Great minds, huh?”

  “You’re here to talk to Jackie, too?”

  He nodded.

  “Why did you come here without me?” Waves of both disappointment and hurt collided.

  He set the magazine down on his lap. “I could ask the same thing.”

  It was a valid point, albeit one that I wasn’t particularly interested in acknowledging. “You could have called me, texted me, to tell me you were coming here.”

  He picked up a red mug from the coffee table. Steam swirled into the air as he took a tentative sip. “I had some free time this morning so I thought I’d come here to see if I could find anything out. That’s all.”

  I was quiet. The music changed to deep, gong-style bells and chanting male voices that were oddly soothing.

  Aidan noticed my silence.

  “Look, I did it for you, alright?” Exasperation flavored his voice.

  “For me?”

  “Because you’re so clearly caught up in all of this. You’re desperate for answers. I wanted to help find them.” He dropped his gaze and stared at the mug in his hands. “I’m sorry.”

  His words reverberated through my mind.

  He’d come to Jackie’s studio for me.

  Not for himself, because he was on the hunt for answers and wanted to find them first.

  For me.

  A new wave of emotions rose up inside of me.

  But they died as soon as a door opened and a mass of yoga students exited the room. Some of them spilled into the waiting area, and I had to step aside to avoid being inadvertently swatted with a rolled up yoga mat.

  At last, the students filtered out and Jackie appeared, looking as fit and youthful as ever. Her eyes landed on me, then traveled to Aidan, her mouth rounding into an O of surprise.

  “My goodness, what a surprise,” she said, smiling broadly. “What brings the two of you here?” Her eyes widened and she answered her own question. “You’re not here for the couples yoga class, are you?”

  “No,” Aidan and I both said in unison. My voice sounded a little more forceful than his.

  Confusion flickered in her eyes. “No? I thought…” Her voice trailed off.

  “You thought what?”

  Her cheeks flushed pink. “Nothing,” she said quickly.

  I wasn’t willing to drop it. “Thought what?” I repeated.

  She played with the end of her ponytail. “Well, I thought you two were a couple. Are you just not interested in yoga? I promise you, it’s a great class and the benefits go far beyond physical health. Your relationship will strengthen, the trust you have in each other will grow—”

  “We aren’t a couple,” I repeated firmly. “Why would you even think that?”

  “I don’t know,” she murmured.

  She sounded genuinely surprised by our staunch denial, which caught me off guard. We were batting two for two in terms of people thinking we were together. Did other people think we were a couple? And if they did, why?

  “There must be a reason,” I pressed.

  Aidan shook his head. “I don’t think now’s the time—”

  Maybe the residents were gossiping. Making up stories. It wouldn’t have been the first time ridiculous rumors had circulated the halls at Oasis Ridge.

  “Did someone say something?” I asked. “A resident or something?”

  Jackie shook her head, her ponytail bouncing from side to side. “No. I just…” She swallowed, then looked at Aidan, a hint of a smile on her face. “The way you’ve looked at her lately suggested otherwise. My mistake.”

  Color flooded my cheeks.

  The way Aidan looked at me?

  It was what Denise had said, too.

  How exactly did he look at me? And why hadn’t I ever noticed?

  Why was I still not noticing?

  I whirled back to face him. His own cheeks were now aflame, his eyes locked on the terra cotta floor.

  I sucked in a few lungfuls of air. This conversation was not going how I’d envisioned.

  At all.

  I was at the studio to ask Jackie questions and instead I felt like I was the one under the magnifying glass.

  I cleared my throat and did my best to bring my focus back to the reason why I’d come to her yoga studio in the first place. To get answers.

  “I’m not actually here for a class,” I said. I nodded toward Aidan. “He isn’t, either.”

  Her brow puckered. “Did you have questions about the classes I’m teaching at Oasis Ridge, then?”

  “No.”

  “No?” she echoed.

  “No,” I confirmed. “But I do have a couple of questions relating to Oasis Ridge.”

  A smile curved her lips upward. “Alright. Ask away.”

  I glanced at Aidan and he gave a slight nod. Bolstered by his presence, I inhaled a breath and said, “I want to ask you a few questions about what happened to June Windham.”

  TWENTY THREE

  Jackie’s expression instantly changed. Her smile disappeared and she eyed me with suspicion.

  “What about it?” Her tone was cautious, too.

  It was hard not to notice how her body language had changed, too. Her shoulders pulled back, her neck muscles went taut, and her arms folded against her chest. She looked like a woman prepared to be on the defensive.

  Interesting.

  “Why do you dislike June so much?”

  I’d caught her by surprise with the question. Her brow furrowed and her lips turned downward. “I don’t dislike her,” she said. “I don’t dislike anyone.”

  “You didn’t have very nice things to say about her the other day,” I reminded her.

  “I didn’t have very nice things to say about her business,” she clarified. “I think what she’s been doing is wrong. Selling false hope and promises to vulnerable people.”

  “You called her a snake oil salesman.”

  Jackie bit her lip. “I might have,” she admitted. “But that was in relation to her business, not a comment on June herself. I think she’s a lovely lady. Very kind, always willing to help her friends.”

  This was all true.

  “That’s why it’s so frustrating to see her peddle this garbage to the residents,” Jackie continued. “Stuff that literally won’t help them achieve any of their health or beauty goals. Yoga can do so much more for them.” She sighed. “But people just want instant gratification these days. They don’t want to have to put in the work, you know?”

  “Is that what you were fighting about with her?”

  Jackie gave me a blank stare.

  “The fight you had with her,” I prompted. “A week or so ago. At Oasis Ridge.”

  Part of me expected her to deny the fight had happened.

  But she glanced down at the floor and said, “Yes.”

  It was a soft admission, but I gave her credit for answering truthfully and not skirting the question.

  I decided to switch gears. “Tell me about these private classes you’re offering.” I paused. “The ones you’re advertising on those cards. The ones Rudy is leaving in residents’ rooms on your behalf.”

  Her shoulders jerked but her eyes stayed locked on the floor.

  “It doesn’t look good, you know,” I told her, hoping she’d pick up on the frankness of my voice. “You have a
problem with what June has been selling because you think yoga produces better results.”

  “It does,” she murmured.

  “You’re trying to sell private classes to residents,” I continued. “And June is your competition. What better way to get rid of a rival than by destroying or stealing her supplies and products? In this case, you did both.”

  Her head whipped up and she eyed me in horror. “I didn’t do it!”

  “You planted business cards in residents’ rooms so you could make money. What else are we supposed to think?”

  “It’s not like that, I swear,” she cried. “I was only trying to help.”

  My heart rate quickened. Voicing my suspicions and allegations out loud was like pouring gasoline on a spark. I was angry and I wasn’t going to hide it.

  “Only trying to help?” I couldn’t mask the sneer in my voice. “Help with what? Putting June out of business? And putting her out of her home?”

  Jackie’s back went ramrod straight again. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “What do you mean put her out of her apartment?”

  Aidan spoke up from where he was sitting. “She can’t afford to live at Oasis Ridge without the income she was bringing in from her health and beauty products.”

  Jackie looked to him, then to me. Raw shock etched into her features.

  “She’s going to lose her apartment?”

  Aidan and I both nodded.

  A breath shuddered through her. “I had no idea.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but the piped in music had switched to a soft harp, a sound that almost seemed to amplify her voice.

  She raked a hand over the top of her hair and drew in another shaky breath. “I never would have done this if I’d known that.”

  TWENTY FOUR

  My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

  Done what?

  Had Jackie just confessed to the crimes in June’s apartment?

  She dropped into a chair, cradling her face in her hands. Aidan mouthed something but I didn’t understand it and I didn’t bother trying to get him to repeat it. He wasn’t the person I was interested in talking to at that moment.

  “Never would have done what?”

  “I asked Rudy to put the cards in the apartments,” she said. “I love volunteering there but I also know group classes once or twice a week isn’t going to cut it for the results the residents want. They really need more intensive classes, but it’s not like I can offer all of my classes for free. I have expenses, I need to make a living.”

  Her defenses were up, I could tell.

  But she was forgetting something. “So does June.”

  She nodded miserably.

  I tried gentling my voice, even though my pulse was still racing. “Is that why you stole her stuff and wrecked everything?”

  Jackie’s expression changed to one of horror. “Of course not!”

  I frowned. “Then why did you do it?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t do it. The only thing I’m guilty of is asking Rudy to put my business cards in the residents’ apartments.”

  Aidan shifted in his seat. “What exactly did you hope to accomplish with that?”

  “I don’t know.” She swallowed. “Actually, I do know. June has all the time in the world to sell residents on her products. She lives with them. They eat meals together, they socialize. Heck, they even do my yoga class together. I guess I just wanted a little more level playing field, which is why I asked Rudy to drop off the business cards.”

  Silence fell over us.

  Her eyes searched mine. “I didn’t do anything to June,” she said solemnly. “I swear I didn’t.”

  My shoulders slumped. Because I had a sinking feeling that Jackie was telling the truth.

  Aidan got to his feet.

  Jackie rubbed her hands on her thighs, as if she was wiping the sweat from her palms. “You believe me, right?”

  “Yes,” Aidan said.

  She looked to me and I offered a reluctant nod.

  Her smile was one of relief.

  “We should probably get going,” Aidan said to me. “As long as all your questions have been answered…”

  I still had tons more to ask. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like Jackie was going to be able to answer any of them.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

  Jackie’s smile widened. “I’m so glad we were able to clear all of this up,” she gushed. “I would hate to have you thinking untoward things about me. I’m a good person. I really am. And as much as I dislike June’s products, I would never do anything to sabotage her business.” Her expression sobered. “Especially if it meant she would lose her home because of it.”

  It seemed an odd thing to say. “So you would have been more inclined to do it if she hadn’t used her business as needed income?”

  “No, no,” she stammered. “I just meant…” She swallowed. “I was homeless once. I know what it’s like to be displaced. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Which June isn’t,” she quickly added.

  Aidan touched my arm. “We should go.”

  I took the hint.

  Jackie shepherded us out of the waiting room and back into the entrance. Two couples had arrived for the couples yoga class and were busy getting checked in at the counter.

  “You two sure you don’t want to stay for the class?” Jackie said. “On the house.”

  I shook my head so hard, I worried about whiplash.

  Aidan’s response was just as adamant. “No.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself. We meet every Saturday if you two change your mind.”

  I yanked on the door and hurried outside. I couldn’t get out of the studio fast enough.

  Aidan was hot on my heels.

  I leaned up against the building’s stucco exterior and shielded my eyes from the blinding morning sun. I’d somehow forgotten my sunglasses.

  “That was sort of a bust,” Aidan said, toeing the pavement with his sandal.

  That felt like a massive understatement.

  “Do you like ice cream?” he asked.

  I made a face. “What?”

  “Ice cream.” He pointed to the far side of the strip mall. A small ice cream shop took up the corner space, barely visible from where we were standing. “We deserve ice cream.”

  “We do? Why?”

  He shrugged. “Because it’s hot. Because it’s summer. And because something good needs to come out of this visit.”

  He started walking and, after hesitating for the briefest of moments, I quickly trotted after him.

  A few minutes later, we were standing in line inside the ice cream parlor, craning our necks to see what flavors were in the cases. Whimsical drawings and mouthwatering photographs of decadent ice cream creations peppered the cotton candy pink walls, and I found myself wanting all of them. Considering my breakfast had consisted solely of a mountain of donut holes, eating a large ice cream probably wasn’t the best dietary choice. But I needed consoling after our conversation with Jackie, and if ice cream couldn’t fix my mood, I wasn’t sure anything could.

  When it was our turn, I was still agonizing over what to order. Aidan chose some caramel concoction and I finally settled on cheesecake ice cream with brownie bits and hot fudge.

  The teenager behind the counter made quick work of assembling our bowls. He handed them to us and we set them on the counter to pay.

  Aidan handed over his credit card before I could even dig my wallet out of my purse.

  “You don’t have to buy mine,” I told him.

  “I know. But I want to.”

  I didn’t voice any objection but I knew he could read the unspoken question in my eyes. Why?

  “You deserve it after last night and today,” he said in answer. “None of our leads have gone anywhere. The least I can do is treat you to a five-dollar ice cream.”

  “Thank you.”

  He grinned and held out a red plastic spoon. “
You’re welcome.”

  We took our ice cream outside, opting to sit at one of the small bistro tables in front of the store. I sat down and immediately plunged my spoon into the ice cream.

  “How is it?” Aidan asked.

  I swallowed my first bite and licked the spoon clean. “Delicious. Yours?”

  “Same.” He dipped his spoon in his bowl and held it out to me. “Want to try a bite?”

  I never minded plucking French fries off people’s plates or even snitching a bite of a hamburger. But eating someone else’s ice cream—from their spoon—seemed a little more…intimate.

  Maybe it was because this was Aidan.

  He extended his arm, bringing the spoon closer. “Try it.”

  I did as I was told. “Yum.”

  I reciprocated, offering my own spoon loaded with ice cream, and tried not to stare at his mouth as he ate it.

  I didn’t want to think about Aidan’s mouth, because that led to other thoughts.

  Like kissing him.

  I shifted my gaze back to my ice cream bowl, making great attempts to get the perfect spoonful of ice cream and brownie bits.

  “So, where does this leave us?” Aidan asked.

  It left me still wanting to kiss him.

  “Sunny?”

  I looked up.

  He was staring at me. “Where do you think this leaves us with June’s situation?”

  I tried to clear the image of Aidan’s mouth on mine from my head. It wasn’t an easy task.

  I scraped some of the ice cream clinging to the side of the paper cup and sucked it off my spoon, forcing myself to focus on June. “This leaves us with one less credible suspect. Two, actually, considering what went down with Rudy last night.”

  He nodded. The sun glinted off his hair, illuminating blond strands I hadn’t noticed before. “My gut tells me neither of them were responsible. Rudy or Jackie,” he added for clarification.

  I was in complete agreement.

  Unfortunately, that put me right back to square one.

  Again.

  Aidan must have noticed my sudden silence because he cocked his head, his eyes questioning, and said, “You think it was Anne, don’t you?”

  I countered with a question of my own. “Who else could it be?”