by Rose Pressey
“I suppose we could just walk in and ask questions, but we might get more details if we’re actual customers.”
“I like the way you think,” she said with a click of her tongue.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the number for the spa. And then I remembered that it was still five-thirty in the morning. “I guess I’ll wait until they’re open.”
“Probably a good idea.”
Dorothy and I got out of the car and headed into the restaurant. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to eat because I was so excited about the day’s events. The faster we got this started the faster I might figure out who did this.
The restaurant had a lot of healthy dishes, though all the pastries looked delicious. I eyed the pastry in the display case as we walked by. Once at the table, we placed orders. I was good and got an egg white omelet and fruit on the side. Dorothy had a huge stack of pancakes. I drooled over every bite she took.
After I finished a bite of strawberry, I asked, “Dorothy, can you remember anything about those particular files that were taken? I know it’s a long shot since it was over twenty years ago.”
“Well, I tell you, Maggie, my memory is excellent, but I don’t think it’s that good. I’ll certainly try to remember though.”
Dorothy poured more syrup over the remaining part of her fluffy pancakes. I watched and practically drooled as she twirled the brown liquid around. Then she stuffed another bite into her mouth.
She pointed at me with her fork as she spoke. “You know, there is one particular case that always stood out to me.”
“What’s that?” I asked, looking at my plate with a groan.
“Well, it was a murder case. Pretty high-profile and it never was solved. It was always the one that disturbed your uncle the most because he wanted to figure it out.”
“Do you remember the names of the people involved?” I asked.
“Not specifically but I imagine you could figure it out. The man who was a suspect, I think the first name was Al or Alfred. I can’t remember. The murder occurred on a street in South Beach.”
It was probably unrelated, but I’d take whatever clue I could get.
“I’ll look into it,” I said, taking the last bite of my eggs.
Once Dorothy and I had finished our breakfast we headed out for the yard sales. She had me going all over town. And none of her maps were organized, meaning we would go from one yard sale all the way to another one on the opposite end of town and then loop back around right to the area we had been to earlier.
“This is exhausting, Dorothy.”
“I got a bargain on that toilet paper holder though. It was originally fourteen dollars and I got it for one dollar.”
“That’s a bargain,” I said.
When the clock hit nine a.m. I knew the salon was open. I hurried to make appointments for us over the phone. “I’d like to get an appointment for two today for a massage and a facial.”
The woman chuckled. “You realize there’s a six-month wait?”
“Six months? It couldn’t possibly be that good,” I blurted out.
Oops. I shouldn’t have said that out loud. This would greatly reduce my chances of getting an appointment any time soon. How could I possibly get an appointment now? Think of something quick.
“Well, Vivian told me to call. She said that you could work us in today. I’d hate to call her and tell her that you can’t get us appointments.”
I was taking a chance that this woman hadn’t even heard the news yet. Soon enough she would though.
“Oh,” she said in surprise. “Well, of course we can get you in. I can see you at ten o’clock.”
“We’ll be there. The names are Maggie and Dorothy,” I said.
Again, I should have used better names. I ended the call with excitement and nervousness. Would they close the spa before I had a chance to ask questions?
Chapter 7
Dorothy and I arrived at the luxurious spa. Well, I supposed I hadn’t confirmed it was luxurious, but from what I’d seen online, I figured it was a safe bet. Palm trees lined the entrance as we walked toward the door.
Cool air hit us as we stepped inside. All white surrounded us with just a touch of green from the plants around the room. A tall blonde woman stood behind the counter to our right. She didn’t offer a smile. That wasn’t exactly great customer service. But whatever.
“We have appointments at ten,” I said. “Maggie and Dorothy.”
She stared at me blankly for a moment as if I had spoken to her in a foreign language. After a few more seconds of staring, she looked down at her screen. “Yes, I suppose you do have appointments. Well, follow me.”
She stepped out from behind the counter and motioned for us to step in behind her. Dorothy and I exchanged a look. I wasn’t so sure this was going to be the experience that I had envisioned. Nevertheless, I was here to find out information about the case, not have a spa day.
She led us down the long hallway. We were the only people here. Was she the one who would perform the facial and massage? I hoped not. She seemed like she was unhappy that we were here. But she didn’t know us, so I couldn’t imagine why. Nevertheless, she stopped at one of the doors in the hallway. She opened it up and gestured for me to go in. I peeked into the room There was only one table.
“We’re not together?” I asked.
“No,” she said, giving me an odd look.
I’d just assumed we would be together for this and I could keep an eye on Dorothy. “Okay, well, Dorothy, text me if you need me.”
“That’s impossible. The phones are left at the door.” She raised an eyebrow.
I supposed if I wanted to question anyone, I would have to go through with this. What if there was a fire? What if I had an emergency and I needed my phone?
“Well, yell for me if you need me, Dorothy,” I said with sarcasm dripping from my words.
Dorothy chuckled. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
I hoped she knew that I was giving her a signal not to reveal our scheme.
“Someone will be with you soon,” the woman said.
Well, thank goodness she wasn’t going to be the one coming in here. I hoped Dorothy didn’t get stuck with her either. I watched as she turned around and guided Dorothy down the hall. I felt like a mother watching her child go off to school for the first day. Dorothy turned and looked at me and gave a little wave. I waved back, wondering if I was making the right decision. All in the name of solving the case, but I did want to get Dorothy’s money back, so this was probably for the best. Even if I felt uneasy.
I stepped into the small room and looked around. It was in the same décor as the rest of the spa with white walls and green plants. There was a robe for me to change into on the table. It was kind of creepy being in here all alone. Nevertheless, I went ahead and undressed and put on the robe. I climbed onto the table and hoped that I wouldn’t be waiting for someone to show up too long. I was anxious to get started with my questioning.
I sat on top of the table and was reminded of being in the doctor’s office, always waiting for the doctor to show up because the doctor was with other patients. In the meantime, I was freezing. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself since I’d left my phone at the door. What, were they going to call the police if I actually picked up my phone and used it? This was crazy. I would just get my phone and keep it. What were they going to do? Kick me out?
I retrieved my phone from the basket by the door and then hurried back over to the table. I had just settled back and started looking at my phone when the door opened. The woman stared straight at me as I held the phone up to my face.
“All phones are supposed to be left at the door,” she said.
“Yes, I’m aware of that, but I was bored as I sat here waiting on you.”
She frowned immediately and I knew that we had gotten off to a bad start, just like with the other woman. This wasn’t turning out to be a good experience, nor would this be good for me tryi
ng to get information from her. If she didn’t like me, she wouldn’t want to talk to me. So I’d better make this up quickly.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “I was just trying to catch up on some work and I really should try to relax.”
I put the phone in the basket and hurried back over to the table. I gave her a smile, hoping that might penetrate through her icy demeanor. I’d have to keep trying.
“We’ll start with the massage. Then someone else will be doing your facial,” she said.
“That sounds perfect,” I said.
I turned around and lay with my stomach and face down on the massage table.
She started massaging my back and shoulders. “Wow, you really are tense. What do you do for a profession? It must be extremely stressful.”
Well, if she considered being shot at stressful, I guessed you could say that. And then there was jumping in the ocean to help Dorothy when she was drowning. Also being attacked and almost being run over by cars. All kinds of fun things.
“You have no idea,” I said.
It certainly didn’t seem as if anyone here knew about Vivian’s death. And if they didn’t know then I certainly couldn’t be the one to tell them. Although I had told them that I knew Vivian and that was my whole reason for being here. But I couldn’t just say, “Oh, by the way, do you know she’s dead?” Now I had gotten myself into a pickle. I just wouldn’t mention the death. I would ask questions about Vivian. No reason to panic.
“I was so glad that I got an appointment. Vivian told me to call. I suppose you like working with her? She’s a lovely woman.”
Ouch. Suddenly she had rubbed just a bit too hard. I got the impression that she wasn’t that fond of Vivian.
“Did you know her well?” I asked.
“Well, she just came in here for work. Vivian never talked to employees much. She owns the salon, you know?”
“Yes, I’m aware,” I said with a chuckle.
“You’re friends with her?” she asked.
Now I just had to lie and say, “Yes, I am.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.” She rubbed me harder.
She didn’t seem as if she would have been as friendly if she’d known beforehand. That was saying a lot too considering she wasn’t friendly now.
“I get the impression you don’t like her,” I said.
I was just going to be bold with the questions now. What did I have to lose?
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Please don’t tell her that,” she said.
“I won’t tell her. It’s just that I guess I would want to know if she wasn’t being nice to you. I mean, I don’t want to be friends with someone who isn’t nice, right?”
“No, you wouldn’t want to do that,” she said.
She had eased up on her strenuous massaging of my back now. Maybe I was getting through to her.
“Did something happen between you two?” I asked.
“No, I guess not. It’s just that she was, you know, maybe keeping a secret, and asking us to help her with that, which kind of made me uncomfortable. I suppose you know about that though,” she said.
Now I had to decide if I wanted to act as if I knew about this secret. If I was really friends with her, wouldn’t I know this secret?
“I’m not sure if I know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“You know the person she was seeing?”
“Oh, the affair,” I said.
Now this was getting somewhere. Who was she having an affair with?
“Billy was in here a lot to pick her up.”
Okay, now I had a first name. Keep talking, lady.
“Then they would go to lunch and then stay gone for quite a while, if you know what I mean. And I’m not sure if her husband knows about this. I assume he doesn’t, since she was telling us we had to keep her secret.”
Now I had to find out this guy’s last name because I had to look him up. He could definitely be a suspect in her murder.
“What was Billy’s last name again? I’m terrible with names,” I said with a laugh.
“I think his last name is Clermont,” she said. “But I could be wrong.”
“I hope she gets things worked out,” I said.
I felt bad not telling her about Vivian’s death, but it didn’t seem like she would care too much anyway. Maybe I was being too hard on this woman though. After all, I didn’t know how she really felt about Vivian. I was just happy to have a new suspect.
“Well, the facialist will be here soon,” she said as she stepped over to the door.
“Thank you,” I said.
She stepped out of the room. I wondered what Dorothy was up to. Even if I sent her a text, she probably didn’t have her phone.
As I sat there waiting for the facialist, I contemplated whether I should get up and retrieve the phone. My phone dinged. Now what? Who was texting me? It chimed again and I just had to know who was texting me. Should I risk being scolded again by retrieving the phone? I just couldn’t handle it a second longer. I had to check my messages. I jumped off the table and hurried over to the basket. I felt like a raccoon trying to sneak food before being caught. Dorothy had sent a text. She was going to get us kicked out of here.
Chapter 8
How’s it going? Dorothy had added a smiley face emoji.
Dorothy, you’re going to get us in trouble. We’re not supposed to use our phones.
You’re using yours.
Only because you sent me a text.
Since when are you worried about getting in trouble?
Dorothy had a point about that. I was just worried about getting kicked out and not having a chance to ask questions.
I’m working on asking questions. Not much so far.
I didn’t want to tell her about Billy until we got out of here. I hear someone coming. Got to go. I tossed the phone in the basket and hurried back to the table.
I’d only barely gotten settled back on the table when the door opened, and a tall dark-haired woman entered the room. She eyed me up and down before speaking. It looked as if she’d already heard about me.
“Good morning,” she said. “My name is Alicia.”
“Nice to meet you, Alicia. I’m Maggie,” I said.
“You can just lie back and we’ll get started,” she said.
Another person who wanted to get right to the point. Now I would have to start all over again by asking questions.
“I hear you are friends with Vivian,” she said.
Well, that was easy enough. I was glad she had broken the ice.
“Yes, we knew each other. Though I don’t know if we were best friends. She was a friend though. How well did you know her?”
Whoops. I’d made a slip up there. I’d talked about Vivian in past tense. As if she was no longer with us. I hoped she didn’t catch that.
“How well did I know her?” She stared for a moment as if trying to figure out if I was acting suspiciously. “Well, just from work, that’s all. I hope she’s feeling better though. The other day she acted as if she didn’t feel well.”
“Oh, no, I hadn’t heard her say anything. What was wrong?”
“She was just complaining about stomach issues.”
“Oh, I see. She hadn’t mentioned it so maybe she was feeling better,” I said.
“Maybe so,” the woman said.
“It could have had something to do with stress,” I said. “I imagine running all of these businesses is tough.”
“Yes, I guess it is, but she had someone to help with most of it. I think the partner was in charge of most everything.”
“And who is that?” I asked.
“You don’t know Kayla?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
If I was friends with Vivian, I should know Kayla. Another mistake. I had to do better than this.
“It’s been a while since we spoke,” I said.
“Oh,” she said.
She might be a bit suspicious now. I had to press for more information.
“So Kayla has been helping?” I asked.
“Kayla had been doing everything. They seemed angry with each other lately. I’m not sure what that’s all about. I think Vivian was going to fire Kayla. She just wasn’t happy with the way Kayla was doing things.”
“Did she fire her already?”
“I’m not sure if she actually went through with it yet or not. You know, Kayla will probably be here soon. You could ask her how she’s doing.”
“Yes, I suppose I could do that,” I said.
I really wanted to get out of here. Now I was feeling more uncomfortable. I needed to speak with Kayla though.
“So what’s Kayla’s last name?” I asked.
“Carmichael,” she said.
“Is she here today already? Does she come in early?”
“She travels to all the spas. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I think Kayla is super annoying.”
“Why don’t you like her?” I asked.
“She just seems like she wants to take over in Vivian’s place. As if Vivian doesn’t even exist. But I suppose if Vivian is okay with that then it should be none of my business, right?” She slathered on more of the concoction that she’d been putting on my face.
I wasn’t sure if we’d ever be able to get this stuff off. “Yes, I suppose if Vivian’s all right with that.”
If Kayla wanted to take over in Vivian’s place then killing her would certainly put her in that position. But if Vivian was gone then Kayla wouldn’t inherit the spas or anything. Unless it was in a will or something. That was something I’d have to look into. It was probably just a situation where Kayla was just an annoying person.
My phone alerted me to another text message. I tensed up, remembering that I hadn’t actually silenced the phone.
“Would you like for me to see who that is?”
Wow, she must actually like me if she was volunteering to get the phone. But no way did I want her to read the text message. There was no telling what Dorothy was writing on there. Shouldn’t Dorothy be getting her facial right now too? What could she want? Had something bad happened? I was starting to panic and hoping that this process would be over soon.
