Heart Beat

by Lynne Waite Chapman

  I plunged in. “I’ve discovered some information about the theft at The Rare Curl, and I need to report it.”

  Silly me. I expected him to take me to his desk, maybe pull out his trusty notepad and a pen, but instead I watched him blow out a breath and gaze at a spot above my head. “You discovered information, did you? I don’t really have time for your discoveries on the great beauty-shop heist. That hair dye is long gone. It’s on some kid’s hair and washed down the drain. Mrs. Peabody said so herself. I have better things to do than drag some kid out of class because of a prank.”

  “It isn’t….”

  “I’ve been informed the locks were changed, and there’s been no trouble since. Your boss seems happy enough. What’s wrong with you?”

  I blurted out, “I discovered who stole from Rarity.”

  “You have conclusive proof?”

  I wiped my damp palms on my jeans. “Not absolutely conclusive, but pretty much. It seems obvious to me.”

  “Ma'am, I don’t have time for your daydreams. We have real crime here in Evelynton.” Farlow put his hands on his hips and finally looked me in the eye. “If you’ll excuse me, I have more important cases to worry about. If you still consider yourself a detective, how about you tell me something new about that dead body you stumbled onto. No, don’t tell me. Write it down and put it in the suggestion box.”

  “I didn’t find the body, Clair Lane did. And I don’t consider myself a detective. I’d never even think about getting in the middle of that investigation.”

  Bet I’d be better at it than Farlow.

  “I’m glad to hear it, Ms. Halloren. Thought you had your sights set on becoming Evelynton’s super hero. Even had yourself a following.”

  That was uncalled for. “No, I’ve never considered myself any such thing. But about the salon theft.”

  Across the room, a phone rang. Farlow looked at it and back at me. “I’m glad you are aware of your tremendous lack of qualification, Ms. Halloren. Let the proper authorities take care of crime in Evelynton.”

  He poked his finger in my face causing me to take a step back. “I’m telling you. Don’t go snooping around where you have no business.” The phone continued to ring. Farlow turned on his heel and stalked to his desk.

  My mouth fell open as he bellowed from across the room. “If that’s all, see yourself out. Goodbye, Ms. Halloren.”

  He turned his back and snatched the receiver, knocking the cradle off the desk.

  I closed my mouth and scanned the room. One police officer smirked as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Irma, the file clerk, kept her attention on the papers she was sorting.

  The door was a mere three feet away. Seemed like a mile.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I trudged through my front door and slumped onto the sofa. My cat trotted in from the kitchen and stood on his hind legs with front paws on my knee. His luminescent eyes seemed to be filled with sympathy, telling me it would be alright.

  I’ve definitely lived alone too long.

  He purred as I stroked his head. “Mason, remind me never to do that again.”

  I picked up my phone and called Clair to let her know I’d tried to follow her advice and had been laughed out of the building.

  Clair listened to my story without interruption and said, “You made the right decision.”

  I felt vindicated for a moment. Then she continued, “But I can’t believe Officer Farlow would be so inconsiderate. You must have caught him on a bad day.”

  Guess I’d never seen him on a good day. “The man wouldn’t listen. He never even gave me the chance to tell him the name of the thief.”

  “Stay calm, girl. I’m sure he knows best. After all, he is a police officer. And you said the trouble stopped with the change of locks. You’re not absolutely positive it was that Mallozi character. Even if it was, when you think about it, he tried to do good. Isn’t he sweet for helping his mom? And when he chased you around in the dark, he probably didn’t mean to scare you. Some people aren’t good at relating to others.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. Couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “You’ve done all you can. More than I would have. Aren’t you glad it’s over? Do something fun today. Something just for you.”

  I whispered. “It isn’t over.”

  “What was that? Couldn’t hear.”

  “Nothing. It was nothing.”

  “Anyway, I better get back to work. Talk to you later.” A beep sounded, ending the call.

  I stomped to the kitchen and nabbed the coffee pot. Cold.

  Hrumph.

  I put the pot down and stalked to the living room, where I leaned down to pick up my handbag from the floor. Golden eyes gleamed from under the sofa.

  “Mason, I’m going to get real evidence. This time the police, especially Officer Farlow, will have to listen.”

  ~

  While I steered the Chrysler toward Beaver Creek Rehabilitation Center, I planned my approach. Didn’t want to upset Deloris. She was an old lady. At her age, she was probably frailer than she appeared. What would she think when I told her Mallozi was stealing to support her business? Would she have a stroke? A heart attack?

  Beaver Creek was quiet when I let myself in. I supposed it was nap time.

  I glanced into Louise’s room. Empty. Then crossed the hall to Deloris’s door.

  As usual, she sat in front of the computer.

  “Hi, Deloris.” No answer. I crept closer and noticed her closed eyelids Quietly, I said, “Deloris?”

  An eye popped open and she straightened in her chair. Both eyes open now, she looked at me and smiled.

  “Oh, hello, Lauren. I didn’t see you there. Been concentrating on this auction.”

  “Sorry to interrupt you. Louise wasn’t in her room, so I thought I’d come over to say hello. How are you?”

  “Me? I’m fine. You’ll find Louise in Evelyn’s Party Room, playing bingo with the other old ladies.”

  “You didn’t want to go? Don’t you like bingo?”

  “That’s for old people with nothing to do. They have plenty of time to waste.” She pointed a thumb at her chest. “Me, I have a business to run.”

  “I can see it takes a lot of your time. It must be fascinating. How are sales?” I stepped closer and strained my eyes to see the computer screen.

  Deloris closed her laptop. “My eyes are getting tired from watching the screen. I think I’ll let my auctions ride for a while.” The big woman heaved herself up from her chair. “Excuse me. I have to go to the powder room.”

  Deloris lumbered to the bathroom and shut the door.

  I stood in silent debate, a tug-of-war between the wise me and the other one—the one that might have worn devil horns. Deloris’s computer was so available. She hadn’t logged out. Wise me said to back away. The other one, okay, bad me, took over and pushed me closer to the desk. I lifted the screen, and a web page snapped into view.

  Couldn’t believe my luck. The name of the auction site scrolled across the top of the page. I scanned down until I found Deloris’s screen name. A notebook was conveniently located on her desk, so I tore off a page and wrote down the information.

  I’d stuffed the page into my pocket when the bathroom door swung open. Deloris stood silhouetted in the bright light of the bathroom. Her short-wide figure, feet apart, one hand on hip, was daunting. She flipped off the bathroom light and came into view. I could see her dark eyes riveted on the laptop, still open.

  “What are you doing at my computer? That’s my business. It’s private. Mallozi warned me to keep it confidential. I don’t want anyone stealing my ideas or my customers. He’d be upset with me if he knew you were in here.”

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t snooping. Sorry if it appeared that way. I was fascinated with how you ran your own business, all from this little room.”

  The lines deepened and darkened on Deloris’s face, and her voice echoed off the walls. “It isn’t a little ro
om. This is my home.”

  I gasped. “Of course. Didn’t mean it that way. It isn’t little at all, and it’s a lovely room, um home. I like it. You have a beautiful view from your window. Much nicer than Louise’s”

  Deloris glanced out the window, but quickly brought her eyes back to me.

  I stammered on. “You know, I only stopped in because Louise wasn’t in her room. Thought she might be here with you.” I lifted a hand toward the hall. “And, I think she’s back. I’ll just run over and talk to her. Again, sorry. I couldn’t resist taking a peak. That was wrong. But I didn’t see anything. Don’t even know anything about Internet auctions.”

  Deloris didn’t seem to believe my excuses. She glared as I backed toward the door. I swung around and hurried into the hall.

  A gunshot rattled the walls and I dropped to a crouch. Peeking over my shoulder, I realized, it wasn’t a gunshot. Deloris had slammed her door.

  I glanced up and down the hall to check if there’d been witnesses. There hadn’t, so I stood up. Straightening my shirt, I sauntered toward the exit in an attempt at a dignified exit.

  Out on the sidewalk, I wanted to slap myself on the head. After Deloris’s outburst, I’d forgotten the reason for the visit. Someone needed to tell her of Mallozi’s illegal scheme. The poor woman would be crushed, but a broken heart would be better than landing in jail.

  I glanced back at the nursing home. Couldn’t go back in there. Best to go home and check out the meager information I’d found. Then with more evidence, I’d ask Rarity to go with me. She was an expert at talking to people, especially women like Deloris.

  ~

  Back at the house, I looked up the Internet site and found Deloris’s auctions. There were dozens in progress, with timers ticking away on each one. Almost every sale featured hair color. None of the auctions listed the brand-name but I could see it on the bottles pictured. I printed screen shots of most of her items and called Rarity.

  “I’m on my way over to show you something. I know where your hair color has gone. And it wasn’t teenagers.”

  “You’re still investigating, Lauren? I’d almost forgotten about it. If you think it’s important, I’ll look at what you have.”

  It took fifteen minutes to get to Rarity’s house, and ten minutes later she agreed with me.

  Rarity picked up her purse. “Poor Mrs. D’agostino. It will be heartbreaking for her to learn about her son’s poor judgment. But it would be much worse if he gets her into trouble with the law. There’s no time to waste. Who knows what else he might be doing? And involving his elderly mother.”

  With relief, I opened the door for her. “I’ll drive. You can plan how you’ll break the news.”

  “Me?” Rarity stared at me for a moment. “I guess you’re right. I should be the one to tell her. But let’s take my VW. It was nice of your aunt to leave you the Chrysler, but I worry how long it will continue to run. Let’s not put any more miles on it than necessary.”

  I’d grown accustomed to the old station wagon. A luxury car in its day, the thirty-six-year-old vehicle now drove like a tank and took all my strength to maneuver it.

  “Thank you. I’d love to ride in your bug.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I punched in the code to open the door at Beaver Creek and led the way in. The usual cluster of residents, up from their naps, held onto walkers and sat in wheelchairs inside.

  Employing my usual method of entering, I smiled, but scooted through quickly. Having escaped to the other side of the mob, I noticed Rarity in the center, being treated like a celebrity. She greeted each senior, while I leaned against the wall and waited.

  The first in line was a little man with about four hairs combed across his shiny head. “Hello, John. Haven’t seen you for a while. How have you been? How’s your son? And your grandkids?”

  She moved to another man and took his hand. “Hello. I’m Rarity. Did you say your name was Arthur? How’s it going?”

  I had no idea what Arthur said, but Rarity listened to every indecipherable word. It took a full three minutes.

  Still holding his hand, she said, “I’m sorry to hear that, Arthur. But I’m so glad your back is better. I’m sure the doctors will do a fine job in fixing your hip.”

  That seemed to be the end of it until a tiny-fuzzy-haired woman scooted forward to claim Rarity’s attention. She absorbed each faint whisper with grave attention.

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Gladys. Sometimes it’s good to have a roommate. Don’t take it as a bad thing. I think you’ll find it’s nice to have someone around to share the little things with.”

  Rarity raised her head and saw me waiting patiently. At least, I hoped I appeared patient.

  She spoke to the group. “I have to go. You probably know my friend, Lauren. We are on an important mission today. So nice to meet all of you.” She smiled, squeezed hands, and even blew kisses as she extricated herself from her clutch of admirers.

  We walked into the lobby. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Lauren.”

  “Not a problem. But could you understand what that little man and the last lady were saying?”

  “No, hardly any of it, but they needed to talk. My agenda would never be more important than listening. Now, where’s Deloris’s room?”

  “Down this hall. I hope she’s in her room. If not, we’ll have to go looking.”

  We found Deloris D’agostino stretched out in her recliner, slippered feet propped up.

  I tapped on the open door. “Hi, Deloris. May we come in? I want to apologize again for the misunderstanding the other day. I wouldn’t snoop and I would never want to make Mallozi angry.”

  “It’s okay, as long as he doesn’t find out. I probably overreacted. Mallozi said I do that.”

  “This is my friend and boss, Rarity Peabody.”

  Before I finished my introduction, Rarity was holding Deloris’s hand. The two behaved like old friends. Should’ve known Rarity would take control of the situation. “I love the comforter on your bed. Such vivid colors. Red is my favorite. And that geometric design is so interesting.”

  Deloris’s eyes sparkled and her cheeks grew rosy. “I’m glad you like it. My family wanted to get me something in pink, but I told them I wasn’t going to be like all the old people. I want everything cheerful.”

  “I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes the kids want you to fit into their perception of a given age. So glad you’re intent on living an interesting life.”

  Deloris absorbed the praise with the first heart-felt smile I’d seen on her.

  Then Rarity employed a segue so smooth I wanted to write it down for future reference.

  “And Lauren tells me you’re running your own business. That’s wonderful. Adjusting to your surroundings and making the best of it. You are an inspiration.”

  While Deloris was basking in the shower of praise, Rarity got down to business. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. There’s something I’m sure you aren’t aware of. I needed to tell you, one mother to another.”

  Deloris tipped her head and leaned closer to Rarity. “What is it?”

  “I think your son, in his very admirable desire to help you, is making a mistake in obtaining the items you sell.”

  Deloris leaned back and gripped the arms of her chair. “I don’t understand. What do you mean by a mistake?”

  “Well dear, I’m afraid he has obtained your products by illegal means, probably by mistake, through no fault of his own. It turns out that the hair color you sell in your auctions isn’t supposed to be sold to the public. The supply house I use tells me there’s no way a reputable dealer would supply the product to anyone but a licensed salon, and never for Internet auction. In fact, items just like the ones you’re selling were stolen from my salon.”

  A deeper flush of color began to cover Deloris’s cheeks, and Rarity hastened to reassure her. “Oh, I didn’t mean Mallozi stole them. Whoever sold them to him probably did. Don’t worry, Deloris. I know you had no
idea, and I’m sure your son didn’t know what he was doing. It’s all a little accident that is easily fixed. He’ll just have to find something else for you to sell. You are such a good businesswoman, I know it will be easy for you to adjust.”

  Deloris sat straight up in her chair, her breathing verging on labored. Her eyes scanned the room from one side to the other. “I can’t believe it. I had no idea. He’d never do anything illegal. Someone’s taking advantage of my Mallozi.”

  With a hand on Deloris’s shoulder, Rarity nodded. “I’m sure that’s it. But don’t worry. I wanted you to know so you wouldn’t get into trouble.”

  Rarity gazed at Deloris. “I’ve upset you. And I’m sorry. Take slow, deep breaths.”

  Even Rarity’s soothing tone of voice failed to calm the big woman. Deloris’s jaw set with clenched teeth. Her breathing accelerated. “You better go. Go!”

  Rarity stood and backed out of the room. “I assure you it’s going to be alright. If you would have a word with your son, I’m sure everything will be fine. Just a simple mistake.”

  Deloris raised a stout arm and pointed to the door. “Out!”

  Rarity’s eyes were big and round when they met mine. We spun around to escape through the door.

  While we scurried down the hall, Rarity whispered. “Poor Deloris seemed to take the news hard. The sweet thing was so upset. She’s worried about her boy. Do you think she’ll be alright?”

  I thought she might explode. “I’ll ask a nurse to look in on her to make sure she calms down.”

  Helen was sitting at her desk so we stopped to explain the situation. Well, not the whole situation. I shortened it to “Deloris seemed agitated. You might want to check on her.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Y uk.” I’d rolled over into a face-full of cat fur. “Mason, get off my pillow.” I spit out cat hair as I answered the ringing telephone.

  “Morning.”

  “Sorry to call so early, Lauren. It’s Rarity. I just got off the phone with Mrs. D’agostino.”