“Hey, wanna give me a job as shampoo assistant?” Brianna said, laughter in her young voice.
“Not yet, honey,” Marla responded, dragging her gaze from Vail to give her an affectionate squeeze.
From across the table, her brother cleared his throat. “How did this psychic lady end up inheriting a salon?”
Marla glanced at him sitting beside his wife, Charlene, and their two children. She was just as guilty of snobbery as her cousins by not calling him more often. Maybe there was a reason for her avoidance, she thought, remembering the reading in Cassadaga. How much did she really know about her brother’s life now, and how much did she want to get involved? She’d have to rectify her inattention in the future to avoid becoming like Polly and Anita. Or Carolyn and her sister, Linda. Besides, if the predictions were right, Michael might need someone to confide in.
“Carolyn felt closer to Wilda than she did to her own sister,” she said. “I guess my rival never learned about Wilda’s notoriety, or else she didn’t care. Nor did any of us suspect Wilda was related to Sam. When I spoke to her this past week, she confessed that’s why she involved me in solving the murder. Wilda suspected Sam, but she couldn’t go to the police. You see, Sam was her uncle. He moved down here to escape from his crimes up North. He had no intention of resuming his evil deeds until Carolyn found out about him. That triggered his need to kill again.”
Anita put a hand to her heart. “Oh my. To think that I believed his shy act.”
Marla could relate to this; she’d nearly fallen for Wilda’s act. Then again, maybe it hadn’t been merely a ploy on the medium’s part to ensure Marla’s cooperation, but had actually been true. Now that her killer had been exposed, Carolyn’s soul could rest. Should Marla still be concerned about a family member? She shrugged aside her fears. When she’d asked Wilda for more details, the psychic had said she couldn’t be more specific. Carolyn had moved on and she no longer sensed her. Marla concluded that it was likely everything Wilda had said had just been part of her act to lure Marla onboard.
“What else did you learn about Sam?” Anita addressed Vail after the waiter served dessert and coffee.
While they helped themselves to honey cake, Vail leaned forward. “From my investigation, I pieced together the sequence of events,” he said, his voice somber. He couldn’t interview the criminal. Sam’s remains had been recovered from the lake.
“Sam Cleaver, alias Sam Levy, admired a hair ornament Carolyn was wearing, so she told him about her collection of hair jewelry,” Vail explained. “She brought samples to the hardware store and told him there were more where those came from.”
“That was the man who worked in the same shopping center as Marla’s salon?” Michael’s eyes widened in horror. “Mother, you didn’t tell me.”
Anita dismissed him with a tilt of her head, her attention focused on the detective. “Go ahead, Dalton. I want to hear the details of his evil. It just appalls me how he deceived people.”
Vail grasped his coffee cup. “Sam took out a few locks of hair he’d saved in plastic bags labeled with girls’ names. He said he’d like to learn how to make them into jewelry. Carolyn invited him over to her place to show him more pieces. But when she teased him about clipping his girlfriends’ hair, he got nervous. Maybe he’d revealed too much about himself.
“Still, he envied her collection. Carolyn mentioned that her friend Rosemary was the only other person who knew about it, although Rosemary didn’t know its hiding place. Rosemary, who baby-sat her plants on occasion, had a key to her apartment, and so did Wilda. Sam, fascinated by death rituals, couldn’t stay away. He brought over some jewelry-making supplies and one of his hair trophies. Working with the hair made him anticipate another kill.”
“How gruesome.” Julia shuddered. “Can’t we change the subject?”
Alan patted her hand reassuringly. “She’s right. Today we’re supposed to be celebrating the new year. We don’t want to hear bad things.”
“Shush, sonny,” Aunt Polly interceded. “I haven’t heard such a good story in years.”
That’s because you don’t go anywhere, Marla thought to herself. “Tell them the rest,” she ordered Vail, “or they’ll plague me for details.”
He gave her a smile that warmed her all the way to her toes. “All right. One time, Rosemary came over just as Sam left Carolyn’s apartment. He wondered what Carolyn had told Rosemary about him. But he forgot about her friend when Carolyn found something he’d inadvertently left behind: a torn clipping about the murdered girl whose lock of hair he’d shown her. She blackmailed him, and he killed her. Then he became afraid Rosemary would remember his visit. Disguising himself, he spotted her with Marla at the bingo hall. Rosemary became a security risk and had to go. He couldn’t stop once he was on a binge. He murdered that young girl a couple of weeks ago.”
His pointed glare at Marla told her his conclusion: you would have been next.
“Most of Carolyn’s antique jewelry was recovered from Sam’s house,” Marla added. “Her sister got a nice nest egg. Anyway, it’s over now.” She gave Vail a demure grin in an attempt to lighten his mood.
“You got that right.” He lifted a dish of sliced apples. “Didn’t you say we eat apples with honey on this holiday to ensure a year of sweetness?”
“So we do.” Her eyes met his, her gaze questioning.
Was that forgiveness she saw in his expression? Certainly he wouldn’t be stroking her leg under the table if he were still angry. When he lifted the corner of his mouth, she understood what he was asking in return.
She clutched at his hand for confidence. “Uh, we have an announcement to make. Dalton and I are engaged.”
She’d decided to take the plunge, despite the problems they still had to work out. Some risks were worth taking. Dalton and Brianna had become too much a part of her life to deny their importance any longer. Diving into the sea of matrimony came with its own responsibilities, but she wouldn’t face them alone. They’d fuse as a team and would come out stronger.
Dalton and Brianna gripped her hands on either side while her relatives showered them with congratulations. She shouldn’t have worried about her family’s reaction. All seemed genuinely happy for her.
“Have you set a date?” Michael asked.
“Not yet.” Although she’d made a commitment, Marla didn’t plan to rush into anything, either.
Anita beamed proudly. “Now you can join us at our reunion over Thanksgiving weekend,” she addressed Vail. “We’re getting together with our extended family. You’ll get the full initiation. Besides, it’ll be nice to get away. I haven’t taken a trip in a while.”
A trip…Why did those words bother her? Marla brushed aside her misgivings. Now was the time to forge a new future, not to look, back at the past. Although she and Dalton faced many challenges, they’d conquer them together. She wanted to experience all the joy their union offered.
Lifting her wineglass, she offered a toast. “May the New Year bring us peace, health, and happiness. L’chayim.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Having never before had a reading by a psychic, I was fascinated by the opportunities at Cassadaga, Florida. I consulted a woman who said many of the things Hazel told Marla, although I altered my own reading to suit the story. It was an educational experience, and although I subscribe to Marla’s healthy dose of skepticism, I’ll admit there are phenomena we can’t always explain.
Coming next in the Bad Hair Day series is Dead Roots, where Marla attends the family reunion mentioned in this tale. She encounters many surprises, not all of them pleasant, especially when the psychic’s predictions come true. Dalton Vail gets to meet her relatives, and that promises to be fun. Stay in touch for more details as they become available.
I love to hear from readers. Write to me at P.O. Box 17756, Plantation, FL 33318. Please enclose a self-addressed stamped #10 business-size envelope for a personal reply.
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BONUS RECIPE
SWEDISH MEATBALLS
12-oz bottle chili sauce
18-oz jar grape jelly
15-oz can tomato sauce
½ cup chopped onions
¼ cup marsala wine (optional)
1 large package frozen beef meatballs
(If you want to make your own, get one to two pounds of chopped lean beef, mix with one egg or more to moisten, a sprinkle of garlic powder, and ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs before forming into small balls).
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, mix together chili sauce, grape jelly, and tomato sauce until jelly is melted and ingredients blend. Then toss in onions and add wine if desired. When mixture is bubbly, add meatballs to coat. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Lift lid, being careful of steam, and stir periodically. For raw meatballs, simmer for up to an hour until meat is cooked through. For frozen meatballs, heat until defrosted and hot to the taste. Serve over cooked white rice. This recipe also makes a good party appetizer. If you are cooking from scratch, meatballs may be frozen with sauce.
Died Blonde Page 24