Wave Good-Bye

by Lila Dare

  “Do you think Eve killed Lisa?” I asked as soon as we sat down.

  “No. I mean, I don’t think so, I mean, she could have, but…” Carol’s lower lip trembled. “I hate to think I’m working for a murderer.”

  “How did she act when she borrowed your car? Was she in a bad mood? Was that when she said she wanted Lisa’s baby born behind bars?”

  “No.” Carol took a big bite from her sandwich. “She said that when she heard about Lisa being pregnant. That was mad talk. She said that on Thursday, and she was over it by Friday. Except for the part about checking the books. Mrs. Goodman is a very nice boss. Understanding. When I asked her why she didn’t call the police right away when I told her, she said that she wanted to be sure. That anyone could come up short and borrow from the register. It happens in the other salons all the time. As for the invoices, well, sometimes there are discounts or special deals, like deducting the cost of shipping. Those can change the final payment amount. At least that’s what Mrs. Goodman said. She wanted to check everything over carefully before she gave the thief a chance to pay it back.”

  “But that never happened, right?”

  “Right.” Carol smashed several chips into her mouth.

  “Was it Lisa? Could Lisa have guessed that you were onto her?”

  Carol shook her head no, and a piece of orange barbecue chip fell from her bottom lip onto her sandwich. “Lisa paid no attention to me. I overheard her call me ‘the troll in the back who guards the gold.’ I was a nonperson to her.”

  “Who do you think killed Lisa Butterworth?” I picked up a slice of pickle and bit into it, savoring the way it made my mouth pucker.

  “I’m pretty sure it was Suzee Gaylord.”

  “Oh?”

  “The roof blew off on her duplex when Horatio hit. Turns out the shingles had been stapled on rather than nailed on like they were supposed to be. Happened to a lot of people. The building inspectors looked the other way. Rain soaked the entire place and ruined all their appliances. Of course, all that wetness caused mold to grow. Suzee’s daughter has asthma, so she has had to move out and stay in a cheap motel until a contractor can clean the mold out.”

  “So she’s paying for her duplex and for a motel room?”

  “Uh-huh. Suzee’s tried to track down the builder, but he’s long gone.” Carol’s straw gurgled as she chugged the last of her soft drink. “I know she’s behind on her credit card payments. Creditors call the salon all the time and ask for Suzee. So maybe she was taking money from the till and skimming the invoices—and maybe Lisa figured it out. Or maybe Suzee just wanted Lisa’s job.”

  “As manager? The job that Eve Sebastiani Goodman gave me?”

  “Could be. That’d help her get out of hock. All I’m sayin’ is that if I were you, I’d watch my back.”

  Chapter Forty-nine

  SUZEE HAD MANAGED TO AVOID ME MOST OF THE morning, but that was easy for her because we were both busy. At one point, she disappeared from the floor. When she returned, she was talking with Eve. Whatever they were discussing, Suzee seemed pleased. In fact, her face beamed with joy.

  Mom, Stella, and Althea came in as a group to fill out job applications. Stella stood at the counter with eyes wide as bread plates, gazing in wonder at the workstations and the displays. Althea acted as if she’d had a cool infusion, disregarding her surroundings entirely. Mom glanced around and smiled. I took all of them into the back. Eve stopped her work to say hello and encourage them to join the Snippets’ crew.

  “But when Violetta’s opens, we’ll go back there,” said Althea, her jaw jutting out defiantly.

  Mom smiled at her friend.

  Today Althea was dressed in bright green, bright red, bright yellow, and bright orange stripes broken by fields of black. The high collar on her long robe suggested a priest’s clerical neckline, but the addition of a large pendant quickly set the record straight. “Can we take our customers back to Violetta’s when we go?”

  “Absolutely. I told Mrs. Terhune and Grace Ann as much,” said Eve. “I realize this might well be only a stopgap measure. On the other hand, whether it’s permanent or not, I can offer a competitive plan of benefits.” Reaching down into the desk drawer, she pulled out two four-color brochures outlining the many advantages that Snippets offered their personnel.

  I could tell that Althea was impressed because she didn’t automatically toss the paper into the trash. She’s not one for using her words when her actions will do. Stella kept swallowing, her Adam’s apple bobbing like a kite in the wind. “We would get all of these benefits? You mean I can add my daughter and husband to my insurance?”

  “Of course, if you decide to stay longer than ninety days. That’s the insurance company’s decision, not mine.”

  Stella’s stiff posture buckled with relief. Her fingers loosened their grip on the denim skirt she was wearing.

  Mom sighed. “That’s a much better compensation package than I’ve ever been able to offer.”

  Eve nodded. “Mrs. Terhune, it’s strictly a matter of economies of scale. If we weren’t so big, I couldn’t do as much. There are negatives as well as positives to a large company, as I’m sure Grace Ann has pointed out, since she worked at Sassoon.”

  “How come you’re doing this? Being so nice to us and all? Do you have a guilty conscience?” Althea’s eyes hardened as she stared at Eve.

  “Of course I do. What Lisa did was wrong. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I can’t change the past. I can’t really make it up to you. Grace Ann took me to Violetta’s today and I apologized to Mrs. Terhune in person, but that’s hardly enough, is it?”

  “So you’re trying to make amends? And this is it?” Althea drew herself up to her full height. As a tall woman with regal bearing, she could be intimidating.

  Was she planning to lambast Eve? Climb all over my new boss? Turn on me and chew me out for ruining Mom’s business? Althea’s loyalty was unquestionable, as was her twenty-five years of friendship with Mom. They’d been through the deaths of their husbands, raising children as single moms, struggling to keep roofs over their families’ heads, and now, was this the end of the road?

  “That’s mighty nice of you,” said Althea. “You can’t be blamed for what Lisa Butterworth did.”

  I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath, but suddenly, I blew out a long exhale. As I did, a movement to the left caught my eye. Special Agent John Dillon walked in on us, flashing his badge. “Eve Goodman? You’re under arrest for the murder of Lisa Butterworth. Please come with me.”

  Chapter Fifty

  EVE HELD HIS GAZE AND DID NOT BLINK. SLOWLY, she got to her feet before turning her head toward me in that somnambulant manner of a sleepwalker. “Grace Ann, you’re in charge while I’m gone. I stand by any decisions that you make on my behalf,” Eve said. “Please tell Wynn what happened, and tell him not to worry about me. He should be here shortly. Tell him everything will be all right. Promise me!”

  “Of course,” I said. My mouth had turned so dry that talking was hard.

  “I’d rather not handcuff you.” Marsh’s eyes turned navy blue with intensity.

  “You don’t need to. I won’t run or make any fuss,” she said. “May I call my attorney from your car?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  All in all, it was probably the most civilized arrest in the history of St. Elizabeth.

  Mom, Stella, Althea, and I sat there, stunned.

  As they walked toward the back door, Eve turned toward Marsh to ask, “May I speak to our accountant for a moment? I don’t want this week’s paychecks to be late.”

  Mom’s jaw dropped. So did mine. Eve’s ability to think about her employees at a time like this totally astonished both of us.

  “If you can make it fast,” said Marsh, turning back to glance at me, his expression unreadable.

  I shook my head and mouthed, “She didn’t do it.”

  He shook his head and turned away.

  “Can y
ou believe that?” Althea found her voice.

  “No. He’s got the wrong person.”

  “He’ll figure that out. Agent Dillon is a good man,” Mom said.

  “Does that mean we aren’t hired?” asked Stella. “I hate to sound selfish, but I could sure use the money.”

  “The salon needs you and I’m in charge. Come on, let’s talk to Carol. She’ll know how to get you onto the payroll.”

  Carol blubbered like a baby. Snot ran down her nose and dripped onto the computer printouts in front of her. “Sh-sh-she is so brave! I can’t believe she did it, can you?”

  “No, I can’t.” I tactfully pointed to the mess she was making of the printouts, and Carol mopped up after herself. Before introducing Stella, Althea, and Mom, I said, “Eve told me that I was in charge while she’s gone.”

  Carol nodded. “She told me the same thing. Said that your word was to be obeyed as if it were hers. She said she had complete and total faith in you.”

  That hit me like a sock to the gut. I stood there speechless until Althea elbowed me. I introduced the crew from Violetta’s, and Carol began putting together the tax forms and whatnot that each woman would need.

  “I better get out on the salon floor and talk to the troops. I’ll call each of you tonight and talk to you about your schedule.”

  “Better yet,” said Mom. “Why don’t all of us text message you with the hours we’re not available? That would make life easier for you.”

  I agreed, gave her a hug, and left my old coworkers to comfort the new ones.

  The stylists stood in a clutch at the center of the salon. Suzee Gaylord sobbed, Vinny looked like he wanted to bolt, Corina was pale as the tip of a French manicure, Taffy seemed uncharacteristically rattled. That’s when I realized that Agent Dillon must have walked Eve around the front of the building to get into his GBI-issued Crown Victoria.

  “Everyone?” I beckoned them closer to me with my hand. “Agent John Dillon took Eve away, as you probably saw. I believe she’s innocent, and I imagine you do, too. In the meantime, she put me in charge—”

  Vinny interrupted, “She stuck her head in the front door and told us that.”

  “Okay, so I know it’s tough on you, but we need to carry on. It’s bad enough that Eve’s, um, under suspicion, but if we do our jobs, the business won’t suffer, right?”

  I expected Suzee to give me grief, but she didn’t. “That’s right. We can’t help Eve. Not right now, at least. But we can do our jobs the way she expects us to.”

  With that, the group broke up and meandered off to their workstations. Mom came up from the back. “We’ve signed everything. Is there anything I can do?”

  “I have no idea how to cope with this, Mom.”

  She put a hand on my shoulder. “Be honest. Be fair. Be patient.”

  “Okay.”

  “And I’ll go get donuts.”

  “Donuts?”

  Her soft blue eyes winked at me. “Can’t hurt.”

  Chapter Fifty-one

  WITH THE NEWS OF EVE’S ARREST, EVERYONE IN town suddenly needed a haircut. We were booked solid for the next two days within the first half hour—and the phones continued to ring.

  “This isn’t working,” I said to Corina as I hurried through another call. “I have an idea.”

  Racing to the back room, I found Carol. “Can my mother, Althea, and Stella start work right away? We really need the help.”

  “Sure. I can process their paperwork later,” said Carol.

  Once I explained the situation, Mom and Stella offered to pitch in. Althea had a doctor’s appointment in Savannah and would be gone all day.

  “But I can probably come early tomorrow,” she promised me as she gave me a good-bye hug.

  Racing out to the salon floor, I stopped by Suzee Gaylord’s station and explained to her what I’d done. She agreed with my decision, her scissors flashing as she texturized a woman’s hair. “You can put someone at the station next to me. That way if there’s any question about supplies, I can help out.”

  Whatever animosity she’d harbored toward me, she’d put behind her. I admired her professionalism, and as soon as I had the chance, I planned to tell her so.

  I took the one other empty station and soon had Becky Yoder in my chair. Mrs. Yoder had been a regular at Violetta’s. Once she recovered from the shock of seeing me here at Snippets, she started yakking a blue streak. “It’s all over the news, Grace Ann. So that Eve woman killed poor Lisa Butterworth? I hope she fries for it. I really do. The Bible says an eye for an eye.”

  “I don’t believe for a minute that Eve hurt Lisa,” I said. “You want your roots touched up?”

  “Yes, please. The police must think she did it, elsewise why did they take her in?” demanded Mrs. Yoder as I combed through her hair.

  “Should I trim up the ends for you? People are innocent until proven guilty. I assume they had probable cause to arrest her, but probable cause isn’t the same as a conviction. They might very well decide to let her go after they question her.”

  “Do the ends and tidy up my neckline, please. I like it shaved into a point, remember? If she didn’t do it, who did?”

  “If I knew, I’d tell them,” I said. “Let me grab some coloring from the back.”

  When I got to the back, Mom was there, so I joined her in the search for the proper product.

  “Grace Ann! Where is Eve? I’ve been calling her for hours!” Wynn sounded frantic.

  “Mama, I’d like you to meet Wynn Goodman,” I said.

  My mother had never met Wynn, but the sight of him brought her up short. You’d have to be dead and in your grave two weeks not to get all excited by a man that good-looking. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, I would have been rolling on the floor laughing at her expression.

  “How do, ma’am? You have the most beautiful, talented daughter!” Wynn’s face changed in a heartbeat as he grabbed her hand and kissed it gallantly. “I am so happy to meet you. What brings you here today? You visiting?”

  “Mom’s here to help out. Wynn, we need to talk,” I said. “Mom? Becky Yoder’s out there. Would you go get her roots started for me?” I tossed my mother the coloring solution. “There’s a smock for Mrs. Yoder on the hangers in the closet to your left.”

  Once Mom was on her way, I took Wynn back to the manager’s office. “Special Agent John Dillon came by.”

  “Not him again!” Wynn groaned.

  “And arrested her for Lisa’s murder.”

  “No!” Wynn wailed.

  “Hush! Eve told me to tell you not to worry. She was going to call the attorney, and I’m sure he’ll be able to—”

  “No, no, no!” bawled the big blond hunk sitting across from me. “Don’t you see? This is all my fault. What am I going to do? I’m lost without her.”

  “Get your head on straight. If you really want to help your wife, stop thinking about yourself. Think about what you can do for her! And your baby!”

  Wiping his face on his sleeve, he nodded. “You’re right. I should have called the attorney the minute they came to the door.”

  “Came to what door?”

  “Of our hotel room. The manager was with them. They had a search warrant.”

  “When was this? Today?”

  “No, yesterday. But I didn’t want to worry her.”

  “Did they take anything?”

  “Yes. A black hoodie.”

  Chapter Fifty-two

  BY TWO O’CLOCK MY BLOOD SUGAR HAD PLUMMETED, and I felt woozy. Mom took one look at me and said, “Go get something to eat. Bring back a sandwich for me.”

  I hated to leave my chair, but I wasn’t thinking clearly, and that’s not a great idea when you’ve got a sharp pair of scissors in your hand. “Let Suzee know if you need anything.”

  Mom frowned. “Where did Wynn go?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. He went back to talk to Carol for a minute, and then he was gone.”

  “Grace Ann, I have to say
that he is the handsomest man I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

  “You’ve got that right,” said Mabel Flanders, who sat beneath my mother’s nimble fingers as she put curling rods into the customer’s hair. If Mabel felt at all embarrassed about leaving my mother after twenty years of service, she hid it well. “I saw that young man’s photo on the TV when they was reporting about arresting his wife. Whooee. He sure is pretty!”

  I shot Mom a “let’s not talk about this right now” look and hightailed it for Subway.

  As I counted out change for the cashier, Agent Dillon stepped up behind me. “Got a minute?”

  “How’d you find me?” I followed him to a back table. “My mother?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I took one seat and he sat down across from me. “She didn’t do it.”

  “I figured you say that.”

  “So she owns a black hoodie. Big deal. I bet half the people under forty in this town have a dark-colored sweatshirt with a hood.”

  “Right. But hers happened to have hairs from Lisa Butterworth’s head on it.”

  “So? If you didn’t notice, Eve owns a hair salon. Coming home with stray hairs on you is part of the gig!”

  He cleared his throat. “Grace Ann, I bet very few of the hairs on your clothes have follicles attached to them. I seriously doubt you yank them out of your client’s head in a clump, do you?”

  “Oh.”

  “Eat your lunch. Your mama also told me to make sure you ate before you came back. If you don’t mind, I’ll grab a sandwich and join you.”

  My turkey tasted like paste in my mouth. Usually, I love pickles, but today, they held little appeal. By the time Marsh sat back down, I’d pretty much given up on my food.

  “You have to eat to keep up your strength. You can’t help your friend if you aren’t thinking clearly,” he said as he bit into a meatball sub.

  “Be careful. You’re going to get that on your tie.” I reached over and moved the silk, pressing it gently against his chest. Even without touching his flesh, my fingers started tingling.