by Jenn Cowan
“Sorry about him. He’s having a rough day. One of our clie-I mean a friend of ours just passed away.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry.” Her blue eyes go as round as saucers and her jaw drops open. “Are you closing the spa for the rest of the day?”
I shake my head. “I canceled his day, but I’m still seeing clients and we’ve been without an esthetician for over three months so you have some eager ladies looking forward to seeing you.” I move around the desk and motion for her to follow me. “Let me give you a quick tour then you can get your room ready.”
The bell above the door chimes.
Mrs. Walls hobbles inside. Her short curly gray hair is windblown and her blue rain jacket is wet. I glance outside. It was sunny a minute ago and now, it’s really coming down. Gotta love spring in Missouri. “Autumn, I just heard the news about Jamie.” Then she lowers her voice and whispers, “And Josh.”
I force a smile, mentally yelling at Travis for questioning Josh at the spa. He knows better. It’s Daysville for goodness sake. Small town gossip spreads like fire doused in gasoline. “Mrs. Walls, this is Maggie, our new esthetician. She’ll be working on you after your massage today.”
Mrs. Walls smiles and her dentures almost fall out. She quickly turns her back to us. Her wrinkled face turning red.
“We’ll be right back, Mrs. Walls. Just make yourself comfortable.”
She waves us off.
I quickly give Maggie a tour of the spa and leave her in the purple room so she can prepare for Mrs. Walls’s appointment. Normally, I wouldn’t throw a new employee into working on her first day, but Maggie insisted on it. She was working at a spa in Florida and was looking for a change. My mother, God bless her, sold her on our little town and practically gave her the job before I even had a chance to run a background check. Hopefully, I won’t be regretting my quick decision, but I didn’t have anyone else inquiring about the job and we need an esthetician.
The bell above the door chimes again. It’s like Grand Central Station in here. I sigh and hurry back to the waiting room and am surprised to see the person smelling my sunflowers. “Violet, I heard about Jamie. How are you holding up?”
She steps back from the flowers and sniffles slightly before tucking a strand of short black hair behind her ear. “It’s such a shock. One minute she’s singing and the next she’s running to the bathroom. She was in there for a long time so I went to check on her…” Violet trails off then breaks down into tears.
I rush over to her and pull her into a hug. Her stiff floral dress scratches my skin, but I ignore it. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
She wipes her brown eyes, steps back and says, “Actually, is Josh around?”
It’s no secret she has a crush on Josh. If I didn’t know better I’d say she may even be in love with him. She’s been scheduling more hot stone massages with him lately and I don’t think it has anything to do with her back hurting from playing the piano. “He’s in the break room.” I glance at the door unsure of what to do. “I’ll let him know you’re here to see him.” I gesture to the couch as I head to the break room, wondering why she’s here.
I mean her friend just died and she found her body. Why she’s not curled up on her couch is beyond me. I guess if I lived where she does, I wouldn’t want to go home either. Why? She still lives at home, a home that’s literally falling apart and in need of a serious paint job. Not to mention, she lives with her father, who’s the town drunk. Her mother ran off when we were in elementary school. Why? Because her father’s a mean old Gus. Really, his name’s Gus and he’s mean and old. Here I am gossiping again. Sigh. I’ve been trying to give it up, but it’s really hard…especially in Daysville.
I poke my head in the break room and find Josh sitting on the couch staring off into space. He reminds me of myself when I found April a few months ago. I shake off the memory and focus on my BFF. “Josh, Violet’s here. She wants to see you.” I study him for a moment. “If you’re not up for visitors…”
He sighs and gets up. “No, it’s fine.”
“Are you sure?”
He nods and follows me out to the waiting room.
When Violet sees him, she pops up quickly from her seat and hurries toward him with a huge smile on her face. Oh yeah, the girl’s smitten. As she approaches Josh, she opens her mouth and ends up coughing and kind of gagging. “Can I bother you for a bottle of water? I’m really thirsty.”
He glances at me.
“We’re out at the moment. Sorry,” I tell her, thinking she looks a little pale.
“Oh.” She almost looks disappointed.
“Can we talk somewhere privately?” She glances back at Mrs. Walls, who’s pretending to read a magazine.
“Sure.” He motions for her to follow him.
I watch the two of them head to the break room.
“Autumn?”
I turn to see Mrs. Walls looking at me expectantly. Oh, right, I have a client. “Are you ready?” I force a smile.
She gives me a smirk. “You know he won’t wait forever, dear.”
“Excuse me.” My eyebrows shoot up past my bangs.
She simply smiles at me with a hint of mischief twinkling in her blue-gray eyes as she hobbles over to me and takes my arm. I know the changing weather has been bothering her hip so I gently place my hand on hers and help her toward the green room.
Josh comes around the corner with a frown on his face, but quickly smiles when he sees Mrs. Walls. “Here, let me help you.” He takes Mrs. Walls other hand and guides her into the room.
“Such a sweet boy.” She reaches up and pats his cheek then turns to face us as we stand next to each other outside the room. “And a handsome couple too.” Our faces must register surprise because she chuckles as she shuts the door.
I shake my head and turn to head to the front desk when Josh catches my arm.
“Autumn.”
I pause and turn toward him. He runs a hand through his dark hair. He’s nervous. Biting his lower lip. His blue eyes have lost their sparkle and look weary. “Everything ok with Violet?”
“Huh? Oh yeah. She’s using the restroom.” He swipes a hand down his face.
I reach out and take his hand. “Josh, it’ll be okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. Travis is just fishing. He did the same thing to me three months ago, remember?”
Josh nods, but doesn’t look convinced. “I-I-You’re not really going on a date with James, are you?”
I sigh. Here I thought he was worried about being accused of murder. “Yes, Josh I am. It’s time for me to move forward with my life. Now that I’ve resolved my issues with Travis, I think it’s time we both move on.”
“You and Travis?”
“Yes, but also you.”
“Me?” He furrows his brow and looks down at the ground.
I smirk and take his hand. “Josh, you’ve been taking care of me for practically my whole life. You helped me through my break-up with Travis and even sat with me on the sidelines while I nursed my broken heart. There’s a reason you decided to go out with Jamie, right?”
He nods slightly, but still keeps his eyes focused on his shoes.
“It’s time we both get back in the game.” I squeeze his hand. He gazes up at me. His eyes are glassy and he looks like someone stole his dog. “We need to do this.”
He pursues his lips and looks down at our clasped hands. For a moment, I think he’s going to say something, but he simply nods again, squeezes my hand and walks back to the break room.
I open my mouth to call out to him, but I’m not sure what to say. This is for the best. I don’t want to lose Josh as a friend and the past few months we’ve been off. Ever since Travis and I reconciled and Josh and I got into an argument about it, things have been different. I can’t explain it, but I don’t like it. Maybe me dating and hopefully him too, will get us back on track. At least I hope so.
I glance at the clock, it’s time to get to work. I forgo charting since Mrs.
Walls didn’t give me anything to go on anyway. I know her hip is bothering her so I’ll fill out her chart after her massage. I knock softly on the door and hear her murmur something so I figure it’s safe to proceed. She’s face down on the table. Her plump body is covered by a green sheet. I really need to talk with Sally about changing the décor of the spa.
Every room is a different color. At least this room has a more relaxing color. Sage green walls, sheets and worn rug with bamboo elements scattered around the room. It’s probably my favorite room and so far, no one has been murdered in it. I still hate working in the blue room, which is probably why Josh seems to use it more than I do. He’s a good friend. Mrs. Walls interrupts my thoughts as I place a heat pack on her back.
“Regina told me Travis was here, questioning Josh about Jamie. Is he a suspect?”
I sigh. “Travis is just following up on leads.”
“I heard Jamie and Josh were planning on going out tonight. Although my Crafty Crew and I were really surprised.”
I snort at her nickname for her craft group. “Why were you surprised?”
She sighs. “We thought you and Josh were dating. The spat you had at the café back in January looked like a jealous lover’s quarrel.”
“Jealous lover’s quarrel?” I shake my head at the crazy town gossip.
“Oh, yes dear, we all thought you and Josh were secretly dating, then when Travis came back into the picture, you two broke up. It’s the only reason Jamie finally asked him out. Everyone thought you two were an item.”
I huff out a laugh. “Josh and I are just friends. We’ve always been friends. Best friends. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“Well that’s a shame.”
I frown and change the subject. “How’s your hip feeling?”
“Oh, this weather really aggravates it.”
A knock on the door keeps me from responding. It better not be Dr. Gregory. I gave him a firm talking to about the importance of not interrupting me or Josh when we are with clients. I take a deep breath and try to calm my aggravation. “Excuse me.” I wipe my hands on a towel before cracking open the door. Josh is standing on the other side, wringing his hands.
“Sorry to interrupt. Violet is sick.”
“Okay.” I’m not sure why he’s telling me this. I peek over my shoulder and Mrs. Walls has lifted her head. She’s studying us so I step into the hallway and shut the door. “How sick is she?”
Beads of sweat are popping out on Josh’s forehead again. His blue eyes are filled with worry. “Really sick. She hasn’t stopped throwing up.”
“Where is she?”
He points down the hall toward the office. “Still in the bathroom. Maybe you can check on her or something. I can finish up with Mrs. Walls.”
I glance back at the closed door to the green room. “Okay,” I respond hesitantly, not really wanting to catch whatever Violet has or pass off my client to Josh when he’s an emotional wreck.
“Thanks.” He squeezes my arm then knocks on the door before disappearing into the green room.
I sigh and head toward the bathroom. Vomiting humans are not my favorite. I stop in front of the bathroom door. It’s quiet on the other side. “Violet.”
Nothing.
I knock. “Violet, Josh told me you aren’t feeling well.”
Silence.
A knot begins to form in my stomach as I hold my breath waiting for a sound of life. I remember the last time I knocked on a door and didn’t get an answer.
A groan comes from behind the door and I let out the breath I’m holding.
“Autumn, I think I need to go to the hospital.” Violet opens the door. Her face is pale like snowman color and her entire body is shaking. She opens her mouth to say something and collapses on top of me.
Not expecting this, I lose my footing and we both go down. My back hits the ground first. I cry out as pain shoots down my spine.
A door opens down the hall and footsteps pound toward us. “Autumn, what happened?” Josh crouches down and gives me a once over then glances at Violet.
Violet’s lying limp on top of me. I can’t tell if she’s breathing. I cough out, “Hospital, now.”
3
The smell of hospitals always makes my stomach turn. Antiseptic mixed with a hint of vomit or maybe it’s just the smell of vomit on my scrubs from Violet falling on top of me. I sniff my scrubs, yep it’s me. I glance over at Josh. His head is in his hands and he looks a little green. I hope whatever Violet has isn’t catching. I lean forward and cringe. My back is still throbbing from the fall although the ice pack one of the nurses gave me is helping. I reach for Josh’s hand and squeeze. “She’ll be alright.”
He shakes his head and sits up in the chair. “She was barely breathing when they brought her in, Autumn.”
“It’s probably just a stomach bug.”
“It was anything but a stomach bug,” a familiar voice says from behind us.
I turn to find Travis glaring at us. “What do you mean?”
“Violet was poisoned.”
“Poisoned,” I gasp.
“We believe with the same thing that poisoned Jamie.”
“But how?”
“We’re not sure. You didn’t give her any water, did you, Josh?”
Josh shakes his head. His face has lost all its coloring and his eyes are as wide as Frisbees. I focus back on Travis. His face is pinched, dark circles rim his eyes and he looks about ready to strangle someone. I think me, but I’ll keep an optimistic mind. I’m betting that between the poisonings and hearing about me going on a date with James, his day probably hasn’t been the best. “You took everything we have. We had just enough to get through the rest of the day. I always pick up more on my Saturday morning grocery run.
He snorts, but doesn’t say anything.
“Is Violet going to be okay?”
His green eyes practically burn a hole through me with the look he gives me. “She’s in the ICU, but Dr. Gregory thinks she’ll make a full recovery.”
I open my mouth, but am interrupted by yelling.
“Where’s my daughter?”
I turn to see old man Gus staggering into the waiting room. The smell of rum wafting off of him makes me want to gag. His bald head is gleaming off the fluorescent lights as he sways back and forth. He wipes his wrinkled mouth with the back of his dirty hand. His flannel shirt is wet and stained and his jeans are ripped at the knees. A young blond nurse in pink scrubs hurries over to help him or probably move him off the floor since his boots are tracking mud all over the hospital. That’s definitely not sanity.
“Where’s my Violet?” Gus slurs.
Travis steps forward and nods to the nurse, who blushes and hurries off. “Gus, Violet is resting. Let me take you home and bring you back once she wakes up.” He reaches out to take Gus’s arm, but Gus shrugs him off and flops down into a chair.
“I’m not leaving until I see my daughter.” He crosses his arms and juts out his chin like he’s a pouting two-year old. “Heard someone tried to poison her.”
Travis glares at Josh, who flinches like someone slapped him. “Violet was poisoned, but we won’t know anymore until we talk to her.”
“Why would someone harm my baby girl? She wouldn’t hurt a fly. Such a good girl,” Gus drops his head into his hands and begins to cry.
“We’re looking into it. Did Violet have any enemies?”
Gus shakes his head. “Everyone loves her. Her students, the parents, the church, the town. She’s always volunteering. Teaching piano at the middle school and playing the piano at the church. Is all excited about the talent show on Sunday. That Jamie girl, the other one who was poisoned, she and Violet were practicing a lot together. Do you think it was someone trying to stop the talent show?” Gus looks up at Travis like he’s had an epiphany and solved the case.
Travis pats Gus on the back. “We’re looking into every possible lead.”
Gus slumps down in the chair and leans his head back. Withi
n seconds, he’s out and soft snores escape from his mouth.
Travis heads to the nurse’s station while I focus on Josh. “Did Violet say anything before she went to the bathroom?”
Josh pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “She asked if I was alright.”
I frown. “Anything else?”
He shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “She asked if I had plans tonight.
“Plans?”
He nods.
“Huh.”
“What?”
“Seems kind of tacky and maybe too convenient she shows up shortly after Jamie dies to ask you out. What did you tell her?”
“That I didn’t.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“And what else?”
“Nothing. She opened her mouth to say something then covered it and ran to the bathroom.”
I lean back in the chair and cross my arms. Could Violet have poisoned Jamie and then accidently poisoned herself? It’s possible. Maybe she wanted Josh all to herself. Jealousy is a common motive and a big one.
“Autumn, what are you thinking? Josh bumps my shoulder with his.
“I think someone either tampered with the water bottles sitting in our fridge, which I doubt because we’d have a lot of dead clients on our hands if so.” I shiver at the thought then continue, “or someone slipped the antifreeze in at the church.”
“So once Travis tests the bottles, he’ll know the poison didn’t come from the spa. Then I’ll be cleared, right?” Josh perks up. His blue eyes hopeful.
I hate bursting his bubble, but I know how Travis thinks. “Unfortunately, no.”
“Why not?”
“Because Travis will say you slipped the antifreeze in without Jamie knowing. I wasn’t up front with you when you checked her out. You were alone, right?”
He nods.
“That means no one can give you an alibi for the five to seven minutes when Jamie’s getting dressed and you’re alone with her water bottle.”