Hazard in the Horoscope

by Kari Lee Townsend

  Our gazes met in the mirror. “Well, you probably know that Winterfest is going on. I saw this really pretty shade of blond from a distance. I thought maybe it was a wig, but I couldn’t quite tell. I asked my hair stylist, Raoulle at Pump Up the Volume, and he said they don’t make wigs in Divinity. He gave me your name and shop, and said you did fabulous work.”

  Renee relaxed slightly, then slid the wig on my head. “You can’t tell my wigs aren’t the real deal,” she said with pride. “But I haven’t sold a blond wig or any other color to anyone in Divinity.”

  “Oh.” I couldn’t hide the disappointment from my voice. “I was hoping to replicate that particular wig.”

  “I’m sure we can find one you’ll like. Oh, wait right here. I just remembered something.” She headed into another storage room and emerged moments later with a blond wig that had my heartrate speeding up.

  It was the same color as the hair sample from the café.

  “I think that’s it!” I sat up straighter.

  “I didn’t sell this wig in Divinity. I sold it to Nancy Culligan. She lives here in Stillwater. Poor thing has breast cancer. She beat it, thank the Lord, but her hair hasn’t grown back in yet. I made her one when she first got cancer, but she lost it. How on earth you lose a wig is beyond me, but I was able to make her another one the same color as the first one. Except, she wanted this one longer. This here’s a backup, just in case. I took it for a test drive, and no one was the wiser. Now that her hair is growing back, I’m sure it would be okay if you took this one.”

  Interesting. I wondered just where that test drive she’d taken had been. “Have you ever been to Divinity?”

  “Just once recently.” A sad expression crossed over her face for a moment, and she visibly blinked back what appeared to be genuine tears. “After a funeral.”

  “Oh, I’m so terribly sorry. Who died?”

  She looked me square in the eye as she responded, “My almost-fiancé.”

  “Um, dare I ask?” Mitch looked up from our kitchen table. He was eating a sandwich. I’d been gone all morning and hadn’t expected to run into him.

  “Oh, you’re home. I didn’t think I would see you until dinner.”

  “Why, got a hot date, Natasha?”

  I wrinkled up my nose at him. “What are you talking about?”

  He pointed to my head. “You look like a Russian spy.” Then he took another bite of his sandwich.

  I reached my hand up and laughed. “I forgot I was wearing this.” I pulled the long blond wig off.

  “Ah, that explains a lot.” He studied my chopped hair and then squinted. “Actually, no, it doesn’t. Looks like you had an eventful morning.”

  I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. “Whoops, I definitely forgot about my new haircut. I know, it looks awful.”

  “I’d call it a mid-life crisis, but you’re too young for that.” His gaze softened. “You couldn’t look awful if you tried, but would you care to explain?”

  My insides warmed. No matter what, my grumpy detective always made me feel beautiful and loved. That had never been our problem. Aligning our future goals was the elephant in the room. I bit back a sigh and responded, “Actually, yes, I will definitely respond. But first,” I slid his plate in front of me, “I’m starved.”

  His lips twitched but he didn’t move to stop me as I dug in with relish, closing my eyes as I chewed. He chuckled, then I heard him slide his chair back and make another sandwich. We both knew I couldn’t do much more than boil water for my tea.

  I opened my eyes. “Thank you. And, Mitch?” I waited until his eyes met mine. “I love you.”

  He stared at me for a long moment, then sat down to join me. “I know. Ditto, babe.”

  “I really am sorry for scaring you the other day.”

  He nodded once. “Apology accepted. And I’m sorry for shutting you out. I’m working on that.”

  “I know, and I appreciate that. And for the record I’m impulsive, yes, but I try not to be reckless. We’re a team. You have to start treating me like an equal and stop trying to protect me from the world.”

  “I only do that because it would kill me if anything bad ever happened to you.” He reached out and squeezed my hand. “I can’t even think about what my life would be like if I lost you.” We were suddenly talking about more than the snowmobile race with me following Ray.

  “I know,” I answered the first part of his response, but left the second part lingering. I couldn’t promise him forever if we couldn’t come to terms on what we wanted our future to look like. I wanted children, he didn’t seem to. I could compromise on having just one, but I didn’t think I could live without any. The question was, could I live without him? I couldn’t imagine that either, so I turned the conversation to a less troubling topic.

  “So, I got my hair cut today.”

  A loud laugh burst out of Mitch’s chest, and I couldn’t help smiling in return.

  “Is that what you’re calling it?”

  “I had free time on my hands today, but a certain detective didn’t want to bring me with him to see Captain Walker. So, I went to the café and drank some tea.”

  “What the heck was in that tea to possess you to get your hair cut like that?”

  “Blond hair.”

  His lips parted, and his confused expression was priceless.

  “I ran into Nancy. She told me that the blond hair from the crime scene was from a wig.”

  He was already nodding. “Pretty much what Captain Walker told me.”

  “That’s where the hair butchering comes in. I went to see Raoulle at the salon, but the place was packed. He refused to talk to me unless I got a haircut from him.”

  Mitch drew his jet-black brows into a deep V. “Remind me never to get a haircut from him again.”

  “No kidding. That man gives a new meaning to the expression ‘talk with your hands.’ Not a very smart thing to do when holding a pair of scissors. Anyway, I learned from Raoulle that the only place to buy a wig is in Stillwater.”

  “Ah, I’m guessing that’s where that wig you had on comes into play?”

  “Exactly. I went to see Renee Jordan at Styles by Renee in Stillwater.” I waited for the lecture and was surprised when I didn’t get one.

  He read my expression correctly and responded, “I’m trying.”

  “And I thank you for that.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Renee said the only blond wig she has sold recently belongs to a cancer patient named Nancy Culligan who lives in Stillwater. The biggest thing I learned is that Renee Jordan was Gunther Corp’s ex-girlfriend.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?” I should have known. It was hard to surprise my detective. He was very good at his job.

  “I talked to Juan as soon as I left Captain Walker’s office.”

  “Renee did say she was in Divinity for Gunther’s funeral. She also admitted to taking the wig for a test drive, but she didn’t say where. Maybe she wore the wig when she came to Divinity and broke into the businesses to try to frame the Rebel Riders. She said her boyfriend dumped her for a married woman. She also made it clear she hated his right-hand man. I’m taking that to mean Ray. Although, she claims she hasn’t been back to Divinity since, but she could be lying.”

  “You might be right. She very well could be behind the break-ins. I’ll have to look into that more. Thank you. Good work, Tink.”

  My chest swelled with pride. “You’re welcome, Detective.” My heart warmed.

  Progress.

  “So, what are your plans right now? I still have half an hour before I have to get back to work.”

  “Nothing why?”

  “Follow me, Natasha,” his gaze ran over every inch of me and heated as he added, “and grab your wig.”

  For the first time, I didn’t argue and did exactly as I was told.

  Later that night, Detective Stone and I headed to Divine Inspiration for dinner. The inn was pretty full with the overflow from the festival sta
ying there. My father and Henry were in their glory, telling stories by the fire, dressed in slacks and cozy sweaters. They had half a circle of guests giving them their undivided attention in the living room. Great-Grandma Tootsie, Granny Gert, and Fiona were hard at work in the kitchen preparing dinner, while my mother fretted about, double-checking everything with Sally Clark the housekeeper, who was my mother’s sanity. The woman ran the inn like a well-oiled machine, and was the only competent employee other than Toots that my mother had.

  Her words, not mine.

  “What can I do, Mother?” I asked, feeling the need to at least pretend to help.

  “Enjoy yourself, my darling. We’ve got everything under control.” She stood ramrod straight with perfect posture, impeccably dressed. “Don’t we, Ms. Clark?”

  Sally nodded sharply, then gave me a wink the second my mother looked away. I mouthed a thank you to her, then breathed the first sigh of relief I’d felt all week. At least something was going right. I was worried we were running into dead ends on all our leads. There was no way to prove that Ray or Kristen had killed Gunther.

  The same went for Renee. She might have been in Divinity, but if she wore a wig, then no one would be able to point her out in a lineup. She said she was there for the funeral, that’s it. There was no way to prove she was there before and killed Gunther, or that she came back later to do the break-ins and frame the Rebel Riders.

  That was why Mitch and I had chosen to eat with my parents tonight. Neither one of us could bear to face Jo and Cole without any more encouraging news. And we really did feel bad about not being able to help my parents more on their new endeavor, with the investigation still going on.

  Granny Gert came out of the kitchen to announce that dinner was ready and would be served in the dining room. We all headed to that room and took our seats.

  “Sunshine Meadows, where are your manners?” my mother asked me in front of everyone, shaking her head and tsking.

  I felt the heat hit my ears this time. “Um, I’m not sure what you mean, Mother?” I folded my hands, prepared to say grace.

  My father tapped his head, and I stifled a groan.

  Great. This day just kept getting better and better. I slowly reached up and pulled off my white beanie.

  “Boys oh day, what happened to your hair, child?” Great-Grandma Tootsie asked, and nearly dropped the rack of lamb. Ralph quickly grabbed the tray from her, staying by her side to make sure she didn’t faint straight away.

  “Oh, my word,” Fiona sputtered. “These kids and their crazy styles these days.”

  “Land sake’s, child, that’s one fad I will not be following.” Granny Gert patted her perfectly styled snow-white curls.

  “Are you truly trying to give me a heart attack?” my mother sputtered.

  Just then the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it!” I shouted, and took off for the front door. Saved by the bell.

  I opened the door without looking through the peephole, then gasped at the sight before me. Kristen Peters stood there with tears streaming down her face.

  “I need to see my husband, please.”

  Well, at least the attention will be off of me, was all I could think as I led the way into the dining room. All heck broke loose at that point.

  The giant known as Ralph barked, “What the hell are you doing here?”

  16

  The minute that Ralph realized Kristen was crying, his entire demeanor had changed. Even after all she’d put him through, he obviously still loved her. They’d been talking in the library for the past hour while we finished dinner and cleaned up. None of the guests knew what was going on, but the rest of us did. Everyone dispersed, retiring to their rooms, while the rest of us congregated in the living room, waiting.

  “What on earth do you think this is about?” my father asked.

  “Nothing good if you ask me,” my mother responded. “We don’t need any more drama around here.” She eyed my hair.

  I slid my knit hat back on.

  “Nonsense,” Granny Gert chimed in. “You know what they say about publicity. Even negative publicity is a good thing.”

  “That’s true,” Fiona added. “At least people will be talking about the inn.”

  “All I know is that poor man has been through enough.” Great-Grandma Tootsie added her two cents. “He’s just a big ole’ teddy bear. I’d hate to see him get hurt again.”

  The door to the library opened, and Ralph came out holding Kristen’s hand. “My wife would like to stay here if that’s all right with you.” He looked at my mother.

  “We’re fully booked.” My mother eyed Kristen warily.

  He pulled Kristen closer. “She’ll be staying with me.”

  “Well, that’s settled then. I’ll get some tea.” Toots headed to the kitchen, humming show tunes all the way.

  Detective Stone pulled out his notebook and looked at Kristen. “You mind if I ask you some questions?”

  “She’s been through enough for one night,” Ralph grumbled.

  “It’s okay. I want to talk to the detective.” Kristen squeezed her husband’s hand, then let go and sat in a chair in the living room.

  Mitch took a seat on the couch across from her, and I sat beside him. He looked around the room and raised an eyebrow, waiting. Everyone else took the hint and left the room.

  Scanning his notes, Mitch said, “Last time I talked to you, you said you were afraid of your husband.” He looked up at the giant. “No offense.”

  Ralph remained silent.

  “I was afraid of him because he was so angry when he found out about my affair with Gunther.”

  “Renee Jordan was the one who tipped me off,” Ralph added. “She was pretty upset, and took the breakup hard.”

  Mitch and I glanced at each other. Hard enough to kill over? We filed that tidbit away, then focused back on Ralph.

  “I was angry. My wife had every right to be afraid of me then, even though I would never actually hurt her. But I’m different now. I understand I played a role in our problems. I wasn’t around much.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “I wasn’t a very good husband.”

  “I don’t blame you for being angry with me.” Kristen reached out and took his hand in hers. “I never should have turned to someone else. I should have just talked to you.”

  “You said Ray Simone was a friend of yours. That you were staying with him for your safety. Why did that change? Do you no longer feel safe with him?” I asked, pulling out my own notebook and jotting down notes.

  Detective Stone’s lips tipped up just a hair as he glanced at my notebook, but he didn’t dare make a comment.

  “I thought Ray was a friend,” Kristen said, “but he wasn’t.” She shivered. “He’s always been jealous of Gunther. He has wanted to be the leader of the Rebel Riders for years. Now that Gunther is gone, Ray is letting the power trip get to his head. Wayne Emerson wasn’t the violent one. Yes, he made a pass at me, but Ray was the one who went crazy smashing the wood.”

  I knew there had been something off about him. I jotted notes in my book.

  “Why did you lie about that before?” Mitch looked up from his own.

  She inhaled a shaky breath. “Because I knew if I said the truth, Ray would hurt me without thinking twice.” Ralph squeezed her hand.

  “Who was the other woman at the cabin?” I asked. “I didn’t recognize her. She looked… fancy.”

  “I don’t know who she is. Ray has many women who visit him. I asked him about it once, and he told me to mind my own business. So that’s what I did. There are a ton of people from towns all over who come to the festival. She could be from anywhere.” Kristen rubbed her temple. “Although, come to think of it, I haven’t seen her around since the day of the race.”

  “Did you lie about the Rebel Riders, too? Are they the ones behind the break-ins?” Mitch watched her closely.

  Kristen was already shaking her head. “Honestly, I haven’t seen the gang around at all sinc
e Gunther died. That’s another thing that’s making Ray come unhinged. The gang doesn’t take him seriously like they did Gunther. I think they’ve moved on without him.”

  “So, if strong-arming businesses for protection is a thing of the past, then what’s Ray’s next plan?”

  “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.” She let go of Ralph’s hand and twisted hers in her lap. Mitch remained silent, just studying her. “I’m tired now. Can we be done?” She looked up at Ralph. “I’d like to go to our room.”

  “Yeah, we’re done.” He gave Mitch a hard stare, then helped Kristen to her feet and showed her to their room.

  Great-Grandma Tootsie came out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of tea and several mugs. She looked around the room. “Oh, the poor dear must have been worn out. Anyone else care for tea?”

  Worn out and lying through her teeth, I thought. Ray was up to something, all right, but Kristen was too afraid to say what. Afraid enough to return to her husband after cheating on him. The question was what exactly was he up to? Nothing like a cup of tea to help me ponder. “Thank you, Toots. I’d love some tea.”

  “How about you, Detective?” Toots asked.

  “I’ll take a raincheck.” His gaze met mine. “There’s somewhere I have to be, and it might take all night. Don’t wait up.” His gaze pleaded with me for understanding, and I nodded once. Duty called, and I had some thinking of my own to do.

  It was the middle of the night. I was tossing and turning with the worst feeling in my gut. I’d been having bad dreams all night but couldn’t seem to remember the details. Everything was fuzzy. My head felt all spacy. Maybe I was coming down with a cold. Something pounced on my chest. I gasped and bolted straight up to a sitting position.

  Morty.

  I let out a huge sigh of relief, then scowled at my cat. He was so white in the darkness, he almost appeared to be glowing.

  “Morty Meadows, you’d better have a good explanation for scaring me half to death.” He climbed off my chest.