“What about the store?”
“It’s too hot for anyone to come into the store,” Maddie said. “Once we get the air conditioners, more people will be willing to brave the shop.”
“Why are you going to the salon?”
“Um … I just want to get my hair trimmed up a little bit,” Maddie replied evasively.
“You mean you want to make sure you’re looking good for when Nick comes calling,” Maude supplied.
“That is not true,” Maddie protested.
“Oh, whatever,” Maude said. “You just got your hair trimmed two weeks ago.”
“Fine. I don’t have to go to the salon. We can leave first thing in the morning.”
“No, you’re going to the salon,” Maude said.
Maddie arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Make sure you get your eyebrows waxed while you’re there,” Maude said. “You need to look perfect when destiny comes knocking.”
Maddie stuck her tongue out at her grandmother.
“Brush your teeth, too,” Maude said, ignoring the gesture. “Use a lot of mouthwash. You don’t get a second chance to do a first kiss the right way.”
“Thank you, Granny,” Maddie said.
“Oh, and shave your legs.”
“Okay.” Maddie snatched the bottle of bourbon from the table. “You’re done with this for the night.”
Maude blew an unladylike raspberry in Maddie’s direction. “You might want to buy some cuter underwear, too.”
Can people die of embarrassment? Maddie was worried she was about to find out. “I’m going to bed.”
“Sweet dreams,” Maude chortled. “Or, in your case, naughty dreams.”
“Granny!”
Four
“Well, girl, you are a sight for sore eyes.”
Christy Ford was five feet and five inches of enthusiasm wrapped in a busty read-headed package. When she caught sight of Maddie slipping through the front door of her salon the next morning, she was on the willowy blonde and welcoming her with a warm hug before Maddie could even catch a breath.
“It’s good to see you,” Maddie said, laughing despite herself.
When they’d been in high school together a decade before, Christy had been one of the few girls Maddie had gotten along with. Most of the others were minions of Marla Proctor, Blackstone Bay’s resident mean girl, and Marla hated Maddie with a passion. Marla enjoyed torturing weaker girls, and Maddie and Christy both fell into that category as teenagers. While Maddie and Christy hadn’t been close friends, they had never been enemies either. Once Maddie returned to Blackstone Bay, Christy had turned her into a pet project, and the two had struck up a fast friendship.
Maddie was genuinely fond of the woman, and she was forever thankful for the friendship she’d been offered without question or reserve.
“Come and sit down,” Christy said, gesturing to her station. Christy was the owner of Cuts & Curls, buying it from the former proprietor a few years before. It was Blackstone Bay’s only salon, and with that, Christy had a certain amount of power and standing in town. She loved lording it over people, too. “What are you here for?”
“Just a trim,” Maddie said.
“Didn’t you just get a trim a few weeks ago?”
“I … yeah,” Maddie said. “The ends are just a little ragged, though. Oh, and Maude says I need to get my eyebrows done.”
Christy snickered. “No problem.” She draped a frock over Maddie to protect her clothing. “So, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“You almost died,” Christy said. “If Nick hadn’t found you … .” She broke off, glancing over her shoulder quickly before lowering her mouth to Maddie’s ear. “Cassidy is in the back. Be careful.”
Maddie froze. The last thing she wanted to do was run into Nick’s girlfriend. “Maybe I should come back later.”
Christy shook her head. “No. That will just make her suspicious.”
“What does she have to be suspicious about?” Maddie squeaked.
Christy shot her a knowing look in the mirror. “Who do you think you’re trying to fool?”
Christy had been pushing Maddie in Nick’s direction with the same amount of force Maude had been simultaneously shoving her. Christy was convinced Nick and Maddie were soul mates, and she’d made her opinion on Cassidy’s future pretty obvious.
“I … .”
“Just sit there and let me cut your hair,” Christy ordered. “Tell me what the latest is on Todd Winthrop.”
Maddie scowled. In addition to being a murderer, Todd had also been a local celebrity. His arrest was still the cream of the gossip crop in Blackstone Bay. The fact that he’d enlisted a high school standout to help him with his murderous plans only made things that much more titillating.
“He’s being held in the county jail,” Maddie said. “He says he’s being framed, but they found a lot of evidence in Dustin’s house, and Dustin is trying to get a deal so he’s been telling the cops everything. Nick says it’s open and shut.”
“That’s good,” Christy said, fluffing the top of Maddie’s hair. “Are you having nightmares?”
“I did the first few nights,” Maddie admitted. “I haven’t had one in more than a week, though.”
“That’s good, right?”
“It is.”
“How have you guys been dealing with the heat?” Christy asked.
“Not well,” Maddie said. “Maude is about to have a meltdown. We’re going to Traverse City this afternoon. I’m buying her dinner and air conditioners.”
“Well, that sounds fun,” Christy said, smiling.
“Then I’m telling it wrong.”
“How are … other things?” Christy asked, scanning the space behind her to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Cassidy’s eyes were trained on them, but she was too far away to hear the chatter.
“Do you know Tara Warner?”
“The woman from the flower shop? Yeah. She comes in every few weeks for a cut. Why?”
Maddie told Christy about Tara’s bleak reading, being careful to keep her voice low and the story short. “What do you think?”
“I think I see another adventure in our future,” Christy teased.
“Absolutely not,” Maddie said, shaking her head.
“Hold your head still,” Christy ordered. “Do you want me to cut all of your hair off?”
Maddie instantly stilled. “We are not going on another adventure.”
“We’ll see,” Christy teased. “I’ll see what I can find out about Tara, though. She’s pretty quiet. I’ve never heard of anyone having a problem with her.”
“That’s what makes me nervous,” Maddie said. “If no one has a motive, how do you shrink the list of suspects?”
“Well, I think we can cross Todd off the list.”
“Thank the lord for small favors,” Maddie murmured.
The bell over the front door of the salon jangled, and Christy and Maddie lifted their eyes in unison. The look on Christy’s face was murderous when she recognized the woman standing in front of the counter.
Marla Proctor was a beautiful specimen of the female form. She was rail thin, with petite bone structure and long legs. She was also nasty and mean, which made her outside ugly by virtue of proximity to her toxic insides.
“Marla, you’ve been banned,” Christy said.
“Oh, Christy, don’t be like that,” Marla said, her voice pleasant. “We had a misunderstanding.”
“It wasn’t a misunderstanding,” Christy replied. “I’m not putting up with your crap. I told you when I took this place over that I wouldn’t allow you to trash talk my clients. You did. You’re not welcome here anymore.”
What Christy wasn’t saying out loud – mostly because she didn’t want to embarrass Maddie – was that the client Marla insisted on torturing was the blonde sitting in the chair in front of her.
“Come on, Christy,” Marla pleaded. “I have a date tonight. I prom
ise I’ll be good. I’ll never say a bad thing about any of your clients again.”
Christy made a face, and an exasperated sound in the base of her throat. Everyone in the salon knew that was an empty promise. “If you say one bad thing … .”
“I won’t,” Marla said, raising her hand.
“Fine,” Christy said. “You have to wait your turn. I’ll get to you when I’m done with Maddie.”
Marla shot Maddie a harsh look, opening her mouth to say something tart, but snapping it shut when Christy glanced in her direction. “I’d love to wait.”
“Great,” Christy said. “Who is your big date with?”
“His name is Charles Hawthorne,” Marla said, her eyes sparkling. “He’s a third.”
“A third of what?”
“No, he’s the third in his family with that name. They’re all rich investment bankers.”
Christy wrinkled her nose. “I’ve always heard that people with numerals after their names are horrible in bed.”
Maddie couldn’t stop herself from laughing, the sound escaping her mouth before she could haul it back in.
Marla narrowed her eyes. “I think that’s an urban myth.”
“Well, you’ll have to keep me updated,” Christy said. “Okay, Maddie, your hair is done. I’ll get the wax for your eyebrows.” Christy paused next to Marla. “If you say one nasty thing to her, I’ll shave your head bald.”
Marla was affronted. “I said I’d be good.”
“Yes, but I’m leaving the room for a second, and I have my doubts about whether you’ll be able to rein yourself in,” Christy said. “Just know, I’ll be taking a poll when I get back. If one person in this salon thinks you were being mean in my absence, you’re out.”
“I said I would be good,” Marla protested.
“You’d better be.”
Once Christy disappeared into the back room, Maddie was uncomfortable with Marla’s studied gaze. If history was any indication, being this close to Marla would be detrimental to Maddie’s emotional wellbeing.
“So, how are you, Maddie?” Marla asked stiffly.
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
“I was sorry to hear about what happened to you,” Marla said. “I always knew Todd was a little … out there … but I had no idea he was capable of the things he did. It’s a miracle you survived.”
“I was very lucky,” Maddie agreed.
“You were lucky that Nick saved you,” Marla corrected. “He fought two healthy men, and beat them both, and then he dove into freezing cold water so he could drag you back to shore.”
“He’s a good friend,” Maddie said evasively.
“Yes. Friend.”
“I hope your date goes well,” Maddie said, desperately trying to change the subject. The last thing she needed was for Cassidy to be drawn into the conversation.
“Oh, it will,” Marla said. “I bought a new dress and some great new underwear.”
Maddie wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Oh, well … good.”
“It will be good,” Marla agreed.
Christy moved back behind Maddie, her eyes suspicious as she surveyed the scene. “And how are things?”
“They’re fine,” Marla said. “I was extremely pleasant.”
Christy looked to Maddie for confirmation. “We had a nice chat,” Maddie said.
“Good,” Christy said. “Give me a few minutes, Marla. Maddie’s eyebrows are practically perfect as it is. It will only take me a few minutes to touch them up.”
“Sure,” Marla said, lowering her chin. “I will wait quietly and with respect.”
Christy rolled her eyes. “And in those chairs out there.” She pointed to the front of the salon. “I don’t need you crowding us.”
“Fine.”
Once Marla was gone, Christy and Maddie avoided eye contact in the mirror. They both were afraid they were going to burst out laughing.
“So, other than an afternoon with Maude, what are you doing tonight?”
“Not much,” Maddie said. “The only thing I care about is getting those air-conditioning units in the windows. It’s been too hot to sleep for three nights. I actually had to go down to the lake to cool off last night.”
“Oh, wow,” Christy said. “Was that the first time you went back?”
“No. It was the first time I got into the water, though.”
“That’s pretty brave,” Christy said.
“When you’re sweating to death, bravery is a state of mind.”
Christy giggled, shifting as a figure approached her from behind. “Oh, hey, Cassidy. Do you need something?”
Cassidy’s strawberry-blonde hair was freshly washed and curled, and her face was unreadable as she studied Maddie. “No. I just wanted to tell Maddie how relieved I am that she wasn’t hurt.”
“Thank you,” Maddie said.
“Nick was beside himself,” Cassidy said. “In fact, ever since that night, he’s been kind of hard to get in touch with.”
“I … .”
“You should probably talk to Nick about that,” Christy said, cutting Maddie off.
“Oh, I plan to,” Cassidy said. “In fact, he’s taking me out to a romantic dinner tonight. We’re going to talk about everything and get our relationship back on track. Now that Maddie isn’t in imminent danger, it seems I have a chance to reclaim my boyfriend.”
Maddie swallowed hard. “Good for you.”
“Yes, good for you,” Christy said. “You can just leave the money on the counter. I’ll pick it up when I’m done with Maddie.”
Cassidy seemed surprised by the dismissal. “I … I didn’t mean anything.”
“It’s fine,” Christy said breezily. “Just put your money on the counter and enjoy your date.”
Cassidy straightened, smoothing the front of her flowery peasant blouse down as she tried to regain control of the situation. “I will enjoy my date. It’s going to be a great night.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Christy said, focusing on Maddie’s eyebrows. “Stop wrinkling your forehead, Maddie.”
“It’s going to be a great date,” Cassidy repeated.
“Good,” Christy said.
With nothing left to say, and clearly not garnering the reaction she’d hoped for, Cassidy had nothing left to do but retreat. She shuffled to the front desk, dropped her money on the counter, and then disappeared through the front door. She cast one more dark look in Maddie’s direction before moving away from the salon.
Christy waited exactly one minute before asking the obvious question. “So, Nick is going to break up with Cassidy tonight, huh?”
Maddie was flabbergasted. “How did you know that?”
“He’s been dodging her for two weeks,” Christy replied. “Helen Marks said that she saw them both in the grocery store at the same time, and when Nick realized Cassidy was there, he actually dropped to his knees to hide behind the apple stand.”
“I … I don’t know for a fact that he’s going to break up with her tonight,” Maddie cautioned.
“Oh, well, that was convincing,” Christy teased.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re a funny girl, Maddie Graves,” Christy said, gripping the edge of the paper strip and ripping it away from Maddie’s forehead quickly. “A funny, funny girl.”
Despite herself, despite the admonishments she’d been giving herself for weeks, Maddie was filled with sudden hope. Was Nick officially going to be on the market in a few hours?
“Hurry up,” Maddie said. “I want to get over to Traverse City and back as soon as possible.”
Christy grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Five
“I … we’re eating here?”
Nick didn’t miss the look of disappointment as it washed over Cassidy’s face. “Is that a problem?”
When he’d finally gotten up the courage to call Cassidy earlier in the day, he’d been expecting an explosion of anger and recrimination. Instead, Cassidy had been
… pleasant. No, she’d been beyond pleasant. She’d been sweet, nice, and conciliatory. That bothered Nick more than a verbal beat down ever would.
“No. It’s fine,” Cassidy said, forcing her face to remain neutral. “I just thought we would go somewhere more … romantic. Ruby Tuesday’s, though. I … they have a great salad bar.”
Nick swallowed his internal sigh. He’d purposely picked a chain restaurant because he didn’t want to give Cassidy unrealistic expectations. He wasn’t going to sit through a tense dinner. He was going to try and explain his actions. And then, when they were close to Blackstone Bay, he was going to drop the hammer on her. He was genuinely sorry, because he knew she was going to be hurt. He couldn’t put his happiness on hold any longer, though. He wanted Maddie. He’d always wanted Maddie. Cassidy was just going to have to accept that they were never meant to be.
“I love the salad bar,” Nick said. “They have great steak, too.”
“Well … good,” Cassidy said.
They were standing in the lobby and waiting for the hostess to return. The restaurant was busy, but the hostess had promised the wait wouldn’t be too long.
“So, how has work been?” Cassidy asked.
“Busy,” Nick said. “We’re still gathering evidence on Winthrop and Bishop, and the prosecutor is going to be in the office tomorrow for a final meeting.”
“That’s good, right?” Cassidy asked, hopeful. “That means your schedule should lighten up.”
“Maybe,” Nick said evasively. “We also have the big fair coming up, and we have to coordinate for that.”
Cassidy ignored the comment. “And now that Maddie is perfectly fine, she won’t need you hovering every day.”
Nick swallowed. “I haven’t been hovering.”
“You slept in a chair next to her bed in the hospital, even though I was waiting in the lobby all night,” she pointed out. “You spent the first two nights after she returned sleeping on her couch.” The unspoken accusation left hanging in the air was that Nick had slept elsewhere – like Maddie’s bed. He didn’t bother to acknowledge it.
“She almost died,” Nick said.
“And I’m sure she used that to her advantage,” Cassidy mumbled.
Grave Insight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 2) Page 3