Read Online Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai: a Danger Cove Hair Salon Mystery (Danger Cove Mysteries Book 5) by Traci Andrighetti, Elizabeth Ashby - Free Book Online
Authors: Traci Andrighetti, Elizabeth Ashby
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couldn't let that happen.
As I crossed the lawn of The Clip and Sip, a breeze blew a Styrofoam cup from the porch. Thanks to the activity from last night, the grass was trampled, and litter was scattered across the property. Extracting a tissue from my purse, I bent down to retrieve the cup, some paper, and several cigarette butts. Then I headed around the left side of the building, and I removed a piece of plastic from the flower garden. It was a syringe wrapper, which I hoped had come from the EMTs. The last thing I needed on top of everything else was people shooting up at the salon.
I unlocked the back door and stuffed the items into the overflowing trash bin. As usual, Gia had neglected to empty it into the Dumpster in the parking lot out back. I sighed and headed for the stairs.
Glass shattered in the salon.
I stopped cold. Was that the killer returning for some sort of evidence? Or had I been watching too many reruns of Murder, She Wrote ? To be on the safe side, I crept toward the back door.
The sound of a woman's sobs filled the break room.
Killers don't cry. I turned and peered into the salon.
Lucy was standing at her station, staring at a broken picture frame on the ground. "It's a sign, isn't it?"
"What?" I asked as I rushed to her side.
She squatted and brushed shards of glass from the picture. "Sven and I had this made the day he proposed."
"Oh, Lucy," I said, crouching beside her. "Everything is going to be okay."
"I'm scared, Cassidi." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I can tell that the police think I had something to do with Margaret's death."
"Well, you're innocent." I put my hand on her arm. "I'm going to help you prove that."
Her eyes lit up, but then she frowned and looked at the picture. "There's something you should know."
The back door slammed, and Gia clomped into the room in combat boots, a red spandex crop top, and low-rise camouflage pants.
I couldn't tell whether she was trying to blend in or stand out. "That's a lot of belly you're baring, soldier."
"Never mind me, wise guy." She crossed her arms. "Why are you two doing squats in the middle of the crime scene?"
I rose to my feet. "Um, obviously we're not working out. Lucy dropped her engagement photo."
" Marone ," Gia exclaimed, using the Jersey variant of "Madonna." She pointed at Lucy. "You've got the maliocch' ."
I shot her a shut-your-mouth look. "There's no such thing as the 'evil eye.'"
"Even you can't deny that bad things are happening to her, Cassidi."
"She's right," Lucy said. "I'm supposed to be getting married, but instead I could be going to prison."
Gia snorted. "If that's all you're worried about, then I have some good news for you—marriage and prison are the same thing."
I put my hand on Gia's back and pushed her toward the break room. "Why don't you go make Lucy a nice cup of chamomile tea?"
"If you ask me," she grumbled, "what the girl needs is a shot of lime vodka."
In Gia's world, there was an appropriate flavor of vodka for every occasion. "Well, I didn't ask you."
She flipped her hair and marched into the break room.
I turned toward Lucy. "What did you want to tell me?"
"It was nothing," she said, grabbing a broom.
I gestured toward the broken frame. "Leave that. We shouldn't do any sweeping without police permission."
"Okay." She leaned the broom against the wall. "You know, I think I'm going to go home and lie down."
"That's a good idea. Do you still want to come to the fundraiser tonight? It may do you good to get out."
"Maybe," she said, running a hand through her red locks. "I'll see how I feel later."
I gave her a hug. "Try not to worry."
She nodded and headed for the break room.
I turned and stared at Lucy's station. I hated to see her so scared, but I couldn't blame her. I was scared too, and I had an airtight alibi. Still, I couldn't help but think about what Dee had said. Truth be told, I didn't know Lucy all that well. And it seemed like she'd wanted to confess something to me
As I crossed the lawn of The Clip and Sip, a breeze blew a Styrofoam cup from the porch. Thanks to the activity from last night, the grass was trampled, and litter was scattered across the property. Extracting a tissue from my purse, I bent down to retrieve the cup, some paper, and several cigarette butts. Then I headed around the left side of the building, and I removed a piece of plastic from the flower garden. It was a syringe wrapper, which I hoped had come from the EMTs. The last thing I needed on top of everything else was people shooting up at the salon.
I unlocked the back door and stuffed the items into the overflowing trash bin. As usual, Gia had neglected to empty it into the Dumpster in the parking lot out back. I sighed and headed for the stairs.
Glass shattered in the salon.
I stopped cold. Was that the killer returning for some sort of evidence? Or had I been watching too many reruns of Murder, She Wrote ? To be on the safe side, I crept toward the back door.
The sound of a woman's sobs filled the break room.
Killers don't cry. I turned and peered into the salon.
Lucy was standing at her station, staring at a broken picture frame on the ground. "It's a sign, isn't it?"
"What?" I asked as I rushed to her side.
She squatted and brushed shards of glass from the picture. "Sven and I had this made the day he proposed."
"Oh, Lucy," I said, crouching beside her. "Everything is going to be okay."
"I'm scared, Cassidi." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I can tell that the police think I had something to do with Margaret's death."
"Well, you're innocent." I put my hand on her arm. "I'm going to help you prove that."
Her eyes lit up, but then she frowned and looked at the picture. "There's something you should know."
The back door slammed, and Gia clomped into the room in combat boots, a red spandex crop top, and low-rise camouflage pants.
I couldn't tell whether she was trying to blend in or stand out. "That's a lot of belly you're baring, soldier."
"Never mind me, wise guy." She crossed her arms. "Why are you two doing squats in the middle of the crime scene?"
I rose to my feet. "Um, obviously we're not working out. Lucy dropped her engagement photo."
" Marone ," Gia exclaimed, using the Jersey variant of "Madonna." She pointed at Lucy. "You've got the maliocch' ."
I shot her a shut-your-mouth look. "There's no such thing as the 'evil eye.'"
"Even you can't deny that bad things are happening to her, Cassidi."
"She's right," Lucy said. "I'm supposed to be getting married, but instead I could be going to prison."
Gia snorted. "If that's all you're worried about, then I have some good news for you—marriage and prison are the same thing."
I put my hand on Gia's back and pushed her toward the break room. "Why don't you go make Lucy a nice cup of chamomile tea?"
"If you ask me," she grumbled, "what the girl needs is a shot of lime vodka."
In Gia's world, there was an appropriate flavor of vodka for every occasion. "Well, I didn't ask you."
She flipped her hair and marched into the break room.
I turned toward Lucy. "What did you want to tell me?"
"It was nothing," she said, grabbing a broom.
I gestured toward the broken frame. "Leave that. We shouldn't do any sweeping without police permission."
"Okay." She leaned the broom against the wall. "You know, I think I'm going to go home and lie down."
"That's a good idea. Do you still want to come to the fundraiser tonight? It may do you good to get out."
"Maybe," she said, running a hand through her red locks. "I'll see how I feel later."
I gave her a hug. "Try not to worry."
She nodded and headed for the break room.
I turned and stared at Lucy's station. I hated to see her so scared, but I couldn't blame her. I was scared too, and I had an airtight alibi. Still, I couldn't help but think about what Dee had said. Truth be told, I didn't know Lucy all that well. And it seemed like she'd wanted to confess something to me
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