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DANA GLANCED AT HER cell phone screen again to see if there was another message from the mystery person who’d sent her a text.
Nothing.
At least she let Katie know where she was going just to be safe. Rule number 1: Always let somebody know where you are at all times. Period.
Dana had read way too many unsolved cases where the girl just happened to be meeting someone somewhere and then just like that Jane Doe’s case she’d read about, the girl vanished into thin air. Disappeared. Just like that. And there were no clues left on the scene of where she’d gone and whom she’d gone to see.
Not that she was expecting to be a missing person any time soon, of course. It was hard to get lost in Bea’s Salon. Well, maybe lost in juicy conversations, but that was about it.
She hurried across the town square to the Bea’s Salon, glad that she’d already had her nails done so Bea wouldn’t be harassing her again about self-care and self-pampering and that she needed to make an appointment.
The sun shone brightly and it was a cloudless day. Everything should be sunny and happy in the small town of Berry Cove, but it wasn’t. Patrons were already whispering about the latest murder. This time involving the town gossip as a possible suspect.
“Oh, Dana. Dana, wait up.” In the distance, she heard a familiar voice. It was her Aunt Nia.
“Hey, Auntie. I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought you were still in Florida.”
“I just flew in this morning,” she said. They walked together in the Town Square toward the west side where a group of old Victorian converted offices and stores were located. That was the nice thing about living in Berry Cove. It was a nice change from the bustling in the big city in New York. Though she loved the excitement of the Big Apple, it was so nice to have a change to a much slower pace in a small town where everybody knew your name. You bumped into familiar faces, not strangers. And everyone showed that nice small town hospitality. Although, unfortunately for Ms Lichelle Sampson, she’d been shown some small town hostility.
“Did you hear about Gerdie Sue?” Aunt Nia said. “Isn’t that awful. I knew she was trouble—that murderer!”
“Oh, but Aunt Nia, you don’t know that for sure. Remember, innocent till proven guilty.”
“Ha. If only Gerdie practiced that bit of law. When she’s ready to yap her gob about someone, that’s it. Her gossip spreads a mile long...”
“Yes, I know it’s hard to repair a tarnished reputation.”
“Exactly,” Aunt Nia said, with her hands on her hips. They were in the middle of the busy town square where town goers were going about their business. But Dana glanced at the large clock above the statue and saw that she should have met her mystery person already. They were probably late or maybe changed their mind.
“What’s wrong?” Aunt Nia noticed her nervousness.
“Oh, nothing. I was supposed to meet someone.”
“Who?”
Oh, boy. What was she going to say? “Oh, no one special.”
“No one special? Dana what are you up to now?”
“Oh, nothing Aunt Nia. I’m going to see what Bea’s up to and make an appointment for my...um...my nails.”
“But they look as if they’d just been done.”
“Right. Sorry, Aunt Nia. I...”
“Dana? Petunia?” Bea came out of her beauty salon. “Well, what are you two doing yapping outside? Come on in. Nia, don’t you have an appointment?”
“Sorry, Bea. Yes, I do. I’m a bit late. Just got in from Florida.”
“Hmm-mmm. Look at dem nails,” Bea said. She was always talking about a person’s health related to the state of their nails. “Chipped, dipped and unclipped. Honey, you better sit your sweet self over on chair five. Kris will take care of you.”
“Sure thing, Bea.” Nia couldn’t resist the temptation of Bea’s charming service.
“And you child,” Bea said turning to Dana. “Your nails are fine but what the heck’s going on with that brow of yours?”
“Brow?”
“Yes, child, what are you trying to do? Grow a unibrow?”
“Bea. My brows are fine. They’re just...”
“Unwaxed. Sit your sweet little self over on chair eleven,” she said in a friendly tone, “Tammy will fix you up real good.”
Dana playfully rolled her eyes and gave in. She glanced around. There was no one conspicuous in the town square or maybe the person spotted her with her aunt and decided to back off.
Oh, great.
Another missed opportunity. But then again...maybe not. Bea’s place was the place to gather up some good old-fashioned gossip—or news about what’s going on around town.
The coffee percolated on the customer appreciation table at the nail salon, and of course, freshly baked vanilla cream cupcakes decorated the table from the Cozy Cupcakes Café. Dana had them delivered earlier that morning.
Bea’s Salon was one of their regular catering clients. Bea always offered cupcakes and coffee to her loyal customers. It gave it a nice touch. Everybody loved hanging out at the salon that was housed in a massive Victorian-era converted property. Dana sat on one of the cushiony chairs near the main desk where Bea was taking an appointment. When Dana looked around Aunt Nia had already settled into her chair to have her nails done.
“It really is a shame about Gerdie Sue, isn’t it?” Bea said as she hung up the phone.
“Yes, it is a shame,” Dana agreed. But I don’t feel that she had anything to do with killing Lichelle. Besides, they let her go.”
“She had an airtight alibi and she made bail. But, oh, she was mad as hell when she came in here yesterday. She said she was going to get rid of that brat.”
“She actually said that?” Dana said in disbelief. “Did you tell the police this?”
“Yes, of course, I did child. I had to.’
“Yes, of course. But I still don’t feel that she did it.”
“And why not?”
“Well, it makes no sense at all. I mean, why would she kill someone who was looking for her? Wouldn’t it be too obvious?”
“Sometimes crimes are obvious.”
“I think it had to be an out of towner. I don’t think it’s one of us,” Dana insisted.
“Who’s to say?” Lea, a regular customer, added from under the dryer. She was reading on her iPad and placed it on her lap. “Look, Dana. I know you always like to believe the best in people, but sometimes you just can’t underestimate the power of a temper.”
“A temper? I’ve never seen Gerdie Sue lose it,” Dana said.
“That’s just it. People like that can explode when you least expect it.’
“Come on now.”
“Well, she does have a point,” Bea added. “I mean, she was pretty upset about that girl coming in here yesterday, spilling the beans on all Gerdie’s family secrets.”
“Family secrets?” Dana felt guilty listening in on gossip about Gerdie. As much as she was known as the town gossip, it still seemed unfair to talk so openly in a public place about someone that she speaks to personally. If only she could talk to Gerdie herself to get information directly from her.
“Yes, child. Family secrets. There are some things that our dear old Gerdie hadn’t told us.”
“But do you think it’s wise to listen to...um...you know, gossip?”
Bea gave Dana a funny look. “When it comes to the gossip queen of Berry Cove what do you expect?”
“I know. But it still feels so wrong unless we hear from the...”
Dana glanced outside the window and spotted the same guy who was in the café yesterday—Lichelle’s lookalike brother.
Her heart jolted.
She sprang up to her feet and went to the window.
Was he the mystery texter?
When she got close enough to the window, he’d already made his way into a blue sedan and hit the accelerator.
He was gone.
Dana tried to take a snap shot with her cell phone to see if the license plates would appear clearly. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. At least this should be of help to Detective Troy’s case.
Just then Gerdie Sue also appeared outside the salon. How odd? Did Gerdie Sue meet with the lookalike brother? What on earth was going on? Suspicion climbed inside Dana’s mind.
“Um, I’ve got to go,” Dana said to Bea.
“Child, where are you going now? Don’t you have to have your brows done?” Bea called after Dana.
“I’ll be right back. I promise.” Dana sprinted out of there faster than Usain Bolt to the surprise of everyone at the salon. But this was too important to miss. She had to speak to Gerdie.
“Hey, Gerdie,” she said, when she caught up with her across the street from the salon. There was a large fountain and tree in the courtyard so hopefully, no one at the salon would be able to see her.
“Dana.”
“Gerdie, I’m sorry about what happened to you.”
Gerdie didn’t say anything at first. She had her arms folded across her chest, her large Louis Vuitton NeverFull tote bag hanging off her shoulder. Gerdie had a closet filled with designer handbags. She owned several different Louis Vuitton bags in her collection.
“I guess it’s all over town now, isn’t it?” she said looking around. “People whispering about me like I’m some sort of common criminal.”
“But Gerdie...” What could Dana say? It was true, she supposed. How could she console the town gossip who now happened to be the subject of town gossip? “I’m really sorry about what happened. Why did they suspect you?”
Gerdie took Dana’s arm, still glancing over her shoulders, and walked her through the courtyard, past the pond and toward the walking trail.
“I don’t want anyone to see us.”
“But why?”
“I need your help, Dana. I know you’re really good at solving mystery riddles and you were able to help the cops solve the last few murders in our dear town, but this is really serious. I think somebody’s out to get me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, for starters, Lichelle Sampson had been trying to get at me and then her brother.”
“Her step brother? Do you mean the guy that looks just like her?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“Okay, now Gerdie, first of all, she’s dead now.”
“Yes, but the same guy that killed her could be after me, too.”
“Oh, Gerdie. That’s awful. Are you sure?”
Gerdie looked around again.
“Listen, Gerdie, why did you want me to come here at a public place?”
“Because the cops are still watching me. I don’t trust a damn soul right now. They let me go on bail, but they still have me under suspicion. They think I took one of your cupcakes and laced it with peanut oil.”
“That’s awful. Why would someone do that?”
Dana was stunned and annoyed that her cupcake of the day was once again implicated at a crime scene.
“Because of money. Money is the root of this evil. It bewitches people and makes even a good person go crazy.”
“Gerdie, you make no sense.”
“Child, you must have heard about...well, that girl had been telling everyone here that I was a maid for her rich daddy and he left me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yes.”
“But what about his kids?”
“I don’t know. It’s all so strange.”
“First of all, were you a maid?”
“Not quite. I was...well, it’s a long story.”
“Gerdie, let’s go some place else where we can talk. Privately.”
“Yes.” She hesitated at first, looking around then glancing at her watch. “Listen, I have an appointment soon. Let’s meet somewhere private later in the evening. At your place. You never know who could be watching us here right now.”
Oh, boy. Dana felt as if she were in a mystery movie of the week, rather than her new hometown of Berry Cove. And she thought New York had excitement.