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  “That smells good,” Kreskin said. “Load me up.”

  “Do we have a cause of death for Andrea Johnson yet?” Nick asked, slipping toast onto another plate so Maddie could deliver it to Christy.

  “It looks like she had some sort of massive wound to her chest,” Kreskin said. “The medical examiner thinks it was a knife, but due to the disposition of the body, we’re going to have to wait for him to clarify things for us. He said he would get to it first thing this morning.”

  “I guess her body was in rough shape if she was in the lighthouse for two months,” Christy surmised, pushing her eggs around on her plate. “Now I’m not sure if I can eat. I guess I should hang around more dead bodies if I want to lose twenty pounds.”

  “Don’t bring that up again,” Maddie warned. “I don’t like hearing how you think you need to lose weight.”

  “I agree with Maddie,” Nick said, delivering Kreskin’s breakfast and offering Christy a small smile. “You don’t need to change who you are.”

  “I’m not changing who I am,” Christy clarified. “I’m trying to lose twenty pounds. I don’t need your permission. Besides, you sleep with Maddie every night – and she looks like a model – so you have no say in the matter.”

  “Fine,” Nick said, rolling his eyes. “Speaking of my Maddie, what are you ladies going to do with your day?”

  “I’m going to the salon so Christy can experiment with my hair,” Maude responded. “I need something special if I’m going to wipe the floor with Harriet and be crowned Miss Fish.”

  Kreskin lifted his eyes, confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “Granny signed up for the town pageant,” Maddie explained. “She wants to be the trout queen. Harriet is competing, too.”

  “Oh, good grief,” Kreskin said. “I thought that was for kids under the age of eighteen.”

  “There’s no age requirement now,” Maude replied, bristling. “We’re not breaking any rules. This year is going to be a proper competition.”

  “Don’t you have to … I don’t know … have some sort of talent to do that?” Kreskin asked.

  “Are you saying I’m not talented?” Maude was incensed.

  “Of course you’re talented,” Kreskin said, darting a look in Nick’s direction. Instead of helping his partner, Nick merely smiled. “I just thought … what are you going to do for your talent?”

  “I haven’t gotten that far yet,” Maude admitted, chewing on her bottom lip. “First comes hair. Second comes dress. Third comes shoes. Fourth comes talent. We have to do the important things first.”

  “Oh, well, I see you have this thought out,” Kreskin deadpanned.

  “I’m looking forward to helping you,” Maddie said, taking Christy and Maude by surprise and causing Nick to turn his head so he could hide his smile.

  “You’re helping me?” Maude asked, dubious. “I thought you didn’t want me to do this.”

  “I want you to be happy, Granny,” Maddie corrected. “If this makes you happy, well, then I’m all for it.”

  “I’m glad to have you on the team,” Maude said. “You can think of something for me to do for my talent. I think that’s right up your alley.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Maddie said, leaning into Nick when he pressed a sympathetic kiss to her forehead.

  “I’ll reward you later with a massage and aspirin when I come home,” he whispered.

  “Just come home,” Maddie countered. “Being with you is the best medicine in the world.”

  5

  Five

  “What do you want?”

  Nick frowned at the woman who opened the door to the Johnson home an hour later. He recognized her from high school, and she didn’t look any happier to see him than he was to see her. “Monica Gardner,” he intoned, exchanging a brief look with Kreskin. “What are you doing here?”

  Monica, her black hair tousled from sleep, rolled her eyes. “I think I asked you that question first.”

  “We’re looking for Rick Johnson,” Nick replied, tamping down his irritation. “Now it’s your turn. What are you doing here?”

  “I spent the night with my boyfriend,” Monica said, her voice positively dripping with sarcasm. “Are you happy?”

  “Not really,” Nick said. “Can you get Mr. Johnson for us?”

  “Fine,” Monica said, leaving the door open as she marched back inside the house. “Rick! Some cops are here to see you.”

  Rick Johnson, clad only in boxer shorts, stepped into the foyer and regarded Nick and Kreskin with a confused look. “Did I forget to pay a parking ticket or something?”

  “I don’t believe so,” Nick answered. “We’re not traffic cops, though. We don’t care about tickets.”

  “If you’re not here about a ticket, what are you here for?” Rick looked befuddled, as if he’d just woken up.

  “Your wife.”

  “Oh,” Rick said, realization dawning. “Did you find Andrea? What did she have to say for herself? It’s one thing to run out on me, but she has a daughter, for crying out loud. Was she doing something illegal?”

  Nick kept his face neutral. “You might want to sit down, sir.”

  “Why?”

  “Just … you might want to take a seat,” Nick said.

  Kreskin and Nick followed Rick into the tiny ranch house’s kitchen, finding Monica making a pot of coffee as she stared at the television screen.

  “Can you believe this?” Monica asked, completely detached from Rick’s plight. “Those Kardashians are amazing. I want to be just like them when … well, right now would be good. They’re rich and they have money coming out of their ears.”

  Nick pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth to refrain from yelling at Monica and making the situation worse.

  “Okay, I’m sitting down,” Rick said, his eyes focused on Nick. “What’s going on?”

  “Sir, we found your wife’s body in the Blackstone Bay Lighthouse last evening,” Nick said, keeping his voice even and free from emotion. “We’re sorry for your loss. The medical examiner has her body now and he’s trying to ascertain how she died.”

  Rick’s face drained of color as Monica wrenched her attention away from the television.

  “Are you serious?” Monica asked.

  “No, I usually go to people’s houses and make up stories about dead relatives for fun, Monica,” Nick seethed.

  “There’s no need to be so grumpy,” Monica shot back. “Now that you’re living with your great love, I would think you’d be in a better mood.”

  “Maybe it’s you,” Nick suggested.

  “Maybe you’re an ass,” Monica said, fixing Nick with a challenging look.

  “Shut up, Monica,” Rick instructed, clasping his hands on top of the table as he stared at the smooth surface. “I don’t understand. Andrea left town. I … you must have made a mistake. She can’t be dead.”

  “Sir, we haven’t made a mistake,” Nick said. “The first thing we did when we found the body was check through multiple missing persons reports in the area. Her name came up and we matched her dental records against the ones your daughter provided when she filed the report. I’m sorry, but it is her.”

  “Chelsea filed a missing person’s report?” Now it was Monica’s turn to be confused. “How come no one told me about this?”

  “Because it was none of your business,” Rick fired back, rolling his neck as he tried to maintain control. Monica clearly irritated him. He didn’t want to make a scene in front of Nick and Kreskin, though. “How did Andrea die?”

  “We’re still waiting for final confirmation from the medical examiner,” Kreskin replied. “It looks like she was stabbed in the chest, though.”

  “Murdered?” Rick’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “But … who?”

  “Sir, that’s why we’re here talking to you,” Nick said. “When was the last time you saw your wife?”

  “Two months ago,” Rick said. “We’ve been separated
for three months.”

  “Where was she living?”

  “Here.”

  “But … .”

  “When she took off and left our daughter alone, I moved back into the house,” Rick said. “Someone had to take care of Chelsea.”

  “Did you know your daughter reported your wife missing?” Kreskin asked.

  “I did,” Rick confirmed. “I thought it was a waste of time. I thought Andrea took off because she was angry. She knew I was dating Monica and … well … she didn’t like it.”

  “She was jealous,” Monica supplied.

  “She was concerned because we hadn’t been separated for very long and she didn’t want me bringing dates around Chelsea,” Rick clarified. “At first I thought Andrea was trying to punish me. Ever since we told Chelsea we were getting divorced … well … she hasn’t taken it well.”

  “She’s a spoiled brat,” Monica muttered.

  “Shut up,” Rick hissed. “Chelsea is sixteen and she didn’t want to accept we were splitting up. She’s been acting out. When Andrea took off, I just figured she would be gone a few days and show back up. When she didn’t, I thought she found someone else and started a new life. I didn’t expect this.”

  “What kind of mother was your wife?” Nick asked.

  “She was a good mother mostly,” Rick answered, causing Monica to snort. “We were young when we had Chelsea. We’d only been dating a month when she got pregnant. We got married because we both thought it was the right thing to do. We were never really in love.”

  Kreskin nodded. “I see,” he said. “Did your wife often take off?”

  “She took off for weekends and stuff when she was overwhelmed,” Rick replied. “Chelsea was causing problems before we told her we were splitting up. Most of the time she just ran down to her brother’s house in Midland and spent a few days decompressing before coming home. She was a good mother, though.”

  “Where is your daughter now?” Kreskin asked.

  “She works at the grocery store four days a week. She bags groceries. Oh, God, how am I going to tell her this?”

  Despite himself, Nick almost felt sympathy for the man. Either he was genuinely upset or he was a terrific actor. Given the circumstances of Andrea Johnson’s disappearance, he couldn’t rule out either option.

  “What about your wife’s car?” Nick asked. “Do you know where that is?”

  Rick shook his head. “I thought it was with her.”

  “Well, we’re going to have to see if we can track it down,” Nick said. “As my partner said, we’re still waiting on final autopsy results. I’m sure you can understand, given the status of your marriage and the fact that your wife has likely been dead for two months, you need to remain in Blackstone Bay until this case is solved.”

  “Wait, are you saying he’s a suspect?” Monica asked. “He would never hurt that woman. She probably killed herself to frame him.”

  “I’m sure she stabbed herself in the chest and then covered her dead body with garbage,” Nick said, his temper ramping up. “Sit there and shut up, Monica. You’re being a pain.”

  “I don’t have to listen to you,” Monica seethed.

  “Shut up, Monica,” Rick said, restlessly tugging his hand through his hair. “What happens now? I mean, when can we have a funeral? Chelsea is going to want a service for her mother – that is if she doesn’t freak out and lock herself in her room for a month.”

  “We’ll be in touch with that information,” Kreskin said. “We’re also going to want to talk to your daughter after she’s had a chance to calm down. She might have information that would benefit us.”

  Rick nodded. “I know you think I did this, but no matter how bad my problems with my wife were, I would never kill her,” he said. “I’m not that kind of person.”

  “For your daughter’s sake, I genuinely hope that’s true,” Nick said. “Losing one parent is going to devastate her. Losing the other because he’s a murderer could cripple her for life.”

  “We’ll be in touch when we have more information,” Kreskin said. “Until then … good luck.”

  “I DON’T know, Granny,” Maddie said, wrinkling her nose as Maude held up a photograph depicting the hairstyle she wanted. “Don’t you think that’s a little … Orphan Annie?”

  Christy choked on her laugh as she used a pick to divide Maude’s silver curls. “I think we should keep the same hairstyle and just bump up the color.”

  “I want big hair,” Maude argued, meeting Maddie’s gaze in the mirror. “Tell her I will look good with big hair.”

  “I think you run the risk of looking like Diana Ross without rhythm if you insist on big hair,” Maddie replied, opting for honesty. “I think you should follow Christy’s advice and leave your hair the length it is.”

  “We could put a fun rinse in it,” Christy offered. “I think your coloring would look great with pink hair.”

  Maude’s eyes widened. “Pink? You want to turn my hair pink?”

  “It would be a temporary rinse,” Christy explained. “The color would last for a few weeks.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Maddie enthused. “Think how unique you’ll be with pink hair.”

  “Okay,” Maude said. “If I look like a hooker, though, you’re going to have to change it.”

  “I think I can safely say you won’t look like a hooker,” Christy said, exchanging an amused look with Maddie. “In fact … .” Christy broke off when the bell over the salon’s front door jangled, frowning when she caught sight of her two new visitors. “Oh, well, great.”

  Maddie shifted her attention so she could see what had dampened Christy’s mood and immediately felt her own spirits shifting. “Oh, no.”

  “Well, well, well, look at what’s going on in here,” Harriet Proctor intoned, stepping into the salon. She had a scarf over her head hiding her hair, and her face was full of menace. Even worse, her granddaughter Marla – Maddie’s lifelong nemesis – trailed behind her. “I see you’re fraternizing with the enemy, Christy. That’s going to be a mistake when I win the crown.”

  “I’m sure I’ll survive,” Christy replied, unruffled. “What are you two doing here? Last time I checked, you were both banned.”

  “You can’t stand by that now that I’m in the competition for the town beauty pageant title,” Harriet countered. “It’s unfair. That’s giving Maude a leg up on the competition, and I won’t have it.”

  “Well, you don’t have much say in the matter,” Christy shot back. “I have the right to refuse service whenever the mood strikes. I have no intention of serving you or Marla.”

  “Oh, come on,” Marla whined. “I have split ends … and a date. You know I can’t go out on a date when I have split ends. Be a friend, Christy. I promise I’ll be good.”

  Christy shook her head, unmoved by Marla’s seemingly dire plight. “I’ve heard that song and dance before,” she said. “I’m not interested in letting you back in here. Every time I do you turn around and do something nasty. I’m done.”

  “You’re the only salon in town,” Marla argued. “It’s not fair that you give Maude and Maddie preference over us.”

  “Why not?”

  Marla was confused. “What do you mean? You like them better than us. That’s not fair.”

  “You’re a pain in the ass who is mean to everyone unless you want something,” Christy pointed out. “You treat people unfairly every single day of your life. You’ve done truly awful things to Maddie. I don’t want to serve you. That means I don’t have to serve you. Get out.”

  “Maddie is the awful one,” Marla said. “She tells people lies to get them to hate me.”

  “I do not,” Maddie said, shaking her head.

  “Don’t let her get to you,” Christy said, patting Maddie’s forearm. “She’s a desperate wannabe. Do you want to know something interesting, Marla? Once I banned you my clientele almost doubled just because I did it. That’s how many people in this town hate you. Think about tha
t.”

  “They’re jealous,” Harriet interjected. “Marla is beautiful and smart. People don’t like her because they want to be her.”

  “No, that’s not it,” Maddie said, shaking her head and causing several other women in the salon to giggle.

  “Marla is the one who makes enemies at every turn,” Christy said. “I don’t want her in here. I don’t want you in here either.”

  “Ha, ha,” Maude sang out, shooting Harriet a smug look. “I guess you’re going to have to find another salon to fix that dead raccoon on top of your head.”

  “I will make you pay for this,” Harriet seethed. “If you’re taking the side of Maude, that means you’re working against me. Do you really want to risk being my enemy, Christy?”

  “Sure,” Christy replied, not worried in the least. “You can put me on your enemies list. I’m sure I won’t be as high as Maude, but I’ll learn to live with disappointment.”

  “You’re going to go out of business if you’re my enemy,” Harriet warned.

  “I’m the only salon in town,” Christy said. “I’m not really worried.”

  “Mark my words … you will regret the day I was born because I do not take kindly to people cozying up to my enemies,” Harriet said, her tone deepening with dramatic flair.

  Maddie fought the mad urge to laugh. If the situation wasn’t so surreal, it would almost be sad.

  “I already regret the day you were born,” Christy said. “I regret the day Marla was born, too. Now, if you could follow the rules of decorum, I believe I asked you to leave.”

  “I’m going to get all of you back for this,” Marla threatened.

  “We’re shaking in our shoes,” Christy said.

  Every woman in the salon watched the angry duo flounce out, and the second the salon door swung shut they all broke into enthusiastic applause.

  “You know this isn’t over, right?” Maddie asked.

  “Oh, I’m fine with that,” Christy said. “I haven’t had a good feud to enjoy for years. It keeps me looking and feeling young.”

  Maude smiled. “Let’s get them.”

  “Let’s get them indeed,” Christy said.

  Maddie couldn’t help but smile. For some reason, everyone’s enthusiasm was contagious. Now she wanted Maude to win that crown just as much as her grandmother coveted the prize.