A Devious Lot (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 5) (15 page)

“I can’t wait to see you,” Molly said. “Tessa is excited, too.”

“I hope I can keep my eyes open long enough to say hello. You know I can never sleep on airplanes. I’m in desperate need of sleep. Where are you?”

“On the train, but we’re outside the city and should be pulling into Paddington Station soon. I talked to Lombardi yesterday.” She told her mother about Penelope’s wealth and his advice that she visit her townhouse and former place of business. “I’m feeling conflicted because I haven’t told Boyle what I plan to do.”

“I don’t think it hurts to do a little asking around,” Clara said. “If you learn something important he should know, give him a call. Lombardi wouldn’t steer you wrong. On another matter, I’ve been thinking about that magnet you found on Penelope’s refrigerator. If I wanted to hide somewhere, I wouldn’t go to a small town. I’d go big and get lost in Paris.”

Molly laughed. “Yeah, and you’d get caught in one day because you wouldn’t be able to stay out of the shops.”

“You know me too well,” Clara said. “But the point is, if Penelope wanted to get lost and stay hidden, why would she go to a small town? And now that we know she’s wealthy, there’s no reason she shouldn’t hide out in style.”

“She could be in London,” Molly said. “Wouldn’t it be great if I ask a friend about her, and they tell me she’s staying with them or I can find her at such and such hotel?”

“You never know until you ask,” Clara said. “Any news on the hemlock? Have the police dug it up?”

“Not yet. Boyle’s arranging for someone to come and get it. Don’t be shocked if he shows up at the cottage.”

“I look forward to meeting him,” Clara said. “What can I do to help?”

Molly thought about the eye miniature safely tucked in her purse. “If you have some time today, you could do a little research. I should get the eye miniature appraised, and I’d like to find an expert who really knows something about them.”

“I’ll have a little nap first, and then I’ll check,” Clara said. “Do you know when you’ll be home?”

“I’ll try to be back in time for dinner,” Molly said.

They said good-bye as the train pulled into Paddington Station. Molly took her Oyster fare card out of her purse and got into the line forming by the door. She loved London’s underground system. The subway, or “Tube” as it was called, was a fast and efficient way to get around the city. And since her Oyster card still had money on it, she wouldn’t have to wait in line at the machines to add extra fare.

After disembarking, Molly took the Tube to the Green Park station in Mayfair. From the exit, it was a short walk to the Mia Kara salon. Molly was impressed the moment she stepped inside. The walls were painted a warm cream color, and crystal chandeliers were hung from the ceiling. All the furniture, from the lounge chairs in reception to the stylists’ at their stations, were of genuine soft black leather. Before Molly could open a magazine, a young woman came to escort her to the hair-washing station. As she washed her hair, she gave her scalp an aromatic massage that almost put her to sleep. In a blissful fog, Molly floated after her to Kara’s workstation.

“Would you like coffee or tea while you wait?” the girl asked. “We also have juices, wine, or champagne.”

“Wine and champagne?” Molly was surprised. “It’s only ten o’clock in the morning.”

The girl grinned. “Some ladies drink wine all day,” she said.

“Well, this lady doesn’t drink before noon,” Molly said. “I’ll have juice.”

“Tomato, cranberry, apple—”

Molly held up her hand. “Apple juice will be fine.”

The girl went off and returned a minute later with a crystal tumbler filled with sweet apple juice. Molly sank into the comfy black leather chair and took a sip. Through the mirror she could see the hairstylists at work. They all appeared to be highly talented and in high demand. There wasn’t a single empty chair in the place.

A few minutes later, a tall, lean woman who looked like a model appeared in the mirror. She wore a short red leather skirt and tight white lacy top with a plunging neckline. Chestnut brown hair curled to her shoulders, and her eyes were so blue, Molly wondered if she wore colored contact lenses to enhance the color.

“Good morning, you must be Molly. I’m Kara,” she chirped. She put her hands on Molly’s shoulders and smiled widely. “How are you today?”

Molly was still looking at her through the mirror. “I’m good, thanks.”

Kara’s eyes swept over her face and hair. “You’re here for a bang trim, yes? But I wonder . . . would you like to try a new style? I have time to cut your hair.”

Molly laughed. “Is that your suggestion, after looking me over?”

“I didn’t mean to imply there was anything wrong with your hairstyle,” Kara said quickly. “But it is a little plain, and you have such a beautiful face. You should show it off.” She lifted Molly’s hair off her neck. “All this heavy hair is hiding your features. We could go a little shorter, layer it here and here.” She indicated areas around her face. “No pressure. If you only want a bang trim, that’s what I’ll do.”

Molly surprised herself by saying, “Okay, why not? Let’s do it.”

Kara grinned. “Wonderful, you won’t regret it,” she said.

Molly closed her eyes. What was she thinking? She’d seen the salon’s prices online. A haircut was going to cost more than she spent all year on haircuts. She opened her eyes, intending to tell Kara she’d changed her mind, but as she watched her take a pair of very sharp scissors out of a box, she thought about all the awards Kara had won. She was one of London’s top hairstylists. And besides, a haircut would give her more time to talk about Tiffany.

Oh, what the heck, Molly thought. She and Matt had raked in a lot of money for wedding gifts, and she had a paycheck being deposited into her bank account in the next week. As long as Matt didn’t have a heart attack when he saw the bill, it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Do I hear an American accent?” Kara asked as she stepped behind her.

“Yes, you do,” Molly said. “I’m visiting my great-aunt. She lives in a small village in the Cotswolds.”

“Oh, I do love the countryside. All that lovely open green space.” Kara combed her wet hair with a fine-toothed comb. “Are you visiting London for the day?”

“Yes, but I was here all last week with my husband. We love London. It’s such a great city with so much history and things to do.”

Kara began to cut her hair and Molly sucked in her breath as big chunks of it floated to the floor. She hoped Kara didn’t cut it too short. She wasn’t sure how Matt would react. Of course, a shocked reaction would be an advantage if it steered his attention away from the steep price tag.

“My aunt lives in Marlow Crossing,” Molly said. Kara paused, scissors in midair. Her eyes slowly shifted to Molly in the mirror. “Tessa was a teacher until she retired,” Molly went on. “Tiffany and Giles were her students her last year.”

“Did someone send you here to talk to me?”

“Inspector Boyle told me you were pretty upset when he tried to talk to you on the phone,” Molly said. “He thought it would be easier for you if you talked to me.”

Kara looked confused. “Are you with the police?”

“No, but back home, I have some experience solving cases with the police, and I volunteered to help. But if you’d rather not talk about Tiffany and Giles, you don’t have to. Of course, if you don’t want to talk to me, you should call Inspector Boyle. He does need to know some things.”

“I’d rather talk to you while I cut your hair,” Kara said. “What does he want to know?”

“Generally, what were they like together?”

“They fought all the time,” Kara said.

“About what?”

“Mostly money, but also Giles’s lack of ambition. He’s a man with a degree from Oxford, but he worked at a men’s shop in London. Did you know that?” Molly nodded. “He spent money like there was no tomorrow.”

“His family is very wealthy,” Molly said.

“And yet Tiffany bailed him out more than once when the debt collectors came calling.”

“Why didn’t he ask his parents for help?”

“They were already giving him a monthly allowance,” Kara said. “Tiffany said he was too embarrassed to ask for more.” Kara moved to Molly’s other side. “Tiffany was always blind and deaf when it came to Giles. She was crazy in love with him. Don’t ask me why. I think he’s a bore.” Her scissors moved faster and faster. Molly could see she knew what she was doing, but her hair was flying off in every direction and she was getting nervous. “Long before they split, they were arguing about money, and his job, and generally their future together. Tiffany wanted to get married and have kids. Giles wanted to move to the village and work for his mother.”

“He told me it was his dream to own an antique store,” Molly said.

“Well, I guess he did what he felt he had to do, because Tiffany wasn’t on board with his dream. Around Christmas last year, she started to think he was having an affair.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“He was spending a lot of time away from home, and then she found a jewelry box in his desk. When she asked him about it, he told her the jewelry was a Christmas present for her. She didn’t believe him.”

“Was it a brooch with a portrait of a woman’s eye?”

“Yes, it was. She showed it to me, convinced a woman gave it to him. I had to agree, it seemed like the kind of intimate gift a woman would give a man. That’s when she hired a private investigator to follow him around.”

“Do you remember the PI’s name?”

“Kofi Tatum,” Kara said as she moved to her other side. “Don’t you love the name? He came in one day to talk to her and I met him. Gorgeous man. African mother, white father. Anyway, Kofi got photos of Giles with some other woman, and when Tiffany showed them to me, I thought, yippee! Finally, she’s going to break up with him. No such luck. She didn’t even confront the bastard.”

“Why not?”

“By the time she got the photographs from Kofi, Giles was spending time with her again, and everything seemed to have gone back to normal.” She looked at Molly in the mirror. “That’s her word, not mine, by the way. Giles being normal meant he was running up the credit cards and being a jerk.” She tilted her head. “Looking back on it, it’s a pity Tiffany didn’t rock the boat when she had the chance. She might have saved herself a lot of heartache.”

Not to mention she might still be alive, Molly thought.

Kara went on. “Do you know about Giles going home to be with his dying father?”

“Yes, and I know he broke up with Tiffany over the phone soon after the funeral.”

“He’s a pathetic excuse for a man,” Kara said. “He called and told her he was in love with someone else and he wasn’t coming home. She was shocked. She thought he’d broken things off with the woman in the photographs and wanted to know who the other woman was. He wouldn’t tell her, so she quit her job and moved to Marlow Crossing.”

“Just like that? It seems so extreme,” Molly said. “Why didn’t she hire Kofi to find out who he was seeing in Marlow Crossing?”

“She went a little crazy,” Kara said. “I was afraid she was going to have a mental breakdown. She thought the relationship must be a fling, and was sure she could work things out with Giles. All she had to do was move to the village and prove to him she was willing to make an effort and give him what he wanted.”

“A life in the country?”

“Yes. I mean, no, not really, at least not long-term. She never intended to stay there very long. She thought she could convince him to come back to London with her.”

“So she wasn’t being honest,” Molly said.

“Look, the truth is, I loved Tiffany, but she was a proud woman with a big ego, and she was used to getting her own way. She didn’t know how to handle the breakup. Giles usually towed the line and did as he was told. She flipped out when he broke up with her. There was no reasoning with her.”

“Those photos Kofi took . . . was the woman Penelope Cassidy?”

“Yes, and Tiffany was livid when she found out she was living in Marlow Crossing.” Kara placed her scissors on the shelf and wiped her hands on a towel. “She couldn’t believe it was the same woman from the photos, but there she was, big as life.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t see her at the funeral,” Molly said.

“Are you kidding? Giles is a sneak. There’s no way he would have risked letting them meet.” Kara reached behind her workstation and took a hairdryer out. “When Penelope moved in with Giles, Tiffany called, hysterical. I told her to be sensible and come back to London.”

“My aunt told me she came to London a few weeks ago. Did you see her then?”

Kara nodded. “We got together for lunch and we talked about her coming back to work,” she said. “Someone told her Giles was going to ask Penelope to marry him, and I guess that was the final nail in the coffin. She knew it was over, and there was nothing she could do about it.”

“Was she upset, crying . . . ?”

“No, actually. Now that I think about it, she was really calm.” Kara switched on the hairdryer, which made it impossible to talk. She dried her hair and styled it with a fat round brush. When she was done, she switched off the dryer and turned the chair so it faced the mirror. “Ta-da! What do you think?”

Molly stared at her reflection. “Oh. My. God. It looks fabulous.” She shook her head from side to side and her hair fell perfectly around her face. It was a lot shorter, but the style gave an illusion of length. “I had no idea my hair could look this good,” she said.

“I could see the panic on your face, but I knew you’d like the result.”

“Like it? I love it!” Molly said. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re quite welcome,” Kara said. She unsnapped Molly’s gown and shook it out. “I told you Tiffany and I discussed her coming back to work here. But nothing was settled. She said she had something she had to take care of first before she made the move.”

“Did she say what that was?”

“No. I was kind of hoping maybe you knew.”

“Well, I know she wanted Giles to buy the eye miniature from her,” Molly said. “I suppose it could have been something as simple as that.” The alternative, she thought, was Tiffany wanted to keep harassing Giles and Penelope for a while, a gleeful pleasure that gave her the last word in a nasty breakup. And that unfortunate decision might have gotten her killed.