Highlights to Heaven (17 page)

Vail laughed, a low, rumbling chuckle that stirred her feminine nerve endings into heightened awareness. “Working in the salon isn’t enough for you, is it? Don’t you have customers waiting?”

“Yeah, I do.” She pulled into the parking lot at the shopping strip where her salon was located. “I have to get back to work. Heck, that’s where Carolyn Sutton just opened. She’s calling her place Hairstyle Heaven.” A thoughtful frown creased her brow. Cutter’s establishment was Heavenly Hair Salon. Hadn’t he mentioned developing a franchise out west? Could this be where Carolyn got her financial backing? The similarity in names struck her as being a little too coincidental. But maybe she was making a connection where none existed.

“It’s unfortunate that she moved into the same location,” Vail said. “I hope it doesn’t make things more difficult for you.”

“Tell me about it. If you think I’m bad, that woman is trouble with a capital
T
.”

“You have enough to worry about right now-I’ll call you later to discuss making another visit to the ranch.”

“Tonight is Passover. I won’t be home. Arnie invited me for the first night at his house.”

A pause. “I’ll miss you.”

“If I know you, you’ll be buried in paperwork.”

“Don’t forget to reserve Saturday night for me. I get too restless when we’re apart. Know what I mean?” His suggestive tone told her clearly what he meant.

Sitting in her parked car, she felt her body stir. “Me too,” she replied in a husky tone.
Get over this hormonal surge every time you speak to him. It distracts you from thinking rationally
. “Please notify me when Kenya turns up,” she added. “Until later, then. Bye.” First Goat vanished, now her classmate. At least Goat was still alive. Grasping her purse, she detached the cell phone and lifted it from its cradle. Time to fulfill her other obligations.

“Marla, where have you been? You shouldn’t run out on us like that.” Giorgio’s voice assaulted her as soon as she entered the salon. “Out to lunch with your handsome detective?”

“No, I had an errand to run,” she said with a preoccupied air. “Hi, Mrs. Fagelson. I hope you weren’t waiting long,” she told her gray-haired client. “You can go back and get washed.”

She was midway through the blow-out when power cut off. No juice playing the background music, no noise from the dryers, no heat to the curling irons.
Nada
. Stunned silence swept through the salon, but it didn’t last long.

“Flicker, Power, and Light,” Nicole sneered from the next station where she was applying highlights. “What now? Some car hit a pole? It isn’t storm season yet.”

Marla plunked her hair dryer on the counter. “I’ll go next door and see who else is affected.”

A few minutes later, she returned. “We’re it, guys. The lights work on either side of us. I’ll check the circuits.” They were turned to the ON position. She switched off the air-conditioning, in case of a power surge when the electricity came back online.

“I’ll call FPL,” she told her waiting staff. “I can’t imagine what’s happened. Sorry, Mrs. Fagelson. I hope we can fix this fast, or we’re dead in the water.”

Where had she put the electric company’s phone number? Marla couldn’t find it anywhere, not on the front desk, in her Rolodex, or in her files. She’d have to look it up in the Yellow Pages.

Crouching down behind the reception desk, she slid open a cupboard. As she reached for the thick directory, a black object scurried away from the natural light into darker recesses.

“Ahh!” Marla shrieked, jerking backward and banging her hip on the opposite counter. Springing to her feet, she lurched into Giorgio’s outstretched arms.

“What is it?”

“A palmetto bug.”

“Pah! You’re afraid of the little creature?”

“It’s not little. The thing is bigger than my thumb. You get it. I’ll give you a bonus.”

“No kidding. How much?”

“Giorgio!”

He grinned wickedly. “I have you at my mercy, no? I like this very much.”

While she knew he was teasing, for a moment something odd flashed behind his expression. “Go on. You’re just ribbing me.”

His face eased into a smile. “Don’t worry, your hero will get the big bad bug.”

“Excuse me,” said an unfamiliar male voice. A silver-haired man stood by the reception counter, looking slightly bewildered.

Marla searched for the receptionist, but the girl hadn’t yet returned from the bank where Marla had sent her. “Yes?” She edged out of Giorgio’s way, hoping the man wouldn’t think their actions peculiar.

“I was wondering if anyone had time to give me a haircut this afternoon.”

She opened the appointment book. Everyone else was fully occupied. Marla had the only available slot, having purposefully not filled it in so she could leave early. “I can take you after I finish Mrs. Fagelson, but we’re having a problem with the power right now.”

The man gave a shy smile. “You can come get me when you’re ready. I’m Sam Levy. I work down at the hardware store.”

She knew the place. It was a privately owned store, one of a rare breed left in these days of chain stores that outgunned the independents. “I’m Marla Shore, and this is my salon. You’re only a few doors down. I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”

His eyes crinkled. “You’re mighty kind, miss. I should be retired, you know, but after my wife passed on, I couldn’t stay home alone. I used to be in the building business, so the hardware store is the perfect place for me.”

Marla grinned. “My neighbor Moss is supposedly retired, too. He still does carpentry work.” A loud whack from behind made her jump.

“Got it,” Giorgio exclaimed. “Here are your Yellow Pages.”

Marla waved at Sam as he left the salon, and signaled to her customer that she’d be right back. She dialed the number for FPL and got connected to the service department.

“Well, Miss Shore,” the lady on the other end said after she’d explained her problem, “we have here a request you made earlier. You told us to shut off the electricity and to cancel your account.”

Marla told Arnie and Jill about the power loss later that evening when she went to Arnie’s house for the Passover seder. “Someone did it on purpose to cause me trouble,” she said, helping Jill carry plates of gefilte fish into the dining room.

“Like who?” Jill, a buxom blonde, dressed tastefully in a pink satiny suit with mother-of-pearl buttons, smiled at her. She wore her hair in soft waves reaching her shoulders.

“I can think of a number of people who hold a grudge against me,” Marla said wryly. “By the way, the table looks beautiful.” Settings for twelve glistened with silver, bone china, and crystal on a white damask cloth.

“Thanks. These were mostly wedding gifts for Arnie and his wife. He hasn’t used them in a while.” She lowered her voice, glancing into the kitchen where Arnie was carving up the turkey. “I could see he was thinking about Susan when he brought them out. This must bring back painful memories, poor man.”

“Susan’s car accident happened five years ago. It’s about time for him to reestablish family traditions, especially for his kids. Where are Josh and Lisa?”

“In their rooms with friends. I’m so excited. This is my first seder, and I’ve always wanted to go to one.”

“Do they cover it in your conversion classes?”

Jill glanced at her engagement ring. “We’re just getting into the holidays. I’ve been reading about it, though. I hope I don’t make any mistakes.”

Marla touched her arm. “You’ll do fine.”

Arnie strode into the living room where the other guests had congregated. “Let’s get started,” he said, rubbing his hands together.

“Kids, come on.” He signaled to them before claiming his place at the head of the table. “Please turn to page nine in your Haggadah,” he said once everyone took their seats. Settling his yarmulke on his head, he began the service.

“Since this is Jill’s first Passover celebration, we’ll explain things as we go along. Here is the seder plate.” As tradition warranted, he held up each item as he spoke about it. “The roasted bone stands for the lamb our ancestors sacrificed for the holiday, and the roasted egg reminds us of the destruction of the holy temple. These bitter herbs stand for the bitter life our ancestors suffered as slaves in Egypt. Haroset represents the mortar they used to build bricks for the Pharaoh.”

Marla remembered she had to bring the Haroset tomorrow night for the second seder. Thankfully, it was an easy dish, and she had in stock the chopped walnuts, apples, cinnamon, and kosher wine. She watched dutifully while Arnie explained about the Karpas, holding up a sprig of parsley, symbol of regrowth. Matzos, the bread of affliction, came next, in their three-tiered holder. Then began the blessings. Candles were lighted and the Kiddush was said while everyone drank the first of four cups of wine for the evening. The children giggled, this being the one time they were allowed to sip a sample from the grown-ups’ glasses, although their own glasses held grape juice.

Marla’s stomach rumbled with hunger as Arnie alternated between Hebrew and English in reading how their ancestors were delivered from bondage in Egypt. It was an ageless story celebrating freedom and decrying the oppression of people everywhere. They sang “Go Down Moses” and “Dayenu” and dipped their little fingers into wine for each of the ten plagues brought upon the Pharaoh. Marla visualized the movie version with Charlton Heston as Moses. Ma had made her and Michael watch
The Ten Commandments
every year. She’d never admit to anyone it was one of her favorite films.

These traditions were important to her, she realized with a flash of insight. She could no more give them up than sacrifice her other rituals of existence. Her thoughts drifted to Dalton, who clung to the past with similar tenacity. Perhaps his focus differed from hers, but this might be a common ground from which the well of a lasting relationship might spring.

Sustenance tonight came not from her inner flow of self-realization but from the main meal that followed the second cup of wine. Marla dipped her piece of boiled potato in salt water, representing the tears of oppression. She ate her hard-boiled egg, appreciating the fact that it stood for eternal life. Everything had a meaning, but soon she became more interested in the food than in the meanings. She chased down a course of gefilte fish with a bowl of matzoh ball soup. By the time she got to the turkey and brisket, she was almost full and barely had room to scarf down a macaroon for dessert. No wonder their ancestors ate in a reclining position. They were stuffed!

After dinner, the kids opened the door to welcome Elijah the prophet. She used to believe his spirit actually drank from the full cup of wine on the table.
If he visited every Jewish household, he’d be mighty drunk by the night’s end. Sort of like me
. She felt tipsy after singing more songs and downing more wine.

Forcing herself to remain sober, she accosted Jill as they carried dirty dishes into the kitchen. “I meant to ask you about Yani Verkovich’s colleague,” she said, admiring the glossy sheen of her friend’s hair. “Did you identify him to Detective Vail?”

“The man’s name is Lujan Chang.” Jill put a couple of delicate crystal goblets near the sink.

“Did he mention what Yani was doing with Cutter?”

“I couldn’t ask direct questions, or he’d become suspicious. I pretended I was interviewing him as part of my public relations job. I told him I was looking for employees with interesting hobbies that we could use to improve our image.”

Marla grabbed a dish towel while Jill began washing the crystal by hand. “Did he mention he collects birds, or anything about a connection with Wake Hollander, the pet-store owner I told you about?”

Jill gave her a frank stare. “Tell me about that again.”

“Presumably Evan Fargutt imports the birds or breeds them on his ranch. Evan sells them to Chang through Hollander. The man’s obsession with birds does not explain why he goes to the local pound and collects dogs and cats destined for death row.”

“He did ask me if I wanted to buy a fur coat for a cheap price.” The blonde resumed washing dishes.

“Maybe he was responsible for the skinned dog I found in Goat’s backyard. Goat could have found out what he was doing and tried to save the animals.”

“I thought you said Goat worked part-time on Evan’s ranch. How would he meet Chang, unless the guy ran into him on the property?”

Marla gripped the dish towel, excitement coursing through her.

“They might have met at the pet store. Goat bought his supplies there.”

“Yani may not have known about Chang’s little side businesses. Maybe Goat clued him in, and Yani got upset. Chang killed Yani to keep him quiet, and meant to get Goat, but your neighbor got away.”

“So what was Yani doing at Goat’s house, and who brought the cash? Was Chang a passenger in the Corolla, or was he the motorcycle rider my other neighbor heard?”

Jill’s face scrunched. “Chang seemed glad Yani wasn’t his lab partner anymore. Apparently, Yani’s sexual preferences bothered him. He didn’t mention Cutter by name, but he said Yani had been bamboozled by a friend into believing he could perform miracles.”

“Did you ask what he meant?”

Jill nodded. “I tried to appear disinterested. With my acting background, it’s easy to pretend I’m a brainless twit. ‘Why, sugar,’ I said to him, ‘if I’d known Verkovich could make miracles, I’d have asked him to do my boobs instead of paying the surgeon. He could have saved me a fortune.’” She laughed, propping up her golden globes.

“How did Chang respond?”

“He leered at me with his ugly face. Yani preferred men, he said. Verkovich had been working on a formula to restore hair on bald guys.”

“All right!”

“Wait, there’s more. Chang said Yani should know house pets could only be used as test subjects in certain kinds of experiments. They do animal testing at Stockhart Industries, but I believe they use smaller species.”

Marla gazed at her thoughtfully. “Do you think Chang could’ve been supplying Yani with dogs and cats for their makeshift lab?”

“Only if there was something in it for him. That’s where he might have worked a deal with Evan regarding shipments of birds.”

Marla’s brain clouded. “This is too confusing.”

“Is there anything else you want me to find out?”

“Ask Chang if he’s ever heard of Wyeth Holmes.”

Thursday, Marla repeated their conversation for Vail’s benefit. “At least Jill confirmed what I’ve believed about the hair formula,” she told him on the telephone, sparing a few moments in the salon.

“You may be right, but a few links remain that don’t connect. How about if we go early Sunday to check out Evan’s ranch?”

“What about Saturday night? I thought you wanted to come for dinner.”

“I can still make it. Brianna is going to a bat mitzvah on a charter yacht and staying at a friend’s house overnight. I’ll go broke at this rate. She has to give each kid a gift, and Brie won’t wear the same dress twice. She found this Teen Angel place with expensive clothes, and now she insists on getting all her outfits there. Did you have this kind of affair when you turned thirteen?”

Marla smiled. “I had a bat mitzvah, but it wasn’t as fancy as the parties today, especially in South Florida. It’s a good thing she’s one of the oldest in her class and already had her birthday. Now she doesn’t have to worry about outdoing anyone else. How about bringing her to the salon Saturday so I can fix her hair?”

“Brie already suggested I make an appointment and said something about a French manicure. What am I going to do?”

Marla laughed. “Live with it, Daddy. You don’t need an appointment. Just bring Brie and I’ll fit her into my schedule.”
You can make time for the teen, but not for your mother
? ’Marla refused to contemplate her motives. “Give me a chance to get my act together after work.

Come around seven-thirty for dinner.”

“You’re on. Just be careful until then, you hear?”

“I’ll be at Cynthia’s house tonight, and I’m working late tomorrow. No chance for me to get into mischief. How do you plan to sneak into Evan’s ranch?”

“We’ll park at Flamingo Gardens and walk over.”

“And if we get caught? I don’t want you to get into trouble with your superiors.”

“I can always say I saw Goat. It’s acceptable to go after a known suspect. If we get caught, we’ll have other problems than what to say to my chief.”

Giorgio strolled into the storeroom, scratching his head of curly hair. “Watch out, beautiful, I have to use the sink.” He withdrew a tube of color from a shelf, got a clean bowl and bottle of developer, and proceeded to mix his solution.

“I gotta go,” Marla said into the receiver. “See ya soon.”

“You working late tonight?” Giorgio asked, flashing her a grin. A row of even teeth gleamed white in his tanned face.

“No, I’m going to a Passover seder at my cousin’s house. I’m working late tomorrow night instead.”

“This seder is like a feast, no?”

“Yes, and we have a service that goes along with it.” A few steps away, she threw a pile of dirty towels into the washing machine and set the controls.

“It sounds like a late night.” Grabbing a stiff brush, he stirred the coloring compound.

Stretching, Marla yawned. “I didn’t get home last evening until after eleven. Arnie went through the service very slowly so he could explain everything to Jill.”

“You must be tired.” He shot her a sympathetic glance.

“Actually, I came in here for a cup of coffee and then remembered I needed to call Vail.” Reaching around him, she rinsed out her coffee mug and poured herself a fresh cup from the staff’s private coffeemaker.

“Anything new with your neighbor?”

Nicole peeked around the corner before Marla could answer. “Your two o’clock is here. Shall I tell her to get washed?”

Marla shook her head. “I’ll go get her. Time for work, Giorgio.” She left to greet her regular client, Babs Winrow.

“How is Babs?” Cynthia asked that evening when they were schmoozing in the kitchen at her seaside estate. “I haven’t seen her since I resigned from Ocean Guard’s board of directors. It’s enough that Bruce has to deal with those lunatics as trustee, but I’d had enough after our little fiasco. I always liked Babs.”

“She’s planning to visit her daughter. I see your Annie has a new boyfriend.”

Cynthia gave a cynical smile. “We’ll see how long this one lasts. I wasn’t going to let her invite him, since we usually don’t have outsiders, but the kid has a single mom, and she had to work tonight. I feel bad for them.”

“We’ll certainly have enough food.” Marla gestured at the dishes piled high in the kitchen.

“He’s not the only new face you’ll see here tonight. I should warn you-”

“Marla,
bubula
, come say hello to your
tanteh
,” a shrill voice cried.

“Hi, Aunt Polly,” Marla said dutifully, kissing her mother’s older sister on a wrinkled cheek.

Polly’s filmy eyes peered at her through spectacles held together by adhesive tape. “Where’s your brother? I want to tell him about this place that recycles old computers.”

Marla hid a grin at the sight of Polly standing next to Cynthia. A great chasm separated Polly’s style of clothing from Cynthia’s. Polly wore a sickly yellow blouse with chipped buttons, a shamrock green skirt, and a scarf to cover her ragged gray hair. Cynthia’s smart linen ensemble suited her sophisticated lifestyle. Same for their habits: Polly rarely turned on her air conditioner, so as to save money, while Cynthia didn’t think twice about writing checks for anything.

“Michael and Charlene haven’t arrived yet,” Marla said, “but here are Julia and Alan.
Someone should teach Julia how to put her lipstick on straight
. She greeted the newcomers with a false warmth that matched their own less than enthusiastic response.

“Marla, how good to see you,” Julia crooned. “Cynthia. Hello, dear,” she said, air-kissing her cousins while Alan handed their dinner contribution to one of the hired maids. Turning to Marla, Julia winked. “I hear we’re going to meet someone important tonight.”

Alan glanced at his watch. “Where is everyone? If you set the time for seven, we should get started.”