Murder By Manicure Part 12

"Well, what else have you got?"

"I want to know why Hortense seems interested in this case. She appeared out of nowhere and latched herself onto Arnie. When Vail came along, suddenly she liked him. Perhaps she's on the level, but I want to find out before she screws Arnie." Or takes Dalton away from me, she added silently.

"How are you going to pursue that angle?"

"Arnie might know where she was located before she moved here. She wasn't that far away; I know that much. I'll take a ride and see what I can learn."

"Call me if it's one of my days off, and I'll go with you-oh, I didn't tell you about the guy who came into my boutique." Her face creased into a smile. "He said he wanted to look at some outfits for his girlfriend, but after he selected several dresses, he tried them on!"

Marla chuckled. "Did he buy anything?"

"Yes, two items plus matching accessories. Very weird. He was a hunky-looking guy, too."

"It takes all kinds." She fell silent to finish her bagel. Revved up from the coffee, she rose and tossed her empty containers into the trash. "Let's get changed. How much time before Dancercize?"

Tally stretched, then checked her watch. "It starts at ten. We've got fifteen minutes."

"If we hurry, we'll have time to talk to Hank. I'd like to ask him how he found out about the incident last night. Was he still at the restaurant, and if so, did he see anyone else around the cars that got blown up?"

Tally placed a warning hand on her arm. "Don't look now, but here comes Cookie."

"Hi, gals." Cookie bounced in, looking chipper in a sweatshirt and shorts. "So Marla, I hear the Zelmans got b.u.mped off last night."

"Who told you?" Marla demanded.

Cookie smirked. "One of my SETA colleagues. Her brother owns the tow-truck company that does accident cleanups. The Zelmans screwed a lot of people. It's no secret they made money off other people's misfortunes. Something to do with mortgage foreclosures."

"I was in the restaurant last night," Marla confided. "I talked to Eloise in the ladies' room. She believed Sam was having an affair with Jolene. Why else would they have been meeting at the Holiday Inn? It's not your usual business location."

"You tell me, doll. Jolene acted strange in many ways. Must've been those chemicals she worked with every day. Affected her brain. Or else guilt afflicted her from all the suffering she caused those captive animals."

Pushing open the door to the locker room, Cookie preceded the others inside and marched directly toward an unoccupied bench. The room wasn't crowded yet, but it was bound to fill later when all the Sunday snoozers woke up. Marla, trailing after Cookie, chose an empty cubbyhole and took out the combination lock she'd brought in her bag. She motioned Tally to the s.p.a.ce beside hers.

"Did you discover anything new about Jolene's work or those lab reports you'd mentioned?" Marla asked Cookie, determined to squeeze every bit of information from the woman.

"Did you rid your salon of products from companies that use animal testing?"

"I haven't had a chance."

"Well, I won't tell you anything else until you do." Cookie's expression hardened. "Someone has to stand up for those poor creatures. Too much of our society is based on animal abuse. Drugs, cosmetics, and industrial products all require liability and safety tests, but they can be done in a more humane manner. You're the ones who influence those industries. If you boycott their products, you won't be held personally responsible for the deaths of animals. Otherwise, you're nothing more than murderers."

Plopping onto the bench, she slid her feet from a pair of scuffed sandals and took out a can of antifungal powder from her backpack. Sprinkling the yellow substance on her feet, she then pulled on a pair of white cotton socks and stuck her feet into sneakers.

Marla stared at the sprinkling of yellow dust on the floor, but she had no time to consider Cookie's inconsiderate habits because a cough sounded from around the bend. Who had been listening in on their conversation?

Lindsay's grinning face popped into view. "Sorry, guys. I was changing into my leotard when I heard you come in, and I wasn't exactly presentable. Are you joining my dance cla.s.s?"

"Sure thing," Tally responded, beating Marla to the punch. Engaging Lindsay in small talk, she changed into a black-and-silver combo that reminded Marla of a Victoria's Secret window fashion.

By comparison, her own shorts and tank top seemed overly conservative. It didn't help that Lindsay looked like Barbie with her swinging ponytail, leggy pink tights, and glowing complexion. Where were all the overweight patrons who really needed the cla.s.s?

Probably upstairs, she told herself as they followed Lindsay to the second level. Two people were missing from her group today, Marla realized with dismay. First Jolene met her demise, then Eloise vanished in a puff of smoke. Who was next?

"h.e.l.lo, it's me!" trilled a voice from inside the studio.

Marla's jaw dropped open. Dressed in a two-piece outfit that showed more skin than fabric, Hortense grinned at them.

Chapter Eleven.

"What are you doing here?" Marla asked Hortense, determined to find out why the woman popped up at the most opportune times.

"I decided to take advantage of the three-month trial membership." Whipping back a stray hair from her face, she glanced pointedly at Tally.

Marla introduced them as Lindsay stepped forward. "This is my friend Tally Riggs, and here's Lindsay Trotter, the dance teacher. Are you joining her cla.s.s?"

"I was hoping there'd be enough room."

"Wow, the place is full," Tally commented, noting the crowded studio.

Lindsay bounced on her heels. "We always get a good group on Sundays. Come on inside, ladies. Don't forget to rub your shoes in the resin so you don't slip," she advised Hortense. "It's not necessary for sneakers, but I recommend it for jazz shoes or ballet slippers on a polished floor." Beaming a toothpaste-advertis.e.m.e.nt smile, she strutted inside the room.

Marla studied Hortense's smiling expression. Her eyes were wary, unlike her upward-curved mouth. If that gal doesn't have an ulterior agenda, I'll eat beet borscht every day for a month, Marla thought. "Are you fully recovered from last night?" she asked with pretended concern.

Hortense waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm fine. Arnie was such a dear. You're really lucky to have hooked him, you know."

Tally chuckled. "That's what I keep telling her. She and Arnie make such a sweet couple."

Throwing her friend a dirty look, Marla said, "Lindsay's about to start the cla.s.s. Come on."

She got into the swing doing warm-ups with big band music blasting from the speakers. Starting out with "In the Mood," they picked up the pace with "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and then moved to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." By then her Danskin Spandex tank top was stuck to her sweaty back, and her bike shorts felt molded to her thighs. She enjoyed learning the Charleston and the lindy hop, if that was what you called it. Occasionally, she'd tuned into those ballroom dancing compet.i.tions on TV and was amazed at how strenuous a form of exercise it could be. This was a lot more fun than doing sit-ups or power boxing, although that last one wasn't a bad idea for self-defense.

"Thin is in!" Lindsay chanted during the cooldown period, rotating her arms in a graceful port de bras.

"Great session," Marla said afterward while the others filed out. "I wish I had time to continue when my trial membership is over, but I've got too many other things to do. Can you recommend an instructional tape that I can use at home?"

Lindsay's steady gaze a.s.sessed her. "There's one with Denise Austin that you might like. It's a low-impact workout with some of the same tunes."

"Okay, thanks. I'll see you again on Tuesday when I bring Brianna to ballet cla.s.s."

"Sure. Too bad her dad is busy. Is he still working up Jolene's case? I thought her tragic drowning was an accident."

"He said Jolene took sedatives before going into the whirlpool, and it wasn't a drug you can buy over the counter." She watched Lindsay for her reaction.

A smooth eyebrow rose. "Really? Meaning what?"

"Maybe Jolene was murdered."

"Murdered?" Her pink lips gaped.

Marla glanced around the empty cla.s.sroom. Tally was chatting with Hortense outside the gla.s.s wall. They could start on the machines without her.

"The drug made Jolene drowsy enough to sink underwater, so it must've been fairly quick-acting," she confided.

"But why would Jolene take it if she knew that?"

"Maybe she didn't. She'd swallowed gelatin capsules in the locker room when I was there with Cookie, so that's one possible route. She'd gotten a manicure earlier that day and was in the habit of biting her nails, because I caught a glimpse of Bite No More in her bag. So maybe the sedative was painted on her nails. Then again, she had a snack after your dance cla.s.s. Could someone have slipped a Mickey Finn into her drink? Somebody got to Sam Zelman last night, which makes me think their deaths were related. I guess Detective Vail concurs because he's still investigating."

"Why are you so interested, Marla?"

"Jolene was my client. She shouldn't have died that day. It won't make any difference now, but I want to understand what happened."

Stooping over, Lindsay reached for her dance bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. Her short-sleeved leotard allowed Marla a glimpse of sculpted arm muscles. She must work out with weights, Marla figured with a twinge of envy.

"I noticed Eloise wasn't here today," Lindsay commented as they strolled toward the exit. "I heard about the disaster last night. It's such a shame. We'll all miss them."

"I'm not so sure Eloise was in the car. Although it's a natural a.s.sumption, we're not even sure they arrived together. Hortense only caught a glimpse of Sam sitting in the vehicle."

Lindsay's eyes widened. "You were there?"

She gave a wry smile. "Hortense and I were double-dating. We went with our guys to dinner at the restaurant."

"And you didn't invite me?" Keith clucked his tongue as he approached the cl.u.s.ter of people outside the dance studio.

Hortense had apparently been holding court by dramatizing last night's incident. Since many of the people knew the Zelmans, she had gathered quite an audience. Keith hastened to introduce himself to her and Tally before sidling back to Marla.

"So, babe, want a fitness consult today? We still need to review your diet." His chocolate brown eyes swept her body.

"Haven't you heard the news?" Hortense cried. "She's engaged to Arnie Hartman."

Marla groaned inwardly as others heard the announcement and came over to congratulate her. When the circle of acquaintances finally dispersed, she gestured to Tally. "Let's do fifteen minutes on the virtual reality bike. That's all the time I can spare. I have things to do at home."

While they were cycling, Marla's gaze followed Keith. He flirted with Hortense, showing her the equipment and apparently finding reasons to put his hands on her. When he headed downstairs, Marla decided it might be a good opportunity to catch him alone. If she must endure his s.e.xual advances in order to gain information, so be it. She left Tally after arranging to meet her friend in the lobby.

On the lower level, she rounded a corner just as Keith emerged from the ma.s.sage suite. His eyes were stormy as he conversed with Slate. "You're not keeping close enough tabs on her," Keith muttered, jabbing a finger in the air.

Marla paused by the partially open door to Gloria's office, staying just out of either man's visual range.

"You're crazy; I can't be on the chick every minute. Besides, Amy doesn't want you, man. She has the hots for me."

"When I tell her what I know, she'll drop you like a rock."

Slate made a growling noise. "You'd better not, or I won't follow your orders anymore."

Keith cursed. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me as long as you do what you're told. Just make sure she doesn't end up like Jolene."

"What does that mean?" Slate snarled.

"Amy overheard you arguing with Jolene. What'd you do, slip something into her gla.s.s of water?"

"That's ridiculous."

"Oh yeah? Remember how you smashed Jolene's headlights after she refused to go out with you? I'm surprised she let you give her a ma.s.sage."

"She had something to tell me about Gloria and wanted to know if you were involved. I told her you're too dumb to even know what's going on."

They strode away, giving Marla a moment to consider what she'd heard. Slate, as well as Gloria, had something to hide. Before she reached any conclusions, a cough sounded from inside Gloria's office, and she backed away. I wonder if Vail has checked the personnel files, she thought. Imagine the wealth of information that must be in Gloria's records! If only she could get into that office when no one else was around. Gloria probably had profiles on all the customers as well.

"Marla, I thought you were getting changed," said Tally from behind her.

Marla swirled to face her friend. "I just overheard an interesting conversation," she said in a hushed voice. "I'll tell you about it when we're outside." Gesturing toward Gloria's office, she indicated they should hasten past.

In the locker room, Hortense stood by a bench, conversing with Cookie. The shorter woman had pulled an oversized T-shirt over her Jockey zip-front sports bra and black capri pants. Her strawberry blond hair, in disarray after cla.s.s, looked as though she'd been in a windstorm. Despite her dislike of Cookie, Marla's fingers itched for a hairbrush to tame the unruly locks.

"Marla, we were just talking about you," Hortense stated.

"Oh?" She walked toward her locker.

"Cookie was telling me you use bad products in your salon."

Grasping a clean towel, Marla spun to face the troublemaker. "Are you spreading false rumors about me? If you slander my salon, I'll take legal action."

Cookie's emerald eyes gleamed defiantly. "You promised to weed undesirable items from your stock, but you haven't done anything!"

Marla gritted her teeth. "I told you earlier that I haven't had a chance to take inventory regarding which products comply with SETA standards. It's not the highest thing on my priority list. I'm worried about Eloise."

Cookie's gaze hardened. "She's not my problem. You are."

Tally b.u.t.ted in. "Leave my friend alone, or you'll answer to me. Marla isn't doing anything to offend you. You're the type of person who picks a fight because you don't know how to get close to someone. You could be attractive, but your sour att.i.tude puts people off."

"It's a shandah," Marla said to Tally on their way out later. "Cookie is a driven woman. What a shame she's misusing her talents by being so aggressive."

"She attacks people verbally because it alienates them. By latching onto different causes, she reminds me of a lost child who lacks a sense of self-direction."

"Since when are you a psychologist?" Marla paused in front of a Dodge minivan, thinking that the parking lot could qualify for a foreign car show. Down one aisle alone, she noted two Mercedeses, two Jaguars, a gold Lexus RX-300, three Toyotas, and a Honda Odyssey. Typical of upscale west Broward County.

"Cookie irritates me. I'm just trying to understand what makes her tick," Tally said, squinting in the morning sunlight. "She strikes me as a lonely person."

"Well, I don't feel sorry for her."

"Do you have time to stop for coffee? You didn't tell me what you learned from Keith after following him downstairs. I'd like to hear more about Dalton, too. Ken and I should double-date with you guys one night. That is, after your engagement to Arnie breaks off." A wide grin split her face. "I can see why he'd be floored by Hortense. She's got equipment in all the right places."

"Dalton noticed that, too." Marla glanced at her watch. "I have to go directly home. This afternoon is the West Regional Fair, and my Child Drowning Prevention Coalition is handing out leaflets supporting a proposed bill in the state legislature. If pa.s.sed, it'll mandate safety measures on all new pools and hot tubs built in Florida after the law goes into effect. If you've got nothing else to do, maybe you'd like to join us. Volunteers get a potluck supper."