Lipstick, a Long Iron and Lifeless (A Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery Book 11) Read online

  “Dad, I have to tell Nick,” Bekki said as she glanced over at her husband who was hard at work.

  “Wait, Bekki,” her father pleaded. “I know Dave, I know he would never be involved with something like this.”

  “Robert, you can't expect her to lie to him,” Marie said with a frown. “We both love Dave but, if it's his long iron, then it should be investigated.”

  “Bekki, I need to talk to Nick,” Robert said as he stepped closer to her. “If I could just explain to him what type of man Dave is, I'm sure he'd understand.”

  “You can't right now, Dad, he's analyzing the crime scene,” she explained, still distracted by her own thoughts.

  “But I know that Dave didn't do this. Is he going to arrest Dave?” he asked anxiously. Bekki frowned as she looked at her father.

  “Dad, try not to worry too much. If Dave is innocent then I'm sure he won't be arrested,” she said hesitantly. In truth she knew that the fact that the murder weapon could be tied to her father's friend was a pretty good reason to arrest him, at the very least he would be taken in for questioning.

  “There is no if,” her father said sternly. Bekki wasn't used to him speaking so authoritatively to her, at least not since she was a child. “Dave did not do this. Imagine the embarrassment he'll be put through if he's arrested!”

  “Dad, Nick has to do his job,” Bekki argued in return. “I believe you, but why else would Dave's golf club be there?”

  “I don't know,” he sighed. “But I'm sure he had nothing to do with this. Can you talk to Nick, please?” he looked into Bekki's eyes.

  “Of course, I'll do what I can,” Bekki nodded. She looked back over at Nick who was walking around the inside of the police tape. Already other officers were bagging up the evidence from the crime scene, including the golf club. She knew that she couldn't ask Nick not to do his job, but she also knew that it would break her father's heart if his good friend was accused of a murder that he didn't commit.

  Chapter Four

  Once Nick had processed the scene he left the crime scene techs to do the rest. Bekki had already sent her mother and father home and was waiting for Nick at the edge of the green. He walked over to her with a grim expression.

  “It looks like a crime of passion, Bekki,” he said quietly. “Whoever did this had some serious anger. Hopefully we'll be able to lift some prints off the golf club.”

  “I need to tell you something, Nick,” Bekki said with a frown. Nick stepped closer and studied her.

  “What is it?” he asked as he held her gaze.

  “My father told me he believes the golf club belongs to his friend, Dave Brunner,” she said quietly.

  “And you waited until now to tell me?” Nick asked with slight annoyance. He pulled out his phone. “I'll have him picked up right now.”

  “Nick, wait please,” Bekki said and gently grabbed the hand that was holding his phone. “My father is really upset. He is certain that Dave would never have anything to do with this.”

  “Bekki,” Nick spoke with a sigh. “Almost all the friends and relatives of murderers believe they are not capable of committing murder.”

  “I know that,” Bekki replied testily. “But this is different.”

  “How?” he asked as he continued to look into her eyes. “Because it's a friend of your family’s?” he frowned. “You know I can't show favoritism.”

  “I'm not asking that,” Bekki insisted with increasing frustration. “Look, I know that you're going to have to bring him in for questioning. All I'm asking is that you handle it discreetly. Pick him up in an unmarked car, don't handcuff him in front of his wife and neighbors.”

  “Bekki,” Nick growled and ran a hand across his forehead. “That's really pushing it.”

  Bekki released a slow breath and closed her eyes for a moment. “You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, Nick,” she finally said quietly. “It's your choice. I promise, I won't be angry if you can't do it. But for my father's sake, I had to ask.”

  Nick's expression softened as he saw the concern in Bekki's eyes. He hesitated a moment and then nodded.

  “All right, Bekki, I'll pick him up myself and bring him in. But I can't promise what will happen after that,” he added and then shook his head. “I'm sorry about all this, I know you were looking forward to today.”

  “It's okay,” Bekki kissed his cheek lightly. “Josh and his family need you more than I do right now.”

  Nick nodded and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. “Go be with your father,” he instructed her. “I'm sure he is very upset.”

  “I'm going to,” Bekki sighed. “Nick, thank you.”

  “Anything for you, Bekki,” he reminded her and kissed her forehead before he walked away with his phone pressed up to his ear. Bekki asked one of the uniformed officers to give her a ride home so that Nick could have his car. As she was riding in the passenger seat of the police car she thought of what it would be like for Dave to be accused of murder. No one ever saw that coming, unless of course, they were a murderer. It made her uncomfortable to even think of that possibility.

  Bekki had known Dave since she was a child, and although she had never been terribly close to him, the idea that he could take the life of another man was very unsettling to say the least. When she was dropped off at her parents’ house she took a moment to gather her thoughts. She knew her father would be upset about Dave, and of course about Josh as well. When she opened the front door, she heard her father's voice booming.

  “This is ridiculous,” he declared. “Dave didn't do this. Stacey just called me saying that he was taken from his house! He's not feeling well!”

  “Dad…” Bekki started to say as she walked further into the house.

  “And you know who took him?” Robert asked as Marie tried to get him to quiet down. He spun around to face Bekki. “Your husband!” he said gruffly.

  “Dad,” Bekki frowned. She wasn't used to seeing him so angry. “Nick took Dave in for questioning as a favor to me,” she said quietly. “He picked him up in his car, not a police car, and I asked him not to cuff him in front of Stacey.”

  “Well, he didn't,” Robert admitted with a frown. “But that doesn't excuse him being taken in at all.”

  “Dad, his golf club was at the crime scene. Whether you told me it was his, or they found out by running the fingerprints on the club, Dave was going to be taken in for questioning. I'm sure if he was sick and home with Stacey then he will have an alibi and all of this will be cleared up in no time.”

  “I'm sorry, Bekki,” Robert apologized softly as he looked at his daughter. “I'm just so wound up about all of this.”

  “It's okay,” Bekki replied and hugged him. “I know how hard it is when you are sure of someone's innocence. It isn't fair for Dave to be going through this, but it isn't fair that Josh is dead either. Maybe Dave will have information to help the police. Maybe he will have loaned his club to someone and all of this will be solved quickly.”

  “Maybe,” Robert cringed. “But I know Dave never loaned his clubs out. He was too embarrassed by their state to do so.”

  “Nick will figure it out, Dad,” Bekki insisted. “He's an excellent detective, and he is fair.”

  “I hope so,” Robert sunk down heavily on the couch. “I just can't believe all of this is happening.”

  “Bekki, I'll get you some tea,” Marie said as she hurried into the kitchen. Bekki sat down beside her father on the couch. She reached out and took his hand in hers. He glanced up at her with a small smile.

  “Thanks, Bekki,” he said quietly. “For being here. I didn't mean to lash out at Nick.”

  “I know,” Bekki patted his hand. When her father looked away again she saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes. She knew that Dave had become like a brother to him. She gritted her teeth and recalled the conversation she had with Nick about staying out of his cases. She was certain that for this particular case, she was not going to be able to keep that promise.

&nbs
p; ***

  When Bekki went home that night Nick still wasn't home. He had sent her a text to let her know that he might not make it home before morning. Bekki spent most of the night trying to sleep, with no success. Her mind kept returning to the tears in her father's eyes. At some point she gave up on actually sleeping and attempted to piece together the clues of the case. All she knew of Josh was that he married Janet shortly before they moved to Harroway and that they appeared to be madly in love. It was a tragic thing to think of Janet hearing the news of her husband's death.

  Bekki hoped that no one would point a finger at Dave right away, considering that Janet and Stacey were friends. How would Janet react if she found out that the likely murder weapon belonged to Dave? Bekki couldn't even imagine Stacey's reaction.

  As Bekki stared at the ceiling she recalled the conversation she had with Sammy the day before. She remembered Sammy talking about the woman that Josh was meeting with. At the time it hadn't seemed very suspicious, but now that Bekki knew it was the day before Josh was killed, she wanted to think about it a little more. Sammy had said that they were talking in whispers and acting very secretive. What was it they could have been discussing? Why would they have a secret tryst in the middle of a public café in the middle of town? If they were having some kind of relationship Bekki was sure of the one place she could go to find out the truth. At the country club, the rumors would be spreading like wildfire. All she had to do was show up and listen. At some point after planning this she finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.

  When Bekki woke early the next morning she found that Nick's side of the bed still hadn't been slept in. He was still out working the case. Bekki was itching to know what he might have discovered, but she knew she had to be careful to respect his wishes in regards to her staying out of the case as much as possible. However, what Nick didn't know she was up to, wouldn't be a problem.

  ***

  Bekki's plan was not to step on Nick's toes with the investigation. There was nothing wrong with a casual conversation among friends at the country club. Never mind that most of the women were not her friends. They were however friends with her mother and some with both of her parents. As she drove to the country club Nick sent her a text. Bekki pushed the button on her car radio that allowed the text to be announced throughout the car.

  “Bekki, I'm on my way home now. I'm going to sleep for a few hours, then I'm going to have to head back out. I hope to see you.”

  Bekki cringed as she wished she had been home when he got home. But, she was just pulling into the parking lot of the country club. She took a moment to straighten her hair and touch up her makeup. It was always good to look her best when she was going to be around potential customers. The parking lot was packed, even more than normal. Bekki suspected it wasn't for any reason other than the joy of gossiping over what had happened on the green. Even though Janet was also a member of the club, she was fairly new, which made her tragedy fair game.

  “Hello, Bekki,” the hostess of the club café smiled as she greeted her.

  “Hi, Kristen,” Bekki smiled back. Kristen had just graduated from high school and was working in the café for the summer.

  “I can't believe that you were here when the body was found. Did you see it?” she asked in a horrified tone.

  “I did,” Bekki frowned. “It's a terrible tragedy.”

  “Oh yes, of course it is,” Kristen replied quickly.

  “Did you notice anything strange yesterday?” Bekki asked casually as Kristen led her to an empty table.

  “No, not really,” Kristen sighed. “Most of the staff were off for the day because of plumbing maintenance. I did come in a little early to help set up for the afternoon and dinner hour. It was really quiet here. Not even the sprinklers were going,” she added.

  “Are the tennis courts going to let out soon?” Bekki asked hopefully.

  “Sure, everyone will be in soon,” Kristen nodded.

  As Kristen walked away all the ladies in their tennis outfits started pouring into the café. They were clustered in little groups of three or four and chatting away, of course about the topic of the day.

  Bekki inserted herself into the middle of the conversations by getting up and strategically positioning herself at a central table. It was the prime social hour for all the women at the club as there was a combination of activities such as women's tennis, water aerobics, and even a women's book club. That was what Bekki wanted because if there was one thing she had learned from running the salon, it was that women loved to talk about other women, especially other women's relationships.

  “Did you hear about Marian?” one of the women asked with a smirk. “She's been spending extra time with the tennis coach.”

  “What?” another woman gasped and shook her head. “I thought that he was a little too friendly.”

  “Not too friendly for Marian,” the first woman giggled.

  Bekki tried to pretend she hadn't heard a word of gossip. She ordered a tea and glanced around casually. As expected within moments she was swarmed with women.

  “Oh Bekki, we heard that you were there when they found the body, how awful,” Candy Loke murmured, nearly salivating over every word she spoke. Several of her friends gathered at the table as well, each leaning close, wanting to hear every word.

  “It is a very sad thing,” Bekki agreed and then sighed.

  “Do you know anything about the case?” Candy questioned in a soft voice.

  “Of course she does,” another woman, Linda Lars said quickly. “After all she is married to that detective.”

  “Oh yes, the one with that perfectly shaped,” Candy suddenly stopped and cleared her throat. “Face,” she finished lamely. “I mean, wow, what bone structure.”

  Bekki raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Yes, he does have a very nice face,” she agreed.

  “I heard something interesting about Josh and Janet,” Linda whispered.

  “What?” the other women all asked as they leaned even closer. Bekki tried not to look too eager to hear what Linda had to say but she listened closely.

  “Well, I don't want to spread rumors,” Linda said as she leaned forward. “But it might be relevant to the murder. I heard there was some trouble in Josh and Janet's marriage.”

  “Oh, that's old news,” Candy rolled her eyes at the idea. “Everybody knows that Josh and Janet were on the rocks. But what does that have to do with his murder?”

  “I didn't know,” Linda said with surprise. “I’m always the last to hear the goss. I thought they had a very good relationship.”

  “Oh Linda, you think the best of everyone,” Candy said with a short laugh. “From what I heard, Josh and Stacey had a thing going on for quite some time. Apparently, Janet was the last to know.” Bekki listened intently.

  “Really?” Linda frowned in shock. “I guess you never know what's really going on behind closed doors. Are you sure Josh was with Stacey?”

  “Well,” another woman cleared her throat. “No one really knows for sure. Sometimes these things get started with one little comment and blow up into an entire drama.”

  “Don't be bitter, Beth,” Candy said with a frown. “People only talk because they care.”

  “Sure,” Beth raised her eyebrows and then looked away. Bekki assumed she had been the focus of a few rumors in the past.

  “Well, what about Stacey?” Linda enquired. “Did she ever actually admit that she was interested in Josh? I mean he is a little young for her, don't you think?”

  “Oh, that's the newest trend,” Candy said dismissively. “Being a cougar they call it, or something like that. But no, Stacey never came out and said it.”

  “And Dave?” Linda asked. “Did he find out about what was happening with Josh and Stacey?” Bekki continued to listen quietly.

  “That's hard to tell,” Candy admitted. “Men don't share as freely as women. But if he did know about it, it didn't seem to bother him.”

  “No one ever saw him and Stacey fig
hting? Or maybe Dave and Josh?” Bekki asked trying to sound casual.

  The women sitting around Bekki's table exchanged a few glances before they looked back at her.

  “No,” Candy replied, apparently speaking for all of them. “But you know we do try to have a certain etiquette here,” she added in a lower voice.

  “Oh, of course,” Bekki nodded and managed a smile. “I just hope that Janet will recover from this.”

  “What about us?” another woman asked with a pout. “Now the country club will be haunted. How can I ever walk the green without feeling like someone's watching me?'

  Bekki raised an eyebrow but kept her opinion on that to herself. Candy narrowed her eyes at the other woman and shook her head slightly. Then she turned back to Bekki with a gleam in her eyes.

  “Enough about all of that morbid talk,” Candy muttered. “Bekki, I've been dying to know, tell me, what is it like to be married to a detective?”

  As Bekki was leaving the country club she received a text from Nick. Can't sleep, where are you?

  She swallowed guiltily and ducked quickly into her car. She texted him back, with something she hoped wasn't technically a lie. I'm going to check in at the salon and see if Sammy wants the afternoon off.

  Bekki started the car and began driving in the direction of the salon. There was only one place that she could rely on hearing juicy gossip even more than the country club, the salon. Etiquette was never an issue there.

  Chapter Five

  When Bekki walked into the salon Sammy was just finishing with a customer. Mrs. Davis was an older woman who loved her white hair to be curled as tightly as possible. It made her resemble a poodle in some ways, but it made Mrs. Davis grin from ear to ear when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Bekki discovered why one day when she spotted Mrs. Davis out walking her poodle.

  “Hello, Bekki,” Mrs. Davis said warmly. Bekki smiled back at her.