Murder by Manicure (15 page)

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 class. 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 competitions 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 assessed 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 class."

"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 classroom. Tally was chatting with Hortense outside the glass 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 class. 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 assumption, 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 cluster 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 sexual 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 massage 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 glass 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 massage."

"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 class, 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 butted 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 attitude 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 passed, 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."

Tally's lips compressed. “I saw the article in the newspaper this morning about the two-year-old who drowned in his family pool. You'd think people would keep their doors locked."

"I know,” she said sadly. “Childproof locks are readily available. Alarms can be set to go off when anybody opens a door. People just don't think about the most basic safety measures until something bad happens."

And even then, tragedies still occurred. Hadn't she lived through one herself? Drowning wasn't the only danger. She'd seen the statistics. For every ten children who drowned in Broward County, 36 were admitted to hospitals, and 140 were treated in emergency rooms after near-drownings. Some children suffered aftereffects as serious as brain damage. It was a tragedy that could be prevented through education, and that was why she'd gotten involved. If only someone had educated her when she was nineteen years old, little Tammy might still be alive. Drowning was still the main cause of death for children under four years of age in South Florida.

"What time do you have to be there?” Tally asked.

"It's at Central Park. I have to check in by one, and I promised to bring noodle kugel for the supper. Lord save me, I have so many things to do! I never took Spooks for his walk this morning because I was in a rush to get here, and I need to call my mother. Oh, and I told Goat I'd let him plant impatiens in front of my house. You know I have a brown thumb, and he's been nagging the neighbors to put more flowers in. He's going to do Moss and Emma's house next door, too."

"That's generous of him.” They strolled toward Marla's white Camry.

"Goat may be one socket short in the lightbulb department, but I believe he's got a good heart. Even if weird animal noises do come from his house. Look, why don't you meet me at my place? I'll put on a pot of coffee, and we can have an early lunch. Then you can decide if you want to come with me to the park later."

Spooks greeted Marla with wild barking when she entered the town house through her garage. Tally trailed along, having parked in the driveway behind her. Throwing down her purse on the kitchen table, Marla bent to pet the poodle. His cream-colored hair felt springy and soft, but it was also growing too long over his eyes.
Call the groomer next week,
she noted mentally, scratching behind the dog's ears.

Goat ran a pet-grooming business out of his van, but Marla was satisfied with the woman who came to her house. Besides, Goat claimed to have a big snake among his menagerie, and she wouldn't want Spooks near if the creature got hungry.

After Spooks finished sniffing Tally, Marla let him out into the backyard. Tally seated herself at the kitchen table and read the newspaper while Marla set a pot of coffee to brew. When it was percolating, she picked up the phone to call Anita.

Her mother answered on the second ring. “There you are! I called you earlier, but you weren't home. What's this I hear about you and Arnie Hartman?"

Marla cringed. “It's nothing, Ma. We're pretending to be engaged so Arnie's former classmate doesn't bug him, except now Arnie likes Hortense. We got Dalton to double-date with us, figuring he'd be attentive to me so Arnie could snow her. But things didn't work out that way—at least not at first."

"Whoa, slow down, you're losing me."

Marla heard Tally's snicker. “Don't talk about our engagement to anyone, okay?” she pleaded to her mother.

"People have already started congratulating me. I always said Arnie was right for you. Such a sweet man. He'd make a stable husband, Marla. Not to mention that he's Jewish, unlike this Lieutenant Vail who's taken your fancy. Maybe you should take advantage of this situation and claim Arnie for your own."

"I don't think so."

"So why continue the pretense if Arnie likes the woman?"

"We're planning to have a fight and break up. He took Hortense home after the excitement at the restaurant last night, but apparently he didn't have the guts to confess the truth."