Life is Better Brunette Read online

  "Just one more thing. Had you ever met Miss Claudia before this week?"

  "Not before today." Had it really only been this morning when she'd been in Kane's shop? She closed her eyes. Meeting Aislin and Miss Claudia, chatting with Razi, doing karate class, finding a body, being interrogated…she'd accomplished a great deal in the past six hours.

  Gilda blew out a slow breath. "I'd heard about Miss Claudia from some of the guys at the school before. A few of them had run-ins with her over the past couple years, but nothing worth killing anyone over."

  "Not the caliber of her vendetta against the shops on Armadillo Street, anyway."

  Gilda stared at Fabio, the sudden silence of the room deafening. She swallowed hard, an image of Kane staring out the front window at Miss Claudia while Fergus wagged his middle finger clear in her mind.

  "Definitely not."

  "Why don't we take a break?" He leaned on the table then pushed himself up. "You look like you need that drink of water and some fresh air. I don't want you passing out on me. Come on. Let's take a little walk."

  "What about Marion?"

  Fabio smiled. "She'll be fine. You already called Razi to pick her up, right?"

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Fabio dragged Gilda across the street to Café Beanz, bought her a vanilla bean latte, then ushered her straight back out the front door. "I was going to keep you in the interrogation room a little longer, but even I was getting claustrophobic. A little fresh air will do us both some good."

  She had a hunch he was about to say things he didn't want recorded or overheard. "You already have a suspect in mind, don't you?"

  "Nope. I'm keeping an open mind. I just thought we could check on the crime scene crew and see if they found that piece of cloth." He sipped his latte. "And enjoy the last of the sunshine before winter strikes."

  Gilda smiled. "Since we don't usually get snow until mid-November, we have another month or so. I think we're safe."

  He steered her toward Armadillo Street and waved a hand. "Do you know which shops Miss Claudia targeted on her smear campaign?"

  "Ah, straight to the heart of the matter," she mused. "Do you want me to show you or just tell you what I know?"

  Fabio shrugged. "I guess since we're heading to Armadillo Street anyway, you might as well show me."

  She huffed. "Oh, that's just great. Now the shop owners are all going to think I work with the police, and no one will ever speak to me."

  "That shouldn't be a problem, because you aren't planning to investigate this case anyway, are you?"

  Gilda scowled. "No, I'm not."

  "Good. Besides, I guarantee they were all watching through their windows this morning when you were at the gift shop with Kane and Miss Claudia came in. You know for a fact they also saw you and Marion being hauled away in a police car. Frankly, I'd like to make a show of you walking me through the crime scene to see what we find there more than I care what the locals think."

  "I see." Gilda cringed. "Is that so you can use me to gather information later?"

  "Possibly."

  The supervisor met them at the front door and explained to Fabio how nothing was left untouched or at least not photographed. Patches of fingerprint powder dotted every surface, making Gilda wince. Someone would have the miserable job of cleaning up after the police left.

  At least it wasn't her for a change.

  "Where did you say you dropped that cloth?" Fabio asked.

  Gilda pointed across the room toward the closet door. The scrap of fabric lay scrunched beneath the gap between the door and the hardwood floor. "It's still there. I can see it from here. It must have gotten stuck under the door when you and Thayer opened it again."

  "Did you touch the door?" the supervisor asked. "If you did, I'll have to fingerprint you."

  Fabio flared his nostrils. "Don't bother. Her prints are on file."

  The supervisor barked at one of his people, who promptly photographed the scrap and dropped it in an evidence bag. Gilda was pretty sure none of them would have missed an obvious clue like that and had a gut feeling someone planted it to give Fabio an excuse to bring her back.

  Fabio leaned close to her as he steered her back outside. "Which other stores did Miss Claudia visit this morning? Don't point or even look around, just tell me."

  "The smoke shop was the only other place I saw her come out of. That doesn't mean she didn't get around to harassing everyone this morning. I went home after she left the smoke shop and made sure to go the other way. She was pretty no-nonsense about everything."

  Gilda hesitated, about to ask if she could return to the store to search Miss Claudia's office when she spotted a poster on a nearby lamppost. She walked toward the poster and frowned. The no-nonsense white poster advertised the town hall meeting on Thursday regarding the future of Armadillo Street that Miss Claudia had mentioned. Miss Claudia's name, store address, and phone number were on the bottom corner.

  "What is that?" Fabio stopped beside her and tore the poster off the post.

  "Advertising for a town hall meeting Miss Claudia planned for Armadillo Street Thursday night. "

  "I never heard about this until now." He tightened his jaw. "But it might be worth checking out just to see who shows up."

  "Did they find any paperwork in her store or her apartment?" she asked. "She seemed really meticulous. I'll bet she has a list somewhere of who was on her side and the people she still had to convince."

  He gave a wry grin. "And I'm sure one of those is a very short list."

  Gilda raised her eyebrows as he walked away. How many of the merchants along Armadillo Street had even given the town hall meeting a second thought? Surely Miss Claudia had done a lot more advertising than putting up a few flyers on lamp posts.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Wednesday morning, the police were still hanging around out front the fabric shop. Gilda wasn't concerned with their presence. She was more interested in what the locals had to say. She hung back near the corner and flinched when she saw Thayer and Fabio talking near a squad car. As she waited, another officer approached the two detectives.

  When the officer, Thayer, and Fabio disappeared into the fabric shop, Gilda sauntered past the Healing Spirit Gift Shop which had just opened and glanced through the window. Kane leaned on the counter, his attention focused on Aislin as she tapped the cash register keys then giggled at something he said. He bowed his head, a slow blush tinting his cheeks.

  Gilda scowled. She averted her gaze and darted back to the tattoo shop next door with the bamboo blinds half-covering the front window. The blinds bounced in rhythm to the heavy bass of the music that blared inside. She took a deep breath and opened the door, stopping short in the doorway when she saw the variety of animal skulls on shelves along one wall. The other wall was adorned with garish paintings that seemed to ooze blood and gore. Ten o'clock was far too early for such horrific sights.

  Between the music, the skulls, the shiny black-tiled floor, and the lime green walls of the lobby, she felt like she'd stepped into a subversive underground dance club. All the place needed was for the lights to go out and a strobe light to drop from the ceiling. She cringed, edging past the skulls and paintings toward the wide, wooden front counter.

  No one seemed to be on front desk duty. She was too afraid to make her presence known just yet, glad the thump of the music covered any sound she might make. On top of the counter lay a thick book filled with plastic-covered pages. Tattoo art.

  She turned her attention to the paintings. What sort of person created such awful scenes with blood-drenched dragons, animal skulls, and large busted women? As mortified as she was, she couldn't seem to tear her gaze away.

  "Can I help ya?" a man asked behind her, his voice raised over the loud music.

  Gilda shrieked and spun around, only to find herself nose to forehead with a middle-aged man much shorter than she. His shock of dark hair stood on end, and his beady mahogany eyes bored into hers. He was far too close for comfort, and s
he took a small step backward.

  "Um…yeah. Are you the owner?"

  "Yup." He snapped a piece of gum. Peppermint.

  "I'm Gilda. I wanted to talk to you about Miss Claudia," she said.

  "I've seen you next door. You work there?"

  Gilda shook her head. "No. I'm friends with the owner. I work at Phoenix Martial Arts."

  "Ah, yes, you're the one I'm supposed to watch out for." He raised his dark eyebrows. He smelled like soap with a hint of disinfectant. Clean and sanitized.

  "What do you mean 'watch out for'?" she asked.

  He smirked. "You want a tat?"

  She cleared her throat and nudged him away with the tips of her index fingers. "Not today, but I'll take a couple of your cards. I have a few friends who would actually like your shop."

  "I'll bet they already come to my shop." His face fell. "Why don't you like my place?"

  "No, I just mean my friends like tattoos more than I do."

  "Oh, I get it." A slow grin covered his face right up to his eyes. "You're a virgin."

  Gilda's jaw dropped. "Pardon me?"

  "Hey, no worries. Old Randy'll fix you up with the tat of your dreams." He pulled her over to the book with assorted tattoos. "You like flowers? Unicorns? Zen stuff?"

  "I'm really not here for a tattoo." She cringed, her palms sweating as she tried to move away from him. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions about Miss Claudia and the town hall meeting tonight."

  Randy had a death grip on her forearm. "Come on, baby girl. My treat."

  "No." Gilda shook her head. "I don't think so."

  He flipped to a page filled with tiny flowers, yin-yang symbols, and four-leaf clovers, like he hadn't heard a word she'd said. "What kinds of hobbies do you have? I've seen you at the Healing Spirit store with Kane Garrick. You must be into all the Zen and martial arts type stuff."

  "You know Kane?"

  "Yup. One of my best customers. He refers everyone he knows to me." He grinned. "Well, except for you, obviously."

  "Look, Randy, I really didn't come here for a tattoo." She hesitated. "Like I said, I came to ask you about Miss Claudia."

  Randy's demeanor changed as his face seemed to turn to stone. "Why do you keep asking about that old witch? The cops were already here snooping around and said she was dead."

  "She is."

  He snorted. "Oh great. You didn't say you were a cop. Get out of my shop."

  "I'm not a cop." Gilda fumbled through her wallet for her business card. "I'm just a receptionist. I'm also friends with Kane and know Miss Claudia was harassing him. I just thought maybe she'd come to talk to you as well."

  Randy stared, his gaze boring into her like he was waiting for her to crack and change her story. Finally, he pinched her card between two gnarled fingers and studied it. "Are you trying to tell me you work at the karate place with all those freaky muscle heads and you've never had a tattoo? Baby girl, we need to fix that right now."

  "Look, I don't even know what kind of tattoo I'd like. Why don't we talk now, and I'll come back in a few days?" She took a step back.

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind the counter. "I have time now. Tons of time. People tend to avoid this part of town for a day or two after police cars show up." He chuckled. "You want to talk? I talk best when I work."

  "Oh great." Gilda reluctantly followed him, not sure what horrors awaited her around the corner. When she stepped into the back room, she froze. "Wow."

  Where the front of the store was enough to send most people running in the other direction, the back room was sparse and sterile. White walls, black tiled floors and chairs, as well as stainless steel tables and cabinets. Randy's workshop appeared more like a hospital operating room than a sleazy tattoo parlor. Complete with the nose-numbing scent of disinfectant.

  He waved toward the nearest reclining chair. "Have a seat."

  She took a step back. "But I…"

  "Park it right here while I get some colors."

  "But…"

  Randy met her gaze. "Look, lady, do you want to know about that witch Miss Claudia and me or not?"

  Gilda blew out a slow breath as she sat on the chair. "I don't even know what kind of tattoo I'd like."

  "Don't worry. I have a pretty good idea." He grinned. "You trust me?"

  She swallowed hard and winced. Not really. "I guess so."

  After Randy went through a checklist of questions, he grabbed her left leg and asked her to turn slightly away from him onto her right side. "About six months ago, Miss Claudia started coming in asking how business was going, how much traffic I got here, and why I picked Armadillo Street to open my shop. She didn't want a tat, just to gab, and I wasn't the only person on the street that she talked to. The woman made a point of talking to everyone."

  "So why did you pick Armadillo Street?" The first buzz of the needle made Gilda jump, making her glad it was nowhere near her leg.

  When Randy started to work, she shuddered. She hadn't expected the odd sensation of tickling pain just above her ankle.

  "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm good now."

  He made sure she was calm and comfortable before he continued. "Look, to be honest, the whole reason I opened my shop here is because it's Armadillo Street. When I first opened, that deli on the corner used to be a biker bar. The smoke shop was already there for at least ten years, and Fergus had a steady clientele. He was already old way back then and had a lot of connections. After I talked to him a few times, having my shop here seemed like a good fit."

  "I guess that makes sense." She cringed.

  "It drew in all kinds of lowlifes, including some guy who'd kidnapped his daughter out West. The cops caught him right out there in my lobby." He paused to dip his needle. "I still have the newspaper articles. My shop and I were famous around here for about a month after that one."

  "I'll bet. What about the fabric shop?" she asked. "When did Miss Claudia open her store?"

  Randy shrugged. "Seems to me that place didn't open until about a year after they caught the kidnapper in my lobby."

  Gilda watched his steady hands as he inserted ink into her flesh, wishing she had some idea what kind of tattoo he had in mind for her. "If all of your stores have been here that long, why did Miss Claudia suddenly want to clean up the street?"

  "No clue." Randy kept his attention on his work. "All I know is she came busting in here one day while I had about three customers in the lobby and started ranting and raving about getting me and my kind out of here to bring in some business that would draw in more respectable people. An art gallery, an indoor playground, a coffee house, that sort of stuff." He glanced up. "To be honest, I never thought she liked people, let alone kids."

  Gilda studied the outline of a small yin-yang symbol on her ankle. She could live with that. "That looks good. Thanks."

  "Relax, baby girl, I'm not done yet." He got more color for his needle and bowed back over her leg. "Miss Claudia was in here every second day after that, hammering at me to close up shop and move to the outskirts of town. Do you know what kind of lowlifes hang out there? It's scary."

  She chuckled. "I'll bet. Karate schools and all that."

  "Yeah." Randy winked. "I wanted to strangle her, and to be honest, it got to the point I almost shut down just to get her off my back."

  "So what happened? Why did you stay?"

  Randy met her gaze. "I ran into some of the other people she was harassing. Between us, we sat down to discuss some options."

  "Like killing her?" Gilda covered her mouth.

  He pointed an index finger at her then resumed creating entwined ivy around the symbol on her leg. "In a heated moment over a shot of tequila or two maybe. Realistically, I'm an artist, not a killer. I create life. I don't take it."

  Gilda admired the way he drew leaf after leaf in total freehand. "Who else did you discuss these things with?"

  He grinned. "Why? Are you looking for suspects?"

  "Why would you say t
hat?"

  "Because I've heard about you." Randy met her gaze. "You're the one the guys at the karate school call Sherlock, right?"

  "Yes." Her face burned.

  "I knew it! Razi told me you're nosy, but you're always on the side of the good guy. That's the only reason I'm talking to you. Mick, Razi, and Kane have told me all about you. That's how I knew you'd like this. Actually, this tat was Mick's idea. He designed it just for you."

  "That's funny. To be honest, I do like it."

  "Glad to hear it." He changed colors once more. "I just need to add a few little pink flowers to soften things up. Then you'll be done."

  Gilda smiled. She'd long forgotten why she'd been afraid of Randy or his creepy shop. "Do you know anyone who would have wanted Miss Claudia dead?"

  "Besides me? Sure do. How much time do you have?" Randy nodded. "That woman got under a lot of people's skin around Sandstone Cove. You'd be best to start with everyone on Armadillo Street and narrow things down from there." He met her gaze. "Although, I'm guessing that was actually your plan all along, wasn't it?"

  Her face burned. "Yeah. It was."

  "Good." He outlined one small flower. "Make sure you tell them you talked to me first. That way they'll know whose side you're on and not pull a shotgun on you."

  "A shotgun?" She flinched. "Would someone really do that?"

  Randy handed her a pink sucker. "After Miss Claudia started coming around? You betcha. She was bigger and stronger than a lot of us. None of us were taking any chances."

  Once Randy explained to Gilda how to take care of her tattoo over the next few days while it healed, he covered his creation with a piece of gauze to sop up the excess blood. She tried to pay him for his time, but he handed her his business card then ushered her out the front door.

  "Go see Fergus." He pointed across the street to the smoke shop. "He's been around here for a lot longer than I have. He can't walk very well, and he's getting a little hard of hearing, but he'll be able to tell you things even I don't know about."

  "Thanks, Randy. I appreciate your help." She smiled. "And the tattoo."