5 Conditioner and a Corpse (9 page)

“
But, I don't want to leave you to close alone,” Sammy frowned as she stood up from the chair she had collapsed into. “I'm staying, I can stay until we close…” she started to say but as she stood up she grew very dizzy and toppled right back down into the chair.

“
That's it, you're going home,” Bekki said firmly as she reached out to lightly touch Sammy's forehead. It felt as if she was burning up. “We'll get my mom to give you a ride home,” Bekki said, leaving no room for discussion. “Mama?” she called out as she steered Sammy in her direction. “Would you mind giving Sammy a ride home? She's really not feeling well.”

“
Of course I will,” she smiled and took over the job of steadying Sammy as she walked. “I'll come right back to help you close up.”

“
Urgh,” Bekki clenched her hands into fists of frustration. “It's one night. Just let me close up. Nothing is going to happen. Nick's working the case right now, he probably already has Barnes in custody. Besides Morris is driving past every three minutes,” she reminded them.

“
But your father…” her mother began to say.

“
Ma,” Bekki met her mother's eyes. “I'll call Nick, okay? I'll have him close up with me.”

“
Okay,” her mother nodded with a smile. “I don't think you could be much safer than having a detective here with you. Just make sure you lock the door behind us, until he gets here, got it?”

Bekki nodded and tried not to grimace. She knew her mother meant well, as did her father, but she was feeling more than a little overwhelmed by everyone insisting on monitoring her every move.

“Feel better,” she called out to Sammy as Marie escorted her out the door. Once she finished with the last customer Bekki didn’t lock the door behind them like she promised.  She didn't want to be trapped in her own salon. She wanted to be able to take care of last minute customers if they came in. When she pulled out her cell phone to call Nick, she hesitated. She knew she had promised her mother that she would call him, but she really did want a few minutes alone.

Ever since the shop had been broken into and ransacked she had been looked after by her friends and family. She just wanted a little time by herself, to sort out what she knew so far about the case. With Morris still driving past, there was no chance of escaping to hunt for the supplies, but at least she could be alone with her thoughts. Despite the fact that she had been so convinced that Jeff was the killer, he had managed to evade arrest. With no evidence, there was no way that Nick could arrest him. He was still hanging around town though, and Bekki was certain that he was still looking for the supplies that were missing.

She needed to try to piece together the truth about what had happened. She picked up a broom to sweep up some hair from the last customers. Sweeping sometimes helped her mind to relax, and with a clear thought process, she could piece together more about what had really happened. She knew that a dangerous criminal was somehow involved in the situation. She also knew that the two men who were acting as bodyguards for Jeff Barnes were connected to that criminal. But why was Jeff involved with them? She began to sweep the hair into a dustpan as she thought things through.

“
If Jeff is the connection to the criminals, what is Jasmine's connection to the criminals?” she asked herself quietly. No matter how she put the pieces together she could not come up with a reason for Jasmine to be killed. Her mind shifted to what seemed to be Jeff's main focus at the moment. He wanted the supplies that had gone missing. But why? It was just a bunch of makeup, powders and accessories. Why would he need them so badly? Bekki gasped as she finally made the connection. Once she did it made perfect sense. She reached for her phone to call Nick, but before she could put the phone to her ear, the door to the salon swung open. The bell above the door jingled, announcing that Jeff was standing before her. Then it jingled again as he closed the door behind him.

“Hello Bekki,” Jeff said with all of the charm he had wielded before. “It seems like we have some things to talk about.”

“
You need to leave,” Bekki said sternly as she glared at him and slid her cell phone back down into her pocket. She gripped the broom tightly in her other hand.

“
Listen, the cops have been asking me all kinds of crazy questions because of you,” he frowned and shook his head. “Are you really that jealous of people who were able to tolerate and thrive in the city, that you are coming after me now, too? You should know that I pointed out to the cops how your jealousy might have been too much to take, how you might have attacked Jasmine yourself.”

“
No one will believe that,” Bekki said as calmly as she could. She didn't move a muscle as Jeff stepped slightly closer to her.

“
Oh that's right, because your boyfriend is on the payroll, right?” he smirked a little as he studied her. “Either way, you need to stop spreading lies about me. There's not a single shred of evidence to prove that I was involved in Jasmine's murder.”

“
No, there isn't,” Bekki agreed as she knew that he must have destroyed the shirt he had been wearing. She also knew that despite the fact that the police could place Randy's car at the motel around the time of Jasmine's death, that had nothing to do with Jeff. Or so it seemed. “So why are you still here, Jeff?” she asked, still sounding as casual as she could. “Don't you have a company to run?” she arched a brow slightly.

“
Of course I do,” Jeff snapped back in return. “But I need to tie up some loose ends here first.”

“
Loose ends, like the drugs you lost?” Bekki asked with a smug smile. Jeff's eyes widened instantly. His poker face was wiped away as the realization that she had figured out the truth dawned on him. What Bekki didn't expect was for him to reach out and turn the deadbolt on the door of the salon.

“
Well, you really are as clever as they say, aren't you?” he smirked a little. Bekki watched his movements as he reached out and twisted the cord on the blinds to close them. No one outside the salon would find this unusual, as it was time for closing.

“
I don't know about that,” Bekki said through gritted teeth. “But I do know that you're not smart enough to be running the kind of drug franchise that you're trying to.”

“
Hmm, you're just full of ideas,” he said with a scowl and moved closer to her. “Didn't your mother ever teach you if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all?” he asked as he began to close the distance between them.

“
Leave my mother out of this,” Bekki growled and twisted the broom handle in her hand. “What happened? Did Jasmine pick up the wrong supplies? Hmm? Did she take from your special stash? The real reason you started your company?”

“
That one,” he shook his head with a cluck of his tongue. “She just wasn't very bright. I told her, take the supplies from one office, and she took the supplies from another. Much more valuable supplies,” he added.

“
Supplies that weren't carrying anything beautiful,” Bekki suggested. “Instead they were carrying drugs. What was it, cocaine?” she studied him intently. “What a genius way to traffic drugs, if only you had been smart enough to pull it off.”

“
Look, I started out as a legitimate businessman,” Jeff corrected her sternly as he brushed his suit jacket back to reveal the gun he had tucked into his belt. “But, no one makes any honest money these days. A man came to me with an offer, a very generous offer, and I accepted it. The drugs could be distributed throughout the country by individual saleswomen. But Jasmine was not one of them. She was one of my regular employees. She and the others like her provided the cover we needed for the real traffickers to move freely. The ones with the drugs, they are trained to know what to do with them, where to take them, who to talk to. When I realized Jasmine had the wrong supplies, I knew it was only a matter of time before disaster struck.”

“
So you got to her first,” Bekki suggested, her breathing a bit more shallow as her eyes lingered on the gun. “But why did you have to kill her, Jeff? Was it because she wouldn't tell you where the supplies were?”

He sighed and laid his hand on the handle of the gun as he shook his head.
“I didn't intend to kill her really. The thing is, she didn't understand the danger she had put us both in by being so stupid. The people I accepted the offer from, they aren't the type of people you can just say, oops I lost your drugs.”

“
Right,” Bekki nodded a little and started to move to the side.

“
Don't move,” he warned her as he pulled out his gun. He tapped the barrel of it lightly against the side of his thigh. “I was never going to kill her,” he said again. “I was there to protect her. All she had to do was tell me where the drugs were, and everything was going to be fine. But she wouldn't,” he sighed.

“
Why not?” Bekki asked and cleared her throat. “Why wouldn't she tell you?”

“
She kept ranting about how she was going to go to the police. She had found the drugs before I got there. She said she was looking through some of the supplies, and when she opened a bottle of powder she knew what it was. I tried to get her to be reasonable. She was just so irate. She kept going on and on about how she had believed in my company, and that the police would know everything as soon as she had a chance to talk to you,” he smirked as he looked up at her. “She knew about your detective boyfriend. She was going to tell him all about it. She actually thought I was going to just turn myself in,” he laughed and shook his head.

“Jasmine was so dense she couldn't even comprehend that without the drugs, we were both dead. So it was going to be both of us, or just her,” he shrugged a little. “I'm not a killer really, but it was simple math. She wasn't smart enough to think things through. The men I was dealing with, they have people on the inside and the outside. I never would have even made it to the police station without a bullet in the back of my head, and neither would she. So,” he hesitated a moment and lowered his eyes, Bekki thought she could even detect a hint of guilt flickering across his face. “I did what I had to do. I pulled out a knife I had brought along for protection, and I stabbed her. She didn't expect it, I would say she was pretty surprised I had it in me,” he arched a brow. “Honestly I was surprised I had it in me, too. I thought it would be simple then. I would find the supplies and get out of town. But the stupid woman had done something with them.”

“
And you were still in trouble with the bad boys, hmm?” Bekki asked and again tried to move slightly to the side. She was trying to get to the cover of the reception desk, but the moment she moved to the side he pointed the gun directly at her.

“
They're the ones who gave me this fancy weapon,” he said with a grim smile. “They gave me a choice. They would shoot me right away, or I could get their drugs back to them, and then they might let me go. So, imagine my desperation Bekki, when the police began questioning me, all because a nosy hairdresser can't stay out of my business.”

“
Well, I guess you picked the wrong town to commit a murder in,” Bekki pointed out, though her voice had grown a bit shaky. “What are you going to do when they come looking for the drugs, and you still haven't found them?” Bekki asked, hoping he wouldn't realize that she was stalling.

“
Well, I was hoping that you would be able to help me out with that. Since you are Jasmine's friend and you're the only one she knows in this god forsaken town, I know you have to have the drugs. So where are they, Bekki?”

Bekki felt the heat of his words as he stepped closer to her. She could see his finger playing lightly on the trigger of the weapon he carried. With her heart pounding she knew that she would only have one chance. One mistake would mean the end of it all for her, because Jeff had nothing to lose. He
had already killed once, and he was willing to do it again, whether or not she had the drugs.

“
Sure, of course,” Bekki whispered. “Jasmine came to me when she found the drugs.”

“
Did she?” he asked and Bekki felt the gun looming closer to her as he hovered right in front of her.

“
Yes. She wanted to know what to do with them. So I told her I'd hide them for her,” Bekki cleared her throat.

“
You told her that you'd hide them for her,” he repeated with disbelief. “Even though your boyfriend is a detective? Why didn't you just tell him?”

“
I didn't want to get Jasmine into trouble,” Bekki explained with a slight shrug. “Just because she's my friend, didn't mean that Nick wouldn't arrest her for possession. He's a very by the book detective.”

“
I see,” he nodded a little. “So where are the drugs Bekki? Where have you hidden them?”

Bekki tilted her head slightly away from the gun.
“I'll go get them for you.”

“
How stupid do you think I am?” he scoffed, and Bekki bit her lip to keep from offering an honest answer. “Take me to them,” he said sternly.

“
Okay,” Bekki nodded and raised one hand in the air to indicate her surrender. She was still holding the broom in her other hand. As she turned away from him, she did so slowly at first. But the moment her heel pivoted against the floor her body snapped into fluid motion. She swung the broom hard and swift around behind her, knocking it into the gun and the knuckles of the hand that held it as she stepped out of range.

“
Ouch,” Jeff complained as his knuckles instantly reddened. Unfortunately, he didn't drop the weapon as Bekki had hoped. Instead his grip tightened. In an instantaneous follow up Bekki swung the pole of the broom upward and struck out directly at Jeff's temple. Jeff ducked beneath the broom and reached for the wrist of the hand that was grasping it. Bekki stepped backwards and in the same moment attempted to sweep her leg against his to knock him off balance, but he was already tugging her forward by her wrist, which sent her off balance. He ripped the broom out of her hand and threw it hard across the room. It bounced off the window, wedging a few of the blinds open. He pulled Bekki's arm downward hard until her body was bent forward slightly and pointed the gun directly in her face.

“
The only reason you are still breathing is because I want those drugs,” Jeff growled and gave her arm another tug. “Now take me to them.”

“
Okay,” Bekki said breathlessly. When he lowered the weapon from her face Bekki could see that any trace of civility he may have once possessed was long gone.

“
Now,” he insisted as she straightened up.

“
It's over here,” she gasped as she headed across the salon, towards the partially opened window. He followed two steps behind her, his gun still aimed in her direction. She crouched down in front of one of the stations and began to tug at the bottom drawer. She was pretending that it was stuck, that she couldn't get it open.

“
I'm pretty sure I put it in this drawer.” she muttered. She tugged again, and pretended again that the drawer would not move. Then he did what she had been hoping he would. He tucked the gun back into his belt and reached down to help her. In that moment she reached up to grab the gun from his waistband, but before she could, he shoved her hard into the corner of the station. Bekki struck the side of her head and sunk to the floor with a gasp. She blinked through pain-blurred eyes up at the man who stood over her, his gun pointed directly down at her chest.

“
Do you think that was wise?” he asked with narrowed eyes. “I don't think you understand how serious this situation is, Bekki. You should know, if you don't give me the supplies, I won't stop with you. I'll shoot you dead right here, then I'll go after the rest of the people you care about in this common little town. Got me?” he kicked her sharply in the side and Bekki curled up in pain.

“
Get up,” he growled. “Get the supplies.”

Bekki rolled over on
to her side and pushed herself to her feet. The pain in her side made it feel like she might have a broken rib, as each time she took a breath a stabbing sensation coursed through her. She stumbled towards the supply closet, and as she did, she leaned against another one of the stations. She could feel him right behind her. She knew that once he figured out she didn't actually have the supplies, she would become useless to him. She only had one chance. She had to take it. When her hand swept across the station she curled it around a large white hair dryer. She swung swiftly around and slammed the hair dryer right into the side of his face. As he stumbled she picked up a bottle of hairspray and squirted it directly into his eyes.

“
Agh! Ouch!” he winced and wiped at his eyes. He was stumbling backwards towards the window when Bekki lunged for a chair to strike him with. In the next moment the glass in the front window shattered, and Jeff's eyes grew wide. He stumbled forward a step or two as Bekki ducked to the side. The gun fell from his hand as he gasped for breath. Bekki lunged for it and held it tightly in her hand, but did not fire it. She could see the blood spreading through the shoulder of his dress shirt. Someone had shot him through the front window. Bekki stayed low as she had no idea whether it was the drug dealers who had shot Jeff, or the police.