Molly Dox - Annie Addison 01 - Color Me Crazy (3 page)

Later that day, when Frisco and Nick Rossi showed up at Beachside Beauty, things got a little crazy. Annie was surprised to see them at her shop. “Can I help you?”

Frisco spoke first. “Annie Addison?”

Annie nodded. “Yes?”

“We have a warrant to search the salon. I’ll need everyone to step outside while we work.” The police officer was firm but direct.

“Wait. What? What do you mean you have a warrant?” She stood confused, unable to move. It felt like a dream. A warrant? To search her salon? For what? She felt lightheaded, but pulled herself back to where she needed to be. Why would they want to search her beauty shop?

“Ma’am, we’re investigating a homicide. There was poison within our victim’s body, and her son stated she got her hair colored here
prior to her passing. Hair color, chemicals, and it looks like you’ve been added to our list of suspects. I’ll need you to step outside.” His tone grew harsher.

“But I…” Annie shook her head in protest. “I didn’t do anything!” How could they even think she’d have anything to do with this
? She barely knew the woman, other than her being a customer from time to time. Outside of her business, she didn’t socialize with Patsy.

Officer Nick Rossi stepped to her side. His voice was softer, though deep. “It’s all part of the process. Nobody is accusing you of anything, but we need to search the premise. We’ll need you to wait outside.” He placed his hand on her shoulder to gently guide her toward the door.

Annie nodded, knowing they wouldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. She had nothing to hide. “Okay, fine.” She still felt defeated. She was trapped in a daze as she walked out the door. It was crazy, the idea of them finding anything at her shop.

Annie and Trish sat on a bench across from the shop as the officers searched the building. Annie’s insides trembled. It was surreal. How was this even happening? She’d never done anything bad, never been arrested, had no reason to be a suspect, and now because of some freak thing, she was the suspect in a murder investigation? How would she explain this one to her mother? She could already hear her disappointing tone in her head. First divorce, now this. It was like she couldn’t get anything right in her mom’s eyes.

As the officers finished turning over the shop, they exited the building with a small sealed baggie in hand. “Ma’am, you’ll need to come with me.” There was no mistaking Officer Frisco’s tone.

“What?” Annie’s face slackened. What was in the bag, and what did it have to do with her?

“We found this vial behind a bunch of bottles near the hair coloring stuff.” Frisco led the way. “It looks like we’ve just solved the case. Now, if you’ll tell us why, we can wrap this up.” He had no idea what was in the vial, but the suspicious container was tucked away without a label and out of place. “We’ll get this tested and close the book. Case closed.”

“I didn’t do it! I don’t even know what that is. I wasn’t even the one to color her hair!” Annie was in a panic, stumbling over her words.

Trish groaned. “Thanks for throwing me under the bus. And for the record, I’ve never seen that before.” She pointed to the bag with the vial. “Whatever that is, it’s not ours.”

“I think we’re going to need to question you both,” Nick stated. “This way,” he said, leading the women to the back of his car.

“Can I at least lock up my shop and get my purse?” Annie said, afraid things were looking dim.

Nick went with her to collect her things and lock up the business, while Frisco took Trish in for questioning. Both women were left stunned. Neither had seen the vial before, or even knew what was in it. Confusion ruled the moment.

If somebody was trying to frame her, she was going to find out both who and why. Everything inside of Annie shook. What if they think she did it? Would she go to jail? She was innocent! What about Pip, who would take care of Pip? Oh, she had to call Charlotte, to let her know to check on her dog. How long would she be at police headquarters? And what about her clients who were booked later this afternoon? Thoughts raced through her mind, one after the other.

After a rash of questioning, she was let go with a warning not to leave town. Annie’s entire world crumbled at her feet. If she didn’t figure out who did this, she might end up being the one who took the fall. This meant war. Somebody tried to frame her. Trish was let go with the same warning not to leave town. Together they headed back to the salon, Nick dropping them back off. Each was silent, lost in thought.

As soon as she got to the shop, she called Charlotte. “I need to talk. Can you come over tonight? It’s really important.” There was nobody else she trusted more than Charlotte. She’d know what to do. She was always full of such good advice.

“Sure, hon, no problem. Want me to pick up a pizza?” Charlotte sensed the tension in her friend’s voice.

“That would be great, thanks.” Charlotte was the best friend she had on the island. They bonded over shared stories at the salon, and started hanging out from time to time. So what if she was older than her? They were as close as they could be.

Trish finally spoke. “Like, if you did it…I wouldn’t tell anybody. I think you’re a nice enough girl, but maybe you should talk to somebody if you’re feeling hostile toward others.”

“Seriously?” Annie stared at Trish. “And what makes you think they don’t think it’s you?”

“I have no reason to
. And by the way thanks for throwing me under the bus and putting my name out there.” Trish snapped at her boss.

“Thank you for sitting there while they accused me and not defending me.” Each woman glared. “I’m closing shop and canceling tomorrow’s appointments. I can’t handle this right now.”

Trish took a deep breath. “This is just freaky, okay? I’m scared. What if they think we did it?”

“I don’t know Trish, I just don’t know.” Annie’s brain felt scrambled
, like a plate of eggs.

Walking to her car, she was afraid people were staring. She was certain Mrs. Bushmiller would be popping by at some point to talk about what happened. She never missed anything. Annie swore she sat at the window just waiting for stuff to happen.

Opening her car, she sat inside and locked her doors. Her fingers wrapped around her steering wheel tightly. White knuckled, she tucked her head down to the steering wheel and cried. How did she even get mixed up in something like this? If she didn’t solve this crime, the police might take the easy way out and take her down. She needed a plan. Charlotte would help her; she was certain she would.

It took hours for her to stop shaking. Annie ran her hand through her hair and exhaled deeply. Charlotte would be there any
minute. She wasn’t even sure how to approach the topic. She was almost afraid to. She trusted Charlotte, but would the woman change her opinion of Annie and look at her with suspicion? She rolled an endless debate through her mind until the doorbell rang, and then the words were out before she could stop them. “They brought me in for questioning today. I need help.” Annie couldn’t stop the tears that seemed to come out of nowhere. It’s like they were locked inside and now the door was thrust open. Her entire life was on the line, and she was innocent!

Charlotte walked to the couch with Annie and sat down. She was stunned and not sure what to say. She approached the topic cautiously. “You were questioned? For what? You wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, maybe Alex, but not anybody else.”

“My ex is a jerk, but I still wouldn’t kill him.” She sobbed and looked at her friend. “I’m innocent, Charlotte. I swear I am.”

“Of course you are. Anybody who knows you could tell you that.” She took Annie’s hands in hers. “Start from the beginning and tell me what happened.”

“I need to figure out who did it, before they decide to book me for Patsy’s murder.”

“Wait, what? Murder?” Charlotte was confused.

“She was poisoned.” Annie drew a deep breath and continued. “I overheard two cops talking at the convenience store, and then later they showed up to my shop with a search warrant!” She was skipping ahead, her mind mixing up how fast she was going.

“Back up. Okay, so Patsy was murdered. Wow, that’s scary. And it was poison. And they searched your shop, why?”

“Her son told them she had her hair colored at our shop, so they came in to look for evidence. They found a vial of something. I have no idea what it was, but they were convinced it was used in the murder. Just like that. They don’t even know what it is! The only other person that goes in that back room is Trish.” Annie was frustrated how the entire situation went down.

“Do you think…
?” Charlotte quizzed.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but who really knows
?” Annie threw herself back onto the sofa. Pip joined them both, hopping up beside them. She reached over to stroke the dog’s head. “What would happen to Pip? I can’t go to jail.”

“Now, now, you’re not going to jail. We’ll figure out what happened, and Pip will be here with you.” Charlotte tried to comfort her friend the best she was able.

“Will you take her, Charlotte? Promise me you’ll take her if something happens.” Annie’s insides trembled at the thought of spending her life in prison.

“I will, don’t worry, but nothing is going to happen. We should return to the scene of the crime and see if we can figure anything out.” Charlotte’s mind was already ticking.

“I made of list of the people I could think of that were there. Maybe you could check it and see if I missed anybody. And Trish…I’m not even sure what to think.” Truth be told, she barely knew much about her, just the stuff that came out during work, and that was mostly superficial stuff. Trish wasn’t exactly a deep person.

“As far as I’m concerned, she’s on our suspect list,” Charlotte said. “She had access to the beauty shop
, if that’s where the stuff was found. Is there anything else you can think of, or anybody who might have information?” She shook her head. “What do they think was in the vial?”

Annie shook her head. “I don’t know. They didn’t tell me anything. I keep going over the last few days and I can’t think of anything that stands out. Oh wait, the other night
…” she trailed off, lost in thought.

“The other night, what? Don’t leave me hanging here!” Charlotte’s curiosity grew.

“Right. Mrs. Bushmiller, the neighbor from one of the upstairs condos, said her dog was barking around four o’clock in the morning, looking out the window. By the time she got up to look, nothing was there. Maybe somebody was trying to break in.” Annie suddenly remembered something. “Oh wait! The glove! There was a glove. I have to go get it. I have to give it to the police. Maybe it’s a clue. Come on, Charlotte, I’ve got to stop at the shop.” Annie was already up and ready to go.

Pip
followed them to the car, hoping for a car ride. “Not this time, girl.” Annie brought her back inside. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ll take you out for a drive tomorrow. I won’t be long.”

“I better drive,” Charlotte said, realizing Annie was too worked up. They quickly switched vehicles and headed to Annie’s shop.

Annie’s jaw dropped in horror. The locks had been changed, and there was yellow caution tape on the door and windows. She had no way inside. She had to get inside. If she broke in, it would be a crime. There was an official notice posted on the door that the business was closed until further notice. Not only had she been implicated, her reputation was at stake, and her business.

Annie fell to the ground and leaned against the door of the shop. “What now?” Defeated, knowing there might be a piece of evidence inside, she knew she’d have to tell somebody. And yet, talking to
the cops was the last thing she felt like doing after what happened earlier.

“Oh dear.” Charlotte paced in front of Annie. Suddenly it was real. This was bigger than both of them could handle. Seeing the caution tape, the notice on the door, and the locks obviously changed and dead bolted, Charlotte realized how serious this was becoming.

“The glove,” Annie said hopelessly. “Maybe it’s a clue.” She pulled her collar up closer to her neck as a gust of the September night blew past.

“You’d better tell somebody if you think it can help. Did you hire a lawyer?” With each moment the situation became more real in her eyes. The implications that her friend had poisoned someone were ridiculous, but if the police were pointing their finger at her, they needed to do something quickly to take the pressure off.

“Do I need a lawyer? Oh my gosh, I need a lawyer.” Annie cried all over again. The only lawyer she knew…no, she refused to go to her ex-husband’s practice. Addison and Leventhal was the biggest practice on the island. Her ex, Alex, and his partner were ‘the go to’ place in town. They were the best. She needed the best, but she didn’t need her ex-husband involved. Besides, their divorce was ugly and he probably wouldn’t help her anyway.

“Come on,” Charlotte said. “Let’s head to Uncle Buck’s and see what we can find out.” She needed to pull Annie up out of her slump before she completely gave in. “And we’re going to talk to one of the officers. Well, you are, and you’re going to tell him about this glove you mentioned. Honey, if it’s part of the puzzle that can help free you, you need to tell them.”

“I don’t know if it is. I just assumed the landscaper left it by accident. It was shoved behind one of the potted bushes in front of the shop. Right here,” she pointed. “I didn’t think anything of it.”

“Okay, you should let them know. Is it still in there?” Charlotte convinced her.

“I think so. Trash day isn’t until tomorrow.” She sighed, hoping the glove would offer some kind of evidence, anything to take the pressure off her.

The women headed to Uncle Buck’s to scope out the place. They were surprised to see Greg behind the bar. Annie thought for sure he’d have taken off. She eyed him suspiciously before taking a deep breath and going over to speak to him. “I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your mother.”

He glared at her. “I know about you,” he said between clenched teeth. “I hope you pay for what you did.”

Annie gasped. He was outright accusing her! She turned away, her voice caught in her throat.

Charlotte glared at the bartender and pulled Annie to a table to sit. “Don’t listen to him,” she whispered.

Settling at a table, they put an order in. The waitress looked at them sideways. Apparently news traveled fast.

A man in the booth behind them didn’t take notice. He was too busy arguing with somebody on his cell phone. “I don’t have the money, she didn’t put it in my account before she died. How was I supposed to know the old broad would up and die
?” His annoyance was obvious. “I’ll have the money next week. Just give me time.”

Charlotte’s eyes opened wide. “Shhh,” she cautioned as they listened in a little longer. She picked up on the words
‘money’ and ‘died’. She tried to focus on what the man was saying.

Unfortunately there wasn’t anything else to pick up on. He simply said, ‘I can’t talk about this here
,’ and then hung up his phone abruptly.

Charlotte whispered. “Why would she put money in his account? He might have been talking about Patsy.” She was the only recently dead person she knew of. And who was he? “Let’s get him talking with a little whiskey. Are you with me?” She was ready to do whatever it took to help her friend, and if this stranger had information, she’d pry it out of him.

Annie wasn’t sure what to do. They had nothing to lose, but she doubted he’d talk if he had something to hide. “I don’t know. A stranger can be unpredictable.” Annie’s insides twisted. What did she have to lose? They already were trying to pin the crime on her.

“Come on, I’ll take one for the team,” Charlotte said. “We need to work fast. You be the designated driver and abstain. I’ll do shooters with him
, if he’ll agree. Let’s see what we can dig up.”

“But how are you….” Annie started.

“You let me worry about that,” Charlotte said, confident she could pull information from just about anybody.

Annie’s heart raced. She finally nodded in agreement. “You lead,” she whispered. This was probably a mistake, but what did she have to lose?

“I’ve got this.” Charlotte stood up, leading the way. She settled down in the booth next to the guy. “Hey, my friend and I were wondering if we could buy you a drink.” She pushed her hip against his, forcing him to shift over a bit.

He looked at the older woman and then over at Annie. He shrugged
. “Sure, why not? What do you want?” The man was in his forties, though he could easily pass for his late thirties if you squinted. His hair was lacquered in place with hairspray, and his teeth were whitened beyond a natural shade.

“My friend here is single.” Charlotte started, nodding toward Annie. “I saw you over here eating alone.”

Annie sucked her bottom lip in. She panicked, then tried to play along like she was interested. “Hi,” she fluttered her eyelashes at the man across from her.

“You’re more my type, grandma,” he said with a wink. Both women looked at the other, neither expecting his response.

Charlotte cleared her throat. “You’re into old broads, huh? Not young, cute ones?”

“I’m into my bills being paid in exchange for a good time,” he said matter
-of-factly.

“Wow, you don’t pull any punches, do you?” Charlotte wondered what was going on. This was way too easy.

“Let’s just say, a good time can be bought and had, and I’m available this evening if you’d like a little company.” He leaned in closer to the woman beside him. “I’m good at what I do,” he whispered, lowering his voice. “Satisfaction guaranteed.”

“What are you, a hooker?” Annie couldn’t stop herself.

“Whoa, lady, watch who you’re calling a whore. I’m a male companion. Plenty of women have enjoyed my services. I’ll be honest, I’m a little short on cash. I’ll even cut you a bargain price if you pay up front.”

Charlotte gasped and let it slip. “Oh my gosh, Patsy was paying you for sex?”

He glared at her. “I don’t discuss my clients.”

“What client
? She’s dead.” Charlotte glared right back. “What do you know?”

“Are you kidding me?” The man started to laugh. “What are you two, trouble and more trouble?”

“I can be your worst nightmare,” Charlotte tried. “Tell us what you know.”

“I know the woman dropped over and died, and there’s no money in my account. Seriously, a good time, half price
,” he started to barter.

“I’m a lonely woman. I just might consider your offer,” she said, locking eyes with him, “if you give me the information that I want.”

“Lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about. The woman had a heart attack and I haven’t seen her since. She paid my bills. Now I need another lady of leisure to keep me in the style I’m accustomed to.”

“Patsy was murdered.” She watched his reaction.

His face crumbled, showing genuine surprise and concern. “What? I didn’t know. Who would do that? She was harmless.” He shook his head. “What is this world coming to?”

“So you didn’t do it?” Charlotte asked.

“Why would I kill the woman who paid my bills?” His face changed, muscles slacking. “Bummer, she was like a mother to me. Okay, wait, not like that, but…well, I’d grown attached to her over the years.”

“Patsy had a lover,” Annie said, amazed. “I’d have never guessed.”

The man tried again. “So what do you say grandma? Are you looking for a boy toy?”

“You call me grandma one more time and I’ll knock you upside your head. Secondly, you’re not bad looking, but no. Not interested.” Charlotte got up. “I’ll pick up your dinner tab for bothering you.”

He nodded. “I hope they find who did it. That’s terrible, to think there’s a killer among us.”

Annie had nothing to say. She
sulked back to their table as her wits sank to the ground. “What am I going to do?”

“The glove. The glove is next. Who is that cop you like, the cute one? Let’s tell him about the glove,” Charlotte suggested.

“Should I get a lawyer?” Annie’s heart was sinking.

“I think one just found you,” she said
, pointing toward the door.

Annie wanted to slither to the floor, but as soon as Alex saw her, he found his way over. Normally he’d avoid her like the plague, but having the opportunity to poke her a little
…this was worth it. “So,” he started, “I happened to be at the police station earlier. I was just about to pull out of the parking lot, when I saw something fascinating.” He stood there, mocking and full of glory. “I saw my ex-wife getting out of the back of a cop car. Imagine that.”

Annie rolled her eyes. “I’m really not in the mood.”

“I can imagine it’s been a rough day. What did they charge you with, the ability to turn off a man in twenty seconds? Too much public nagging? Or was it…” He was amusing himself.

“Murder,” she said, staring at her ex, “and you might be next.” Annie clenched her teeth, wishing she hadn’t just said that.

“Ha, ha, right.” He looked between the women. Neither broke into a smile.

Charlotte jumped in. “Alex, is your partner available? Do you have his number? We need to contact him.”

“For what?” He was kidding, but he realized they were serious.

Annie sighed. Fine. If it had to be this way
… “For me. They think I killed Patsy, but I didn’t do it. She was poisoned and they found some stuff in my shop, but I swear it wasn’t me.”

“Whoa! You were serious.” Alex sat down beside Annie. “How did you get involved?”

“Not that it matters,” she said. The last thing she felt like was dishing about her trials with her ex-husband.

“I think I know you pretty well, and you’re not capable of murder.” He shook his head
. Something was very wrong…He had a heart. He felt bad for her. It was so much easier to be angry with her for taking him for so much money in the divorce. Though if he’d kept his pants on…

He pulled a card out of his wallet. “Come to the office first thing tomorrow. I’ll make sure he fits you into his schedule. We’re the best on the island, you know that.”

“I don’t know,” Annie said, burying her head in her hands. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Tomorrow morning. We’ll see you then.” He got up and walked over to the bar.

“He was almost human.” Charlotte said. “Listen, a good lawyer on your side is a start. But the more evidence we have, the better off we’ll be. Let’s figure out how to get that glove.”

Annie nodded. “Thank you, Charlotte. Thank you for believing in me.”

Charlotte stood, hugged her friend, and left a couple of dollars on the table to cover the bill.