Died Blonde Read Online Free Page B

she could learn something new.
    I’m not doing this because I care about you, Carolyn. I’ll help Vail wrap this case only so he can spend more nights at home with Brianna . She didn’t like for the girl to be alone while Vail worked late. Marla felt compelled to keep his daughter company, or at least to check on her often. Anger made her clench the steering wheel on her white Camry. Even in death, Carolyn was managing to interfere with her life. Go haunt someone else , Marla thought, sucking in deep breaths of air to calm her nerves.
    She never liked visiting Mr. Thomson, especially after he’d tried to force her out of her lease. For an instant, Marla considered her ex-spouse, Stan, as a possible suspect. He’d offered to back Carolyn financially in order to ruin Marla’s business. But Stan had no reason to block her path now, not after she’d acquired his half of their jointly owned rental property.
    When no one answered the knock on the locked door to Mr. Thomson’s business address, she glanced at the plaque listing office hours. Drat, she’d forgotten about his limited schedule. When she’d made arrangements to deliver her rental checks, he’d mentioned this was a branch of his larger holdings. Debating whether to seek the landlord elsewhere, she decided against it. He’d be here Monday; she could visit him on her day off and pay the rent for September at the same time.
    Meanwhile, Marla considered what she’d tell Vail tonight. She had a movie date with the detective and his daughter, assuming he could get away from work. They hadn’t spoken lately, so she hoped to learn his progress on the case.
    During the week she fixed dinner or brought take-out for Brianna when Vail wouldn’t be home early. Otherwise, she stayed at her town house, preferring privacy to relax and catch up on bookkeeping chores. Friday nights, she and Vail had a standing date, as well as all day Sunday, and she usually slept over on weekends. Vail wanted her to move in permanently, but Marla wasn’t ready for that step yet. She had her own key to let herself into his house, and that had been a big enough concession on both their parts.
    / hope Dalton isn’t too disappointed that I won’t have anything new to add , she thought on her way back to the salon. It wasn’t her responsibility to investigate, nor did she care to offer encouragement to Carolyn’s staff. This was one occasion where she preferred to mind her own business.
    Her mother had other ideas when she breezed into the salon for her afternoon appointment. Following on Anita’s heels were her rotund boyfriend, Roger, and his son, Barry. Marla groaned when Barry gave her a sexy grin. The optometrist wasn’t fazed by the knowledge that she slept at Vail’s house. Probably Anita kept encouraging him, because she’d be thrilled if Marla married the Jewish bachelor. Having already fulfilled family obligations in that regard, however, Marla felt no further duty to comply.
    “Marla,” Anita said, marching toward her station, “did you see what those people from that other salon did when I got out of my car? They could tell I was heading here, and one of them rushed over and offered me a deal if I tried their place.”
    Marla clenched her fists. “Those schmucks have done that before.”
    “It was some skinny broad with a funny accent,” Roger said in his booming voice. “You know what I told her? Zolst geshvollen veren vi a barg !”
    “It’s not nice to tell someone to swell up like a mountain,” Marla chastised him. “She was probably following Carolyn’s orders.”
    “Carolyn is dead.” Anita’s brown eyes, matching Marla’s own, flashed imperiously.
    “Who’s running the place?” Barry cut in.
    “No one yet.” Marla’s glance swept from his curly head of sandy blond hair, to his warm blue eyes, and down his length, noting his cotton shirt, jeans, and boots. Recently addicted to westerns, he’d adopted their mode of dress outside the office. He