Hair Raiser by Nancy J. Cohen

Author:Nancy J. Cohen [Cohen, Nancy J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Women Detectives, Women Sleuths, Mystery Fiction, Florida, Shore; Marla (Fictitious Character), Beauty Operators, Women Detectives - Florida
ISBN: 9780759258655
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 1999-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

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*Chapter Eleven* As the orchestra began its overture, Marla sizzled with curiosity. She bit her lip to keep from firing questions about her cousin during the blaring musical introduction to _Rent._ The decibel level made conversation difficult anyway, so she suppressed her concerns and watched the curtain rise. Her attention was diverted to the show which she found difficult to comprehend. Her ears couldn't distinguish the lyrics, although she understood most songs bemoaned the sad lives of the unfortunate characters. Either the acoustics were faulty, or the generation gap left her in the dark. Between the loud music and youth-oriented theme, she was ready for a drink by the time intermission rolled around. "Isn't it awesome?" Brianna gushed, grinning happily on their way to the lobby. "Oh yeah, it's wonderful," she muttered. "I think my ears are still ringing." "Me, too," Vail said, a bemused expression on his face. "What happened to musicals with melody and romance? This one is a bummer. I'd just evict those people and be done with it." They got in line at the refreshment stand. "You don't get it, Daddy," Brianna chided, her ponytail swinging as she bounced on her heels. Scorn crossed her features. "Just face it, you're a dork." "Perhaps his taste in music is different from yours," Marla said soothingly. "My taste in everything is different from hers," Vail grated, the creases around his eyes deepening. It couldn't be easy for him to understand a girl on the verge of puberty, Marla thought with a swell of compassion. Or had his daughter already reached that milestone? Not being a maven on adolescence, she didn't presume to offer advice, although sometimes her insights were useful. Many of her clients described their troubles with teenaged children, and she'd learned a lot from acting as listening post. But Brianna had problems that stemmed from deeper roots, Marla decided, and she didn't feel experienced enough to deal with them. Hoping to steer the conversation away from personal issues, she returned to an earlier topic, blurting out the question that plagued her. "What about Cynthia? You didn't finish telling me about her. What did she have against Ben?" Vail quirked an eyebrow. "I think that's something you'll have to ask Cynthia for yourself." "Is her motive strong enough so you believe she could have committed murder over it?" "You and I don't think the same way as a murderer, Marla. What we regard as insignificant, a killer embellishes in his mind. Or else he's just after something in particular, like money. Explain to me how Popeye's trust works again. If Ocean Guard fails to meet its obligations, who inherits the property?" "No one knows. Cynthia's husband was supposed to ask the trustee, Morton Riley, but he's out of town. Ben's firm originally drew up the trust. Maybe Ben was murdered to hide the identity of Popeye's heir. This might be the person responsible for sabotaging our fund raiser and dumping medical waste on the mangrove preserve.

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