Hell To Pay by A L Fraine

Author:A L Fraine [Fraine, A L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

28

Ellen climbed out of their car after parking outside the parade of shops in Clipstone. The day seemed like any other, with people going about their business, shopping, eating and getting their hair cut.

They’d parked close to the hairdressers that Detective Gibson had sent them to, and she could see several women inside the shop, sitting in adjustable chairs with stylists going about their work behind them.

“Here we are,” Ellen said, giving the shop an appraising look. “Let’s see what Mrs Shaw has to say for herself.”

“Aye,” Tucker replied. “Lead the way.”

Making sure she had her ID close at hand, she walked over the side road to the main entrance of the salon and stepped inside. A bell jingled as she opened the door, announcing her presence to the entire shop. People either turned to look or glanced at her in the mirrors on the walls. Nearby, the girl at the reception desk smiled.

“Hello. How can I help you?”

Ellen smiled brightly and approached. “I was wondering if Colleen Shaw was available for a quick chat?”

The girl glanced into the shop at one of the stylists, an older woman who was chatting to her customer while dying the lady's hair. If this was Colleen, she made no signs that she’d heard Ellen ask for her.

“I’m afraid she’s with a client right now. You’re welcome to wait, however?” The receptionist gestured behind Ellen to the collection of chairs beside the door, where another customer was waiting. “Also, we’re fully booked today, so you might want to make an appointment for another day?”

Ellen always enjoyed this part and relished pulling out her warrant card and showing it to the receptionist. “I’m sorry, but I really must insist that we speak to Mrs Shaw right away.”

The girl frowned, then looked down at the ID. She seemed a little confused for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure what she was looking at before it suddenly seemed to click. “Oh. I see.”

“Don’t worry, she’s not in trouble, and there’s no need to make a scene. But we will need somewhere private to chat.”

“Aaah, okay. Hold on one moment. I’ll see what I can do.”

The rush of excitement and power she felt whenever she got to pull out her ID and make people dance to her tune was intoxicating and never got old. She’d once been told not to let it go to her head, but she didn’t think that would ever be an issue for her. While that rush was a wonderful feeling, she always harboured doubt that she wasn’t worthy of the power the badge gave her.

Was it a distinctly English thing, this nagging lack of self-confidence that she felt? After all, we were usually always the first to put ourselves down in any given situation, she thought as she waited for the receptionist to sort things.

The receptionist walked over to the woman Ellen had assumed to be Colleen and had a quick and quiet whisper in her ear. As the girl spoke, Colleen looked over with a confused expression on her face.

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