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“Both,” she said with a small smirk. “Things escalated kind of quickly and when I tried to defend myself to Becky, I…I wasn’t exactly quiet or professional about it.”
“During your time of employment at Lavish Locks, did you ever notice anything…unsafe? The electrical? Or the way cleaning supplies or hair chemicals were stored?”
Ugh…where do I even begin?
But rather than say that, Ashlynn took another moment to respond. “The building was old and most of the girls who worked there had asked Becky at one time or another if she could please do some upgrades and renovations. She never wanted to. As far as I know, we’ve always passed our inspections. As for where things got stored, we had one room in the back—it was really more of a closet—where we kept all of the hair dyes and chemicals. Cleaning stuff was kept under the bathroom sink and under the sink in the breakroom.” She shrugged. “No one ever came in and told us to store them differently.”
“What about the cabinet in the back room?” the inspector asked. “There was a tall, free-standing cabinet in the back room where supplies were supposedly held. Did you ever put any chemicals in there?”
“Free-standing cabinet?” she repeated, frowning. “Are you talking about the breakroom? Because there was an open shelving unit in there that we put our snacks on.”
“No,” Dennis said as he seemed to scroll through his notes. “There was a room in the back that was for storage—not the closet that you mentioned—but a long narrow room at the back of the building. Becky mentioned it’s where she put some of the broken hair dryers and chairs, and this free-standing cabinet of overstock inventory.”
Ashlynn shook her head. “I’m sorry, but she must have bought that after I was fired. The last time I was in that back room, there was one broken dryer chair and the old desk we used to have at the front of the salon. Most of us girls had cabinets at our booths that we kept inventory at so there wasn’t a need for another space beyond the closet.”
The men exchanged glances before Bob spoke.
“Ms. Donovan—Ashlynn—there are a lot of people who’ve witnessed you and Becky arguing since you were let go. There seems to be a lot of animosity between the two of you. Do you want to comment on that?”
Honestly, she wanted to ask if she needed a lawyer present, but kept that to herself.
“Becky and I hadn’t been seeing eye to eye in a while. Believe me, if there had been another salon here in Sweetbriar, I would have applied there a long time ago. I stayed at Lavish Locks because I really love what I do and I loved my clients. It was never a great work environment. Becky and I clashed because we both have very strong personalities. But even after she fired me, she seemed to get a kick out of antagonizing me—both her and Sandy.”
“Sandy?” Bob asked. “Sandy Hillman?”
“Yeah. They’ve been buddies for a while now and as much as I hate to admit it, I was kind of jealous of her.”
“Why?” Dennis asked. “Because you wanted to be Becky’s friend?”
The bark of laughter was out before she could stop it. “Um, no. Because I wanted the big booth and Becky gave it to Sandy.” She grimaced at the memory. “I know it sounds petty and stupid, but I had seniority and it should have gone to me.”
“So you were angry with both of them for a long time,” Dennis noted. “Mad enough to maybe…want to do something to get even?”
Ah…finally.
Straightening in her seat, she met his gaze head-on. “Mr. Rowe, I’ve lived in this town my entire life. You can ask anyone around here and they’ll tell you I’m loud, opinionated, and I don’t take any crap from anyone. When Becky and I fought, most people within hearing distance knew it. I’m not a phony. I’m always honest. What I’m not, though, is violent or vindictive. I know that Becky’s accused me of starting that fire and I’m telling you right here, right now, that she’s lying. She’s been the one walking around town talking crap about me long before the fire. I didn’t want to stay working there. I’m getting ready to open my own salon.”
“Yes,” he said, staring at his tablet again. “We’ve been notified about that. The timing is a bit…convenient, wouldn’t you say? I mean…getting rid of the competition would be a great way to ensure the success of your business.”
Don’t get angry.
Don’t get angry.
Don’t get angry.
“Mr. Rowe, I don’t need to get rid of the competition. What I plan on for my salon is everything Becky refused to do. I’m going to be geared to a younger clientele and I’m looking to branch out to surrounding communities. And honestly, most towns have more than one of every kind of business. Just because Sweetbriar’s small doesn’t mean we’re any different.”
She sat stiffly and waited for whatever else they were going to throw her way and was a little surprised when they both stood.
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Donovan,” Inspector Rowe said with a nod. “We’ll be in touch.”
Her mouth moved but no words came out.
They’d be in touch? For what? To arrest her? For more questions?
Both men were almost out the door when she found her voice. “Um…excuse me, but…what exactly happens now?”
The inspector’s phone rang and he excused himself and walked out, leaving her with Bob.
