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Graham shook his head violently. “Why would I keep that? I burned it with everything else she left behind.”
Mitch mentally worked through the possibilities. Maybe she’d had someone else and was planning to leave, but the killer got to her first.
Maybe she was forced to write the letter—or maybe there had never been a letter at all.
CHAPTER24
ZOE
Zoe stared back at the woman in the mirror, barely recognizing herself.
“Wow,” she said.
“You look fabulous,” Jonathon said, meeting her gaze in the mirror.
“I would never have thought to cut my hair shorter... I would never have been brave enough if it weren’t for you. Thank you for convincing me otherwise,” she said, her eyes still on the woman looking back at her.
She felt like a new person. As part of her fresh start, she decided to do something different—something a little wild. Cut her hair short. She realized this was not wild for most women, and it wasn’t even that short, but it was the shortest her hair had ever been. It sat just below her jaw and was styled in loose beach waves. She doubted if she’d actually be able to make it look this good, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, she felt good.
She’d thought he was done, but he swept her hair to one side and loosely clipped it in place.
“These are so chic,” he said as he slid a clip into her hair. “These 90s clips have made a huge comeback since one of the Kardashians was seen with one in her hair,” he said with a wink. “I used to use a diamante hairclip, but now this is all the rage.”
“Can I buy this?” she said, loving the look.
“For you, Zoe, it’s a gift—my pleasure,” he said, beaming a smile. He looked nostalgic. “I swear I’ve seen you somewhere before,” he said.
She shook her head slowly. “Impossible. I’ve only been in Redwater less than a month and, as evidenced by my split ends, I haven’t been to a hairdresser for some time.”
He chuckled light-heartedly. “And now I’m the only one you come see, right?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Zoe chuckled, and it felt good to do something normal—to forget about her problems and the grief shadowing her.
“Of course! You own this mop of hair now,” she said, winking back.
He put his hands on the back of her chair to pull it out for her and she stood, walking to the front of the salon. There was only one hairdresser in Redwater, and at first Zoe had been hesitant to book an appointment. She was hardly fussy about her hair but she’d thought they might be a bit old-fashioned. The joke was on her—she was far more old-fashioned than anyone at Axia Hair. Jonathan was the least flamboyant hairdresser she’d ever had, but he was everything she needed right now—sensible and straight to business. He also seemed like a really good guy and was easy to talk to. He reminded her of Mitch, she realized.
“Thank you again,” Zoe said as he walked her to the front desk and gave the receptionist a rundown of her charges. He then retrieved a bottle of spray and handed it to her. “It’s on the house.”
“Thank you,” she said warmly. It was a sweet gesture.
She paid and, instead of rushing to her car to go home and drown in grief, decided to walk for a bit. She passed the bakery and picked up a loaf of homemade bread and a chocolate doughnut—still one of her favorite foods.
She stopped to look in the little gift shop. Her chest tightened, but she forced herself to keep browsing and not have a breakdown over no longer having anyone to buy gifts for. She’d always kept a small circle of friends, but after her husband’s death she’d pulled away from everyone, unable to cope when she saw their pitying stares and heard the tears in their voices. She’d struggled to manage her own emotions and couldn’t bear to hear their pain. So she’d stopped returning calls and isolated herself—a sign of clinical depression, she knew.
“Can I help you with anything?” an elderly lady asked as she came toward her.
“I’m just looking, thank you. You have some beautiful things. I moved to Redwater a few weeks ago but haven’t had the chance to come in until today,” Zoe lied. She’d had plenty of chances she just hadn’t wanted to step outside her comfort zone, even if that comfort zone hurt her.
“Oh, well welcome to Redwater,” the woman said with the warmest smile. “My name is Marjorie. I run this store with my daughter, Elizabeth. She’s not here today—she has two little ones, so we work a few days per week each.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Marjorie,” Zoe said. “How long have you lived in Redwater?”
“All my life,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes. “I know city people say we small-town folk don’t know what we’re missing, but I think city people don’t know what they’re missing. Redwater has heart. Where are you from?”
“I was a city girl,” Zoe said sheepishly. “St. Louis.”
Marjorie winked. “You’re one of the smart ones—you ended up here,” she said with a chuckle. “I won’t take up more of your time; feel free to have a good look around. Let me know if I can help with anything.”
