AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“May I help you? I’m Nikki, by the way,” a twenty-something blonde said with a bright smile. “We don’t take walk-ins, but Mikaela just had a cancellation for tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m actually looking for Sidney Reeves,” Sylvie explained as she’d already searched for the stylist amongst the stations. “I tried calling her cell phone, but it seems as if she changed her phone number. Does she still work here?”
Nikki was no longer the bubbly receptionist. Her welcoming smiled disappeared, her shoulders straightened, and a protective gleam emanated from her dark brown eyes.
“Who’s asking?”
“My name is Sylvie Deering, and I work with S&E Investigations.” Sylvie had taken out her credentials that the firm had obtained once their license as a private investigator had been approved, which she’d found to be useful in situations like this one. The public always seemed more at ease when shown something official. “What I have to discuss with Ms. Reeves is a private matter.”
“If you’ll wait here, I’ll see if she’s on the schedule for today.”
Nikki pushed back her chair and stood, purposefully waiting in place for Sylvie to take a seat in one of the many chairs lining the window that faced the street. She didn’t bother to take off her dress coat, because she wasn’t so certain that Sidney would be willing to speak with someone while at work. Sylvie was willing to take the chance since Sidney had shared information regarding her upcoming vacation in two days on her social media sites. That didn’t leave a lot of time to reinterview Grace Willow’s best friend.
If Nikki came back and informed Sylvie that Sidney wasn’t scheduled to work today, Sylvie would reschedule her meeting with Ian Capshaw later this afternoon and resort to waiting for Sidney outside of her apartment. The woman had to go home at some point.
While Sylvie remained seated, she did take the time to remove her leather gloves and earmuffs. Observing all the men and women getting their hair styled had Sylvie tucking a lose strand that had escaped from its hold behind her right ear. She preferred to wear her hair in a bun at the base of her neck when working. Being as petite as she was, people often thought she was younger than her actual age. It was one of the reasons that she wore glasses instead of contacts. That, and she couldn’t get past putting a foreign object in her eyes.
“You wished to speak with me?”
Sylvie had been searching for some type of board on the wall that listed what stylist was on duty and maybe even what their hours were today. Nothing like that seemed to exist, but it appeared to be her lucky day.
Sidney Reeves had posted enough pictures on social media that Sylvie had no trouble recognizing the woman. She had long brown hair with auburn highlights, hazel eyes that were spaced too far apart for her oblong face, and rather full lips. Her makeup was impeccable, and her nails matched the color of her red lipstick.
“Ms. Reeves, my name is Sylvie Deering.” She’d kept ahold of her credentials and held them up for Sidney to verify. “I work for S&E Investigations, and I’d like to—“
“Sid?” A man with slicked back hair and a neck tattoo of a flame came to a stop next to her. The way that he touched the woman’s arm told Sylvie that the two of them were closer than friends. “What’s going on?”
“Grace.”
Sylvie remained silent after Sidney mentioned her best friend. By doing so when questioning someone who might have the answers needed, silence somehow encouraged them to share more.
“This is about Grace, right?” Sidney wrapped her arms around her abdomen in a protective manner, causing the man’s hand to fall. Maybe the relationship was more one-sided than Sylvie had initially assumed upon first glance. “I saw the news. He’s back, isn’t he? The Handprint Killer is back.”
“Sidney, is there somewhere that we can talk privately?” Sylvie asked, purposefully not answering the woman’s question. Nikki was staring at them from the front counter, and Sylvie wasn’t so sure that Sidney wanted the man standing next to her to hear what she had to say about Grace. “It might be best if we’re away from prying ears.”
“Um, yes.” Sidney motioned behind her, and Sylvie nodded her understanding. “Jarod, I’m okay. Really.”
“Let me be there for you, Sid,” Jarod murmured, reaching out for Sidney’s hand. “I know how hard it was for you to lose her.”
“You have someone in your chair,” Sid said softly, pulling away from him. “Really. I’m okay. We’ll talk later, okay?”
Sylvie made a mental note to perform a background check on Jarod. It would be easy enough to find out his surname. Most likely, it was on one of the cards on top of the counter. She’d grab one on the way out.
“This way.” Sidney led Sylvie to the right of the salon. There were two doors, and she opened the second one to reveal a room that smelled like popcorn. It could have reeked of tuna or something just as horrible, so Sylvie was grateful for whoever liked the buttery snack. “Please, have a seat. I saw on the news that the FBI was working with an independent firm. I spoke with the police when Grace first went missing, and then Agent Parker came to my house when the police realized that they were dealing with a serial killer—The Handprint Killer.”
Sylvie decided that removing her dress coat now that they were talking in private would give the air that this was an informal chat. Having Sidney trust her to reveal things that she might otherwise have left out due to stress could mean the difference between solving this case or putting it back on a shelf to collect dust.
At least, that description was how Brook always referred to cold cases.
The breakroom consisted of a small table with four chairs, a counter that housed a few appliances, and a refrigerator to the right. A box of donuts that had clearly been raided sat open with only three powdered ones left, proving they were just too messy to eat in the workplace. While it might be too early for some people to eat popcorn, she could appreciate the determination to enjoy life to its fullest.
“I know that it might seem redundant to talk to another person involved with the case, but I assure you that we are very good at what we do.” Sylvie took a seat once Sidney had claimed the other one. “I read over your statement. I know that you were Grace’s closest friend, maid of honor at her wedding, and basically like the sister that she never had growing up in Virginia. You were with Grace the night that she called the police.”
“Beau, her husband, was at a football game with his dad.” Sidney cleared her throat as the memories of her best friend came flooding back. “It was the same routine for years. Once a month, Beau would spend time with his father. Grace and I would grab dinner, maybe a movie, and then head back to her place for a glass of wine. In the weeks before she disappeared, she noticed small things at first.”
“Like?” Sylvie prodded when Sidney seemed to have gotten lost in the past.
“All different types of things. I remember her mentioning that a piece of candy had been left on the hood of her car, because she actually ate it. I thought that she was crazy. I mean, who eats food that has been discarded like that? Grace said that it had brightened her day to find such a treasure.” Sidney paused as she looked down at her hands. “Grace was sunshine to my moonlight. I always saw the worst in a situation, and she always made the best of a situation.”
