Side Parting E-Book

K T Bowes

• Herausgeber: K T Bowes
• Kategorie: Krimi
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Rusty clippers, precision scissors and a dead Curly.

Kit went back to school to learn hairdressing and hoped it would kickstart a new career. 
Taking out the final challenge and winning the coveted matte black precision scissors is the sign she needs.
 
But instead of success, she finds herself expelled from her Curly group, jobless and accused of a committee member's murder. 
And her precious scissors are found sticking out of the body. 
 
Can the two vicars and the mad scientist cut Kit out of this mess? Or is this one too bad even for the varied skills of her loyal flat mates?

Leseprobe

Side Parting

The Curly Fan Club

K T Bowes

Published by Hakarimata Press

Copyright 2021

Table of Contents

Copyright Page

Would you like to be part of it?

Acknowledgement

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CHAPTER FORTY

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

CHAPTER FIFTY

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

CHAPTER SIXTY

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

BOOK FOUR | THE CURLY GIRL FAN CLUB

Glossary of Terms

Dear Reader

About the Author

Other books by this author:

Last Chance

Disclaimer

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Acknowledgement

My youngest daughter introduced me to the methods ascribed to in this novel. After 48 years of Hair Hatred, I did a Final Wash and never looked back. My routine has evolved in the subsequent years to something quick and manageable, and I no longer dread catching a glimpse of my head in the mirror. I know there won’t be frizz.

Thank you, Sophia, for helping me to love my curls.

CHAPTER ONE

Curl Free

“Who are you?”

Kit froze in the doorway to the lounge, tension snaking up her spine to settle beneath the tee shirt covering her head. Two layers of plastic wrap and a shower cap nestled within the cotton folds of the stained fabric, a sizable helping of green henna baking her hair into a glowing amber. Kit gulped and her gaze swept the room for suitable weapons to defend herself. An unusual tidiness greeted her, and even Langdon’s discarded newspapers sat on the breadboard in a regimented pile. Kit settled shaking hands over her hips and tried the ferocious approach. She blocked out her attire of an old dressing gown and ignored the tickle against her scalp of the henna heating and making a break down the back of her neck. “This is my house,” she snarled. “Who the hell are you?”

“Oh.” The woman lifted her chin and viewed Kit through narrowed eyes. Blonde hair covered her head and cascaded over her shoulders in waves. The Barbie doll effect didn’t fool Kit’s expert gaze. She saw beyond it to the repressed curls screaming for release. False eyelashes bounced once, and then ceased. The woman stared at her. Her full top lip rose in distaste as she assessed Kit’s ragged appearance. “You’re the landlady.”

Kit gaped. “The landlady?” The title snatched her burgeoning anger and replaced it with hurt. She owned the house, but thought of Langdon, Raki and Jerry as her friends. Her family even. She cleared her throat and fixed a fake smile on her lips. Perhaps her constant absence over the past six months had damaged their relationship. “The boys are my friends,” she asserted. She extended her left hand with her palm uppermost. “Who are you?” she repeated. “And why are you in my house?”

“I’m Melinda.” The woman blinked again, and the eyelashes danced. “I’m cleaning.” Her hand rose from beside her and a feather duster appeared, clutched in fingers edged with shiny, red nails. She moved from behind the sofa and Kit saw platform heels too high to walk in, let alone clean a house.

“I don’t have a cleaner.” Kit frowned. Her bare feet padded across the floorboards to the kitchen. She turned her back on Melinda and used the time to collect her thoughts. The items she’d got out earlier had disappeared from the counter. “Where’s the lemon juice gone?”

“In there.” Melinda pointed the fluffy end of the duster towards the biggest cupboard.

Kit’s shoulders slumped, and she poked inside the pantry to retrieve the yellow bottle. Her protest seemed insignificant as she snatched it up and dumped it on the counter. Anger thudded in her breast as she clattered around the kitchen, finding the glass jug she used to mix her henna concoctions and pulling a new packet from her dressing gown pocket. Her mind ran through a list of possibilities. Why would the boys engage a cleaner and not tell her? Did they expect her to contribute cash to the cause? Fears for her empty bank account made her brain rattle. Petrol to Auckland every weekend, plus the cost of the motel had swallowed her wages from working at the dairy during the week. Her mother had lent her the money for the hairdressing course, but she still needed to repay her.

“You left it on the counter.” Melinda’s tone held accusation. She didn’t bother to hide her irritation at Kit’s negligence.

“I hadn’t finished with it.” Kit searched the cutlery drawer, her fingers prodding each of the compartments in a futile exercise. “It lives in the fridge, anyway. What happened to the scissors?”

“There.” Again, Melinda used the duster to point as though it represented an extension of her arm. It rose and fell in Kit’s peripheral vision. “Why are you making more if you’ve already got it on your head?” A sneer of disgust raised her top lip.

Kit slammed the top drawer and dug in the one beneath it. She clasped the rubberised handles and snipped across the lip of the henna packet. A cloud of green dust puffed free as she dumped the powder into the glass jug. “This is for next month, and three after that.”

“I’ve already cleaned the kitchen.” Heels clicked against wooden floorboards as Melinda approached. “Don’t use the dishcloth to wipe it up either. I’ve washed it.”

Kit flicked off the lid of the lemon juice and it squirted across the counter in silent support of her autonomy. Her fingers shook as she snatched a fork from the top drawer and dug it into the mixture. Tingles worked their way up her spine as Melinda’s steps took her to the edge of the tiles and then halted. “I didn’t ask you to clean my house,” she growled. The prongs clattered against the glass as she stirred the citrus into the henna. “I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“What are you doing?” Curiosity drove Melinda into the kitchen, though she stood far enough away from Kit’s ire to leave time for a tactical retreat.

“Making henna for my hair.” Kit mixed the green paste into a dough and pressed it against the bottom of the glass. Then she dumped the fork into the shiny sink with a clatter and reached into the nearest cupboard for the plastic wrap. She groaned as a tell-tale label appeared when she pulled a length free, advising her to add it to the shopping list. Melinda watched in silence as Kit ripped off a section and placed it over the jug. Then she fitted it down over the dough and stood back to admire her handiwork. Each packet of henna provided enough mixture to create four applications, which she would freeze in individual portions after it marinated overnight.

Kit sighed with relief. She’d made a list of her objectives for her first free weekend in six gruelling months.

1. Henna hair.

2. Make another batch and freeze.

3. Relax.

Two out of three seemed like short change. She’d fostered such high hopes for the weekend. Her muscles tensed, and she forced herself to turn and face Melinda. The edge of the counter dug into her spine. “We don’t need a cleaner,” she said. The brightness in her tone sounded even faker than she’d intended. “Invoice me for what you agreed to work today, and I’ll pay you. I’m back now, so we can manage, thank you.”

“Your fingers are green.” Melinda pointed the duster at Kit as though she hadn’t heard the dismissal. “Do you want me to wash your dressing gown?”

Kit stared down at the stained fabric. She fluttered her fingers over the fluffy lapels and hauled the trusty garment tighter around her body. “It is clean.” Her voice bristled with defensiveness. “It always looks like this.”

“It’s disgusting.” Melinda’s pointy nose wrinkled into even lines. It created the appearance of rumpled velvet in the centre of her face.

Kit’s jaw tensed. She wanted judgement in her safe space like she needed a hole in her head. “I only wear it while I’m waiting for the henna to dye my hair!” she bit. “It’s my old one. I’ll wash it as soon as my four hours finish.” Her brain ran a mental check of how long she had left to wait. The first blessed hour had involved gutting her bedroom and ensuite bathroom after six months of cursory tidying between work and study. She’d laid on her bed and read for the next hour until the henna started dribbling down her neck.

Melinda groaned and leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling. “I bet that green stuff is all over the bathroom, isn’t it?”

“No!” Kit ground her teeth and took a step towards her. “I clean up my own mess, thank you. Always have, always will. Now, I’ve said you can stop, so please leave.”

Melinda used her index and middle fingers to move her fringe out of her right eye. She performed the action with delicacy, evidence of someone who’d taken time to straighten their hair and then added choreographed curls at the end of the process. “You can’t fire me.” Her voice held a sing-song quality. “I don’t work for you.” Her platform shoes clomped across the lounge and into the hallway, up the stairs and onto the landing.

A grunt of irritation reached Kit’s ears alongside the whir of the vacuum cable winding itself back into the cylinder. Kit’s jaw dropped at the clattering of a plug grinding against the innards of a wall socket and the buzz of her own vacuum cleaner sucking at the upstairs carpet.

CHAPTER TWO

The Curl of Success

“Pardon?” Kit stuck her finger in her left ear and plastered her phone to the right side of her face. The vacuum cleaner burped outside her bedroom as it gobbled up the frayed tendrils of carpet where it ended at her door. Her wall shook as Melinda bumped the poor appliance against the skirting board.

“The Women with Curls Expo, remember?” Debbie’s voice grated in Kit’s ear as the vacuum gave a splutter and went on strike.

“The what?” She dabbed a wad of toilet paper at the green tendril of henna sneaking towards her right eye. Rising from the bed, she walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Smeared henna covered her forehead and dribbled down the side of her face like a ghoul from a horror movie. Kit shuddered. “Can I call you back later? I need to wash this henna off early. It’s too runny.” She pulled her phone away from her ear and dabbed at the goo covering the screen.

Debbie’s voice boomed from the speaker and echoed around the bathroom. “You promised!” Her tone held an accusatory note.

“When?” Henna dripped from Kit’s chin, tapping the front of her dressing gown and plunging to the floor. Jerry had spent two weekends renovating Kit’s ensuite with leftovers from his uncle’s last building contract. Her eyes widened as the drip headed towards the clean grout between the tiles. She dropped to her knees and wiped up the splat, limiting the damage. “Bloody hell!” she cursed. In desperation, she stood in the shower and closed the door behind her. He’d also installed a shower dome which encased Kit in a plastic bubble and blocked out the restarting of the vacuum cleaner. She leaned against the wall and stopped fretting about her dripping head. “What did I promise?” She exhaled and waited for Debbie to make up something horrendous.

“You agreed to man our stall at the Expo.” Petulance gave Debbie’s tone an edge. “The international group hired Claudelands Events Centre, and you said you’d do free hair consultations.”

Kit blinked in surprise. She glimpsed her reflection in the mirror to her right, her face oozing henna through the cubicle’s distortion. It summed up how she felt about life. “I don’t remember that.” She didn’t, but then she’d stumbled through the last six committee meetings like a zombie just needing to get to September without collapsing in a heap. “But I’m sure we can work out something between us.” Kit yawned. “Give me the details at the meeting this evening.” She didn’t give Debbie room for comment, killing the call and wiping the screen on the cuff of her dressing gown sleeve.

Showering took a good half an hour, but cleaning up proved easier than Melinda suggested. Experience meant Kit had a dustbin bag ready, and she stuffed into it her dressing gown, underwear, and the tee-shirt-head-cover known as a Plop. Those items had a date with the washing machine. Another bag took the plastic wrap and shower cap layers bound for the household rubbish bin. She used a homemade scrub of hemp oil and brown sugar to wash her hair, massaging her scalp with groans of ecstasy. Then conditioner, flaxseed gel and a helping of purple-willy-shaped-lube completed the process after a few moments of finger curling.

Kit washed and then used the shower head to rinse off the last of the green henna flecks before gathering her collection of eco cleaning sprays into a corner to dry. She emerged into her bathroom with a cloud of steam swirling around her damp body, stopping the escape of more condensation by closing the shower door. Scooping her red hair into a clean tee shirt Plop, Kit heaved a sigh of satisfaction. Jerry’s skill surrounded her, and she paused to admire the neat finish of the tiles butting against the skirting boards and shower tray. A jack-of-all-trades, he’d settled on the most unlikely occupation of all. Priest.

Kit used a wipe to clean her phone and then mopped up the place where the henna had dripped onto the tiles. “Good job, Kit,” she told herself. In a moment of gratitude, she flicked Jerry a quick text to thank him for all his hard work. Her finger paused over the icon, which would send the message. Mentioning Melinda’s presence might serve as a backhander after the compliment. Her lips twisted in thought. But then she sent her message into the ether and decided to forget the insolent cleaner’s existence for the moment.

Clean clothes, hair without faded orange regrowth, and a tidy bedroom and bathroom put Kit in the best of moods. She used her hairdryer and diffuser to dry the ends of her curls and then sat on her bed. Four file folders stacked in the corner evidenced the last six months of study and an exam. A salon wouldn’t employ her on the strength of it, but the Queen of Curl had awarded her with a certificate which merited her capable of cutting curly hair in the approved international method. Kit smiled at the navy velvet case sitting on top of the pile. It contained a coveted set of matte black precision scissors worth over four hundred Australian dollars. Her mother had attended the awards ceremony and watched her daughter presented with the prize for the student with the most flare. Miriam had dabbed her eyes with a tissue and Kit bit her lip at the memory of her mother’s extreme pride. “You’re on your way now, darling,” Miriam had whispered as she hugged Kit afterwards. “The sky’s the limit.”

Her shoulders slumped. Every weekday in her near future involved rising at four in the morning. Then would follow five full days at Mr Rashid’s shop on Gordonton Road. The days merged into the same gruelling pattern, interspersed with alternate weekends. Her feet ached from the hours standing and walking around the store, filling shelves with groceries, serving customers and dealing with miscreant paperboys. She’d left the awards’ night on Friday filled with promise and ended up right back where she started. “When do I fit in hairdressing?” she murmured.

The vacuum cleaner purred downstairs as Melinda continued working. Kit wondered if the boys had employed the cleaner as a one-off gift to mark the end of her half a year of driving herself insane. She shrugged, willing to accept their generosity just this once. She hadn’t been home enough to monitor the rostered jobs, so perhaps it signified a new start and the household would return to its former state of routine now she’d finished studying.

Kit added mascara and lipstick and stared at herself in the mirror. “A new start,” she sighed to herself. Then she picked up the soft case containing her new scissors. She tilted it and lifted the fold so that the scissors slipped forward to display their rounded handles. Without touching them, she closed the flap and pushed the case into her handbag. Tonight’s audience wouldn’t understand the full marvel of such an expensive pair of snips, but Kit did. They signified the start of a winning streak. The beginning of the rest of her life. If she could find the time.

CHAPTER THREE

Blocked Curls

“So, this woman is just walking around my house in the most ridiculous shoes. Apparently, she’s the new cleaner.”

“Wow.” Piper pushed her bottom against the sofa and sipped her coffee. “Is she expensive? I could use a cleaner for a few months. I don’t know how I ever held down a job at the same time as running a home. It’s all a big lie. Women can’t have both, can they?”

Kit inhaled through her nose, the hiss making her eyes water. “The boys don’t know why she’s doing it.” Her gaze shifted to the rest of the WWC committee still chatting in the open-plan kitchen. She leaned closer to Piper. “They think she’s doing it for free.”

“A free cleaner?” Piper’s eyes rounded, and she blinked. “Where did they find one of those?”

Kit gave a huff of disgust and sipped her coffee. Pam had added enough granules to blow her head off and keep her awake until midnight. “Her mother attends their church and is enamoured with the boys. She’s pimping her daughter on a free cleaning gig in the hope one of them will fall in love with her.”

“Oh, no!” Piper’s ringlets swished against her neck as she shook her head. “That’s terrible. It’s exploitation.”

“It’s prostitution!” Kit snarled. “I looked it up in the dictionary. It’s the unworthy or corrupt use of one’s talents for personal or financial gain. Prostitution.”

Piper kept her head down and fixed her gaze on the flecks of coffee circling the rim of her mug in a gentle dance. “So, a bit like what you’re doing with this Expo then?”

Kit gasped. She turned to Piper with her lips parted, indignation stampeding across her expression. Then she closed her mouth with a snap. “Yes. Don’t tell anyone.”

Piper smiled in her peripheral vision. “I guess if you use it to get some customers, we could class it as marketing. You could claim your travel expenses back from the tax man.”

Kit’s lips curved into a wicked smile. “That’s right,” she mused. “You did the accounts at the car dealership. Please will you help me set up a hairdressing side hustle in exchange for free haircuts?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Piper kept her head down and sipped her drink. Both women tensed as the conversation in the kitchen ceased.

“Right, girls!” Debbie waddled across the room and dumped herself into a recliner opposite Kit. It groaned and tipped back on its rocker. “Let’s start the September meeting of the Women with Curls, Hamilton Chapter.” She bounded forward with enough vigour to catapult her out of the chair, but gripped the arms with white-knuckled fingers to stay seated. “Piper is taking the minutes.”

“I am?” Piper slopped coffee over her thigh and onto the sofa cushion. “I didn’t know.”

Debbie closed her eyes as though concrete blocks dangled from her lashes. Kit squirmed at the sight of her eyeballs moving around beneath the purple eyeshadow. “Didn’t you get the email?” Debbie’s eyes popped open, and Piper squeaked in alarm.

“No.” Her head shook like a wet dog’s. “No.”

“I’ll do them.” Pam slumped onto the sofa next to Kit and settled a lined notepad across her knees. She offered Kit a genuine smile. “Is it nice having your weekends free again?” she asked, her tone soft. She pushed a blonde curl away from her left eye and the pen in her hand drew a blue line across her cheek.

Kit shot a wary glance at Debbie and pursed her lips. Pam outranked Debbie as WWC chairperson, but Debbie trumped her on the scary scale. “Yes, thanks,” she whispered in an effort not to appear rude. She watched Pam’s husband through the lounge window. He carried black dustbin bags along the side of the house towards the gate. Greying curls covered his shoulders like a cloak. He’d removed the customary band holding his ponytail. The glow from the streetlights refracted off the bald spot over his crown to give him an eerie halo.

Pam followed her gaze and lowered her voice to an almost inaudible whisper. “He just got a promotion.” She jerked her head towards her husband as he retraced his steps, carrying a recycling crate in his arms. “He’s worked so hard for it. Long hours and lots of meetings.”

“Have we finished over there in the cheap seats?” Debbie snarled.

Pam gave an indignant grunt and stroked the cushion between her and Kit. Her attempt to exude sympathy for her insulted sofa resulted in another blue line across the cream fabric. “Just get on with it,” she urged. She used the same tone with which she wrangled five-year-olds into obedience during her day job. She leaned closer to Kit. “Her husband applied but didn’t get the job.”

“I want to plan the Expo,” Debbie began, her tone acerbic as she glared at Pam. “But first, I’d like to show you the wonderful new conditioner from the Professionals Range.” She leaned sideways, and the chair tipped onto one rocker with a groan of complaint. After a set of primal grunts and what sounded like a greasy fart, Debbie retrieved a cloth bag filled with bottles and containers. She set the bulging bag in her lap and beamed around at the gathered Curlies. Her face transformed with the inner glow of a televangelist blessing donations. Kit tensed, waiting for the hard sell and not disappointed when it arrived with a price tag and persuasion. “I’m offering discounts to the committee,” she stated. Her plump fingers extracted a white bottle and hoisted it high enough for everyone to see.

Piper spoke through the side of her mouth. “That means she’s got a garage full and can’t get rid of it.”

Kit turned her snort to a cough and covered her mouth. Debbie’s beady eyes locked on her face. “What about Mr Rashid? I could give him five percent off another order if he buys over twenty this time.”

Kit shook her head from side to side and hoped she infused her denial with the right amount of determination. “No thanks. He blamed me for the exploding lube. I don’t want to get involved again.”

Debbie’s lips curled back in a snarl. “It kinda was your fault,” she concluded.

Pam cleared her throat. She waved the pen in dismissal. “But what a happy accident,” she enthused in her best school teacher’s voice. “If you hadn’t sold all that lube from your garage, you never would have gone into the supply market and been able to quit your job.”

Debbie frowned. Pam had stymied her guilt trip and as it formed her only plan for selling the many bottles of product, it left her speechless for long enough for Sharon to wade in with a rebuke.

“Stop hawking your dodgy products here,” she growled. She narrowed her eyes at Debbie. “You can’t use our group to make a fast buck. It’s against the rules.” In the scary-stakes, Sharon represented the unknown quantity. She outweighed Debbie by a few kilogrammes and got herself voted onto the committee as vice chairperson in the previous election. The little she said emerged from her lips with enough of a bite to kill all unwanted conversation. Her skill at policing conflict was the only reason Pam agreed to continue as the leader after a mini crisis of confidence a few months earlier.

Maintaining her familiar good cop routine, Pam used the diversion to move the meeting to its planned agenda. “The Expo is in two weeks and we need to organise our stall. I’ve created a roster from those who volunteered at the last WWC meeting and added in the committee members to fill the gaps. We’ll need spot prizes to encourage people to give names and email addresses. What about a survey to see what the women need from our group? The aim is to increase membership and therefore revenue. So, ladies, what do we think?”

“I could sell my products.” Debbie’s eyes glinted.

A fire sparked behind her irises as Sharon shook her head. “No. We want to provide teaching and encouragement, not just dump more crap on them.”

Debbie raised a gnarled finger and jabbed it towards Kit. “But she’s doing free haircuts all day. That’s advertising. I can if she’s allowed.”

Kit exhaled in a rush. “No, I’m not!” Her voice rose. “I said I’d do a shift, not a complete day!”

Debbie shrugged and dropped her bag onto the carpet at her feet. “I suppose you’re not really qualified enough to do an entire day, anyway,” she muttered under her breath.

“I am qualified!” Kit’s cheeks flushed with a rosy hue as she regretted taking the bait. She flipped open her handbag and extracted the protective case containing her prized scissors. “The Queen of Curl presented me with a certificate that says I am.” She jabbed an index finger into her chest, before peeling open the case to reveal the dull matte blades. A sense of unworthiness shrouded her despite the accolade. “I won the matte black precision scissors for the student with the most flare!” Kit brandished the case. She resisted touching the expensive matte blades. A shiver of anticipation ran along her spine. The first snip promised the most amazing moment of her entire life. She fastened the case to stop anyone else from getting any ideas about handling them.

Piper’s fingers slid across the sofa between them to land on Kit’s thigh. She gave a gentle squeeze of warning, but it arrived too late.

“Prove it!” Debbie snapped. She eased forward, her hands dangling between her thighs like a woman about to give birth. “If you’re so bloody marvellous, you won’t mind doing the entire day!”

CHAPTER FOUR

A Curly Adversary

“I’m not bloody marvellous!” Kit’s fingers shook as she tweaked a red curl in the mirror of the downstairs cloak room.

Piper had sneaked in behind her and locked the door. Her friend closed the lid of the toilet and sat down, leaning her elbows on her knees and resting her chin on her fists. “I tried to warn you,” she said. “She played you like a fiddle.”

“I know!” Kit’s face crumpled into a mask of despair. Her shoulders slumped as she turned and leaned her back against the tiny sink. “I can’t do it. I’ll have to pretend I’m sick on the day.” Her new found resolve dribbled down the plug hole.

“You can’t do that. Wait until the girls find out you’re giving free Curly advice and demonstrations.” Kit glanced back in time to see Piper roll her eyes. “I wouldn’t want to be you.”

Kit’s knees trembled, and she reached her hand back to grip the edge of the sink. “And why am I only now finding out about a grand finale?”

Piper’s eyelashes fluttered closed, and a beatific smile settled over her lips. “It’s gonna be amazing,” she sighed. “All the big towns in New Zealand will compete for the Curl Queen’s coveted trophy.” Her eyes popped open. “Win it for us.”

“No, no, no!” Kit pressed her fingers over her eyes. “This isn’t fair. I’m exhausted. What happened to my dreams of free weekends and lazy days at home?”

Piper’s face scrunched into a mask of confusion. “But you work for Mr Rashid. And don’t you have to man the shop on alternate weekends now you’ve finished your course?”

Kit groaned and stared at the ceiling. “Just let me pretend for a little longer, please?”

Piper shrugged. “It won’t change the fact you just volunteered to spend the whole day with Debbie.” She grinned at Kit’s growled curse. “What if she wants you to use her for the demonstration?” She rose and unlocked the door.

“No. No way!” Kit lurched for the back of Piper’s shirt. Her grasping fingers seized a chunk of her collar, causing Piper to cough as it constricted her throat. “Get back here! I’m demonstrating on you and that’s it.”

Piper wrinkled her nose. She turned in the small space to wriggle free of Kit’s choke hold. “That won’t work. You have to give four demonstrations across the entire day and then the grand finale. You need four other people.”

A familiar tightening sent spasms into the muscles of Kit’s chest. Shallow breathing caused her lips to tingle and a primal scream to form behind her ribcage. “I quit,” she croaked. “I bloody hate these women. That’s it. I’m done.”

“Just breathe.” Piper placed her hands on Kit’s shoulders, her forehead furrowing into fine lines. “Everything is fine. You’ve weathered much worse.” Her fingers tensed in a comforting massage. “You can demonstrate on my hair for the grand finale. We’ll find four more Curlies for the other slots.”

“I want nice Curlies only,” Kit whispered. A yawn cut her sentence in half. “Not Debbie.”

“Okay.” Piper gave her a conspiratorial wink. “We can do a name-in-the-hat draw at the next meeting. I’ll rig the results.”

“Thank you, thank you.” Kit wrapped her arms around her friend’s neck and breathed in the scent of baby powder and pureed apple. Together they walked back into the lounge and prepared to resume the torturous part of the meeting, where Sharon ran through the dismal state of the accounts and argued with Debbie about her spending. Kit had snoozed through the last two gatherings, despite Piper’s nudges.

“Come on then.” Piper strode across the expanse of fluffy carpet with a light step, but Kit froze in the lounge doorway.

“You!” She lifted a shaking finger and pointed it at the blonde woman who’d taken her place on the sofa. Fear and rage mingled in her chest to create the kind of vitriol which would drive Langdon’s hands to cover his ears. “You got me arrested!” Exhaustion and disappointment added to the other emotions as Kit balled her fists by her sides. Piper halted half way across the room and her eyes bulged like golf balls. She glanced towards Kit’s nemesis with a wince.

“What’s happening? Why is she here?” Kit’s gaze tracked to Sharon, then Debbie, before resting on Pam. “Why wouldn’t you warn me she was coming?”

Debbie gave a dramatic huff. “You can’t decide who we’re allowed to invite!” Her breasts wobbled beneath her blouse as she turned to face Kit. “It’s a committee. Not the Kit Maguire appreciation society.”

“Let’s all calm down.” Sharon patted the air with her right hand, though she shot a raised eyebrow in Kit’s direction.

“Meaning me? You want me to calm down.” Exhaustion and disappointment bit at the back of Kit’s psyche. Questions revolved around her brain as her safe place grew a floor made from barbed wire.

“We need Cindy’s help with the Expo.” Debbie’s jaw acquired a hard angle through her cheek, and she folded her arms. “I invited her, and she’s staying. You need to get over it.”

“I need to get over it?” Kit’s voice rose to a screech. She stared at Cindy, seeing a smirk break out across the woman’s painted lips. Temper flared in Kit’s breast. “I’m not staying if she’s here!” she shouted. She spun to face Piper, expecting her solidarity. Her eyes widened as Piper stared down at a loose button on her blouse. She lifted her index finger and flicked it, her cheeks reddening as she avoided Kit’s gaze.

“Wow.” Kit stared around the room. Debbie glared at her, but the other women fought to avoid eye contact. “Okay.” She settled her shaking fingers over her hips. “Fine then. I quit.”

“I’m sure we can sort this out.” Ever the peace maker, Pam rose with a hand outstretched towards her. She used her best placatory voice to dampen the fire raging in Kit’s eyes. Her tone reduced her dispute to that of a five-year-old throwing a tantrum. It lit the fuse of her rage and her fists balled by her sides.

“They arrested me, and she said nothing!” Her voice shook. She jabbed her shaking finger in Cindy’s direction before facing her.

The new Curly of a few months ago had morphed into a butterfly. Coiled blonde ringlets cascaded over her shoulders. Veins bulged against Kit’s neck as she shook her head in disgust. “You let the cops think I’d killed Mr Roy.” She closed her eyes as a wave of sadness crept up her spine and settled at the back of her neck. Her venom surprised her. She hadn’t realised she held Cindy responsible for one cataclysmic day which had changed her life forever. A safe bubble had shrouded her existence until that day. Then she’d lost her job, her freedom, and almost her home. Because of Cindy’s silence.

Her shoulders slumped, and she squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. The unfairness percolating through her life hit her in the stomach.

Pam took a nervous step towards her. “We invited Cindy here,” she affirmed, doubling the body blow. “She studied hairdressing at college.”

“She’s a computer programmer!” Kit’s voice held an uncharacteristic screech.

Cindy rose, her neat stilettos forming a triangle at the bottom of tapered calves and sickeningly neat ankles. “You ladies inspired me so much that I did the refresher course in Melbourne run by the Queen of Curl herself.” She fixed a determined gaze on Kit. “I qualified as a hairdresser when I left school. My father wanted me to run his company, so I went back to study IT at university to help him.” She gave a nonchalant shrug. “He sold the business two months ago, so I can return to what I love.” Her torso dipped as though taking a bow of its own accord. Kit’s gaze slid to the other members of the WWC committee. Sharon appeared to melt under the lorry load of sugar, and Pam’s eyelids fluttered. Kit couldn’t look at Debbie. Cindy patted her chest with fingers edged by long, powder blue nails. “I’m happy to take the lead with the Expo if you think I’m suitable.” Her jaw ground her teeth together in an almost imperceptible movement.

Kit nodded. An opportunity for deliverance presented itself. “I quit,” she affirmed, her voice stronger. She strode across the room with determined steps. Her socks swished against the plush navy carpet. The bend in her spine appeared wooden as she snatched her handbag off the sofa and stalked towards the hallway. She didn’t stop to fasten her plimsolls, jamming her feet into them and escaping through the front door. The laces flapped around her feet as she walked down the driveway to her yellow car. Unused to the sudden darkness, she squinted as her fingers fumbled in her bag for her keys. She hauled on her fluffy keyring with such vigour it detached from the metal link and flew backwards with her sharp yank. It disappeared into the bushes surrounding Pam’s manicured garden. Too angry to engage in a search for it by the light of her phone torch, Kit abandoned it in favour of escaping before someone followed her to talk her out of resigning.

“I thought I recognised the car.” The voice issued from the shadows, and Kit looked up with a scream. Jackson Delaney’s eyes widened, and he reached for her, clapping a hand over her mouth. “Bloody hell!” he hissed. “Sorry.”

Kit’s heart rate shot to geriatric levels, and she dropped her handbag. Its contents clattered and tinkled as they hit the pavement. Laboured breathing stopped her thinking straight, and she lurched forward, wrapping her arms around the police officer’s neck with relief. His Kevlar vest dug into her soft places, and the unexpectedness of the embrace pitched him backwards against her car with a grunt.

“Er, hi,” he whispered against the side of her face. “I’m on a late shift and thought I’d drive around the suburbs.”

Kit sighed against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “My warrant of fitness is out of date,” she confessed.

“I know.” Jackson’s arms tightened around her. “And so is your car registration.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Curly Cop

Kit sat in Jackson’s police car overlooking Hamilton city. He’d helped her retrieve her belongings from the footpath and the gutter before suggesting a drive. His radio crackled on the dashboard and he listened to a message in his earpiece. “Show me helping a member of the public with car issues for the next half an hour,” he said, his tone formal. When he turned to face Kit, his hazel eyes twinkled with humour. “So, Maguire, I haven’t seen you around in a while.”

Kit bent forward in the passenger seat to lace her plimsolls. Her efforts to do it with the police car in motion had resulted in a bump to her forehead. “The last six months are a blur. I worked at the shop during the week and drove up to Auckland every weekend.” She sat up and turned sideways, bending her right knee on the seat. “You could have visited the shop if you’d wanted to see me.” She didn’t realise until she’d released it that the sentence held a veiled rebuke.

“What’s in Auckland?” Jackson leaned his crown against the head rest and relaxed. He ignored her accusation.

“A hairdressing course.” Kit dipped her head forward, and perfect ringlets cascaded against her cheeks and tumbled over her shirt. “It’s specific for curly hair. The nearest one is in Australia, but they trialled one in Auckland for the first time.” Her lips wrinkled into a sneer. “Unless your name is Cindy and you’re a qualified hairdresser. Then you can do a quick five minutes and take over the world.”

Jackson jerked his chin upwards, and his gaze followed a ringlet as it bounced forward over her shoulder. “The city seemed quiet without you. The crime rate is down, anyway.” His lips curved into a smile. “It sounds like you’re getting your life together. So, why did you leave that house with trouble written all over your face?”

Kit groaned. “I just quit the Women with Curls group.” She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. “I’ll have to find another chapter now. It’s the only way to operate as a legitimate Curly hairdresser. They’re meant to oversee my business and ensure I’m sticking to the rules and expectations of the Queen of Curl.” She bumped her head against the rest. “I’m such an idiot.”

“There are more than one of these groups?” Jackson’s voice rose at the end of the sentence. He gave an exaggerated slow blink. “It must just be yours that causes problems.”

“The other nearest one is Cambridge.” Kit sighed and picked at a loose thread on her jeans. “That’s an extra half an hour on my driving time each way.”

A raised eyebrow greeted her observation. “Not unless you fix that WOF and registration issue.” Jackson narrowed his eyes to slits. “I have these pretty pink stickers I can decorate that yellow-mobile with and you don’t want that, Maguire.”

“No, I don’t.” She exhaled and pushed both feet onto the mat, sitting with her hands clasped between her thighs. “I’ll visit the transport office on Monday as soon as my shift finishes to renew my rego. Kenny finally got a job at a local garage, so I’ll ask him to deal with the warrant. It’s only just out of date.”

“You get twenty-eight days for the warrant.” Jackson wrinkled his nose. “Why didn’t you do the registration online?”

Kit sighed. “No credit card. No laptop either. Raki took it back because only bad things happen when I order products online.”

Jackson nodded. “Ah yeah. The lube.” He ran his hands through his hair and the silence spread between them. It tingled in the air, fading to a gentle hush as Kit settled back in her seat and watched the city. The ridge Jackson had driven to offered a panoramic view of Hamilton. Lights twinkled below as families moved around their homes and the power station glowed like a Christmas tree.

“Do you come here often?” Kit clapped a hand over her mouth as soon as the cliche became airborne.

Jackson smirked and bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. She appreciated the sincerity of his effort to avoid humiliating her. He sighed and watched the twinkling city lights below them. “Yeah.” His reply held an element of reflection. “It’s good to press the pause button and take stock sometimes.”

Kit strove to lighten the mood, reaching for the easiest question in her social repertoire. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever had to do as a cop?” She smiled and turned sideways in her seat, her interest in his answer genuine.

Jackson inhaled and thought for a moment. “That’s easy. I once turned up to arrest this girl, and she had my business card stuffed into her bra.”

Kit released a hiss of dismay. The darkness hid the flush of embarrassment which attacked her cheeks and the tips of her ears. “Inappropriate,” she grumbled. “And anyway, wrongful arrests don’t count.” A car shot past the layby, its brake lights blooming with guilt as the driver spotted the police car too late. Kit reran Jackson’s sentence again in her head, and her features relaxed. “Thanks for calling me a girl, though. Thirty doesn’t feel very girlish.”

“Oh yeah, happy birthday for July.”

She pursed her lips to stop her smile escaping at the fact he knew her birth date. Reality whipped away the minor victory when she remembered his police database also contained her height, weight, fingerprints and an unflattering mug shot from the previous summer. She changed the subject. “What are you working on at the moment?”

“Something quite interesting.” Jackson covered a yawn with his hand as though to contradict the sentiment. “There’s a significant rise in the number of cases of alcohol poisoning.”

Kit shrugged. “People have overindulged since Noah landed. That’s nothing new.”

“It is when the same stuff keeps turning up repeatedly. Same formula, same local area. The chief thinks someone is running an illegal still and getting their calculations wrong. It’s like paint stripper.”

“Yuk.” Kit wrinkled her nose. “I haven’t seen the local news for months. Why would people want to drink paint stripper?”

Jackson rested his hands on the steering wheel. Kit understood their time together would soon end even before he fired up the engine. “Cost.” He looked over his shoulder before turning the vehicle into a tight U-turn. “Accessibility. Why pay for shop bought spirits when you can get off your face for a fraction of the price? They’re not looking for a nice whiskey to tickle their palate. The teenagers are pre-loading before they go out and those too young to buy it legally can get it without answering awkward questions.”

Kit made interested noises and considered the alcohol in Mr Rashid’s shop. “Should I ask at work if Mr Rashid has noticed any difference in sales? It might help to pinpoint a location if the regulars are going elsewhere.”

Jackson lifted a finger and jabbed it in her direction. “See, this is why I’ve missed you, Maguire,” he said. His voice sounded light enough for Kit to believe he spoke the truth. Until she glanced sideways and saw the smile he tried so hard to hide.

CHAPTER SIX

Clipper Hell

“What the hell are you doing?” Kit’s cry pierced the airwaves until they tingled in the resulting silence. She catapulted her handbag onto the sofa and fixed her hands over her hips. Jackson had dropped her back at her vehicle with a warning about the outstanding infringements, and she’d driven home with another lead weight added to the growing pile in the pit of her stomach.

“You’re early.” Jerry’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. Langdon sat on a stool in the middle of the kitchen, and Jerry waved a set of hair clippers over the top of his head. “Our usual barber retired last month. The verger commented we both looked a little too shaggy for the bishop’s visit to the morning service.” Jerry pursed his lips and frowned. The ex-lawyer held Kit’s gaze and knew when to stop talking. He’d need to take up sprinting when Langdon attempted his next preening session because half the vicar’s head revealed an awful lot of pink scalp.

“Wow.” Kit’s knees buckled, and she slumped onto the sofa next to her bag. “Just wow.”

“You like it?” Langdon shook his head in a motion which usually gave his blond hair a ruffled flick. The right side swished as normal, but only his ear waggled on the left. “I wanted to ask you to cut it once you finished your training, but Jerry figured you’d get busy quite fast. So, he offered.” Langdon’s left hand rose, and Jerry’s eyes bugged. He slapped the fingers a millisecond before Langdon contacted the bald spot above his ear.

“It’s not ready yet!” he snapped.

Kit swallowed and enjoyed watching the unflappable Jerry flounder. An unusual sight, it offered much needed entertainment after a horrible day. Jerry mouthed something behind Langdon’s head and jabbed his finger at the blade-end of the clippers. As though Kit couldn’t already tell for herself that he’d forgotten to use the guard before starting, he picked it up and slotted it on and off again. Then he spread his hands in mute appeal. Kit rose. “Ah well,” she said at the same time as releasing an exaggerated yawn. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Langdon gave a cheery wave as she grabbed her bag and headed for the stairs. Jerry choked, and Langdon continued his moment of benevolence. “I’ll make you a hot chocolate as soon as we’re done,” he said with a smile.

“Not my circus, not my monkey,” Kit whispered to herself as she reached the top of the landing.

Raki’s bedroom door stood open, and Kit peeked in as she passed. She wished she hadn’t, unable to unsee the sight of Raki’s backside sticking into the air and his legs wound around his torso like a pretzel. “Night, Raki,” she called with a yawn.

“Hey Kit.” His voice sounded muffled. “Jerry said I could join him and Langdon next time they do hot yoga. I’m trying it without the hot.”