Chapter 34 Simone
SIMONE
After Simone wiped down her leather chair and dropped her combs into the blue barbicide on the countertop, the bell above the door at the entrance dinged.
She had just finished with her last client, and the next called ten minutes ago to let her know she would be twenty minutes late.
Twenty extra minutes Simone really didn’t want to spend at work two days before Christmas.
Not after the news she’d gotten last night.
But service with a smile. Prepared to politely explain that her salon didn’t accept walk-ins, she opened her mouth to speak, but the words vanished.
His was the last face she expected to see in here.
Rather than his uniform, Edwards wore a pair of excellently fitted jeans. The white V-neck paired with a couple silver chains exposed the beautiful hard lines of his chest. His biceps swelled the fabric around his arms.
Simone’s belly flipped.
Silly. Pathetic. How could her mind even drift in that direction with everything else going on right now?
Still, she said, “Hey, you. Do you need an appointment?”
His tone was just as friendly, despite the pinch of grief in his eyes. “I’m sure you would do an excellent job on my head, but it would cause all kinds of family drama with my barber if I switched up on him.”
“Well, we don’t want that.” Simone leaned against the checkout counter, grabbing her broom from behind it. She felt her hip pop out at the side in something of a pose. “Not here to snuff out the competition, are you?”
“I was just telling him, ‘Uncle, you hog all the male clients in this town. Don’t you think you should refer a few to poor Simone down the street?’” Simone laughed, and he smiled. Only for half a second. Then it fell. “I’m actually here about your friend. Delilah?”
Any playfulness in Simone’s expression vanished as well. She found herself leaning on the broom for support instead. “Oh. Right.”
“Yeah, I tried to talk to Gwen yesterday, and I shot her a text this morning, but she seems to be taking it really hard.”
“She didn’t want to talk to me either. I’m pretty sure she was with Sebastian last night if you really need her, though.” Frowning, Simone went back to sweeping up the hair trimmings on the black-and-white checkered tile. “But if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m all ears.”
“I’m not sure yet. Really, I just…” He smacked his lips together, lifting and lowering his shoulders. “I don’t think Gwen is wrong. From what I saw of Delilah, she seemed really happy. Were you guys close?”
“We’re friends.” Simone realized she used the present tense a moment too late.
So did Edwards, but he didn’t correct her.
“But kind of casual friends, if that makes sense? We sat together at group, we ate in the dining hall together sometimes, but never just me and her. It was always with Gwen. Gwen and Delilah were way closer.”
“That was what it looked like to me too.” Edwards leaned over the reception desk, brown eyes somewhere in the distance. “You didn’t happen to see Delilah two nights ago, did you?”
“I did, actually.” Simone returned to the reception counter, standing on the opposite side to face him. “Me, Junie, Gwen, and Delilah had a dinner get-together. Why do you ask?”
He nibbled on his lower lip for a heartbeat or two.
His eyes scanned her, as if surveying for something.
“What she was wearing… when she was found… it seemed odd to me. I’m curious if it’s what she wore the last time you saw her.
I do have some photos on my phone, but I’m not sure if that’s too sensitive. ”
Simone’s stomach clenched. “I mean, is it just her clothes? Or is it… you know. Her?”
“Yeah, it’s her, but her face isn’t in it. But if it’s too hard, I can show Rhiannon, and—”
“No, it’s okay.” It wasn’t. Not really. After David, Simone didn’t do well with death. But Rhiannon loved all her girls more than the clouds loved the sky. It was better that she see this than Rhiannon. “I can handle it.”
Nodding slowly, Edwards dug around in his pocket. He came out with the phone and swiped around on it. He offered it to Simone. “Those pants, and those shoes. Is that the sort of thing Delilah would’ve worn?”
At first, they looked like only that. With the flash of the photography, the navy-blue sweatpants and black-and-white sneakers were all that was visible. It was only when she zoomed in closer to look at the shoes that she realized—
They weren’t flat on the ground. They weren’t laying at an angle on a tabletop.
They were floating midair.
She was hanging. Delilah was hanging.
Simone had to swallow the vomit that burned her esophagus. She zoomed in on the photo, studying the emblem on the shoes. “I mean, yeah, she wore tennis shoes all the time. But these don’t look familiar to me. Are they brand-name?”
“Nike Air Force Ones.” Holding out his hand for the phone, Edwards clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
“Expensive. They also seem a little big on her. I know that everybody gets donations at the ranch from the community closet, but Delilah didn’t seem to be the type to care about quality sneakers.
I doubt she would’ve taken them just because they were there, especially if they weren’t her size. ”
“You think somebody put different shoes on her? After she—” Simone stopped herself, unable to finish the sentence.
“I think it’s weird.” He shrugged, jamming the phone back into his jeans pocket.
“I don’t know if I’ve come to the same conclusion Gwen did.
I don’t think that I agree with Detective Mitchell though.
But I don’t know yet. I just wanted to hear from someone who knew her well.
If she had a sneaker obsession or anything. ”
“Not to my knowledge, no.” The nausea from the photo began to dissipate. “I do know that we keep an inventory of everything in the community closet. Delilah showed up at the ranch with the clothes on her back. If she got those at the ranch, there will be a record of it.”
“Right. Sure, that’s great. I’ll give Rhiannon a call and ask her to look over her ledgers.” He managed a smile. “Thanks for all your help.”
“No worries. And Merry Christmas.”
“Yeah, you too.”
But he didn’t turn around. Didn’t head for the door. Just stood there for a minute, eyes locked with Simone’s.
She forced a laugh. “Do you need anything else?”
“No. Not really. I guess I just—how have you been?” He scratched the back of his neck. “With everything. Has that guy come back around?”
Her stomach twisted again. “I’ve been okay. Good, even. Excited for the holiday. And no. Haven’t seen him since that day, thank God. Hopefully never see him again.”
“Good. That’s really good.” Another smile, this one just as forced as the last, but a bit sweeter. “If he does, you can call me. Anytime. Day or night. You have my number, don’t you?”
“Yeah, you gave it to me when you took my statement.” He seemed to flinch at those last couple of words. Simone did her best not to respond with the same anxiety when she continued. “And I definitely will. But hopefully I won’t have to. Like you said, he probably ran far and fast from here.”
“Right. Of course.” Edwards trailed his tongue along his lips, eyes flittering between hers.
“You know, with everything considered, this is probably a really bad time. Which is totally understandable. So no pressure at all. But a couple of friends of mine are having a little get-together for New Year’s.
I’m pretty sure Sebastian’s going to be there, he’ll probably bring Gwen.
So it wouldn’t be awkward or anything if you came. If they’ll both be there, I mean.”
Eyes crinkling, the corners of Simone’s lips twitched. “Was that an invitation?”
“A really bad one, yeah.” Edwards laughed, and Simone joined in. “Whatever kind of invitation you want it to be.”
Propping her elbows on the counter, Simone leaned in, confident her low-cut shirt held his attention as much as his V-neck held hers. “A date? Is that what you’re inviting me to?”
“Well, I’d devote a hell of a lot more time and attention to a date.” Another one of those little shrugs, accompanied by a smirk. “I’m a bit of a romantic myself. But if you wanted to call it a pre-date, I’d be okay with that.”
Laughing, she looked up at him through thick eyelashes. “A pre-date?”
“A pre-date,” he confirmed. “We can look at our schedules and get a real one lined up for after the new year, if that works for you?”
“I think I can find a way.” Heart fluttering, she straightened. “My schedule is tight right now though. I have a client on the way, and I’ve still gotta finish wiping down my chair.”
“Alright. I’ll quit holding you up.” He lifted his hands at his sides and backpedaled for the door. “But you have to text me to get the address for the party.”
Broom in hand again, she popped out her hip. This time, with intention. “I’ll text you.”
The sweetest, yet sexiest crooked smile. “I’ll be waiting.”
She laughed as the bell rang over his head. He waved on his venture down the road.
Simone turned back to the pile of hair on the ground, lightheaded. Yet, she couldn’t pull down her smiling lips. They scrunched up so big, reaching her eyes, nearly blinding her.
Had that really just happened?
One of the most beautiful, jaw-dropping men she had ever seen. So kind, so respectable. Most of Simone’s adult life had been spent battling the cops to believe her experiences. To throw David behind bars.
Now the best one she had ever met not only gave a damn about what she’d lived through but desired her despite it. Something she’d thought made her unappealing, too damaged, entirely unlovable, ignited a fire with the sort of man she thought only existed in her dreams.
Her instinct was to pick up her phone and call Gwen, but the bell rang above the door again. She cleared her throat and called over her shoulder, “I’ll be right with you, Kathy. Just gotta finish cleaning up from my last client.”
“Take your time, Jess.”
Simone’s heart dropped to her torso. All her limbs went numb. Memories flashed.
And when she turned over her shoulder, she had to pinch herself. This had to have been a nightmare, because life didn’t go from so good to so bad this quickly.
Angela stood at the door.