Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai: a Danger Cove Hair Salon Mystery (Danger Cove Mysteries Book 5) by Traci Andrighetti, Elizabeth Ashby Read Free Book Online Page A

settled by German immigrants doesn't mean I can understand the language."
    "But it's so close to English," she whined.
    "Maybe to you, but it's Greek to me."
    "No." She shook her head. "It's German."
    I rolled my eyes. "Would you just tell me what a sauertopf is?"
    "A 'sour pot.'"
    I could think of other things I'd like to call that reporter. "So, I assume that he was the camera-wielding blond I saw standing in the crowd?"
    "Yeah." She flashed a goofy grin. "He's a real sex pot, isn't he? But his camera is the least of your concerns. Wait until you read what he wrote in the article."
    Against my better judgment, I picked up the paper.
    Amy tapped the page from behind. "Read it aloud. I want to hear it."
    I put the paper down and stared at her long and hard. Then I began to read in a low voice. "'Almost a year after the salacious murder of salon owner and Cove Casanova Vincent Conti … '"
    "Cove Casanova?" I exclaimed, outraged. "Where does he get off talking about my uncle like that?"
    She pursed her lips. "That part is actually true."
    I glared at her and resumed reading. "' … the specter of sex and death still looms large over The Clip and Sip. Literally. Within hours of a tasteless, not to mention dangerous, publicity stunt involving a lewd statue suspended from a pulley … '"
    I gasped. "He thinks that I had Sadie out there swinging her stuff as a publicity stunt?"
    "Well, her stuff did draw a sizeable crowd."
    I gave her a half-lidded stare and then continued reading. "' … long-time Danger Cove resident Margaret Appleby was found unresponsive under a hair dryer following a routine touch up to her blue hair dye. Attempts to revive her were unsuccessful . "
    "Duncan did you a favor there," Amy said. "He could have mentioned that she was abnormally blue."
    I leaned across the table. "Whose side are you on here?"
    She put her hand on her chest. "Yours. But when you break the story down like that, you can see how he came up with the version that he did."
    "All I can see is that he twisted the facts to write a sensational story." I pushed the paper away. "I refuse to read another word."
    "But you haven't gotten to the best part." Amy grabbed the paper and began to read—with gusto. "'Although police haven't released any information about the incident, there is reason to suspect foul play. Medics at the scene initially believed that the deceased was deprived of oxygen. But an EMT was overheard stating that hours after her demise, she was 'still bluer than a bluefish swimming in Ty-D-Bol,' which begs the question—Did Margaret Appleby die from dye?'"
    I clenched my jaw. "She wasn't that blue."
    "I'd say any amount of blue is pretty darn blue," Amy said as she folded the paper.
    The server deposited my double espresso on the table, and I reached for eight packets of sugar. Despite my efforts, this day was getting more bitter by the minute.
    "Listen," I began, "I didn't ask you to meet me because I wanted to discuss the details of the incident, okay? The truth is—I need your help with some research."
    Amy's face lit up. "For your accounting class?"
    "I've got that covered," I replied, neglecting to mention that I'd picked C for every answer on the online multiple-choice quiz before coming to meet her. "What I need to know is whether swallowing blue hair dye can cause a person's body to turn blue."
    Her face darkened. "You're not thinking about interfering in the police investigation, are you?"
    "Of course not. But after my encounter with Detective Marshall last night, I decided to do some asking around—you know, to see what I can find out."
    "Are you sure that's a good idea? If this does turn out to be a murder, you could be a target yourself, for all we know."
    This time I chugged my double espresso. I hadn't even considered the possibility that I could be next on some crazed killer's list. But why would anyone want to kill me? Was there some twisted plot to kill off the Contis, and Margaret somehow got in the