Pumpkin Spice Lies: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 16 by Kathleen Suzette (new books to read .txt) 📗

She nodded as Christy handed her the duster and her wig slipped forward again. “I don’t think this wig is going to work out,” she said and pulled it off her head. “Can I put it back behind the counter?” She smoothed her brown hair down with one hand.

I nodded and then caught sight of two little yellow barrettes in her hair. My heart started pounding. They looked similar to the white ones Ethan and I had found at the park. One near Hailey’s body, and the other beneath the tree when we had lunch. Except that instead of a white poodle, these had a yellow duck on them.

“Those are cute barrettes you have in your hair,” I said. Christy swung around to look at her as she tucked the wig beneath the counter.

Shayna’s hand went up to one of the barrettes and she patted her hair again. “Thanks. They are entirely too young for me, but for some reason, they appealed to me, so I wore them today.”

“Those are interesting,” Christy said slowly. “I’ve never seen anything like that in the stores.”

She looked at her and shook her head. “No, I think they’re vintage. Aren’t they the cutest? Now, should I just start on any of the shelves?” she asked, indicating the shelf that held glass canisters of gumballs, taffy, licorice, and other assorted pre-wrapped candies.

I stared at the barrettes in her hair. They looked like they belonged to a set. And it wouldn’t surprise me if that set also included a pair of white plastic barrettes with a poodle on them.

When I didn’t say anything, Christy spoke up. “Yeah, that would be great. You can start with those.”

She went over to the shelves and I looked at Christy. Christy stared at me wide-eyed.

I turned back to Shayna. “You know what’s interesting, Shayna?”

She turned and looked at me over her shoulder. “No, what’s interesting?”

“What’s interesting is that when Hailey’s body was found, there was a small white plastic poodle barrette that looks like it probably goes to the same set that those duck barrettes you’re wearing go to. Do you have white poodles in the set that you bought?”

Shayna sobered. “I didn’t buy a set. I just have these two.”

“Where did you get them from?” I asked, folding my arms in front of myself and moving closer to her.

She licked her lips. “They were given to me. They were a gift.”

“Who gave them to you?” I asked.

She frowned. “Why? What difference does it make?”

Christy came out from behind the counter and stood beside me.

“Because a murder victim ended up with a very similar pair of barrettes near her body,” Christy said. “That’s why she’s asking.”

Shayna’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t kill Hailey. Is that what you think?”

“Didn’t you?” I asked. “Maybe you were angry at her for setting you up and making you look foolish about that fake job offer at Betty Mays’ dress shop. And maybe you took it out on her.”

Her eyes got bigger. “How do you know about that?”

I shrugged. “Things get around town. I wouldn’t blame you for being angry at her. But I would blame you for murdering her.”

She shook her head and turned toward me fully. “I swear. I never touched Hailey. I wouldn’t do something like that. Sure, I was mad. Hailey was always doing stupid stuff like that, and I guess I should have known better than to fall for it. I was angry, and I told her I was done with her a few weeks before she died. I decided I had just had enough, but I never touched her.”

She looked sincere when she said it, but I was suspicious. “Where did you get the barrettes from?”

She swallowed. “Joey Harper. He gave them to me. I knew he had given Hailey the white pair, so I almost didn’t take them from him, but in the end, I did. I don’t know why.”

“You’re dating Hailey’s boyfriend?” Christy asked incredulously.

She shook her head. “No. I’m not dating him. He did ask me out, but I told him I would think about it. And then he gave me the barrettes. He said he got them from an online auction site. They’re vintage from the 1970s. I know they’re for little girls, but there’s something sweet about them, and I admired the ones that Hailey had.”

“So the white ones really did belong to Hailey?” I asked. We had made the assumption, but we didn’t know for sure.

She nodded. “Yes. She had a pair of white ones with poodles, and a pair of blue ones with cats.”

I glanced at Christy. “I think I want to go get a coffee now.” I turned back to Shayna. “Go ahead and keep dusting the shelves, Shayna. I’ll let Mom know we’re going to go get a coffee.”

Shayna nodded slowly and turned back to the shelf and started dusting it. I went to tell my mother that we were going to step out for a few minutes so that Linda could come up front and wait on customers.

Chapter Eighteen

“Where are we going?” Christy asked as we walked down the sidewalk.

“The shoe store,” I said.

“Joey Harper killed Hailey?”

I nodded. “Looks to me like he did.”

I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Ethan. The phone rang and eventually went to voicemail. I hung up and stuck my phone back in my pocket.

“No answer?” she asked as we walked quickly down the sidewalk. She was dressed as Dora the Explorer and I was dressed as Minnie Mouse. In any other town, we would have looked ridiculous, but this was Pumpkin Hollow and we fit in perfectly.

“No answer,” I confirmed. “Maybe he’s in a meeting or something.” I was starting to breathe a little harder. We were