Chapter 2
Nicole
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CAROL STOOD FROM THEchair, using her hands to brush off the front of her shirt. Nicole swept the pile of hair on the floor into the dustpan.
"I also need some of that mousse you used on my hair." Carol lifted the edge of her new above-the-shoulder haircut. "I can never get the volume you give me once I get home."
"I have just what you need." Nicole set the broom against the wall and walked Carol out to the counter.
Picking up a bottle, she set the mousse in front of her client. Ringing the total up on the cash register, she took the cash, the tip, and put the mousse in a sack. "There you go."
"Thank you." Carol's smile grew. "I can't wait to get home and show my boyfriend my new look."
"Trust me. He'll love it." She waved until Carol stepped out of the small boutique.
Not having worked a full day in a week, Nicole inhaled deeply, then walked into the back of the small boutique to clean her work station. She couldn't wait to get back to the motel room and off her feet.
The bell on the front door jingled, and Kristi, the owner of Sally's Style Barn, walked in carrying a sack. "Oh, good. You're still here. I thought I was running late."
She glanced at the clock. "Right on time. I just finished my last appointment for the day."
"Girl, I don't know how you got Carol in and out so fast. The last time I gave her a perm, it took over an hour, just to roll her hair."
"I chopped it off." She laughed. "Ten inches...gone."
Kristi gawked. "She liked it?"
"Loved it." She straightened the chair. "I'm going to take off. I rearranged my schedule when I had breaks today. I'll be coming in at nine o'clock and leaving at six o'clock next week. One of my clients wants her tips frosted and can't come in until she gets off work."
"I work late that day, too." Kristi emptied the sack. "Are you still staying at the motel?"
"Yes." She grabbed her sweater off the coat rack and slid her arms into the sleeves.
"That's going to eat up all your money. Do you want me to ask around and see if there are any apartments for rent where I live?"
She shook her head. "I like the motel. Having a pool and a restaurant in the building is a bonus. It's like I'm on vacation."
"Mm-hm." Kristi shook her head. "Be careful, and if you need to squeeze a day or two in during the week, let me know. You can always help out doing the walk-ins."
"I'll keep that in mind." She removed her purse from underneath the sink. "Don't work too hard."
"Impossible." Kristi walked her to the door.
She waved over her shoulder and stepped outside, looking for a black Cadillac. Not finding Roy waiting for her, she walked along the plaza sidewalk to the corner. The motel was only two blocks away. On days she worked, it seemed much longer after being on her feet since morning.
At the corner, she looked in all directions and hurried across the street. It was unusual for Roy not to pick her up.
He wasn't under any obligation to help her. The money that he gave her, allowing her to pay for the motel room was because he liked being around her. She made him feel good. He was a nice guy she'd met a few weeks after arriving in Missoula and liked the companionship.
Besides, he had money to blow. Who was she to tell him how he should spend it? If he wanted to pay her way, she was grateful.
Cutting across the parking lot, she turned the corner of the two-story motel, heading toward Room 7, her lucky number, and stopped at the sight of police cars parked outside the front door of her room.
An ambulance, back doors opened, was parked in the middle of the lot.
Curious to see what happened, she walked forward. Maybe the older couple in the room next door had a health problem. She'd heard them complain over the last two days when their plans to tour Missoula hadn't gone according to plan.