Free Treated and Dyed (A Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery Book 13) by Cindy Bell Page B

heart began to race as she realized that she was trapped. The worst part was her cell phone was in her pocket on the outside of the door. Her hands were stuck inside the store. She couldn't even call for help. She was mortified by the thought of anyone finding her like this. Bekki tried to wiggle her way into the store again. She stopped when she heard a creaking sound. Her eyes widened as she saw the storage room door swing open. The entire time she thought that no one was in the shop, someone had been inside. That person was about to find her stuck in the small door.
    Bekki tried very hard to escape. The door creaked again as it swung shut. She heard footsteps walk across the shop. Luckily they were going in the opposite direction of where she was stuck. On one hand Bekki didn't want anyone to catch her trying to sneak in, on the other she didn't want to be stuck half in and half out of Get and Go until it opened the next morning. She opened her mouth to call out for help, but before she could she heard the front door open and close. The door was locked.
    Bekki was sure that it must have been Holly, as she would likely be the only one with a key. Bekki took a deep breath. She knew that the only way she was going to get out of the shop was to be forceful enough to rip her pocket. She pulled back out of the small door with all of her might. She pushed her hands against the tiled floor inside the shop and wiggled her hips at the same time. The combination of force and movement led to a few stitches tearing in the pocket of her skirt.
    Bekki felt a small amount of freedom, and then was suddenly tumbling backwards against the pavement. She landed with a grunt and a sigh of relief. She looked up at the sky which was dotted with rising stars. She knew that she had just escaped certain humiliation. Slowly she got to her feet. After a moment she ducked into the shadows cast by the roof of the shop. Holly should have been making her way to her car. After a few minutes passed, Bekki assumed that Holly had now walked over to the bakery. She wasn't daring enough to try to break into the shop again, but she decided to have a look inside Holly's car. She didn't want her attempt at an investigation to be a complete bust.
    Bekki walked over to Holly's car and peeked in the front window. She didn't notice anything unusual. Then she looked into the backseat. What she saw in the backseat made her heart stop for a moment. Several bags of the same type of candy that Stella had eaten the morning she died were strewn across the backseat. Beside them was a package sealer. Bekki knew what it was as her father had used one when he had sealed some of his own products in the shop. She had no doubt that Holly had resealed the bags of candy with it. Her mind was spinning as she realized that Nick's information had been right, Holly was the killer.
    Bekki stared at the bags of candy in the backseat. She didn't want to think about them being there, but she knew she couldn't ignore it. Why would Holly have stashed all of the candy from the shop in the backseat of her car? She decided that she should take some candy so that it could be tested at the police lab. Once they had proof that she was trying to hide tainted candy, they would be able to search the shop and Holly's home. As she was reaching for the door handle, she heard footsteps approaching.
    “Bekki? What are you doing back here?” Holly asked. She was standing only a few feet away with her hand tucked inside of her purse.
    “I was looking for you,” Bekki said.
    “Oh, I was inside,” Holly frowned. “I thought I heard knocking, but I was busy with inventory.”
    “I went to the front door but it was locked,” Bekki explained quickly. She knew that she was going to have to lie to get out of this. “I thought maybe you were in the parking lot back here.”
    “I am, now,” Holly smiled warmly. “What can I do for you?”
    Bekki studied her intently. No matter how hard she tried she could