Free divorced divas 02 - crimped to death by tonya kappes Page B

going to take with the Barn Dance budget.”
    Was a client suing him? Was that why he was taking Bernadine back to court? Was that why he moved back to Swanee?
    “Oh, I’m sorry Dr. Russell.” A lively female voice came from the right side of me near the door. I couldn’t see her since I was practically on my back, scraping tool in my mouth and eyes blinded by the old spotlight. “I didn’t see Carol out there and I didn’t know you had a client.”
    I recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it.
    “Don’t worry.” Dr. Russell picked up the little metal mirror tool and rotated it all over my mouth and ran it along my gum lines, causing the sides of lips to open wider. Spit dribbled out of the corners of my mouth. “I’ll be with you in a few minutes if you want to hang out in my office.”
    “Sounds great.” The woman’s voice was happy. “You are going to love the new designs I have put together.”
    “Looking forward to it.” His grey eyes looked down at me. With one hand still in my mouth, he used his other hand to wipe my mouth with the bib.
    “Gettin’ a ‘ew offish.” I tried to talk with his fingers in my mouth.
    Dr. Russell flipped the spotlight off and swung it over to the opposite side of my head to get it out of the way. He sat my chair up and rolled backward on the stool to the small counter where the tiny sink was. He stood up and took out a small white cup and put fluoride in it setting it next to the sink. I took the bib and wiped my mouth off. My lips felt like they had been stretched over the entire state.
    “Go ahead and rinse.” Dr. Russell was writing all over my chart. “See you in six months.”
    “Maybe before that.” I slid out of the chair and walked over to the sink. I held the tiny cup in my fingers. “I’m going to see Bobbi Hart to see if I can get on one of the Barn Dance Committees.” I took the fluoride like a shot glass and swished it around before I spit it out.
    “I think we have room on the decorating committee.” He plucked the gloves off his hands and tossed them in the garbage. He held his hand out. “Good seeing you, Holly.”
    I extended my hand. His cold clammy hand made me gag to think they were just in my mouth and maybe what had been gripped around the knife that killed Henry Frisk.

 
    Chapter Ten
     
    Dr. Russell slipped out of the cleaning room and into his office before I could clean myself up and see who the woman was that was there to see him before she shut the door. I grabbed my bag and headed back down to the waiting room to check out with Carol.
    “How was it?” Carol wiped the corners of her mouth with the napkin. Her Big Mac in front of her looked really good. Unfortunately there was no way I could partake. That would add the pound I had lost at Food Watchers.
    “It was fine.” I reached in my bag and took out my wallet. “Here is my check card for the co-pay.”
    “Oh, new policy.” She took a gulp of the sweet tea. “We are going to bill it all to your insurance so no co-pay.”
    Ginger said the same thing about Henry. Did Dr. Russell get the same idea from Henry? I could only wonder.
    “Say,” I gripped my check card and leaned over, “is the place getting a makeover?”
    “Yes,” Carol gasped. “Can you believe it? I’ve been telling Dr. Russell for years, but he never listened to me. Then all of the sudden he wants all this fancy stuff. He even hired an interior decorator.”
    “Yeah, I heard the salesperson come in.”
    “She did?” Carol’s mouth dropped. “She’s early. Oh God, was Kevin mad?”
    “No, Kevin wasn’t mad.” I drew back and stared at her. For as long as I had been coming here, I had never heard Carol refer to Dr. Russell as Kevin. “I’ve been meaning to get some quotes on The Beaded Dragonfly. Do you happen to have the interior decorator’s name and number?”
    “I do.” Carol used her finger to flip through the desk calendar. “I told Dr. Russell that we needed to get a computer so