Free Murder of a Botoxed Blonde by Denise Swanson Page A

hair held back with a coated rubber band.
    “Not at all.” Margot popped up from her seat. “Can I get you something to eat? Maybe a cup of herbal tea?”
    “No, thanks, I already had coffee and muffins in my room.” Nancy waved the spa owner back into her chair.
    “Coffee! Muffins! Where did you get those? We follow a strict no caffeine or carbs diet here.”
    “I always travel with my own coffee pot and I happened to buy some muffins yesterday from a wonderful bakery in town.” Nancy narrowed her eyes. “Is that a problem?”
    “No. Of course not.” Margot blinked, perhaps remembering who she was talking to, and added soothingly, “It’s just that my husband designed the diet himself. The program is based on a thousand calories per day. Our aim is for our guests to leave us stress free and with a head start on a healthy eating plan.”
    “Surely, since I’m not really here for that reason, you don’t mind if I supplement your menu for my own tastes?”
    Margot shook her head. “But do please be discreet.”
    “Discretion is my middle name.” Nancy pulled her chair closer to Skye’s. “Now tell me about the investigation you mentioned earlier.”
    Skye looked at Margot, unsure how to answer.
    Margot shook her head once, and said, “Yes, Skye, what investigation are you talking about?”
    ‘The treasure.”
    Three pairs of eyes—blue, green, and brown—all turned toward Whitney, who had just spoken. This morning the young woman wore a white mini skirt that rode low on her hips with a white cami that ended just above her pierced belly button.
    She handed Nancy a section of the
Scumble River Star
and pointed to the bottom of the page. “Look what that cute bellboy showed me this morning.”
    Both Skye and Margot tried to talk, but the writer shushed them. “Let me read this first.”
    Margot glared at Whitney, who stared back innocently.
    Skye decided now was a good time to make her escape. She tried to stand, but Margot grabbed the leg of her chair and wouldn’t let her scoot back.
    Fortunately, Nancy was a fast reader, and few minutes later she put down the newspaper. “Interesting.” She turned to Skye. “So you and the friend you mentioned last night are trying to find the treasure.”
    Skye and Margot answered yes, at the same time Whitney said no.
    Nancy cocked her head. “Which is it?”
    “It’s yes and no,” Whitney blurted out. “Yes, they’re trying to find the treasure, but no, that’s not what they’re investigating.”
    “Thanks, Whitney,” Skye said, “but since this is my story, you don’t mind if I tell it, do you?”
    The young woman huffed, swishing her ponytail from side to side, but gestured with her hand for Skye to continue.
    Skye forced herself to give Nancy a relaxed smile. “In a small town everything gets blown out of proportion.”
    “Sure.”
    Skye searched her mind for a plausible story.
    “I’m guessing everyone wants to find the treasure,” Nancy said to Skye after she’d been silent for a while.
    “Yes, and one particular one was bothering Margot, someone digging up the estate and so on, so my friend Trixie and I thought maybe we could find out who it was and put a stop to his or her messing around.”
    “Except,” Whitney broke in, “they didn’t catch just one treasure hunter, they caught lots of them, and now they’re back to square one.”
    “Right.” Skye nodded. “Which is why, while I spend Thanksgiving with my family this afternoon, Trixie will continue to investigate.”
    “Maybe I can help,” Nancy offered.
    “Well … sure.” Skye tried to figure out whether that would cause problems, but couldn’t think of any. “Now, ifyou’ll excuse me, I have an appointment for a Miracle Mud bath in half an hour.”
    Everyone walked off in different directions, and Skye returned to her room, where she read the instructions for the treatment. She was supposed to shower, and wearing only the spa robe, arrive at the treatment room five