Free Hardheaded Brunette by Diane Bator Page B

bamboo blinds half-covering the front window. Someone had painted the Healing Spirit storefront black with bright purple trim. The front door stood open wide and the scent of acrylic paint and incense hit Gilda in a stifling wave.
    "Hello?" Gilda fanned away the fumes as she peered inside the store, surprised to see Mena on a ladder rolling paint onto one wall.
    She glanced at the bare black shelves and dozens of plain brown boxes that filled the center of the store. Toward the front of the store sat a black granite-topped counter adorned with glittering purple and blue tiles all the way around. The front windows were dusty and grimy but bare, and someone had already painted the hardwood floors black.
    To Gilda, it seemed an odd choice of colors to attract customers off the street. She hoped Mena had something amazing to put in her window display.
    "Hey." Mena flinched. "What are you doing here?"
    "Kane mentioned where you were setting up your new shop so I thought I'd check the place out." Gilda smiled as a shiver crept up her arm. "You have a nice location. I imagine the rent here must be crazy."
    "That's none of your business. So you and Kane are suddenly buddy-buddy. Interesting." Her hands dotted with paint, Mena pushed a strand of dark hair out of her face with her forearm. "Be honest. The only reason you're here is to make sure I am nowhere near Mick."
    Gilda sighed at Mena's defensiveness. "Look, I know Charlie was a friend of yours, and I just wanted to pass on my condolences. What did I ever do to you anyway?"
    "Nothing." She set her roller in a paint tray and wiped pale purple flecks off her hands.
    Gilda took a bracing breath. "How well did you know him? Charlie, I mean."
    Mena snorted. "What does my relationship to Charlie matter? You didn't even know the guy."
    Gilda's face warmed and she averted her gaze.
    "Oh, wait." Mena slapped her forehead with one palm, leaving a few spots of paint behind. "I forgot. You're Sherlock. Isn't that what Mick calls you?"
    Gilda fought the urge to run out the front door. "Yeah, he does."
    "You're the nosy girl who tried to track down the last killer who came to town." She rolled her eyes. "Good luck solving this one, Sherlock. Charlie Hunt might have had great PR people, but the guy had more enemies than theatres have popcorn. If you want a list, you'll have to get it from that cute cop friend of yours."
    Thayer. Gilda winced. She'd probably get a straighter answer from Kane.
    Mena scowled. "Now, if you don't mind, there's the door. There's a lot of stress involved in opening a new business and trying to juggle life and classes around that. I don't have time for unwanted guests today."
    Gilda let Mena's rudeness slide and tried a different approach. "Yeah, I know. I've worked with Mick and Razi to move the school and rebuild a whole new business."
    "Oh, lucky you." The words dripped like acid from Mena's tongue.
    "I didn't mean that in a bad way." Gilda groaned. "I just meant I had people to work with to make things easier. I didn't have to do everything on my own like you have."
    Apparently unconvinced of Gilda's sincerity, Mena shook her head then turned away and picked up a paintbrush. "Any other little gems of wisdom you'd like to share before I kick you out of my store?"
    Gilda backed away, stopping to examine a small box of crystals someone had removed from a larger box. She imagined Mena had wanted to examine her new merchandise, but they seemed out of place, as if someone had planted them in plain sight in case anyone came to snoop. Cripes. There she was being suspicious for no real reason but gut instinct.
    She returned the box of crystals to where she'd found them. "I didn't come to start a fight. I was just curious to see your new store."
    "And now you've seen it." Mena slapped a gob of paint on the wall near Gilda's head. Close enough to splatter purple paint on Gilda's shirt. I'll let you know when I have my grand opening so you can come back to snoop some more.