Laced

“Why did the woman at the race remind you of her?” Regan asked.

“When A

“Do you remember her last name?” Regan asked quickly.

“Ohhhh, what was it?” Linda shook her head. “I don’t remember. I’ll have to call my hairdresser. He recommended her to me. It was eight years ago.”

“Can you call your hairdresser now?” Regan asked.

“Sure.”

“Here, use my cell phone,” Jack said, pulling it out of his pocket. “I’ll dial the number for you.”

“I know that number by heart,” Linda said. “It’s a good thing I didn’t switch hairdressers, or he’d never take my call. And not many women in New York keep the same hairdresser forever. The number is 212…”

Jack dialed and handed her the phone.

When the receptionist at the salon answered, she told Linda that Rocco was with a very important client and would have to call back.

“Tell Rocco this is urgent!” Linda demanded, authority in her voice. “Tell him I’m calling from my home in Ireland.”

“Just a moment.”

Regan, Jack, Breda, Brad, and Linda were all standing in the living room, anxiously waiting for Rocco to put down his scissors and come to the phone. Breda had all her fingers crossed.

“Hello, Rocco,” Linda said.

They listened as she asked him about A

“I know she disappeared off the face of the earth without saying goodbye… I don’t know if she ever got married… What was her last name?…Hager…that’s right. It was Hager. Thanks, Rocco, I’ll see you the minute I get back-cut and color. Bye.” Linda handed the phone back to Jack. “A

“Could something have happened to her?” Regan asked.

Linda shook her head. “When we couldn’t find A

“Thank you, Linda,” Regan said. “We’ll look into it. It could be that A

“New York can be a rat race,” Linda said. “And she seemed like such a nice girl. I ca

“A jewel thief who knows a lot about how to disguise herself,” Jack said. “And A

Linda’s face went pale. “I just remembered something A

“What?” Regan asked.

“She told me she’d done makeup for a magician who taught her a few tricks…like how to steal someone’s watch right off their wrist. We laughed about it. It seemed like a joke at the time.”

“If A

29

A

As they entered the village of Westweg, which was only a fifteen-minute drive from their home, A

When she parked the car, Bobby didn’t even wake up. She quietly got out, crossed the street, and hurried inside the store. The aroma of fresh baked bread and spices filled the shop, and she was glad she’d made the effort to stop. A man’s voice called out from the back. “I’ll be right with you. Sorry, my wife ran out for a few minutes. She should be returning soon, at least I hope she will.”

“Okay,” A

“May I help you?”

“Oh!” A

“Are you all right?” he asked, then smiled. “I’m not that scary, am I?”

“No, you’re not. I’m very tired, that’s all. What’s your soup today?”

“Chicken noodle.”

“Could I have a large container please?”

“Sure.” He turned and headed for the kitchen.

A

“I can’t believe my wife isn’t back yet,” the storekeeper said, putting the hot container on the counter and then ringing up the charges.

“I’m sure she’ll show up soon,” A

“You don’t know my wife,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

A

“Here you go,” he said, pushing the bag toward her. “Well, what do you know, there’s my wife now-blathering on in the street. I told her she talks too much.”

A

“What’s the matter?” the storekeeper asked. “You seem a little jumpy.”

“As I said, I’m tired. It’s been a long day. You know what? I’d love to have another large container of soup. It smells delicious. With this damp weather, I’m sure we’ll be eating it for days. And my husband doesn’t feel well.”

“That’s a shame. But nothing tastes better than a nice bowl of hot chicken soup…” He turned toward the stove, his sentence trailing off.

A

“Let me know what happens, would you, please?” a woman’s voice yelled, obviously talking to someone outside. “And if you need my help at all, please, just give a call… Grand, that would be grand… Brilliant…”

“Here’s your soup. I hope your husband feels better.”

“Thank you.” A

The sound of the door closing and a woman calling “I’m back!” was music to A

“Get everything you need?” the woman asked her.

“Yes, thank you.” A