Mim paid for the haircuts and carefully distributed the tips. While Theo was helping her into her coat, Wally sidled up to Jude and winked at her. “Our secret, eh?” he whispered.
“Our secret,” she confirmed. “Oh, and I was sorry to hear about Joe Bartos.”
“Yes, well, probably best. Not one for showing his feelings, but losing Krystina…that destroyed him. You know, there had been his previous family…then his second wife…I saw Jiri the night before he died. He said he was tired, very tired. He suffered a lot through his life. He never talked about such things, but I knew. And the next morning he just did not wake up. Joe had had enough of suffering. No, very sad, but he went quickly. How we all want to go, eh?”
“What’s he talking about then?” asked Mini, mentally scolding herself for letting her husband escape her surveillance even for a moment.
“I was talking about death,” he replied with some dignity.
“Oh, death,” she said dismissively. “We won’t have to worry about that for some time yet. Now, come on, Wally, are you coming or not? We can’t be wasting these good people’s time with all your idle chit-chat. Come along.”
“Usual appointments?” asked Connie. “Five weeks today for the two of you?”
“Please. ‘Bye, Theo. Lovely to see you, Connie.”
“And you, Mim. Goodbye, Wally.”
“Goodbye, Connie. And good luck with Marnie!”
“Who’s Marnie?” asked Jude, as she was settled into her chair.
“Oh.” Connie blushed prettily. “Just an idea Martin and I had. Still some way off yet, but, well…the Martin & Martina branding has got to go…given the circumstances…so I thought of calling the chain ‘Marnie’. It’s Martin and Connie put together.”
“As you are.”
“Exactly.”
“How is he?”
“On the mend. But he will be permanently disabled. Won’t be able to cut hair again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Never mind. I’ll cut the hair. He can run the business. Now…” She unpinned the shapeless topknot and ran her fingers through Jude’s long blonde hair, “…how would you like to have it today, Madame?”
“Today,” replied Jude, with a huge beam, “I would like to have it short.”
“Hooray! Did you hear that, Theo?”
“I did indeed. Well, well, well. Today’s clearly a day for taking a plunge.” He looked in the mirror at his client. “And what about yours, Madame? Are you going to take the plunge too? How would you like yours today?”
“Same shape, but shorter,” said Carole Seddon stolidly.
¦
After Connie’s Clip Joint, they went to the Crown and Anchor for lunch. Ted Crisp recommended the Chilli con Carne with Rice. It was surprisingly delicious.
While they ate, they watched the landlord holding up his fingers and gleefully demonstrating something to a customer. “No, everyone gets that wrong, you know. The fingers that all hairdressers use are…yes, the thumb, like you said. But the other one isn’t the middle finger. It’s the one between the middle finger and the little finger. And do you know, that’s the only one that moves. The thumb stays completely still.”
The customer was appropriately frustrated by getting it wrong. “So, deal was if I beat you, you buy a pint for Les here. All right?”
Les Constantine grinned in anticipation. The old shipwright had recently given up his regular booth for a seat at the bar. Now Ted had made him the recipient of his winnings on the hairdresser bet, there was a plentiful supply of free pints.
“Hey,” the landlord went on to his customer as he pulled the pint, “I must tell you…there’s this joke I heard. Polar Bear walks into a bar…”
Jude looked across at her friend, and grinned.
¦
When Carole got back to High Tor, she went through the automatic processes of emptying the contents of the tumble dryer, folding her clothes and putting them away. She was interrupted by the phone. Picking up the receiver at her bedside, she heard Stephen’s voice. “Hello, Granny,” he said.
