Basil stopped and stared off into space before his face cleared. "Ah. That's right. There was some talk that she wanted to sell her house and develop the land into some kind of river resort."
Tear down that beautiful house? Why had she left it to me? Was that one of the missing clues—who to sell it to? Was that the mystery buyer who'd offered so much money? River property was rare. And this place would be perfect. It would put Behold on the map.
"And Nigel didn't want that?" Seemed to me he would. It would bring more business his way as the only lawyer in town.
Basil stopped curling or straightening or whatever he was doing. "Haven't you noticed how the town's exterior is in shambles but the interiors are really nice?" He waved his curling iron around him.
Of course I had. "That's done on purpose?"
He nodded and went back to work. "The citizens of Behold don't like outsiders. They just want to keep the rest of the world out. So five years ago, the council decided we had to 'distress' the buildings."
My mouth dropped open. "You mean you guys made them look like they were decaying?"
Basil sighed. "This used to be a lovely little town. A pretty riverside burg. We could've been a tourist hot spot like the other towns on the river."
"What changed?"
"I don't know." He seemed to be considering this question for the first time. "It's like people woke up one day and decided to keep everyone out."
I studied the man. "Why are you here? You seem to belong in bigger cities than this."
Basil laughed out loud. "I'm going nowhere. It's the same reason Hal is here. Our money is locked up in a trust fund managed by Nigel because he was born two minutes earlier than us. If we leave town, we forfeit." He waved the curling iron in the air. "Besides, if I left, who would do everybody's hair? I have some town pride. I can't let people look like they cut their hair themselves." He winked.
"Who's on the town council?" I asked.
"Nigel as mayor, of course. Hal, Dr. Morgan, and Virgil. That's it, I think. It's a job nobody wants, so they have to beg people to stay in office." He made that face again. "Except for Nigel. He loves being in charge." His voice trailed off. "I should know about that."
This whole thing about Aunt June and the development was certainly a plausible motive for murder. In fact, I was pretty sure I'd heard about things like this before. But would Basil give me the scoop on his brother?
"Tell me more about Virgil," I said.
"Oh, right. Virgil is about Aunt June's age. Very quiet. Keeps to himself. His passion is local history, which is why the tooth is there. Make sure you stop by. It would make his day."
"I will. Let me ask you something. Do you think Aunt June's death was an accident?"
He looked at me curiously. "That's what's going around town. Why?"
I told him about the letter from her that suggested she'd been murdered.
Basil burst out laughing. "She was a hoot, that one! I'm not surprised at all. She would've loved to have people thinking that!"
"It sounds like it," I mumbled. "But what do you think? Do you think she was murdered? You seem to have your pulse on everything around here."
Basil smiled warmly. The flattery had worked. "Well, if my opinion matters that much, I'd have to say no. She was dramatic, but I can't think of why anyone would kill her."
Except for his brother if he really, really didn't want her to sell her land for a resort.
"Okay, ready for the big reveal?" He picked up a huge can and sprayed a cloud of hairspray that probably opened up a huge hole in the ozone.
Just then, Kelly and the girls streamed in. They took one look at me and stopped dead in their tracks.
"You look awesome!" Ava clasped her hands in front of her face.
"It's so you!" Lauren squealed.
"Why haven't you done this before?" Kaitlyn gushed.
Inez just nodded, her eyes like dinner plates.
Betty walked closer and studied my head.
Kelly clapped her hand over her mouth, suppressing what I thought was laughter.
"Turn around!" Basil beamed.
I shook my head. "Nope. I don't think I want to."
"Oh, come on." Kelly regained control of herself. "It's fine. A new you!"
I spun around, and my blood ran cold. My hair was green with two white stripes framing either side of my face. The green was iridescent somehow…like a peacock with shifting colors.
"You look ridiculous," Betty said.
At least the cut was good. Could I bleach it out without changing that?
Basil clasped his hands together. "What do you think?"
I forced a smile. "I love it."
"It still hasn't come out!" I picked through my wet, green curls. We were at Aunt June's, and this was my third time shampooing it.
"You're going to ruin those towels," Kelly said as she handed me another one.
"Well, they're my towels now, so who cares."
Kelly sounded sympathetic. "The cut is cute though. Your hair actually has a shape now."
"I like the cut." And I did, too. Unlike the usual spiral mess that made me look like I'd been given a perm by a poodle mainlining LSD. But this was different. No matter how I shook my head, the curls fell obediently into place. It was shorter than usual, but it kind of looked pretty. Except for the green and white parts.
Which was all the parts.
"It's Girl Scout colors." Ava rolled her eyes. "How can you not love that?" Then she went back into the hallway.
The girls had praised the new look all the way to Aunt June's house, where I had proceeded to ruin five towels so far. I did fill them in on what Basil had told me, and they listened carefully. And now they were in the hallway discussing the case. I kind of felt left out.
"Face
