2 A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body by Cindy Bell Page A

exactly what he had asked her not to do. She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. Had he seen her? She peeked at the phone and saw that it was indeed Nick calling. She reluctantly answered.
    “Hi,” she said quietly.
    “Hey, did I wake you?” he asked, sounding as if he was very concerned.
    “No,” Bekki replied, her eyes widening with relief as she realized that he hadn't actually seen her. He was just calling to check in. “I was just resting,” she bit the end of her tongue lightly and hoped he wouldn't be able to tell that she was lying.
    “Good, make sure you keep doing that, okay?” he asked.
    “Of course,” Bekki cringed.
    “Listen, I have some more information on Daniel Brentwood and Julie,” he said quickly.
    Bekki peeked around the corner of the building and saw Nick pacing back and forth in front of his car. She ducked back behind the building.
    “Oh what is it?” she asked and started walking in the other direction.
    “It seems they're in the middle of a very messy divorce. They both have high paid lawyers, and let's just say it's not exactly amicable.”
    “Well, that might be why she attacked Lydia,” Bekki said carefully, trying to disguise the fact that she was walking.
    “If she did,” Nick reminded her. “But you're right. There's some bad blood there. Apparently Lydia and Julie even had a very public argument over Dan at a restaurant. Lydia accused Julie of being after her son's money, and it turned into a big media frenzy.”
    “I bet,” Bekki shook her head. She could easily imagine Lydia calling Julie out in front of a crowd of people. “No wonder she was holed up here.”
    “Exactly,” Nick said. “I'll let you know if I find out anything new, all right?”
    “Thanks Nick,” she smiled into the phone.
    “Bekki, make sure you're resting. Don't answer the door for anyone, got me?” he said sternly.
    “I know, I know,” Bekki insisted and ducked down one of the side streets that would lead back to Rose Hill Drive.
    “Call me if you need anything,” he insisted.
    “I will Nick, thanks again,” Bekki hung up the phone swiftly. By the time she reached her house she was tired. Since Nick was at the bakery she'd have to wait until later to look it over again. She decided to lay down and rest for a little while. However, as she closed her eyes all she could see was Julie wrapping her arms around Dan. The poor guy had no idea what kind of woman he was married to. The very idea of Julie getting away with the horrible crime haunted her so deeply that she could not sleep. Within an hour she was awake again and ready to do some real investigation work. She called Nick's cell to get an idea of where he was.
    “What are you up to?” she asked when he answered.
    “I'm on my way to you, with the dinner you missed,” he replied with a gleeful tone. Bekki bit her lip to keep from groaning. She was going to be stuck sharing dinner with Nick.
“Bekki, are you all right?” he asked when she was quiet for so long.
    “Sure, I'm just a little tired,” Bekki explained. “I was going to sleep for a while.”
    “Well you have to eat too,” he said firmly. “I'll be there in a few minutes. As long as you take a few bites, I'll leave you alone.”
    “All right,” Bekki smiled a little at how sweet he was being. It was nice of him to look out for her with such dedication.
    When Nick arrived he spread their feast out on the dining room table. It was an Italian dinner of ravioli from the local restaurant, one of Bekki's favorites.
    “Mmm, that smells great,” she grinned as she picked up a fork.
    “So did you actually get any rest today?” Nick asked as she began devouring her portion of ravioli.
    “Some,” Bekki nodded. “It's hard for me to sleep, knowing what happened to Lydia.”
    “Just remember Bekki, Julie is innocent until proven guilty. Sometimes things look very different to what they actually are.”
    “Maybe,” Bekki shrugged slightly. She didn't want