Cari Craig had wanted to call her beauty shop "Coifs and Gossip," but had settled for "Cari’s."
Still in the three years she had been in business a lot of hairdos and a long string of gossip had been clipped and bantered about in her shop chair. Thou the gossip she was hearing now from Toni Wiley weren’t any you’d find in the pages of "Confidential Magazine."
"She drives a 58 Rambler Rebel, you know the sort with the Big Box girders that surrounds the passengers. Seats six."
"Uh Huh," said Cari.
"V-8 215 horsepower, red with white trim."
"Is that so?"
"I’ll have to ask her to bring it in, maybe see about a tune up."
"I’m going to start on your bangs now."
"Check the gap on the plugs. Look at the hosummph?"
Cari pressed her hand firmly over Toni’s lips.
"Hon you need to stay still while I work on your bangs, want to keep them even."
She took her hand away and Toni almost started in on flushing the radiator but passed it up as Cari began clipping.
"So you told me about the new nurse’s car. She phoned in for an appointment, and is popping in right after you, so what’s she look like?"
Toni barely moved her lips. "She’s blonde, kind of tall, same as you. I mean you got dark hair but you’re both sort of tall.
"Is she pretty?"
"She’s got big boobs."
"Toni!"
"Well she does, not that anyone would stare at them or anything. I mean when she was riding with the sheriff the day of the shooting he wasn’t giving her that look"
"You always watch to see how Sheriff Baylor looks at women?"
"He stares at your rear end."
"He does not! Toni you need to go to work with Barbie the way you investigate."
"I don’t do that much. But Barbie did talk to me about becoming an assistant deputy."
"Does it pay well?
"Gosh I don’t know. Sounds exciting."
"Yeah you could take her place checking store doorknobs at night."
"I couldn’t shoot like her that’s for sure."
"Yeah I read that in the paper. Good for her."
"That new sheriff’s car Barbie gets to drive is super. It’s got º
As Toni began the rundown of the Plymouth, Cari put down her scissors and comb and picked up one of her shampoo towels.
"The engine has got to be looked at a lot. Don’t want to bloummph?"
"Raise you head I don’t want any hair to fall in your mouth while I finish your bangs."
"Mum mum mum mum," continued Toni as Cari finished fastening the towel around her mouth.
"I’m almost done, so be still.
Toni sat back, her eyes narrowing into slits like they did when she was angry. She wondered if Cari would like it if every time she came to the station for a fill up, Toni put something around her mouth.
"O.K finished. Let me take this off. Silly me that was almost like a gag wasn’t it?"
Toni sat up and rubbed her lips. "Sort of."
"Hey can you and Dags wax my car pretty soon, wash and wax?"
"Sure just fif**** bucks."
"Great I’ll give you a call. Thanks Toni."
"Thanks for the haircut."
"Styling job Toni it’s a styling job."
"Thanks for it. Here’s your bucks."
"Next time you’re in I’m going to show you a catalog I’ve got. You need to pick out some clothes guys will like a lot better then your garage overalls."
"I’m busy, gotta work you know."
"Next time you come in, count on it."
Roy Bowman wished he were sick.
It was corny he knew but the sight of the caboose of the county’s new nurse was giving him a slight fever.
He was following her down Bindberry’s main street and she stopped to put out her cigarette in one of the sand filled artillery shells that served as public ash trays. He could see she was blonde of course and when she turned her nurse’s uniform flowed in an attractive wave.
A horn beep cured his fever and he looked around to see Toni Wiley waving as her Grey panel truck pulled away from the curve.
Good old classmate Toni. TomBoy of the Decade. When she slid herself under a car to check the brakes he guessed her breasts just sort of slowly pancake out into twin low but wide mounds. There could be no other way she could squeeze in, not anyway he could think of.
And when he stopped by the Model Garage later today to show Toni the latest ad copy, there’d be another old classmate, Dagny. Talk about mounds.
But he’d be strong, look them right in the eye and let not one blink show he was wondering how they would look like without their shirts. Will power is what they call it.
He turned back to see the nurse go into Cari’s shop. Now there was a rear end. He’d have to see her and the nurse swaying side by side down the sidewalk, buttocks to break eggs on for the both of them. That would be a photo to sell to the wire service.
"Hi I’m Cari" she said as the blonde entered.
"Hello I’m Beverly Elster, thanks for getting me in."
"No problem. Let’s get the apron around you and have a seat.
"Nice shop."
"Thanks. Like to Gossip?"
"Only about other people."
"Talk about cars a lot?"
"Eh, no. I can drive but really I don’t mentionæ"
"No car talk, great. No really my last customer, cute girl."
"Oh I saw her leaving, works at the garage."
"Yeah she runs it. Car crazy instead of boys. Cars cars cars. I’m trying to shape her up. You see I need someone to enter in a local beauty contest. I’m too old myself. Not that I should enter anyway," said Cari.
"Looks like you’re ready to enter today."
"Kind words from a stranger. You’re well on your way to being my favorite customer."
"No really you have umpph?"
"Don’t spoil me. Oh sorry about the hand over the mouth."
"Um harite."
"No I’m really sorry. My last customer."
"The one with the car talk," said Beverly.
"Yes, anyway sorry about the hand."
"You’re the second person in this town to apologize for gagging me."
"What? Now this is gossip I must hear."
"My lips are sealed."
"Not yet. We better talk hair. Now you’re wearing it short. I have a nice coif style with that, cut and set so we have a tight golden helmet style with curls on the side, hair off the forehead."
"Sounds good."
"O.K. I can let you see a picture in "Modern Hairdresser’ shows how it looks, but first let’s get your hair washed.
Bev shifted in the chair and Cari helped ease her head back into the sink.
Three doors down Mainstreet at Krewson’s Hardware, Barbi Fites placed an armful on the counter.
"You’ve got two fifty foot hanks of 3/16 braided white cotton clothesline, 93 cents, Two 48-foot hanks of venetian blind cord, 8/14-inch hollow braid, 87 cents, and two fifty foot hanks of solid braided nylon cord, 3/16, buck forty nine. That it?"
"Any electrical tape?"
"Got some Homart all-purpose tape. Comes with a cutter. 66 foot roll comes to a $1.25."
"Thanks Hank."
Cari shut off the water and began toweling Beverly’s hair.
"So Barbi’s having you over for dinner. She’s a good deputy but I don’t know about her cooking. Guess you were there for all the excitement Tuesday before last."
"In the area, I stayed near a tree."
"I would have too. Sheriff Baylor and Barbi don’t run into that sort of thing much around here," said Cari.
"They knew what they were doing."
"Yeah." She finished rubbing Beverly’s hair. Barbi’s another I’d like to have for this beauty contest. I could do things with that hair. She keeps it in a bun under her hat, but it’s a nice length, chestnut brown. All she does is let me cut the ends."
"You do the Sheriff’s hair?"
"Yes as a matter of fact. Speak of the devil."
The bell above the door tinkled as Andy came in.
Cari walked over and gave him a kiss that lasted more then a second, suprising two of the three people in the shop.
"When I saw your uniform I figured you were still on duty," said Andy.
"Me too. You know Beverly?"
"Course. Miss Elster."
"Sheriff."
"Come in back I’ve got to ask you something Andy."
Cari took his right hand and led him back; Andy glancing at Beverly, whose blond hair stood in damp snarled strings.
In Cari’s supply room she turned and said, "tonight’s the night"
"Sure is, I’ll bring steaks."
"Yummy, I’ll have the beer. What we don’t eat of the steaks we can have with eggs for breakfast."
"I better get," said Andy.
"See you darling." She made this kiss a longer one.
Andy walked out of the supply room and attempted a polite exit.
"Good to see you Miss Elster, we’ll plan our visits in the county soon as you’re ready."
Beverly said goodbye and waited for Cari to reappear.
"So you do know the Sheriff."
"Sure. Well let’s get to shaping this head."