Traci Tyne Hilton - Mitzi Neuhaus 04 - Frozen Assets by Traci Tyne Hilton Page A

that shocked her. “Absolutely, Karina. We won’t bend.”
    “Not even if I tell you I’ve changed my mind, okay?”
    Mitzy hesitated.
    “I mean it. He’s always known how to get just what he wants from me.”
    “I will remind you of our conversation.”
    “Thank you, Mitzy. We’re meeting at the house at noon.”
    “I’ll be there.” Mitzy made a note of it. When they ended the call, she bowed her head and prayed. Every new page of the drama laid out before her was colder and uglier than the one before it, which said a lot considering it started with a dead man.
    ***
     
    Tiny bells jingled overhead, and Mitzy pushed open the door of the nail salon. The earthy scent of patchouli and henna masked a hint of the nail enamel smells she had expected to find. A dreadlocked woman laid a henna tattoo on the shoulder of a client who wore a flowered headscarf. She nodded an acknowledgement to Mitzy but didn’t smile.
    Mitzy shivered. Snow fell softly outside, melting as it landed in the murky puddles of slush that lined the street.
    Nirvana Nails was not her regular place.
    She braved it today for the sake of the view. It was directly across the street from the psychic Charlie had sent her to. She picked it hoping she might spot her eyewitness again and get to have another chat.
    “Mitzy?” A young woman with short—very short—brown hair greeted Mitzy with a smile. “I’m Lena. Why don’t you join me?”
    Lena gestured to an antique table with a purple paper laid over the top of it. Mitzy sat in the gold velvet wingback chair on the customer side of the table and laid her hands flat on the paper, as she usually did. “I’m chipping, so it’s time for a change.”
    Lena frowned. “Oh, it is time for a change.” She took Mitzy’s right hand in hers and turned it over. “Traditional nail chemicals cause cancer.”
    Mitzy bristled.
    Lena took out cotton swabs and an unmarked brown glass bottle. “I’ll take all of this away for you.”
    Mitzy kept an eye on the street, but Lena’s gentle touch and soothing voice had mellowed her out already.
    When the polish was gone from both of her hands, Lena dried them with an unbleached towel that was as soft as a baby blanket. She held Mitzy’s hand out. “Isn’t that better? Pure and natural.”
    Mitzy frowned at her nails. They were a little yellow, they needed the ridges buffed out, and they really needed to be shaped. Lena had popped the acrylic tips off and her hands felt light.
    Lena patted her hand. “They’ll get prettier. They just need to breathe for a while.”
    Lena took out another bottle and shook three drops onto the back of Mitzy’s hand. She massaged her nails and hands. “This is almond and coconut oil.”
    Mitzy was mesmerized. She glanced at the street, but couldn’t concentrate on the house across the way. Her hands felt amazing. In fact, her whole body had loosened up and relaxed as Lena worked on her hands.
    “You’re breathing easier, aren’t you?” Lena asked, her eyes on Mitzy’s hand.
    “Um-hmm.” Mitzy inhaled deeply. Who knew hands could feel so good?
    “You were so tight when you walked in here.” She rubbed the palm of Mitzy’s hand just under the backside of her knuckles. “That’s for your lungs and chest, and that’s for your arms and shoulders.” She rubbed from the outside in. Then she gently but firmly rubbed the thumb between the first and second knuckles. “And that’s for your neck and throat. This awful weather gets us all in the throat.”
    Mitzy smiled and tried not to roll her eyes. “I don’t know about all that, but it sure does make my hands feel good.”
    Lena turned her attention back to Mitzy’s nails. “Your nails will be healthier, your skin will be so much younger, and your thinking will clear up. You’ll never regret eliminating these chemicals from your life.”
    A sigh of pleasure escaped. Mitzy didn’t want to give up nail art, but she was willing to ask her regular nail artist if she