Katie stepped into the room in time to hear Wanda Perry, her mom’s closest friend and head stylist, voice her observation.
“A streak of fiery red, angled to a point.” Wanda puffed on a cigarette before crushing the butt into an ashtray on the reception desk. “It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. Like something from a sci-fi movie.”
“Or the Twilight Zone.” Valerie Hall arranged hair gel and mousse at her workstation. Looking over her shoulder, she whistled a few notes from the famous theme song.
“Don’t poke fun.” Katie’s mom flitted around, arranging magazines on a side table positioned between two chairs. Frowning, she paused to fluff a wilted plant that looked like it hadn’t seen water in a week. Eve, who had a love of all things green and growing, would have cringed at the neglect.
“Strange things happen around here. Have for years,” Katie’s mom continued, but her frown dug deeper. She seemed edgy.
“You mean like the Mothman?” Valerie dropped into her chair and twirled around with a grin. “Hi, Katie. You’re just in time to hear Wanda’s tale of UFOs.”
“I never said I saw a UFO.” Wanda lit another cigarette. “Just that the sky looked weird.”
“What are you talking about?” Katie asked.
“Didn’t you notice how strange the sky was last night?” Wanda exhaled a stream of smoke. “Odd colors after sunset.”
“Probably was the sunset,” Doreen Sue said. She shook her head dismissively. “Light refracting, that sort of thing.”
“It was a colored cloud with a tail,” Wanda persisted.
Valerie laughed and spun her finger in a circle beside her ear. “I think you’ve been inhaling too much perm solution.”
Wanda lobbed a magazine at her. “Just because you didn’t see it.”
Still laughing, Valerie caught the magazine with both hands and dropped it into her lap. A sly grin curled her lips as she flipped through glossy pictures of layered cuts and bobs. “What do you think the preferred hair style is for extraterrestrials?”
“Cut it out, you two.” Doreen Sue waggled a finger at them. “You shouldn’t poke fun at people who have seen UFOs.”
“You’re right.” Valerie sobered, sitting straighter in her chair.
An awkward moment of silence followed during which Katie shot a sharp glance at her mother. Most people knew her mom had claimed to see a UFO in the mid-sixties, back when Point Pleasant was overrun with tales of the Mothman and nightly flying objects.
“I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, Doreen Sue,” Valerie said.
“Forget it.” Katie’s mom waved a hand in the air as if to fluff aside the concern. “I guess I’m on edge. Rex took off last night, and I’ve been worried sick ever since.”
Katie narrowed her eyes. “Martin’s dog?”
Her mom nodded. “I had him overnight because Martin was having his place fumigated. I thought Sam would like having Rex there, but the darn dog took off when the two of them were outside.”
A lump formed in Katie’s throat. “Is Sam okay?”
“He’s fine, Katie. Just upset Rex hasn’t come back.”
“Have you told Martin?”
“I called him last night. He drove around looking for him, but no luck. I feel horrible.”
“It’s not your fault,” Wanda said. “Rex probably heard or saw something. You know how dogs are. He’ll turn up, you’ll see.”
Doreen Sue nodded, but her eyes glimmered with tears. “Martin’s the first decent guy I’ve had in my life. I don’t want him to ditch me ’cause I lost his dog.”
“Aw, come on now, honey. He’s not like that.” Wanda moved to Doreen Sue’s side. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Wanda tugged her close and offered a peppy smile. “Martin’s crazy about you. He was following you around like a puppy when you were seeing Amos. You were just too wrapped up in that loser to notice.”
Katie’s mom sniffled and offered a watery smile. “I hope you’re right. I’m falling hard for the guy.”
Interesting. Katie would have liked to know more about her mother’s attachment to Martin, but her mind was preoccupied with Sam. “Mom—”
As if reading her mind, Doreen Sue spoke quickly. “Katie, I told you Sam is fine.” She nodded to Wanda, indicating she was okay, and her friend moved away. “He spent last night and this morning drawing.”
“Drawing?” The word settled uncomfortably in her stomach. It dredged awake a memory from childhood—sitting cross-legged on her bed, scribbling geometric shapes and patterns in a school notebook while her mom and a man whose name she couldn’t remember shouted drunken insults at each other in the kitchen.
“You liked to draw,” her mom reminded her. She twined her hands together, jumpy all over again.
Katie cleared her throat. “Just for a while.” The intensity of sitting hunched over that notebook, fervently sketching shapes and patterns that made no sense, was like a sliver of icy air creeping down her spine. She’d conveniently forgotten that time, locking it in a shadowed corner of her memory. It bothered her for reasons she couldn’t explain.
It seemed to bother her mom too.
Shaking off her unease, Katie refocused on why she’d come. “Um…Mom. Are you sure you’re okay watching Sam again tonight? If Martin needs you to help him look for Rex, I can change my plans.”
“Don’t even think of it.” Dismissing the notion, her mom returned to tidying items around the shop. “Sam and I will be fine. And you’ve been planning this sleepover for weeks.”
“Just a few.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Eve and Sarah had been badgering her for over a month to do something silly and fun. It was odd to suddenly find herself part of a trio when she’d spent most of her childhood alone.
“Well, I think it’s a great idea,” her mom said. “It’s about time you started doing things with friends. You can swing by when you get off work and have dinner with me and Sam before you join the girls. I’m making fried chicken and mashed potatoes, and won’t take no for an answer.”