Then her expression curdled. ‘And now he’s doing exactly the same thing with another woman. Probably younger. Probably got big fake baps. Slut!

‘And meanwhile he’s at home making out like he’s not doing anything wrong. We had dinner the other night, and I… I almost came out with it. But I… I couldn’t… I know he’d just deny it. Or lie. He’s good at lying. That’s why he’s never been caught. That’s why he’s never gone to prison.’ She took a momentary pause from cutting Bailey’s hair and met her eyes in the mirror. ‘Kaia!’ she hissed, clenching the scissors murderously. ‘Fucking slapper name n’all!’

Now Bailey understood why Rick and Nancy never let Wendy know anything about their business activities. Wendy hardly knew Bailey and already she was confiding in her about the intimacies of her marriage.

‘Has he done it in the past?’ asked Bailey gently.

‘Not that I know of. But after finding this out, I’m not so sure.’

Wendy hesitated and once more glimpsed around to check that no one was eavesdropping.

‘I’m thinking of hiring a private eye,’ she said. ‘You know, to follow him. At least then I’d have some solid evidence to confront him with. Photos of them together and the like. What do you think?’

Bailey took a moment to contemplate the idea. ‘I’m sure that whatever decision you make will be the right one.’

Wendy gave her a beatific smile, pleased at Bailey’s apparent approval of her plan.

She stepped back to assess her work on Bailey’s hair. She looked at Bailey in the mirror and nodded in appreciation.

‘You know you’re really pretty, Bailey.’

There was a sincerity in Wendy’s voice that really touched Bailey. ‘Oh, thank you.’

Wendy’s brow creased a little as she perused Bailey’s reflection.

‘Have you thought about getting dermabrasion for the scar on your face?’ she asked.

Bailey shifted self-consciously. ‘Uh, yeah, maybe at some point.’

Undergoing surgery to mitigate her scars was something Bailey was planning to do eventually, but only after she’d caught up with, and taken revenge on, the person who’d given them to her. Up until then, she’d carry them as a reminder not to give up in that quest, and when she finally did take him down, she’d make sure he got a good look at them, just to remind him exactly what he’d done to her.

‘Well, let me know if you do want to have the procedure done,’ said Wendy. ‘I can recommend a good clinic.’

‘Thanks,’ said Bailey. ‘I’ll make a note of it.’

She examined herself in the mirror. Her hair did look good. Wendy had done a sterling job. Maybe the trip to the beauty salon hadn’t been a total waste of time after all.

29

They sat in a low-lit corner booth in the chic vegan restaurant that Dale had selected for their evening out. Bailey was eating a teriyaki-glazed tofu steak with glass noodle salad, while Dale had gone for the woodland mushroom pie with sweet potato fries.