Cut, Color, Murder

Ali Reed owns and operates Monarch Salon in small town Golden Peak, ID, it largely a family affair with her college student sister, Chelsea Bowden, doing most jobs in the salon in wanting to be self-sufficient to pay for her education, and their mother, Carol Bowden, working the reception desk. The salon is at one of its busiest times of the year coinciding with the annual Miss Golden Peak Beauty Pageant - Ali a former Miss Golden Peak herself - it organized with an iron fist for the past twenty years by Mitzi Stewart. Police Chief Fred Wright has long relied unofficially on Ali's insight to solve cases, both due to most people passing through the salon at one time or another and Ali being their confidante, and Ali having a special perception of people in general. Fred may have to rely on Ali again when a murder occurs in broad daylight on site at the event venue of someone associated to the pageant. The last murder that took place in town happened two years ago, that victim, Ali's husband Detective Dan Reed, murdered while on duty, this latest unofficial request by Fred for Ali to keep her eyes open bringing up some painful memories of Dan. While someone is behind bars for Dan's murder, Ali has a feeling that they have the wrong person, that thought which keeps her up at night, and has prevented her from moving on, she finally accepting an offer for "non-date" drinks with horticulturalist Sterling Addison that first baby step in trying to move on. This latest unofficial request also does not sit well with Detective Kyle Crawford, recently moved to Golden Peak from Columbus, he leading the investigation. While Fred only rules out Ali as the murderer, he and Kyle cannot rule out anyone else on site at the time and/or people associated to the pageant, including vendors such as the staff of Monarch who are doing hair and makeup for the contestants, many who had a strained relationship with the "difficult" victim. Chelsea is viewed doubly by Kyle in she reluctantly having agreed to enter the pageant itself, solely as a possible means to pay for her tuition. As such, Ali continues to butt heads with both Kyle, who cannot rule out people like Chelsea unless evidence proves otherwise, and her mother, who does not like how Ali gets involved in crime investigations. Carol may have reason to worry as if Ali gets too close to discovering the identity of the murderer, she may unwittingly place a target on her back.—Huggo