Bernice’s death dilemma
SHE HAS A CHOICE TO MAKE AFTER A CLIENT DIES ON HER…
Bernice faces a moral dilemma this week, when the death of a client has the potential to make her a rich woman! Mrs Dumphreys is one of the beautician’s regulars at Beauty & Bernice, and while Bernice is grateful for the old lady’s custom, the tetchy woman can be a handful – and even encourages mortified Bernice to go on a date with Daz. But as Bernice natters away throughout the appointment, she doesn’t notice that her client has stopped paying attention to her chatter, and soon gets a nasty surprise when Mrs Dumphreys falls to the floor…
“She drops dead, just like that!” gasps our Dales insider. “Bernice had no idea that anything was wrong with the old lady, so she’s gobsmacked to have a body on her hands. However, little does she realise that there could be quite an upside to this sad passing…”
After Nicola arrives to support her sister, Bernice’s nosey sibling takes it upon herself to rifle through the deceased’s possessions. And as she comes across a betting slip in Mrs Dumphreys’ bag, she can’t believe her eyes when she realises how much the piece of paper is now worth.
“Mrs Dumphreys was a keen gambler, and it just so happens that she placed a bet on a winning horse at the races that day,” explains our snitch. “It must have been a very lucky bet, because she was really excited about it – and news of her victory also happened to be the last words she uttered to Bernice!”
With Nicola seeing pound signs, she tries to talk conflicted Bernice into claiming the cash for herself. And in the wake of a crisis that could have grave consequences for the clan, they could do with the dough more than ever! Bernice isn’t as ruthless as Nicola, though, and is apprehensive about what she’s proposing.
Bernice is certainly tempted, but she lacks Nicola’s resolve”
“Bernice is far from perfect and has made morally questionable decisions in her time, but even she knows that stealing money from a dead woman is all kinds of wrong!” grins our sneak. “She’s tempted, particularly when she knows this sort of money would be a big help, but she lacks Nicola’s resolve. She’s known Mrs Dumphreys for a long time. Could she bear the guilt of going through with this?”