Step Softly Ere You Go - Matt Murphy Mysteries, #1

The series follows Toronto PI Matt Murphy as he works though a number of cases in and around the Yorkville Village scene in the late 1960s from looking for runaways to helping his friend Toronto police detective sergeant Abe Goldman on several cases. The series is set in Yorkville during its heyday as a counterculture mecca and proving ground for some of Canada's greatest entertainers.*The woman sat at the dressing table, looking down at the pair of worn pointe shoes; a small soft wooden box in her hand.
She knew what she was about to do could possible destroy the girl's future as a dancer but she did not care. Opening the box, she extracted three shortened sewing needles and eased them into the stiff toes of the shoes one at a time. When finished, she slipped a finger into shoe, making sure enough of the pins protruded. Satisfied with her work, she returned the shoes to the locker then slipped silently away.