“Hey there. I didn’t expect to see you until later.” Ariel’s hair was swept off her face by a headband, leaving a fringe of bangs over her brows. She grabbed a notepad and then navigated her wheelchair from behind the counter. She led Kelly toward a wooden table.
“I hope you have a few minutes to talk. I was getting antsy.” Kelly hated waiting.
Maybe that’s why she’d been so impulsive over the years. Leaping without looking had been her MO through most of her life. She set her purse on the table and was eager to hear what Ariel found.
“I have a few minutes. First, are you sure you’re okay?” Ariel’s head tilted sideways and she looked concerned.
“I am. I admit, finding Tawny dead was a shock. She seemed like a really nice person. It’s why I want to make sure her killer is caught. So, tell me what you found. I know you found something. You always do.”
Ariel beamed. “I did. Actually, I found a lot. Tawny started her online business two years ago after marrying Jason and moving to Lucky Cove. Before that, she was a waitress and spinning instructor.”
“Seriously? Her bio on her website made it sound like she’d been a personal trainer and nutrition coach for years. Maybe over a decade.”
“You can’t believe everything you read on the internet.” Ariel laughed softly. “It’s like overnight she went from living on tips and teaching classes six times a week to a virtual fitness/wellness guru, complete with a flashy website and a personalized fitness plan.”
“Wow. So much happened in a short period of time. It doesn’t sound like she was qualified to do what she was doing.”
“Oh, no. She was qualified. She had all the required certifications from legitimate fitness organizations. I think her business partner had something to do with her overnight success. His name is Adrian Chase.”
“Chase?”
“Do you know him?”
“No. But when I was at Tawny’s doing the estimate, she got a phone call from someone named Chase. It must have been him. She didn’t look happy to take the call. Their conversation seemed tense, at least on Tawny’s end. Did you find out anything about him?”
Ariel shook her head. “No, but I will. Anyway, I also found that for an online program to be successful, there needs to be a lot of advertising, especially on social media, and there needs to be cash to pay for it. It appears Chase gave an infusion of money.”
“Why didn’t Jason invest in his wife’s business?”
“Maybe he didn’t have enough to invest? Or, maybe they kept their personal life separate from their businesses.”
“That would be the smart thing to do, huh?”
Ariel nodded. “I think so. Now I found something very interesting.” She flipped a page on the notepad. “Five months ago, a woman from Nebraska complained via an online video that Tawny’s personalized program…”
“PBF.”
“Yes. She complained that PBF was a sham. Then another woman came forward, and three weeks ago, someone from Oregon sued Tawny’s company.”
Kelly leaned back. “A sham? I doubt it. Tawny didn’t seem like the type of person who would do that.” She chewed on her lip. “Or, would she?”
Ariel pushed aside her notepad. “Sometimes, people mean well at the beginning. It appears her business took off so fast, maybe everything wasn’t set up the way it was supposed to be. There could be a lot of things that caused those women to complain and sue.”
“You’re right. Breena seems pleased with PBF. She’s lost ten pounds so far.”
“Awesome. But I don’t know why she feels like she needs to lose weight.” Ariel glanced at her watch. “I need to get back to work. I’ll do more research and see what I can find about Adrian Chase.”
“I appreciate your help.” Kelly stood and slipped her purse on her shoulder. “It would take me days to find all this info.”
Ariel blushed. “Lucky for you, I have finely tuned research skills.” She grabbed her notepad from the table and navigated her wheelchair back to the reference desk. “I’ll call you later.”
The day had warmed up to nearly forty degrees, making for a pleasant walk back to the boutique, until Kelly realized the warm weather would wreak more havoc with her roof. Thawing and refreezing wasn’t the best scenario for a roof on its last leg.
As she got closer to the boutique, she saw a familiar person lurking outside the building.
What was she doing back there?
“Good afternoon, Kelly,” Ella said. She had her recorder out and pointed at Kelly. “Serena Dawson was arrested for Tawny Fallow’s murder. As a former employee of Serena’s, would you like to make a comment? Is she as horrible as reports say she is? Do you think she’s capable of murder?”
Kelly walked past Ella and grabbed hold of the door handle. “I have no comment.”
Ella placed a hand on her hip. “Come on, I’m just doing my job. Can’t you give me something?”
Kelly let go of the door handle. “I get you’re doing your job, but I don’t want to be dragged into any more of this case than I already am. Can you understand that?”
Ella didn’t look like she understood. “Well, if you won’t talk to me, then I’ll move on to the next person on my interview list. Breena Collins. She was a member of Tawny’s PBF program, which is accused of being a scam. Two lawsuits have been filed against it.”
“Two lawsuits? I heard there was only one.” Kelly asked.
“The second one was filed a few days ago. I don’t think it’s stopping with those two. There are a lot more customers who feel cheated. She was charging hundreds of dollars for what was supposed to be customized to each participant’s own body and goals. Turns out, she was sending the same program to everyone. To make it even worse, when they used the instant message coaching portion of the program, they received generic replies. They were promised one-on-one, individualized coaching.”
“That’s horrible.” Kelly hadn’t known about the coaching part of the program. Now she worried that Breena had sunk a good chunk of money into a program that was indeed a scam. But Breena seemed to be having success. Maybe it was beginner’s luck. It’s easy to lose a few pounds at the start of a weight loss program because you’re excited, motivated, and determined. Then, after a few weeks, all those things could easily slip away. If Tawny’s program wasn’t providing what it promised, then it was a scam.
“I’m not trying to ruin Tawny’s reputation. I’m just trying to get to the truth. There’s a chance she might not have known about her program’s problems, and if she knew, she might have been working to fix them. I’m keeping an open mind. With the problems of the program aside, Tawny was a nice person.”
“You knew her?”
Ella nodded. “I met her through my aunt, who is a parishioner at the Congregational Church.”
Out of the corner of Kelly’s eye, she saw Liza approaching with a shopping bag.
“Good afternoon, Kelly. I have some clothes to consign.” Liza glanced at the overflowing bag.
Before Kelly could say anything, Ella swooped in.
“Aren’t you, Liza Farley? You’re the office manager at the Congregational Church, where Tawny Fallow was a parishioner.”
Liza looked confused. “I am. And you are?”
“Ella Marshall with the Lucky Cove Weekly. Did you know Tawny?”
“Oh, yes, I did. We were friends since she married Jason and started coming to church. I can’t believe she’s gone. I miss her terribly.” Liza got teary-eyed, and she reached into her purse for a tissue.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Ella said. “I’m sure you’ve heard the police have arrested Serena Dawson in connection to the murder,” Ella said.
“I did. It’s about time. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to have figured it out.” Liza wiped her eyes dry.
“What do you mean?” Ella asked
.
“Well, Tawny had told me in confidence only a few days ago that she was afraid of Serena. She said the woman was a force of nature and as unpredictable.”
Kelly couldn’t believe Liza was throwing Serena under the bus with such ease. She could only imagine how Ella’s article would read. The reporter wouldn’t miss the opportunity to paint Serena as some vindictive, jealous ex-wife. Which she likely was, but that didn’t mean she was a murderer.
“It’s probably best if we all keep in mind Serena is innocent until proven guilty.” Kelly’s not too subtle reminder earned her an unpleasant look from Ella, which didn’t bother her in the least. Even though Serena was unlikable, demanding, and self-absorbed, she shouldn’t have been presumed guilty because of her character flaws.
Liza offered an apologetic smile. “You’re right. However, the facts remain that Tawny felt threatened by Jason’s ex-wife.”
“During the police investigation, I’m sure more facts will come out. Now, Liza, do you want to come inside, and we can get those clothes ready for consignment?” Kelly grabbed the door handle.
Liza nodded and entered once Kelly opened the door.
“I have a few more questions,” Ella said as Kelly followed Liza inside.
“Not in my boutique, you don’t.” Kelly let the door close behind her and guided Liza to the counter.
She probably just kissed goodbye her chance to be featured in Ella’s article about the boom in the consignment industry, but she couldn’t fret over that. She couldn’t allow a reporter to hound a customer in the boutique. Although, Liza didn’t look like she was bothered by Ella’s questions.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything to the reporter.” Liza emptied out the shopping bag on the sales counter. She had an assortment of blouses, slacks, and skirts.
“It may be wiser not to speak to the press. Our words can be taken out of context sometimes. And, whoever is responsible for Tawny’s death is entitled to a fair trial.”
“You are friends with Serena Dawson, aren’t you?”
“No, we’re not friends. I worked at Bishop’s, where she’s the VP of Merchandising. But it sounds like you were very close to Tawny for her to confide in you her concerns about Serena.”
Kelly inspected each garment. The clothes were a mix of fast fashion, inexpensive and low quality, but all were used gently, so they had a few more wears in them. And, at a low price point, they would sell quickly.
“Yes. We were. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around all this. You know, she mentioned there was a Fendi bag she wanted to consign. I saw it once. Simply. Gorgeous. Did she consign it before she died?” Liza folded the empty shopping bag.
“Yes, she did. It’s a fabulous bag.” Kelly pulled out the boutique’s consignment contract. There were many things she had to revamp, upgrade, or replace when she took over the business, but the contract wasn’t one of them. Her granny crafted a solid agreement with clearly laid out terms for consigners.
Liza leaned forward and dropped her voice. “I’d love to see it again. I know I can’t afford it right now.”
“It’s in safekeeping. I need to get it authenticated before I can put it up for sale. I think you’re going to earn some quick cash.” Kelly patted the pile of clothes. She set the clothing in a bin and then grabbed a pen from a drawer. “I just need you to read this contract and sign it.” She offered Liza the pen.
“So formal.” Liza reviewed the one-page document while tapping the pen on the counter.
Kelly shrugged. “It protects us both.”
While the document was well thought out, her granny rarely used it. When she did, she hadn’t followed the policies it detailed, such as when merchandise gets marked down and to what percentage. That was one of the first things Kelly changed when she took over. Kelly followed the contract to the letter.
* * * *
“I’m curious, since you and Tawny were friends, did she ever talk to you about her fitness program?”
Liza looked up from the contract. “Sure. She was very proud of it. It took her months to develop the program and then implement it.”
“Well, I’ve heard some disturbing things about the program.”
“Like what?”
“She was being sued by two customers who felt the program wasn’t personalized.”
“Nonsense. They were just nuisance lawsuits.” Liza signed the contract and pushed it toward Kelly.
“I see. Tawny was a spinning instructor before she started her online business. It’s a pretty impressive leap to go from spinning to coaching women in weight loss through a pricey program.”
“She’d been certified as a personal trainer and wellness coach for over a decade. Those women who filed the lawsuits clearly didn’t follow the program. She always said the hardest part of losing weight and maintaining the weight loss was doing the work.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll get these items out on the sales floor so you can earn some cash soon.” Kelly took the contract and dropped it into a file folder. She’d scan the document into the computer system later.
“Great! You’ve inspired me to upgrade my wardrobe. Time to get some new clothes and not worry about the price tags for once. Have a nice day, Kelly.” Liza turned and walked out of the boutique.
The boutique’s landline phone rang. Kelly answered the call and happily provided information about the hours and directions to Lucky Cove. It looked like customers beyond her little town were hearing about the boutique and wanted to pay a visit.
Drip.
Kelly’s good mood was momentary.
Drip.
She looked to the direction she thought the leak was coming from and then looked up to the ceiling. There was a streak of muddy brown by the front door. She hurried to get a bucket and then placed it under the leak.
It was time to do some number crunching. And some praying to the finance gods.
Chapter 9
Over a quick dinner of greens and chicken tenders last night, Kelly contemplated what Ariel and Ella told her about the lawsuits filed against Tawny’s business. Since Breena was a member of PBF, luckily a happy one, there could be other members not only in Lucky Cove but elsewhere on Long Island. Maybe one was angry enough to confront Tawny, and then the situation deteriorated, and the person lashed out, killing Tawny.
Now, getting ready for a new day and applying a final coat of mascara to her lashes, the thought still lingered in Kelly’s mind.
She pulled back from the mirror over the bathroom sink and frowned. There was one person who could help her understand the nuances of the fitness business.
Summer.
She’d bite the bullet, pull up her big girl panties, and pop into Summer’s studio before the boutique opened. Minutes later, she arrived at the studio and pulled open the glass door of the Pilates studio.
She entered the sleek and serene cocoon of strong cores, firm legs, and perfect posture. A perky receptionist with cropped blond hair, a bright smile, and zero body fat greeted her. She had the ever-present look of hopefulness all front-desk personnel had—of getting a commission from signing every new person who entered the studio to a fitness package.
Kelly was almost sorry to disappoint the barely twenty-something, but she got over it quickly.
Kelly approached the desk. Its surface was clear except for a computer and telephone. “Good morning, I’m here to see Summer.”
Behind the reception desk were four fitness rooms enclosed with glass walls. They used the three larger rooms for classes, apparatus, and mat work. The fourth was used for private one-on-one sessions.
“And you are?” The receptionist’s perkiness vanished. Guess she saved it for paying clients.
Before Kelly could answer, she spotted Summer approaching from the employee-only area. She’d forgone her usual coiffed hairstyle for a ponytail.
The casual style was flattering and appropriate for working with clients all day. She still wore a full-face of makeup. Kelly would never dream of doing a workout, sweaty or not, in false lashes.
“Good morning, Kelly. What brings you by?” Summer reached the reception desk. She wore a lightweight, long-sleeve, black top tied at the waist with a pair of plum-colored leggings and rose gold sneakers. Even her workout wardrobe was pricey. Those sneakers alone cost three digits. “Carly, let’s give my niece a pass for a class.”
Kelly raised her hand in objection. “Thank you for the offer, but I can’t today.” She would have loved to take Pilates classes again. When she lived in the city, she took them when her budget allowed. But the classes in Lucky Cove would come with Summer. She’d stick to her runs, thank you very much.
Summer came out from behind the desk. Even in sneakers, she was several inches taller than Kelly. Then again, in her former life, Summer was a model. Summer rested a hand on Kelly’s shoulder and one on her mid-back, applying gentle pressure she said, “Keep your shoulders squared, and your chin lifted. Pilates would correct your posture, and you’d look ten years younger.”
“Thanks. I think.” Kelly did as Summer instructed even though she hadn’t considered her posture to be bad. “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Actually, I do. My private isn’t for fifteen minutes. Come on into my office.” Summer led Kelly toward the employees only area and then into her office.
The office was as sleek as the rest of the studio. White dominated the walls and furniture while the glossy dark wood floor warmed up the space. Before Summer walked toward her desk, she corrected Kelly’s posture again.
“Pilates would strengthen your powerhouse. Otherwise, you’ll end up hunched over by forty.”
How to Frame a Fashionista Page 9