Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore

by Rose Pressey

  Be careful of how you store items.

  Don’t use plastic

  because it can trap moisture.

  Even after the weird encounter with Brooke I’d managed to find a few awesome pieces. Actually, I was shocked at the good items I’d found. The first thing I’d spotted was an adorable Gucci 1970s pullover sweater. It had a delicate band of lace on the front. The fabric was antique white. The petite collar had a scalloped trim with a decorative three-button closure. The embroidered floral-print bodice added whimsy to the puffed long sleeves with a scalloped gathered sleeve cuff and a ribbed waistband.

  The next piece was a gorgeous Ralph Lauren skirt from the 1980s. The navy blue sailor skirt was made out of cotton. It had the cute traditional sailor style front with pockets and a high waistline. On the side of the waist was the zipper closure.

  I was pretty sure I’d squealed with delight when I picked up the 1950s wool gray Lilli Ann pencil skirt. The back featured a double pleat that fanned out the hem. I scored an absolutely adorable Pauline Trigère 1950s blouse to pair with the skirt. It was a white and red short-sleeved blouse with smooth white satin and delicate red floral trim along the collar. Pearl buttons lined down the front of the blouse. I placed the items in the trunk of the car and pointed the Buick in the direction of Jamie’s address.

  “We should come up with the questions that you’d like to ask her,” Charlotte said.

  I wasn’t sure that planning ahead would matter because I knew I would just forget what I wanted to ask when I got there. Nerves always did that to me. I navigated the streets and listened to the radio, tuning out the ghosts’ chatter. Elvis poured from the speakers and I concentrated on the beautiful weather.

  “Are you listening to us?” Charlotte asked, bringing me out of my daydream. It was the good one where I was living in the fifties and Elvis fell in love with me. I never said it was realistic. That was what made it a fantasy.

  “Oh yes, sure I heard you,” I said.

  “What did we say?”

  I fell right into that one. I looked like a burglar who’d just been caught with the bag of jewels.

  I turned onto the street that Jamie had given me. “Oh look, we’re here.”

  “Nice way to change the subject,” she said.

  At least now I had an excuse and could get out of not listening to them. I pulled up in front of the yellow siding townhouse. Willow trees drooped their branches across the sidewalk. A blue Volkswagen was parked in the driveway.

  “Looks like she’s home, that’s a good start.” Charlotte gestured.

  I climbed out from behind the wheel and walked toward the house. A pot of sad-looking yellow and purple pansies sat beside the steps. Once in front of the white door, I rang the doorbell and waited for Jamie to answer.

  “What’s taking her so long?” Charlotte tapped her foot against the porch floor.

  “Are you sure you have the right time?” Sam asked.

  I looked at my watch. “I told her I would be here at nine.”

  The door opened and the model stood in front of me. She had blond hair and wore a white knee-length dress. She was barefoot. She looked different without as much makeup, but I was almost sure it was Jamie.

  “Jamie?” I asked.

  “Would you like to come inside?” She opened the door wider.

  “Of course we would.” Charlotte moved past us and inside the house. She motioned for me to follow her.

  Jamie had no idea two ghosts were standing at her doorstep. Sometimes even I couldn’t believe it, even though I could see it with my own eyes.

  “Yes, I’d like that,” I said.

  Jamie stepped to the side and gestured for me to come inside.

  I entered the house. It was decorated all in white. The carpet and sofa blended together.

  “This must be a pain to keep clean,” Sam said as he ran his finger along the back of the sofa.

  It was a good thing ghosts couldn’t leave fingerprints because they were touching everything. Charlotte was running her finger along the coffee table to check for dust. I sat on the edge of the sofa and Jamie sat on the white upholstered chair across from me. She crossed her legs at the ankles and placed her hands in her lap.

  “So if you didn’t want to talk about Melanie, then what do you want to talk about?” she asked. “The clothing?”

  I shifted in my seat. “That would make sense as to why I’m here . . . clothing? That I wanted to talk about clothing, right?”

  Charlotte stood behind Jamie, gesturing wildly. “What are you talking about? You’re babbling. She’s going to kick you out of her house soon if you don’t start making sense.”

  I took a deep breath.

  Jamie stared at me. “So why are you here then?”

  I cleared my throat. “Okay, to be honest, I do have some questions about Melanie.”

  She continued her focus on me. Her face turned red. “Are you serious? I told you I didn’t want to talk about that. You lied to me just to get over here.”

  “Don’t back down in front of her.” Sam leaned against the sofa’s arm.

  “No, I just need to talk with you about the show, but I guess I do have some questions about the murder.” I tried to smooth things over.

  She glared at me. “I told you I didn’t want to talk about it.”

  Since things weren’t going well, I used this opportunity to lie. It was my only option right now.

  “You know, the police are suspicious of everyone who was there.” I watched her for a reaction.

  She scowled. “I wasn’t the one who found her. You were even out there, how do I know you didn’t have something to do with the murder?”

  “You don’t, but of course I didn’t. That’s not what I want to talk about. To be honest, I’m just trying to help a private investigator.” That wasn’t a lie.

  “I don’t think you’re being honest about anything.” Her posture stiffened as she stared at me.

  I wasn’t sure if she would accept anything I said.

  Jamie tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “She had an argument with some other designer. Everyone heard them yelling at each other.”

  “Do you think that person murdered her?”

  She leaned forward. “No, I think Hannah murdered her.”

  “That is a careless accusation,” Sam said.

  “Even though you heard Melanie arguing with someone else?” I asked.

  “She argued with a lot of people, so that was nothing new. She argued with Hannah too.”

  I suppose she did have a point there, but was it enough for murder?

  “Do you know why she was arguing with Hannah?” I asked.

  “Good question.” Sam paced across the room.

  Charlotte crossed her arms in front of her waist. “I don’t know if I would believe what she has to say.”

  Jamie leaned back in her seat. “I think they were arguing over the clothing. I can see why Hannah was mad, too, because Melanie told another designer not to use Hannah in a show.”

  “Okay, so maybe Hannah did have a motive, but still, I just have a feeling,” Sam said.

  “Well, that’s kind of rotten of Melanie,” Charlotte said.

  “Why did she do that?” I asked.

  “After Hannah got mad at Melanie that was probably her way of getting back at her.”

  “So it sounds like they had quite a battle going on,” Sam said.

  Jamie looked at the small silver clock on the side table beside her. “I’m sorry, but I have an appointment.”

  I stood from the sofa. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”

  She walked toward the door. “I hope that whoever did this is brought to justice.”

  “Me too,” I said.

  Charlotte and Sam followed me out the door.

  “What do you think about what she said?” Charlotte asked.

  “I think I need to look into it further,” I said.

  Charlotte smiled. “I like the way you thin
k.”

  “That is exactly what I was thinking,” Sam said as he trailed along beside us.

  We headed back to my car. I pondered my next move as I opened the car door and slid behind the wheel. I shoved my key into the ignition but didn’t start the car yet. The pink flamingo keychain dangled and lightly tapped the side of the steering wheel. That was the only sound in the car. I could have heard a pin drop.

  As we sat in the car, contemplating what to do next, Charlotte said, “You should find the designer and see what she has to say about what Melanie did.”

  I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. “I suppose that wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

  “See, I have good ideas,” Charlotte said.

  “I never said you didn’t.”

  Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Well, it wasn’t what you said, it was the way you implied it.”

  Sam leaned forward in the seat. “Ladies, you all need to focus on the task at hand.”

  He was right.

  “I’ll see if I can find the other designer’s number.”

  After a quick search on my phone, I found a number for her office.

  “I doubt I’ll get through to her, but I’ll give it a shot,” I said as I dialed the number.

  Sam leaned back in the seat. “I have to hand it to you, Cookie, when you decide to do something, you really go all out.”

  Charlotte smiled. “She really reminds me of myself at that age.”

  “Maybe if I had had half of your tenacity I would have been a better private eye,” Sam said.

  I covered the receiver while I dialed. “Sam, I’m sure you were a great private eye.”

  He stared out the window. “Sure, that’s why I never solved a case.”

  I waited for someone to pick up, but after several rings it went to voice mail. I left a message, but I was sure I wouldn’t get a call back and even if I did there was no telling how long it would take. I knew that the designer was a busy woman.

  “No answer,” I said, feeling a little discouraged. “If I can’t get through on the phone, I will have to find another way.”

  “That’s the way to do it,” Charlotte said.

  I was glad they had confidence in me. They certainly had more in me than I had in myself. I suppose that was something I needed to work on improving.

  I typed the search for Meira Mora’s information into my phone and strolled through the findings. Hannah was supposed to model for the designer Meira Mora. There were a lot of articles on her designs and where to find her items. But halfway down the page I found something that could definitely be of use.

  I glanced over at Charlotte. “Hmm. That’s interesting.”

  “What did you find?” Sam leaned forward in the seat again.

  “Apparently, she is making an appearance today in Atlanta,” I said.

  “So we can just swing by?” Sam asked.

  I scoffed. “Well, it isn’t quite as easy as that, but I guess we can go. What’s a couple more hours, right?”

  “Now you’re thinking the right way,” Sam said.

  “Great. A road trip,” Charlotte said.

  I shoved the car into drive and pulled out onto the highway. “If we are going all the way to Atlanta, then I am going to need music.”

  “You mean our sparkling conversation isn’t enough?” Charlotte tried to look offended.

  I reached for the knob on the radio. “As wonderful as you both are, you aren’t as much fun as Elvis.”

  I got lost in the music for a while and hadn’t even noticed that Charlotte had switched seats and was now with Sam in the back. I didn’t even want to know what they were talking about back there.

  Once I made it to Atlanta, I forgot how much I hated driving through the traffic. I followed the signs while Sam and Charlotte tried to tell me how to drive. Finally, I reached the mall where the Saks Fifth Avenue was located. I circled the parking lot until I found a space and then hopped out of the Buick.

  “This is exciting,” Charlotte said.

  “You’re just excited because we’re going into Saks.” I adjusted the purse strap on my shoulder as I walked along.

  She grinned. “Well, you’re probably right about that. I won’t deny it. The things are just so pretty. Can we go through the handbag section?”

  “As much as I’d love to, we’re not here to shop,” I said.

  She sighed. “If you can’t help out an old friend.”

  “We’ll see what we can do, okay?” I asked.

  “Please.” She smiled.

  Sam stared straight ahead as if we were on a military mission. He was all business at the moment and couldn’t care less about shopping.

  Once we stepped inside the store, I spotted the sign that featured Meira Mora and where she would be appearing.

  “It’s going to be a little strange talking to her about this, don’t you think?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure it will, but she won’t be able to hear you all, so it’s up to me,” I said as we moved along.

  “You’ll do fine,” Charlotte said.

  After making our way to the back of the store, we found the table where the designer sat.

  I stopped in my tracks. “Whoa. I hadn’t expected to see this many people here to see her.”

  “She must be popular,” Sam said.

  “What do I do now? I can’t wait in that line,” I said.

  “I think you have no choice.” Charlotte gestured.

  I pushed the hair away from my face. This was going to be a long day.

  “Maybe I can get her attention and she’ll talk to me,” I said.

  “Oh, do you know her?” Sam asked.

  I sighed. “No, not at all.”

  Charlotte scoffed. “Well, good luck on getting her to talk with you then. If you want to speak with her, you’re going to have to wait in that line. You’d better get in line before someone else comes and it’s even longer.” Charlotte pointed as if commanding me to move.

  I reluctantly got in the line. I had to think of another way.

  Charlotte watched me. “I know that look in your eyes, Cookie. I know you’re plotting something and it probably won’t end well.”

  I looked down at my shoes. “Oh, have a little more faith in me, okay?”

  I scanned the area and then I devised a plan. Without saying a word to Charlotte or Sam, I marched through the clothing section. Several racks of clothing were next to the table where the designer sat. Charlotte and Sam had caught up to me.

  It would be perfect for me. I could hide in the clothing and then pop out beside the table and just step into line as if I had been there all along. Was it sneaky? Sure. Did I like cutting in front of people? No way. But it had to be done.

  When I reached the rack of clothing, I knelt to the ground.

  “What in the name of Coco Chanel are you doing?” Charlotte asked.

  “Maybe she’s dehydrated and delusional,” Sam said.

  I didn’t have time to explain what I was doing, so I crawled under the rack of clothing.

  “Oh, she’s really lost it now,” Charlotte said.

  After inching across the floor under the rack of clothing, I peeked out from behind a couple pair of pants. So far no one looked over and noticed me. I made it all the way out and then stood as if everything was perfectly normal. I rushed over and cut in front of the line. My move had now made me the second one in line.

  “Hey, you can’t do that,” the woman behind me said.

  When I glanced over, I saw Charlotte holding her hands up to her face. “Oh, I can’t look at the disaster.”

  At this point everyone was complaining and it had caused quite a scene. The next thing I knew security guards had me by the arms. Both had official blue uniforms and large muscles.

  “How sweet, an escort. Guys, it’s really nice, but not necessary,” I said, trying to remove my arms from the men’s tight grip.

  “Oh, Cookie, how low have you fallen? Kicked out of Saks? It’s sacrilege,
” Charlotte said as she walked along behind the security guards.

  “Don’t you worry, Cookie, I’ve been kicked out of plenty of places. It’s all in the name of private investigating. It’s how you know you’re doing the job the right way.”

  His words weren’t really helping. The next thing I knew I was back out in the parking lot.

  “Well, way to go, Cookie, look what you did.”

  I brushed off her comment. “Oh, Charlotte, don’t be so dramatic. I’ll just go right back in the other door.” I waved my hands.

  “You are going to get arrested. As sure as I had Saks Fifth Avenue on speed dial, the police are going to throw you in the slammer.”

  I marched around to the other entrance. I held my head up high and acted as if I hadn’t just gotten kicked out. That was no easy task either. I glanced around but didn’t see the security guards. My heart thumped wildly as I made it back over to the line. This time I stood at the back. Better safe than sorry. I’d just have to wait it out. My turn finally came around. I was last in line and my feet now hurt.

  The security guards were still by the table, but surprisingly they didn’t look at me.

  “I don’t think they recognize you,” Sam said.

  “That’s shocking considering the hissy fit she threw,” Charlotte said.

  “I didn’t throw a fit. I just voiced my opinion. Big difference.”

  The woman looked up at me. I forgot that I was supposed to have her book to sign.

  “Hi,” I said.

  She quirked an eyebrow. “Hello.”

  “I just have a few questions for you.”

  She glanced over to see if security was still there. Why did everyone think I was a threat to their safety?

  “I need to ask about Hannah O’Neil and Melanie Lee. Melanie told you not to use Hannah in your shows? Is that true?” Out of the corner of my eye I watched to make sure security wasn’t headed my way.

  “Well, that’s a strange question. But yes, she had told me not to use her. She said she would try to sabotage my show. I couldn’t deal with anything like that, so I decided not to use her. I told other designers too.”

  “Wow, so it wasn’t a rumor. That would be a reason for Hannah to be upset,” Charlotte said.

  “I heard what happened to Melanie and I’m glad that I didn’t use Hannah.” Meira played with the pen in her hand.