Mascara and Murder (Murder In Style Book 3)

by Gina LaManna

  “If you’re bringing me food, I certainly won’t say no.”

  Cooper and I disconnected, and I found myself smiling as I made my way back to the trailer. I checked in with Cassidy and found that I had an hour free to prepare before my first client.

  My phone buzzed, and when I looked at the message, it was from my mother.

  MOM: MAYDAY. Emma Lou is here looking at clothes? She said you were supposed to meet her?

  ME: I didn’t think we had an appointment.

  MOM: She seems to think you did...

  ME: Be right over.

  “Where did Emma Lou go?” I asked Cassidy, who was busy sampling lipsticks on herself. Her top lip was a mauve color while her lower lip was bright pink. “I thought she’d be getting ready for filming.”

  “She went to your mom’s shop.” Cassidy pursed her lips in the mirror. “Something about needing a pair of shoes?”

  I groaned. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll go meet her there, but I’ll be back for lunch. Cooper is bringing me food, so if he beats me here, tell him I’ll just be a minute.”

  Cassidy winked at me, exposing eyelids that were two different color blues. Apparently she had some time on her hands this morning, too.

  The sun was shining as I made my way off the movie set and began the short walk to my mother’s shop. I waved to Mrs. Beasley across the street before pushing the door open to Something Old.

  “Sorry I’m late,” I called as I entered. “I lost track of time.”

  The store was quiet in response. There was no usual shifting of hangers or jostling of items as my mother perpetually organized and reorganized the store. There was no returned greeting from Allie, either. I hesitated, looking around. Then I saw the door to the backroom open and one of the doors to the fitting rooms closed. Allie must be out on an errand, I reasoned, and my mother was probably pulling something out of storage while Emma got started in the fitting room.

  “Emma?” I called. “How are you doing in there?”

  When there was still no reply, my spidey senses started tingling. I made my way to the back of the store and knocked on the fitting room door.

  “Anyone in there?”

  This time, there was a response, though it wasn’t fully audible. A muffled sort of grunt and some shuffling around. I banged against the door, and it immediately swung open.

  “Mom?” I gasped. “Allie? What happened to the two of you?”

  I fell to my knees at the sight of my mother and Allie who were bound—hands and feet—with rope. Duct tape had been slapped over their mouths. They looked frightened.

  “Who did this to you?” I asked, reaching for the tape around my mother’s mouth and beginning to tug gently. “Was it—”

  My mother’s eyes widened before I could get her free of the tape, and I knew before I turned that someone was behind me. I flew around and came face-to-face with Emma Lou.

  Unfortunately, she was holding a gun pointed directly at me.

  “Where do you keep coming up with all of these guns?” I blurted, raising my hands toward the ceiling. “This is ridiculous.”

  “I agree,” Emma Lou said. “It is ridiculous. If you’d just left us alone, we wouldn’t have needed to do this. But you wouldn’t let up.”

  “Because you killed Tennison!”

  “Technically, I didn’t.”

  I gave her a blank stare. “If you didn’t kill him, then why are you holding me and my mother and Allie at gunpoint?”

  “Because I did.” A second female voice sounded from out of sight.

  Footsteps clicked against the floor as a pair of gorgeous Stella Ross heels came into view. I turned my gaze to the woman standing in them, recognizing her as the former stylist—Emily Jones. Emily stopped next to Emma Lou and looked in my direction.

  I sucked in a breath. “How’d you get your hands on those babies?”

  “The gun?” Emma Lou looked down. “If you know—”

  “She means my shoes,” Emily interrupted. “But the answer is the same. If you know the right people, you can get your hands on anything.”

  “What size are they?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  My mother, despite her bindings, was able to kick me from behind.

  “I’m sorry,” I muttered. “But Stella only made thirteen pairs of those shoes. They are incredibly rare. This is the most fashionable stand-off I’ve ever been in. Where are those from?” I nodded at Emma Lou’s feet. “I’m impressed.”

  Emma Lou looked down. “Jessica James.”

  “Yowza,” I said. “I’d have to kill to get my hands on a closet that expensive.”

  Too late, I realized my words were a little insensitive, considering the situation. Emily, however, seemed amused. Her lips turned up in a smile, and she gave a shake of her head.

  “You’re funny,” she said. “I really do wish you hadn’t gotten wrapped up in this. I know your work, and it’s good. I’m a big fan. I’m just sorry I’ll have to put an end to it.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said. “The two of you were working together this whole time?”

  Emma Lou and Emily glanced at one another.

  “No,” Emily said. “We’d never even met before a few months ago. We just happened to have mutual interests.”

  “Killing Tennison?”

  “It wasn’t our fault!” Emma Lou blurted. “He was the one two-timing us. How dare he? Tennison was a no one. I’m a star. Emily is...”

  Emma Lou trailed off and gave a look at Emily.

  “Right,” Emily said dryly. “You’re the star. That’s why you’ll take the fall for all of this.”

  “What are you talking about?” Emma Lou retorted. “Nobody’s taking the fall for anything. You said we’d get away with it.”

  “I do believe you misheard me,” Emily said, revealing her own gun as she pulled one hand out from behind her back. “I said that I would get away with it. Now, put the gun down. It’s not loaded.”

  Emma Lou flipped to face Emily, pointing the gun directly at her. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger. There was a click... and then nothing.

  “Right,” Emily said. “You’re the star of the show.”

  “And you’re the brains behind the operation,” I concluded, looking at Emily. “You formulated this whole plan.”

  Emily cocked her head to one side as if to agree without technically agreeing. “We’ll just say I like to take action.”

  “You!” Emma Lou spluttered, looking at Emily. “We were supposed to be in this together. You promised me.”

  “Oh, you’re not innocent,” Emily said. “You’re the one who shot Tennison in the first place. They’re already looking into you. Now, you’ll tragically shoot these three because they were getting close to figuring out the truth behind Tennison’s death.”

  “I didn’t kill him!” Emma Lou insisted, her eyes tearing up. “I loved him. You’re the one who pulled the plug on him.”

  “Oh, please.” Emily rolled her eyes. “You’d already done the damage. I just finished it off because you would’ve gone and blabbed the truth to him the second he woke up. I couldn’t take that risk.”

  “Hold on,” I said. “Let me get this straight. You were both dating Tennison?”

  “We didn’t know it,” Emma Lou said. “He told both of us he loved us. He kept me in the dark in LA, then would sneak off for weekends in Vegas with Emily. And he wasn’t even a freaking A-lister! Who did he think he was?”

  “What about the inn?” I asked. “Was one of you sneaking away to visit Tennison there?”

  “Me,” Emily said.

  At the same time, Emma Lou said, “I was.”

  I looked between them. “Excuse me?”

  “I was the one meeting him there,” Emily said. “I was with him at the inn the night before you shot him.”

  Emma Lou blinked. “He wanted me to come over the next night. I never went because he was in the hospital.”

  “That’s pretty awful he rented a room
and planned to see you both there,” I said. “Look, I’m sorry Tennison hurt the two of you so badly, but that doesn’t mean you should hurt any more people. He’s gone. It’s over. The two of you can walk out of here now and get a head start. Disappear. The police in Blueberry Lake don’t have the manpower to start a huge investigation.”

  “Except the police is your boyfriend,” Emma Lou snapped. “And you blab everything to him.”

  “Speaking of the police, I think it’s time to wrap things up.” Emily gave a dry sort of smile. “It’s been fun and all, but I don’t have all day.”

  “You’re not going to get away with this,” I said. “Cooper’s on his way here now. We were meeting for lunch. Even if you shoot us now, he’ll be here before you’re out the door. He’s already a few minutes late.”

  “You’re lying,” Emily said, but her eyes held a hint of worry. “Emma Lou, grab her phone.”

  I didn’t offer it. Instead, I made Emma Lou come to me. And when she reached for my phone, I reached for her arm and pulled her down on the floor next to me. Her unloaded gun clattered away.

  Emma Lou screeched, but I held her arms behind her back and forced her to stand. I really had no clue where I was going with my plan. I just knew I had to do something, and at the moment, I had no weapons at all.

  “You’re mistaken if you think I care about shooting Emma Lou to get to you,” Emily said. “I don’t advise you to underestimate me. Now, give me your phone, or someone gets shot. I’ll even let you pick who goes first.”

  I let Emma Lou go. She stepped away from me with a huff, but she also didn’t go back to Emily’s side. She stood warily in the corner near Allie.

  I withdrew my phone from my pocket and set it on the floor. Then I kicked it over to Emily. She picked it up, asked me for the password, and then unlocked it. She kept the gun on me as she typed with one hand, presumably a text to Cooper. I only hoped it would be enough.

  “There,” she said, setting the phone on a shelf behind her. “Now, I need you to—”

  “How did you get into the hospital?” I interrupted, hoping to stall. “I was there with Ryan just before he died.”

  “Right,” Emily said. “I walked right past you, but you didn’t see me. I was in disguise. I’m a stylist, for Pete’s sake. I know how to add a wig and some glasses and change my appearance. It was easy to get in there and just yank all the plugs out. I wasn’t sure which one would do the trick, so I pulled them all.”

  “Why?” I asked. “He was already in critical condition. He might’ve died on his own.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “But the doctors said he had a chance at pulling through.”

  “What about the purse situation?” I asked Emma Lou. “Why’d you make Ryan go get your purse from the car? To frame him?”

  “It was her idea!” Emma Lou pointed to Emily. “She’s the one who put my freaking purse in the car in the first place. She’s setting me up. She has been from the very beginning.”

  “All because you were both dating the same man?” I asked. “I mean, I get that it sucks, but that’s a lot of work.”

  “He was using me,” Emily snapped. “I don’t get taken advantage of. I thought we were in love. We’d been dating for months. Do you know how much money I lent him? Thirty grand.”

  “Wow,” I said. “That’s a lot.”

  “He lost it and plenty of other people’s money, too,” she said. “Now I can see that he was just dating me to get access to my bank account. You’re lucky he didn’t borrow money from you, yet, Emma.”

  Emma Lou’s face turned pink. “I gave him five grand. He only needed it to tide him over.”

  “He always needed money to tide him over,” Emily said. “Always.”

  “So Tennison was a con man?” I asked. “Dating the both of you, using your money?”

  “A crappy con man, but sure,” Emily said. “If that’s what you want to call it. He just liked to gamble, and he didn’t have enough money to support his hobby. He’s a C-list actor with a one-bedroom apartment. He’s not Brad Pitt. He has no business playing women like us.”

  Emily nodded at Emma Lou. She returned the nod. For a moment, it seemed like they were back to bonding over their idiot ex. Then Emma Lou seemed to snap back to reality and remember that her partner in crime had turned the tables.

  “It was all her plan,” Emma Lou said. “From the very beginning. She figured out Tennison and I were dating on the sly.”

  “That argument,” I said, “the one you and Tennison had the night before you shot him, what was that about?”

  “Money,” Emma Lou said. “He didn’t care about our relationship being public. In retrospect, I’m pretty sure he was glad I wanted to keep things private. I just didn’t want to tell anyone that we’d been arguing about money.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because money is a motive for murder,” she said. “And I didn’t shoot him because of the money.”

  “The button in the hotel room,” I said, turning to Emily. “Was that you?”

  “Yeah, that was me. I had to pull favors to get half the wardrobe for this stupid movie. Of course I took some of the clothes with me. And yeah, I was staying at the inn. The room Tennison rented. He didn’t have a use for it after he got his hospital room.”

  “I’ll say,” I said. “And honestly, I don’t even really blame you for taking your clothes back with you. But why didn’t you get out of town? Why’d you stick around and risk being seen?”

  “Where do you think I’m going?” Emily shrugged. “My plan has always been to drive back to Vegas. Or maybe California. Who knows? I could go anywhere. Maybe I’ll even take a scenic road trip in my rental—the one I rented the day Tennison got shot. I’ve even got a friend in Montana willing to swear she saw me there the next day. I’ve got an alibi for his murder.”

  “You’ll never get away with this,” I told her. “Especially not now. If you shoot all four of us, there’ll be nobody left to take the blame.”

  “I’m willing to take the risk. After all, you people are the only ones who know I’m still in town.”

  “That’s not entirely true,” I said. “Remember how I told you that Cooper was meeting me here for lunch? I told him about you on the phone. My theory. If I turn up dead right after, he’ll be onto you.”

  “Then I better get going,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks if I’ve got an alibi in Montana, so...”

  She raised the gun, looking frighteningly indifferent about the fact that she would have to take four more lives in order to save her own hide.

  Where is Cooper? If my plan with the text message hadn’t worked, that meant we were out of luck. It was too late. I’d really hoped the text had tipped him off. Ideally, Emily would have forced me to write out a message, in which I could’ve left a subtle clue. As it was, I had no idea what she’d told him. If she’d simply said that lunch was off, he might not realize it wasn’t me sending the message.

  And if that were the case, then I had to take matters into my own hands.

  “Your shoe.” I hissed to Emma Lou. “Give me.”

  “I’m not—”

  Allie kicked Emma Lou from behind with her outstretched, still-bound legs. Emma Lou winced, but kicked off one of her shoes.

  “What are you doing?” Emily watched the exchange, confusion clouding her gaze. She rapidly flicked the gun back and forth between Emma Lou and me. “Stop it right now. Or I’ll shoot.”

  I raised my hands higher into the air. “We’re unarmed. They’re all tied up. What do you expect we’re going to do? I just want to die wearing a good pair of shoes.”

  “Excuse me?” Emily looked mystified.

  “You should understand,” I said, nodding at Emily’s feet. “You’ve obviously got good taste in fashion yourself. I do not want to be found dead wearing these stupid things. Emma Lou, let me have your shoes.”

  “No! These are Jessica James.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “Trade me. I�
�ve just got my stupid flats on because I had to walk here. I was trying to be practical. Plus, they’re not going to help you if you’re dead.”

  “They won’t help you, either.”

  Allie kicked her again.

  “Ow,” Emma Lou scowled. “Fine. Take them.”

  She kicked off her other shoe and slid them over. I took off my flats. I reached down to grab a heel and felt the gun following every inch of my movements. Which was why I had to make my move... and quickly.

  The second I got my hands on the first Jessica James heel—a nude stiletto with a pointy enough heel to stab someone—I flicked it up in Emily’s face. Her first instinct, as I’d hoped, was to lower the gun as she batted the shoe away with her other hand in order to prevent it hitting her head. In the meantime, I grabbed the two other items that were in reach. The gun and the other shoe.

  Then I dove as far away from the dressing room as I could so that Emily’s attention would be turned away from my mother and friend.

  “Lock the door!” I yelled behind me to Emma Lou. “Get my mother and Allie free.”

  “But—”

  I didn’t hear Emma Lou’s excuse. Instead, I was busy ducking behind a section of hats that gave me another idea. I grabbed a broomstick, stuck a hat on the end of it, and extended it as far as I could, rustling clothes hangers with the stick.

  Emily fired. The shot went off with a loud bang. I ducked and winced, watching as glass crumbled to the floor from the direction where I’d rustled the clothes. My plan had worked—so far. The shot had been so loud that even deaf old Mrs. Beasley should’ve heard it. Any disturbance in my mother’s store, and she’d call the police. And pride herself on saving our lives... I hoped.

  “If you don’t come out here right now, I’m going to go back and start getting rid of your friends and family,” Emily said. “Then what will you do, Jenna?”

  “Fine!” I called, still hiding behind the racks of clothes. I held my breath and darted behind a row of neatly displayed men’s pants. “I’m coming out. Just give me a minute.”

  “I don’t have to do that,” Emily said. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”