“Sure. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I volunteered us to inventory Sabrina Lewis’s apartment. Which, believe me, won’t take us long at all. The girl practically had nothing.”
“That’s a bonus of my working in the shop,” Charli said. “We can look around and see if there’s anything in there the cops overlooked. Mrs. Conner told me they did a search, but didn’t find much. They might not have looked everywhere, though.”
I told her about thinking I’d seen someone inside, but not being one hundred percent sure. “Maybe you should get the locks changed, though. Even if it was my imagination, I don’t like the idea of someone having keys to the place.”
Charli shivered. “Good idea. I’ll talk to Mrs. Conner about it tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll agree. Especially when I remind her that Sabrina’s purse is missing. She won’t want to take the chance of someone stealing all of her inventory.”
“By the way, did you find out anything about the modeling place?” I asked. “In all of the excitement, I nearly forgot.”
Charli finished tucking in the foot of the fluffy down comforter and sat on the bed. “Not exactly.” She had a mischievous look on her face. She obviously had something up her sleeve.
“What gives, sis? Did you get a sudden urge to grow a few inches and become a model?”
“Nope, but you did. Get an urge to become a model, that is. You have an appointment tomorrow at one.”
“No way. I’m not going to sign up to model.”
“You’re not actually signing up. We’re going to go over there and snoop around a little, see what we can find out. All you’ve got to do is meet with this A.J. guy and pretend like being a model is your life-long dream.”
“A.J.’s the photographer’s name. He’s apparently really talented.” I told her about my conversation with Tessa. “That girl is scary. She’s like a stalker with the players.”
I filled Charli in on the whole Tessa chat, including the part where she’d asked me if it was too soon to put the moves on Mark. “All she cares about, it seems, is being rich and famous. I can’t believe she’s even thinking about going after that guy. Even if he isn’t a murderer, he’s an abuser. It’s probably a matter of time before he does kill some poor, defenseless woman.”
Charli was as disturbed as I was. Neither one of us could understand why a woman would knowingly go into a relationship with someone like Donavan.
“Maybe she came from a family where that was the norm,” Charli finally said. “Maybe she thinks that as long as she gets rich and famous, it will be worth it.”
“But what are the chances of that happening? She’s more likely to end up dead. I read this article by a group called Silent Witness that said that more than fifteen hundred women are killed each year as a result of domestic violence.”
We talked a bit more about domestic violence, about Tessa’s apparent obsession with being thin, and about the appointment at the modeling agency.
“So you told them you were going to be with me?”
“Of course. I was actually surprised how fast they responded. I sent an email inquiring about making an appointment and got a response within five minutes setting up the appointment for tomorrow. I gave them your radio name and pretended like I was your agent. After you get off work, come by the house and I’ll fix your hair and slap some makeup on you. Just wear that black skirt and the red sleeveless top Mom bought you for your birthday. It’s not fancy, but it looks decent on you. By the way, do you still have that card? I wanted to look at something. There was a picture on the website and I wanted to compare it to the one on the card. I think it’s of Tessa, but there was something odd about it.”
That’s when I realized what was missing from my backpack. “Charli, this is going to sound nut-so, but whoever knocked me out stole the card. Cards. I had the one I found at the coffee shop, the two Tessa gave me, one for Model Magnifica and one for the salon, Alejandro’s card for the salon, and Carole’s. All of them are gone. Along with that note that kid, Parker, gave me.”
“Why on earth would someone steal a bunch of business cards?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was the killer and he or she was looking for the one that was left in my apartment.”
“Or the one that Big Ed gave you. Don’t forget about that one.”
“True. But that one doesn’t have any connection to the murder. Ed’s some sort of talent scout. He’s only in it for the money.”
“Are you sure? You said he hasn’t been to work the last two days and claims to be sick, but you’ve seen him out with Carole twice now.”
“He was at the game tonight, too. What if he was the one who was in the shop? He was loitering around across the street when I went back there. And when he saw me, he couldn’t get away fast enough.”
“Could he have had time from when you saw the movement to get out of the shop, lock up, go across the street, and make a call?”
“Absolutely. To get around to the back I had to go down to the corner past the real estate office, and up that long block. It’s not far, maybe a three or four minute walk, but that’s plenty of time, I think. Especially if he was getting ready to leave anyway.”
“We need to go check. Tomorrow after the modeling agency we’ll swing by and run a test. I don’t have the keys yet, so we can’t go inside, but we can still time it.”
“Okay. But right now, I’ve got to get some sleep. I’m running completely on empty. And my head is throbbing. Not to mention the fact that I’ve got to do yet another shift with Giselle, and Herb is driving me bonkers.”
Unlike the previous three mornings, Herb was nowhere to be seen. I shuffled back toward the prep room and, surprisingly, saw him in the booth, fiddling with the computer. Ed hadn’t shown up yet again and the guy who’d been filling in for him had gone out of town for a funeral. The station could technically run on auto without a jock, but someone had to be there at all times to make sure everything stayed up and running. Herb, being station manager, was usually the last one to fill in, but it appeared that he’d run out of luck.
“Ed sick still?” I asked.
Herb had on a bright red suit with silver foil-like lapels, bright yellow appliquéd suns shooting off rhinestone enhanced sun beams on the front of each side of the jacket and across the back, and what appeared to be stylized cacti embroidered all over the rest of the suit. His shirt matched the sun and his boots were the same color as the cacti.
I thought about pulling out my phone and taking his picture, but despite his happy suit, he was in a foul mood.
“Son-of-a-you-know-what is fixing to get fired he doesn’t get his effing behind in here tomorrow. Oh, and I got some bad news. Head guru guy said for you to start taking off soon as you finish your show. You can come in later, too. They’re cutting back your hours to five a day and cancelling your application for health insurance. I hate it, Marty, but effing ad money sucks the big un. Probably ain’t a bad idea to start asking around. I was you, that’s what I’d do.”
I was outraged. “Herb, this is not what they promised me. I’ve got a contract. I’m supposed to work seven hours a day and get full time pay and benefits. I can’t make it on five hours a day. I’ve got rent and car insurance and so many bills. I owe the hospital three thousand dollars from when I was admitted last month. You know I only have that high deductible policy. I was really looking forward to having a better plan.”
He had the grace to look upset. “Sorry, Marty. You might want to look over that there contract again. There’s a bunch of small print says they can cut back if they got financial reasons. Asides, you ain’t the only one hurting. I got me a ten percent salary reduction myself. I’m wishin’ like the devil Georgina never sold the place. I know it wasn’t much, but at least we paid the bills and had a good, solid fan base. Them corporate folks, they are runnin’ it into the ground.”
I felt bad for Herb, but not too much. His salary getting cut by ten percent wasn’t a big deal. Georgina was rich as all get out and they lived in a big, fan
cy house in the ritziest neighborhood in town.
I, on the other hand, was in debt and poor as the proverbial church mouse. I started feeling panicky, wondering how I was going to make it on what amounted to about a forty percent pay cut.
The four hours of the show with Giselle still sucked, but at least it went by fairly quickly. She had on her usual hookeresque outfit, this time wearing what looked like one of Jaelyn’s tiny rompers, but we were left alone in the booth. Alejandro had evidently given up on the personal assistant gig, or had gotten sick of Giselle, because he wasn’t with her. Herb skedaddled as soon as I clocked in, not even waiting to see when – or if – Giselle arrived. I guess he’d given up on caring. He didn’t say, but I had a sneaking suspicion that her salary hadn’t been cut.
When I signed off, I took Herb at his word and zipped on out of there. I was supposed to meet Charli so she could doll me up for my audition and we could grab some lunch before the appointment.
She was holed up in their home office, working on some sort of spreadsheet when I arrived. “It’s some of the financial info from the business. Mrs. Conner had it sent over. She’s really anxious to sell. So far, it looks really good. Sabrina had secured exclusive rights to sell a bunch of stuff, including Woolbrand, that ritzy clothing line. They sell tons of it and a lot of sports memorabilia through the online shop. The place is earning a decent profit.”
It occurred to me that perhaps Charli buying the gift shop could be the answer to my financial woes. I told her about my predicament. “So, what do you think about hiring me as your part-time employee? I could work afternoons and most Saturdays.”
Charli was positively giddy at the idea. “Perfect! Hiring someone was the one thing I worried about. It’s so hard to find someone reliable. I know you, sis. You’re hard working and I know I can trust you. This is going to be so much fun!”
We planned out how we’d split the hours and discussed my pay while she straightened my hair. It’s longish, well past my shoulders when straightened, and really thick, so it took forever to get it flattened out. As soon as she finished, Charli went back and hit the ends with a curling iron, which I thought was dumb. I have to admit that it looked terrific when she finished, though.
The outfit she had me wear was nothing special, but red looks really good on me. The style of the top made me look curvier than I am, as well. A dab of makeup to cover up a couple of dark spots, a hint of blush, and a lick of mascara brightened my complexion a lot and made my eyes pop. I looked decent — pretty, even — but certainly not model material. Oh well. I didn’t need to actually get hired. I simply needed to get inside so we could do a little detective work.
Charli and I had discussed it and came to the conclusion that checking out the modeling agency was not violating the promise we’d made to John. The one we’d made agreeing not to get involved in the murder investigation.
“It has nothing whatsoever to do with the investigation,” I said. “We’re only doing it to find out more about Sabrina. That way her memorial service will be much better. More personal. Right?”
“Of course. You are absolutely right. If we happen to find out anything that might be important to the murder investigation while we’re there, well, we’ll just call Detective Winger right up and tell him about it. Even John and Tim would be forced to agree that we’re not doing anything wrong here.”
“Absolutely. But I don’t think we should mention it to them, just the same. You know how they can get. Tim especially. He’s been really on my case lately anyway. Always criticizing me and stuff. He’d probably try and stop us for no good reason.”
I think I’ve already mentioned that delusion runs in our family. So does rationalization. That conversation with Charli? Exhibit A.
16
We stopped by Albertino’s, a fancy-schmantzy restaurant Charli adores, for lunch. To my surprise, Herb was at the bar nursing a drink and chatting with Carole. I’d thought she had said she was going out of town, but maybe had misunderstood. While Charli chewed the fat with one of her neighbors, I went over to say “hey”.
Herb had apparently been doing more than nursing drinks. He was sloshed. As soon as he saw me, he grabbed my arm and yanked me into spit-firing range. I tried to get away, but his grip was vise-like. “Marty, thish ish Carole,” he slurred. “She’s my financial gal. She’s a shmart cookie. She’s gonna help me figger out if I can effing retire. She’s effing hot, too, don’t you think? Look at her. She’s got better hooters than Giselle.”
Carole had the restraint not to slug him. Instead, she gave him a chilly smile and nodded. “That’s right, Herb. We’re going to get your finances all in order. But right now, I think you need to let Mr. Albertino call you a cab. Your lovely wife is probably worried about you.”
Herb excused himself to go to the restroom, crudely announcing his need to “take a whiz”, so I escaped from getting a spit shower. He staggered away, leaving the two of us alone.
“Hi, Carole,” I said. “I thought you were going to be out of town.”
“I am,” she said. “In fact I’m on my way out the door right now. I’ve got a thing in Charlottesville. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. Are you and your sister still planning to do that project for me tonight?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “We’re going over about seven or so. I don’t think it will take us too long. We’re going to sort everything, the way you told me you wanted it. There’s really not much stuff, though.
“I know. But, still, it’s a huge help to me. I really am going to owe you big time on this. When I get back, we’ll sit down and plan Sabrina’s memorial service. I’m thinking maybe something small, maybe at the community room at the stadium. We’ll schedule it for late next week, once the players get back from their road trip. I don’t think there will be too many people otherwise.”
She was right and that made me sad. Sabrina deserved better. “Sounds good. Just shoot me a text when you get back. I’m going camping with Harry tomorrow night up at the lake, and I promised Charli I’d help her do something Saturday, but any other time, I’ll be free to get together.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you soon.” She started to leave, but turned back as if she’d forgotten something. “Oh, and would you give Timmy a message for me? Tell him thanks for the gorgeous flowers. I left him a message on his cell, but I want to be absolutely sure he got it. Tell him I love them. He is the sweetest guy. I sure am glad you two aren’t an item. He’s a keeper, isn’t he?”
“Oh, he’s awesome. Great. He sent you flowers? How awesome. That’s just so, so, uhm, awesome.”
Charli joined us, standing next to me and smiling politely. “Carole, this is my sister, Charli. Charli, this is Carole. She’s the one we’re helping out. Tim sent Carole flowers, Charli. Isn’t that awesome?”
Charli gave me a look that told me that, despite my constant repetition of it, she didn’t think awesome was quite the word I was looking for. She shook Carole’s hand and kept on with the polite smile.
“Tim is a really great guy. He and Marty have been best buddies since, well, forever, I think. He’s the sweetest guy I know next to my own husband and our dad. He’s practically one of the family.”
Carole’s smile matched Charli’s. I’d seen that smile on my sister before and thought about flagging down a waiter and ordering up some popcorn and jujubes for the upcoming show. I’ve personally never mastered the fine art of the verbal cat-fight, but my sister learned from the master herself, Mom.
“I’ve only just met him,” Carole said, “but I can see that he’s really special. Like I told Marty, he’s a keeper.”
“Oh, he’s special all right. He’s always there for us, especially Marty . He cares about her so much. I half expect that one day soon they’ll both come to their senses and realize how crazy they are about each other.”
“I’m sure you all would love for that to happen, but, frankly, I don’t see it. I can tell from the way he talks about y’all that he thinks of you both al
most like you’re his sisters. That’s such a special relationship. When he talks about Marty it reminds me of the way my own brother talks about me.”
My head was practically swinging back and forth between them. Charli had that super treacly tone she uses when she’s talking to someone she doesn’t particularly care for and Carole’s was right in the same ballpark. It was, as I’d expected, quite entertaining. All we needed was for Tim to appear and the two of them could have played tug-of-war using him as the rope.
It continued on for several more backs-and-forths, but eventually, Charli and Carole came to a stand-off in their war over the magnificence known as Timothy Cornelius Unser. Mainly because Carole announced that she needed to take off if she was going to make it to Charlottesville in time.
“What a piece of work,” Charli said when we were safely seated at a table. “Marty, that girl is a piranha. You need to get Tim away from her right now. She’s going to chew him up and spit him out if you’re not careful. She is trouble with a capital B and I do mean it like you’re taking it.”
I agreed with her and we spent a happy half-hour trashing Carole while we ate. I’d wanted the spaghetti and garlic bread special, but Charli told me in no uncertain terms “no”. She’d said it would make my breath reek and that I’d probably spill it and ruin my outfit. I glumly ate a stupid salad, then went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth before we headed over to the modeling agency.
Model Magnifica’s offices were near Salem, just over the Glenvar side of the line dividing the two cities, and were in the same building as Chez Alejandro, which surprised me. It was a funky modern building with an odd swooping roofline made out of sculpted aluminum. I think it was supposed to resemble the weird art museum building over in Roanoke, and, like the art museum, it just looked silly since it didn’t fit in with the rest of the city’s old-fashioned charm.
The salon took up all of the first floor of the building and had a huge sign exactly like Alejandro’s business card plastered across the front. Giselle’s car was hogging two spaces near the entrance, so I assumed she was inside getting a flea-dip or something. If I hadn’t known better, I’d never have guessed there was a modeling agency in the same building.
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