by Judi McCoy
“Are you kidding?” said Viv. “I wouldn’t miss this chance for the world.” She handed Ellie the swag bag. “And here’s what you asked for.”
Ellie took the basket and set it on a chair. “Kitty, this is my best friend, Vivian. Viv, this is Kitty King, one of the participants in the Nola Morgan Design contest.”
The women shook hands, and Viv asked, “Is that one of your creations?”
Though focused on the swag bag, Kitty heard the question. “It is. Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” said Viv. She followed the designer’s gaze. “Oh, that’s just something Ellie asked me to drop off.”
Kitty glanced at Ellie. “I hate to be nosy, but is there a reason you need the gift bag here today?”
“Ah, sort of.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Triple E. Might as well tell her the truth.”
“I mean, yes, someone needed to see it.” Ellie figured she could get away with a lie within a truth. She grabbed Viv’s hand. “Come on. Let me introduce you to the models.”
While they’d been chatting, a few more of the NMD girls had shown up, and they were still admiring Kitty’s feathered dress. Ellie made introductions while Yasmine stepped out of the dress and returned it to Kitty.
“My designer is Marcus David, and I haven’t seen his evening wear yet,” said Claire. “My guess is it’ll be some kind of tribute to his younger sister. She died a year ago, and it took him a while to get back to work on his designs.”
The sentence made Ellie think about what Kitty had just told her. Other artists, like painters and sculptors, sometimes had a person in mind when they did their work, so why not a designer?
Since Viv fit right in with the cluster of models, Ellie pulled her old assistant aside. “Is something bothering you about the swag bag?”
Kitty folded the dress and jumpsuit carefully over her arm. “Not exactly. I heard a rumor, is all, and I’m worried.”
“Care to tell me what the rumor was about?”
“About my brother. Word is going around that he’s the one who did Lilah in, and it was all because of me. They’re saying he somehow found a way to put peanuts in her bag and contaminate whatever she touched. Then I heard the cops were trying to find her bag, and it was missing. Now yours is here and—”
“You’re worried there might have been something in it? Something Jeffery didn’t tell you about?” Ellie raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think your brother would stoop that low, would kill someone so you could compete in this contest?”
Kitty dropped to a chair, the clothes folding into her lap. “I don’t want to believe it, but I know he hated Lilah for what she did to me. Whoever killed her was calculating, and I cannot see my brother in that light.”
Rudy walked over and nudged her hand up, then stuck his head under her palm. She smiled and scratched his ears. “You’re so lucky you have this little guy.” Kitty sniffed back a tear. “I know you love him, and I love my brother. He’s all I have in my life. If anything happened to him, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. If you don’t think he did it, I’m sure he didn’t. Besides, I agree with you. He doesn’t seem the type. I mean, whoever did it had to make sure Lilah came in contact with the allergen; then they had to empty her EpiPen. That would take a lot of planning, and I don’t see your brother being such a psycho.”
“He isn’t,” Kitty whispered. “It’s just that the rumors are hard to take. That’s why I put my all into these designs. So people would say I got here on my own merit, and not because my brother killed someone to get me in.”
Over the past few minutes, the group of models had scattered. Viv took a chair next to Ellie and sighed. “I could sit here all day. I’d watch the models, the makeup artists—” The hairstylist with the red Mohawk sauntered by. “Even guys like him. I bet he’d be fun to joke with. And I bet he could show me how to do a better job of putting on my eyeliner at the same time.”
Glancing in the distance, Kitty sat up straight in her chair, which made Ellie and Viv pay attention, too. Detective Vaughn was approaching with Jeffery King, who was flanked by two uniformed police officers.
As they neared, Ellie could tell that Jeffery’s arms were behind his back, a sure sign of handcuffs. Vaughn stopped in front of them, his face set in a frown. “I wouldn’t normally do this, Ms. King, but your brother begged me to find you. I’m here to tell you that he’s under arrest for the murder of Lilah Perry.”
Chapter 5
“Wait, no!” Kitty raised her hand, but it was too late. Detective Vaughn, Jeffery, and the officers disappeared around the corner that led to the door Ellie used to take out her charges. More tears sprang to Kitty’s eyes as she sobbed out a weak farewell.
Viv sat upright, her mouth open, her eyes wide.
Kitty gasped, then fell into a deflated heap.
Ellie raced after the police brigade and caught up with Vaughn at the rear door. “Really, Detective, are you sure about this? My swag bag is here. Maybe you could find something in it that would—”
“Incriminate Mr. King further?” His gray eyes darkened to pewter. “We have a close-to-airtight case, Ms. Engleman, so there’s no need to examine a bag that merely resembled the bag of the deceased, though I’m sure Ms. Perry’s will turn up somewhere.” He narrowed his gaze. “Mr. King will be booked on Green Street. Thanks for being so cooperative. We’re through for now.”
Ellie raced back inside, hoping to calm Kitty. When she arrived at the dog pen she found Viv tugging on the newly designed clothes that were crushed in Kitty’s lap.
Viv stood and shook out the wrinkles, then draped the garments over the water cooler. “No matter how miserable Kitty is, these creations are part of the biggest event in her life. She shouldn’t ruin them, even for her brother.”
Realizing Viv was correct, Ellie nodded. When Viv scanned the area, she asked, “What are you looking for?”
“Something to hang these on. You take care of Kitty. I’ll be back.”
Kitty continued to sob, and Ellie had no idea what she should say or do. She felt like a traitor. She’d suspected the arrest was coming. Vaughn had given her enough of a heads up, and she’d spoken to Jeffery, too. But she had no business messing around in this investigation. She didn’t know either of the Kings well enough to stick her nose in their lives, especially when she had promised Sam she would steer clear of any and all things criminal.
She searched her tote bag and passed Kitty a tissue.
The girl blew her nose. “I heard the detective mention Green Street. Do you know where that is?”
“Downtown somewhere, where they take most people who are arrested. They get booked, fingerprinted, that sort of thing.” She realized the description sounded harsh, and tried to soften the words. “It’s not a big deal.”
The designer inhaled a gasp. “Oh, Lord. I don’t know what to do. Jeffery is all I have in the world.” She dabbed her watery eyes. “We’ve got to help him.”
Ignoring Kitty’s last sentence, Ellie checked her watch. “It’s close to two. How far along are you in finishing your pieces?”
“I don’t know. I can’t think.” She shuddered, holding back her tears. “Jeffery will need a lawyer, right? Someone to bail him out of this mess.”
“If he doesn’t have a lawyer, the court will appoint one. Attorneys cost big bucks in this city, especially when they’re representing someone accused of murder.”
The words set off another round of Kitty’s tears. Rudy put a paw on her knee, so Ellie wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay, really. You said Jeffery was innocent, so things will work out.”
“You’ve been involved in this kind of thing before. Patti said you live with a homicide detective. Can you maybe recommend a lawyer? Someone you know who can get him out on bail?”
“Think before you open your mouth, Triple E,” said her boy. “I smell trouble rollin’ our way.”
Ellie heaved a breath. Rudy was right. She had to tread carefully or she’d be up to her eyebrows in murder . . . again. Joe’s uncle, Sal Cantiglia, was capable enough to handle the small stuff. And her stepfather still had enough connections from his time on the bench to recommend someone, but her mother would skin her alive if she knew her daughter had gotten the older judge involved.
When she drummed her fingers on the chair back, an idea struck. “The only attorney I can think of is a guy called Keller Williams. He represented a friend of mine last February, and things turned out in his favor.” She didn’t know Mr. Williams personally, but Rob could probably relay the message and get the man to at least take care of Jeffery’s arraignment. It couldn’t hurt to get things moving in the right direction.
“I could put you in touch with a customer of mine named Rob Chesney, and maybe he could contact his attorney.”
Kitty’s lower lip quivered. “Would you please?”
She found her cell phone and flipped it open. Rob picked up on the third ring. After the pleasantries were over, she steered the conversation around to Keller Williams. “Would you call him for me, and help pave the way for Kitty?”
When he answered yes, she said, “That would be great. Here, I’ll let you speak with her. She’ll give you the details.”
Ten minutes later, things were under control. Kitty passed the phone back to Ellie. “Rob seems like a nice guy. I think I remember reading about him in the newspaper. He said you were the one who proved him innocent. He claims you saved his life.”
“Uh-oh,” said Rudy, still sitting with his paw on Kitty’s knee. “Leave it to Bobbi-Rob to dig the hole deeper.”
She ignored her boy and continued doing as much for Kitty as she felt she could, without actually getting involved. “He’s just saying that. It really wasn’t much.”
“But Patti told me the same thing. About how you’ve helped a lot of people who were accused of murder and were innocent. She said you found the real killers.”
“She makes it sound like we got nothin’ better to do than go on a psycho search.”
Ellie frowned in Rudy’s direction and explained. “It isn’t quite like that. I’m not a private investigator. I don’t have a license, or a badge, or a gun or anything. Sometimes I get lucky and figure things out on my own.”
It was then Viv appeared with a couple of padded hangers in hand. “Good Lord, these people are ridiculous. You’d think hangers, especially the plush kind, were made of gold.” She picked up the jumpsuit and arranged it on the first hanger. “Now what am I supposed to do with this beautiful baby?” she asked, holding up the feathered evening gown.
Kitty swiped the tissue under her eyes, smearing mascara over her reddened cheeks. “I have to sew on the strings so we can secure it to the hanger. I’ll bring it to my station.”
She stood and Ellie gave a discreet nod.
“I’ve got an idea.” Viv held both creations high. “I have a little extra time. How about if I carry these for you, and lend you a hand getting settled?”
“Oh, gosh. Would you? That would be great.” Kitty managed a timid smile as she stood. “Ellie, thanks again for the lawyer thing.” She gazed at Viv. “This should only take about fifteen minutes.”
The two women left, walking side by side. Kitty was so petite she didn’t even come up to Viv’s shoulder, but they looked like a team. Ellie heaved a sigh. “That takes care of that,” she told Rudy. “Once Kitty gets busy, she won’t have time to pester me, and Rob will get Keller Williams to help Jeffery. This event will be over in a couple more days. Then we’re out of here.”
Rudy jumped on the chair next to her. “Can I get a word in edgewise, please?”
“Not if it’s a lawyer joke.”
“Nah, not one of those. It’s just that Kitty’s a nice girl, and Jeffery seemed like an okay human, too.”
She ruffled his ears. “I agree. And Mr. Williams is a professional. He’ll do right by them.”
“So you’re not curious?”
“Curious?”
He cocked his head and broke out in a doggie grin.
“Oh, no. Nuh-uh. Do not even think about getting me involved. I don’t have the time, and neither do you.”
He put both paws on her chest and gave her cheek a sloppy lick. “Aw, come on. This one isn’t like the others. There’s no poison, no scissors, no gun, not even a handheld battery charger. The victim was killed by a peanut. Detective Demento can’t say we’d be in danger from a peanut.”
“But Sam would complain about me sticking my nose in police business. After our adventure in the Hamptons, he asked me to control my urge to snoop, and I told him I would try.”
His next lick hit her chin. “You said ‘try,’ and that’s the magic word. You’re tryin’ now, and I’m encouraging. It’s not your fault. It’s mine.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that will fly with Sam.” She glanced at her gift basket, sitting on the edge of the snack table. “But I would like to know how the killer did it. And since it seemed so important to Detective Vaughn . . .” She grabbed the bag and started digging, placing each item on the chair next to her. “I know this bag is mine, not Lilah’s, but maybe something will give me a clue.”
She raised the scarf to her nose and sniffed. “No scent here.” She pulled out a pair of red suede gloves and held them to her nose. “Hmm, nothing smells as good as real leather.” She peeked at the designer label. “And they’re outrageously expensive. Lucky for me Viv already has two pair, or she’d snap them up.”
Rudy nosed each item after she did. “I’m double-checkin’. You humans don’t have the same sniffin’ power we do.” Then he reared his head. “But I’m confused. Why are we smellin’ your stuff, when it was that designer’s bag that held the peanut juice?”
Ellie shrugged. “I guess it’s a dumb idea. Lilah and I compared baskets, so I was hoping something she had could have rubbed off on my stuff.” She passed him a pair of Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses, a tan clutch from Tod’s, a three-pack of Tom Ford lipsticks that normally rang up at forty-five dollars a tube. Then came a real prize: Viv’s mustard-colored hobo bag from Bottega Veneta.
Now at the bottom of the basket, she pulled out her package of Forever, and held the thin strips of a scent titled Spring. After again smelling a page, she pulled off a strip and stuck it under her pale blue sweater between her breasts.
Then she held the packet up to Rudy. “Take a whiff of this and tell me what you think.”
He cranked out a huge canine sniff and sneezed, smattering her with dog spit. “Thanks a lot,” she muttered, brushing off the droplets. “Do you think a peanut scent could be hidden in something like this?”
“Maybe yes, maybe no. You did say Lilah’s perfume was stronger than yours.”
She recalled sitting next to Lilah as Lilah secured her own strip of perfume entitled Summer. Her scent had notes of lavender and verbena, too overpowering for Ellie’s taste. Finally, it all made sense.
“Duh! I just figured it out. I bet the killer somehow soaked Lilah’s strips in peanut oil. She couldn’t smell it, so she put a strip on, and bingo—ten minutes later she had the attack. If she’d waited until she was home to use a strip, there wouldn’t have been a thing she could do, even if she reached her empty EpiPen.”
Rudy took another strip sniff. “Hmm, that might fly, but it’s a sneaky thing to do. The killer had to plan it all out and not get caught messin’ with those strips or her pen thingy.” He sneezed again. “Would the strip have to be soaked in oil, or would a single drop do?”
“That’s a good question.” She began loading the goodies into her bag “I’ll see what I can find out tonight on the Internet.”
“I did tell you these people were crazy, didn’t I?” said Viv later that afternoon, when she took a seat next to Ellie on one of the chairs.
Ellie cracked a smile. “Yes, you did. So what happened to reinforce your decision?”
Viv crossed her long legs. “First o
ff, Kitty’s models. They’re two of the most self-absorbed women I’ve ever met. That Cassandra person? All she could talk about was her dog. The one that died.” She sneaked a peak around Ellie and stared at the sleeping Greyhound. “I assume that’s Ranger, the pet that’s got her so worried?”
“Do you see another three-foot-tall canine here? Yes, that’s him, and he’s a sweetheart. Quiet, easy to get along with, a real peaceful guy. Trouble is, Cassandra signed a contract and in it she promised she’d bring a small dog to this event. Something Ranger clearly isn’t.”
“She’s looking for a way to convince Nola Morgan Design that her boy can do the job, but now that Jeffery King is in jail, I’m not sure who she’ll talk to.” Viv stretched her arms over her head. “Then, when Yasmine didn’t show to try on the jumpsuit because she was on the runway with another designer, Kitty talked me into being her model. I said yes, thinking she’d take me into one of the changing rooms, but did she?” Viv shook her head so hard her fall of straight and shiny mink brown hair hid her face. “No-ooo. She had me strip right there in front of everybody.”
Ellie laughed out loud. She’d watched the behind-the-scenes action for two days now. Models ignored whoever was around and seemed to have no problem standing nearly naked for the entire event. “Oh, Lord, why didn’t you call me? I’d have given a thousand dollars to see the look on your face.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t so bad once we got started. But it’s a good thing I wore a matching bra and panties, because Kitty stripped off my Donna Karan suit before I could say a word. People walked by and stared as if I was made out of plastic. Then some short bald guy wearing a weird pair of shoes stopped and watched the rest of the fitting. He even took out a notebook and scribbled something before he sauntered away.”
“Who was it?”
“I have no idea.” Viv sniffed. “And apparently, they expect all the tall models to be the same size. I’m a four, but I’m not stick thin, so Kitty had to let out the bust, but the rest of it was okay. It gave her one less thing to worry about. Both of the day wear items are finished, and I left her fitting a whining Cassandra into her evening wear.”