by Judi McCoy
Ellie hoped that, if she didn’t push, Marcus would reveal something insightful. “And she gave your sister a hard time?”
He clenched his jaw and his fingers followed suit. “A hard time is putting it mildly. With Lilah, it was always over the top. If she found someone’s weak spot, she used it to make them squirm. Just ask Clark Fettel or Anton Rouch.”
“Did she tease you about Sylvie?”
“Me? Never. But she did get on Sylvie’s case, and she did it on purpose.” He relaxed his fingers. “The poor kid had a heart problem, but she begged me not to tell anyone. She didn’t want pity, she wanted to make it on her own.”
“Do you think if Lilah knew about the heart thing she might have gone easier on your sister?”
Marcus shrugged. “Beats me. Besides, it’s useless to talk about it now.” He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and released a sigh. “It’s all useless. Lilah got what she deserved, and if I knew for certain who killed her I’d send them a dozen roses as a thank-you.”
“He doesn’t sound like a murderer to me, Triple E.”
Ellie squatted and pretended to adjust her boy’s collar. “I know, but we have to keep our emotions out of it,” she whispered. “Just because he doesn’t sound like a killer doesn’t mean he isn’t one, er, is one, er, well, you know what I mean. Now please be quiet and let me do my job.”
“Talking to your dog again?” Marcus asked when she stood. “You do know that’s one of the things I like about you?”
“You might think it’s a good trait, but not everyone agrees. Clark Fettel thinks I’m a nutcase whenever he sees me do it, and so does Fiona Ray. And I bet there are a whole lot more folks who think I’m a flake.”
“But not Nola or Morgan, and they’re the people who count. If they thought you were a flake, they never would have asked you to prove Jeffery King innocent. I’d say that’s a plus in this business.”
“I guess,” Ellie said. “And I’m grateful for their support. I just hope I can do what they expect.”
“So how is the investigation coming along? Do you actually have proof that someone besides Jeffery could have killed Lilah?”
“I do. The difficult thing will be getting Detective Vaughn to listen to me.”
“I thought you lived with a homicide detective.”
“But he’s not working this case. In this city, the cops don’t step on each other’s toes.” She’d heard the rules from Sam often enough to remember them. “They only help with a case if they’re asked or if they find something they think will benefit another cop. And my guy’s been working on something that’s kept him out of the house for most of the week.”
“So you have yet to ask him about accompanying you to the big celebration party at Nola and Morgan’s tomorrow night?”
Fancy parties were the last thing Sam wanted to attend. He was so antisocial, she had to work for weeks to get him to agree to show his face at one of Georgette’s Sunday brunches. She had no intention of asking him to the NMD celebration. “With all the time he’s putting in, I don’t think he’ll be able to come with me.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” said Marcus, giving her a sly grin.
Another rush of warmth crept up her neck again, and she cursed herself for being a redhead. “Oh, you mean the date thing . . . with you.”
Still smiling, he nodded. “Yes, with me. So how about it?”
“How about going to the party with you?”
He took a step toward her, closing the distance. “Stop playing coy. Yes, with me.”
“I’m not—I mean I don’t know how to play coy.”
“That’s for sure.”
“Then say yes. We can go as friends, remember.”
Tired of battling him, she heaved a sigh. “Okay, fine. As friends.”
He took a second step and she caught the scent of his cologne, woodsy and fresh as the great outdoors. “Then you’ll be my date for the party?”
“I’ll be your platonic date for the party.”
“Great. I’ll need your address.”
“My address?”
“So I can pick you up.”
“Pick me up?”
“Oy!”
“My mother raised me to be a gentleman. If I make a date with a woman, I pick her up and I bring her home.”
“Sounds like you’ll have to confess to the defective detective that you’re cheatin’ on him.”
“I would never cheat on Sam,” she ground out.
“If this date is platonic, you won’t be cheating. Now how about giving me your address?”
“Okay. I’ll write it on the back of a business card and you can pick it up when you retrieve Lucy and Cheech. How does that sound?”
“Like a plan.”
He took another step forward and she ducked back, but before she could speak, Patti appeared behind him. “Patti, hello.”
“Hey, you two.” Patti’s hazel eyes sparked with interest. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all,” said Marcus, his handsome face fixed in a smile. “And you’ll be the first to know. Ms. Engleman just said yes. She’s going to the big party with me tomorrow night.”
“Is she now? That’s great.”
“Glad you think so,” said Ellie. She held out her arms and Lucy jumped into them. “I’m going to bring this little girl back to my pen, er, space,” she stuttered. “I need some time to think.” She tossed Marcus a wave. “See you later?”
“How about if I walk with you?” asked the supermodel. “There’s something we need to discuss.”
Ellie only hoped it wasn’t a discussion over Marcus. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this flustered about a simple get-together with a man. She threaded her way through the crowd with Lucy in her arms, Patti by her side, and Rudy at her feet. “Don’t you have someplace special to be?”
“My place is with you,” her boy said.
“Who, me?” asked Patti. “Nope. Except for the big finale this afternoon, I’m through for the week.”
“I’m through, too.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. She was getting tired of stumbling through these three-way conversations. “Do you want to help Julie and me with the dogs for a short while?”
“I might, as long as the work isn’t too complicated. I’m not a groomer, and since Cheech is almost hairless—”
“And brainless,” Rudy gruffed.
“I don’t really have much to do in the way of neatening him up.”
“I’m not a groomer, either—”
“You can say that again.”
Ellie tapped Rudy with the toe of her shoe. “But I do think we should brush them and make sure they’re neat.”
“I can manage that,” said Patti. “But I would like your advice, if you have a minute.”
They plowed past Fiona Ray’s station, and it was then the supermodel put her hand on Ellie’s forearm, causing her to slow down until they arrived at Anton Rouch’s area. The designer was so involved in fitting his newest creation on Lawan, he didn’t even acknowledge their presence.
“Take it easy,” Patti whispered when they ducked behind his screen. “You’re giving me a workout.”
“Sorry,” said Ellie, keeping her voice low. “It’s just that I’m trying to process all the info I learned today, and it’s a lot to swallow.”
“Does any of it have to do with Anton or Fiona?”
“Not really. Why?”
“Just asking because we’re here, and I don’t want Anton to think we’re talking about him.” Patti blew out a breath. “He’s a bit sensitive when it comes to his work.”
“I heard about his OCD and Lilah’s nasty habit of torturing him, but he isn’t at the top of my list of suspects. Now that we’ve stopped, what did you want to tell me?”
“I just wanted you to know that Janice is going to sing her first release while the judges are deliberating this afternoon. They’re bringing in a piano, and she’s
ready to go.”
“Wow. That’s a great break for her.”
“I agree, and I’m thrilled.”
“But how is Janice taking it? Is she nervous or worried?”
“She says she’ll be fine. She’s used to singing live at a few of the clubs, so for her it’ll be just another gig.”
“Janice is a brave girl, putting herself out there for public opinion. If I were her, I’d be terrified,” Ellie confided.
“We know,” Rudy ruffed.
She ignored her boy and his constant commentary. “But you said you wanted my advice, and it can’t be about your sister.”
“No, it’s about Jeffery.”
“Jeffery?”
“Yes. I was wondering—well—if he shows up today, do you think I should talk to him?”
Ellie inched out from behind Anton’s stall and Patti followed. “Let’s talk about this at my station.”
Chapter 15
After they arrived at the break station, Ellie placed Lucy in the pen with the other dogs while Patti took a seat. A moment later, she handed Patti a bottle of water. “Here, take a drink and catch your breath. I’m going to talk to Julie for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”
She ducked under the food table, found her tote bag, and pulled out the grooming tools she’d brought from home to make certain her charges looked good on the runway. Then she carried the scissors, nail clippers, and two brushes to the other side of the pen.
“Sorry I was gone so long,” she said to Julie, who was standing with Daisy in her arms.
“We’re fine now, but Anton Rouch came by about an hour ago, and he upset Daisy. I’ve been trying to calm her down for a while now.”
“He’s not a nice human,” Daisy said, snuggling into Julie’s chest. “I should have bit him.”
Ellie ran a loving hand over Daisy’s soft head. “I’m glad you were here to take care of this little girl. Anton has a problem and we just have to live with it, I guess.”
“That problem is what he and Lilah used to argue about. But just because she’s gone doesn’t give him the right to take out his anger on a tiny pooch.”
“You and I are in charge of the dogs until this competition is over, so we can’t allow him or anyone else to upset our charges or do anything nasty when it comes to picking them up,” said Ellie. Thinking about it, she then made a decision. “In fact, I’ll send him a note, and the other designers too. You bring the outfits here, and they’ll have to trust that we can dress their canines. That way, Anton and the rest of them don’t need to dirty their hands, and the little guys won’t be upset. I’ll write the note. You can deliver it and come back to tell me what Anton and the rest of them said.”
Julie set the white Chihuahua in the circular pen and walked with Ellie to her tote bag, where Ellie penned a message and handed it to her. Julie took off, and Ellie dumped her tools on the table, blinking when she saw that Patti had taken the trouble to clear the space, and used the cartons of water to close off an area where the dogs could be dressed.
“Wow, you’ve been busy,” she told the supermodel.
“Do you think it will work? I was worried it was too close to the food.”
“Oh, pooh. People know this is the canine area, so they enter and eat at their own risk. We keep the tabletop clean, and these dogs are professionally cared for, so they’re probably more sanitary than some of the furniture in their apartment. Plus none of them shed, so I don’t see a problem.”
“I agree, but there are folks like Anton who complain about everything,” said Patti.
“Well, too bad. I’ll handle it if they don’t like it.” Ellie stopped her tirade and took a good look at Patti, noting that her hair, done in a simple upsweep, was classy and unpretentious, just like Marcus’s clothes. “You look great, and I’m guessing that new model, Beatriz, does too. Who gave orders for the low-key approach?”
“The designer, of course. Each of them has a hand in deciding how their models should be presented, and that includes their makeup and hair. Eduardo wanted to do more, but Marcus said no.”
“Good for him. So when Julie gets back, how about the two of you spruce up Cheech and Lucy? Since you’re ready to go, Julie will follow you when it’s your turn to dress, and bring back the dogs’ outfits. I decided we should do the canines here. The designers will just have to trust us to put their dogs in grade-A condition; then, as the models pass here for their last run, we hand them their pals.”
“Sounds good to me.” Patti gazed at the pen. “I only wish we knew if Marcus will still be first in the lineup. Should we assume the competitive order will be the same for the finale as it’s been for the past few days?”
“You know, I’ve asked that question about a dozen times today, and no one seems to have the answer.”
Patti’s picture-perfect face flushed pink, and she broke out in a grin as she focused over Ellie’s shoulder.
“Maybe I can help,” said someone from behind. “What was the question?”
Recognizing the speaker’s voice, Ellie turned and stepped back to include Patti in the conversation. “Jeffery, hello. It’s good to see you here.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be right now. Kitty said you wanted to talk to me just before I had the chance to tell her I wanted to talk to you.” He held out his hand. “I owe you quite a bit. How am I ever going to thank you?”
“Thank me? I haven’t done anything yet. And I’m only helping to investigate as a friend.” She smiled, accepting his offer of a handshake. “No thank-yous are necessary.”
He glanced at Patti, then again focused on Ellie. “But I only met you once or twice before the debacle broke. Was that all it took for you to know I didn’t kill Lilah?”
Crossing her arms, Ellie cocked her head. “First off, I believe in your sister. Kitty is so positive you’re innocent, I had no choice but to see things her way. Then there’s Nola and Morgan. They believe strongly in you, and they’re professionals with a head for business. I couldn’t believe they’d take a chance backing a—a—”
“An accused killer?” His expression grew grim. “I know. And I’ll never be able to repay their kindness.”
“You have a lot more friends than Nola and Morgan.” She nodded in Patti’s direction. “Some of them have helped me in ways too difficult to mention.”
“Ellie loves to joke about her investigative skill, but she’s a special person and she knows what she’s doing,” said the supermodel, finally joining the conversation. “She’s walked our dogs for a couple of years now, and Janice and I believe in her completely. She’s solved enough crimes to know when she meets a killer, and I think she sees that isn’t you.”
“So you’ve vouched for me, too?”
When Patti continued to smile, he shook his head, as if finding it hard to pull out the words. “I can’t—I don’t know what to say.” His eyes shined with unshed tears. “I’d better get down to business, then, so we can stop worrying about the competition and get to the heart of the matter.” As if marshaling his thoughts, Jeffery straightened his shoulders. “Kitty said you had questions, and I figure they’re pretty much the same as what the cops asked.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the right time to go over things. The finale should be starting soon, and it’s going to get crazy around here.” She read Patti’s lovelorn expression and decided to do a bit of matchmaking. “Why don’t you talk to Patti while I get the first pair of dogs spruced up? I imagine they’ll be calling out the contestants soon, and her designer is Marcus David. He’s been first up each time, so I don’t think they’ll change the order.”
“You’re right. According to Clark Fettel, who’s subbing for me, the order is the same.” A crooked grin lightened Jeffery’s dour face. “I was hoping I’d have a little time to talk to Patti but I—are you sure this is okay?”
Julie took that moment to reappear on the scene. “Hey, Jeffery, it’s nice to see you.” She gave Ellie a salute. “Your assistant,
madam, reporting for duty.”
“Are things sane with the cantankerous Mr. Rouch?” asked Ellie.
“Sure. He stomped around his station a time or two, but when he realized he wasn’t going to have to be in any further contact with the dogs, he shut up.”
“That’s what I hoped would happen. Why don’t you gather all the dogs and give them a final trip outside before it’s time for their grand entrance?”
Patti and Jeffery sat in the chairs, while Julie collected the first four dogs. Giving the pair a sidelong glance, she said, “Looks like those two have a lot to talk about.”
Ellie read the complete focus on Jeffery mirrored in Patti’s eyes.
“I’d do anything for true love, too.” Grinning, Julie headed toward the back door, while Ellie gathered the last four dogs and her boy.
“What do you think he’s telling her?” Rudy asked, gazing at the supermodel and Jeffery.
“Does it matter? Whatever it is, they’ll work it out.”
“Yeah, but it could be something important, like a confession, or a clue.”
“That’s no way for us to be thinking about our client. As far as we’re concerned, Jeffery is innocent and he isn’t hiding any clues.”
“Sure, but—”
A bell sounded and he clamped his muzzle shut. A moment later, Julie returned the first group of canines and Ellie gave her boy a stern nod as she set him down to join the remainder of the crew for their trip outside.
Then Marcus showed up. “I’m here to collect Patti. Beatriz is already at my station. Here are the outfits for the dogs. I understand you and Julie are dressing them, and that’s fine with me. Just do your best.”
Patti hurried to follow Marcus as Ellie grabbed the canine creations. Then she carried the Chihuahua and the mini Schnauzer to the dressing table. “How are you two doing? Ready to trot out and wow the crowd?”
An announcement sounded, calling for the start of the last showing of fabulous Fashion Week. Cheech, the ever-silent Chihuahua, trembled, and she tried to console him. “Hey, it’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry.”