by Judi McCoy
Now that she had a break, it was time for Ellie to do one of her favorite things: people-watch. First, she’d found the comment Marcus made about Morgan Prince fascinating. With all the gossip going around, why hadn’t she heard this story before? She spotted him standing, hovering really, over Nola as if he were a papa bird. Was Marcus correct? Was the big man a phony? Did he really have secret affairs while pretending to be madly in love with his business partner?
She found Beatriz standing alone and noted there was no action between her and her employer. With her blank expression, was it possible she was one of those people who were good actors? Many folks had learned how to cover their tracks, even though they were involved in illicit activity. A few even thought cheating was a game, and enjoyed seeing how much they could get away with.
“Who are you staring at?” asked Julie.
“Morgan Prince,” Ellie answered. Her assistant seemed to know everything about everyone. Now that they were relaxed, the mere mention of his name could be enough to trigger a reaction.
“Oh.” Julie sipped her champagne. “Any particular reason why?”
“He’s a nice-looking man, and he’s been good to me. I understand he hired Beatriz, the new girl, with little to no references, and I wondered if he treated all women that way.”
“So you’ve heard the rumors.”
“Just one, from someone who doesn’t gossip. It was a surprise, since he and Nola seem like such a loving couple.”
Julie grinned “Do you remember the television show from a couple of years back? Ugly Betty?”
“I loved that show, hated when it went off the air. It was great fun.” She raised a brow. “Are you saying what happened in that series was true? It was a good portrayal of the fashion industry?”
“In an exaggerated way, yes. You’ve been with us a week now, so you know there’s plenty of talk about a woman’s size, and the backbiting isn’t quite so outrageous. But the sleeping around part? That was true.”
“So you’re saying our Mr. Prince isn’t as well-behaved as he appears.”
“He has a penis and he wields power, doesn’t he?”
“And that means he takes advantage of his position? Then why hasn’t anyone talked about it?”
Julie shrugged. “This is just a guess on my part, but up till now he’s been running the show. It’s not smart to gossip about someone who can have you dropped in a single sentence.”
“Ah, I see. And now that his reign of power is over?”
“People will talk again, until the next time.” She took another gulp of her drink. “So, who said what about him?”
“It doesn’t matter. It was just a comment involving him with Beatriz, the new girl.” Ellie waited a beat. “Do you know much about her?”
“No one seems to have any info, and that’s odd, but if she comes from LA, well, they do things differently out there.” She leaned back in her chair. “As for her and Morgan, who knows?”
“Then you don’t think it’s true?”
“Anything is possible, but . . .”
“If not her, who was he seeing?”
“The gossips threw a lot of names around, but no one in particular. Once this contest got under way, his personal life was put on hold. All folks talked about was which designers would be chosen, and who would win the big prize.”
“And Nola?”
“Is pretty much the way she appears. Far as I can tell, she’s straight with Morgan and the people she deals with.” She finished her drink and held out her glass. “I’m starving. I’d like to get a refill and some food. I can bring back one for you, too, if you want.”
“That would be great,” said Ellie, happy to get a little thinking time. She had a lot to mull over.
“More humans to add to the list,” came a voice from behind her once Julie set out. “Got any ideas?”
She scanned the crowd before answering. She was tired of people asking why she spoke to the dogs. Clark Fettel grazed at the canapé table; Marcus was flirting with Kate and Claire, and no one seemed to be paying her or the canines any attention. She slid her bottom to the side and gazed at her boy. “How many more did you come up with?”
“Three, of course.”
“Three? But Marcus is already on the list, so Morgan is my next choice. It’s odd the way Klingon takes to him so easily—something’s fishy there. And Prince is a cheater, which automatically makes him untrustworthy. Who else is there?”
“Use yer brain, Triple E. If that Prince guy is dishonest, who’d be after him?”
“About a dozen angry boyfriends?”
He snorted. “Try that Nola lady. She’d be upset with anyone her guy was doing the human hula with. If he was friendly with Lilah Perry—”
“Lilah Perry? Who said anything about him messing around with the dead designer?”
“I’m just asking because of Klingon. There has to be some reason why he trusts the prince-man, and it could be because the guy was seein’ Lilah.”
The idea had filtered through her brain, but it seemed too outlandish to be true. “So if he was?”
“It could’a made Nola so mad, she decided to do somethin’ about it. Somethin’ bad.”
Chapter 17
“Sitting all alone, Ms. Engleman? I’m surprised.” Detective Vaughn stared down at her, his mouth drawn in a frown, his gray suit wrinkled. “I hear you’ve been doing a bit of sleuthing. I’m sure you realize you could be held for interfering in an ongoing investigation if you continue to snoop.”
Ellie heaved out a breath. She’d allowed Julie to peruse the food table and told Jeffery to spend some time with Patti. She had hoped to speak to Detective Vaughn, but not when he put her on the hot seat at the start of their conversation. And who had told him about what she’d been doing? Surely not the same people who had begged her to prove Jeffery King innocent.
“I’ve looked into a few things, but I did so only because Nola and Morgan believe Jeffery’s been wrongly accused, and they asked for my help.”
Leaving a chair between them, he took a seat and crossed his legs. “Just because a couple of people want your so-called expertise doesn’t mean you won’t be arrested.”
Ellie twisted toward him in her seat. “Has someone complained about me stepping on their toes? Because I don’t believe I’ve gotten in anyone’s way. And I do have things to report that I think you’ll find interesting.”
He pulled the usual notebook from his inside jacket pocket. “Were these ‘things’ legal or did you find them out while breaking and entering?”
“I—what—what do you mean by that?”
“You must be aware of what breaking and entering means. I heard you and that dog of yours have done it plenty of times before.”
Ellie inhaled a gasp. “Instead of digging to find out how I spend my time, you should pay better attention to this case. You might find out the same things I have, and that could send you in another direction in this investigation.”
As if on traffic duty, he held up a hand. “Take it down a notch, Nancy Drew. Just because I arrested Jeffery King doesn’t mean I’ve stopped looking into things.”
Ignoring his Nancy Drew remark, she gazed across the room and spotted Jeffery still talking with Patti, Dominique speaking with Claire and Clark Fettel, and her mother and Viv deep in conversation with Marcus.
“Then you know there are a slew of people who had a beef with Lilah Perry, and they also had the opportunity to carry out the identical plan you’ve accused Mr. King of running.”
He continued to frown as he skimmed through his notebook. “Let’s compare information, shall we? There’s Clark Fettel, for one. He and Ms. Perry battled frequently, he was up for the same job as Jeffery King, which he lost, and he was close enough to those gift bags to doctor them, correct?”
“Yes, and he’s got a mean streak. I wouldn’t put it past him to try such a thing.”
He flipped a page. “And that model—Dominique? Everyone agrees she hated the deceas
ed, but did she have the opportunity to depress that EpiPen and put the peanut oil on those perfume strips without anyone knowing? Managing all that took a fairly clever and calculating mind, plus some time. And the way I heard it, none of the models had a free minute on that first day.”
Surprised that Vaughn was researching the same suspects she had gave Ellie pause. Maybe he wasn’t quite the do-nothing cop she first thought. “Then you have your doubts about Jeffery?”
The detective arched an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t say I have doubts, because I still think he’s the one person who had motive and opportunity, but I do think Lilah Perry had a boatload of enemies who are happy she’s gone.”
“And if I knew for certain who killed her, I’d send them a dozen roses as a thank-you.” Marcus’s words rang in Ellie’s brain. Should she mention that the designer had a special reason for wanting Lilah dead, or would that only get Marcus in hot water?
“Take Marcus David, for instance,” continued Vaughn, as if reading her mind.
“What about him?”
“Word has it he thought Lilah Perry was responsible for his younger sister’s death. Revenge is always a good motive for murder.”
“I’m impressed. You have been looking into things.”
“How nice to learn I have your approval. But, unlike you, I’m finding my info legally.”
That was his second hint that he knew about her and Patti snooping in the models’ apartments. But he also had to know they’d gotten the keys legally, which meant he’d have a hard time proving the case against them. Instead of worrying, she charged ahead. “Anyone else I should know about?”
His lips thinned. “You shouldn’t know about any of them.”
“You do realize that if someone complained about me, I might be getting close to the truth.”
“Which means you should watch your back. People don’t like strangers nosing into their private lives, and that’s what you’ve been doing.”
“Did you come here today to warn me, or are you here to keep tabs on Jeffery King?”
“A bit of both. I don’t like cases that are a slam dunk. That usually means something’s too convenient for comfort. And my case against Jeffery King is definitely a slam dunk.”
“Then why arrest him? Why not let him go while you check out the other possibilities?”
“I’m checking them out in my own way, so I’ll say it one more time. Stay out of my investigation.” He stood. “Keep your nose clean, and let the NYPD do their job.” He gave a curt nod. “Good day.”
“What a gasbag,” came a voice from behind her.
She checked to see if anyone was watching, then turned to face her boy. “He’s definitely a tough nut, but I kind of like him. He’s not as crude or as lazy as Detective Gruning, and he’s at least letting me know we have the same suspicions. That has to count for something.”
“Maybe so, but I don’t like him gripin’ because we’re doin’ a good job. Plus even if he’s free now, our guy is still under arrest.”
“But it sounds as if he’d be happy to release Jeffery if he came up with a better suspect. I think that’s a big admission for a homicide detective.”
“Doesn’t seem like anything Detective Demento would ever do,” Rudy groused.
“Leave Sam out of this. He’d listen if he thought I was on the right track. I just hope he’s been so busy working his own cases that he hasn’t had time to think about what’s going on over here.”
“It has been sorta nice with him outta the house this past week. I like havin’ my bed back.”
“Well, I miss him.”
“You’re in the minority.”
Since when did her four-legged pal have a majority vote in their relationship? “Can we get back on track, please? I need to find a way to get closer to Marcus. I hate to say it, but I agree with Vaughn. Revenge is a great reason for murder, and Marcus is still mourning his sister. I just don’t know how to do it without leading him on.”
“I already told you, just bat your baby blues.”
“That’s the same as leading him on, you knucklehead. No thanks.”
Rudy scratched his side with a back leg, then retreated to his favorite Buddha pose.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked him.
The shuffle of feet caught her attention and she spun in her seat. “Ellie, darling, I’ve just met the most adorable young man. And he has a respectable job that doesn’t put him in danger or make him deal with the distasteful side of life.”
Leave it to Georgette to describe an honorable profession like nabbing killers as distasteful. “I’ve met Marcus, Mother. He’s a great guy.”
“And single,” her mother prodded, taking the chair next to Ellie.
“I know that, too.”
“He told me he was escorting you to a party tomorrow evening, quite near our penthouse. Detective Ryder is a decent man, but his profession seems to draw you in, and you end up doing the same dangerous things he does.” Georgette patted her daughter’s knee. “I’m thrilled to see that you’re coming to your senses.”
Ellie gave an internal eye roll. “Sam is my guy of choice, Mother, no matter what his profession, and he does his best to keep me out of danger, so don’t blame my brushes with murder on him.” She crossed her arms. “As for Marcus David, he’s well aware the date is platonic. The exciting thing is I’m going to need a new dress, something designer,” she said, hoping to pull her mother off topic. “I’ve been told the party is private, with only the biggies in the fashion world on the guest list.”
Georgette’s complexion flushed pink. “Are you allowed to bring guests?”
“No. In fact, I think I’m a pity guest myself, just there because I was part of what Nola Morgan Design considered their team.”
Georgette’s expression deflated like a slowly leaking tire. “Oh, well, would you like some assistance finding the right dress?”
She was hoping to shop with Vivian, not her money-laden mother. But before she could answer, she spotted Nola McKay, without an entourage, headed in their direction.
“Ellie, I’ve been looking for you. I need a favor,” said the designer maven.
“I’ll be happy to lend a hand, but first let me introduce you to—”
“Your mother.” Nola held out a hand and Georgette grasped it. “We’ve met.”
“Nola, it was so nice talking with you earlier.” Georgette placed her palm on Ellie’s shoulder. “I know my girl will do whatever she can to assist you. She’s such a clever young woman.”
Ellie wanted to crawl under a chair to hide her embarrassment. Most mothers loved putting their daughter on the spot, and her mom was no exception. “Ms. McKay knows I’ll help her in any way I can.”
Nola grinned. “I hear you’ll be at tomorrow night’s party with Marcus David, and I so hoped you’d agree to wear the design we discussed at our first meeting. We did promise you Kitty’s wheat-colored jumpsuit with the burnt orange trim, and I know it’ll look great on you.”
“Oh, gosh, I’d love to wear it.” Ellie heaved a sigh of happiness. No dress-shopping tomorrow meant she could work on more important things. “Thanks so much for the offer.”
“Wait.” Georgette held up a hand, much like Detective Vaughn had. “You’re asking my daughter to wear a designer original?”
“Why, yes. She’s a perfect plus size, so the outfit won’t need any alterations. We’ve asked all the models and their dogs to wear one of Kitty’s wonderful creations, but since we already promised the jumpsuit to Ellie, well, it seemed only right that she be the one to have it for the party.”
Before Georgette could comment, Stanley arrived on his scooter. “I thought I might find you here with our girl,” he said, his voice hesitant. “I don’t want to spoil the party, but I was hoping you’d agree to a trip home. This has been a long day, and I’m afraid it’s worn me out.”
Georgette practically jumped to her feet. “Of course we can go.” She turned to her daughter and N
ola. “I’m thrilled Ellie will have that outfit for the big party, Ms. McKay, and it’s been a pleasure.” She kissed Ellie’s cheek. “Don’t stay out too late tomorrow night, darling. Sunday is brunch.”
“Georgette is charming, and so is Judge Frye,” said Nola, watching Ellie’s mother and stepfather leave. “Oh, and there’s one more thing. Since the models will be bringing their dogs, we thought it only fair you bring your little man.” She nodded at Rudy. “Now, let’s get you that jumpsuit.
“Thanks so much for the help. I couldn’t have done it without you,” said Ellie, bidding Viv a good-bye at her door the next morning. “I’m even going to stop whining about the outrageous price I had to pay for the darned shoes.”
“Hah! I’ll believe that when I don’t hear it,” said Viv, juggling her packages so she could take the apartment keys from her bag. “Just promise me you’ll forget about wearing a four-hundred-dollar pair of shoes and have fun. Marcus is an adorable guy, and he likes you. If Sam complains, tell him it was business. He’ll understand.” She opened her door. “I’m going to walk Twink. You want to meet me with Rudy?”
“I still have a lot to do to get ready, so he has to bide his time.” She headed up the stairs. “And I have to phone Amber to make sure my charges had a good week.”
She gave a final wave and climbed the steps to her floor. After unlocking the door, she slipped inside, hung up her jacket, and carried her tote bag and over-the-top shoes to the kitchen, where her boy sat waiting.
“Did you have a good nap?” She took a cup from the dish drainer and filled it with water. “I hope so, because you’re going to have a busy night.”
“Sleep is always good.” He yawned. “You sure I have to go to tonight’s shindig?”
Ellie put her cup in the microwave and went to the cupboard for a tea bag while she waited for the nuker to chime. “Yes, I’m sure. Remember, all our suspects will be there. We could find a clue or two that will break the case.”
“I say you concentrate on that prince guy and his gal. Get into their private space and see what you can find.”