by Judi McCoy
Frowning, Nola took a step back and reached into the right-side pocket of her wide-legged, red silk slacks. “Reveal their affair?” Her hand left the pocket holding a tiny gun, possibly a .22, with a pinkish cast to the metal. “Hah! If that were the only problem, I would have let her tell the world.”
Hoping for a smattering of pity, Ellie heaved a loud sigh. “Do you mind if I sit down? I’d like to hear the entire story, and because of these new shoes, my feet are killing me.”
Nola used the gun to gesture toward a wingback chair covered in a lovely flowered silk fabric. When Ellie took a seat Rudy jumped into her lap and gave her face a sloppy lick.
“I gotta plan, Triple E. It’ll only take a minute. I’ll find the right person and bring ’em back here.”
She ran her fingers through his hair. Now was not the time to hold a conversation with her four-legged pal. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said, smiling at her jailer. She didn’t know a lot about guns, but the one in Nola’s hand looked too small to do much damage. And Nola wouldn’t dare shoot it, not with so many people in the apartment who might hear the noise. “I really do want to connect the dots on this story.”
Nola took a seat on the bed, close enough to hit her with a bullet, but not close enough for Ellie to jump the woman without warning. “Don’t think I’m blinded by your ploys, young lady. Patti Fallgrave was correct; you really do have a good head on your shoulders. You got much further in your investigation than Morgan and I gave you credit for.”
Ellie sneaked a peek at her watch. Where in the heck was Marcus? “A ploy? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“Oh, but of course you do. You’re hoping to keep me talking long enough for Marcus to rescue you.” She shrugged. “Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Ellie answered, her stomach taking a dive. “Why not?”
“Because when I found him looking for you, I told him you’d left. I made up an excuse—something you ate didn’t agree with you or some such nonsense—and you asked me to give him the news, then you took a taxi home. The poor boy left here before we cut the cake. I saw him walk out the door myself.”
Did Marcus really believe she’d leave without telling him? “And Patti? Or Kitty and the other designers?”
“Why, no one’s mentioned your name. That’s what happens when you get involved in an industry where it’s all about you.” Nola grinned. “Everyone is so worried about how they look, what they’re wearing, and who they can impress, they don’t dare think about the worker bees.”
“And Morgan? Where is he?”
“Saying good-bye to the last of our guests, I hope. I pleaded a headache—too much excitement—and even Kitty understood. Jeffery took her home right after the cake cutting and congratulatory toast.”
“This dame’s a whack-job, Triple E. Let me outta here so I can get the cavalry.”
Ellie fingered Rudy’s muzzle, hoping to shut him up. She couldn’t think when he was jabbering.
He jerked back his head. “All righty then!” Diving off her lap, he headed for the door.
“Rudy, no!”
Still grinning, Nola watched him leave. “Not to worry, Morgan will catch him. Or one of the caterers, if any are still here. We arranged it so they’d return tomorrow to take care of the cleaning chores, so I imagine everyone is gone by now.”
Did Morgan have a gun, too? If everyone was gone, would he use it on her boy? Rudy was a little dog, but if hit in the right spot, even a bullet from a small gun would kill him.
Morgan took that moment to walk, or maybe skulk was a better description, into the room. “I see you have everything under control, my dear.” His smile was more of a leer. “Just as I figured.”
“I’m getting tired of mopping up your messes, Morgan. Don’t you think it’s about time you started taking care of your own dirty work?” Nola’s tone was sharp, and much nastier than that of a loving partner. “Now what do you propose we do with Ms. Engleman and her dog? And make it fast. We don’t have all night.”
“Stop blaming me for our problems.” He continued with his cheeky grin. “You had a hand in this one, too.”
“I’m still confused. What are you two talking about?” Ellie asked, trying to make sense of their conversation.
“Never mind,” Nola bit out. “There’s no need for you to stick your nose in our private business.”
“But—”
Morgan pulled a gun from his tuxedo jacket, this one on the small side, too. “Shut up, and do as you’re told.” He walked to the window and drew back the beige satin curtain. “It’s dark enough. I think we’ll be able to leave in a matter of minutes.”
Nola waved her weapon toward the door. “Check and make sure every guest is gone. And find that dog. We’ll have to dump him, too.”
The idea of being tossed out like a sack of trash sent Ellie reeling. “This won’t work. People will be looking for me. I live with a cop. He’ll put out an APB. They’ll scan the tapes from your building’s entry and see that I never left.”
“Hah!” Morgan said with a snort. “Last time I checked, this building wasn’t equipped with a security tape. And by the time you’re reported missing, we’ll already have you where we want you. In New Jersey, my old stomping ground. Remember that union boss, Jimmy somebody or other, who disappeared a while back? There are so many seedy places to drop a body in that state, you might never be found.”
“I think you need to come up with a better plan,” Ellie continued, hoping to waste more time. “There’s DNA evidence, fingerprinting, search and rescue dogs, all kinds of forensic technology in use today.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Nola mocked. “We discussed this, but I never believed we’d have to go to these lengths. Especially on our big night.” She glared at Morgan. “Get out there and make a final run. We have to move this along.”
His expression froze into one of contempt. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll happily do your bidding.”
He left the room and Ellie searched for the words to keep the woman talking. “Instead of killing me, I think it would be wiser to plead out. Tell the police you didn’t realize how serious Lilah’s allergies were. You just wanted to get her out of the competition. I’m sure, with the right attorney, you could—”
“Oh, puh-leeze! Lilah never shut up about how serious her allergies were. Everyone in this industry knew about them.” Nola again raised her gun. “Besides, once you’ve committed a first murder, what’s one more? Just accept the inevitable and do as you’re told.”
“You have a doorman. Won’t he wonder what’s going on when you’re practically dragging me out of the building?”
“First of all, you won’t ever go past the doorman because we’re taking an elevator straight to the parking garage. And I doubt you’ll make a sound, once you realize your dog is at risk. I’m warning you, Ms. Engleman, give us one moment’s grief and he’ll be the first to get a bullet in the brain.”
Ellie swallowed. Then Rudy trotted into the room with an empty-handed Morgan right behind him. “Look who I found,” he shouted, his doggie lips turned up in a smile.
Beatriz followed them both, her gun held high.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Ellie said to Sam, who was sitting next to her on the white leather sofa of Nola and Morgan’s penthouse suite. The apartment was crawling with cops, a forensic team, police photographers, and a bevy of other officers doing whatever it was they did to wrap a case.
“Thank that designer guy who brought you here,” said Sam, his expression filled with annoyance. “I didn’t like the way he kept sizing you up, so I decided to protect what was mine. I figured Vaughn would show just to make sure he had all the suspects sorted out, so when I called and offered to lend a hand, he was more than happy to say yes. He figured he’d need someone to ride roughshod over you.”
She didn’t mind that Sam talked about her as if he owned her, not really. What irritated her more was the fact that Vaughn didn�
�t think she was capable of amassing the correct evidence. “But how did Detective Vaughn know I’d be in danger?”
Sam gave an evil-sounding chuckle. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. I’ve—”
“We’ve—” Rudy, who was curled up next to her on the sofa, muttered.
“I’ve been in dicier situations than this, and I’ve—”
“We’ve,” he again reminded her.
She rested a hand on her boy’s head. He was the one who had saved the day, and Beatriz Alfonso might agree, though Sam and Vaughn would never acknowledge it. “I owe the rescue to Rudy. If he hadn’t found Detective Alfonso hiding in that back bathroom and convinced her to follow him—”
“She’d already called Vaughn on her radio and told him she was ready to move on the arrest when your dog showed up.” The undercover officer had used that out-of-place black flower she wore on her jacket to hide the two-way radio. “Your boy was just wandering the apartment, nosing around, as usual.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Rudy said with a snarl. “I resent that. I knew where I was headed, and I figured out she was undercover the minute I saw her wearin’ that thirty-eight special a day ago.”
It was impossible to argue with Sam and her yorkiepoo at the same time. Truth is, it would have been nice if Rudy had clued her on his suspicions of Beatriz yesterday, but the stinker had kept the information to himself. When they were alone, they were going to have a long talk about sharing everything they knew about the people they dealt with.
“You should give him more credit. He was definitely looking for a way out for both of us.”
“You can say whatever you want, but I’m right about this.”
“You’re dead wrong, Detective Doofus.”
Sam raised his head and connected with Vaughn, who was signaling him from the entryway. “Sit here and don’t move. I’m being summoned.”
Ellie watched him walk into the foyer, then locked gazes with her boy. “I know you’re not happy with Sam’s take on things, but please stop interrupting. It’s hard enough following his comments without trying to listen to yours. And how did you know the caliber of gun Detective Alfonso was wearing?”
“That thirty-eight? It’s a Ladysmith six-forty-two. It’s got a five-round shot, and it’s double action. Won’t do a ton of damage, but it had enough to stop the designer and her prince.” He sneezed. “Good thing those two dopes realized it.”
“You still haven’t said where you learned so much about guns. Where did you go to pick up all that—” She stopped midsentence when tuxedo clad legs stopped to stand in front of her.
“I hate to belabor the point, but are you holding another conversation with your dog?” Marcus David asked her. “Then again, what else would you be doing?”
Ellie gazed up at her disappearing date. “Oh, ah, hello. How long have you been here?”
“In the building? I never left. I’ve been downstairs chatting with the doorman since I pretended to do what Nola suggested.” He nodded at the empty cushion beside her. “Mind if I sit?”
“No, of course not.” She heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry you had to be put out. I kept hoping you’d be the one to find me, but I guess Nola told you a good story.”
“She tried, but I didn’t believe her. I left because I didn’t want to ruin Kitty’s big moment, and came downstairs to ask the doorman if he’d called a cab for a beautiful redhead and her dog. When he said no, I knew you were still upstairs and I phoned Vaughn. I figured something hinky was going on.”
“But you didn’t know what?”
“I had a suspicion it was something big. I knew you were looking into Jeffery King’s case, and he worked for Nola and Morgan. We were in their apartment, as were all the suspects, and Nola had just lied to me, so it was inevitable something would happen.” He put an arm behind her on the sofa back. “When I saw your guy and Detective Vaughn march through the downstairs foyer shortly after that, I hung around to watch.”
“I take it someone’s filled you in on your substitute model, and told you she’s a cop.”
“Yeah. Detective Vaughn thought the NMD people knew more than they were saying, so he went to the Fashion Council and had them intervene. An undercover model was the best they could come up with.”
Ellie grinned. “Considering her real profession, I think Beatriz Alfonso did a pretty remarkable job on the runway, don’t you?”
“Yep, and I already told her so, too. She’s a nice woman.”
“And attractive.”
A flush of red crossed the designer’s face. “Very.”
“Homicide detectives have lousy hours, and they’re always on duty, but they are dependable,” she encouraged. Marcus needed someone in his life, and he and Beatriz might make a good match. “But that’s something you should find out for yourself.”
“One thing at a time,” he said with a laugh. Then his arm dropped to her shoulder.
“I hate to be the one to tell you this,” said Ellie, “but I gathered from my conversation with Nola and Morgan that you were the one they wanted framed for the murder. Nola was going to find a way to plant Lilah’s swag bag in your apartment, though I have no idea how they planned to get the cops to search for it there.” She looked in his eyes. “Why did they choose you?”
He blew out a breath. “Probably because of the bad blood between me and Lilah. What’s important is that you thought I was innocent.”
“I must admit, the story of what happened to your sister put a bug in my ear, but something inside told me you were too nice a guy to kill anyone.”
“And I guess you haven’t been lying. You and Detective Ryder are truly in a good relationship, huh?”
“The best,” said Ellie, taking his free hand in hers. “You’re a great guy, Marcus, and I was so sorry to hear about your sister, but the past is over and done. It’s time you moved on with your life.”
“It took me a while, but I figured that out. I was just sort of hoping I could move on with you.” He placed his lips on her temple. “But I realized that wasn’t going to work the moment I saw the way Sam looked at you.”
“He’s a little possessive, and I like him that way, but he’d never stop me from helping someone who’s wrongly accused unless he felt I’d be in danger. That’s the reason he snared a spot on this raid.” She scanned the room, noting many of the forensic team had left. “It looks like things are winding down and they’re about ready to close up here.”
Marcus moved his arm and set his hands on his knees. “Then I guess I should be leaving.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you in the near future, and think about giving Beatriz a chance. You might like a woman who wears a gun.” Ellie kissed his cheek. “Take care of yourself.”
Marcus stood. “You do the same. And keep talking to your dog. The way I see it, that’s when you get your best ideas.” He tipped his head. “Be good.”
“He got that last part right,” said Rudy. “I am the giver of all good ideas.”
“I might be able to come up with a few of my own if you shared your information with me,” she chided. Then she shut up. Detective Vaughn and Sam were headed their way.
“Ms. Engleman. I’m sending you home in the protective custody of Detective Ryder.”
She stood and Sam locked their arms together.
“We have your statement, plus the confession of both Nola McKay and Morgan Prince, though I probably don’t have to tell you they sang two very different renditions of the same old song.”
“I imagine they would. They didn’t seem like lovers or even agreeable roommates when they confronted me.” She crossed mental fingers. “I don’t suppose you could tell me why they did it.”
“Ellie,” warned Sam.
Vaughn canted his head, the barest glimmer of a smile on his lips. “It’s fine, Ryder. She has a right to know,” he conceded. “Depending on who you believe, Nola McKay and Lilah Perry were lovers. When Morgan Prince found out Nola betrayed him, he seduce
d Ms. Perry himself. The McKay woman said he’d cheated on her numerous times over the years, so she was just getting back at him. After sleeping with both of them, Ms. Perry saw an opportunity for blackmail and she took it. McKay and Prince knew the dirty information would not only cast a pall on their big contest, but ruin their introduction into the ready-to-wear market, as well.”
“Hang on. They were both sleeping with Lilah?”
“Apparently. And when they received the blackmail demand, in person by Ms. Perry, McKay came up with the idea to get rid of the girl for good.” He raised an eyebrow. “Hard to imagine, isn’t it?”
“I’ll say,” Ellie agreed. “So they just pretended to be loving partners—”
“Their business thrived on it.”
“But they slept with different people.”
“Seems that way. My guess is once the story gets out there will be at least a dozen models, designers, and stylists who claim they slept with one or both of them, too.” He shrugged. “This is one crazy industry.”
“Geez, I’ll say. Do you think they’ll go to trial?”
“They’ll do time, but the length will depend on the DA and the lawyers. Now, if there’s anything else I can do for you before we call it a night?”
“How about a reward? A coupl’a bags of Dingo bones would be nice right about now.”
“I do have a question,” said Ellie, ignoring Rudy’s suggestion. “I never did hear if Lilah had relatives, because I wonder about Klingon.”
“Klingon?” Vaughn’s face was blank. “Like in Star Trek?”
“Klingon, as in Lilah Perry’s mini Schnauzer. He’s been living with Yasmine, but she can’t keep him any longer. Has anyone in the Perry family been contacted about taking him?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to check and see. Knowing how you feel about dogs, I’ll let you know.” He shook Sam’s hand, then Ellie’s. “You’ll be hearing from me about anything else we need via Detective Ryder. Have a good night.”
Ellie rested her head on Sam’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to spend your one night off babysitting me, but I told you I’d be fine. It sounds like Vaughn and Detective Alfonso had everything under control.”