Behind the Seams

by Betty Hechtman

  Our food came, and since it was served family-style, we began to pass around the plates as Sheila continued. “I told Nicholas that if we were going to have photos, they ought to be unique rather than just head shots.” Sheila smiled broadly. Whenever she spoke about her boss, her face seemed to brighten, and we all thought she had a thing for him, though she denied it. “He listened to what I said and he agreed. So now when someone famous comes in, I take a digital picture of them with whatever they bought. Instead of hanging the photos on the wall, we put them in frames we have for sale and spread them around the store.”

  Dinah complimented her on the idea and started talking about her students and getting ready for finals, but then went off into talking about Commander. “This probably sounds stupid, but he’s so nice to me, it’s making me nervous.” My normally chipper friend hung her head. “He’s making all kinds of plans for the summer.”

  “Don’t you like what he’s planning?” Sheila asked.

  “It’s not what he’s planning that’s the problem. All the things are lots of fun and help people. He has us volunteering at the next Hearts and Barks carnival.” She handed me the pasta in pomodoro sauce. “You should understand,” she said to me. “Look how upset you are that Barry wants you to move to Simi Valley when you get married.”

  “Married?” Sheila said. “You’re getting married?” She knew about the ring in the drawer and my lack of an answer.

  “I’m not getting married,” I protested.

  “Sorry,” Dinah said. “I should have said if you get married. But Barry is almost living at your house.” She explained the condo concept to Sheila.

  “It sounds to me like he’s trying to take you away from your old life,” Sheila said.

  As much as I was against the condo idea, I found myself defending Barry. I argued that he wanted us to have a place that was fresh for both of us. And Simi Valley was more affordable. “With Barry’s ego and all, he wants to buy the place.” I made excuses, but what Sheila had said registered. I didn’t want to think it was true.

  The pasta was delicious, and when they brought the dessert menu, we ordered a chocolate soufflé and shared it. Sheila had seen the cop cars and hazmat team and heard some vague details but wanted the whole story. She shuddered when I told her about the Nature’s Sweetie problems. “You know we sell coffee and teas. We almost were going to sell that sweetener as well. I’m glad now we didn’t. So what’s the next step for you?” she asked.

  “Barry thinks I should drop it, but then he never thinks I should investigate anything. But he said now that it seems the problem is with the sweetener rather than Robyn being a target, Nell should be exonerated and get her job back. But it feels strange to me.” I mentioned the no-name boyfriend who’d been cut out of the pictures, and the crocheted items that seemed at odds with the kind of person she was. Then I brought up the doll and how CeeCee was sure that this actress had made it, and I explained why it didn’t make sense. “The doll is definitely old and been through a childhood. If Ariel Rose made it—”

  “Ariel Rose?” Sheila said. “She’s been in the store. I just took her picture. She has young kids and she likes it because we have the whole kids’ area.”

  “She does?” I said. Far better than anything CeeCee could set up would be just running into Ariel and starting up a conversation. I asked Sheila if she had any idea when she’d be in the store again.

  “How about she’s going to be there tomorrow afternoon,” Sheila said with a smile. “She ordered some hand-painted cereal bowls and is coming in to pick them up.” We finished our dessert and coffee. Sheila insisted on picking up the check and said it was her thank-you for all the times we’d taken her out.

  I didn’t say anything to Sheila as we said our good nights, because I didn’t want to put her on the spot. But I’d already decided that one way or another, I was going to just happen to be in Luxe when Ariel Rose came for her bowls. I discussed it with Dinah, who suggested we just keep a watch for the young actress from the bookstore and then just happen to show up in Luxe when we saw her go in.

  It was late when I finally got home. I checked all the phones and had no return call from Mason. Even though it looked like I might not need the information, Mason didn’t know that. He didn’t even know why I was calling. Now, I was officially worried.

  CHAPTER 22

  THE THING ABOUT CELEBRITIES WAS THAT AT LEAST some of them had regular lives. When they weren’t being pampered on the set, they went to the grocery store, stopped at a Starbucks for coffee, and shopped at the bookstore. So the idea that Ariel Rose shopped at Luxe didn’t seem that strange at all. But how to approach her in a way that didn’t freak her out was a different story. Who wouldn’t be creeped out if someone just came up to them and pushed an old doll in her face and asked her if she’d made it?

  When I called CeeCee to tell her where Ariel Rose was going to be, she insisted on being there and even offered to be the lookout, tracking her arrival. When Dinah heard CeeCee was coming, she bowed out. We decided to say nothing to Adele. It would just stir up trouble if I told her about the plan and then said she couldn’t come. Ignorance was bliss. Right, her ignorance was going to be our bliss.

  “She’s coming. She’s coming,” CeeCee said in a stage whisper, finding me after she rushed into the bookstore. “I saw her pulling into the parking lot.” CeeCee started back toward the door, and in some move she must have picked up from some role she’d had, jerked her head as a signal to go. Adele was busy in the kids’ section. She was working on something for Salute to Chocolate and was being very secretive. I told our cashier, Rayaad, I was just going next door for a few minutes if Mrs. Shedd asked for me.

  CeeCee and I walked next door to Luxe. As we went inside, as always, I was struck by the exotic smell that came from the combination of coffees, teas, spices and fragrances they sold. It was no wonder Ariel Rose shopped there. With the whole world gone to chain stores, Luxe was one of a kind. And most of the merchandise was, too.

  Sheila was in the center of the store behind a counter that held small items like the silver dessert spoons and jewelry. The top had a display of items crocheted by Sheila. She had refined her style but still kept true to the impressionist appearance of her mixtures of greens, blues and lavender yarns, which she crocheted together into shawls, scarves and throws. Much to Adele’s chagrin, Sheila had knitted some of them.

  The store was empty of customers, and Sheila offered us samples of the tea of the day. They always had catchy names and claimed some sort of cure. Today’s was Afternoon Slump Begone. It sounded good to me, and I took a sample cup from the pot.

  “Try to act nonchalant,” CeeCee said, adding some sugar to her tea as the bell on the door tinkled and we all looked up. Even dressed in jeans and a white shirt, Ariel Rose stood out with her long blond wavy hair and lilting smile. Two little girls dressed similarly rushed ahead of her to the kids’ section. A woman trailed them to the table hand-painted with a pretty design, surrounded by small chairs. There was a toy box of things to play with and nonmessy art supplies. It was obvious the woman was there to take care of the kids, and she stayed next to the table.

  Ariel turned her smile on Sheila and said hello. Sheila had figured we were up to something, and the old tension began to show around her eyes. She looked back and forth between the three of us and seemed at a loss what to do.

  I covered the awkwardness by telling Sheila that CeeCee and I were in no hurry and to go ahead and wait on the new customer.

  This was one of the odd things about seeing some actor type when you were out and about. You were really strangers, yet you knew way too much about them. On the other hand, they knew nothing about you.

  The good thing about this time was CeeCee had every reason to know that Ariel crocheted, since CeeCee was heavily involved with the Hearts and Barks charity.

  Still, how did you go from smiling and nodding at someone to asking them about some doll they crocheted a while ago?

 
; We were hemming and hawing when I noticed something zip by the window. The door opened and the bell went into a frenzy. When I looked toward the sound, Adele was standing in the corner with a stormy expression.

  “Nice work, Pink. Slipping out without telling me.” Adele’s voice was naturally loud, but when she got upset, it got even louder.

  If it was possible, Adele had outdone herself in the clothes department. She’d taken a black tee shirt and cut off the short sleeves and then used bedspread-weight thread to crochet elbow-length lacy ones. She had a necklace made of crochet motifs and a beanie with a flower. Any one of them would have been lovely alone. Together, they were overkill but a conversation opener.

  Ariel walked over to Adele and looked at her shirt. “Do you sell these here?” she said to Sheila.

  “Sell them here, no way. This is a one-of-a-kind piece. I made it myself. It’s CROCHETED,” Adele said, raising her voice for emphasis when she got to the yarn art, then she viewed Ariel with an expectant expression. Ariel touched the sleeves with an admiring gesture, but that was it. Adele seemed frustrated. I guess she was expecting Ariel to get all excited about it being crocheted and then say that she crocheted, which would give Adele the opening she was looking for.

  “It’s a great look,” Ariel said, and then looked away.

  CeeCee took the opportunity to introduce herself. “You’re involved with Hearts and Barks, aren’t you?”

  Of course Ariel knew who CeeCee was but seemed a little surprised by the Hearts and Barks question.

  “Involved seems like the wrong word. I take my kids to the carnival every year,” she said. “Anything I can do to help the animals,” she said with genuine emotion. “I want them to care, too,” she said, glancing toward her daughters.

  Ariel turned to Sheila and asked about her order. Once she got it and paid, she wasn’t going to hang around.

  “Wasn’t that terrible about that producer on the Barbara Olive Overton show,” I said ostensibly to CeeCee. “What was her name, Robyn something?” It was a bit of a non sequitur, but there wasn’t time to ease into the subject.

  “Freed,” CeeCee said with a nod. “And to think she was murdered right in front of you.” I watched Ariel for her reaction. None.

  Now it was getting strange and I began to think that the board member that CeeCee had talked to must have been mistaken about who made the doll she bought. Adele was getting upset, too. Her first shot at a celebrity seemed to be slipping away. While CeeCee and I were trying to be subtle, Adele finally just lost it and stepped closer to Ariel, backing her into a corner. “We want to know about the doll.”

  Ariel tried to move away and gave us all a perplexed look. A moment later, her lips curved into the smile so familiar from all those romantic comedies. “I know, this has to do with your reality show. Right? But I don’t get what the point is. A scavenger hunt maybe. You have to get a doll or something.” She glanced around the store.

  CeeCee’s eyes flared. “My program is called Making Amends. It has nothing to do with scavenger hunts and everything to do with correcting some wrong in someone’s past.”

  I’d brought the girl doll with me, and I whipped it out of my bag. I waved it in front of her and pulled up its skirt and showed off the pink rosebud.

  “It looks like this one,” I said.

  Ariel’s eyes got big and her smile vanished. “Oh my God,” she said as her mouth fell open. She slipped out of the corner and made a move toward the door, waving at her girls to follow. “How did you find out? I didn’t mean any harm.” She swallowed hard and had pulled out her cell phone. “But isn’t if awfully late to be coming out about it. I’ll reimburse the money if she wanted a refund. I just wanted to help the animals.”

  “What exactly did you do?” Adele demanded.

  “I know the doll you’re talking about now. Okay, I lied and said I’d made it. The rule for the auction was that the items had to be made by a celebrity. I don’t know how to thread a needle. The kids’ nanny made the doll.”

  We all looked toward the woman with the girls.

  “That’s not her. Annie doesn’t work for me anymore.”

  “What happened?” I asked. It was more out of curiosity than anything else.

  Ariel seemed to consider what to say for a moment, then she shrugged to herself as if to say, Why not? “She was a nanny with an agenda.” It seemed like that was all she was going to say, but as I’ve mentioned before, dead air has all kinds of benefits. It makes people uncomfortable, including me, and they attempt to fill it. I struggled with myself to keep silent.

  Finally Ariel broke. “We have a fabulous playground set up in our yard. All state-of-the-art equipment. There’s a tree house and a rope ladder, swings and more.” Ariel’s tone changed to irritation as she continued. “The nanny didn’t think it was good for children to be isolated from the real world. So, even though we had everything you could ask for, I found out she was taking the kids to the park.” When she said park, there was a definite ick sound to it.

  “I just wanted to dip the kids in hand sanitizer when they came back. They had sand in their shoes from the sandbox.” She wrinkled her perfect nose with distaste.

  I didn’t say it, but I was thinking that they probably had much more fun at the park with all the kids than in their pristine yard of perfect equipment.

  There must have been something in my expression, because suddenly she got defensive. “I gave her a great reference and didn’t say anything about the park. Her name is Annie Hoover.” She had sunk into a chair by now. “Okay, I admit it, I didn’t tell Annie what I was doing with the doll. I’m sure she wouldn’t have approved.”

  “Do you know how I could get in touch with her?”

  Ariel seemed distraught. “Why tell her what I did now? What possible difference could it make?”

  I had to explain I wasn’t looking for the nanny to turn Ariel in. I started to tell her about Robyn, but as soon as she realized it wasn’t about her, she gave me the information.

  “She’s in her forties and has brown hair. She took my kids to the park Tuesday and Thursday morning around ten. She’s probably doing the same with the family she works for now. They live up in the hills, so she’s probably still taking them to Tarzana Park.” I noticed that Ariel’s eyes were filling with water. “What I did was wrong. But please don’t say anything to him.” We all glanced toward the window. Pierce Sheraton and Talia Canon were walking by toward the bookstore. “I’m sorry if it caused some kind of trouble.” She took out a checkbook and wrote a check and handed it to me. “Please give this to the Hearts and Barks people to make up for any problem.”

  She’d begun edging toward the door and waved to her daughters and the woman to join her. Then she was gone.

  “Well, I guess there was some benefit out of all that,” CeeCee said, taking the check from me. “Her guilt payment is going to help a lot of dogs and cats.”

  As we walked back to the bookstore, Adele was sulking and mumbling about losing out on a celebrity crocheter. I was more interested in trying to find the nanny.

  No time to think about it. Adele went back to her area and Mrs. Shedd waved me over. Talia Canon was standing with her.

  “Molly is the one who handles all the events,” Mrs. Shedd said. “You should talk to her.” Mrs. Shedd took off and I sensed there was some kind of problem. I was still holding the crocheted doll. Talia gave it an odd look. I had it under my arm nestled against my body like I was cuddling it, and I suppose it must have looked a little strange.

  “It belonged to Robyn,” I said. Luckily Talia didn’t ask me why I had it. It would have sounded too weird to say I fished it out of the trash. D. J. Florian came out of the café and joined Talia. I noticed that the entertainment reporter was following him out of the café and carrying a coffee drink. Pierce eyed the doll and gave me a strange look. One that didn’t improve when I mentioned who the doll had belonged to. I began by apologizing for asking him to leave the café a while back.
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  He laughed. “I’ve been chased out of lots of places. It goes with the territory. Don’t worry, I didn’t take it personally.” He looked at the doll in my arms. “What are you doing with Robyn’s doll?”

  “It’s a long story,” I said with a dismissive wave. “Did you know her very well?”

  “I like to think I know everybody in the business. Too bad about what happened to her.”

  I asked him if she passed along information to him.

  “What are you, some kind of amateur detective?” he said, suddenly noticing that I was asking him a bunch of questions. “You’re not trying to make me one of your suspects, are you?” He laughed at the absurdity. “Maybe you haven’t heard, but the cops are just considering her a random victim now that other tainted sweetener has shown up.”

  “I heard someone brought in a box of it to the Van Nuys police station,” I said, and Pierce got his trademark smirk.

  “Not exactly brought it in,” he said. “The cops are trying to keep a lid on it. They want to give the impression they know who dropped off the tainted box.”

  “But you know what really happened?” I asked.

  “I get the scoops on everything,” he said with a certain amount of cocky pride. “I heard from my source that the box of sweetener was actually left outside the door in the middle of the night.”

  “They must have some kind of surveillance cameras,” I said.

  “Very good,” Pierce said, seeming impressed. “But it didn’t do them much good. Since it was drizzling that night, the person was carrying an umbrella and used it to block the camera’s view. Personally, I think the whole tainted thing is a diversion. To make it look like Robyn wasn’t the target,” Pierce said. I got a sinking feeling that the cops might be thinking that, too. Specifically Detective Heather. Maybe poor Nell wasn’t off the hook after all.

  Talia made a loud ahem noise and seemed irritated at being kept standing there.

  “We’re not here to discuss Robyn,” the segment producer said. Any hesitation about stepping into Robyn’s shoes seemed to be gone. “I happened to be in the area and stopped in to look over the place for the piece on D. J.” The blogoir author nodded to her and she continued. “He’s concerned about being stuck on to the chocolate event.”