Elaine Viets & Victoria Laurie, Nancy Martin, Denise Swanson - Drop-Dead Blonde (v5.0) (pdf)

by Drop-Dead Blonde (epub)

  Pinky's fierce gaze sharpened. ``Are you accusing me?''

  ``No. But I wonder if you know something about Darwin, something that maybe you didn't tell the police.''

  ``Popo's assistant? That little mole with the pointy nose?'' Pinky bristled. ``I only know him as Popo's gatekeeper.''

  ``I couldn't help noticing that you . . . well, you tried to give him some cash.''

  ``A Christmas gratuity,'' she said quickly. ``I'm as gener- ous as possible during the holidays, especially to service people.''

  ``But he reacted as if you were trying to bribe him.''

  ``I did no such thing!'' Pinky moved with such agitation that her lap desk overturned and landed on top of one of the sleeping pugs. He snarled, but subsided when Pinky put her hand soothingly on his back. More calmly, she said, ``It was a tip, that's all. Can I help it if he refused? He's been in trouble at that store, so he's probably playing it safe.''

  ``Do you know about his trouble?''

  ``Only gossip, which you don't expect me to repeat, I'm sure.''

  ``Of course not.''

  ``He nearly lost his job before,'' Pinky said promptly. ``He was in hot water over some missing merchandise. Even Popo suspected he was the culprit.''

  ``Did you hear that from Popo herself?''

  She looked uneasy. ``I don't remember. But Popo dis- liked her assistant. I believe she was trying to get him fired.''

  ``How do you know that?''

  Before Pinky had time to respond, we were interrupted by the arrival of Kerry Pinkerton, a tall, powerfully built young woman with none of her grandmother's natural physical grace, but plenty of brute strength showing in her shoulders.

  She strode into the room without noticing me. ``Where the hell is Bunton?'' she demanded. ``He was supposed to have my towels ready when--''

  ``Hello.'' I stood up. ``You must be Kerry. I'm Nora Blackbird. What a pleasure to meet you.''

  I moved to shake her hand, but Kerry skidded to a stop several yards away. Dressed in damp running clothes, she had pulled her dark hair back into a no-nonsense ponytail 46 Nancy Martin to exercise. Her face, suntanned and shining with perspira- tion, had a stormy set to the jaw and brow, but I saw her throw a mental switch that engaged her professional expres- sion instantly--a bland smile, a superior tilt to her nose, no light in her hazel-eyed gaze.

  ``Hello,'' she said coolly, keeping her distance. ``I hope you don't mind if I skip the handshake. I have to keep my grip healthy for the tour.''

  ``Of course. Congratulations on your success. Your grandmother tells me you're going to be a big winner this year.''

  Kerry walked closer, hands on hips, her athletic stride long-legged and loose. Her running shoes were caked with wet crumbs of dirt, as if she'd been jogging on the grounds of the estate. Ignoring the carpet, she came close enough to loom over her grandmother. ``Really?'' Her voice had an edge. ``What else have you been saying about me, Gramma?''

  Pinky's upright posture seemed to shrink before my eyes. Instinctively, her left hand moved to cover the bruise on her wrist again.

  I said, ``Your grandmother is very proud of you. Justifi- ably so. Are you going to any tournaments soon?''

  ``Not soon enough.'' Belatedly, Kerry tried to make the words into a joke by smiling coldly. ``I'm supposed to leave day after tomorrow to start training. Last night my coach gave me a farewell party. What are you doing here, if you don't mind my asking? I'm a little protective of Gramma, you see. She's getting old, and people take advantage of her sometimes.''

  ``I came to talk about last night. I was at the store with Pinky, too, and--''

  ``Oh, were you the one who got my handbag?''

  ``No, I--''

  ``Because the cops say it disappeared.''

  ``Disappeared?'' I frowned. ``Darwin was going to take it to the store safe last night. He told me--''

  ``Obviously he didn't make it,'' Kerry snapped. ``Because I phoned this morning. He said the bag disappeared. Maybe he was lying, though. Everybody's conspiring to keep that bag away from me.''

  ``Kerry, honey--'' SLAY BELLES 47

  ``Quiet, Gramma. If you had gotten the bag for me last night like you were supposed to, maybe that shopping lady would still be alive. Did you think of that?''

  Pinky looked down at her lap. ``No, I--''

  ``So shut up.'' Irritated, Kerry lifted her hand to adjust her ponytail.

  Pinky flinched, as if ready to dodge a blow.

  In Michael's arm, Spike snarled. Michael came out of the shadow cast by the curtains at last. He'd stood so still that Kerry hadn't noticed him before, but when he stepped into the light, she moved away from her grandmother instinctively.

  ``This is Michael Abruzzo,'' I said.

  Kerry opened her mouth to speak, then reconsidered. Michael said nothing.

  Pinky broke the short silence. ``What kind of dog is that?'' she asked. ``He's not very attractive, is he? I prefer a pug to any other kind of dog. They have such human expressions, don't you think?'' She gathered up one of the sleeping dogs beside her and lifted the animal to her own face. She made kissing sounds before chattering on. ``My wonderful little pugs--sometimes I think they're my old friends, reincarnated. This one, doesn't he look like my own father?''

  Kerry sighed. ``I never knew your father, Gramma. You're losing your marbles. Am I going to have to hire someone to look after you? So you don't keep making stu- pid mistakes? I'd hate to see you lose all your money be- cause you can't take care of yourself.''

  Pinky didn't answer. She petted her dog and didn't look at Kerry. Chapter 6

  In the car, Michael said, ``That little bitch deserves a spanking.''

  I hugged myself to stop shivering. ``She abuses her grandmother.''

  Michael nodded. ``I think she beats the shit out of the old lady on a regular basis.''

  He let the engine idle while we looked at the Pinkerton house and imagined what might be happening inside at that very minute.

  I said, ``Pinky pays Kerry's bills. I saw the receipts. Last month somebody spent over three thousand dollars at a boutique I know. I'm sure Pinky doesn't wear shoes from that particular store, so it must be Kerry. And the hotel bills are near golf courses in Florida.''

  ``Yet Gramma cuts grocery coupons to keep herself in food.''

  ``And the house hasn't been updated in years. I wonder what it costs to finance a career in professional golf?''

  ``I'll bet it's not pocket change.'' Michael's white- knuckled fist rested on the steering wheel.

  ``Pinky isn't as helpless as Kerry pretends she is.''

  ``She's a tough old bird,'' Michael agreed. ``But the kid has her spooked.''

  ``Besides forcing her to pay bills, I wonder what else Kerry might be pushing Pinky to do. Pinky was obviously more desperate to acquire the handbag for Kerry than I'd first thought. If she returned home empty-handed, maybe she risked a beating from her granddaughter.''

  Michael tapped his fist lightly on the wheel. ``I'm going back inside.''

  48 SLAY BELLES 49

  I reached for his arm to keep him in the car. ``They'll have you arrested,'' I said. ``And that doesn't help anyone.''

  ``It'll help me feel better.''

  ``A confrontation may escalate things at this point. There's a better way. When Kerry leaves day after tomor- row, I'll come back and talk to Pinky alone. She needs an ally before she goes to the authorities.''

  Michael glared out the windshield at the house.

  I leaned across the seat and kissed his cheek. ``Down boy,'' I said.

  Unwillingly, we left the Pinkerton estate and drove into Philadelphia.

  We discovered that Haymaker's department store was closed for the day because of the police investigation. Printed signs had been taped to all the locked doors. I could see employees inside, however, gathered in small groups. A uniformed police officer stood outside beside a forlorn Santa who dutifully rang his bell for the Salvation Army, despite the lack of shoppers. Michael slipped him a few bills.

/>   ``I suppose I can wait until tomorrow to talk to Darwin Osdack,'' I said as we walked to the Four Seasons for an afternoon snack.

  We ordered a cheese plate and a bottle of a wine Michael had been wanting to try. It was delicious--very dry, yet hinting of berries in hot Italian sunshine. We talked about Popo's murder for a while; then Michael's cell phone began to chirp. While he gave monosyllabic answers to his caller, I sipped the wine and watched him, wondering if the time would ever come when I might want to know exactly what he was doing.

  Michael closed his phone with a snap and said he had things to take care of and did I want to go home. I needed to attend a cocktail party for a small historical society in my role as the assistant to the Philadelphia Intelligencer's society columnist, so he agreed to take Spike and dropped me at the home of Trenton Aquinas of Society Hill.

  ``Nora, don't you look lovely,'' Trenton said when he opened the door and I identified myself.

  ``How would you know, Trent?'' I stepped carefully around his Seeing Eye dog, Buster, and gave his whiskery cheek a kiss. 50 Nancy Martin

  ``Well, you smell wonderful,'' he said on a laugh. ``Very feminine. Welcome to my party. Are you here on official newspaper business, or in response to my private invi- tation?''

  ``Can I be both?'' I asked.

  ``Of course. But I heard a rumor that your boss gets testy when you're invited as a guest and she's not. I don't want to get you into trouble.''

  ``I can handle Kitty,'' I said, although I wasn't sure I was telling the truth. Even six months after I started working for the newspaper, Kitty Keough was still jealously trying to make my life miserable. She hated that I'd been born into a world in which she would always be an outsider.

  Trenton pulled me inside and closed the door. For the evening's festivities, he wore a Brooks Brothers sport coat over flannel trousers, a pin-striped shirt, and a tie decorated with reindeer--all carefully chosen by his wife. His beard was neatly trimmed, his hair impeccably combed. ``How do you like having a job? Evie thought you might have trouble adjusting.''

  ``Actually, the hours suit me very well. I go to parties in the afternoons and evenings, and I do my writing at home on my computer. I can e-mail my pieces anytime before midnight.''

  ``Sounds like a great gig. I wonder if I could get Evie hired somewhere? She spends my money faster than I can make it.''

  Trenton Aquinas didn't need any more money, no matter how fast his wife could spend it. He had inherited a fortune from his father, who invented a pump for oil wells, and he was due to receive an even bigger inheritance when his elderly mother--one of the Kendricks of Main Line-- passed away. Perhaps Trenton's academic career brought in a little pin money, but it hardly paid the taxes on his Federal-style house that had once been a boarding school for young men of society.

  Before I could respond, Evie appeared and greeted me cheerfully. She was a petite woman several years her hus- band's senior, but she strove to keep her figure trim enough to wear expensive, tailored fashions. Tonight she looked svelte in plum silk with a pearl necklace and matching ear- SLAY BELLES 51 rings. She swept me into their home to meet the other guests and admire her decorating skills.

  The grand salon of the Aquinas home showed Evie's penchant for endless shopping. Flowered chintz pillows and dozens of fussy bibelots mixed with fine Hepplewhite furni- ture that had come from Evie's old-money Philadelphia family, the Cardomans. Heavy Scalamandre draperies hung in swags from the tall windows. The rose, powder blue, and buttercream colors were also echoed in velvet upholstery and the subtle shades of the enormous floral rug. Nautical prints hung at precise intervals on the walls.

  Unlike Lexie, who had the confidence to live in a simple, self-effacing sort of home, Evie seemed to need to acquire more and more belongings to confirm who she was.

  ``Your home is more stunning than ever,'' I told her. ``Every little addition you make enhances the elegance.''

  Having heard satisfactory praise for her efforts, Evie hap- pily went off to find me a drink.

  I saw Lexie Paine talking with friends by the grand piano. She spotted me at the same instant and met me beside a tray of hors d'oeuvres on a sideboard. Lexie looked fabu- lous in an understated Valentino suit cut to emphasize her slender figure. In her ears, diamonds and sapphires spar- kled together.

  ``Sweetie,'' she said, giving me a hug. ``You ran off last night without a word!''

  ``I'm sorry, Lex. I should have said good-night, but--''

  ``No excuses required.''

  ``Michael got me home before I fell apart.''

  Lexie's brows twitched. ``Did you really fall apart? I'm so sorry, darling. You had a very rough night. I hope you feel better today.''

  ``Actually, I had a surprising visitor this morning.''

  ``Do tell.''

  Lexie nibbled on mushrooms and made appropriate ex- clamations when I told her about Cindie Rae's call, Alan's arrest, and my visit to Pinky Pinkerton's home.

  ``Do you know Kerry Pinkerton?'' I asked.

  ``Only from an occasional country club wingding. She's not very social. And she hasn't any money of her own, so she doesn't need my services.'' 52 Nancy Martin

  ``No money at all? Didn't her parents leave her some- thing?''

  Lexie shook her head. ``Her mother's still alive, living in California and hoarding her cash in case she decides to open a yoga studio or something. Kerry's got a trust fund somewhere, but she doesn't take possession until she's thirty. Until then, she's on a shoestring, I gather. That is, unless a sporting goods company asks her to be a spokes- person. Then she'll be rolling in dough.''

  ``But she has to become a better player first, I assume?''

  ``She's getting to that level. I always assumed Pinky took care of her.''

  ``Yes,'' I said.

  ``What is it?'' Lexie asked.

  I attempted to wipe my expression clean. I didn't want to spread rumors about Pinky and Kerry, even to my best friend. Not until I was sure.

  I changed the subject. ``What about Alan and his depart- ment store, Lex? Last night you told me the store might be for sale.''

  ``The drumbeats were noisy all day today. I understand the retailers who wanted to buy Haymaker's are rethinking their offers. With her sales figures, Popo was one of the big assets. Of course, a murder in the store isn't exactly great publicity either.''

  ``Do you know anything about shrinkage?''

  ``Stolen goods? Sure.'' Lexie ate another mushroom and reached for a napkin. ``All stores have shrinkage.''

  ``I mean goods stolen by employees.''

  ``Haymaker's is no different from any gift shop or mall emporium. A lot of goods disappear.'' She chewed thought- fully and wiped her fingers. ``Now that you remind me, I think Haymaker's had a big number in their shrinkage column.''

  ``Popo mentioned something to me before she died. She blamed a fellow employee.''

  ``I wouldn't put it past Popo to have some sticky fin- gers herself.''

  ``Why do you say that?''

  ``I dunno. Even with her Christmas bonuses, how could she afford that wardrobe of hers, let alone the money she gave me to look after?'' SLAY BELLES 53

  ``She had some cash put away for a rainy day?''

  ``You bet. For a monsoon, in fact.''

  Lexie didn't talk to me about her clients unless they were dead. Still, I knew I was expected to be discreet.

  ``Maybe Popo had a sugar daddy?'' I asked.

  ``Who would be attracted to the likes of her? Hell, she was more prickly than I am!''

  ``I know plenty of men who are attracted to you, babycakes.''

  She tossed the napkin down. ``Keep the list to yourself, sweetie. Oh, here's Evie.''

  Evie Aquinas pressed a glass of very good pinot noir into my hands and engaged Lexie in a conversation about buy- ing jewelry. Lexie glanced surreptitiously at me and rolled her eyes.

  I eased away to sip my wine and make small talk among the other guests. Writing mental notes, I composed my newspaper piece in my mi
nd. Trenton Aquinas had revived a small historical society, and the members were pleased to be invited into his home for their first annual holiday gath- ering. The crowd was mostly university professors. I saw a few friends, met a newcomer or two, and tried to make an early escape once I had a rough draft of a story in my head.

  ``Nora!'' Evie Aquinas caught me in the foyer. ``Lexie tells me you're interested in Popo Prentiss's death. Are you as shocked as the rest of us?''