Fashion Faux Paw (9 page)

“Wow, that’s beautiful,” declared Yasmine. “I’m gonna look like a million bucks in it.”

“I’d kill to wear it,” Cassandra muttered.

Another tall, thin model said, “Where did you get the idea for that?”

The crowd murmured their approval, which encouraged Yasmine, in typical model fashion, to slip off her robe and shimmy the gown over her head. That’s when the dress transformed from a lovely piece of cloth to a work of art. It had no shoulder straps, just a bodice dusted with pale pink feathers that ran down over the bust to a high, fitted waist that dropped to the floor in a fall of pink mixed with shades of purple and every color in between.

A few inches shorter than Yasmine, blond-haired and blue-eyed Cassandra swooned. “Oh, my God, I’m going to look like royalty.” She arched a brow and stared at Kitty. “Mine is exactly the same as this one, right?”

“Almost. Not as long, of course, and the belt is a bit wider, but that’s it.”

Yasmine twirled and the girls grabbed at the fabric, letting it slip through their fingers and gushing over its lush feel. While they muttered comments, Kitty turned to Ellie.

“Looks like I did good on this one, huh?”

“I’ll say,” said Ellie. “Now what else do you have?”

“The outfit I’m using to replace Lilah’s from yesterday.” She held up a one-piece jumpsuit in cream wool with rust-colored buttons, a wide rust suede belt, and matching collar and cuffs. “What do you think?”

“I love it,” said Ellie, imagining herself dressed in it. “The color coordination is perfect.”

“I’m glad you like it. I made it with you in mind.”

“Me? But why?”

“Marcus David was right yesterday when he was arguing with Lilah. You could be a model like Cassandra or Claire Smith, so I imagined you wearing it while I drew the design.”

Ellie admired the line of the fabric and the slash-cut pockets trimmed in the same rust suede. If this ever came to a ready-to-wear store, she would buy it, no matter the cost.

“That is an incredible piece.”

Ellie heard a voice coming from behind her and turned.

“You’re here. I’m glad you found your way over.”

“Are you kidding?” said Viv. “I wouldn’t miss this chance for the world.” She handed Ellie the swag bag. “And here’s what you asked for.”

Ellie took the basket and set it on a chair. “Kitty, this is my best friend, Vivian. Viv, this is Kitty King, one of the participants in the Nola Morgan Design contest.”

The women shook hands, and Viv asked, “Is that one of your creations?”

Though focused on the swag bag, Kitty heard the question. “It is. Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” said Viv. She followed the designer’s gaze. “Oh, that’s just something Ellie asked me to drop off.”

Kitty glanced at Ellie. “I hate to be nosy, but is there a reason you need the gift bag here today?”

“Ah, sort of.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Triple E. Might as well tell her the truth.”

“I mean, yes, someone needed to see it.” Ellie figured she could get away with a lie within a truth. She grabbed Viv’s hand. “Come on. Let me introduce you to the models.”

While they’d been chatting, a few more of the NMD girls had shown up, and they were still admiring Kitty’s feathered dress. Ellie made introductions while Yasmine stepped out of the dress and returned it to Kitty.

“My designer is Marcus David, and I haven’t seen his evening wear yet,” said Claire. “My guess is it’ll be some kind of tribute to his younger sister. She died a year ago, and it took him a while to get back to work on his designs.”

The sentence made Ellie think about what Kitty had just told her. Other artists, like painters and sculptors, sometimes had a person in mind when they did their work, so why not a designer?

Since Viv fit right in with the cluster of models, Ellie pulled her old assistant aside. “Is something bothering you about the swag bag?”

Kitty folded the dress and jumpsuit carefully over her arm. “Not exactly. I heard a rumor, is all, and I’m worried.”

“Care to tell me what the rumor was about?”

“About my brother. Word is going around that he’s the one who did Lilah in, and it was all because of me. They’re saying he somehow found a way to put peanuts in her bag and contaminate whatever she touched. Then I heard the cops were trying to find her bag, and it was missing. Now yours is here and—”

“You’re worried there might have been something in it? Something Jeffery didn’t tell you about?” Ellie raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think your brother would stoop that low, would kill someone so you could compete in this contest?”

Kitty dropped to a chair, the clothes folding into her lap. “I don’t want to believe it, but I know he hated Lilah for what she did to me. Whoever killed her was calculating, and I cannot see my brother in that light.”

Rudy walked over and nudged her hand up, then stuck his head under her palm. She smiled and scratched his ears. “You’re so lucky you have this little guy.” Kitty sniffed back a tear. “I know you love him, and I love my brother. He’s all I have in my life. If anything happened to him, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. If you don’t think he did it, I’m sure he didn’t. Besides, I agree with you. He doesn’t seem the type. I mean, whoever did it had to make sure Lilah came in contact with the allergen; then they had to empty her EpiPen. That would take a lot of planning, and I don’t see your brother being such a psycho.”

“He isn’t,” Kitty whispered. “It’s just that the rumors are hard to take. That’s why I put my all into these designs. So people would say I got here on my own merit, and not because my brother killed someone to get me in.”

Over the past few minutes, the group of models had scattered. Viv took a chair next to Ellie and sighed. “I could sit here all day. I’d watch the models, the makeup artists—” The hairstylist with the red Mohawk sauntered by. “Even guys like him. I bet he’d be fun to joke with. And I bet he could show me how to do a better job of putting on my eyeliner at the same time.”

Glancing in the distance, Kitty sat up straight in her chair, which made Ellie and Viv pay attention, too. Detective Vaughn was approaching with Jeffery King, who was flanked by two uniformed police officers.

As they neared, Ellie could tell that Jeffery’s arms were behind his back, a sure sign of handcuffs. Vaughn stopped in front of them, his face set in a frown. “I wouldn’t normally do this, Ms. King, but your brother begged me to find you. I’m here to tell you that he’s under arrest for the murder of Lilah Perry.”

Chapter 5

“Wait, no!” Kitty raised her hand, but it was too late. Detective Vaughn, Jeffery, and the officers disappeared around the corner that led to the door Ellie used to take out her charges. More tears sprang to Kitty’s eyes as she sobbed out a weak farewell.

Viv sat upright, her mouth open, her eyes wide.

Kitty gasped, then fell into a deflated heap.

Ellie raced after the police brigade and caught up with Vaughn at the rear door. “Really, Detective, are you sure about this? My swag bag is here. Maybe you could find something in it that would—”

“Incriminate Mr. King further?” His gray eyes darkened to pewter. “We have a close-to-airtight case, Ms. Engleman, so there’s no need to examine a bag that merely resembled the bag of the deceased, though I’m sure Ms. Perry’s will turn up somewhere.” He narrowed his gaze. “Mr. King will be booked on Green Street. Thanks for being so cooperative. We’re through for now.”

Ellie raced back inside, hoping to calm Kitty. When she arrived at the dog pen she found Viv tugging on the newly designed clothes that were crushed in Kitty’s lap.

Viv stood and shook out the wrinkles, then draped the garments over the water cooler. “No matter how miserable Kitty is, these creations are part of the biggest event in her life. She shouldn’t ruin them, even for her brother.”

Realizing Viv was correct, Ellie nodded. When Viv scanned the area, she asked, “What are you looking for?”

“Something to hang these on. You take care of Kitty. I’ll be back.”

Kitty continued to sob, and Ellie had no idea what she should say or do. She felt like a traitor. She’d suspected the arrest was coming. Vaughn had given her enough of a heads up, and she’d spoken to Jeffery, too. But she had no business messing around in this investigation. She didn’t know either of the Kings well enough to stick her nose in their lives, especially when she had promised Sam she would steer clear of any and all things criminal.

She searched her tote bag and passed Kitty a tissue.

The girl blew her nose. “I heard the detective mention Green Street. Do you know where that is?”

“Downtown somewhere, where they take most people who are arrested. They get booked, fingerprinted, that sort of thing.” She realized the description sounded harsh, and tried to soften the words. “It’s not a big deal.”

The designer inhaled a gasp. “Oh, Lord. I don’t know what to do. Jeffery is all I have in the world.” She dabbed her watery eyes. “We’ve got to help him.”

Ignoring Kitty’s last sentence, Ellie checked her watch. “It’s close to two. How far along are you in finishing your pieces?”

“I don’t know. I can’t think.” She shuddered, holding back her tears. “Jeffery will need a lawyer, right? Someone to bail him out of this mess.”

“If he doesn’t have a lawyer, the court will appoint one. Attorneys cost big bucks in this city, especially when they’re representing someone accused of murder.”

The words set off another round of Kitty’s tears. Rudy put a paw on her knee, so Ellie wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay, really. You said Jeffery was innocent, so things will work out.”

“You’ve been involved in this kind of thing before. Patti said you live with a homicide detective. Can you maybe recommend a lawyer? Someone you know who can get him out on bail?”

“Think before you open your mouth, Triple E,”
said her boy.
“I smell trouble rollin’ our way.”

Ellie heaved a breath. Rudy was right. She had to tread carefully or she’d be up to her eyebrows in murder . . . again. Joe’s uncle, Sal Cantiglia, was capable enough to handle the small stuff. And her stepfather still had enough connections from his time on the bench to recommend someone, but her mother would skin her alive if she knew her daughter had gotten the older judge involved.

When she drummed her fingers on the chair back, an idea struck. “The only attorney I can think of is a guy called Keller Williams. He represented a friend of mine last February, and things turned out in his favor.” She didn’t know Mr. Williams personally, but Rob could probably relay the message and get the man to at least take care of Jeffery’s arraignment. It couldn’t hurt to get things moving in the right direction.

“I could put you in touch with a customer of mine named Rob Chesney, and maybe he could contact his attorney.”

Kitty’s lower lip quivered. “Would you please?”

She found her cell phone and flipped it open. Rob picked up on the third ring. After the pleasantries were over, she steered the conversation around to Keller Williams. “Would you call him for me, and help pave the way for Kitty?”

When he answered yes, she said, “That would be great. Here, I’ll let you speak with her. She’ll give you the details.”

Ten minutes later, things were under control. Kitty passed the phone back to Ellie. “Rob seems like a nice guy. I think I remember reading about him in the newspaper. He said you were the one who proved him innocent. He claims you saved his life.”

“Uh-oh,”
said Rudy, still sitting with his paw on Kitty’s knee.
“Leave it to Bobbi-Rob to dig the hole deeper.”

She ignored her boy and continued doing as much for Kitty as she felt she could, without actually getting involved. “He’s just saying that. It really wasn’t much.”

“But Patti told me the same thing. About how you’ve helped a lot of people who were accused of murder and were innocent. She said you found the real killers.”

“She makes it sound like we got nothin’ better to do than go on a psycho search.”

Ellie frowned in Rudy’s direction and explained. “It isn’t quite like that. I’m not a private investigator. I don’t have a license, or a badge, or a gun or anything. Sometimes I get lucky and figure things out on my own.”

It was then Viv appeared with a couple of padded hangers in hand. “Good Lord, these people are ridiculous. You’d think hangers, especially the plush kind, were made of gold.” She picked up the jumpsuit and arranged it on the first hanger. “Now what am I supposed to do with this beautiful baby?” she asked, holding up the feathered evening gown.

Kitty swiped the tissue under her eyes, smearing mascara over her reddened cheeks. “I have to sew on the strings so we can secure it to the hanger. I’ll bring it to my station.”

She stood and Ellie gave a discreet nod.

“I’ve got an idea.” Viv held both creations high. “I have a little extra time. How about if I carry these for you, and lend you a hand getting settled?”

“Oh, gosh. Would you? That would be great.” Kitty managed a timid smile as she stood. “Ellie, thanks again for the lawyer thing.” She gazed at Viv. “This should only take about fifteen minutes.”