Part 20 (2/2)
I lost my grasp for a flailing minute and my bag slid off my arm and hit the floor, pieces flying everywhere.
Broken, as I knew I would soon be.
Someone screamed. Maybe me, then someone pulled me safely back from the precipice.
”Natalie! Thank you,” I gasped, heart racing. ”I think someone pushed me. Did you see what happened?”
”What were you doing up here?” McDowell came from a nearby office. ”Are you all right, Ms. Cutler?”
Natalie looked startled, shook her head, and left.
”Thank you,” I called, but she didn't look back.
”I wanted to see your wife's ring up close,” I told McDowell. ”It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'm kind of a fas.h.i.+on nut, you probably know. Do you still have the ring? Is it for sale?”
”No,” McDowell said, his face suddenly devoid of expression and color. ”It disappeared with my wife, a tragedy you keep bringing to my attention.”
”My apologies. I'll get my bag and my car.”
The minute I got into my Element, I felt safe but needed to hear Nick's voice.
McDowell watched me from the showroom. I s.h.i.+vered, turned my back on him, and called Nick.
”Hey, ladybug. Are you wearing your lucky panties?”
”I must be. I just didn't get killed,” I explained.
”I should be there to keep you out of trouble,” Nick said, ”but I can't, so stop taking chances! Is Werner on the case?”
”He is. I may have underestimated him in the past.”
”You may have. When is your grand opening?”
”Halloween. Can you be there even if it's late? We're having a costume ball upstairs from eight till dawn. No costume necessary. Try to come, will you?”
”Don't count on it, okay?”
I sighed inwardly. No sense in making him feel worse. ”Okay. I'll just hope.” Good thing he couldn't see my eyes fill up or he'd know what a real scare I'd had. ”Nick, did you find anything on that missing persons search I asked you to do?”
”Nothing. Sorry I didn't get back to you. It's wild here.”
”Wild like in the jungle?”
Nick sighed heavily.
”Never mind. Listen, it turns out that the owner of the bones didn't live in Mystic when she went missing. Try Groton”-site of the first Goodwin dealers.h.i.+p-”and plug in Gwendolyn Goodwin McDowell this time. Oh, and look up Suzanne Sampson, too.”
”Gotta go, ladybug.”
”Did you get that?” I asked, but he'd hung up.
Thirty-one.
My vision: A nymph who, in her heart of hearts, is a leopardess.
-JOHN GALLIANO.
Still shaking inside, I chose my sixties Pucci ”waterfall” handbag with its bold geometric design as a palette to dress for drinks with Eve and Lolique. I paired a purple V-necked sheath of my own design with a wide aqua cinch belt and teal cork sandals.
Eve, in black, wore bell-bottoms, a belted safari jacket top loosely laced up the front over a white sh.e.l.l, and over that, the sweater we'd confiscated from Vinney's. ”Nice outfit,” I said when she picked me up. I'd been too shaky to drive when we talked on the phone, so when she offered, I agreed. ”Where'd you get the awesome boots?”
”You mean my Fendi platform, lace-up boots?”
”With heels. Go you!”
”See, I have this friend in fas.h.i.+on who's been a good influence on me.” Eve wiggled her ladybug pinky.
”I'm so proud.” I hadn't told her about my close call that afternoon, but I couldn't talk about it yet. ”I forgot to try and get a vision from that sweater,” I said.
”I know. That's why I grabbed it, then I thought it might add to my layered look.”
”I'll take it home with me later. I read Lolique's newspaper column today,” I said. ”I think she's hiding a brain behind that big hair, voluptuous figure, animal prints, publicity stunts, and celebrity.”
”I'm not so sure about that.”
”Eve, she planted so many fingernails in those outfits, she would have thought I was a moron if I didn't go looking for her.”
”Why would she do that? She found us.”
”Impatient? I don't know, but she must have a reason, and I'm going to find out what. Listen hard with that uber brain of yours, tonight, will you? Watch her body language. Memorize every bit of the conversation.”
”I always do.”
”You know, for a second, I thought she gave me the clothes because she wanted me to read them, but that's impossible. Only you, Sherry, Nick, and Aunt Fiona know that I'm psychometric.”
”Maybe she did give them to you for a reason. That might be right.”
I shrugged because I couldn't imagine what the reason would be. ”Where are we meeting her?”
”At Cubby's.”
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