Part 22 (1/2)

I saw a man's hand pick up the ladle, and on his costume uniform cuff, a Royal Air Force b.u.t.ton. That hand didn't hesitate to drop a peanut into the body glue. ”Take that, b.i.t.c.h,” he said with a voice that could rival James Earl Jones.

Another peanut got dropped in with a flourish. ”She wouldn't be a DeLong if it wasn't for me!”

The last got fumbled and dropped and had to be caught by a shaking hand with a diamond and gold cigar band ring, G. L. L. engraved in the center.

During that fumble, I got a peek at the aging linoleum floor in the dressing rooms at the theater.

I opened my eyes and saw that several of the models were watching me. ”Did you have a good sleep?” Phoebe asked. ”We hated to wake you but the show's almost finished, and you have to put on the Chanel dress for the finale.”

”Oh sure.” I stood up and saw that there was another black robe on a different chair. ”Eve, which is the robe you brought for me?”

”Sorry,” Eve said, ”but it's not the one you're wearing.”

”That's my robe,” Rainbow Joy said. ”No problem. I don't mind that you wore it.”

I picked up Rainbow Joy's hand and ran my finger over her purple nail polish. ”Pretty color, but you should stop biting your nails.”

”Dominique used to say that I'd get an infection if I didn't stop.”

”Well,” I said. ”You showed her.”

Rainbow paled and took a quick step back, before she shook her head, denying the venom in my statement.

I finished the fas.h.i.+on show in Coco's gown, accepted everyone's congratulations, and ate creme brulee in a daze.

Melody and Kira had gotten a great many donations from the vintage clothing collectors and big checks from Cort. But I felt as if I existed in a parallel universe.

I knew Dominique's murderers and they were, all four, here at the fas.h.i.+on show . . . watching me. They knew where my shop was. They were going to be outside when I left tonight.

Unless I stayed here. Cort would let me. Sherry and Justin were staying.

I needed to tell someone who could do something about this, but I didn't want to ruin Dominique's show with a scandal or lower the donations for the charities, as people were still writing checks.

Werner came my way. He might be able to keep me safe, if I could figure a way to act like I needed protecting.

Nick knew about my psychometric ability, and sure, he thought I was nuts at first, until I proved myself. But telling Werner? No. No way. Never.

I sure wished Nick had come tonight despite the fact that he'd rather be Tasered than attend a fas.h.i.+on show. I mean, he could have come just to support me, though he did say he had paperwork for the Bureau to do.

I know, he'd attended some boring c.o.c.ktail parties with people in the fas.h.i.+on industry, but, well, this was different. This was my show, for my dear friend.

”Mad,” Werner whispered, ”don't you think you should get that dress with the diamonds on it to the New York police?”

”Why?” I asked. ”Dom gave it to me.”

”They're stolen diamonds.”

I couldn't screw with him anymore than I'd already been forced to do. I excused myself to the people waiting to talk to me and walked Werner a bit away from the crowd. ”Can I be honest with you?”

”Of course. Anytime.”

I pulled him into the family dining room, the small one, which only sat twenty people, and shut the door.

”Those aren't diamonds on the dress. They're rhinestones.”

”But you called them diamonds.”

”Did you see the way Lance Taggart and Ian DeLong jumped to pick them up? They think they're diamonds, which means they might have murdered Dom. I let them think they were right so I could watch their reactions.”

”That doesn't sound very smart.”

”Yeah, I've figured that out. Can you drive me home?”

”Sure. I'll even bring you back for your Element, tomorrow.”

”Right, I need my car for Dom's vintage clothes. I chose the Element because it could hold so many. I'm bringing them back to New York when I drive in for the reading of the will late tomorrow afternoon.”

”Bring one vintage dress with you now, will you?” Werner asked. ”Bring the one with the fake diamonds. That way Cort's house won't be a target. Carry it out on a hanger so everybody can see it.”

”Good idea, except that would make us targets.”

”I know, Mad. I have a worse-case-scenario plan. Trust me?”

”I do.” Surprisingly.

Sherry had already gone up for the night by the time I got back out there to mingle with my guests. Melody and Kira would let me know how well we did, because some people took home brochures, so it wasn't over.

Eve and Kyle left right before we did, and Eve's wink at me said she had plans. Kyle looked quite pleased to climb into my best friend's less than large but quite sporty little Mini Cooper and be taken anywhere she cared to take him.

I was happy for them.

It wasn't long into our drive down the winding ocean road that Werner took a turn I didn't expect.

”What are you doing?”

”We're being followed,” he said. ”By some old car.”

”Two-tone silver 1953 Bentley limo?”

Werner gave me a double take. ”What are you, a car savant?”

”It belongs to DeLong Limited. It's Ian DeLong.”

”Or Kyle,” Werner said.