Fashion Faux Paw (28 page)

“I just wanted you to know that Janice is going to sing her first release while the judges are deliberating this afternoon. They’re bringing in a piano, and she’s ready to go.”

“Wow. That’s a great break for her.”

“I agree, and I’m thrilled.”

“But how is Janice taking it? Is she nervous or worried?”

“She says she’ll be fine. She’s used to singing live at a few of the clubs, so for her it’ll be just another gig.”

“Janice is a brave girl, putting herself out there for public opinion. If I were her, I’d be terrified,” Ellie confided.

“We know,”
Rudy ruffed.

She ignored her boy and his constant commentary. “But you said you wanted my advice, and it can’t be about your sister.”

“No, it’s about Jeffery.”

“Jeffery?”

“Yes. I was wondering—well—if he shows up today, do you think I should talk to him?”

Ellie inched out from behind Anton’s stall and Patti followed. “Let’s talk about this at my station.”

Chapter 15

After they arrived at the break station, Ellie placed Lucy in the pen with the other dogs while Patti took a seat. A moment later, she handed Patti a bottle of water. “Here, take a drink and catch your breath. I’m going to talk to Julie for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”

She ducked under the food table, found her tote bag, and pulled out the grooming tools she’d brought from home to make certain her charges looked good on the runway. Then she carried the scissors, nail clippers, and two brushes to the other side of the pen.

“Sorry I was gone so long,” she said to Julie, who was standing with Daisy in her arms.

“We’re fine now, but Anton Rouch came by about an hour ago, and he upset Daisy. I’ve been trying to calm her down for a while now.”

“He’s not a nice human,”
Daisy said, snuggling into Julie’s chest.
“I should have bit him.”

Ellie ran a loving hand over Daisy’s soft head. “I’m glad you were here to take care of this little girl. Anton has a problem and we just have to live with it, I guess.”

“That problem is what he and Lilah used to argue about. But just because she’s gone doesn’t give him the right to take out his anger on a tiny pooch.”

“You and I are in charge of the dogs until this competition is over, so we can’t allow him or anyone else to upset our charges or do anything nasty when it comes to picking them up,” said Ellie. Thinking about it, she then made a decision. “In fact, I’ll send him a note, and the other designers too. You bring the outfits here, and they’ll have to trust that we can dress their canines. That way, Anton and the rest of them don’t need to dirty their hands, and the little guys won’t be upset. I’ll write the note. You can deliver it and come back to tell me what Anton and the rest of them said.”

Julie set the white Chihuahua in the circular pen and walked with Ellie to her tote bag, where Ellie penned a message and handed it to her. Julie took off, and Ellie dumped her tools on the table, blinking when she saw that Patti had taken the trouble to clear the space, and used the cartons of water to close off an area where the dogs could be dressed.

“Wow, you’ve been busy,” she told the supermodel.

“Do you think it will work? I was worried it was too close to the food.”

“Oh, pooh. People know this is the canine area, so they enter and eat at their own risk. We keep the tabletop clean, and these dogs are professionally cared for, so they’re probably more sanitary than some of the furniture in their apartment. Plus none of them shed, so I don’t see a problem.”

“I agree, but there are folks like Anton who complain about everything,” said Patti.

“Well, too bad. I’ll handle it if they don’t like it.” Ellie stopped her tirade and took a good look at Patti, noting that her hair, done in a simple upsweep, was classy and unpretentious, just like Marcus’s clothes. “You look great, and I’m guessing that new model, Beatriz, does too. Who gave orders for the low-key approach?”

“The designer, of course. Each of them has a hand in deciding how their models should be presented, and that includes their makeup and hair. Eduardo wanted to do more, but Marcus said no.”

“Good for him. So when Julie gets back, how about the two of you spruce up Cheech and Lucy? Since you’re ready to go, Julie will follow you when it’s your turn to dress, and bring back the dogs’ outfits. I decided we should do the canines here. The designers will just have to trust us to put their dogs in grade-A condition; then, as the models pass here for their last run, we hand them their pals.”

“Sounds good to me.” Patti gazed at the pen. “I only wish we knew if Marcus will still be first in the lineup. Should we assume the competitive order will be the same for the finale as it’s been for the past few days?”

“You know, I’ve asked that question about a dozen times today, and no one seems to have the answer.”

Patti’s picture-perfect face flushed pink, and she broke out in a grin as she focused over Ellie’s shoulder.

“Maybe I can help,” said someone from behind. “What was the question?”

Recognizing the speaker’s voice, Ellie turned and stepped back to include Patti in the conversation. “Jeffery, hello. It’s good to see you here.”

“There’s no place I’d rather be right now. Kitty said you wanted to talk to me just before I had the chance to tell her I wanted to talk to you.” He held out his hand. “I owe you quite a bit. How am I ever going to thank you?”

“Thank me? I haven’t done anything yet. And I’m only helping to investigate as a friend.” She smiled, accepting his offer of a handshake. “No thank-yous are necessary.”

He glanced at Patti, then again focused on Ellie. “But I only met you once or twice before the debacle broke. Was that all it took for you to know I didn’t kill Lilah?”

Crossing her arms, Ellie cocked her head. “First off, I believe in your sister. Kitty is so positive you’re innocent, I had no choice but to see things her way. Then there’s Nola and Morgan. They believe strongly in you, and they’re professionals with a head for business. I couldn’t believe they’d take a chance backing a—a—”

“An accused killer?” His expression grew grim. “I know. And I’ll never be able to repay their kindness.”

“You have a lot more friends than Nola and Morgan.” She nodded in Patti’s direction. “Some of them have helped me in ways too difficult to mention.”

“Ellie loves to joke about her investigative skill, but she’s a special person and she knows what she’s doing,” said the supermodel, finally joining the conversation. “She’s walked our dogs for a couple of years now, and Janice and I believe in her completely. She’s solved enough crimes to know when she meets a killer, and I think she sees that isn’t you.”

“So you’ve vouched for me, too?”

When Patti continued to smile, he shook his head, as if finding it hard to pull out the words. “I can’t—I don’t know what to say.” His eyes shined with unshed tears. “I’d better get down to business, then, so we can stop worrying about the competition and get to the heart of the matter.” As if marshaling his thoughts, Jeffery straightened his shoulders. “Kitty said you had questions, and I figure they’re pretty much the same as what the cops asked.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the right time to go over things. The finale should be starting soon, and it’s going to get crazy around here.” She read Patti’s lovelorn expression and decided to do a bit of matchmaking. “Why don’t you talk to Patti while I get the first pair of dogs spruced up? I imagine they’ll be calling out the contestants soon, and her designer is Marcus David. He’s been first up each time, so I don’t think they’ll change the order.”

“You’re right. According to Clark Fettel, who’s subbing for me, the order is the same.” A crooked grin lightened Jeffery’s dour face. “I was hoping I’d have a little time to talk to Patti but I—are you sure this is okay?”

Julie took that moment to reappear on the scene. “Hey, Jeffery, it’s nice to see you.” She gave Ellie a salute. “Your assistant, madam, reporting for duty.”

“Are things sane with the cantankerous Mr. Rouch?” asked Ellie.

“Sure. He stomped around his station a time or two, but when he realized he wasn’t going to have to be in any further contact with the dogs, he shut up.”

“That’s what I hoped would happen. Why don’t you gather all the dogs and give them a final trip outside before it’s time for their grand entrance?”

Patti and Jeffery sat in the chairs, while Julie collected the first four dogs. Giving the pair a sidelong glance, she said, “Looks like those two have a lot to talk about.”

Ellie read the complete focus on Jeffery mirrored in Patti’s eyes.

“I’d do anything for true love, too.” Grinning, Julie headed toward the back door, while Ellie gathered the last four dogs and her boy.

“What do you think he’s telling her?”
Rudy asked, gazing at the supermodel and Jeffery.

“Does it matter? Whatever it is, they’ll work it out.”

“Yeah, but it could be something important, like a confession, or a clue.”

“That’s no way for us to be thinking about our client. As far as we’re concerned, Jeffery is innocent and he isn’t hiding any clues.”

“Sure, but
—”

A bell sounded and he clamped his muzzle shut. A moment later, Julie returned the first group of canines and Ellie gave her boy a stern nod as she set him down to join the remainder of the crew for their trip outside.

Then Marcus showed up. “I’m here to collect Patti. Beatriz is already at my station. Here are the outfits for the dogs. I understand you and Julie are dressing them, and that’s fine with me. Just do your best.”

Patti hurried to follow Marcus as Ellie grabbed the canine creations. Then she carried the Chihuahua and the mini Schnauzer to the dressing table. “How are you two doing? Ready to trot out and wow the crowd?”

An announcement sounded, calling for the start of the last showing of fabulous Fashion Week. Cheech, the ever-silent Chihuahua, trembled, and she tried to console him. “Hey, it’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry.”

“He’s a mess,”
Lucy confided.
“But I’ll calm him down.”

“You mean he’s actually talked to you?”

“Sure. He’s chattered away since the moment I met him.”

“And he speaks in—in English?”

“I guess. It’s canine-speak. Why?”

She eyed her boy, the little stinker, now being returned to the pen by Julie. According to Rudy, neither Cheech nor Chong ever spoke a word. How could he lie to her like that?

“No reason. I was just wondering. So . . .” She held up the brush. “We’ll let Julie take care of Cheech while I make you beautiful. You ready?”

“Just don’t trim too much off my ears. And please don’t button the top thingy on that coat. It’s too tight. Fits me like a choke collar.”

“I see you’re talking to them again.” Julie sidled next to Ellie after dropping the last group of canines into the pen. “Learn anything interesting?”

“They’re nervous, so we need to stay calm, cool, and collected. That’ll help.”

“Got it.” Julie began brushing the Chihuahua. “He looks good, don’t you think? Should I put on his coat?”

Ellie finished trimming Lucy’s muzzle, then passed Julie Cheech’s outfit. A tingling sensation ran up her spine and she closed her eyes. The afternoon had been quiet. Too quiet. The dreaded tingle could mean only one thing.

“Hello, my darling girl,” said Georgette, breaking into her thoughts. “What have you been up to?”

“Mother, what are you doing here?” Ellie glanced at Julie and rolled her eyes, then focused on Georgette. How had her mother managed to sneak back here now, when security was supposed to be heightened? “Where are Vivian and Stanley?”

“Out front, saving me a seat, of course. We’ve been here forever. Viv insisted we take our places early, and she was correct. You should see the mob out there.”

A knot formed in Ellie’s throat. “Then maybe you ought to claim your chair. With that many people, a security guard could confiscate your seat for someone truly important.”

“But we have tickets. That would never happen,” said Georgette, her sculpted nose raised in the air. “I just wanted you to know we were here with you.” She inspected Lucy’s red coat with the black toggles, then gave Cheech a once-over. “When will you be bringing the little creatures out?”

Creatures?
“They’re dogs, Mother, or canines, and I won’t be bringing them anywhere. We’re getting them ready for their fashion debut, but their owners will be in charge of taking them down the runway. Didn’t you see their posters on the walls out there?”

“I did, but I still can’t believe what I saw.”

Ellie had an idea of what her mother was going to say, but she let Georgette have her way. “And what was that?”

Her mother scanned the canine ring, stopping her perusal when she laid eyes on Rudy. “Was that your boy in the photos, mingling with all the purebreds?”

Ellie gave an internal
tsk
. “Of course it was. In fact, he was almost a model until they decided to use another mini Schnauzer. Rudy is very photogenic.”