Faux Pas

by Shannon Esposito

  He stared down at me, his top teeth teasing his bottom lip. He looked unsure about something.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ I searched his face. ‘Noon not good?’

  ‘Noon is fine.’ His voice had that husky quality again. ‘Turn around and close your eyes.’

  OK, this was strange. I threw him one more questioning glance and then turned away from him as he’d asked, closing my eyes. My heart began to thump in my chest as I became more aware of his scent and presence behind me.

  Suddenly I felt a feather-light touch above my cleavage and his warm hands at the nape of my neck. He cleared his throat. ‘You can open your eyes now.’

  I did and glanced down at my chest. There, nestled perfectly was the black-and-white diamond yin-yang pendant I had placed a losing bid on.

  ‘Oh …’ My words were lost in surprise as I fingered the pendant. I whirled around, feeling the prickling of tears in my eyes. ‘Devon … I don’t know what to say. You bid on this? For me? Thank you. How … how did you know?’

  He looked pleased but a little embarrassed. ‘I saw your name on the bidding sheet. I wanted to make sure you won it.’

  ‘But … why?’ A tear slipped down my cheek. He reached up and wiped it with his thumb, cupping my cheek as he did. ‘You really shouldn’t have.’ I pushed the words past the lump in my throat. ‘No one’s ever done something so nice for me before.’

  He smiled sadly and caressed my face. ‘Well, that’s a shame.’ He took a deep breath and, closing his eyes for a moment, his jaw tightened. ‘I’ll see you Wednesday. Good night, Elle.’ Moving quickly back around the Jeep, I barely had time to wave as he took off.

  Did this mean it was a date? ‘You are a strange man, Devon Burke,’ I whispered after him.

  ELEVEN

  Wednesday after doga class finished, I walked Buddha out front to find Devon already waiting for us. I approached his Jeep, trying to ignore the little dance my pulse was doing.

  He removed his dark sunglasses and smiled at me. ‘So what’s the plan?’

  I helped Buddha into the back then I hopped in the front. ‘Well, I’ve got my parking pass so let’s start with the parking garage.’

  ‘Good plan.’ Devon reached behind him and gave Buddha a scratch under the chin. Which, my dog repaid with a long string of drool on Devon’s bare arm.

  I grimaced as Devon wiped it off on his jeans. ‘Sorry about that.’

  Devon laughed. ‘I’ve had worse slung on me in my travels.’

  ‘I really hope that’s not true,’ I said, laughing with him. ‘All right, let’s go. I’ll show you where Celeste used to park and where I ran over the bottle of Botox.’

  Devon nodded silently and circled the fountain to head back to the parking garage.

  ‘Second deck,’ I instructed as he eased over a speed bump. His Jeep seemed to handle those darned things with much more grace than my Beetle. Certainly a lot less complaining. I led him to my space. ‘You can park here.’

  He shut off the Jeep and we all hopped out.

  ‘OK, this is where I was backing out when I ran over the bottle.’ I walked him the short distance, with Buddha in tow, to the parking space. It still had a reserved sign on the metal pole for Celeste. ‘And this is where Celeste would have parked.’

  Devon eyed the parking space and then turned slightly to stare at his Jeep. ‘It is possible. The garage does slope that way. The bottle could’ve rolled.’ He hiked up his jeans and squatted to investigate Celeste’s parking space more closely. After a few minutes, he stood. ‘I don’t see anything that would indicate a struggle but that doesn’t mean much. If Celeste was attacked here, she probably knew her attacker, considering you need a card just to get in.’ He motioned to the elevator. ‘Easy getaway. Any cameras in there?’

  I shook my head. ‘No, though I heard Rita, the manager, has convinced the owners to have cameras installed now.’

  We moved into the elevator, and the door slid smoothly closed. In this close proximity, I became acutely aware of Devon’s physical presence. I glanced up at him. His eyes flicked to the necklace he had given me on Saturday night and then met mine briefly. I watched the corner of his mouth twitch slightly and then the doors opened.

  ‘Here we are then.’ He cleared his throat and motioned for me to exit in front of him.

  I pointed down the hall to our right. ‘The mudbath room is right there. If you go left and down the hall, my studio is the French doors on the left and down a bit further opens up into the lobby.’

  Devon thought for a moment. ‘So, if Celeste was attacked in the garage, the mudbath room would’ve been the closest place to go to for help.’

  I shrugged. ‘But her dog, Princess, was scheduled for a mudbath treatment in there around that time. So, that’s what everyone thinks she was doing in the room.’ I had a horrible thought. ‘Maybe that is why. Maybe she knew she was dying and wanted to see her dog one last time.’

  Devon nodded. ‘Possibly. All right then, let’s have a look.’

  After I showed him the mudbath room – which I still had a hard time entering without picturing Celeste lying there on the floor – I walked him down to my studio and then out into the lobby.

  Bonnie came around the corner, spotted us and then hurried across the lobby. ‘There you are, Elle. I wanted to give you this. Hello.’ She nodded to Devon, then turned her attention back to the object she was handing me. ‘I thought maybe you could hang it in the studio, in remembrance of Celeste.’

  ‘Sure,’ I whispered, studying the framed photo. Celeste was grinning, her face pressed against little Princess, who had a tiara perched atop her tiny head. She looked so alive. So happy. I felt the threat of tears and moved my attention back to Bonnie. ‘I’d be happy to.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Bonnie glanced down at the photo, a soft, sad smile on her lips. ‘She wanted me to take that picture of Princess modeling that particular tiara because it was a replica of Princess Diana’s.’ She cleared her throat and gave me one last smile of gratitude before turning quickly away.

  ‘They had become friends,’ I explained to Devon after her abrupt departure. ‘She’s taking Celeste’s death hard.’

  ‘There is nothing easy about death.’ Devon sighed. ‘All right. Just one more thing.’ He turned to me as we walked back to the elevator. ‘Let’s see how long it would have taken Celeste to go from Dr Craft’s office to the parking garage.’

  ‘OK.’ I nodded. ‘Won’t be long. It’s only two buildings over.’

  Turned out it took us six minutes to walk to the Jeep from outside the front door of Ira’s office and into Celeste’s parking space. We both sat there silently, and I wondered if Devon was thinking the same thing as I was.

  It was such a short amount of time. It would still be feasible to the police that the lethal dose of Botox came from Ira.

  TWELVE

  Ringing the doorbell, I suddenly felt nervous. What if I actually had to participate in the shooting of toxin into my forehead? And how in the world was I going to snoop around the house without someone noticing? I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and prayed to the universe there was alcohol here. It would help greatly if most of the guests were too tipsy to notice my snooping.

  Zebina’s face suddenly replaced the door. ‘Elle!’ She air-kissed both my cheeks. ‘So glad you could make it. Come in.’ She led me into an elaborately decorated living room large enough to house twenty elephants. At least a dozen women were milling about, chatting with champagne glasses in their hand. Bending down to give Max a scratch, I silently thanked the universe for champagne. Especially after I realized with horror how underdressed I was in my sundress and flip-flops.

  ‘Elle!’ Bonnie marched over in her perfectly tailored black cocktail dress and matching heels and gave me a one-armed hug. ‘You haven’t been in to visit me this week.’ She leaned in and whispered to me with her champagne-sweetened breath. ‘I hope that means no panic attacks?’

  I smiled and accepted my own glass of bubbly f
rom Zebina, thanking her. ‘Yes. It’s been a very quiet week.’

  ‘That’s good.’ She moved her hand to her chest, worry creeping into her eyes. ‘We haven’t got a chance to really talk since the auction. I’ve been worried that you’re angry with me for what I said to Ira. I know he’s your friend, Elle, but you know I’m not one to keep my thoughts to myself. I do apologize for that.’

  ‘It’s OK,’ I assured her. ‘Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. We’ll just have to trust that the police will uncover the truth.’

  ‘That we will.’ Relieved, she put her arm around my shoulder and led me into the middle of the group to make sure I knew everyone.

  Feeling like an impostor, I mostly kept quiet and tried to listen to the conversations going on around me, to see if there was any gossip about Celeste. So far, all the talk revolved around investments, beauty treatments and health issues with some hardy doses of gossip thrown in. Not about anyone I knew, though.

  I was trying to nurse my champagne to keep a clear head so my mouth was dry as cotton. I made my way into the kitchen to find a glass of water. The kitchen was incredible; modern stainless steel appliances mingled with an earthy clay-tiled backsplash and center island. A petite, older oriental woman in a black dress was humming as she pulled trays out of the fridge.

  ‘Excuse me?’

  She slid a tray on to the counter and turned to me with a smile. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Could I bother you for a glass of water?’

  She nodded. ‘Certainly.’ As she dug in the cupboard for a glass and pulled a filtered water pitcher from the fridge, I walked around trying to figure out what my first move should be. There were two doors off the kitchen.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, accepting the glass. ‘Is that the restroom?’ I pointed to a door on my right.

  ‘No, Mr Robert’s office.’ She pointed to the other door. ‘Restroom there.’

  ‘Thank you.’ I smiled, returning to the living room for now. If Robert did have Celeste’s things, he would probably keep them in his office or the garage. Florida homes didn’t have basements, no matter how rich you were, and I doubted Zebina would allow Celeste’s belongings to be stored in the bedroom. Since I didn’t have any reason to be in the garage, I would search the office first.

  Unfortunately, Zebina came around the corner before I had a chance to make my move.

  ‘Jiao, can you bring some fresh fruit out, please?’ She spotted me with my glass of water. ‘Elle,’ she laughed, ‘you’re not hiding out in the kitchen, are you?’ Putting her arm around me, she led me back into the living room. ‘There’s nothing to be concerned about. Feels just like a little mosquito bite. Here, watch Rita have it done.’

  Her heels clicked on the tile and then were silenced by the Persian rug as she led me over to where Rita was situating herself on a fold-out table covered with a white sheet. A striking woman with her blonde hair pulled back in a severe bun stood behind her with gloved hands, pushing a needle into a Botox bottle that looked just like the crushed one in my glove box.

  ‘Elle, this is Mandy, my dermatologist’s assistant. She’ll be preforming the injections today.’

  ‘Hello.’ I gave her a fluttering wave, moving one hand protectively to my neck. She smiled in return.

  ‘Elle!’ Rita adjusted herself on the table and closed her eyes. ‘How’s the house hunting coming?’

  House hunting? Right. The thing I was supposed to be doing but haven’t. I’m glad she had her eyes closed. I could feel my face warm. ‘I’m looking at a few prospects.’ Liar. I really needed to start looking for a place. ‘Thanks again for letting Buddha and I stay at the spa.’

  She waved her hand. ‘Happy to help, Elle.’

  Mandy nodded to a clipboard behind her. ‘Just sign the waiver and you can go next.’

  ‘Great. Thanks.’

  ‘You’ll do fine.’ Zebina squeezed my shoulder and left me standing there with thoughts of bolting out the door. I let the thoughts go instead. I had something important to do and by stars, I was going to do it.

  I watched as Mandy started pushing the needle between Rita’s brows and wiping away the drops of blood with a cotton square. Feeling my stomach cramp, I turned away to sign the waiver. That’s when I noticed the open box with a half dozen glass bottles and syringes in plastic. With a surreptitious glance behind me to make sure no one was paying attention, I swiped a bottle and syringe, shoving them quickly into my bag. With a trembling hand, I signed the waiver and stepped away from the table.

  ‘Remember it will take about ten days to start seeing results, and they’ll last for about three to four months,’ Mandy said.

  I stared at Rita’s face for any sign of discomfort, but she wasn’t flinching. I could do this. For Ira and Hope. When she sat up, I stared at the angry red bumps between her eyebrows and on her forehead. ‘How long before the redness goes away?’ I asked.

  ‘Usually a few hours at the most,’ Mandy chirped. ‘Ready?’

  ‘You’ll be fine.’ Rita patted my arm as she climbed off the table. ‘The earlier you learn to suffer for beauty, the longer you’ll stay beautiful.’ The ladies around us chuckled at her remark.

  I lay down awkwardly on the table, clutching my bag to my stomach and squeezed my eyes closed. ‘Ready.’

  ‘Just relax,’ Mandy cooed. I could smell the mint on her breath and then a tiny prick by my brow. A few more pricks and it was over. I sat up slowly and took in a lungful of air.

  Mandy laughed. ‘I don’t think I’ve had anyone hold their breath all the way through before.’

  ‘First time.’ I shrugged. ‘Thanks.’

  After an excruciating long hour of conversation with our tribe of red-welted women eating fruit and downing champagne, I finally got a chance to sneak back into the kitchen. Jiao was nowhere to be found so I snuck over to the office door and turned the handle. Unlocked. Slipping inside, I clicked it quietly closed behind me then glanced around. The blinds were closed but enough light seeped through from an outside lamp to allow me to snoop. There was a large, dark oak desk in the middle, matching bookshelves, and bingo … boxes stacked against the left wall.

  I hurried over and read the white labels. ‘Celeste’s belongings.’ Jackpot. Throwing my bag down, I unfolded the top box and peered in. Shoes. Sliding it off the pile and glancing at the door, I opened the next box. Files and folders. Flipping through them and not knowing what I was looking for, I put that box to the side, also.

  The next one had jewel-studded collars and harnesses, small dog clothes, a photo album … even a tiny jeweled crown in a glass case. Almost like the one Princess wore in the photo now hanging in my studio. Princess. My heart cramped. I wondered how she was doing without Celeste.

  I opened five or six more boxes, shoving them aside before I found what I was looking for. A laptop. Sitting on the floor with my prize, I was becoming aware of how long I’d been gone from the party. Time was becoming a physical pressure in my chest. Hopefully no one noticed and came looking for me. Don’t think about it.

  I powered up the laptop and typed ‘Princess’ in the password box. Please please please. Yes! It worked. Clinking on the email icon, I scrolled through. I had no idea what I was looking for and didn’t see anything overtly weird or threatening. I opened a couple of emails and scanned them. Investments, sales, appointments. Boring boring boring. Wait … what’s this? I clicked on an email with the subject heading: ‘I have to confess …’

  It was from Billie Olsen, the woman who was looking after Princess. I began to read:

  My dearest Celeste,

  Now that your divorce has gone through, I feel like it’s the right time to tell you how I feel … how I’ve always felt. I’m in love with you. I want us to spend the rest of our life together. If you don’t feel the same, I understand and please don’t end our friendship over this. If you could possibly feel the same way though, let’s talk. We’ve always been so close. I would just like to be closer.

  Whoa. I clicke
d over to Celeste’s outbox. There didn’t seem to be a reply. Was Celeste upset by this? Maybe not. But, if she was … a spurned love? That’s a motive for murder. Feeling pleased with myself for finding a clue, I powered off the computer and shoved it back in the box. Time to go. I had most of the boxes stacked back in place when the office light suddenly clicked on. I whirled around and Robert Green and I stood staring at each other in surprise.

  Devon’s words ‘don’t get caught’ suddenly echoed in my head.

  THIRTEEN

  ‘Elle?’ Robert pushed the door closed behind him and eyed me suspiciously. ‘What are you doing in here?’

  ‘What am I doing in here?’ Having a massive panic attack. ‘I …’ I glanced down into the box in my arms. ‘Well.’ Stay calm. Don’t act suspicious. ‘I’m so sorry.’ I dropped the box at my feet and gave him my best innocent smile. ‘I know I should’ve asked you. I just didn’t know how to bring up the subject without upsetting you.’

  He inched closer to me, folding his arms. ‘What subject is that?’

  ‘Celeste.’

  I saw his body tense. I had to get out of there. ‘You see, I was looking for the restroom and ended up in here, and then I saw her boxes and I remembered I’m going to visit Princess to take her some of the treats Celeste used to buy her from the Pampered Pup, and I thought about all the accessories that Celeste bought her and thought if they were here, I could take them with me to give them to Billie Olsen.’ Rambling … something I was good at when nervous. Breathing … not so much.

  Robert walked over and looked into the box at my feet, then with a sigh, he nodded. ‘Fine. The sooner I can get her stuff out of here, the sooner there will be peace in my house. I’ll have Jiao put the box in your car.’

  I blinked. Did that actually work?

  ‘Something else?’ he asked.

  ‘No! Great. It’s the VW convertible. Thank you.’ I stepped over the box and around Robert. ‘I better get back to the party.’

  A half an hour later, I finally made it out the door and was headed back to my temporary home with the bottle of contraband Botox in my bag and Princess’s things in the back seat.