by Joanne Fluke
“Oh, my Lord!” Maura gasped. “But, Sylvia . . . these really aren’t originals, not in the true sense of the word. We’re planning on mass producing these designs. What will Mrs. Durham think when she sees someone else wearing a dress just like hers?”
“But it won’t be just like hers. I told her we’d be selling knockoffs, but she said that didn’t matter. She’s the only one who’ll have the original from the show.”
“That’s true, I guess.” Maura started to laugh. “All right, Sylvia. You’ve just been promoted to business manager, but I’m not going to ask what you think your increase in salary should be. How about an extra five hundred a week?’
Sylvia nodded quickly. “I accept. I think I’ll go back to the dressing rooms and talk to the other models. Maybe they’ll all want to buy their designer originals. At half off, they’re a real bargain.”
Steve waited until Sylvia had rushed off, and then he turned to Maura. “You’re worried about Keith and Liz, aren’t you?”
“Yes . . . a little.” Maura was surprised. Steve had seen right through her casual act. “I just don’t understand what could be keeping them. I know Keith’s not that interested, but Liz has never missed a show before, and we’re including one of her original designs.”
“Does she know?”
“Of course. And she was very excited about it. She told Sylvia she could hardly wait to judge the crowd reaction.”
“Then she’ll be here.” Steve walked over to give Maura a little hug. “Don’t worry. They probably got delayed somehow, but I’m sure they’ll be here by the time the show starts.”
But they weren’t, and Maura grew more and more worried as the minutes passed. The models did an excellent job, and Diane was impressive as she introduced the designs. The Joseph’s coat, modeled by Cherise, was a show-stopper. Everyone wanted to order it, and Sylvia had deposits on over thirty during the first ten minutes of the reception.
“It was a great show, luv.” Steve held Maura’s arm and escorted her to the reception tent. “The fashion editor from the Times told me that it was the best fashion show you’ve ever done.”
Maura nodded. “Yes . . . it did go well. Do we really have to go to the reception, Steve?”
“It’ll look very strange if you don’t show up. After all, you’re the hostess.” Steve put his arm around her waist and propelled her toward the tent. “Come on, Maura. You don’t want everyone to know you’re upset, do you?”
“No, of course I don’t.” Maura turned around to face him. “You feel it, too . . . don’t you, Steve?”
Steve nodded. And then he bent down to place a kiss on her forehead. “Whatever it is, I promise you that we’ll face it together.”
* * *
“That was a really great show, Mrs. Thomas.” Hank grinned at Maura. “Of course, I don’t know beans about fashion, but I thought your designs were beautiful.”
Maura smiled. “Thank you, Hank. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“I really liked the lines in that long green dress.” David spoke up. “It reminded me of the gown Elizabeth the First wore in her coronation painting. Is that where you got the idea?”
“I really don’t remember.”
Maura turned to grin at him, and David grinned back. “Sorry. I knew that. But it was beautiful and I wanted to tell you. Jan would look gorgeous in something like that.”
“Not on a bet!” Jan laughed. “I never go to places where you have to get that dressed up. Mom’s Joseph’s coat is more my style. I could wear that on campus with jeans and a T-shirt.”
Maura nodded. “You’re right. I’ll have Liz make one up for you.”
“Mom?” Jan leaned close so she could speak to her mother privately. “What happened to Liz and Keith? I’ve been watching for them and they’re not here.”
“I don’t know. No one’s heard from them.”
“Are you worried?” Jan looked very concerned.
“I’m not sure worried is the right word. I’m angry with Liz. She had a responsibility to be here to help with the show. I counted on her to model her gown, and Heather had to fill in for her. And Keith should have made an appearance. He knew how important this show was to me, and it’s awkward to explain his absence. I just hope no one notices that they’re both missing, and brings up questions that I can’t answer.”
“I understand.” Jan nodded. And then she pointed to the table where David and Hank were waiting. “I’ll be right over there. If you need me, just give me the high sign. I’m really good at fielding embarrassing questions.”
“Okay, honey.” Maura smiled as Jan walked over to the table and sat down. She wasn’t sure how she’d done it, but she’d managed to raise a wonderfully sensitive and helpful daughter.
After Jan left, several more people came up to congratulate Maura. She managed to keep a smile on her face, but with each minute that passed, she grew more and more anxious. She was about to ask Steve if he’d run to the office to see if Keith or Liz had called in, when a dark-haired woman in a business suit headed her way.
“Who’s that?” Maura turned to Steve quickly. “She looks important.”
“She is. She’s the fashion editor from L.A. Style. It’s one of the big fashion magazines. Sorry, luv, but I don’t remember her name.”
“Excuse me . . . Maura?” The fashion editor waved to get Maura’s attention and made her way through the crowd. She reached out to shake Maura’s hand and smiled. “Fabulous show, darling! This was your best ever!”
“Thank you. It’s very nice of you to say so.” Maura put on her best smile, and wished she could remember the woman’s name.
“Have you seen Liz Webber? I wanted to compliment her on her design. Of course it wasn’t as sophisticated as yours, but she does show some promise.”
“She certainly does.” Maura managed to keep the smile on her face. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen Liz.”
With the sixth sense so many reporters seemed to possess, the editor caught the scent of a story in the making. Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer. “I noticed that she didn’t model her own design. Liz is here, isn’t she?”
“She should be, but with a crowd this large, the Pope could be here and you’d never spot him.” Steve laughed and extended his hand. “Steve Bennett. I’m Maura’s brother-in-law. And you’re . . . ?”
“Constance Grafton from L.A. Style. What’s Liz wearing? Maybe I can spot her?”
“The last time I saw her, she had on a gray business suit with a totally gorgeous necklace.” Maura answered the question truthfully. “But she may have changed by now.”
“Oh.” The woman nodded, and it was clear she was disappointed. But then she brightened as she noticed that Keith was missing. “How about your husband, Maura. Is he here?”
Maura caught Steve’s cue and she shook her head. “I’m afraid not. He was supposed to fly in this afternoon, but he must have been delayed. My daughter’s here, though. Jan? Come over here a moment, honey.”
“Hi, Mrs. Grafton.” Jan rushed over to Maura’s side. “I haven’t seen you since last year, but I’ve enjoyed your articles in the magazine. Wasn’t the show just wonderful?”
“Fabulous. I heard you’d gone away to college, Jan. Are you studying design?”
“No way!” Jan laughed gaily. “Mom has all the artistic talent in the family. I decided to go into a totally unrelated field. I’m majoring in psychology.”
Just then Sylvia came rushing up. She looked upset, but the moment she saw Mrs. Grafton, she put on a charming smile. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Maura, but you have an important call in the office. You’d better go, too, Steve. Your service needs to talk to you. I’ll introduce Mrs. Grafton to some of the models while you’re gone.”
“I need to make a call, too.” Jan caught the unspoken urgency in Sylvia’s voice, and turned to her mother. “I’ll just tell David and Hank where I’m going, and I’ll meet you there.”
Maura watched as Sylvia walked away, Mrs
. Grafton in tow. Thank goodness for Sylvia! Maura could hear her telling the editor all about how they’d used customers as models, and Constance Grafton seemed fascinated. At least one problem was off her back.
“Come on, Maura.” Steve sensed that she was hesitant about going to the office, and he took her arm. “Let’s go see why Sylvia looked so upset.”
* * *
Maura sat in the passenger’s seat and trembled as Steve followed the police car to the warehouse. She knew that something awful had happened. The officers who’d been waiting for them in the office had told them that they’d found Liz’s car parked by the side of the warehouse. A janitor in the building across the street had seen two people, a man and a woman, go inside the red-tagged warehouse. He’d watched, and when they hadn’t come out again, he’d hammered on the locked door to warn them that the building was dangerous. When he got no response, he’d called the police, fearing for their safety.
“What are they doing in the warehouse?” Steve frowned as he pulled up behind the police car.
“I don’t know. Liz knows we’re not supposed to go inside. She said she had several bolts of the perfect material for my Joseph’s coat, but I told her we couldn’t go in to get it.”
Steve shook his head. “I doubt that would have stopped her. Does she have a key?”
“Yes.” Maura nodded. “I have one and she has the other.”
The officers motioned to them, and Maura and Steve got out of the car. Maura handed then her key, and the older officer turned to her. “You folks better stay out here. The building’s not safe.”
“I know that, Officer. But my husband’s in there. I really want to go in with you.”
“I’d like to come, too.” Steve spoke up. “I’m a doctor, and they could be injured. You may need some emergency medical help.”
The older officer hesitated, and then he nodded. “We talked to the structural engineer. It should be safe enough if you don’t touch anything. But if you come in, it’s at your own risk.”
“Of course.” Steve nodded. “Hold on a second. I’ll grab my bag.”
Steve was back in a moment, and the older officer opened the door. “Is the electricity on?”
“No.” Maura shook her head. “The main line snapped during the earthquake.”
“Stick close behind us, then. We don’t want any more accidents.”
The words the officer had chosen contributed to Maura’s anxiety. He thought that Liz and Keith had been in an accident, too. She was shaking as she followed them into the darkened building. The light was fading fast, and the warehouse looked eerie under the beams of their powerful flashlights.
“Hello! Anyone here?” the older officer called out, but there was no answer. It was perfectly quiet, so quiet that Maura could hear her own heart beating hard in her chest. “Hello! This is the police! Call out if you can hear us!”
Maura held her breath as long as she could, and then she let it out in a ragged sigh. No answer. Nothing to mar the perfect silence. If Keith and Liz were here, they weren’t able to call out for help.
“The staircase is to your right.” Maura was surprised that her voice was steady. “They might have gone up to the second or third floor.”
“What’s up there?” the younger officer asked.
“We store our cloth and thread on the second floor, and Liz mentioned that she wanted to come in to get some bolts of cloth. Of course I reminded her that we weren’t allowed to enter the building, but it’s possible that she ignored my warning.”
“And your husband might have come along to help her?”
Maura nodded. “Yes. She picked him up at the airport this afternoon, and they may have stopped here on their way to the boutique.”
“How about the third floor?”
Maura shook her head. “They wouldn’t have any reason to go up there. We don’t use it for anything except files and records.”
“Okay.” The older officer nodded. “You two stand right here and wait while we check out the ground floor. If we don’t find them, we’ll work our way up.”
Steve reached out to wrap his arms around Maura as they watched the two officers search the ground floor. They walked in a clockwise fashion, shining their flashlights into every corner and behind every box and crate. They were approaching the staircase when the younger officer shouted out. “Over here!”
Maura frowned as both of the officers trained their flashlights on what looked like a pile of fallen lumber near the staircase. “What is it, Steve? I don’t see anything.”
Just then one of the officers pointed his flashlight at the ceiling, and Maura saw a jagged hole where a section of the second floor had been.
“Oh, my God!” She shuddered violently. “You don’t suppose they were up there and . . . ?”
“Help me with this board, will you?” The older officer motioned to his partner, and together they lifted off several heavy beams. And then Maura saw it, the arm that was sticking up through the debris. Something gold was reflected in the beam from the officer’s flashlight and she shuddered as she recognized Keith’s watch.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Maura took another sip of the cognac Steve had poured for her. She wasn’t sure she liked the taste, but it was doing an excellent job of warming her insides. “But Steve . . . are you sure?”
“I’m sure, luv. I went upstairs with them, after Jan came to take you home. There was a hole in the third floor, too, just inside the file room.”
Maura frowned. “But I don’t understand, Steve. What were they doing up there?”
“We may never know for sure, but the police let me remove all your records. I dropped them off at your accountant’s office before I came back here. I think you’ll find that Keith was making some unauthorized entries in your books.”
“Do you think he was embezzling money from me?” Maura shivered. She felt oddly detached. It didn’t really matter what Keith had done. He was dead.
“That’s my guess. Your new accountant is very good. And since he used to work in Grant’s office, he has access to all his computer records. He told me he should have a report for you in a week or so.”
“And you dropped off the tax records I needed for Agent Richards?”
Steve took a deep breath, and then he pulled Maura close so he could look into her eyes. “There is no Agent Richards. I had the police check with the I.R.S.”
“But . . . but he called me!”
“Someone called you. And that someone identified himself as Agent Richards. But he wasn’t.”
“But why would someone pretend to be an I.R.S. agent? That’s not exactly a ticket to popularity!” Maura started to laugh, but she sobered quickly when she saw how serious Steve looked. “What is it, Steve?”
“Just think about it for a minute, Maura. What did this Agent Richards want you to do?”
“He wanted me to go get my tax records for the year . . . oh, my God! If I’d gone up to the third floor of the warehouse, I would have been . . .”
“That’s right.” Steve nodded gravely. “It was a setup, Maura. The tax records you needed were right next to the section of floor that collapsed. And I’m willing to bet that those floor joists suffered a lot more than simple earthquake damage.”
“But . . . why would someone want to kill me?”
“For something you knew. Or something they thought you were about to remember. Someone knew your memory was coming back. Who did you tell?”
“No one. Just you, and Jan, and Nita. And Nita told Hank.”
“Then one of them told someone. Or someone noticed. How about Liz? Did she know?”
Maura started to shake her head, but then she looked thoughtful. “It’s possible. She was wearing a necklace and I commented on how beautiful it was. She knew I was fascinated by the design, and I told her I thought I’d seen one like it before with pearls instead of opals.”
“And you had?”
Maura nodded. “When I got home, I described it for Jan,
and she showed me my grandmother’s wedding picture. Granny Kate was wearing the necklace.”
“Keith gave your grandmother’s necklace to Liz?”
“Yes. He must have taken it from the box in the attic. He took out the pearls. There were some missing. And he put opals in their place. I’m sure Liz mentioned it to Keith, and that means Keith would have known that my memory was coming back.”
Steve nodded. “Okay. We’ll add Keith and Liz to the list. And they might have told any number of people. How about Jan? Do you think she told anybody?”
“Not exactly.” Maura sighed. “But she told me that David guessed, and she didn’t deny it. She felt terribly guilty, but she said she just couldn’t lie to him.”
“I’ll add David to the list. This is getting us nowhere, Maura. Too many people are involved already. I think we’d better approach it from another angle.”
“What other angle?”
“It’s time for you to remember everything. Think back, Maura. There’s a reason someone’s trying to kill you. Try to remember that reason for me.”
“But I can’t!” Maura shook her head. “You told me yourself, Steve . . . it’s just not possible to turn my memory on and off like a water faucet!”
“Of course not.” Steve slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little hug. “But memories can be prodded a little. They can even be kicked right out of hiding. How about it, luv? Are you willing to try a little experiment for me?”
Maura hesitated. “But I thought you didn’t want to rush me.”
“I said that because I didn’t want your memory to come back.”
“You didn’t? But why?”
Steve looked very serious. “You were safer if you didn’t remember, and I was trying to delay the process. I sidetracked you every way I could, including convincing you that your dreams were just a figment of your imagination.”
“Because you knew that if I remembered, they’d try to kill me?”
“That’s right. But now the game’s changed. They think you remember, and you won’t be safe unless you do. How about it, luv? Are you ready to remember everything?”
