Page 36 of When Fashion Turns Deadly

“Want to pick something for Marit?”

“No thanks. I can split this with her if she wants something.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know. We have plenty.”

“You have too much,” Isabelle said. “If you and Lars eat all that, you’re both going to have stomachaches tomorrow.”

“We’ll be fine.” Cole leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, drawing out the kiss. Forever hovered on the edge of his mind, and he had to fight to keep his thoughts on their conversation. He held up the pastry box. “Trust me. We know how to pace ourselves.”

“If you say so.” Isabelle gave him another quick kiss. “Thanks for dessert. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Cole waited until she disappeared inside before he headed back to the hotel. With any luck, offering Lars pastries would be enough to bribe him to take the first shift so Cole could get some sleep. At least, he would get some sleep after he tried one of those custard tarts. He wasn’t trusting Lars to eat just one.

Chapter 13

Lars adjusted the height ofhis tripod as a model approached wearing a navy gown and a necklace that looked very much like the five-carat teardrop diamond pendant he’d help load into the armored vehicle in Amsterdam. The pendant was stunning, but Lars wasn’t fooled. Even if he hadn’t already known that the models would be rehearsing with costume jewelry, the absence of heavily armed security personnel this morning would have been clue enough. The priceless pieces would stay in the bank’s safe-deposit box until right before the actual show.

Lars understood the reasoning behind it, but it didn’t make his job any easier. He was basically trying to capture something that still didn’t exist. Not only did he have to make a decision on the best way to photograph Coster’s jewelry while the models were wearing fake pieces, but he also had to set up his equipment in the rented rehearsal space many of the designers were using rather than at the location of the final shows.

The quality of the lighting would play a huge part in how well his shots turned out. And unfortunately, that would be very different in the Carrousel du Louvre than it was here. Not only would the runway be awash with artificial lights, but they’d also have the natural light coming in from the glass pyramid above them. Of course, that lighting would change according to the time of day and the cloud cover. He shook his head slightly. The whole thing was crazy. He was basically working with a moving target.

The model stopped in front of the small group of photographers and posed. Lars took a few photos, adjusted his zoom, and took a few more.

“Thanks,” he said in Dutch.

With an accepting nod, she moved back up the catwalk.

“Who’re you with?” the photographer at his right asked, speaking English.

“Coster Diamonds,” Lars replied.

“Ah, that explains why you just arrived. You’re only here for Molenaar’s show.”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I’m withElegance Magazine, based in London.” The Englishman gestured to the men at his other side. “Vogue,Elle, andVanity Fair. We’ve been here since they started this morning.”

Lars did a rapid mental review of the long list of designers he and Cole had scanned through last night. How many of them had been here before Ralph’s group? It might be worth a few questions to find out.

“Lars Hendriks,” he said, offering the Englishman his hand.

“Tony Watkins. Nice to meet you.”

Another model was approaching. Lars turned his attention back to his camera. This one was wearing the ruby earrings with a dress of a similar color. She paused in front of the cameras, and Lars zoomed in on the jewelry. The shutters clicked, and she moved away.

“I’ll hand it to your fellow countryman,” Tony said. “He puts his models in things that actually look like clothes. Can’t say that for all the designers here.”

Lars raised his eyebrow curiously. “What else would they be wearing?”

“Good question. Li Du’s collection looked like oversized black rubbish bags tied at the neck with holes for the arms and legs.”

Lars smothered his laugh with a cough. “Yeah. That sounds a bit weird.”

Tony snorted. “They were nothing compared to what Giuseppe Bianchi’s models were wearing. I’m just glad the shows are indoors. Fish netting should not be considered a fabric.”

Desperately hoping that Marit and Isabelle had stayed clear of that particular casting call, Lars attempted to redirect the conversation.

“How many of the designers have been around today?”

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