Page 66 of When Fashion Turns Deadly

“Why?” Lars asked. “I already have a press pass.”

“I know, but we have a plan.” Isabelle proceeded to explain the backstage surveillance they had discussed with Gardien Chalamet.

“That’s a great idea,” Lars said.

“I’d better clean that bag out to make sure there’s nothing in it that I don’t mind losing in case it does get stolen,” Marit said.

“We can stage it so it looks like you’re really using that bag, but instead, we’ll have your stuff in mine.”

“We need to get you a bigger bag,” Marit said.

“I bet Esmee can help me with that.”

“Or Ralph,” Lars suggested. “I’m sure lending Isabelle a bag is a small sacrifice for identifying the thief.”

“That’s true.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Cole walked in before Isabelle could cross to it. He closed and bolted the door behind him.

“How did your investigative work go tonight?” Marit asked.

“Actually, I need your help to answer that.” Cole pulled out his cell phone, unlocked his screen, and passed it to Marit. “I found these inside Peter Wade’s safe.”

Marit’s eyebrows lifted. “You broke into his safe?”

Sidestepping her question, Cole asked, “Can you tell if those are Wade’s or Molenaar’s?”

Marit scrolled through the images, zooming in on each one. “Those are Peter’s designs.”

“How can you tell?” Isabelle asked.

“Two things.” Marit held up the phone so Isabelle and Cole could see it. “Peter puts his initials on the bottom of each pattern.”

“Couldn’t he have done that after he stole Ralph’s designs?” Cole asked.

“Maybe, assuming Ralph doesn’t put a marking on his, too, but this pattern here is for the dress I’m wearing in Peter’s show. I tried it on before Ralph’s patterns were stolen.”

Lars sighed. “I was really hoping it was him.”

“Me too, but only so this would all be over,” Marit said.

“We’ve narrowed down the field a lot,” Cole said. “If you keep scrolling, you’ll see the documents I copied.”

Marit’s eyes widened. “He was suing Bianchi?”

“He thought about it.” Cole grabbed a kitchen chair and straddled it. Leaning his arms on the back of it, he continued. “Wade had a case, both for theft and for defamation, but his attorney advised him against it. Looks like he’s been the victim of corporate espionage a time or two.”

“So, where does this leave us?” Isabelle asked.

“By my count, we only have one solid suspect left.” The blue of Cole’s eyes darkened. “Henri LaRue.”

Chapter 23

Early morning light filtered throughthe curtains, the flat quiet except for the water running in the bathroom. Judging by the number of times the shower had turned on and off, everyone had now taken a turn. Of course, Cole had taken his turn at five in the morning. Once the police lock-down had lifted, he’d made a quick trip to his hotel room to retrieve his and Lars’s belongings.

Cole stretched his legs out on the couch, where he’d slept a couple short hours, and balanced his laptop on his thighs. Even though the second bedroom had two twin beds, he hadn’t been willing to leave the living area empty, not with someone so determined to get to the flash drive.

With a clear suspect in mind, Cole searched through the updated police reports for anything that could lead back to Henri LaRue or someone associated with him. Unfortunately, not only did the files contain nothing helpful, but nothing new had been added in days beyond a mention that the four incidents were likely related.

---