Page 87 of Triggered By Love
“In other words, you didn’t find anything useful,” she said.
“No, I didn’t, but I took pictures of what was there, and I snooped around a bit.” He held out his hand for her to take, but she refused. “If you come to my place, I’ll show you what I found in the dumpster.”
“What kind of lame line is that?” Avery snickered with disdain. “Really, Officer Burnett, I find you very unprofessional.”
“And I find you extremely provocative.”
“Not interested.”
“Fine by me. Guess you’ll never know what I found,” he said. “Shall I drop you off at your place as you requested?”
“That would be best. And no, you’re not going to invite yourself in.”
“Not planning to. I’ve got clues to dig into at my place.”
“And I have a lot of work to do,” Avery said. “With Ivanna out, I have to finish up the accessories and contact the models for their final fitting.”
“Don’t you also have to decide what I’m wearing for the private show? Take measurements? All that? Do I get to wear turnout pants, or are you going for another theme this year?”
“No time to score turnout pants and fit them for you,” she said. “I’ll dress you in one of the Cocky Heroes business suits. It’s cutting it close. I just don’t see us having time to do the private show. Maybe I should cancel.”
The last thing Jason wanted was to miss going to Professor Leach’s place. There was something fishy going on, especially with Larry Leach associated with the fundraising parties held near the location where the bodies were found.
“We should stick to the schedule,” he said. “I can help. I’ll take a few days off and be the model wrangler.”
“It’s not that simple.” Avery threw her hands up and shook her head. “You’re so arrogant. You think you can insert yourself everywhere and fix everything.”
“That’s your view of me.” He caught both her hands with his and brought them to his lips. “Let me help you. No sense trying to do everything yourself.”
“Then take me to Ivanna’s place,” Avery ordered. “I need to gather up any accessories she was working on.”
* * *
Avery couldn’t helpthe tingles and sparks jumping all over her, but she could at least put Jason in his place. He was nothing to her but a pesky NYPD cop who saw murder behind every big city death.
True, she had not known Garm was Saul’s brother or that he’d overdosed. Models were in the glamour business, and partying with celebrities was key to breaking out from anonymous clothes horse to supermodel status. While Popo believed the young men were too keen on physical fitness to abuse drugs, how little did she know of the intense pressure to control weight and appetite.
These days, designers and photographers were always looking for something new and edgy. Everyone vied to catch fire as the ultimate in glamour. Cheap and expensive tricks were used for promoting, and shows were no longer set in a plain room with a catwalk.
The top firms often staged their shows in venues such as mansions, museums, aquariums, or they designed their “set” as meticulously as movie sets.
It was all about being remembered and talked about. One designer even finished his show with a circle of real flames.
Alida had managed to score the Madison Square Garden for Avery’s upcoming show, but a venue wasn’t make-or-break if the clothes were dull and didn’t catch fire.
Instead, she used contrasts to gain attention. A face with neon-colored makeup wearing a pure white and strait-laced wedding dress, or a multi-colored evening dress full of bling on a fresh-faced model with no makeup and plain, cropped hair.
If Professor Leach hadn’t pooh-poohed her animalistic faces, she would have done it last year. As it turned out, Ivanna was trying to steal this concept from her and pitch to Alida to make her the hot new designer.
“What are you thinking?” Jason asked when they arrived in front of Ivanna’s brownstone. “You look worried.”
She looked up at the brownstone. “If you’re any use, you’ll get me in there.”
“Shouldn’t you get permission from her sister?” Jason had the arrogance to stand there looking innocent, as if he wouldn’t abuse his power to get what he wanted.
“I don’t want to disturb them. They have enough to worry about. Now that I have to do Ivanna’s job, I have a legitimate reason to get in there.”
He stood there with his arms crossed and his foot tapping. “I’ll wait for you to call her sister.”
