Love Stinks Page 4

  Marissa looked at each of the men in turn. "Grayson told me it was murder. What did he die of?"

  Bandarra crossed his arms over his chest. "Can we just do our jobs? I'll do mine, you do yours, and your job is to answer my questions. We want to talk about the jacket."

  "Does that mean you don't know?"

  Bandarra pushed his glasses up with his thumb and glared at her. "Some kind of poison. We're running some more tests to determine which one. Now can we talk about the jacket? We want to know how you came into possession of it and why you didn't report it to the police."

  Marissa closed her eyes for a second. She knew that hitting an officer was against the law, but she momentarily debated an upper cut. "I had a rough day yesterday. It's not every day that I help open a new store, kick off the Christmas season, which happens to be the busiest time of the year, and have the main attraction of the store opening fall dead at my feet. I forgot about the jacket."

  Gavin's face had turned a more normal shade of pink. "Congratulations on the job here. It must be exciting."

  "So how did you come to have the jacket in the first place? Did you take it as a souvenir? Are you one of those groupie types?"

  Marissa snorted. "Hardly." She told them how Douglas had shoved the garment at her during the press conference. She detected a slight smile playing on the sergeant's lips as she told the three men about rolling up the jacket and stuffing it in her purse. Marissa guessed that he had underestimated her.

  "I didn't remember the stupid thing until my son spilt his juice into my purse. By then it was too late. The jacket was ruined, and so were all of Steve's things."

  Gavin wrote something in his notebook. "How old is your little boy?"

  "Much too young to be arrested for obstructing justice. Why? Is this an official question?"

  "Tish, do you mind? We're supposed to be solving a murder, not finding you a date." Marissa waited for him to tell off the sergeant, but Gavin seemed willing to take as much as Bandarra could dish out. The uniformed officer kept writing without missing a beat. Likely he heard these two argue before and had learned to pretend it didn’t exist.

  Gavin's looked down into his notebook and didn't speak.

  "Now, Ms. Scott," Bandarra stretched out her title as if it was foreign to him, "is this the bottle you found in Mr. Douglas' jacket?"

  Marissa took the plastic bag from the detective's burly hand and looked it over. "I guess. All these things look alike without the label. I see little purple stains along the edges so I assume it is."

  The man watched her cautiously, like a hunter assessing his prey. He was probably one of those men who were intimidated by women in positions of power. "You have a good eye. Any idea of what's in there?"

  "Sergeant, unless it smells, I don't know anything about it. I can identify all three of your colognes, but I'm not a pharmacist. You are wearing Old Spice, which tells me that you're a very traditional man. Conservative, but knows enough to buy something to wear. Probably unmarried, but not looking. Sergeant Tish is wearing Nautica Voyage which tells me that he's into fashion somewhat, more trendy, not married, but is looking." Just maybe in the wrong places, Marissa thought. "And the other officer isn't wearing cologne which means he's allergic to it or isn't out to impress anyone."

  Snatching back the bag, he handed Marissa another plastic envelope. It contained the sheet of paper with the numbers, 4896262. "So you have a nose. Do you have any idea of what this piece of paper represents? Do you recognize the handwriting of the numbers?"

  Marissa shook her head. "Not really. Most people's numbers look similar. The paper is the stock that's provided to all the employees. So anyone with access to the store could have written it."

  "Thanks for narrowing it down. Did you recognize the handwriting of the other note? Did you get to read the whole note before you destroyed it?" Bandarra didn't bother to give her the last bag, holding it tightly in his hand as if she would finish the mutilation she had started.

  Marissa looked over the officer's shoulder at the Christmas tree in the mall and tried to remember about good will to men. Even the angels from on high would have smacked this one. "No. I didn't read the whole thing, and it's not like I did any of this to make your life harder. Although maybe I would have, if I'd known what an ass you are. Do you have any more questions, or may I get back to my job?"

  Marissa turned to leave and almost ran into Nicole who was standing directly behind her. "Excuse me, Miss Scott, have you been able to get any more of that new cologne? You know, the Steve Douglas one. People have been asking for it all morning. I know we would sell out if we could get some more in."

  Marissa frowned and shook her head slowly. "None of the other stores want to ship their stock to us. They're selling it so fast that their supply will be gone before the end of the week as it is. I'm going to have to reorder from the manufacturer."

  "What should I tell the people here?"

  Marissa smiled slowly. "Tell them to get their Perchance elsewhere or come back next week. I'll probably be in jail by then for first degree grape juice."

  Nicole just stood there with her mouth open. Marissa started to go around her when a voice said, "Ms. Scott, how about we start over? I still have a lot of questions for you."

  Marissa's shoulders slumped slightly. This was going to be another long day. "I have a lot of work to do. A store opening is not an easy thing."

  The detective's eyes squinted. "Neither is a murder. Now did Douglas have anything to eat or drink when he came down here?"

  Marissa leaned against the empty display. "I think he took a drink from the water fountain upstairs. Other than that, nothing that I know of."

  "How about at the photo shoot? Did he eat anything there?" Gavin looked into her eyes as he spoke and Marissa glanced off into the distance.

  "We were shooing ads for the Christmas cologne campaign. I wasn't there, but I doubt it. Most of the photographers I deal with are very particular about their sets and the equipment. Food can get on something and ruin the whole shoot. My guess would be that the shoot consisted of the models, the product, Steve and the photographer. No food or drinks or anything like that."

  "So that leaves the luncheon and the autograph party. How were invitations given to the party?" Bandarra asked. Marissa looked at Gavin, but his head was down, writing in the notebook in his hand.

  "I'm not sure. We contracted with one of the local radio stations. They gave them out as prizes on the air." Marissa forgot the men and ran her fingers through her dark hair, giving it a good shake.

  "So it was a random selection?" Bandarra didn't leave time for anyone else to get a word in.

  "As random as phoning a radio station. You'll have to ask them about it. I don't listen to that kind of music."

  "So about the luncheon. You were somewhat involved in planning that, correct? The store manager said something about your helping out."

  Marissa laughed. "I got stuck with the dirty work, if that's what they mean. The store management planned the menu and made the seating arrangements. All I did was show the caterers where to set up and set out the place cards. If Zack Martin could figure out a way to get department heads to clean the bathrooms, his life would be complete."

  Gavin finally looked up and shot a nasty glance to Bandarra. The uniformed officer with them snickered.

  "We're also going to need you to come down to the station some time so we can fingerprint you. We need to exclude your prints from the notes you gave us." Bandarra closed his notebook and shoved it in his pocket. "Could you show us the conference room where the luncheon took place?"

  "It's upstairs. Follow me." Marissa led the men out of cosmetics and through men's suits. She thought about stopping to help Bandarra find something that looked better, but she'd done enough damage for one day. Still, she led them through lingerie just to get a glimpse of their faces as the men brushed through the teddies and bras. The three men faced straight ahead and tried not to look at the garments.

&nb
sp; As Marissa stepped onto the escalator, she asked, "Have you heard anything about my cologne? You know that someone stole eight cases of Perchance from the store yesterday."

  Bandarra nodded. "We heard about it, but that's Robbery's job. I'm assigned to Homicide."

  "Don't you think the incidents might be related? How many felons do you think were at Kantor's yesterday?"

  "Miss Scott, the world is full of mixed up people." The older uniformed officer spoke for the first time and startled Marissa. His voice sounded boyish compared to Bandarra's.

  They went down the main aisle of the second floor to the back of the store. Marissa waved to the cashier clerks as she passed them and continued back into the office area.

  Marissa stopped at a pair of double doors and opened one. The room was empty, totally bare. A wide expanse of new pale blue carpeting stretched across the room to where some tables were stacked against the far wall. The dishes and chairs and all the tableware were missing. Everything that had made this the last meal of Steve Douglas had vanished. The floor had the wide marks of a vacuum across the carpeting. She pulled the doors shut quickly. Zack Martin's secretary, Louise, strolled towards them, and Marissa stopped her. "This room was supposed to be kept intact. There's nothing left here."

  Louise smiled in a motherly way and pushed Marissa aside. "No one was supposed to enter this room until the police had time to check it out. They even put police tape across the doors." She opened the door to reveal the empty room. The policemen started into the room as they saw the lack of evidence.

  Marissa held the doors open for the police. "Looks like you'd better call Robbery, Bandarra. I think we have another felon loose."

  Chapter 6

  When Marissa returned to her department the following day, she walked the cosmetics floor. "Oh honey, you look so much better today," Opal said, patting Marissa on the arm. Normally Marissa would have discouraged such behavior, but the clerk was so sincere that she accepted it gracefully. "After the past couple of days, I worried about you. Your face just looked so pale. You mustn't let yourself get run down with the holidays coming up. Christmas is always such a joy for the children." Despite being sixty, Opal was the best worker in the department, in Marissa's opinion. The woman had a sense of style and carried herself with an assured air that made her seem years younger. Opal reminded Marissa of a Norman Rockwell grandmother who took time to read Vogue. She had worked at Kantor's for the past fifteen years, and Marissa knew that her career had started with her husband's retirement. She wasn't sure if the job was a necessity or merely a desire to get out of the house.

  Marissa smiled at the matronly clerk. "I was finally able to get some sleep last night. I swear though if anything turns up missing today, I'll just lose it."

  Opal laughed.

  "Have you seen Nicole today? She was supposed to be here at ten and it's nearly eleven now." Marissa looked around, but the counters seemed to be in order, no new alphabetized system. Maybe Nicole had tired of the job and had quit. Marissa allowed herself to fantasize about the possibilities while Opal answered a customer's question. Maybe Nicole had killed Steve Douglas and was on the lam from the police. Then what would Zack think about his choice in cosmetics clerks?

  "She called in sick. Rhonda's coming in at lunch to cover the rest of her hours." Opal turned around and gingerly leaned against the glass counter. "The poor dear sounded exhausted. I don't know if she has what it takes to work in retail. It's harder than it looks."

  "You don't have to tell me that. I'm going to work in the back room if you need me." Marissa felt like whistling as she crossed the floor and went through the curtains into the store room that served as her office.

  The room provided a stark contrast to the glass and chrome displays out front. The marble hadn't been laid with the same care as the cosmetics floors. Tall metal shelves lined the back wall, stacked with boxes from the concrete floor to the wire-laced ceiling. A solitary metal desk stood against the near wall, and Marissa sat down at it. Nothing was too extravagant for Kantor's department heads. She took a deep breath as she pushed a stack of papers to one side.

  She pulled out the sales and inventory reports for White Shoulders. With the Perchance fiasco fresh in Zack's mind, it wouldn't do for her to run low on another perfume or cologne. Christmas sales made up a significant part of her yearly sales goals, and management was watching her closely. She pulled out a calculator and started punching in numbers. The work was slow, and she fought off the temptation to call Anne to go to lunch.

  Within an hour, most of the stack was complete. Marissa's sales figures were fairly accurate except for a few of the men's colognes that ended in 'ion'. She marked on a note pad that cases 1238858 and 1239949 of Obsession had been sold. The public was never too picky or too accurate in their buying, something to be thankful for. Marissa picked up the phone to call one of the sales reps when Opal stuck her head through the curtain.

  "Marissa honey, I know you said that you'd lose your mind if one more thing came up missing, but I don't know where something is. Could you come up front for a minute?"

  Marissa blew the dark locks out of her eyes with an exasperated sigh and stood up. She followed the woman to the Givenchy counter.

  "Honey, wasn't there a display of the latest perfume gifts in the corner here? You remember that special from Giorgio, get a free Christmas ornament when you buy the thirty-five dollar bottle of perfume. I could have sworn I saw it yesterday."

  Marissa looked at the empty corner and then around the counter. "The display was there this morning when I opened. I accidentally knocked it over when I was counting the number of gifts we had left. Do you remember seeing it any later than that?"

  The older woman shook her head. "No, I don't. I was just cleaning the counter when I noticed that it was missing. Do you think someone could have taken those bulbs?"

  Marissa twisted up her face. This had to be a conspiracy. "I'm sure of it, but I'll be damned if I'm going to call Sergeant Bandito and the macho squad. I can handle this without them. Did you notice if any of the customers today was carrying a large bag or package?"

  Opal shook her head and frowned. "I can't think of anyone like that. Only the two business women and that lady with the baby."

  "Was the woman with the baby carrying a diaper bag or carry-all?"

  The clerk's eyes opened wide. "No. How can you say that? A young mother and her child wouldn't be doing such things. It's unheard of."

  Marissa picked up the phone. "I'm a young woman with a child, and you'd be surprised at the things I do."

  "Oh, how you do go on. I really think that your bark is much worse than your bite. I should go tell that to the nice policeman. You looked so cute together." Opal stepped out of arm's length as she spoke. Opal might be sincere, but she wasn't dumb.

  Marissa frowned and dialed the phone. "Adam can take care of this just as well as the police."

  "Security, Ellen speaking." A woman's nasal voice with an Eastern accent came through the receiver.

  "Ellen Perrino, is that you?"

  "Is that you Marisser? I haven't had a chance to call you. I was transferred over here as of yesterday. Go figure." When Marissa had started at Kantor's a year ago, Ellen had been her first friend and constant companion at the two weeks of company training. Ellen had moved here from Boston, trying to escape the pace of the East Coast and high cost of living. They'd lost track of each other somewhat after Marissa was assigned to the downtown store and Ellen started at Tri-County.

  "I can believe anything of this company. I think I have a potential shoplifter. Can you come down to cosmetics?"

  "I'll be down in a sec. Just tell me where you are in this place."

  Marissa laughed. "I can tell that you're going to be a lot of help. We're on the first floor by the main entrance, where they always put cosmetics."

  She placed the phone back on the receiver and turned to Opal. "Ellen and I trained at the downtown store together. She's a great person and a good detecti
ve. She'll be here any minute."

  Opal rubbed her eye. Weepy clerks were all that Marissa needed right now. "I don't know if I can turn in a mother on a bust. That's the term, isn't it?"

  Marissa put her arm around the woman. Add comforter to her resume. "You just need to provide Ellen with a description. She'll do the bust. You won't have to get involved."

  "A description? I don't remember all that much. I was trying to get a look at the baby and I really don't think I paid much attention to the mother."

  A nasal voice behind them whined, "Geez, I thought that the west side of Cincinnati was supposed to be known for its family values, not teaching its children how to rip-off the stores. I thought this job would be a piece of cake."

  Opal's back stiffened as she turned around to face the voice. Ellen hadn't mellowed any. "I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. That mother is probably innocent."

  Marissa waved as she saw her friend. Ellen hadn't changed in the six months since she'd last seen her. Still the short, curly blond hair and rounded figure and the no-nonsense clothing that allowed her to wear the tools of the trade on her belt. The security officer was wearing jeans and a loose fitting blouse that looked like polyester. A walkie-talkie hung from her waist and squawked as she stood there. As the woman listened to Opal, Marissa remembered the way Ellen's make-up stopped at her chin, not blending onto her neck at all.

  Ellen bit her lip. "So what did this Madonna look like? I need to have a description of the perp if I'm going to question her."

  The clerk's face reddened. "I don't really remember. I was telling Marissa that I was concentrating on the baby and didn't really notice the mother."

  Ellen turned to Marissa and smiled. "Doesn't that make you feel good to know that people only notice Joshua and not you? How is the tyke?"

  "He's fine, and I already knew that. Why don't you take Opal with you around the store and see if you can locate this woman? I'll stay here until Rhonda gets in, and then you can go to lunch, Opal." The department was already shorthanded with Nicole gone.