She almost blurted out the truth. She didn’t know anything more than the police did about Zolanda’s death, but she did have some idea of who might be watching her. The problem was that if she told Jake everything, there was a very real possibility that he would conclude she was crazy. What man in his right mind would trust an escapee from an insane asylum?
It wasn’t as if he had been entirely straightforward with her, either, she reminded herself.
She focused on the immediate problem of obtaining an affordable dress that would get her through the exclusive doors of the Paradise Club.
“You don’t need to go shopping with me,” she said. She knew she sounded stiff and tense. “I’ve got a friend who knows all about the latest fashions and where to find them here in town.”
“How long will it take?”
“Hours,” she said with a cold smile, silently daring him to complain about the shopping process.
“Take your time. Luther invited me to play a round of golf this afternoon. I’ll give him a call and tell him I’m free.”
Chapter 25
“That’s the gown,” Raina announced. “It fits you beautifully and the deep turquoise blue enhances your eyes. You look sophisticated and mysterious. That’s exactly the right impression to make at a place like the Paradise Club.”
“Miss Kirk is correct,” the saleswoman gushed. “She has an excellent eye for fashion.”
Adelaide studied herself in the dressing room mirror. Raina and the saleswoman were right, she thought. The ankle-length gown was very flattering. The lustrous satin was cut on the bias so that it flowed effortlessly over the body and flared out below the hips. It would look terrific on a dance floor.
The front was styled with a demure, high neck but the back plunged to the waist with nothing more than a few decorative strips of fabric to secure it. It was a gown designed for a night of glamour and seduction.
She had purchased similar gowns in those first giddy weeks after Conrad Massey had moved into her life. And then one day she had awakened in a hospital gown in a locked room at Rushbrook. She shuddered at the memory.
Raina’s brows snapped together. She leaned forward and lowered her voice.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
Adelaide pulled herself together. “Yes, I’m fine. Just dealing with the shock of the price tag on this little number, that’s all.”
“No need to worry about the price,” the saleswoman said airily. “I’ll give you a twenty percent discount because you’ll be seen in the gown at the Paradise Club. That is excellent advertising for my shop. All you need now are a pair of smart shoes, a wrap, some earrings, and the right evening bag, and you’re all set for a night on the town.”
Reality struck Adelaide with staggering force. She could—just barely—manage to pay for the dress. The accessories the saleswoman suggested were out of the question.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She reached around behind herself to find the hidden zipper. “The dress is lovely but you’re right, it needs all the appropriate trimmings. I’m afraid I’m on a strict budget.”
Alarmed, the saleswoman started talking very quickly. “I’m sure we can find a few things in your price range.”
“The accessories will not be a problem,” Raina said. “I think I’ve got a bag and a wrap that will go nicely with that dress. I also have some earrings that will work, as well. That just leaves the shoes. Unfortunately, mine will be too big for you, Adelaide, although we might be able to wad up some tissue to stuff into the toes.”
The saleswoman smiled a mysterious saleswoman smile. “I’ll be right back,” she said.
Adelaide and Raina looked at each other.
“I’ve got news for you,” Raina said quietly. “Not a lot but it might prove useful. I’ll tell you when we’re finished here.”
“Does it have anything to do with Thelma Leggett?”
“Yes.”
The saleswoman appeared as if by magic. A pair of strappy, high-heeled dancing sandals dangled from her fingers. The shoes were made of silver leather. They seemed to radiate starlight.
Adelaide gazed at them, mesmerized.
“Oh, my,” Raina said softly. “Yes, indeed, I think those will do nicely.”
“I’m sure they’re too expensive,” Adelaide began.
“I was going to put them on sale next week,” the saleswoman said. “I’ll let you have them for the sale price now.”
“We’ll take them,” Raina said.
Adelaide looked at her. “I can’t afford them, even if they’re on sale.”
“I’ll loan you the money if necessary,” Raina said.
Adelaide gave up. “All right. But only if they fit.”
The shoes fit as if they had been made for her. Adelaide took a deep breath and opened her handbag to take out her wallet. At the rate she was going through money, she might have to take in a real boarder after Jake left town.
By the time she and Raina left the dress shop, she was feeling dazed by the amount of money she had just spent. It was not as if she still had access to her inheritance, she reminded herself. She was living on a waitress’s wages.
“Don’t worry about it,” Raina said. “Think of the dress and the shoes as an investment.”
“In what?” Adelaide said. “I’ll probably never wear them again.”
“You live in Burning Cove now. Trust me, you will have other opportunities to wear that gown and those fabulous shoes. Let’s have coffee and then we can go to my place to pick up the wrap, the earrings, and the evening bag.”
“I need something to help me get over the shock of spending all that money. I suppose it’s too early for a martini.”
“Save the martini for tonight when you’re actually wearing the new dress and the shoes,” Raina said.
They found a small, shaded table at an outdoor café in a busy shopping plaza. Smartly dressed women with bags from various nearby stores strolled past, chatting with friends and discussing the latest fashions.
She was not a huge fan of coffee—she preferred tea—but it was good to have coffee with a friend, Adelaide thought. It made her feel almost normal.
She and Raina were gradually working their way into a deeper friendship. One day they might even feel free to exchange their most closely guarded secrets. But that day had not yet arrived. How did you tell a new acquaintance that a few months ago you had been diagnosed as having suffered a nervous breakdown? That you had been used as a test subject in a secret experiment conducted in an insane asylum by a doctor who was later murdered?
A story like that would make even a very good friend question your sanity.
When the coffee was delivered, Raina raised her cup in a small salute.
“Here’s to a great evening out,” she said.
“You do realize this isn’t a date.” Adelaide fortified herself with a sip of the strong coffee. “Jake and I are curious about Dr. Paxton because he seems to have gone missing on the night Zolanda died. But I doubt that we’ll learn anything useful. You said you had some news of Thelma Leggett?”
“Not a lot,” Raina said. “Not yet. But I’ve been doing some thinking and there are a couple of things that bother me. The first is that Thelma Leggett was not a big or muscular woman. She was, in fact, shorter and more slightly built than her boss. So how did she manage to overcome Zolanda and push her off the roof? For that matter, how did she manage to convince Zolanda to go up to the roof in the first place?”
Adelaide lowered her coffee cup. “You don’t believe that Thelma Leggett murdered Zolanda, do you?”
“Anything is possible and we still don’t have many facts, but, no; the more I consider the question, the more I’m inclined to think that Leggett wasn’t the one who pushed Zolanda off that roof—assuming she was pushed. Jake Truett seems convinced that Zolanda was in the blackmail business. If that’s true, it leaves us with a lot of suspects.”
“That’s what Jake says.”
“I am not convinced that Thelma Leggett murdered Zolanda but I agree with Truett—we need to find her. She’s the only one who can shed some light on the death of her boss. I’ve done some research. Leggett and Zolanda both lived in L.A. but Leggett wouldn’t dare go home. It’s the first place the police would have looked.”