featured in Ralph Lauren’s Polo ads back in the eighties, where he’d made his fortune. He’d been kind to her during and after last night’s incident, and they’d shared a joke or two about his own dog, a Spuds MacKenzie look-alike named Mavis Davis, who was an English bull terrier.
“It’s all right, Ellie. He has news,” said Kurt.
“News?” she asked, hoping the police had ruled out murder.
When Detective Vaughn said, “I can take it from here, Mr. Jager,” she knew she was wrong.
Giving a snappy salute, Kurt left, and Ellie took a seat. “Have you found out what happened to Lilah’s EpiPen?” she asked when Vaughn sat across from her.
“As far as we can tell, the pen was drained on purpose,” he answered, his tone subdued. “We found epinephrine in an orange one of the CSU techs found underneath this table.”
Then Charlene had been right. That orange was something special.
Vaughn continued. “Testing showed it held the usual amount found in an EpiPen of the type the victim carried.” He crossed his long legs and his pants crept up, showing his faded red socks. “Unfortunately, the rough peel on the orange makes it impossible to lift a print.”
“So whoever emptied the pen knew what they were doing.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that they did. But we’re having less luck finding out how Ms. Perry ingested or came into contact with a peanut.” He pulled out his spiral notepad. “That’s where you come in.”
Ellie swallowed. “Me?”
“You spent time with her, and her bag was under your surveillance most of the day.” He raised an iron-gray eyebrow. “Besides that, you saw whatever anyone ate or drank, if they did it here.”
“Sure, I watched, but I didn’t take notes or anything personal. People came and went all day, and a lot of them brought their own food. You know the joke about models eating a lettuce leaf for lunch? Well, that’s just about what they did.”
“But Ms. Perry wasn’t a model. We ran tests on everything she carried in her bag, and it was all peanut free. And we heard about the fuss she made when Ms. King offered her an energy bar. If she didn’t come into contact with peanuts from something on this table, then where did it come from?”
She couldn’t figure out if he was asking her or talking out loud to himself. This was the first time she’d dealt with Newton Vaughn, and she had no idea if he had a sense of humor. It was something she needed to find out from Sam, if he was off duty tonight.
“Do you expect me to answer that?” she finally asked when his sharp eyes continued to scan her face.
“I heard you were a good observer. Now that you’ve had time to think about it, I hoped to hear more about what you noticed.”
Ellie stifled a groan. Her life had been so much simpler before she started her dog-walking business. Of course, it had been boring, too, and she’d been broke most of the time. Now she had money and great friends. But was it a plus when she added murder to the mix?
“Dozens of people came and went during the day. It was impossible to keep track of just one person. Especially one who was . . . um . . . difficult.”
“Difficult?” He crossed his arms, his posture relaxed. “That’s one of the most kind descriptions anyone has given of Ms. Perry to date.”
“Oh, well, I really didn’t have much personal interaction with her.”
“Of course you did,” Vaughn said. He flipped through his notebook. “She insulted you when another designer commented on your figure, and she insulted your assistant, too. Accused Ms. King of trying to poison her when she offered her that energy bar, if what a few people told me is correct.”
Ellie shrugged. “It didn’t bother me much, and I got the impression Kitty was used to her negative comments.”
“What about Ms. King’s brother?”
“Jeffery?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’m not sure. I barely know him.”
“I was told he held a party a few weeks
“It’s all right, Ellie. He has news,” said Kurt.
“News?” she asked, hoping the police had ruled out murder.
When Detective Vaughn said, “I can take it from here, Mr. Jager,” she knew she was wrong.
Giving a snappy salute, Kurt left, and Ellie took a seat. “Have you found out what happened to Lilah’s EpiPen?” she asked when Vaughn sat across from her.
“As far as we can tell, the pen was drained on purpose,” he answered, his tone subdued. “We found epinephrine in an orange one of the CSU techs found underneath this table.”
Then Charlene had been right. That orange was something special.
Vaughn continued. “Testing showed it held the usual amount found in an EpiPen of the type the victim carried.” He crossed his long legs and his pants crept up, showing his faded red socks. “Unfortunately, the rough peel on the orange makes it impossible to lift a print.”
“So whoever emptied the pen knew what they were doing.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that they did. But we’re having less luck finding out how Ms. Perry ingested or came into contact with a peanut.” He pulled out his spiral notepad. “That’s where you come in.”
Ellie swallowed. “Me?”
“You spent time with her, and her bag was under your surveillance most of the day.” He raised an iron-gray eyebrow. “Besides that, you saw whatever anyone ate or drank, if they did it here.”
“Sure, I watched, but I didn’t take notes or anything personal. People came and went all day, and a lot of them brought their own food. You know the joke about models eating a lettuce leaf for lunch? Well, that’s just about what they did.”
“But Ms. Perry wasn’t a model. We ran tests on everything she carried in her bag, and it was all peanut free. And we heard about the fuss she made when Ms. King offered her an energy bar. If she didn’t come into contact with peanuts from something on this table, then where did it come from?”
She couldn’t figure out if he was asking her or talking out loud to himself. This was the first time she’d dealt with Newton Vaughn, and she had no idea if he had a sense of humor. It was something she needed to find out from Sam, if he was off duty tonight.
“Do you expect me to answer that?” she finally asked when his sharp eyes continued to scan her face.
“I heard you were a good observer. Now that you’ve had time to think about it, I hoped to hear more about what you noticed.”
Ellie stifled a groan. Her life had been so much simpler before she started her dog-walking business. Of course, it had been boring, too, and she’d been broke most of the time. Now she had money and great friends. But was it a plus when she added murder to the mix?
“Dozens of people came and went during the day. It was impossible to keep track of just one person. Especially one who was . . . um . . . difficult.”
“Difficult?” He crossed his arms, his posture relaxed. “That’s one of the most kind descriptions anyone has given of Ms. Perry to date.”
“Oh, well, I really didn’t have much personal interaction with her.”
“Of course you did,” Vaughn said. He flipped through his notebook. “She insulted you when another designer commented on your figure, and she insulted your assistant, too. Accused Ms. King of trying to poison her when she offered her that energy bar, if what a few people told me is correct.”
Ellie shrugged. “It didn’t bother me much, and I got the impression Kitty was used to her negative comments.”
“What about Ms. King’s brother?”
“Jeffery?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’m not sure. I barely know him.”
“I was told he held a party a few weeks
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