Free Mayhem in High Heels by Gemma Halliday Page A

there yesterday when..." She trailed off, her eyes filling with big fat tears.
    "I'm so sorry," I said, laying a sympathetic hand on her arm. "Had you worked for Gigi long?"
    Allie shook her head, blonde hair swaying against her cheeks. "Not really. I just started last quarter."
    "Do you have any idea who could have done this? Anyone have a grudge against Gigi?"
    "No! No one." Allie pressed the tissue to her lips. "I can't think of a single person who'd want to harm Gigi. She was wonderful. The woman was an amazing artist."
    While I personally didn't exactly see party planning as art, I bit my tongue, instead making more sympathetic noises.
    "What about businesswise? Any debts she hasn't paid, financial trouble?"
    "Just the opposite. Business was booming lately. After she did that football player's wedding to the pop star last month, she was featured everywhere. Entertainment Tonight , E!, even TMZ mentioned her by name. She couldn't keep people away."
    "What about past clients?" I asked, not yet ready to give up my fishing expedition. "Any weddings gone awry? Anyone who might have blamed Gigi?"
    Allie shook her head. "No. The police asked me all this yesterday, too."
    "The police were already here?" Duh. Of course they would have been. Ramirez was a trained homicide investigator. I felt a tiny prickling in the back of my head that I was wasting my time. If Allie knew anything worth pursuing, chances were Ramirez was already pursuing it.
    "Yeah. They were really pushy, wanting to know if Gigi and I got along, where I was that morning, if anyone could verify it. It was almost like they were accusing me of something."
    "How awful," I said, appropriately horrified.
    "They were. Except for the tall one. He was actually sorta nice. Kind of a hottie, too. Hispanic, tattoo on his bicep, nice butt."
    I narrowed my eyes. Hey, that was my hottie!
    "Anyway," she continued, "they wanted to know all about who Gigi did business with, who might have been angry at her. But, honestly, I can't imagine anyone being angry at her, you know? She was just the most wonderfully sweet woman ever."
    While I was sorry to see Gigi gone, 'sweet' wasn't exactly a word I would have used to describe Gigi. Efficient, yes. But sweet? I wondered if maybe we weren't dealing with a minor case of hero worship here.
    "Allie, Gigi's ex-husband mentioned that she was seeing someone new. Do you happen to know who he is?"
    Allie bit her lip, cocking her head to one side. "Gosh, I dunno. Gigi wasn't real open about her private life."
    "He may have been in a band of some sort?" I prompted, mentally crossing my fingers.
    Allie looked up at the ceiling, searching her memory. "Um, let's see... well, I don't know if it's the person you're looking for, but this one guy did come by the office a few weeks ago. Said he could get me tickets to his concert if I wanted."
    I felt myself sit up straighter. "What concert?"
    "The Symmetric Zebras."
    I had to admit, I'd never heard of them. But, then again, the last time I'd aspired to be a groupie was when I was fifteen drooling over my Skid Row posters.
    "Any idea how I can get hold of these Zebras?"
    Allie shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not really a fan."
    I was about to press more, when Allie's phone rang, vibrating across the coffee table.
    She picked it up, flipping open the top. "Sorry. Text," she explained, reading the little screen. Then she did some fancy maneuver, flipping the screen sideways and turning the keypad into a mini-keyboard. She quickly typed back some message using her thumbs with a speed that I'd swear rivaled the best receptionists in the known universe.
    "Wow, cool phone." Even though it would take me a year to figure out how to use it.
    "Oh, thanks. Gigi gave it to me for Christmas. Same one she had. She said the bulk of her business was about organizing and timing. Double booking is like death to a wedding planner." She paused, cringing at her own word choice. "Uh, anyway, she said I needed a way to keep track of