Free New Year's Eve Murder by Leslie Meier Page B

reminds me,” said Cathy, digging through the fabulous purse as if it were just a plastic number from Wal-Mart, “I’ve got vitamins for everybody.” She finally produced two bottles of vitamin C and gave them to Elizabeth and Lucy as the elevator doors slid open.
    Fashion editor Elise Frazier was in the hallway, ready to greet them, dressed again today in a mannish pantsuit. “Welcome, welcome to the fashion department,” she said in a flat voice as if she were reciting a tired refrain. “Here we believe we can make every woman look fabulous no matter what her shape or figure flaws.”
    “So much for all those hours at the gym,” joked Cathy.
    “Oh, you know what I mean,” replied Elise, who was shaped rather like an NFL fullback. “We can all use a little help. I wear heels to make my legs look longer, and I always dress in one color from head to toe because it makes me look slimmer.”
    “At least that’s the theory,” muttered Elizabeth, getting a giggle from Tiffany and a sharp look from her mother.
    “Oh, here’s our accessories editor, Deb Shertzer,” trilled Elise. “If you ask me, she’s got the best job at the magazine. Shoes, scarves, bags—her office is like Aladdin’s cave. You should see the jewelry.”
    Looking at Elise, Lucy thought her enthusiasm for accessories rang a bit hollow, considering she wasn’t wearing a single piece of jewelry and her shoes were simple black pumps with sturdy heels.
    “As jobs go, it’s not too hard to take,” replied Deb, with a sparkle in her eye. Unlike most of the women working at the magazine she was wearing flats, and her black slacks and colorful sweater looked both attractive and comfortable. She turned to Lucy and gave her a big smile. “You’re the one with the lobster watch, aren’t you?”
    Elizabeth looked as if she’d like to disappear.
    “It was just a joke present from my husband,” said Lucy, sliding up her sleeve to give a better view of the red plastic timepiece. “He got it free at the hardware store.”
    “Well I think it’s adorable,” said Deb. “A lot of designers are coming out with similar ideas for summer. There’s one that has a beach umbrella on the face and a smiley yellow sun on the hour hand. I’m going to feature it in the June accessories roundup.”
    Lucy gave Elizabeth rather a smug look.
    “Well, come along and we’ll get started,” said Elise, leading them into a large room filled with racks of clothes. A cluster of portable screens were arranged at one end to serve as changing rooms, along with a three-sided mirror. “If you ladies don’t mind, it would be a lot easier if you’d strip down to your undies, but we have arranged dressing rooms, if you’d prefer.”
    “Not a problem for me,” said Lucy, shrugging out of her coat. “I put on clean underpants this morning.”
    “Mom,” groaned Elizabeth, sinking into a chair.
    “It was just a joke,” said Lucy, bending down to unlace her duck boots.
    “Well, well, I see we don’t have to disguise anything,” said Elise, looking her up and down. “You have a very trim shape—not a saddlebag in sight.” She narrowed her eyes, and Lucy found herself tucking her bottom in and straightening her back. “I think we can try to give you a bit more height; black is good for that.”
    She turned to Deb, who was sitting on a folding chair with a notebook in her lap. “And heels, of course.”
    Deb nodded and wrote it down.
    Elise turned to Elizabeth, who was slowly divesting herself of her clothing as if it was a painful task. “Such a sweet face,” she crooned. “We can give you a bit more sophistication. Something with couture details, and I think black would really set off your lovely pale skin.”
    Tiffany was next to Elizabeth, slumping a bit to disguise her height. She didn’t fool Elise, however. “You’re so tall, you could carry a fuller skirt. I have just the thing in black net. We’ll top it with a silky turtleneck over a good padded