Free Designs in Crime by Carolyn Keene Page A

think you are bad luck. You arrive, and a gown disappears. Dummies jump out of windows. Very bad luck.”
    â€œMrs. Chong,” Beau said patiently, “Nancy is trying to help us.”
    â€œMmm.” She shook her head. “No help so far.”
    Nancy studied the faces of Beau’s right-hand employees. Angel seemed genuinely concerned. Mrs. Chong looked as if she wouldn’t have minded if Nancy and Bess had been flattened by the dummy. She couldn’t tell who had tossed it out the window.
    The only thing she could be sure of was that one of them wanted her off the case.
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    On Wednesday morning Nancy and Bess took a cab from Eloise Drew’s apartment to the showroom of Budget Fashions. The driver pulled up in front of a dingy building with half a dozen loading docks stretching out from the structure. Workers milled around, loading and unloading trucks.
    â€œI hope I look like a buyer-in-training,” Bess said, tying a printed scarf over her teal blue jacket.
    â€œYou look great,” Nancy said as she paid the cab driver. After she stepped out, she straightened the skirt of her plaid wool suit.
    They found the showroom, a large area that reminded Nancy of a boutique. From the clothes that hung on the walls and on racks, she could see that Budget Fashions didn’t limit its business tobridal gowns. They also sold women’s sportswear.
    Nancy’s eyes were immediately drawn to a pants and vest ensemble made from fire-engine red leather. Near it hung Budget’s Safari Sportswear line, with pants, blazers, and jackets printed in tiger stripes and leopard spots.
    A short, round woman with auburn hair looked up from a computer printout at the front counter, which served as a reception area. “What can I do for you today, ladies?”
    â€œWe’re the trainees from Mitchell’s,” Nancy said, introducing herself and Bess.
    â€œAh, yes,” the woman said. “Your appointment is with me, Katrina Ivanovich. I’m in charge of sales here at Budget. All the women’s buyers at Mitchell’s know me,” she bragged. “They come to Budget when they want a designer look at a third of the price. Now, what can I show you?”
    â€œWe’d love to see how your operation works,” Nancy said, trying to stick as close to the truth as possible. “Our main purpose is to learn.”
    â€œFashion is my passion,” Bess said, her blue eyes sparkling.
    â€œI see,” Katrina said. “Is there an area of women’s wear you have a particular interest in?”
    â€œBridal and formal wear,” Nancy answered.
    â€œThen we should start over here.” Katrina rounded the counter and led the girls to the far corner of the showroom.
    Nancy passed a faceless mannequin swathed in a bridal gown, then turned to a rack of evening gowns. She flipped past three gowns until she came to the pale blue sample they’d seen at Mitchell’s—the knockoff of Beau’s design.
    Bess gave her a knowing look, then said, “There’s so much to choose from. Who designs your evening wear?”
    â€œOh, we pick up designs here and there. Our best-selling merchandise is inspired by top designers,” Katrina said evasively. “Everything is manufactured and shipped from this building.”
    â€œIs there any way we can see what goes on behind the scenes?” Nancy suggested. “It must be fascinating.”
    Bess’s eyes lit up as she played her role to the hilt. “That would be the highlight of our trip!” she said hopefully.
    â€œWe usually don’t take anyone beyond the showroom,” Katrina said, checking her watch. “But I guess I could make an exception for you.”
    Nancy smiled as the older woman led them through a door and down a narrow corridor. If she could find a way to sneak off by herself, she might be able to find some record of who had sold Beau’s designs