Dial Me for Murder

Chapter 13

I FOUND IT FITTING THAT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, Manhattan’s most luxurious and celebrated department store, sits right next door to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the city’s most luxurious and celebrated church. Both establishments offer opulent refuge from the seedy outside world, and both give their worshippers plenty to pray for. And if your prayers aren’t answered in one place, they may be in the other (as long as you have an open spirit and an open wallet).

Praying that Jocelyn Fritz would be at work, I walked through the main entrance of Saks Fifth Avenue and headed for the gleaming wood-and-glass altar-I mean counter!-closest to the door. I had never been in Saks before (due to time and salary restrictions, I’m more of a Sears Roebuck girl), so I needed to ask for directions.

“May I help you?” said the tall, thin, elegantly dressed sales-woman standing behind the counter. Perfectly coiffed and made-up, she was smiling at me in the same way Sylvester smiles at Tweety-all teeth. “We have some lovely calfskin gloves on sale today,” she purred. “Or perhaps you’d like to see our new line of monogrammed coin purses? They’re fashioned from the finest Italian leather.”

“No, thank you,” I said. “I’m looking for the hat department. Can you tell me where it’s located?”

Her smile vanished in an instant. “We have two millinery departments,” she said with a sniff. “The custom-made hats can be found in the Salon Moderne on the third floor, and the factory-made hats-such as the red beret you’re wearing-are on display at the rear of the main floor.” She turned and pointed toward the back of the store, certain that I would be heading in that direction.

“Thank you,” I said, giving her a quick nod and making a beeline for the elevators.

Sabrina’s notes had said Jocelyn was an assistant hat designer, so I figured she would be in the Salon Moderne. Following two pearl-laden, sable-coated matrons, I pranced into the wood-paneled self-service elevator and pushed the button for 3. The furry ladies got off on 2 and the car resumed its climb. When it reached the third floor, an ethereal bell sounded and the doors whooshed open. Then I stepped out of the elevator and entered Never-Never Land.

I had read about the ritzy Salon Moderne in Dorothy Kilgallen’s gossip column, so I knew that “everybody who was anybody” liked to shop there. Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, Claudette Colbert, Irene Dunne, Estée Lauder, Mrs. E. F. Hut-ton, Betsy Bloomingdale, Mrs. Pierre Du Pont, Mrs. Darryl Zanuck-they were all, according to Dorothy, Salon Moderne regulars.

Nobody who was anybody was here now, though. I was, in fact, the only person (okay, nobody) in the place. Straightening the collar of my camel’s hair jacket and hugging my bag of office belongings close to my chest, I ventured deeper into the salon.

The receiving room, or reception area, or showroom (or whatever you want to call it) of the Salon Moderne looked as though it had been transplanted from the Palace of Versailles. The doors, floor, shelves, and ceiling were edged with intricately carved wood moldings, and the walls were covered with pale blue damask that seemed to be hand-embroidered (but what would I know about that?). The silvery blue carpet was so thick I felt like I was walking on a cloud.

Four headless, armless mannequins were prominently positioned around the room, each modeling a fancy designer dress. Their heads had been placed on separate pedestals and topped with flamboyant custom-made hats. I wondered what they’d done with the arms.

“Welcome to the Salon Moderne,” said a throaty female voice behind me.

Startled, I turned to face a tall, willowy blonde who had managed to enter the room and walk over to me without making a sound. Wearing a pale blue suit, a ruffled white silk blouse, and an enormous sapphire brooch, she looked to be in her late thirties.

“My name is Sophia. I’m the director here. How may I help you?” she asked, making a quick study of my somewhat-less-than-elegant (okay, cheesy) appearance. I could tell she thought I’d wandered into the salon by mistake. “Do you have an appointment with one of our designers?”

“No appointment,” I said. “I came to see Jocelyn Fritz, an assistant designer in your hat department. Would it be possible for me to speak with her for a few minutes? I’m her cousin Paige from Idaho. I just got into town today.”

Sophia bought my story on the spot. (She probably thought the brown paper bag I was clutching to my breast was full of potatoes.) “I’ll see if Miss Fritz is in,” she said, turning and walking toward one of the ornate doors leading to the inner sanctum. “Please wait here.”

A GOOD TEN MINUTES LATER-AFTER I’D WORN tracks in the carpet and studied every flower, bow, tuft of tulle, and bird wing on every silly hat in the place-another tall, willowy woman appeared. This one was younger, prettier, and more sophisticated-looking. Her long, light brown hair was styled in a sleek pageboy, and she wore a simple, formfitting black wool sheath.

“Come with me, Paige,” she said, as she whisked right by me and strode toward the exit. “They gave me only a fifteen-minute break.” The scent of Chanel No. 5 wafted in her wake.

I spun around and dashed after her. “I guess you’re Jocelyn,” I said, catching up at the elevator.

“Good guess.” She gave me a quick glance, then pushed the UP button. “Let’s go to the café and have a cup of something.”

“Okay,” I said, as the elevator doors opened and we stepped in.

The car was full of well-dressed shoppers, so we remained silent until we reached the eighth floor. Jocelyn led the way to the café and asked the hostess for a table for two near the window.

The minute we were seated and alone, Jocelyn craned her neck toward me and snapped, “You aren’t too smart, are you? Why did you come to see me at work?” She brushed a wave of beige hair off her cheek and fixed her intense green eyes on my face. “Surely it occurred to you that I couldn’t talk openly at my place of employment.”

“Yes, that thought did cross my mind,” I admitted, “but I had to ignore it. My time isn’t my own, and I have to make every free minute count.” I pulled Abby’s Pall Malls out of my purse and offered her one as a peace offering. She took it, and we both lit up.

“Well, you’d better get cracking,” she said, spewing smoke toward the ceiling. “My free minutes are dwindling fast.”

Glad for the excuse to skip the small talk, I took a deep breath and dived right in: “Okay, how long had you and Virginia been friends?”

She gave me a puzzled look. “Who’s Vir-? Oh! You mean Melody!”

“Right.”

“She was the best friend I ever had. We were tight for two years. As close as sisters. I miss her desperately.” Her demeanor was cool and her words were curt, but I believed she meant what she said.

“Did you tell each other everything?”

“God, no!” She tossed her head and laughed. “That would have been the end of our friendship for sure.”

“Did she ever tell you why she became a call girl?”

“No. I asked her about it once, and she pulled the clam act on me. I didn’t bring the subject up again. Melody was a very private person, and so am I. We respected each other’s boundaries. We never even told-”

Jocelyn cut her sentence short when the waitress arrived to take our order. “Just a cup of coffee for me,” she said, without looking at the menu. “What do you want, Paige?”

“I’ll have coffee and the soup of the day.” I really wanted the turkey and stuffing special (well, I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, you know!), but I thought I’d better conserve my (I mean, Abby’s) money. Who knew what expenses the rest of the day would bring?

“Where were we?” I asked as soon as the waitress disappeared. “You were saying…?”

Jocelyn patted her pageboy and took another drag on her cigarette. “I was saying that, as close as Melody and I were, we never told each other our real names. She knew me only as Candy, and I knew her only as Melody. That’s one of Sabrina’s strictest rules, and we both honored it.”

“Did you ever discuss your clients with each other, or does Sabrina have rules about that, too?”

“Sabrina is a very smart woman,” Jocelyn declared. “She knows we have to talk about our johns with somebody, so she allows us to gossip, complain, give tips, and share information among ourselves. We are, however, strictly forbidden to discuss the clientele with anybody else. That’s a crime punishable by death.”

“Death?” I croaked, wondering if I’d dug up my first real clue. I could feel my eyes popping out of their sockets.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Jocelyn said with a derisive smirk. “Don’t be such a dope! That’s just a figure of speech. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

The waitress returned and saved me from further embarrassment. While she served our coffee, I smoked and stared out the window at the heavenly view. Soaring and glistening in the late afternoon sun, the spires of St. Patrick’s seemed close enough to touch.

“I’ll be right back with your soup,” the waitress said, yanking me back down to earth. She tucked her tray under her arm and plodded off toward the kitchen.

Jocelyn sighed and snuffed her cigarette in the ashtray. “I can’t stay while you eat. I’m expected back in four minutes.” She poured enough cream in her coffee to cool it, then began gulping it down.

“So I’ll ask the big question now,” I said, putting my cigarette out, too. “Do you have any idea who killed Vir-I mean, Melody?”

“I have my suspicions,” she said, clapping her empty cup back in its saucer. “Strong suspicions.” Her pretty face turned stormy and her eyes flashed like lightning. “It was either Sam or Tony. I’d stake my life on it.”

“You mean Sam Hogarth and Tony Corona?” I asked, taking note that she’d used their first names.

“They’re both devils in disguise!” she spat. “I know it’s shocking-Sam being the DA, and Tony being such a big star- but from all the dirt I’ve heard, either one is capable of murder.”

“What dirt?” I spluttered. “What have you heard? Who did you hear it from? Did Melody say anything? Do you or any of the other girls have any incriminating information? And what about Oliver Rice Harrington? He was one of Melody’s regulars. Did you ever hear anything about him?” My tongue was having convulsions.

“I can’t go into all of that now!” Jocelyn slapped her hand on the tabletop. “Too many questions and too little time. I have to get back to work!” She jumped to her feet, opened her purse, and tossed some change on the table. “It’s your own fault, you know. You shouldn’t have come to see me here. I have my job, my reputation, and my employee discount to protect.”

“Then can I meet you later, after you get off work? I could come to the Barbizon,” I said, naming the women’s hotel where she lived.

“Not tonight,” she said. “I’ve got an early dinner date.”

“Anybody I know?” I probed, wondering if Candy had inherited one (or all) of Melody’s top three clients.

She nodded, winked, and gave me a cryptic smile.

“Who?” I begged. “Who is it?” My curiosity was killing me. But more than that, I was panicked about her safety. “Have you lost your mind?” I cried. “Do you have a psychotic death wish? How could you accept a date with a man who may have murdered your best friend?”

“Oh, keep your shorts on, Sherlock,” she teased, taking pleasure in my crazed discomfort. “I’m not meeting a john. I’m dining with Sabrina.”