The Sleeping Beauty Killer

41

“Should I open another?” Leo was holding up a bottle of Laurie’s favorite Cabernet.

Charlotte held up her empty glass. “Well, let’s see. The three of us just finished an entire bottle of wine.”

“So that’s a no?” Leo asked.

“Of course not. Pop the cork, Lieutenant Farley.”

“Actually,” Laurie corrected, “Dad retired as first deputy police commissioner.”

“My apologies for the demotion, Leo.” As Timmy cleared the last dinner plate, Charlotte looked impressed. “That’s some young man you’ve got there.”

Laurie could feel herself beaming.

“If you guys are having more wine, does that mean I can have ice cream?” Timmy asked from the kitchen.

“I suppose that’s fair,” Laurie responded.

Timmy was back with one scoop of chocolate and one scoop of vanilla by the time Leo was finished pouring the wine.

“So tell us more about the fashion show you’re planning, Charlotte,” Laurie said.

“Are you sure? I can’t imagine the men want to hear about that.”

“Of course we do,” Leo said, even though Laurie knew her father was definitely not interested in the logistics of a women’s fashion show.

“It’s not the typical runway show. Because we do sportswear for real women, we’re using famous athletes and actresses instead of typical models. We’ll even feature some of Ladyform’s employees and their friends. Just normal people.”

Timmy’s teeth were stained with chocolate when he smiled. “You should use my mom. She’s a normal person, depending on your definition of normal.”

“Nice,” Laurie said.

“JK.” It was Timmy’s new version of just kidding. “Where’s it gonna be, Miss Pierce?”

Charlotte smiled again at Timmy’s good manners. “In Brooklyn. Does anybody know where DUMBO is?”

Leo jumped in. “That’s Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.” Then he explained the nickname to Timmy.

The area was between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. It used to be a wasteland known mainly for its ferry landing. Then a savvy developer bought it and turned it into a hotspot for galleries and tech start-ups, and gave it the trendy name. Now DUMBO was a haven for hipsters.

“We found the perfect spot,” Charlotte said excitedly. “It’s one of the last real, open warehouses. It’s been cleared out for a condo conversion, but the developer hasn’t found financing yet. So for now, it’s three stories of concrete floors and exposed bricks and beams. Very industrial. We’re going to have a different theme on each floor, and people will walk through the whole building, instead of watching models on a catwalk. I feel like we’re putting on a Broadway production.”

When Timmy finished his ice cream, Laurie announced, “All right kiddo, it’s time to hit the hay. It might be Friday night, but you’ve got soccer practice in the morning.”

“And I’m going to be there cheering from the sidelines,” Leo said, “so I’m heading home. It was nice to see you again, Charlotte.”

Charlotte insisted on helping Laurie wash the wineglasses before leaving. “Thanks for a very lovely night, Laurie. You may have ruined my life, though. I think I need to have a kid.”

“Really?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “Or ‘JK’ as he would say. But seriously, he’s a keeper. I guess I should go. I’m dreading tomorrow. I have to call a guy from Accounting at home on a Saturday and tell him he’ll be attending sensitivity training first thing Monday morning. I’m sure that’ll go over well.”

“What did he do?”

“Looked at some extremely inappropriate websites on his company computer. Our Information Technology Department runs a monthly list of Internet usage.”

“Wow. Is that typical?”

“These days, it’s practically required. Your studio probably does, too. I’m sure the policy is buried in the small print of an employee handbook somewhere. Anyway, I’ve got to nip that sort of thing in the bud, and I insist on doing it myself. We’re still a family-run business. I’m responsible for maintaining the culture of the office. Hey, before I leave, I wanted to ask how things are going with Alex.” Laurie had mentioned to Charlotte that things had been awkward between her and Alex lately, but hadn’t given details. “Any updates there?”

She shook her head. “That’s a long conversation that we shouldn’t start now. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Once she closed the apartment door behind Charlotte, Laurie checked the screen of her phone. No new calls.

She was not at all sure that everything with Alex would be fine.