Model Menace

  Bess furrowed her brows. “But she agreed to it,” she pointed out. “Remember, Nance, she and Syd were both worried about how this TV thing would play out, but they came around when they realized how much Vic wanted it and how it would help Vic and Syd start a nest egg.”

  “I know,” I agreed, “but maybe Ellie has changed her mind?”

  George frowned. “Can you really see Aunt Ellie trying to poison Vic with jet fuel?”

  I sighed. George was right: unless Ellie had a secret evil side, it was pretty hard to imagine her hurting anyone. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know anything at this point except that Dragon, Jamal, Pandora, Akinyi, and Ellie all had the opportunity to get that photo to Syd.”

  Bess nodded sympathetically and glanced at her watch. “Maybe we should go in,” she suggested.

  I opened my door eagerly. “Let’s go,” I agreed, “and hopefully get some more information!”

  We entered the hotel through the back door and rode up in the elevator to the Bristol Restaurant, where we were meeting Syd and her bridesmaids. The Hotel Bristol was a historic hotel that had been operating for almost one hundred years. It was probably the nicest place to stay in River Heights. Cushy oriental rugs carpeted the floors, and black-and-white photos framed in cherrywood lined the walls, showing off the hotel’s history. There were photos from the Great Depression, from a blizzard in 1964, from a town celebration in the 1980s…the most recent was a photo from the hotel’s swanky party on New Year’s Eve 2000. Revelers in evening wear raised their champagne glasses high, laughing and shouting.

  “There she is,” said Bess in a grave tone, and I followed her gaze to an exhausted-looking, bleary-eyed Syd. She sat in the center of a large table off to the side of the restaurant, dabbing at her red-rimmed eyes with a tissue. Her mom, Ellie, sat close by her side, rubbing her shoulder and whispering into her ear. Syd didn’t look terribly comforted, though. Tears still leaked from her eyes, and she kept turning away from her mother to sob.

  “Poor Syd,” George said softly. I nodded, and we watched Akinyi approach Syd from the other side and envelop her in a hug. Ellie patted her daughter’s shoulder and slipped away, walking toward us. When she spotted the three of us at the entrance to the restaurant, she smiled sadly.

  “Girls,” she greeted us, touching Bess’s arm. “I’m so glad you could come. Syd needs her friends right now.”

  “How is she?” I asked. I had a feeling that was a dumb question, since any fool could see how distraught Syd was, but I wanted to hear how Ellie would describe it.

  “She’s not good,” Ellie replied. “She’s having a very rough time with all this.”

  I tried to look as sympathetic as possible. “Do you think she and Vic might still get married?” I asked.

  Ellie looked distraught. “Maybe,” she said skeptically. “It’s just very hard to predict at this point. I think Syd is emotionally exhausted.”

  “Maybe once this TV special blows over, they could have the intimate wedding I know you wanted,” I said gently.

  Ellie looked surprised. “She wanted,” she corrected me. “Syd wanted a small wedding in the beginning too.”

  I nodded. “But just maybe—this will all work out for the best. Maybe they can have the wedding they originally wanted.”

  Ellie sighed. “I hope so,” she agreed. “Overall, I just want Syd to be happy. And I know she truly loves Vic. I was up all night with her, and she was just crying and crying. She’s so confused and exhausted from everything. I think more than anything, she just wants to be with Vic.”

  I nodded. Those really didn’t sound like the words of a mother who wanted to frighten her daughter, or sabotage her wedding. But still—I supposed anything was possible.

  As Ellie excused herself to run up to her room to grab some more tissues, Bess, George, and I headed in to say hello to Syd. “You know what’s weird?” George asked as we crossed the restaurant.

  “What?” I asked.

  George gestured all around the restaurant, even back toward the lobby. “No cameras,” she pointed out.

  She was right. It was kind of amazing, actually, how completely I had begun to associate Syd’s wedding with a huge television crew.

  “Now that the wedding’s off,” Bess said, “I guess the cameras are too.”

  Syd looked up at that moment and spotted us approaching. “Oh!” she cried, her eyes brimming with tears. “Bess, George, and Nancy. I’m so glad you’re here!”

  We each hugged her, and Bess said, “Oh, Syd, we’re so sorry.”

  “Thanks,” Syd said quietly, wiping her eyes.

  “Do you think you might get back together?” George asked, direct and to the point as always. “I know you love him, Syd. And I just want to see you happy.”

  Syd sniffled. “I’m not sure,” she whispered. “I’m just so, so tired of all of it right now. I know I love him…I just…I don’t know. It’s such a relief not to have the cameras for once.”

  I leaned forward to pat her shoulder, seeing how confused she was. “I know you’ll figure it out, Syd.”

  She smiled gratefully.

  The three of us took our seats, and slowly the rest of the bridal party filled in. Akinyi ran right over to hug Syd and wipe her eyes. Deb stroked her hair and told her to stay strong. The only member of the bridal party that didn’t show was Pandora. Akinyi told us she felt too awkward.

  “Believe me,” she said, shaking her head dismissively. “That girl has nothing but regrets right now.”

  When Ellie returned, everyone who’d been invited to the brunch was there. Ellie stroked her daughter’s arm and looked at all of us. “Thank you for coming to support Syd,” she told us. “Shall we say grace before we eat?”

  We all bowed her heads, and just then, I could have sworn I heard violin music coming from the hallway. Was it possible? I glanced at George out of the corner of my eye, and I could tell she heard it too.

  “What is that?” I mouthed, and she shrugged in confusion.

  As I was starting to doubt our sanity, the music got louder. We all turned our heads as it became clearer that the violinists were moving toward the restaurant entrance. Then, suddenly, there they were, at the doorway—three tuxedoed violinists, followed closely by…Vic!

  He was wearing a freshly-pressed suit and carrying a huge bouquet of red roses. “Sydney,” he announced in his deep voice, and Sydney’s head jerked up. “I love you and I always will. I’m so sorry that I caused you so much pain. Will you ever forgive me?”

  Syd looked stunned, and just as she found her voice to answer, Vic held up his hand to stop her.

  “Wait,” he announced. “Before you answer, let me sing you a song I wrote. I stayed up all night writing this for you.”

  He nodded at the violin players, and they began playing. Bess nudged me and I looked up. She just shook her head and mouthed, “Wow.”

  No kidding!

  Vic began singing:

  Syyyyyyyydney!

  I think of you and I get diiiiizzy

  You are the love of my life

  Without you it’s only pain and strife

  Oh Sydney, I love you so much I learned to play the fife!

  As I glanced at George in amazement, Vic pulled a tiny flute out of his jacket pocket and began blowing into it. Tiny, shrill notes emerged, and George widened her eyes.

  “He sounds like a bird on helium!” she hissed at me.

  But Vic was done with his fife interlude, and was singing again.

  Marry me, my love

  My little red-haired dove

  I’m like a hand and you’re the glove

  Without you I get cold!

  George was just shaking her head now, trying not to laugh.

  I want to be with you forever

  Come on it’s now or never

  I want you to be my child’s mother

  I’ll never love another

  Like I love you SYYYYYYYYYDNEEEEEEEY!

  The violins
blazed into a crushing final crescendo, and Vic threw out his arms, waving them wildly.

  When the music stopped, no one seemed to know what to do. Everyone looked at Syd, who was—no, she couldn’t be—no, she was—crying.

  “Oh, Vic,” she whispered.

  “Oh, brother,” George muttered beside me.

  Syd stood up and, after just a moment’s hesitation, ran around her table to Vic. She threw her arms around him, and he enfolded her in a huge embrace.

  “Sydney!” he said when they parted. “When you called off our wedding last night, my life lost all meaning. What does the future mean to me if I don’t get to spend it with you?”

  Syd beamed, but then seemed to notice something. She looked over Vic’s shoulder, then at the violinists that flanked him, and finally back at us. “Vic,” she asked, “where are the cameras?”

  Vic’s face broke into a smile. “I sent Dragon off to jump into the river and distract them! I wanted this moment to be just between me and you.”

  Syd blinked back tears, shaking her head. “Oh, Vic,” she whispered.

  Vic nodded. “Now,” he said softly, “will you do it, Syd? Will you take me back? Will you marry me?”

  Syd kept blinking, unable to hold back the tears as she looked at her former fiancé. Yes! she cried, and Vic yelped, picking her up and swinging her into the air.

  Syd erupted into laughter. I glanced at George—she was wiping her eye!

  “What?” she whispered, seeing my amused expression. “That was touching, okay?”

  Syd was beaming as Vic put her back down on the ground, and she turned to face all of us. “The wedding’s back on!” she announced happily.

  SEEING SHRED

  Two days later Bess, George, and I found ourselves back at the bridal shop with Akinyi, Deb, Pandora, and Syd, who was having her final dress fitting. Originally Syd was going to go alone, but as she told us, when the producers (who were beyond thrilled that the wedding—and thus their TV show—was back on) heard about the trip, they asked Syd to gather all of us so they could film it for the special.

  Syd had already been fitted once, but had been interrupted by some bad news about Akinyi and Candy’s dresses—something we later found out Candy herself was responsible for. Now we were looking forward to seeing Syd, sure to look gorgeous in her wedding dress.

  “It feels good to sit down,” Bess observed, sighing contentedly as we sunk into the cushy chintz sofa that took up most of the waiting area.

  “Definitely,” I agreed. Ever since Syd had announced the wedding was back on, all of us bridesmaids had been caught up in wedding-preparation tasks: printing out the programs, making the centerpieces, even cooking up dozens of batches of Vic’s favorite meringue cookies to slip into fancy lace bags as wedding favors. Ellie told us the Daredevils producers had actually offered to pay for fancy floral centerpieces and professionally printed programs, but Syd had balked at the idea.

  “She always wanted her wedding to have that special, homemade touch,” Ellie told us with a smile.

  “That’s lovely,” George, who’d been in charge of assembling programs, had replied. “Or I’m sure I’ll find it lovely when all my paper cuts heal.”

  “When I get married,” Bess began now, and George groaned. This wasn’t the first such pronouncement Bess had made. Over the last few days, we’d already learned that Bess would outfit her bridesmaids in yellow; that she would have a tower of cupcakes rather than a traditional wedding cake; and that her first dance with her new husband would be to “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie Titanic. “I’m going to do it like Syd did. You two will pitch in, right? Maybe I’ll have little jars of jam as my wedding favors. I think I’d like to arrange my own flowers, too.”

  “When you get married,” George said, “I predict I will have pressing business in Japan.”

  “Me too,” I agreed. “Or maybe Timbuktu.”

  Bess rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that because you’re tired,” she insisted. “As soon as this wedding’s over, you’ll miss it.”

  At that moment Ellie walked out of Syd’s dressing room and gestured to Hans, who was settled on a hard bench across the room. Behind us the television cameras and lights were all set up, ready to get the shot. It was kind of amazing how quickly we’d gotten used to being surrounded by a television crew.

  “Are you ready?’ Ellie asked Hans, who glanced up curiously. “They’re just having some trouble finding Syd’s dress, but as soon as they locate it, she’s going to put it right on.”

  “We’re ready,” Hans confirmed, gesturing to the crew behind him. “Everyone’s all set up here. Just waiting on you.”

  Ellie nodded, looking eager to please. We’d all been waiting in the bridal shop for about half an hour already. And while Hans hadn’t mentioned it, we all knew at the outset of the shoot that the crew hoped to be back at the hotel by lunchtime to shoot a basketball game between Vic and his groomsmen.

  Bess, George, Deb, and I were the only bridesmaids remaining in the waiting area. Akinyi, who’d seemed restless and jumpy ever since we first arrived, had gone outside to talk on her cell phone. And Pandora had wandered off long ago, muttering something about the wedding industrial complex and how she much preferred dresses made from organic silk.

  Suddenly we heard footsteps on the stairs leading up from the alterations department, and I could see Hans and the crew start to straighten up. As the steps got closer, we all leaned forward eagerly to see the sales clerk coming up with Syd’s dress. But when the young blond girl emerged, she was clearly upset, her face bright pink as she shook her head and ran toward Ellie. In her arms was a pile of fringed silk.

  “I’m so, so sorry,” the girl apologized, parting her arms to let the silk dress fall between them. “I have no idea how this happened! I’m so sorry!”

  Behind me, I was vaguely aware of cameras turning on, lights pointing toward the action. But I was too invested in the scene to pay much attention.

  We all looked at the dress in her arms, and I gasped. The dress wasn’t supposed to be fringed at all. The delicate, unfinished ends I’d seen weren’t intended—the dress looked like it had been shredded with a pair of scissors!

  Ellie took in a quick breath, but she seemed to recover quickly, as though she were now used to these little “surprises.” “Sydney,” she called in a serious tone, “I think you’d better come look at this.”

  “What is it, Mom?”

  Syd, still dressed in a casual sweater dress, stepped out from the dressing area. She followed her mother’s gaze to her dress, and all the color seemed to drain from her face. “Oh my gosh.”

  The sales girl held the dress up by the shoulders, and we all gasped at the extent of the damage. The beautiful, elegant silk column had been shredded by hundreds of jagged cuts all over the bodice. It hung in tatters, shredded ends unraveling and threads hanging from every inch. It was clear there was no way Syd could wear this dress in just a few days. And sadly, it was also pretty clear that there was no way the alterations department could fix it.

  “I’m so sorry,” the sales girl said again, “but there’s no way we can fix this, and we don’t have enough time to order a new dress for you.”

  Syd’s face was frozen in shock. Before she could react, a shrill beep sounded from her pocket. Glancing down, she pulled out her PDA and looked at the screen. I cringed, knowing what she would find there.

  Shaking her head in disbelief, Syd shrieked and began to cry. “This isn’t happening,” she sobbed, turning to her mother. “Mom, tell me this isn’t happening.”

  As Ellie comforted her daughter and Deb moved in to pat Syd’s back, I stood up and gently took the PDA from Syd’s hand. Bess and George crowded in behind me to get a good look.

  Just like before, the text came from an unlisted number.

  IF U GO THRU WITH THIS, UR DREAMS WILL BE SHREDDED JUST LIKE THIS DRESS.

  I heard Bess suck in her breath. “Wow.”

  “Major w
ow,” George agreed, looking disgusted. “This guy just gets creepier and creepier.”

  “Or girl,” I said meaningfully, and I could see my friends considering that. Our suspect list still contained three women: Akinyi, Pandora, and, perhaps less likely, Ellie.

  “What does it say, what does it say?” a voice asked behind me as an arm reached out and grabbed the PDA from my hand. “Oooooh!”

  I turned around and saw Pandora staring goggle-eyed at the screen.

  “When did you come in?” George asked skeptically. “I thought you wandered off.”

  Pandora stared at the text message for a few seconds before looking up, her usual spacey expression back in place. “I went outside to meditate for a few minutes,” she replied quickly, then turned to me. “Nancy! This is just what I was telling you about! Don’t you see, the bad vibes were right! There is still someone trying to stop this wedding!”

  I stared back at Pandora blankly, feeling a little overwhelmed. So they know now, I thought. It would only be a matter of minutes before the whole bridal party was buzzing about the wedding saboteur. And once that happened, whoever was behind this would know everyone was looking for her (or him)—and my job would get a lot harder.

  “But that’s impossible!” I heard Syd cry, and I turned back to listen in on their conversation.

  “I’m afraid it’s true,” the sales girl said, shaking her head and sadly stroking the ruined dress. “Our manager said she hung this dress on the door of the alterations room first thing this morning—which is why I couldn’t find it. And when she hung it up, it was in pristine condition. That means whoever did this, did it this morning.”

  “What time is it now?” I asked, frowning.

  Ellie glanced at her watch. “It’s just ten-thirty,” she replied.

  Ten-thirty. The shop had opened at ten, and our entourage had arrived at ten on the dot. That meant that while we all lounged around waiting—and while our poor sales girl had searched the inventory for Syd’s dress—someone had snuck downstairs and snipped it to shreds, while we waited.