Part 2
“Trixie! Are you all right? Answer me!”
The voice sounded distant as Trixie slowly regained her senses. She could hear a lot of movement and wondered where she was. Slowly forcing her eyes open, she saw several colors in front of her. She couldn’t understand what the colors were. Trixie felt a weight being lifted off her.
“Trixie?”
“Ohhh,” she groaned.
“Get this off her now!”
Trixie watched the colors get lifted from her face and blinked against the light. A face leaned down in front of her. It was Melanie.
“Trixie? Are you all right?”
“What happened?” Trixie asked softly, closing her eyes.
“The shelves collapsed and the bolts of fabric fell on top of you,” Melanie explained. “Are you hurt?”
Trixie slowly moved her legs, then her arms. Nothing seemed to hurt. She reopened her eyes. “I think I’m all right.”
She felt the last of the fabric get lifted off her and she pushed herself to a sitting position. Putting a hand to the back of her head, she felt a bump.
Looking at Melanie, she asked, “How did you find out?”
“Well, it was taking you a while to get the fabric so I sent Heidi down to help you. A few minutes later she came back yelling that you were pinned. We rushed down here and as we started pulling the bolts off, you started to come around.”
Trixie looked around and saw Eva and Heidi were putting the fabric back on the shelves. She looked at the floor as she remembered the papers she had found. The papers were gone.
Someone was in here, she thought. Someone purposely pushed the shelves onto me and took the papers. Someone working for Melanie is involved.
“Come on,” Melanie said, taking hold of Trixie’s arm. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“All right.”
Trixie struggled to her feet and made her way out of the storage area. She sat down on one of the seats and tried to figure out if she had any clue as to who it was, but she knew she hadn’t seen anything after the shelves fell.
“Trixie,” Melanie said getting her attention. “Maybe you should head home or go see a doctor.”
“I’m all right.”
“Are you sure? You’re awfully pale.”
“I’m fine.”
“Here’s the bolt,” Heidi said coming out of the storage area.
“Thanks,” Melanie said. “Can you finish cleaning this up here? I need to get back to that dress.”
“Sure, Melanie,” Heidi said. “I can take care of it.”
“Thank you.” Melanie turned to Trixie. “Come on. Let’s get you back upstairs.”
“Go ahead up,” Trixie said. “I need a few minutes to regain my sense.” She looked at Heidi. “I think Heidi will help me if I need it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll help her,” Heidi said.
“All right. I’ll see you back in the studio, then.”
As Melanie went back upstairs and Heidi went into the storage area, Trixie tried to figure out why the designs had ended up in there.
It doesn’t make sense. They only reason the designs could have been put there is so that they could be easily accessed to give away. But who would do it? Who would want to hurt Melanie?
Getting to her feet, Trixie moved to the storage area and watched Heidi clean up the fabric.
“Heidi, has anything like this happened before?”
“Not that I know of,” Heidi answered.
“Heidi, tell me, does Melanie get along with everyone here?”
“Of course she does. Everyone loves working for her.”
Trixie watched Heidi. Her gut feeling told her that Heidi wasn’t being honest with her. She also knew she shouldn’t push Heidi.
“I’m going to see if Melanie needs any help upstairs,” Trixie said.
“Will you be all right?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Tell Melanie that I’m almost done.”
“I will,” Trixie said and started up the stairs.
As she stepped into the studio, she heard a couple of Melanie’s employees talking softly.
“It was lucky Trixie wasn’t seriously injured,” the first girl said.
“I know, Gail,” the second girl said. “Someone should have told Heidi not to stack the fabric so high.”
“You’re right, Chris. But that’s not our position. Melanie should be the one to tell her.”
“Even if Melanie does, Heidi won’t listen.”
“She just does what she wants. I just can’t understand why Melanie lets her work here.”
“She probably had to give Melanie a job,” Chris said.
“You’re probably right.”
Trixie continued to Melanie’s office. As she stepped in, she saw Melanie was engrossed with working on a dress.
Melanie looked up. “How are you feeling, Trixie?”
“I’m all right,” Trixie answered, sitting down on a vacant chair. “Melanie, could you tell me about a couple members of your staff?”
“Sure.” Melanie went to the office door and closed it.
Once the door was closed, Trixie asked, “What do you know about Eva?”
“Eva? Well, I’ve known her since college.” Melanie moved back to the clothes. “We both took the same design classes. When my first line was picked up, I knew I needed help to continue on, so I asked her to work for me.”
“She wanted to give up her dream to help you make yours come true?”
“I don’t think she’s given up her dream. She’s just put it on hold for the time being.”
“Melanie, how much do you trust Eva?”
Melanie looked at her. “The two of us have been the best of friends. I’d trust her with my life.”
Trixie felt she wouldn’t hear a negative word about Eva from Melanie. She decided to try another approach. “Do you consider all your staff trustworthy?”
Melanie moved over and sat down behind her desk. “Trixie, I do trust everyone. I have a hard time believing that someone I’ve come to count on would steal my designs. I just don’t see it happening.”
“Okay.”
Melanie looked at her desk. “I need some more fabric.”
“I’ll wait here.”
As Melanie left the office, Trixie pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed. On the third ring, it was picked up. “Hello?”
“Hey, Honey. It’s Trixie.”
“Hey there. How’s it going?”
“All right. But I need you to do some background checks on her employees. Find out whatever you can about them.”
“Do you have any leads yet?”
“I have some ideas, but nothing concrete. Can we meet tonight to talk?”
“Sure,” Honey said. “Come join us for dinner so you won’t have to be home alone.”
“I’d like that,” Trixie said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay. Bye Trixie.”
“Bye, Honey.”
As Trixie closed her phone, she hoped Honey would come up with something in her search.
* * * * *
All day long, Trixie listened to the conversations hoping to get a lead, but didn’t find out anything. When she finally left, she headed straight for Brian and Honey’s apartment. She was looking forward to being with her family and seeing their son, Petey, instead of going to an empty house.
Trixie arrived at the apartment building and quickly made her way up to the third floor. A moment after ringing the doorbell, it was opened by Brian.
“Trixie!” Brian exclaimed. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too,” Trixie said stepping into the apartment and giving Brian a hug.
“Honey is in the living room,” Brian said.
“All right,” Trixie said. She made her way into the living room and saw Honey was seated at the table with her computer.
“I see you’re keeping busy,” Trixie said.
Honey looked up and smiled. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Did you find something?”
“Possible. But we’ll deal with it after we ear. I’m going to need a full stomach for this.”
“All right. So, where’s my nephew?”
“He’s sleeping in the nursery,” Honey said. “He just finished eating before you arrived. Don’t worry. He’ll be awake later.”
At that moment, Brian entered the living room. He said, “Dinner is ready.”
“Come on,” Honey said, getting to her feet. “Let’s eat.”
Once they were seated at the table, Brian and Honey started to put food on their plates. Trixie got a whiff of the meal as the lids were taken off the pans and felt her stomach turn. Quickly excusing herself from the table, she hurried down the hall to the bathroom closing the door behind her.
* * * * *
Ten minutes later, Trixie opened the door feeling slightly better. Stepping into the hall, she wasn’t surprised to see Honey standing there with a glass of soda. “You should have told me you weren’t feeling well.”
“It’s just a stomach bug,” Trixie said taking a sip of soda.
“Come on,” Honey said taking hold of Trixie’s arm. “You can stretch out in our room for a little while.”
Trixie knew there was no point in arguing. She let Honey lead her to the large bedroom and stretched out on the bed. As she closed her eyes, Honey asked, “How long have you been sick?”
“Just today,” Trixie said. “It’s nothing to be concerned about. As I said, it’s just a stomach bug.”
“I think it’s more than that.”
“What?” Trixie asked, opening her eyes and looking at her sister-in-law.
“I think you’re feeling ill because it’s the first time you and Jim have been apart. It has to be nerves.”
Trixie closed her eyes and let out a breath. “I guess you’re right.”
“Are you feeling better?” Brian asked.
Trixie opened her eyes again and saw her brother standing in the doorway. “I’m all right.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am. You two go ahead and eat. I’m just going to rest for a little while.”
“Okay,” Brian said.
“Come to the living room when you’re feeling better and we’ll go over the information I found.”
“In a little bit.”
Honey nodded and left the room with Brian.
Trixie closed her eyes and let out a breath. Her stomach was still a bit queasy, but she didn’t think she was going to be sick again.
Why did I have to get sick now? It couldn’t have come at a worse time. I know it can’t be anything serious. I must have eaten something that wasn’t right or maybe Honey is right. Maybe it is nerves.
I can’t believe it’s only been two days since he left and my stomach acting up began when he left. That has to be it. I wish we didn’t have to be apart. I hate it. I miss Jim so much. His arms are so strong when he holds me tight and I’m lost without him. I can’t wait for him to finish his business and come home. We need to be together.
* * * * *
Half an hour later, Trixie felt better and made her way to the living room. She heard Brian and Honey in there and smiled as she saw them sitting on the couch together talking. They looked at her as she entered the room.
“I think someone’s feeling better,” Brian said.
“I am,” Trixie admitted. She sat down in one of the recliners. She looked at Honey and figured it was time to get down to business. “What information do you have for me?”
Brian got to his feet before Honey could respond. “I’ll be back once you two have finished doing business.”
“Okay,” Honey said.
Once they were alone, Trixie asked, “What do you have?”
“Well,” Honey began, “I searched for the names you gave me.”
“And?”
“I came up with some interesting information.”
“Really?”
Honey nodded. “Let me tell you about my conversation with the designers.”
“All right.”
“Well, the first designer was Aaron’s. His line is the Alpha. Anyway, when asked where the designs came from, he said it was sent to him.”
“Sent to him?”
Honey nodded again. “He said about a week before his show, he got a phone call from an unknown designer. The caller said that they wanted to offer Aaron a sketch. A few days after the call, the sketch appeared in an envelope under the door.”
“And I bet there wasn’t a note with it.”
“There wasn’t,” Hone y said. “Aaron liked the design and added it to his show.”
“And I bet the same thing happened with the other designer.”
“It did. There was a phone call and then the design arrived at the studio.”
Trixie got to her feet and started pacing. “Could either of them tell if the caller was male or female?”
“I asked, but they couldn’t be sure.”
“Well, that’s a start.”
“I also got some information on some of Melanie’s staff.”
Trixie stopped pacing and looked at honey. “Hopefully it’ll be more useful in leading me to who is responsible.”
“Well, we’ll see.” Honey moved to the table and picked up a stack of papers. “Most of Melanie’s employees have a clean record.”
“You said ‘most’, right?”
Honey nodded. “It seems that Heidi has been in trouble with the law several times.”
“I’m not surprised for some reason. What kinds of problems did she have?”
“She has been picked up several times for shoplifting, but the charges were dropped because she made restitution, but it doesn’t say what.”
“Heidi could be the one stealing the designs.”
“You’re right and if she is, we need proof.”
“You’re right. So, is there anything else?”
“I found out that Melanie is Heidi’s legal guardian until she turns 21. Their parents died a couple years ago.”
“Do you think Heidi would be stealing the designs to get Melanie’s attention?”
“It’s possible.” Honey sat the papers back on the table. “But why would she want to hurt her sister that way?”
“That’s something that needs to be looked at,” Trixie said.
They were quiet for a moment, and then Honey said, “I also got some information on Eva Shew.”
“Was there anything that stood out?”
“Well, it seems that Eva has worked for a lot of designers across the county.”
“Wait a second,” Trixie said. “When I was talking to Melanie about her staff, she said she trusted Eva with her life.”
“Maybe Melanie trusts her too much.”
“It’s possible. Melanie said they were best friends while they were in college and that she asked Eva to help her with her designs.”
“And Eva gave up her dream to help Melanie achieve hers,” Honey finished.
“It seems weird to stop doing something you love.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“Did you find anything else? Did you do a check on Melanie?”
“As much as I didn’t want to, I did a complete check on her.”
“And?” Trixie prompted.
“It was quite interesting.”
“Interesting how?”
“Well, Melanie has put a lot of money into her designs and studio. So much so, that she has acquired a huge debt.”
“Do you think she could be stealing her own designs and slipped them to her competition? Planning to sue the other designers for theft or to even start to get media attention so people will buy her outfits?”
“It’s possible,” Honey said. “But my gut instinct tell me it’s not her. She seems genuinely upset that her designs are appearing elsewhere.”
“But we still don’t know why this is happening.”
“Once we figure it out, then we’ll know who is responsible,” Honey said.
“I hope you’re right.”
* * * * *
The next morning, Trixie had a late start heading to the studio. She had woken up feeling ill again. It took her some time to feel like driving. As she made her way to the studio, she thought about the message Jim had left on the answering machine.
“Hey sweetheart, it’s me. I guess you’re involved in a case or you would be home. Trixie, I love you and can’t wait until we are together again. I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Trix.”
She couldn’t believe she had missed his call again. She wanted to talk to him so badly. She figured he could give her another perspective that could help solve this case sooner, but she would have to wait.
Arriving at the studio, she saw that everyone was working hard to get the clothes ready for the upcoming show. Trixie kept an eye out for Melanie knowing she had to tell her about the designs she had seen with the fabric. She hadn’t seen the designs since and wondered where they were.
Trixie made her way to Melanie’s office and saw the designer was hard at work on an outfit. Tapping lightly on the door, Trixie stepped into the office.
Melanie turned and smiled. “Good morning, Trixie. How are you feeling?” Melanie quickly went back to work.
“I’m all right,” Trixie said. “Sorry for being late.”
“It’s all right. After what happened yesterday, I can understand it.”
“Since you brought up yesterday, there’s something we need to talk about.”
Melanie turned and looked at her. “You sound serious.”
“I think it is.” Trixie closed the door and moved further into the room.
Melanie said down behind her desk and asked, “What is it?”
Trixie sat down across from her. “Yesterday when you sent me to get the fabric, I noticed something out of the ordinary.”
“What?” Melanie asked.
“I saw some designs hidden under the fabric.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
“Where are the designs now?”
“I don’t know. I was looking at them when the fabric fell on me. They were gone when I came to.”
“What were the designs doing there?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” Trixie said.
“There’s no reason for the designs to be there.” Melanie stared at her. “Could you recognize the designs if you saw them again?”
“I think so, but there’s no way I could describe it.”
“Hang on.”
Melanie moved to the file cabinet and started rifling through the files. A moment later, she pulled out a thick folder. She moved back to her desk setting the folder down. “Come take a look at these designs,” Melanie said. “I’ve made copies of all the designs since the last show. I wanted proof that I created the designs first before they showed up at other shows.”
Trixie moved to the desk and slowly flipped through the designs. “That was a smart move on your part.”
“I wanted documentation.”
“Hopefully this will help me figure out who is involved.”
“Do you think it could be one of my staff stealing the designs?” Melanie asked quietly.
Trixie looked at Melanie and then back at the designs. “I won’t know for sure unless I catch someone in the act.”
“I can’t see any of these people doing this to me. They are like family.”
Trixie stopped going through the designs and stared at the one in her hand. There was something about the design that seemed familiar.
“Is that one of them?” Melanie asked.
“Yes,” Trixie said setting the design aside. “Now, hopefully, I can find the other ones.”
“Take your time.” Melanie looked at her watch. “I need to go check on a couple designs. I’ll be back soon.”
“All right.”
As Melanie left the office, Trixie continued going through the designs. She was amazed at the outfits Melanie had created. She had never seen anything like it before.
Before she could go through any more designs, her cell phone rang. Quickly grabbing it, she said, “Hello?”
“Hello, beautiful,” a familiar male voice said.
“Jim!” Trixie exclaimed. “I’m so glad you called.”
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
“I’ve missed you too,” Trixie said, glancing at her watch and seeing it was 10 o’clock. “Isn’t it 7 a.m. in California?”
“It is, but I couldn’t go another day without talking to you. I hate being this far apart.”
“I hate us being apart period.”
“It’ll only be a few more day and then we’ll be together again.”
“I can’t wait.”
“So,” Jim said. “Have you been keeping yourself busy?”
Trixie sat down in Melanie’s chair. “Of course. I had to find something to occupy my time since you’re off enjoying the sun and surf in California.”
“Right,” Jim laughed and then his voice took on a serious tone. “Are you being careful?”
Trixie smiled at his concern. “Yes I am. But let’s not talk about this. I want to know how things are going with you.”
“Everything is going fine,” Jim said. “I’m just tired of the meetings and trying to convince people that the school is a good idea.”
“You shouldn’t worry. You have a great way of talking to people.”
“Thank you, but I still wish this wasn’t necessary.”
“Just think, if you get this extra funding, you’ll be able to help more children. That means more children will have a better future.”
“I know you’re right. It’s just being away from you. I’m counting the minutes until we’re together again.”
“So am I.”
“Trix, I need to get going. I need to get ready for another meeting.”
“I understand.”
“I love you, Trixie.”
“I love you, too, Jim.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Bye, Trix.”
“Bye, Jim.”
Trixie shut her phone off and leaned back in the chair. She was looking forward to Jim returning home. She hoped she could solve this case so Jim’s welcome home would be one they both would enjoy.