Phony Photos (Cozy Corgi Mysteries Book 16) by Mildred Abbott

Author:Mildred Abbott [Abbott, Mildred]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wings of Ink Publications, LLC
Published: 2020-03-29T16:00:00+00:00

All six members of the Pink Panthers were beautiful women. Some of them, including their fearless founder, Delilah, were classic movie star breathtaking. Given that, along with their matching pink jackets that were clearly a reference to the Pink Ladies in Grease, and all the tropes around groups of pretty females instantly being labeled mean girls, they were easily dismissed as cliquish, exclusionary, shallow, and frivolous. I had struggled to see past that myself in the beginning. Of course, it didn’t hurt that a lot of us who grew up outside the socially acceptable Barbie-doll appearance had deeply buried scars from such girls who embodied the stereotypes. Some of those qualities, I believed Delilah fostered on purpose—just like her tendency to rub affairs in the public’s face. She liked a reaction and wanted to make it clear she couldn’t be controlled or told what to do.

I discovered the Pink Panthers were nothing like the stereotype. Delilah’s members weren’t all Barbie-doll cookie cutters, and they were anything but shallow and vain. That was never more obvious than when half their membership crowded into my little living room.

Alessandra Costa openly glared at Susan from her spot leaning on the sofa arm next to Katie. “You’ve made it abundantly clear that you despise both the Pink Panthers and Delilah. Why in the world can we trust you now?”

Susan didn’t miss a beat, nor did she attempt to keep the bite out of her tone. “Considering some of the criminal ties your family indulged in, I don’t think you’re in the position to question a detective.” Susan raised her voice, cutting off Alessandra’s protest. “Furthermore, it doesn’t matter if you trust me or not. I do what’s right. I do despise Delilah and this ridiculous girls’ club. I have no respect for the choices she makes, or that grown women need to indulge in a fake sorority. None of that changes, however, the fact that I am a detective and will fight for justice and public safety no matter who needs it. Even Delilah.”

Alessandra clearly considered pushing the issue, then turned that same narrow gaze to me. “What about you? You’ve already used our group once, manipulated us to try to get information. Manipulated your friendship with Delilah that way too. Why should—”

“Alessandra.” Simone didn’t use the same authoritarian tone she had used with us, letting more of a request filter in. “We’re in Fred’s house. And we’re talking about Leo too. There’s no doubt she can be trusted in this matter. We have to put all grievances aside for now.”

Simone was the third recipient of Alessandra’s icy glare. She kept her accusation nonverbal, however—apparently unwilling to air Pink Panther dirty laundry in public.

As soon as Marissa had filled in Simone, she’d handed the phone to Alessandra, who demanded to know where Simone was because they needed to be together to help look for Delilah. Simone had lied and said she was at her house, to which Alessandra replied they’d just driven by and Simone hadn’t been there.

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