Tough Luxe by Diane Vallere

Author:Diane Vallere [Vallere, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781939197894
Publisher: Polyester Press

21

All the Advertising Money in the World Can’t Overcome That

Tom Kintz turned and ran through the swinging doors, faster than I would have imagined a man his weight moving. Katy seemed torn between following him and staying with me. I felt her conflict.

“I need to know what happened that night,” I said. “Suzy told me to come see you to get a key to her storage locker.”

“I don’t know anything about a storage locker,” Katy said. “I’m sorry.” She turned and left, following her husband. I felt my shoulders slump and the smile drop from my face. This was another dead end.

The doors swung open, and a younger, female version of Tom Kintz appeared. The woman had the same stout build, same dark coloring, same turned-up nose and dimples.

“There was a man here earlier asking questions about Suzy,” she said. “He said he was hired to investigate the case for an independent party. Are you working for him?”

“I work for the Ribbon Eagle, but I’m here because Suzy told me to come.” I smiled. “You’re Dawn, aren’t you?” I asked. “Suzy’s sister.”

Pink spots colored the woman’s cheeks, and she looked away from me. “Suzy got the glamour. I’m a people person.” She looked back and smiled, and her dimples deepened. I could see how she’d make a great representative of the company; her cherub-like face and sweet demeanor would charm the hardest heart.

“This man who came here today – did he look like a police detective trying to pass himself off as a regular guy?” I asked.

Dawn nodded. She opened a drawer below the cash register and pulled out a white business card. She held it out so I could read it. The words “Loncar Investigations” were printed on the front above a phone number and address. “We run a business, and part of that means we don’t talk about what happened. Not to the press, and not to strangers who say they’re representing an independent party.”

“He’s working for Conrad Vega,” I said. “I don’t know who else he’s talked to, but he’s persistent. He’ll probably come back.”

She stared at Loncar’s business card and then dropped it back into the drawer. She pulled out a maple wood keychain carved into the letters “S.K.” “After Suzy was arrested, my parents sealed up the guest cottage. When the lawyer sent over his files, I put them out there too.” She held out the keychain. “Maybe you’ll find something that can help.”

I closed my fingers around the keyring, and as I took possession, I felt the weight of Dawn Kintz’s expectations settle onto my shoulders.

The doors to the factory swung open again, and Tom appeared. “Dawn, the main pretzel oven blew a fuse. We’re going to have to shut down production today.”

“I’ll call maintenance,” she said to him. She wrote an address on the back of Loncar’s business card and handed it to me.

As she followed her dad into the back, Eddie appeared at my side. “Did you hear that?” he asked. “They’re closing down production for the day.

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