Page 68 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
“It was total bullshit!”
“Good. Which brings me to why I’m here, actually,” she replies. “I think I can prove it was staged, but I need your help.”
I stand up, suddenly energized by the prospect. “I’m all ears, Penny. What do you need from us?”
“Well, this is where it gets a little hairy,” she says, taking one of the seats in front of my desk. “I don’t think there’s a legal, ethical way to do it. The Perle Noire flagship store is part of the Broadway Mall. I keep looking at those photos, and I may have figured out the angle from which they were taken. There’sgot to be security cameras all over the place, particularly in the common areas, right?”
Dominic nods and immediately gets on his phone, searching for something. “It’s the same security company that handles our building. I think I’ve got a reliable contact on their executive board.”
“Executive board,” Penny repeats after him. “That means he’d be high enough on the totem pole to get you access to the mall’s security footage.”
“That’s the idea,” Dominic says. “I might have to throw in something to sweeten the deal, though. I doubt he’ll settle for a favor from the Coates brothers.”
“Whatever he wants, give it to him,” I reply with a firm nod.
“Awesome,” Penny says. “Already glad I came here. The idea is to get a visual of the photographer. TMZ works with a lot of paparazzi, and they would never divulge their sources, especially to private citizens. They barely cooperate with the cops or the Feds, so we need a different approach.”
Theo picks up on her train of thought, sitting straighter in his chair. “If we can identify the photographer, we can track him down. Lure him out somehow.”
“And then pressure him to tell us who ordered the mall gig,” Penny says. “Someone called him to make sure he’d be there on that day and at that specific time. I’d love to have the authority to bust open every social media account of Georgina’s, but alas, we have to go about it the old-fashioned way.”
“That’s okay. You’re definitely on to something,” Dominic replies. “My security guy just confirmed a meeting. Drinkstonight at the Palo Negro Lounge in SoHo. I’ll book us a private table for this particular conversation.”
Penny nods with newfound excitement. “Guys, if we pull this off, it’ll be game over for Georgina. But I think we can do one even better. I remember you once told me about some private eyes you worked with to gauge your competition, and later, some of your less reliable board members.”
“Ah, you mean the Great Cleanse from two years ago,” I chuckle dryly, remembering the step-by-step process we undertook to make sure we wouldn’t lose our company and all of our hard work to a handful of jackals who thought they could knock us off our own board. “Yes. We worked with a couple of brilliant private investigators. Worth every penny.”
“We should get one of them on Georgina,” Penny suggests. “I know she’s up to something. She often brags about how designers hustle to get her on their runways, but I can’t remember the last time I saw her walking for any of the big labels or the high-end boutique stuff. I’m trying to figure out where she keeps getting her ridiculously large revenue from.”
“You think she’s up to something illegal?” Dominic asks.
“Or at the very least, unsavory. I’m not sure. But I wouldn’t put anything past that bitch, certainly not after everything she’s done to hurt Phoebe. I’d like to see Georgina crash and burn, but?—”
“Say no more,” I laugh. “We were actually considering similar possibilities before you walked in. Putting a tail on both Georgina and Crystal to see what we can find out. Once we’ve got a decent starting point, we can shake the tree a little bit harder and see what falls. Either way, you’re right about onething. These women must have dirt hidden somewhere. They’re anything but saints.”
Penny nods in agreement and proceeds to pour herself another glass of water. “They’ve been playing dirty this whole time, guys. We can’t win if we don’t get our hands in the mud too. For Phoebe.”
I couldn’t agree more.
We’ll keep digging into Helen’s life, too. Something rotten is bound to fall out from somewhere. Somebody will slip up and make a mistake, and we’ll be right around the corner, making sure it’s a fatal one.
Helen, Crystal, and Georgina seem determined to destroy Phoebe.
It’s only fair we answer in kind.
20
PHOEBE
The music is loud. Lights flash furiously all over the dance club in violent shades of purple, pink, and yellow. There was a time when I would’ve welcomed the noise and the throbbing base line, having downed several lime and tequila shots by now. But tonight, I’m not really feeling it.
“This is supposed to be our girl’s night,” Penny says. “You’re still moping.”
“I’m sorry,” I reply, briefly glancing down at my full glass.
We ordered champagne, but I haven’t touched it yet. For the past few days, the mere scent of alcohol has repeatedly turned my stomach inside out. Which is ironic, because I’ve been rummaging through the pantry at night a lot more than usual. It reminds me of all the times I was miserable, living at home with Mom and Crystal.
“It’s okay. At least you came out,” Penny laughs and takes a sip of her champagne. “And you look gorgeous, by the way.”
