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"No," Vlad groaned "The other one"

"That’s Emerson’s sister and A, anyone with even an ounce of Emerson Hawk blood in her is completely and totally off limits to you and your undead little friend down there," I said as my eyes skipped over his zipper, "and B, you’re on the run fro out of safe houses So keep it zipped I have a party to get ready for"

The reception for the Institute for Haute Couture was at a swanky restaurant in Chelsea with low lights, polished ceills with beautiful people in one-of-a-kind dresses, white-gloved waiters wielding untouched appetizer trays, and quite possibly every hair product in the tristate area My town car let me out in front of the restaurant at the precise tiriold-threaded vintage Versace, I couldn’t help it when I saw her

Ebehind as usual, shot etic smile before she yanked open the door for Emerson They walked into the restaurant and asp

Scanning the room, I could see why

Aside from the waiters, the place was a morbid sea of black Black dresses, black suits, black hair décor that old dress stood out like a shiny beacon and I slowered in the crowd, her drink practically evaporating froy in the restaurant was low,whether they should mourn or celebrate Half a drink in, Jason Forbes took a inald’s life and career then a muted introduction of the contest, Emerson, and me Directly afterward, the heavy appetizers--and the ossip--started I carried around a canapé and a glass of charoup, head cocked, lips in a serene yet friendly sinald had offed hi home to a mystery wife he had back in Brazil I heard the suicide was due to a fashion line Reginald was hired for that nosedived, taking the entire cos, alcohol, carbohydrates But when I heard that Reginald hadn’t co

A reasy-plate lips stained a weird glossy orange as she held court

I edged ushed appropriately, and Bea pulledenors, so he volunteers at the city ed me in the ribs with a bony elbow and mouthed the words "co "Adaraphy"

"Autopsy," I corrected, taking a burning s of cha and the coroner talks into a tape recorder Adam heard him say that thethe," Bea said, and inald’s neck were not conducted to a death by hanging"

"They weren’t conducive to a hanging?"

Bea turned her enormous eyes on me and nodded "You heard that, too?"

I had to physically controlmy eyes

"Anyway," Bea went on, "he said that it looked like Reginald was dead before he could hang himself"

The other women in the circle shivered appropriately but I stepped forward "How did he die, then?"

Bea’s tiny bird shoulders rose "And did he hang hilass and beat a hasty retreat--at least I tried to, before co face to face with E over me "Need to rush off and rip a few seainald’s not-suicide to wishing E fro the distance between us--and thankfulwith ?"

She cocked an ane "I ith you"

"Before that"

She whipped away froht--and I couldn’t put inald’s death wasn’t a suicide, could soed "Just curious"

Emerson crossed her arms in front of her chest--or attempted to, as her horrid interpretation of sleeves sed her up--and flared her nostrils "Nicolette and I orking at the apart to deter in her voice, her stare that would indicate absolute guilt I like to think ood at reading a breather’s e at h mine before I heard Jason Forbes’s deep voice--but not before I saw Ehten, her eyes sharp as naked swords