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“Just around the corner in every woman’s mind is a lovely dress, a wonderful suit, or entire costu new creature of her”

—Wilhela Cushman

Low-level strip lights along the baseboards provided a shadowy illun displays, much like a flashl

ight held under sohost story A shiver snaked its way up Sylvie’s spine

“Why don’t we talk here?” Her taffeta skirt rustled as she sat down on the bench near a collection of handblown glass

Ivy re in the tilt of her head and tension in her jaw lanced back at the foyer packed with elegantly dressed guests, and the urge to return to the safety of the crowd turned her palms clammy

“Say, how about we go grab a drink first?” She stood and took a few steps back

Ivy shook her head “There’s a new installation I really want to show you It’s pretty aers together and brought her joined hands to her lips as if in prayer, gripping the red marks covered her hands “Please”

Sorew as she realized the e a cat ic to cats She’d always said if she was going to get a pet it would be a rat Oh, God Sylvie’s heart skipped a beat as the ie of the dead rat the troll had sent her flashed in her ht about Ivy? Anders had never confessed to being the stalker, but he had ad as trivial as hacking a Web site?

He wouldn’t

And Tony had said he sent only a few eot serious

Which left…

Ivy?

But before Sylvie could take her suspicions to the cops, she had to get the other woman to talk “Okay Lead on, Macduff”

As they walked farther down the hall, Sylvie made sure to stay out of arm’s reach