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watching. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Frost?”
    I may have blinked in response. I hadn’t been whipped around so fast since riding the Thunderbolt at Coney Island.
    â€œShe’d need help,” Morrow continued. “Someone allowed to handle the merchandise.”
    â€œA booster in sheep’s clothing,” Hansen said. “Taking home a paycheck and whatever catches her eye.”
    â€œHold on.” My voice was back, bringing my indignation with it. “Are you accusing me of … of stealing clothes? For Ruby? Why would I do that? We weren’t friends anymore.”
    â€œBig falling out.” Hansen, damn him, was still directing his comments at the scarred tabletop. “Hadn’t spoken in six months.”
    â€œUnless it wasn’t quite that long.” From his jacket pocket, Morrow removed an envelope. From that envelope, he extracted a scrap of newspaper. Even before he laid it on the table I spotted the curlicued “T” of Tremayne’s , the elegantly elongated “Y.” “We found this in Ruby’s dresser. Do you see why it would strike us as interesting?”
    The advertisement, from eight weeks earlier, trumpeted the store’s new fall gowns in the Parisian style. Directly beneath the date was “Lillian, 2nd floor” in Ruby’s schoolgirl script. I could picture the pink nib of her tongue protruding as she concentrated on her penmanship.
    The detectives’ visit to the store made perfect sense now, their willingness to have me inspect Ruby’s last possessions even more so. They’d known I was lying.
    Look ’em in the eye, mermaid.
    I did. “We had lunch.”
    â€œWhen?”
    I pointed at the advertisement. “Shortly after that ran.”
    â€œWhy not tell us that before?”
    â€œBecause I like my job. I want to keep it.”
    â€œMiss Frost, I don’t care about your job. I want to know about Ruby.”
    â€œBut now you won’t believe me.” I scanned his face for a sign I was mistaken and came up empty.
    â€œI’ll decide when I hear what you have to say.” He crossed his arms. “Tell me about this lunch.”
    Ruby had gotten me into this mess. To get out of it, I did the one thing she’d been incapable of doing. I came clean.

 
    4
    ON THAT TUESDAY— already I was thinking of it as the Tuesday in question—I was tidying up the hat display after a particularly brutal matron had dervished through it when I heard a familiar voice.
    â€œExcuse me, miss? I’m looking for something in straw for the donkey I left double-parked downstairs. Maybe one with holes for his ears?”
    I sighed and faced Ruby. My first thought was how good she looked. She’d abandoned the dye bottle, her blond hair back to its natural lustrous russet. She wore a deep red silk dress, the shade suiting her darker locks and contrasting with her ivory skin. Very dramatic. Very Ruby.
    â€œYou were interested in dressing an ass?” I asked sweetly.
    â€œThat, and making silk purses out of sows’ ears. I’ve made a lot of mistakes lately, mermaid. The worst was letting things with you end the way they did. I need a sensible friend, someone to let me know when I’m about to screw up again. I thought I’d tell you the position is still open.”
    A well-rehearsed speech, and she’d hit her marks. Now a lopsided smile. “We should catch up. How about lunch?”
    â€œAll right. My break’s at twelve forty-five.”
    â€œBut that’s an hour from now. You can’t slip away before then?”
    â€œWere you listening to yourself during that sensible friend speech a minute ago?”
    At a quarter to one I presented myself at the Tremayne’s cafeteria. Ruby broke away from a conversation with Mr. Simkins from Haberdashery. “That fellow’s a bit overbearing. Wouldn’t want him measuring my inseam. I’ll blow you