Dior or Die (Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing Mysteries Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

room. "What is it you want, lady?"
    "Oh." She laughed again, then stopped at the sight of the man's unmoved expression. This ingénue business wasn't getting her anywhere. "My name is Joanna Hayworth." She extended her hand.
    "Yes?" His hands remained in his pocket.
    So that's how it was, was it? She withdrew her hand and pulled her cardigan tighter. "I bought some vintage clothing at an auction yesterday. Vivienne North's estate. You guys took them."
    "And?"
    "The clothing—"
    "Evidence, you mean."
    "—Is very delicate. Valuable, too. I need to make sure you know how to store it. Old fabric is sensitive to temperature change, and—"
    "How did you find the warehouse?" With an air of long practice, he spit the gum into a wastebasket an arm's length away.
    "Just a quick call to the police station." In fact, she'd spent nearly an hour with Kimberly at the Central Library’s reference line, who’d scoured city databases until she’d located it. The reference team had long been Joanna’s substitute for a web browser. Kimberly was a new hire, but she was top notch, and Joanna always requested her. She’d have to ask the library’s team lead how Kimberly might feel about a vintage charm bracelet for her trouble.  
    "Really." He folded his arms in front of his chest and widened his stance. "Look. I have work to do. I can't stand around talking."
    "But what about the clothes? When will you be done with them? I can bring down some acid-free tissue—"
    "You seem pretty eager to get the clothes back."
    "Yes." At last he was listening. "I need those clothes for my store. I've already bought them, and I need to sell a few pieces to pay some bills."
    "So the clothing is valuable."
    "Very valuable. Those pieces are ridiculously rare nowadays. People would kill to own just one of the dresses." She clapped her mouth shut. Bad choice of words.
    The man nodded. "Including you? Is there something we ought to know, Joanna Hayworth?" He stressed each syllable of her name.
    She felt a chill. "No, it's just—"
    "Then it's time for you to go." He opened the door behind her.  
    It was really raining now. She backed up a few inches. He moved forward and her feet hit the gravel of the parking lot. He took a fresh stick of gum from a pocket in his jumpsuit. "Did it occur to you that a major crime was committed? We're doing all we can to find out what happened. I'm sure a few dresses can wait."
    The door shut with a thud.  

CHAPTER SIX

    In most Portland neighborhoods, the North home would have stood out as a mansion. In this older part of the West Hills, it was merely a modest Tudor-style home with a stretch of velvety lawn and a protective ring of old rhododendrons, their hot pink and pale purple blossoms just starting to fade. The rain had stopped during the night, and cool sun bathed the yard.  
    Joanna left her Corolla, nicknamed "Old Blue," on the street and walked up the brick path to the door. The brass knocker was heavy in her hand. No one answered after a few, tentative raps, so she knocked again, this time harder. The June sun warmed her back. Vent Vert, the crisp, mossy-green perfume she’d dotted on her wrists, was perfect for the day.
    Just when she had turned toward the street to leave, a woman in a dirt-smeared Trail Blazers sweatshirt opened the door.
    "I'm sorry," she said. "You must be Joanna. I was working in the garden and didn't hear you. Come in."
    "Thank you. I'm here to see Helena Schuyler North." She stepped into an entry hall with oak-paneled walls fragrant with lemon and beeswax. The entry opened to a larger central hall with French doors at the far end, giving out to a broad stone patio and a large garden hidden from the street. No sign of anyone else. Hopefully Vivienne’s daughter-in-law remembered their appointment.
    The gardener slid off a glove and proffered her hand. "I'm Helena. Sorry I wasn’t quite ready for you. The garden really needed some work. I’m afraid I let it go during spring term." Now