In Death 03 - Immortal in Death

that could gouge an eye at three paces. But the voice gave her away, and Eve watched, letting herself be elbowed back by another frantic dresser as Trina glopped something that looked distressingly like come onto a streaked mane before squishing it into a smooth cone shape.
    "What are you doing there?" A man with owl eyes and a knee-length cape bore down on Eve like a snapping terrier. "Get out of those clothes, for God's sake. Don't you know Hugo's out front?"
    "Who's Hugo?"
    The man made a sound like escaping gas and reached out to tug off Eve's T-shirt.
    "Hey, buddy, you want to keep those fingers?" She smacked them away and glowered at him.
    "Get naked, get naked. We're running out of time."
    Threats made no dent and he snatched at the snap of her jeans. She considered decking him, then pulled out her shield instead. "You can back off, or I can haul your ass in for assaulting an officer."
    "What are you doing here? We have our license. We paid our revenue. Leonardo, there's a cop here. I simply can't be expected to deal with police."
    "Dallas." Mavis hurried over, varicolored fabric draped over her arm. "You're really in the way here. Why aren't you out front? Christ, why are you still dressed like that?"
    "I didn't have time to go back and change." Absently Eve tugged at her stained shirt. "Are you all right? I didn't know they'd rescheduled your tests, or I'd have been there."
    "I got through it. Dr. Mira was mag, but let's just say I'm glad it's over. I don't want to talk about it," she said quickly, and looked around the disordered and crowded space. "At least not now."
    "Okay. I want to see Jerry Fitzgerald."
    "Now? The show's already started. It's timed down to the last microsecond." With the skill of a veteran, Mavis swayed out of the path of a pair of long-legged models. "She has to concentrate, Dallas. This pace is murder." Cocking her head, she tuned into the music. "Her next cue is in less than four minutes."
    "Then I won't keep her long. Where?"
    "Dallas, Leonardo is -- "
    "Where, Mavis?"
    "Back there." Waving one frantic hand, she turned over one layer of fabric to a passing dresser. "In the star's room."
    Eve managed to dodge, shift, and spin her way through the milling crowd to a door marked prominently with Jerry's name. She didn't bother to knock but pushed it open and saw the woman in question being squeezed into a gold lame tube.
    "I'm not going to be able to breathe in this. A skeleton couldn't breathe in this."
    "You shouldn't have eaten that pate, dearie," the dresser said implacably. "Just suck it in."
    "An interesting look," Eve commented from the doorway. "Makes you look like a fairy wand."
    "It's one of his retro shots. Early twentieth-century glamour. I can't fucking move."
    Eve came closer, narrowed her eyes at Jerry's face. "The cosmetician did a nice job. I can't see any bruises." And she would check with Trina to see if there'd been any bruises to cover. "I heard Justin Young gave you a couple of shots."
    "Bastard. Hitting me in the face before a big show."
    "I'd say he pulled his punch. What did you fight about, Jerry?"
    "He thought he could diddle with some little chorus dancer. Not on my time."
    "Time's the interesting factor, isn't it? When did he start his diddling?"
    "Listen, Lieutenant, I'm a little pressed here, and walking out on the runway with a scowl on my face is going to ruin the presentation. Let's just say, Justin's history."
    Despite her claims to the contrary, Jerry moved with quick agility through the door. Eve stayed where she was, listening to the burst of applause as Jerry made her entrance. In six minutes flat, she was back being peeled out of the gold lame.
    "How'd you find out about it?"
    "Trina. Hair, for God's sake! Christ, you're persistent. I got wind of it, that's all. And when I called him on it, he denied it. But I could tell he was lying."
    "Uh-huh." Eve considered liars as Jerry stood, arms out. Trina transformed her ebony swing of hair into a complicated twist of curls with a hand-held heater. Sheer white silk with rainbow trimming was slipped over her arms. "He didn't stay in Maui long."
    "I don't give a shit where he is."
    "He flew back to New York last night. I checked the shuttles. You know, Jerry, it's odd. That timing thing again. Last time I saw you two, you were all but joined at the hip. You went with him to Pandora's, went home with him that night. You were still there in the morning. The word I get is he accompanied you to your fittings,