Model Menace 2 by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online

waiting on you.”
    Ellie nodded, looking eager to please. We’d all been waiting in the bridal shop for about half an hour already. And while Hans hadn’t mentioned it, we all knew at the outset of the shoot that the crew hoped to be back at the hotel by lunchtime to shoot a basketball game between Vic and his groomsmen.
    Bess, George, Deb, and I were the only bridesmaids remaining in the waiting area. Akinyi, who’d seemed restless and jumpy ever since we first arrived, had gone outside to talk on her cell phone. And Pandora had wandered off long ago, muttering something about the wedding industrial complex and how she much preferred dresses made from organic silk.
    Suddenly we heard footsteps on the stairs leading up from the alterations department, and I could see Hans and the crew start to straighten up. As the steps got closer, we all leaned forward eagerly to see the sales clerk coming up with Syd’s dress. But when the young blond girl emerged, she was clearly upset, her face bright pink as she shook her head and ran toward Ellie. In her arms was a pile of fringed silk.
    “I’m so, so sorry,” the girl apologized, parting her arms to let the silk dress fall between them. “I have no idea how this happened! I’m so sorry!”
    Behind me, I was vaguely aware of cameras turning on, lights pointing toward the action. But I was too invested in the scene to pay much attention.
    We all looked at the dress in her arms, and I gasped. The dress wasn’t supposed to be fringed at all. The delicate, unfinished ends I’d seen weren’t intended—the dress looked like it had been shredded with a pair of scissors!
    Ellie took in a quick breath, but she seemed to recover quickly, as though she were now used to these little “surprises.” “Sydney,” she called in a serious tone, “I think you’d better come look at this.”
    “What is it, Mom?”
    Syd, still dressed in a casual sweater dress, stepped out from the dressing area. She followed her mother’s gaze to her dress, and all the color seemed to drain from her face. “Oh my gosh.”
    The sales girl held the dress up by the shoulders, and we all gasped at the extent of the damage. The beautiful, elegant silk column had been shredded by hundreds of jagged cuts all over the bodice. It hung in tatters, shredded ends unraveling and threads hanging from every inch. It was clear there was no way Syd could wear this dress in just a few days. And sadly, it was also pretty clear that there was no way the alterations department could fix it.
    “I’m so sorry,” the sales girl said again, “but there’s no way we can fix this, and we don’t have enough time to order a new dress for you.”
    Syd’s face was frozen in shock. Before she could react, a shrill beep sounded from her pocket. Glancing down, she pulled out her PDA and looked at the screen. I cringed, knowing what she would find there.
    Shaking her head in disbelief, Syd shrieked and began to cry. “This isn’t happening,” she sobbed, turning to her mother. “Mom, tell me this isn’t happening.”
    As Ellie comforted her daughter and Deb moved in to pat Syd’s back, I stood up and gently took the PDA from Syd’s hand. Bess and George crowded in behind me to get a good look.
    Just like before, the text came from an unlisted number.
    I F U GO THRU WITH THIS, UR DREAMS WILL BE SHREDDED JUST LIKE THIS DRESS.
     
    I heard Bess suck in her breath. “Wow.”
    “Major wow,” George agreed, looking disgusted. “This guy just gets creepier and creepier.”
    “Or girl ,” I said meaningfully, and I could see my friends considering that. Our suspect list still contained three women: Akinyi, Pandora, and, perhaps less likely, Ellie.
    “What does it say, what does it say?” a voice asked behind me as an arm reached out and grabbed the PDA from my hand. “Oooooh!”
    I turned around and saw Pandora staring goggle-eyed at the screen.
    “When did you come in?” George asked skeptically. “I thought you