40b1ce81e27faee7f7dcd22da99b93e1

“I like to think I’ve always kept my finger on the pulse of the fashion industry,” said Howard. “Tried hard not to get stuck in the past. But obviously Michael thought differently, and decided to fire a shot across the bow. Let me know that I was now officially a has-been. A talentless hack. An old fossil.” He carefully studied his fingers. “Look who’s the has-been now,” he said softly.

“I guess Michael simply couldn’t take the pressure,” said Sebastian, and there was a touch of satisfaction in his tone. “It’s one thing to be an editor, but something else to be in charge of the entire company. Especially in an industry in decline. Just like in the rest of the publishing industry, circulation of Advantage Publishing’s magazines has been dropping precipitously. It’s not inconceivable that at some point, if they don’t manage to turn things around, they’ll be extinct.”

“Let’s hope it won’t come to that,” said Howard. “It would be a bad thing for the fashion industry if magazines likeGlimmer andGlitter go out of business.”

“The thing is,” said Chase now, as he leaned forward, “that it’s entirely possible that Michael Madison didn’t kill himself.” He let his statement hang in the air for a moment, before dropping his bombshell. “But that he was, in fact, murdered.”

Howard’s cool demeanor cracked a little. “Murdered!” he exclaimed.

“Well, what do you know?” said Sebastian, looking oddly pleased.

“But I thought he jumped? Left a suicide note?” said Howard.

“We have reason to believe that he may have been pushed. And that whoever killed him faked that suicide note.”

“But…” Howard turned to his assistant/partner. “Did you know about this?”

“Absolutely not, chouchou,” Sebastian assured the older man. “I had no idea.”

Howard turned a pair of keen eyes on Chase.“So that’s why you’re here. To ask me if I’m the one who killed Michael Madison.” He smirked a little. “So are you going to arrest me? Are you here to slap a pair of handcuffs on my wrists?”

“Oh, dear,” said Sebastian, who was thoroughly enjoying the drama.

“We’re not here to make an arrest today,” Chase assured the designer. “We’re simply talking to all the people that knew Michael Madison.”

“Especially the ones with a reason to kill him?” asked Howard.

“Well…” said Chase. “You did have a public spat.”

“More than a spat,” said Howard. “I told him that if he ever talked to me like that again, or wrote an article like that about me or my work, I’d sue him for defamation of character and slander. And I told him that if he wanted to make an enemy out of me, he’d better think long and hard first, because I could make life difficult for him, the same way he was trying to make life difficult for me.”

“How were you going to make life difficult for Michael?” asked Odelia.

Howard shared a cautious look with Sebastian. They were on tricky ground now, and both seemed to realize it.“Glimmer always got the best seats in the house at any of my fashion shows,” Howard explained. “They got invites to pre-shows, exclusive previews, behind-the-scenes interviews, access to me and my team, the whole shebang. And since we all know that exclusivity and access sells copies, this was a good deal for both of us. If Michael was going to continue this hostile attitude of his, all of that would be a thing of the past.Glimmer would get the same treatment as the rest of the written press. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“We were also thinking about denyingGlimmer access to our models, photographers, designers,” said Sebastian. “A strict omert? across the board.”

“If Michael really thought I was an old has-been, that wouldn’t have mattered to him orGlimmer,” said Howard. “But if not…” He gave us a meaningful look.

“All of that would come on top of the legal action we threatened to take,” said Sebastian. “He immediately backed off when we hit him with that double whammy.” He looked defiant now. “Said he didn’t mean it like that, and how valuableGlimmer’slongstanding relationship with Howard White was to him.”

“I didn’t have to kill the man, detective,” said Howard. “I already had him licked!” He had the air of an old lion who still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

“We had him cornered,” said Sebastian. “Absolutely cornered!”

Howard leaned forward.“So who killed him, you think?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” said Odelia.

“Which is why we have to ask you where you were two nights ago,” Chase said. “You and your assistant both.”

Howard and Sebastian shared a look of amusement, and before long they were both laughing heartily, as if Chase had told the funniest joke.“I’m not Howard’s assistant,” said Sebastian finally. The two men held hands. “I’m his husband.”

“Well, not officially,” said Howard. “I don’t believe in marriage. But yes, Sebastian and I have been together for, oh, going on thirty years now?”

“Thirty-two next month,” said Sebastian decidedly. “Which reminds me, what do you want for our anniversary, chouchou?”

“You know me. Nothing special,” said the designer.