Audra sat across from Yolanda two hours later at Bishop's. She was hungry and a bit cranky at the slow progress she and Yolanda had made in Dresses for Less after Magic left.
Audra had given in to trying on some summer wear that wasn't half bad for the price. An armload of sun and maxi dresses that would have cost nearly four times as much in New York, and fit her nicely, made their way to the counter at final check out. She also picked out three pairs of jeans and sleeveless t-shirts, cotton socks, sneakers and sandals. She liked everything that she got and even walked out of the store with her FBI attire in the bag as she kept on one of the maxi dresses and a new pair of sandals.
Brenda was not at all displeased with the time they'd taken up in her shop, not buying a single gown, even though Yolanda was a trooper, trying on as many as possible to pass the time before Audra declared it was time for lunch.
It wasn't until she was seated at Bishop's that Audra realized she wasn't wearing her specter shield; she'd placed it in the bag with the rest of her FBI attire. Neither had she brought her badge, gun, or specter zapper. She was surprised that she didn't feel ill at ease without those things as she opened her menu and looked for a low carb option she was sure wouldn't be there.
"Dinner at the Shelleys', huh?" Ashley piped up as she phased in front of them. "I've never been, but I heard their house is like a museum. Although, I guess it would have to be to house absolutely all of them. You'd think with all that money they would each want to live in their own house, right?"
Audra was surprised to find that Ashley actually expected an answer.
"Rich people." Yolanda shrugged good-naturedly and began to order from the menu.
Audra settled on a fried fish platter with the house salad and water with lemon.
"I used to flirt with Kennedy Shelley, way back when, before…" She looked at her specter hands and shook her head.
"Kennedy?" Audra asked latching on the name of what she was sure was the MIA third triplet.
"Yeah, the councilman's son," she said. "He turned out to be a real jerk. Never wanted me to meet his mama."
"Oh," Audra couldn't hide her disappointment.
"Yeah, he's off to college somewhere now. And people said his mama was crazy anyway." Ashley waved thoughts of him away. "I'll be right back with bread and your drinks."
Yolanda and Audra traded curious looks but they both remained true to orders not to talk about the case outside of the command post. Audra thought about Magic as they waited on their orders. She wondered if the woman had in fact followed them into the store. In thinking about how she knew who Audra was, had known that she'd inquired about Candy Reign, and from there linking the exhumation of Abigail Stevens to the case, Audra was certain that the invitation to see her show was really an invitation to hear more about what she knew.
"It's a nice little town, isn't it?" Yolanda asked after the food had arrived and they began to dig in. "Once you get used to it, I mean."
Audra nodded. It was a nice place on the surface, but it hadn't been so nice for Abigail or Gwyn. But, for the majority of the people and the specters, it did seem to be a little bit of heaven on Earth. Audra wondered what could have been so important to conceal or avenge that it had already cost the lives of seven women, including her sister and Abigail.
They ate their meal in relative quiet from there on out, paid the bill, and Audra left a generous tip for their specter waitress. She led the way to Fashions Today and, as they walked in, it dawned on her that this was where Magic had purchased her own ensemble. It was what Audra thought of as a store for young people under the age of twenty-one, with more disposable income than common sense. True to form, Yolanda blended into the scene looking over the less than appropriate attire with zeal and delight.
A less friendly, almost Goth girl, with dark everything, from clothes and hair, to makeup and jewelry, intercepted them at the front of the store.
"Are you lost?" she asked without consideration of the fact they were paying customers.
"No," Yolanda said adopting a mild punk-like attitude and swagger.
Audra would have applauded her if she didn't just want to turn and walk out the door. The store screamed darkness and not just in colors. The music was heavy and loud, the lights dim, and the smell was vaguely of old factory sweatshop.
"We were invited to this thing at the Shelleys' tomorrow and the boss sent us to town for some appropriate attire." Yolanda put the words appropriate attire in annoyed air quotes.
If Audra didn't know any better she would have thought Yolanda was a late teen with authority issues.
"You wanna make a statement?" semi-Goth girl asked with an amused smile.
"Always," Yolanda said with a mischievous grin as she followed the sales clerk further into the den of Fashions Today.
Audra elected to stay behind and peruse the selection of chains and belts, stick on tattoos, and colored hairpieces. She was in the middle of shaking her head in dismissal when Amanda Stuart manifested next to her.
"What's up, Agent Wheeler?" she asked with a nonchalance that Audra could tell was put on.
"Dress shopping," Audra said.
Amanda commented as if in thought, "They usually like suits and ties or nice dresses and gowns."
Audra smiled at the young specter trying to help her out. She noticed how young the girl was, even younger than the waitress, Ashley, and wondered how she'd died.
"Drugs." Amanda seemed to read her mind. "Not, me. The asshole behind the wheel that side swiped me off of the road."
"I'm sorry," Audra said, truly sorry to hear it.
Amanda shrugged. "Eli Shelley, he's behind bars now. So, I guess justice is served."
"Oh." Audra was struck at the strangeness of learning about the missing triplet from the library manager's specter daughter. "May I ask how long ago this happened?"
"Maybe four or five years ago. Time isn't really the same for us." Amanda smiled. "I shouldn't tell any of the living this, but since the Sheriff and the Doctor put you in the circle of trust and all… Specters get to see to the edge of eternity. It's beautiful. I came back for my dad though. I couldn't let him be all alone after what happened. It must suck for him, having an eternal teenage daughter, but I guess it's better than nothing, right?"
Audra was struck by the sincere question. "If I had a daughter like you I'd want her to be around me for as long as possible."
"I guess that's the go-to answer from adults to kids, huh?"
"Maybe," Audra conceded. "But, I mean it. You're obviously a great kid if you got to come back. And to be honest, I don't think any adult truly shakes their eternal teenage attitudes. Some of us just hide it better than others."
Amanda gave her a real smile and Audra pushed back the urge to pinch her ghostly cheek.
"I saw you carrying a boat load of gear from Dresses for Less so I'm not holding my breath that you'll be doing any splurging in here. But, what is the deal with her?" Amanda asked, nodding in the direction in which the sales clerk had lured Yolanda.
"She's one of those adults not afraid to let out that eternal teenage attitude."
"Good thing she's cute," Amanda commented before phasing out.
"Your girl told me the two of you plan on crashing The Scoop tonight." Audra turned around to see Yolanda in what she could only think to describe as head-to-toe hooker wear, complete with fishnets and a black riding crop, as the semi-Goth girl came back to the front of the store with a whole new attitude. "You can not go in there dressed like that," she said to Audra, giving her a disapproving once over. Yolanda nodded her head in her post adolescent persona's agreement with the young clerk.
Audra braved her way through five outfit changes before she found an edgy, dark, but not too dark, ensemble that included a black corset, knee high boots, and a short black wig. She didn't even recognize herself in the mirror once the outfit was complete.
The clerk rang up their outfits, which Audra realized were heavily over priced. She could tell the girl was proud of herself and the work she'd done to help Yolanda and Audra out for their evening at the strip club.
"You still feel like ice cream at Pearl's?" Yolanda asked, back to her normal self once they were in their own clothes and in daylight again.
"I welcome the sugar high," Audra admitted as they dropped their bags in the car and headed towards Pearl's Café.
They were seated at a booth cooling their heels with waffle cones piled sky high when Yolanda decided to pick up on their conversation from early in the day about relationships.
"I guess I'm really just afraid of the real me getting hurt again," Yolanda said and it took Audra a moment to catch her meaning.
"Well, not dating won't stop you from getting hurt. If you really like someone and don't tell them, they will eventually move on to someone else," Audra said.
"I don't worry too much about that," Yolanda said.
Audra thought about Amanda Stuart's comment that Yolanda was lucky that she was cute.
"I hate to be the one to say it, but you won't be young forever," Audra pointed out. "Plus, knowing what I do about Joshua, I think at least giving him a chance to make you the happiest woman in the world is worth the risk of possible heartbreak."
"Maybe," Yolanda conceded in Audra's usual fashion and Audra smiled.
"By the way, you are really good at what you do."
"I know, right?" Yolanda winked at her.
They both made it about a quarter of the way through their ice cream before giving in and tossing them.
"One more store," Audra tried to psych herself out.
"Third time's a charm," Yolanda chimed in and led the way back across the square to Chic Boutique."
"Yes," Yolanda said with a high class New York accent as she walked in and saw the elegant gowns on mannequins and hanging against the walls.
Audra stepped in and picked up a beautiful gown with a New York label in the back. She peeked at the price tag and put the gown back down.
"How may we help you?" A well sculpted, groomed, and manicured sales associate with the nametag Eunice met them at the front of the store, her blond hair pulled back tight enough to give her face a lift.
"Oh, be a dear and help us find something to wear to the Shelleys' this weekend," Yolanda slipped easily into another persona that put the sales woman at ease.
"You are invited to their Saturday dinner?" she asked, impressed.
"Of course, Dear," Yolanda remarked just a little impatiently. "Don't try to pass off last season's anything. We'll sit over here." Yolanda looked her up and down. "Do you have a model?"
The sales associate looked puzzled by the question. "Oh, of course. I'll have her model whatever you like."
"Wonderful, and I assume your seamstress will have our selections ready for pick up by noon tomorrow?"
"Of course," Eunice confirmed with a doubtful smile.
"Great! This is the only store in town that is passible so please, make this worth our while and our pocketbooks." Yolanda sounded bored as she took a seat and patted a cushion next to her indicating that Audra should sit as well.
Eunice yanked the young sales girl from the register and Audra watched their mini struggle until finally the young lady put her hand out for extra cash. Eunice looked appalled but went for her purse and counted out several bills.
The young lady smiled, pocketing the money as she followed Eunice around the store as she picked up several selections including the pricey number Audra had looked at.
"We'll be just a minute," Eunice sang. "Mrs. Shelley hasn't been here in quite a while. Her husband's declining health I suppose. But I hope you will let her know that you stopped by here."
Audra looked at Yolanda for a cue. But Yolanda just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Eunice made her way back to them with a questioning gaze as the sales clerk carried several dresses high up to avoid dragging.
"You just have the one model?" Yolanda asked. "A stick figure teenager… You have noticed that we are grown women?"
Eunice's false smile melted. "I understand, but these dresses are universal. They…"
Yolanda put her hand in the air then shoed her away.
"It'll do."
"Right," Eunice said, leading the smirking sales girl away.
To her credit, Audra noted, the sales clerk did manage to work the dresses that she modeled for them. Yolanda pointed to the few she liked for herself and then helped Audra decide on two to try on. Eunice helped Yolanda change into her selections and the sales clerk helped Audra with hers.
"All this for the Shelleys, huh?" the sales clerk, Tammy, asked.
"Apparently," Audra replied keeping her voice low. "You don't like the Shelleys?"
"I really don't know nothing about them people," Tammy said dismissively as she turned Audra to look at herself in the mirror.
"This town is too small not to know anything about the Shelleys."
"Well," Tammy said at length as she helped Audra take off the dress to try on the second one, "I heard that when Principal Shelley's father passed away, the family became kind of tight fisted and stingy, not giving to organizations for the poor and what not. It wasn't until that young doctor died that the family became generous again, building the new hospital and all." Tammy shrugged. "Not that it helped the ghetto apartments they left behind."
"You live there?" Audra asked.
"Not any more." Tammy sighed. "I graduated, got a job, and moved into town."
"Did you know Gwyn Miller?"
"Just in passing. But, she seemed like a good person." Tammy turned Audra back to the mirror. Audra smiled, liking what she saw.
As they exited the store two and a half hours later, Audra refrained from bowing to the master chameleon. They made it to the car before Yolanda cracked a smile and cranked the engine.
"I love making catty women squirm."
Audra smiled back as they made their way through town towards the hospital to retrieve Audra's car.