Chapter Five


	“Simon! Come in, come in!  It’s so good to see you again!”  The blonde woman
gave the big Indian a warm hug, and Logan almost laughed at the contrast between
them.  The woman was dressed to perfection, not a hair out of place.  Logan would have
felt terribly under-dressed and out of place in her company if it weren’t for the fact that
Simon, while neat and clean, was still dressed in  khakis and a T-shirt.  The woman
didn’t seem to mind, however, as she stood back and looked him up and down with a
bright smile on her face.
	“The world’s been good to you, I see,” she was saying, and Simon actually
laughed.  The entire exchange was throwing Logan off balance in more ways than one. 
Not only was this elegant woman, a woman with staff to answer the door for her no less,
greeting the bush dwelling Simon like a long lost relative, but he was responding in the
same manner, and the smile on his face alone was enough to set Logan’s heart off
kilter.  She’d already admitted he was handsome, but she hadn’t seen this smile before! 
A smile that twinkled in his eyes and brought out a boyish quality.  A smile that could
melt the heart of any girl who was even remotely interested in him, and looked like it
could even wrap their high class socialite hostess around his little finger.
	“And who is this lovely young lady you’ve brought with you?”  The woman was
saying, a look of mischief in her eyes that made Logan flush.  She glanced back at
Simon with a grin.  “A special friend of yours, Simon?”
	“This is Miss McCoy, an associate,” Simon said, and Logan wondered if he even
knew her first name.  Then he introduced the woman as Dolores Shellington and Logan
felt even more out of place.  
	“Please call me Dolores,”  the woman insisted as she took Logan’s hands and
gushed over her. 
	“Thank you, Dolores.  My name’s Logan.”  She said, glancing at Simon to see if
he were paying attention as well.  She gave the woman a smile she had practiced over
and over again at the department store on occasions when she was more upset, or
nervous than her smile let on, and tried to calm her nerves.   But Dolores was genuine,
and soon Logan’s smile was too.
	“Any friend of Simon’s is a friend of mine,” Dolores said, then chuckled lightly. “It
seems so cliché to say that, but it’s true!  Come, come, Hector is expecting you.”  She 
led them through the large house to a room that was apparently Hector Shellington’s
study.  The man lounging in a large leather arm chair, lowered his newspaper when the
door opened, and removed his glasses when he saw them come in.  He was a round
man, almost completely bald, with a cheery face.  There was little about his face to lead
anyone to believe he was one of the richest men in Arizona, for Simon had told Logan
that much at least, but he was dressed well, and his study was impeccable in its
elegance.
	“Come in, Boy!”  Hector said, the same bright smile on his face that his wife had
given Simon.  He lay down his paper and folded his glasses, slipping them into his
breast pocket, then motioned towards a chair.  “Have a seat!”
	“Hector, this is Logan McCoy, a friend of Simon’s,”  Dolores announced, and her
husband glanced at Logan, then at Simon, a questioning look on his face.
	“She’s OK, she’s the one who answered the phone when you called me back
yesterday.  She’s been a great help.”  Simon told him, and Hector’s expression
changed.  He nodded at Logan with a gratefulness in his eyes, but at the same time, he
looked like he had just been reminded of a heavy weight that sat squarely on his
shoulders.
	“Ah yes, nice to meet you Logan.  It’s a good thing our Simon had someone on
his side in this mess.”  His attention turned to Simon after that and he shook his head.  “I
don’t know what’s going on but we'll get to the bottom of things.  I’ve got my lawyer on it. 
Young guy, real eager fellow.  So far, all we know is the money isn’t where it’s supposed
to be.  My donation, and a sizable amount of the money budgeted by the universities, is
missing.  As you suggested, we’re looking into Jake Zimmerman.  Nothing yet, but I
wouldn’t be surprised to find out the man has sticky fingers.  Apparently one of the
students working on the project broke an ankle last week and had to be replaced?”
	Simon nodded, and motioned towards Logan.  “That’s right.  They brought
McCoy in as his replacement a few days ago.”
	“Good move,” Hector said, smiling at Logan for a minute before continuing with
his description of the events of the past twenty-four hours.  “Brandon — that’s my lawyer
— was able to wheedle that information out of the people in Tempe.  I just got a call from
him about an hour ago.  He found the kid and had a talk with him.  Couldn’t give us
much information, but he did say that Jake Zimmerman didn’t have a good word to say
about you, Boy.”
	“Me?”  Simon looked surprised.  
	Hector nodded. “The kid said all Zimmerman ever did was complain about the
fact that you were on the project, how much it was costing to have you, and how much
cheaper it would have been if they’d used the photographer he’d wanted for the job.”
	Simon frowned. “Do you think Jake wanted an inside man?”
	“Perhaps.  Brandon said the kid didn’t know who the photographer was, but
Zimmerman is affiliated with Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.  Brandon’s on it.”
	Hector turned towards Logan.  “For the record, Simon here was practically
donating his services to the project.  He was there as a condition I put on my donation,
and my contribution was more than enough to cover what he was getting paid, plus
expenses.  Zimmerman’s argument doesn’t hold water.  There must be a reason he
wanted another photographer,  why he wanted the students to think Simon was costing
them too much.   Did you hear anything in the short time you were there that might give
us a clue?”
	“Well, nothing other than that I did notice a coolness between Zimmerman and
Simon, but I didn’t think much of that because I got much the same thing.  I figured it
was because I was an outsider.  You know, because I wasn’t a Masters student.   At first
I even wondered if it was because I was a woman, but then when I saw he treated
Simon the same, I figured it was just the way he was.  The students used to stick
together, but they seemed to get along OK with Jake. They didn’t talk to me much, but to
be honest with you, I didn’t spend much time around the camp.”   Logan chewed on her
lower lip and glanced at Simon.  “I took every opportunity I could to explore.”
	Hector raised his brow, and turned to Simon as if he thought there was more that
Logan hadn’t said.  
	“McCoy’s a photographer too, and a damn good one, I might add, although as of
yet virtually unknown.  She got some pretty amazing shots in the short time she was out
there.”
	Hector rubbed his chin.  “Interesting.  You may have something there, Logan.”
	She looked wide eyed at their host. She didn’t think she had said anything helpful
at all.  “Me?  What are you thinking?”
	“The whole outsider theory.”  He sat deep in thougth for a few minutes, then
straightened and smiled. “I’ll get Brandon on it right away. We need to find out who that
other photographer was, and why Zimmerman wanted him so badly.  In the meantime,
where will the two of you be staying tonight?  Dolores will insist that you stay here at the
house, I’m certain, and I positively agree with her.”
	Logan looked at Simon.  She’d never known anyone who had servants to do
every little thing for them, and had never expected to ever set foot in a home as elegant
as the Shellington’s mansion, let alone sleep in one.  But Simon didn’t seem one bit
phased by the offer, and in fact, was in the process of accepting on both of their behalf
with an ease about him as if he were quite used to it.  Hector beamed.
	“Excellent!  I’ll have Sofia make up your rooms for you.  And you will both join us
for dinner tonight at the Club, I insist.”
	“Oh, but — “  The words were out before she realized she was even speaking,
then she clamped her mouth closed and looked sheepishly from one to the other.  At
Hector’s expectant look she felt compelled to elaborate, and meekly continued.  “I don’t
have anything appropriate to wear.  I packed for camping in the canyons, not for going
out to dinner. I — “
	“Not to worry,” Hector beamed at her.  “There’s still  plenty of time before dinner. 
You have time to go buy something.”
	It was obvious to Logan that going to buy something at the drop of a hat wouldn’t
be of any concern to the likes of Hector and Dolores Shellington.  She, on the other
hand, wouldn’t have a clue what sort of dress would be appropriate for the place Hector
was taking them, nor did she have the free flowing funds that the Shellingtons had to
pay for such a dress.  Added to all of this was the fact that she wouldn’t know where to
begin finding such a dress in Tucson.  She sat there looking completely lost, glancing
from one man to the other, with nothing left to say but a whimpered ‘oh’.
	As usual, Simon didn’t seem the least bit phased by the whole thing, however,
and took charge of the situation as if there was nothing odd at all about his suggestion. 
“I don’t think McCoy’s ever been to Tucson, have you, McCoy?  No, I didn’t think so.  I
bet Dolores wouldn’t mind going with her, to show her the best places to shop and all
that?  I know how much Dolores loves to shop.”
	“Champion idea!” Hector seemed delighted, and although Logan felt slightly less
lost, she was still worried about the ensuing shopping trip.  When their host promptly
stood up and left the room in search of his wife, Logan shot Simon a pleading look. 
	“Simon!  How can I buy a dress suitable to wear with people who live like this?” 
She gestured around the room with both hands.  “I can’t afford it!”
	“Shhh,” he stood up and walked to her side, placing both his hands on hers and
lowering her arms back to her sides.  “Don’t let Hector hear you say that, or he’ll be
having Dolores buy you a whole new wardrobe.  Indulge them one dress and forget
about it.”
	“Indulge them?” Her eyes were wide in shock. “You mean they’re going to pay for
the dress?  Simon, I can’t — “
	A firm, masculine finger was placed against her lips.  “McCoy, you don’t know
these people.  Hector isn’t sending you out shopping with the intention of paying for your
dress, but mark my words, Dolores won’t let you leave the store until she has paid for it. 
And believe me, they aren’t patronizing you.  Giving is their greatest pleasure, and for no
other reason but the joy it gives them to do it.  They look for no rewards, no
compensations;  just to see you at dinner wearing the dress will be enough for them. 
They’re old; their daughter could care less.  Indulge them.”  Simon glanced quickly
towards the doorway where their host and hostess would soon return.  “Besides, there
are a few things I need time to discuss with Hector that you don’t need to bore yourself
with.”
	Logan looked at him with concern.   His face had taken on a distant, almost
worried expression.  “Is something wrong?”  she asked, searching his face.
	Simon drew his attention back from his thoughts to the woman standing before
him.  She had been innocently dragged into this whole mess.   There was no need to
worry her needlesly, especially when his concerns might still be unfounded.   Unless he
had proof she were in any danger,  the suspicions he had would be best kept between
himself and Hector.
	“You go enjoy the time with Dolores,” he insisted quickly, and Logan got the
distinct impression she was receiving the brush-off.  “Trust me, you’ll enjoy yourself.”
	Logan was left standing there dumbfounded when Dolores entered the room and
Simon shoved his hand into his pockets.  She had no more time to argue.  Before she
knew it she was swept away with their hostess, feeling rather breathless.  They rode in a
chauffeur driven luxury car to the most elegant store Logan had ever seen,  and Dolores
was greeted by name when they entered the door!  Logan felt extremely uncomfortable
in her shorts and T-shirt, but her companion brushed it off as if having someone dressed
like that in a store like this was an everyday occurrence.  
And just as Simon had expected, Dolores leaned towards her as they entered the shop
and whispered to her with a smile.  “And don’t you worry about a thing, my dear.  I have
an expense account here, everything will be completely taken care of.”  With that, she
turned her brilliant smile towards the girl greeting them.
	“Marissa, darling, we’ll need something exquisite for Logan to wear to dinner at
the Club tonight.  She’s from out of town and wasn’t expecting our invitation.   She 
hasn’t brought any dresses with her.”  Dolores explained.   Marissa, who looked like a
plate out of a fashion magazine, smiled brightly at them and led them through the store
to where several mannequins were set up displaying formal gowns.  Logan shot a
distressed look towards Dolores.
	“Will I be needing something as formal as this?” she whispered, and Dolores
smiled at her.
	“Don’t worry, Honey, we’ll find you something that looks perfect on you.”  Then to
Marissa, she continued.  “Perhaps something less formal?  I will be wearing a cocktail
dress myself, although that one there does catch my eye for Logan’s colouring, don’t
you think?”  Dolores had been just about to move on when she stopped in front of one of
the mannequins and studied the dress.  The cream coloured dress flowed elegantly to
the floor in a simple, streamlined cut, with a jeweled bodice that dipped quite low in the
front and even lower in the back, held up by thin, almost invisible straps.  Logan shook
her head profusely.
	“Oh no!  I can’t wear that!”  Not only was it much too revealing for her tastes, but
she didn’t dare to imagine the price of it.  Dolores, however, just smiled at her. 
	“Of course not, dear, it’s much too fancy for tonight’s dinner.  But I would love to
see what it looks like on you.  Just for fun.”  
	Logan groaned to herself.  Simon had said to indulge the woman.  He hadn’t
warned her that it would become virtually impossible to say no to her!  With a sigh,
Logan accepted the dress and slipped into the fitting room while Marissa went to find her
a pair of shoes.   Before long Logan stood staring at herself in the mirror, the dress fit ted
perfectly against her body and the shoes on her feet, wondering who the beautiful
woman was that stared back at her.	
	“Come out, Logan, let us see!” Dolores was saying, with all the excitement of a
child waiting for the unveiling of a new doll.  
	“I’m not buying this dress,” Logan warned them, from inside the fitting room.  “I’ll
come out, as long as you don’t make me buy it!”
	“Of course, darling,” Dolores assured her, and Logan pushed open the door and
slowly emerged from the fitting room.  The smile on Dolores’ face was almost enough to
lift any worries from Logan’s mind, and she found herself smiling back despite herself. 
Marissa moved in and tugged the elastic out of Logan’s ponytail and gathered her loose
tresses up on top of her head, then produced a jeweled earring that she held dangling
from one of Logan’s ears and spun the girl to face another mirror.  The transformation
was incredible, and Logan let out a gasp, completely speechless as she stood looking at
the stranger in the mirror. 
	“Perfect!”  Dolores said, although the word was almost inaudible she spoke it so
quietly.  She stood admiring the girl for a moment, then seemed to shake herself out of a
momentary trance, and smiled at Marissa. 
	“It looks like it was made for her, doesn’t it?  I knew it the moment I spotted it. 
But she is right, it is much too fancy for our dinner tonight.  We’ll have to look at
something else.”
	Logan floated back into the fitting room.  It was almost a let down to look at her
brown shorts and T-shirt in the mirror once she had changed out of the dress. 
Reluctantly she handed the garment and shoes back to Marissa and followed the two
women to another area where there were mannequins displaying shorter dresses. 
Dolores picked out three she wanted to see, and once again Logan was back in the
fitting room, and in no time Marissa appeared with three pairs of shoes, each matching
the colours of the dresses. 
	The first, a flouncy-skirted dress with a fitted bodice, fit well, and swirled nicely
around her legs when Logan twirled from side to side, but the colour made her blink.  It
was some sort of aqua green mix, Logan decided, and didn’t look good on her at all. 
She announced that she wasn’t even going to come out of the fitting room with the dress
on, and surprisingly Dolores didn’t argue.
	The next dress, a pale canary yellow, suited her better, but still didn’t create the
same impression that the long dress had.  It hugged her figure, stopping just above the
knees, with a filmy sash belt around the waist. It was sleeveless, and had a straight boat
neckline across the collarbones.  When she modeled the dress, both Dolores and
Marissa studied her at length but finally shook their heads. 
	The third dress was a typical little black dress, with draped neckline, untra-draped
back and fitted skirt.  It looked good, and felt good, but still Dolores looked skeptical. 
	“Better, but still not the right one,” the woman said, shaking her head. “Marissa,
have you anything more like that other one she tried on, but just less formal, and short?”
	Marissa produced another four dresses, which Logan obediently tried on and
modeled.  Colours from deep red to electric blue graced her figure, and all met with
favourable reviews, but none were just it.  At last, as Logan was changing from a purple
velvet into a pastel pink, Marissa appeared with another dress draped over her arm. 
	“Oh yes! Try this one next instead, Logan,” Dolores told her, and Logan opened
the door enough for the dress to be handed through.  It was a creamy colour, like the
long dress had been, but it had a hint of a sparkle to it that reminded Logan of opals.
The fabric felt soft and elegant to the touch before she had even slipped it on, and once
it was against her skin she felt immediately pampered.  It hugged her waist and hips and
flowed straight down from there, to about three inches above the knee, and swished
around her legs when she moved in such a heavenly way that Logan couldn’t stop
moving around in the fitting room.  
        The only thing was, it was shorter than the rest of the dresses, and more
revealing than she liked, with its spaghetti straps and wide scooped neckline and waist
level back.  But it was snug enough when she bent over that it  didn’t gape and show off
everything, she reminded herself. She slipped on the strappy shoes that Marissa had
slipped under the door for her, and prepared to step outside, with one last look at herself
in the mirror.
	“That’s the one!” Dolores exclaimed, triumphantly.  “With the right necklace and
your hair done up, this dress will be perfect, Logan.”  
	Logan didn’t allow herself to think about the fact that she didn’t have any
necklace to wear with this dress, or that she didn’t have a clue how to do her hair for
such an occasion.  Something told her that Dolores would take care of that too.
	And she was right, of course.  After they left the store, with Dolores once again
insisting on paying for the dress and shoes,  the driver took them to an expensive
looking salon, where Dolores was again greeted by name at the door as she deposited
Logan there and prepared to leave.
	“I think it will be best if you and I go directly to the club from here and meet the
men there,” she said, in response to Logan’s lost expression.  “We’ve been quite a while
shopping already, and this will take long enough.  I’m going to get Andrew to drive me
home to change and then I’ll meet you back here.  You’re quite safe, and in excellent
hands.  You won’t regret a thing!” 
        With that, she was gone, and  Logan was whisked away to be pampered like a
queen.  At least, that was how she saw it.  Apparently it was an ordinary occurrence for
Dolores and her high society friends, some of whom were sitting under hair driers
watching Logan closely.  But for Logan, it was a complete make-over of the kind that
she’d often been envious of while watching make-over shows on television.  
           	Her hair was trimmed, although the cut was left unchanged, and a hint of a
blonde highlight was added to her otherwise ordinary light brown colour.  It was dried into
a simple, curled-under at the ends style that would be appropriate to wear every day. 
Then it was  pulled upwards into an evening style, with bits and pieces pinned here there
and everywhere,  and dangling, curled ends hanging down the back of her neck.  Logan
knew she would never ever be able to duplicate such a style, but the look was
breathtaking.
	Next, came her make-up.  Normally Logan didn’t wear any make-up other than a
hint of mascara when she went to work, and on those odd occasions that she actually
went out in the evenings, she would add a touch of eye shadow and lipstick.  It was all
she knew how to do, and all she really needed.  Her face had a natural beauty, said a
make-up artist named Jared, although she didn’t think of herself that way and blushed
as he complimented her on it.  But for this occasion, he was going to make her look like
a princess, he promised.
	By the time Dolores returned, Logan was sitting staring at herself in the mirror,   
wondering when they were going to remove the other woman’s picture from in front of
her face and let her see herself.  She heard Dolores being greeted when she entered,
but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the mirror.  Jared immediately whisked her out of
his chair and pirated her away into some back room, calling to one of the girls to bring
Logan’s clothes to her.  
	“Don’t let Dolores see you until you’re all ready, we mustn't show off an
incomplete picture!”  he instructed her, and Logan found herself instantly alone.
Thankfully, there were no mirrors in the little room, and she was able to concentrate on
putting on her dress, stockings and shoes without any distractions.  At last she was
ready, and with a deep breath she opened the door and peeked outside. 
	She was met by Jared’s smiling, and clearly appreciative face.  He held his hand
out to her and nodded vigorously, and she allowed him to lead her through the salon to
the front where Dolores was waiting.  The stylist and colour specialist were there as well,
as were many of the other workers, and when she stepped out into the waiting room
they all started clapping.  Logan looked around in a panic for Dolores, and when she
found her, the smile she saw was warm and reassuring. 
	“Oh stop it, everyone, you’re embarrassing her,” Dolores said, although her tone
of voice told them all that she didn’t for one minute feel the applause wasn’t warranted. 
Then she led Logan out the door in a chorus of thank you’s and you’re welcome’s, and
leaned in close and whispered to her  “Simon will definitely be impressed!”
	Logan laughed nervously.  “I’m not trying to impress Simon, Mrs. Shellignton! He
doesn’t even like me.  We were only working together, and believe me, he hardly even
noticed me,” she insisted, but Dolores just smiled at her. 
	“Trying or not, you will, mark my words! And he isn’t the only one.”
	Logan was confused, and when she looked at Dolores, the woman grinned back
at her and nodding her head towards the car.  Andrew was standing there, as he had
been every other time they had used the car that day, but this time his eyes were on
Logan as she walked towards the car, and his expression was definitely appreciative. 
	Logan blushed as she stepped past him, and slipped into the car.  His eyes
never left her until the moment he closed the door, and then she was certain he looked
at her again in the mirror when he got into the driver’s seat.  She smiled at Dolores, who
raised her brow and nodded.  The attention felt good, she decided, as long as it didn’t go
too far.