"If you weren’t at the fashion show, where were you last night?" I asked.
"I had a date with Declan Jamison. I can give you his number if you would like to verify that.”
"That would be great.”
Rachel put herself on full display. "Look at me. Do I look anything like the assailant?”
JD and I both looked her up and down, drinking in her form.
"No. I can't say that you do.”
She smiled. "So it’s safe to say that I'm off your suspect list.”
I shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you hired someone to do it.”
She gave me a flat look. "And what would I stand to gain?”
"Satisfaction? Revenge? Maybe you want Sebastian back?”
Rachel laughed. "The last thing in the world I want is to be involved with that man. He's narcissistic, self-obsessed, and doesn't care about anyone but himself. He is incapable of real love. Sure, he's good-looking and rich, but there are more things to life than wealth and power. Looks fade, and money can’t buy true happiness.”
"Can you think of anybody else who may have wanted to harm Ava Lang?”
"I don't know the girl personally. I think I met her on one occasion prior. I had no idea at that point she would steal my man. But honestly, I don't have any animosity toward her. Sebastian can be irresistible at times, and she is young and impressionable. She'll figure it out before too long. I'm afraid it will be devastating for her when she realizes that he's just not going to be there for her when she needs him.”
I dug into my pocket, handed her a card, and asked her to text me Declan’s number. She did, and I gave him a call. Declan said he was with Rachel from 7:00 PM until a little after 2:00 AM.
I never considered Rachel the attacker, but perhaps the mastermind behind the whole thing.
I thanked Rachel for her cooperation, then called Isabella as JD and I walked back toward the elevator. I gave her the scoop and said, "I need you to pull phone records for Rachel Hoffman. See if you can find any suspicious payments or unusual calls.”
“If I was going to hire someone to attack a supermodel with acid, I’d probably look on the dark web,” Isabella said. “Unless I already had shady contacts.”
“I don’t know how tech savvy Rachel is, but I’m sure she knows somebody who knows a fixer.”
“You think this guy was a pro?”
“No, but he might have been hired through an intermediary.”
“I’ll see what I can figure out. Anything else?”
“I need to find Amara.”
“The supermodel?”
“Yes.”
“Is this part of the investigation?”
I chuckled. “Of course.”
“Do you have a cell number for her?”
“Yes. I got it from Sebastian’s assistant.” I gave her the digits, and she tapped the keys. A few moments later, she said, “Looks like she’s back in New York.”
“That’s a convenient escape.”
I thanked Isabella for the information, and we took the elevator down to the lobby. The valet pulled the van around when we stepped outside. We climbed in, and I called Amara.
