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Chapter 37
"I'll be at Johnny's later and will fill you in on my end of things." Cody told Renaldo. "Or Johnny will."
"Everyone will be looking forward to it." Renaldo knew that for a fact. "You ever deal with someone like this?"
"Yeah. Chloe had a stalker." Cody shared what he had been thinking earlier. "He killed two of our guys before we brought him down."
"Seriously?" Renaldo blinked at that. O'Brien's crew was top notch.
"One thing the situation taught me is that crazy people are a strange kind of smart. Underestimating them is a mistake. Even when you don't underestimate them they are hard to out think. The guy made a mockery of a few of our defenses in a way I never would have anticipated." Cody ended up respecting the guy as an opponent.
"I'm glad we got to Abby now." Renaldo didn't want to deal with any of what Cody was describing. "Jason having a stalker never even was something I considered."
Cody nodded understanding with Renaldo was talking about. It was odd that of all the people Abby could fixate on she would pick a mobster. Most people picked movie stars, professional athletes, musicians, or models. "Let me get going." Cody just wanted to make sure the transport when smoothly. "See you later."
"Yeah." Renaldo went back inside. "Please tell Francis what is going on. O'Brien will have more information when we get to his place. The ladies should still be able to go out. I'm guessing we will have back up from Johnny's crew."
"I'll call when Diane is ready to leave." Sal would be driving her over to the boutique.
"Good catch." Renaldo told Chris as they headed upstairs.
"Thanks." Chris was the youngest guard on this trip and he still sometimes felt he had to prove he was worthy of being a senior guard. It wasn't anything his friends did, it was all him. Today would make him doubt himself a little less.
Renaldo would make sure Jason knew what Chris had done. On their floor they walked down the hall and Hank was already knocking on the suite's door. None of them spoke while they waited for Jason to let them in.
"Come in." Jason said stepping back. "There's still coffee." He pointed to the urn.
"I'll wait in the bedroom." Liz said running a hand down Jason's arm as she walked past. She could send some pictures of Italy to Sarah.
"What was the problem?" Jason wanted to know.
"You have a stalker." Renaldo got right to it. "Abigail Connelly flew all the way here to tell you that the two of you belonged together. Along the way I'm pretty certain she planned on hurting or even killing Elizabeth."
Jason looked at his friend. "Who is Abigail Connelly?"
"Diane's new assistant." Hank filled in. Jason must not have ever heard the blonde woman's last name before.
"Abby." Jason only knew here as that. "She's obsessed with me? Why? I think I've said maybe two sentences to her." It didn't make any sense.
All three guards shrugged. "She's been transported from the hotel by Cody. O'Brien will fill us in when we get to his place. Chris made the catch." Renaldo told their boss.
"Good job." Jason gave out praise when it was due. "Was she alone?"
"According to the front desk staff, yes." Renaldo answered the question. "I'm going to have Spinelli run her." The assistant had started at the law firm just before Spin came on board. "Abby had about forty or so pictures of you in her room. They go back months." Renaldo could tell by the fact that in some photos the trees had all green leaves. "We never clued in to the fact that she was following you, so I'm thinking this isn't the first time she's done this."
Jason hadn't realized that he was being followed or watched. "You said you think she wanted to hurt Elizabeth?" For him this was the most important thing.
"She had pictures of you and Elizabeth." Jason's girlfriend had put an end to being called Ms. Webber fairly quickly. "Her face was scratched out, and we found a large letter opener in the room. It was kind of out of place so I'm thinking Abby had it as a weapon." Chris added to the report.
"Thank you again." Jason knew his crew was the best. This just proved it.
"Let us know when she is ready to head out." Renaldo hoped this didn't freak her out.
"I will." Jason said just as the guys went to the door. His phone rang and he saw it was Johnny. "Morgan."
"I sent some guys to back up Hank and Sal, they'll meet your crew at the shop." Johnny didn't take stalkers lightly. Odds were that the woman was working alone, but in case she wasn't no one was getting to the ladies.
"I appreciate that." Jason told his friend. They always had one another's back.
"We'll talk more when you get here." Johnny said keeping the call brief.
"We will." Jason hung up and walked into the bedroom. "Thank you." He meant for leaving the room. "I'll try to keep that to a minimum."
"It's not a problem." Liz didn't want him worried about her.
Again Jason noted the lack of questions. "I have, or had I guess, a stalker."
"Really?" Liz didn't like the sound of that. They could be very dangerous. "Had?"
"The guys caught her today. I didn't know that anyone was following me and apparently taking my picture until just now." Jason sat down on the bed and stretched out in front of his girlfriend. "Which is kind of creepy. She came here to set me straight, and that apparently involved harming you." Which was not something he liked thinking about.
"That makes sense. I have what she wants." Liz saw why the other woman would take that approach. While it was scary in the abstract, she didn't really feel much apprehension because the situation was already over. "I'm glad your guys kept you safe, and by extension me." She leaned forward and kissed him. "I have plans for you." She said bobbing her eyebrows. "So she can't have you."
"I look forward to those plans. The stalker is Diane's temporary assistant. She and Chloe may be talking about it." Jason was making sure his girlfriend was in the loop. "There will also be more guards because Johnny is sending some members of his security staff."
"Will they hold Diane down if we both want the same item?" Liz asked making a joke to lighten the mood.
"Probably not. I think Diane bites." Jason said laughing as he got up.
"I'll just have to kick her into submission." Liz said as he helped her to her feet. She had to put her boots back on then they went out into the living room. "Sarah was freaking out, by the way. I got to go to Italy, and now she is very jealous. Then she sent me a picture of her pouting when I told her I didn't buy her a single thing." Which wasn't true.
"Speaking of shopping. I need to get something for Shawn's daughter. She's brand new." Jason said then just looked at his girlfriend who was grinning. "What?"
"She's not a car." Liz said smiling up at him. He was so cute. "The correct phrase is she's new born. I'll be getting some more items for Sarah's baby, so I'll just get a few extra outfits." She would also let Jason pick some things from the Italy haul. "Okay, call Hank. I have some shopping to do." With her busy her guy could focus on the security issue from this morning. Jason would update her when he had more information.
"Hi." Chloe waved as her guard opened the door. "Welcome to my flagship store." She was welcoming Liz into the space because Diane had been here before. Back in Port Charles Chloe had her clothes in many stores, but didn't have her own when she first started. After making a success of her own space in Dublin she then opened one in Port Charles. Mainly so that Lila could go shopping.
"This is lovely." Liz said looking around the sunny location. As far as the eye could see there were pretty clothes. If this space was like both stores in New York on the second floor there would be formal wear and on the third floor there would be wedding gowns. "Is the store closed?"
Chloe nodded. "The shop doesn't open for another three hours today. So we have the entire area to ourselves." She knew about the upset this morning and was going to do her best to provide a fun morning for her friends.
"Do you always shop like this when you come?" Liz asked Diane. They ended up riding over together and the attorney had been uncharacteristically quiet. It had everything to do with Abby. Instead of trying to force Diane into talking Liz just let her friend have some space to process this morning's events.
"I'm spoiled." Diane said smiling and pushing the Abby problem aside. They would deal with that later when there was more information. Retail therapy was definitely needed right now. "But worth it."
Liz bumped shoulders with her friend. Diane was in a better space. "You'll get no argument from me."
"Let's head a bit deeper into the store." Chloe suggested, them away from the door would relax the many guards with them. "Liz since you are new I'll explain how things generally work. I have pulled items that I want to see you both in. They are in the dressing area. You'll also be allowed to walk around and pull things you want to see yourself in."
"The walking around part usually happens first that way when we go back into the dressing room we can stay there for a while." Diane told Liz.
"While you try things on I give my impressions and opinions." Chloe finished up. Just because something worked in her head didn't mean it would work on their bodies. She had pulled items for Diane that the attorney hated, and she left things on the rack that her friend loved. "You also will be free to give your impressions and opinions. Be honest, hurting my feelings will not happen if you don't like something." Neither one of her friends would be mean about it.
"So basically I'm going to get to run around your store and pick out whatever I want to try on." Liz just wanted to pinch herself. "I like this plan because I'm pretty sure I'm faster than Diane."
That made both the designer and attorney laugh. It was Chloe who finally spoke. "You will be in different sections. You're a petite."
"Code word for short." Liz said smiling.
"Chloe is so polite." Diane said smiling as well.
"Okay enough chatting. Go pull some clothes. I'll let you know if you've selected something that is already in the back." Chloe told her friends.
"Go with Liz." Diane knew the drill. She also knew Chloe wanted to challenge the petite brunette a bit when it came to her fashion boundaries. "Your associate can come with me." One staff member usually volunteered to work, and would get a nice commission for their time. Today there were two, one for each shopper.
"Okay." Chloe pointed to the appropriate section of the store. "What is calling to you?"
"So many things that I'm in danger of twirling and squealing in the middle of the floor." Liz admitted grinning. "I love this." She pointed out a lovely pink sheath dress.
"Why didn't you pull it?" Chloe wanted to know, and then laughed out loud when Liz confessed about her stomach medicine closet. "I didn't pull any pink items, so it's safe if you want to try that on. Also just because you try it on doesn't mean you will want it. Have fun."
"Okay." Liz pulled it and they kept browsing.
They walked the store for forty-five minutes, shopping and chatting, before going to try things on. Chloe took a seat and as the ladies stepped out of the changing rooms she did critiques. If a look didn't work she always blamed the outfit and never her friends.
When crafting a wardrobe Chloe considered the ladies she was dealing with. Not just things like styles they felt comfortable in, but their lifestyles as a whole. Diane needed two different wardrobes, one for work and one for when she was Francis's wife at business functions. The commonality between the two sets of clothes was that they were dynamic and bold.
Liz on the other hand needed clothes that transitioned well from the office to social settings. She did a lot of fundraising, meals with potential donors, and interviews for the foundation. Being so active Liz needed outfits that were well fitted, professional, and comfortable since she might be in them for many hours. Chloe also noted her friend liked a statement shoe.
Getting Liz to embrace patterns was the only place the designer pushed some. Women who were petite in stature could carry off a print or embellishments, it was just a matter of being smart about it. A pattern that was too big wouldn't work. A massive bow or ruffle wouldn't either.
Knowing her new friend gravitated to solids, which was proven by all the outfits Liz pulled, Chloe stocked the dressing room with prints and patterns. Liz needed a bit of prodding but she tried on the looks and in the end found a few she really loved. Helping someone find a new look was Chloe's favorite part of the job.
"What is that frown for?" Diane asked when they were back in the clothes they arrived in.
"I'm looking at the rack of clothing that I said I liked." Liz hadn't realized she had that many items. "I need to decide if I want to get them all, or if I want to eat for the next six months." She said cracking herself up. "I need to figure out what it won't hurt too much to leave here."
"You aren't going to pay for those." Chloe cleared up.
"I'm sorry. Did you just say you're giving me free designer clothing?" Liz asked stunned. "You don't have to do that just because I'm dating your cousin, and work for another one."
"I'm not. I'm giving them to you because you are going to get me free press and sales." Chloe was always looking at the bottom line. "Every time you wear something of mine and your picture appears in the paper the article will say 'Elizabeth Webber wearing Chloe Morgan'. Other women will see you looking amazing, and they will go to my website and buy that item so they can look amazing too. If you wear that blue dress on the end of the rack and I sell two of them, I've turned a profit. But I won't just sell two." Chloe said with a grin. "It will be a lot more. Every time Lila wears my rose print dress it sells out the same day. Every single time. I will make money giving you these for free. Trust me." Chloe wasn't just talented with fabric, she knew how to keep a healthy bottom line.
"Deals like this are pretty standard." Diane told Elizabeth. The attorney never paid when she shopped here in Dublin. "You'll pay for formal wear which will balance things out." The gowns were pricey.
"Not that you have to wear my gowns exclusively. There are going to be other designers who want to dress you. Consider letting them." Chloe advised.
"I plan to wear some of these items when I get home. With it being winter they might not be seen." Liz told Chloe.
"Which is why before you leave you'll be getting coats as well." Chloe dropped the brunette a wink. Another pricey item in her line. "Now while all this gets packed up for delivery to the plane, let me show you what I pulled for the guys. Liz you know Jason's style so let me know where I went wrong."
"Do you have any long sleeved t-shirts?" Elizabeth asked still letting it settle that she just got a couture haul for free.
"I have several. They are a favorite of Johnny's." Chloe hadn't pulled any, but she could go grab some.
"Can we also get a sneak peek at what you are sending to Lila?" Diane wanted to know. "Every year she gets items that I want." The Quartermaine matriarch got a lot of originals, which meant the attorney couldn't get them for herself.
"No." Chloe considered Lila her primary muse and personal hero. It was an honor to dress her. "You have to wait like everyone else. Also her box is already packed. Right this way ladies." Chloe said leading the way to the men's section.
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