By the time that she arrived back at the office from the show, Miranda was practically vibrating with anticipation. She knew that there would still be a lot of work to do before she found out the true identity of the designer, but she felt confident that with the information the security guard had given her, she could make a good start on who she might be.
Stepping into her office, she was somehow not surprised to find Andrea and Penelope there, similar, knowing, grins on their faces as their eyes followed her from doorway to desk. "So, I thought that it would be better if all our heads were together following the show. I only have an hours, since I took my lunch late today, and my boss isn't too happy that I am spending more time than he thinks I should on this case."
"Ooh, that makes it sound like we're working on something right up my alley! Well, what did this collection look like?"
Miranda raised an eyebrow as she took a seat in her chair, coolly staring the younger women down as Emily bustled into the office, her laptop in her hands. "I'll just pull up a chair, Miranda, and we can all put our heads together to figure out more about who the woman behind these collections is."
She hated to be outmaneuvered like this, but a part of her didn't really care, since this meant she was a few steps closer to the goal that she wanted. "That sounds like the perfect idea. I'm so glad that my minions know me well enough to know what I'm thinking."
The newest assistant peeked her head in the door, a shy smile on her lips, and Miranda fought not to roll her eyes at the vapid expression. "Do you need anything?"
"My usual Starbucks order, along with Emily's, and whatever Penelope and Andrea want." It only took a few moments for them to rattle off what they wanted, and then the girl was leaving the office. "Now, today's show was a revelation into this woman's mind."
"So, we're certain that it's a woman?"
Miranda nodded, giving Andrea a small smirk. "Yes. I even managed to catch a glimpse of her before she disappeared into the crowd backstage. An upstart model of hers tried to claim that she was the designer, but there is no way that someone so young would have an eye mature enough to design for both your aesthetic and this Emily's as well. Though the designs are so disparate, there is a similar feel to the overall themes."
"So, can we see the pictures from the show or not? I know that you took some," Andrea said, the eagerness on her face shining brightly. Miranda chuckled as she motioned for Emily to pass over the laptop. Her assistant willingly did so, and Miranda powered it up before logging into her work email and downloading the pictures. Once they were ready to go, she turned the laptop around and allowed Emily to scroll through the pictures slowly, even though she had seen the show already.
"Wait! That's why you asked if I worked with an Emily. Because these designs are completely spot on for what my Emily would wear!"
Miranda tried not to let her surprise show on her face, though Andrea had no such compunctions. "Shut up! Really?"
"Yeah, here, let me show you a picture of my Emily." Penelope tugged her phone out of her pocket, her fingers dancing across the screen faster than even Miranda's girls, and the she was holding up the device to Emily and Andrea before showing the picture to Miranda. Penelope was right, the picture of her Emily was familiar to Miranda purely because of the fashion show, and she wondered how those pieces fit together. "This is too weird, I hope you realise. My team has been stalked before, though never with something as innocuous as a design collection. Do you have any other information that might help us find out who this designer is?"
Erin nodded as she pulled out the card the security guard had given her. "This is the information that I was given, by someone that I trust to hand over factual details. According to him, her name is Erin Smith, and her boutique is based out of Greenwich Village."
Penelope held out her hand for the card, and Miranda frowned a little as she complied. "All right, may I have access to your laptop, Emily?"
"Of course," Emily replied, and they all watched as the woman typed just as quickly on the keyboard as she had on the phone. Within minutes, she had come up with a phone number, and Penelope wrote it down with a flourish before she handed the card back to Miranda.
"I think that you should do the honors of calling her. Since you uncovered the mystery and all."
Miranda nodded as she picked up her phone and dialed the number written on the card before bringing the receiver to her ear. "Hello? Who is this?"
"Erin Smith?"
"Yes. How did you get this number? No one is supposed to have this number."
"I have my resources."
"You still haven't said who this is. Do I need to call the police for harassment?"
Miranda let out a long breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, this is Miranda Priestly, with Runway magazine. I was at your show earlier today, and was hoping that I could get an interview with you to run in the newest edition of my magazine. You're an up-and-coming designer, and I know that my readers will love to know more about you and your design process. When would be the best day to meet with you?"
"Never. And if you know what's good for you, you'll lose this number. I wanted to remain anonymous for a reason."
Miranda's frown deepened as she pursed her lips together. "That is not what I expected to hear. Every designer wants their vision to be known better, so why this reticence?"
"Because there are some things that should remain private. And I cannot be known outside my work. That's what matters the most. You'll see my next show in the fall, when Alexandra debuts. That's all you'll get from me, and I hope that it is enough."
Before Miranda could protest, Erin Smith had hung up the phone, and she stared at the receiver in disgust. "No one ever hangs up on me. I hang up on them," she hissed out as she dropped the receiver back on the base.
"Did you get anything from her that we can use to solve the mystery?" Penelope asked, and Miranda shook her head. "Damn. And I have to head back to Quantico in a few hours. I was only able to sneak away for the day, since I knew that this was coming up. If you figure out anything, anything at all, I'm only a phone call away."
Penelope got up and gave them a small wave before bustling out of the office, her coffee cup in hand. Miranda was sorry to see her go, as she was fast becoming accustomed to the exuberance she showed. Once she was gone, Miranda leaned back in her chair and stared at the card in front of her. "The mystery only deepens, and I have another show to get to. Come along, Emily."
"I'll keep chipping away at things on my end, Miranda. And maybe I'll arrive before the Book tonight." Andrea gave her a secretive little smile as they all got up, and Miranda wondered just what was going through her head.
