Frosted Shadow, a Toni Diamond Mystery: Toni Diamond Mysteries (12 page)

“That’s fantastic. Shows great initiative,” was the enthusiastic response.

“I only ended up talking to fifty-three women. And only forty-two of them would take my card.”

“Okay, that’s wonderful. You are really pushing beyond your comfort zone. I feel how exciting that is for you, even if it makes you a little nervous at first. And tell me you’ve booked consultations or parties with all forty-two of those women.”

A soft giggle. “Hardly. I only got four phone numbers. Everybody else took my card and said they’d call me.”

“You’ve got to get those phone numbers, honey. Women are so busy, they need for you to help them out by staying in touch and booking those appointments.”

“I don’t know how to make someone give me their number if they don’t want to.”

“I can help you with that. I’ve got some sales training material I can give you. I can even come with you next time and demonstrate. I am so proud of you.” There was some rustling followed by smacking, smoochie noises, so Toni knew Nicole was in hug and kiss mode.

“Now, let’s talk about this month’s order. We need to get everything in before midnight tonight if we’re going to win the division prize. I can really see a nice diamond ring on your finger. Right there.” The top sales director in their division, which came down to either Nicole or Toni, stood to win the two-carat ring, but every one on their team would also win a modest diamond.

Toni could all but see Nicole reaching forward to playfully tap Stacy on her ring finger.

“I already put –”

Nicole interrupted. “How much new product do you need? I personally over-ordered the new diamond hard eyebrow pencils. I’m sure we won’t be able to keep them in stock. And with all those faces you’re going to do next month, and the parties you’ll hold, you’re going to need to be ready. Remember, success rewards the prepared.”

There was a pause. Even unable to see them, Toni could feel the weight of that silence. She’d stopped even the pretense of catching up on paperwork. She was eavesdropping with every cell of her body.

“The thing is, Larry is giving me a hard time about my credit card bills. He says I should be bringing in some money by now and not spending so much more than I’m making.”

“Larry.” It was said in the same tone one might mention
Bubonic Plague
.

“My husband?”

“Oh, I know who Larry is. And he’s not the first husband who ever became jealous of his wife’s success. Honey, would you open a jewelry store with one pair of earrings?”

“No.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. And you can’t run a cosmetics business with no make up. Inventory is essential to your success.” Her voice dropped and Nicole could imagine her body language, leaning forward and cozying up to her prey. “You are on the road to success and riches beyond your wildest dreams. You’ve got the commitment, the drive, the talent, the team. All you have to do is keep believing in yourself and your future.”

The clicking of crockery suggested that Stacy had taken refuge in her coffee mug. “But I still have to live with Larry. I can’t handle another fight about money.”

“It’s really hard when you find out your partner isn’t the supportive man you thought he was.” There was a tiny pause. “I know. My former husband Bill never, ever supported me. But I got the last laugh. I live in a five thousand square foot chateau-style home with a swimming pool now. Bill lives with his mother.”

“Are you suggesting I should divorce my husband?”

Sure sounded that way to Toni, who’d turned her head slightly to hear better. Encouraging women to get out there and hustle was part of the territory when you were a director, but browbeating them into buying more stock than they could afford was bad all round. Of course, Nicole received a commission on every product her sales reps purchased, and team prizes depended on the level of orders. With Toni and Nicole running neck-and-neck to winning the biggest prize in the region, they were both pushing for those extra orders. But to force a woman who clearly hadn’t established her business yet into buying more than she felt comfortable with was, in the long run, bad business. Stacy would end up discouraged and quit and Nicole would be short a rep.

“No, of course not, honey. I can’t tell you whether your marriage is working for you anymore. Though plenty of women have gone on to be a lot more successful once they became single. Like me, for instance.”

Not to mention that no human being could live with her
.

“No. I’m going to suggest you separate your finances from your husband’s.”

“But we’ve always pooled our money. And he pays all the bills. He always has.”

“Ready to order ladies?” the waitress asked.

“I never eat breakfast,” Nicole informed her. “Stacy?”

“Um, I’m not hungry.”

“Just the bill, thank you.”

“For two coffees,” the woman said, with heavy sarcasm. “Right away.”

“Your situation is exactly what I was afraid of. If you let Larry pay all your bills, then he’s got control of you. You can’t let that happen. You’re an independent business woman now. You’ve got to stand up and accept your own success.”

“But I haven’t had any success,” Stacy wailed.

“Of course you have. You approached forty-three women. You improved your friendly fishing skills. You’ll set even more aggressive goals for next month and you’ll meet them. I know you’re going to make a lot of money. I feel it here, right in my heart. Embrace your best self!”

“But how would I do that?” She didn’t sound too sure.

“Get your own credit card. I can help you apply for a company card. It’s easy and you’ll both be a lot happier if Larry isn’t too involved in your business. Later, when you’ve got a large bank balance, you can surprise him. Most men come around when they see our happiness -- and the new car parked in the new driveway.”

“I could get my own credit card?”

“Absolutely. We can get that done today, then you’ll be able to put in the kind of order that shows you are ready to go to the next level.”

“I don’t know, what if –”

“People want to be associated with winners, Stacy. That means you have to act like a winner. Positive attitude will bring positive results.”

“But Larry –“

“Is this your business or a little hobby on the side?” Nicole asked sharply.

“It’s a business, of course.”

“Then you’ve got to invest in yourself. Do you think Bill Gates or Steve Jobs -- God rest his soul -- worried about how much money they were spending on electronic parts when they started their businesses in their parents’ garages?”

“No, but –”

“Think about that every time you log onto your computer. And where would we be if Lady Bianca had stopped experimenting with cosmetics in her kitchen, given up and gone on welfare?”

“Well, we’d be –”

“We’d be nowhere. That’s where. We wouldn’t be having this conversation because there wouldn’t be a billion dollar Lady Bianca empire, and you wouldn’t be part of the top selling team in our division. For the third year in a row.”

This was too much for Toni. She’d sat quiet as long as she could. She turned, caught the fleeting look of annoyance on Nicole’s face and let them both bask in the warmth of her smile. “You’re not quite there yet, Nicole. The end of year results won’t be tallied until tomorrow. Last time I looked our unit and your unit were so close in sales volume it’s still anybody’s game.”

Nicole’s trilling laugh split her lips open like a hatchet to reveal teeth so perfect they could have come out of a Tiffany’s box. “Positive thinking, darling. See the vision, believe in the vision, achieve the vision.”

“Oh, our team believes in positive thinking too. In fact, I’m positive this time we’ll beat you in sales volume.” She turned to Stacy. “A little friendly rivalry is always good, you know. Keeps us on our toes.”

Nicole rose, probably so she could look down on Toni. “Looks like you were stood up for breakfast. Hope it wasn’t somebody on your team.”

Stacy also rose. Two bright spots burned on her cheeks and she’d worn all her lipstick off, probably from nerves. “I better go. I’ve got to get to my first session.”

“Of course.” Nicole said warmly. “Find me at lunch. We’ll get you signed up for your new card right after we eat.”

“Okay. Thanks for everything.” After a quick hug, Stacy left, her Lady Bianca conference bag swinging from her arm.

Nicole made to follow her. Toni tried to let the woman go, reminding herself that Stacy’s affairs were none of her business but, as usual, she couldn’t stop herself from butting in.

“Nicole, do you have a minute? Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”

“All right. I’ll move to join you. Your table is still so nice and fresh.”

She moved over and sat down. “Look, don’t take what I said there too seriously. You know how it is. We have to keep the troops motivated. Your team has as good a chance of finishing first as mine does, but a little healthy competition never hurt anyone, right?”

“Absolutely. I’m not worried about that.” She felt her face begin to crease in a frown, pictured Botox needles and smoothed out her forehead. “I wonder if you should encourage Stacy to take out another credit card if she’s already taking flak at home from her husband? I know it’s none of my business, but as an impartial observer I saw how uncomfortable she was at the thought of taking on more debt. I thought I should mention it to you. Sometimes these girls have to build confidence by selling more of the stock they have before ordering more.”

Nicole made a show of examining her flawless manicure. She had beautiful hands, with long tapered fingers and, as both of them knew, the two biggest rings that sparkled on them were for heading the top selling team for the last two years. “I know you’re jealous of my success,” she finally said, still looking at her hands. “But even I wouldn’t have expected you to stoop so low as to try and sabotage me and my recruits.”

Toni should have kept her nose out of Stacy’s affairs. She’d known it. Nicole was never going to listen to her or see reason. She was the kind of sales director who got lambasted on Internet websites.

“I’m only suggesting that maybe Stacy would be happier if she spent more time selling her current product and held a few more skincare and makeup classes to build her customer base before she orders a lot more product.”

“Those orders will earn me another diamond ring and keep your fingers empty,” Nicole snapped. With that she stood so abruptly that the waitress nearly spilled the fresh pot of coffee she was carrying down the front of her uniform.

Nicole glared at them both. “Have a nice day.”

Chapter Thirteen

Mirrors should think longer before they reflect. —
Jean Cocteau

Charlene Throckmorton arrived slightly out of breath. “I’m so sorry, Toni. I slept in.”

“It’s obvious to everyone you slept in. Your hair’s all over the place, you slapped that makeup on in record time and your skirt is around the wrong way.”

“Oh, geez.” The girl giggled nervously and spun the skirt on her skinny waist. “There. Sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well.” She dropped her voice. “That murder kind of freaked me out being right here in the hotel and all.”

“All right. No point fretting about a tragedy that’s nothing to do with us.” She relented. The murder was on her mind, too. “Luckily for you I’m not a client or I might not have waited. Now, have some coffee and let’s order breakfast. We can eat while we talk.”

They made small talk until their breakfast was before them. Charlene was a bright, pretty flight attendant who was trying to build a second income so she could stay home and have a baby. She was big on enthusiasm but Toni was beginning to suspect she wasn’t great at follow-through.

They both ordered yogurt and fruit and when it was before them, Toni said, “All right. Tell me about your goals for the next year.”

“Well, I want to sell a lot more product, and I’m going to recruit some more girls onto my team and of course, I want to make more money.”

“That’s wonderful. Those are fun daydreams, aren’t they?”

Charlene nodded but she looked a little wary. As well she should. Had she not read any of the training material?

“Goals are quantifiable, Charlene. For instance, book and hold ten facial home parties next month. Friendly Fish fifty people by the end of the month. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, you have to be able to say, how much will I accomplish and by when? Then it’s measurable.” She stopped to sip her ice water. She felt like she was regurgitating the same words she’d repeated in exactly that way a thousand times before. Probably because she had.

“Success starts with positive thinking, conceive it so you can achieve it. But then you have to get out there and do the work.”

“I know my goal is to stay home and have a family,” Charlene said sounding a little like the kid who got caught out for not doing her homework.

“Then let’s make it possible. Now, take out your training binder and let’s set you some concrete, achievable goals. And then I want you to get out there and have a great conference.”

Her phone was making the chirping sound it made when she had received a text message. It was from Tiffany.

Hey Mom, I replaced all Grandma’s crappy country CDs with some sick tunes! ☺

She texted back.

What did you replace them with???

The answer came back so fast she knew her daughter had been waiting to hear from her.

Just some Metallica, Iron Maiden, Rammestein. Looking for Nirvana rt now.

She smiled, sitting there in the coffee shop. It was her daughter’s way of saying,
I miss you
. Of course, Tiffany would never replace her grandmother’s beloved Dolly Parton CDs with heavy metal. Toni was 35 percent sure.

She got busy with her thumbs once more.

Miss you. Be good!

“What do you think?” Henderson asked Marciano as they sat at their desks, with their chairs swiveled so they could see each other. Luke drank bad office-brewed coffee, Henderson sipped green tea he brought from home in a thermos. “You think Neuman killed his wife?”