The Lady Has a Past (Burning Cove #5) - Amanda Quick Page 0,23

Elena said.

“Why are you all so sure of that?” Simon asked.

“Because it’s not a health spa.” Lyra unfolded her arms and widened her hands. “It used to specialize in old-fashioned water cures, but a year ago Edith Guppy, the founder of Guppy’s House of Beauty, closed her New York day spa and opened one in Labyrinth Springs.”

“That’s a resort town in the foothills several miles from Palm Springs,” Irene said.

Simon nodded. “I’ve heard of it.”

“That old hotel in Labyrinth Springs was on its last legs a few years ago,” Oliver said. “I considered buying and renovating it myself, but I decided I liked Burning Cove a lot more than I liked the desert. Winters are all right, but in the summer you might as well shut your doors. About eighteen months ago a wealthy New York investor named Billingsley came along and picked up the place for a song. He poured a lot of cash into the hotel and completely renovated the old spa. Guppy moved in a year ago. Got to admit, affiliating with Guppy’s House of Beauty was a stroke of genius on Billingsley’s part.”

“The Labyrinth Springs Hotel and Spa has become popular with celebrities and socialites from Los Angeles in the past year,” Elena said. “Men play golf and tennis. Women often go alone or with a female friend to take advantage of the special Day of Beauty at Guppy’s spa. Clients can book as many days as they want, of course. Most select the three-day option, which includes the hotel room.”

Lyra didn’t say I told you so, but she shot Simon a smile that could only be labeled triumphant.

He sighed. “All right, I’ll bite. How did you know about Guppy’s House of Beauty?”

Lyra, Elena, and Irene stared at him as if he were from some other planet.

“Are you kidding?” Lyra said. “Every woman in the country who reads Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar or any major newspaper knows the Guppy brand. Ads for Madam Guppy’s signature perfume and her beauty products show up in all the best fashion magazines.”

“I see,” Simon said, feeling suddenly outgunned.

Oliver gave him a pitying glance. “Look on the bright side. Next time you have an occasion to purchase perfume for a lady, you’ll know which brand to buy.”

It occurred to Simon that he had never bought perfume for a woman. Flowers, yes. Drinks, yes. Dinner at fashionable restaurants, yes. But not perfume.

Lyra gave him a smile that was a little too sweet. “If you want to make an impression, be sure you buy Guppy’s signature perfume.”

He eyed her warily. “Which is?”

Irene looked up from her notebook. “Violet. I don’t wear it, myself. It’s a little too heavy for my taste.”

“I don’t care for it, either,” Lyra said. “Irene is right. It’s on the heavy side.”

“I agree,” Elena said. “It feels East Coast somehow. Not California.”

Luther had been ignoring the byplay but he abruptly stopped pacing and turned around to look at the women.

“Why did Guppy leave New York?” he asked.

There was a short silence. Irene, Elena, and Lyra looked at each other. Irene shrugged.

“I’m sure the rent on Madison Avenue was sky-high,” she said. “It was probably costing her a fortune to keep the spa open.”

“I’ll bet she wanted to go after the celebrity market,” Lyra offered. “The Guppy image was starting to become a bit stodgy. Women of a certain age wear Violet. Younger women are turning to newer cosmetic lines. Guppy probably concluded that moving the spa to California and appealing to the Hollywood crowd would update the image of her brand. She’s always been very shrewd when it comes to marketing.”

Simon looked at Lyra. “You know a lot about marketing.”

“I was raised in the business world,” Lyra said.

And you took notes, Simon thought, because you planned to take over your father’s business empire.

He wondered how much it had hurt when Lyra realized she was not going to inherit control of Brazier Shipping because she wasn’t the son that her father had evidently wanted. I know the feeling.

Ruthlessly he shoved the past back into the shadows and focused on the present.

“Let’s think about this,” he said to Luther. “Miss Kirk told Lyra she was meeting an acquaintance, remember? The acquaintance probably chose the location. Given what we now know about the Labyrinth Springs Hotel and Spa, it’s safe to assume that Miss Kirk is not in the midst of a sudden health crisis.”

Luther’s jaw tightened. “None of this feels right.”

“I agree,” Lyra said. “And those clippings in the shoebox indicate