Read Ultimate Concealer, A Toni Diamond Mystery: A Toni Diamond Mystery (Toni Diamond Mysteries) for Free Online Page A

always packed with this season’s colors and because she never, ever, left the house without promotional items, she packed the smaller of her sample bags. By nine she was fully made-up, her hair done and she was ready to go. She’d dressed casually in a pair of jeans with a pattern of rhinestones on the butt, her leather boots, a blue shirt and a light jacket. She hesitated over her jewelry. Normally, she liked to display the gorgeous rings she’d won over the years for sales performance. The bling not only reminded her every time it flashed before her eyes that she was meant to sell Lady Bianca, but the jewelry also reminded every woman who sold Lady Bianca cosmetics, or who might one day sign up to sell them, that there was money to be made.
    However, her personal financial success was not something she wanted to broadcast to her lowlife ex.
    It cost her a pang to lock up the best of her jewelry, but she still had enough sparkle about her that she could live with herself.
    When her mother pulled up in front of the house, she said, “I’ve got wonderful news.”
    Since Tiffany wasn’t sitting in the passenger seat of her mother’s boat of a car, she couldn’t imagine the news could be all that wonderful. “You’ve heard from Tiffany?”
    Her mother’s bright expression faded. “No. I haven’t. But the good news is I don’t want you facing Dwayne Dipshit Diamond by yourself.” She beamed. “I am coming with you.”
    “But, are you sure—”
    “Yes. I’ve booked the flight. They had space. We’re going to get our baby back.”
    Toni couldn’t imagine her mother was going to be a huge help. On the other hand, she didn’t have a lot of time to waste trying to convince her to stay put. “One rule, mother.”
    “What rule?”
    “You are not allowed to shoot Dwayne.”
    Her mother put her well-powdered nose in the air. “I’m not even bringing a gun.”
    “Good.”
    And they set off.
    When they arrived at McCarran Airport, the first thing Toni did was turn on her phone. The first thing her mother did was to head to the slot machines with a squeal of delight.
    There were three missed calls on her cell phone from Dwayne’s number. Three voice messages. As she was attempting to retrieve the messages, the phone rang again. Dwayne. She answered immediately, an unpleasant constriction squeezing her chest. “Dwayne? Where is she? Tell me she’s okay.”
    “Mom?” Tiffany sounded panicked.
    “Tiff, what’s wrong?”
    “I’m not sure. But I think Dad might be in trouble.”
    If Dwayne wasn’t in some kind of trouble that would be news, but Toni didn’t say that. Instead, she said, “Where are you?”
    “I’m at Dad’s house. Mom, I know I screwed up and shouldn’t have left without telling you, but could you please do something for me?”
    “What is it, honey?” Though, in her heart, she knew what was coming because she knew Dwayne and she knew her daughter.
    “Could you come to Vegas and help Dad?”
    “Already on it,” she said.
    She collected her mother from the slot machines and they went to fetch the rental car she’d booked. They could take taxis but where Dwayne was concerned, she wanted to know she could always get away.
    With her mother navigating using her cell phone app, they soon found the house. “You’re sure this is it?”
    “It’s the address you gave me.”
    The house was a surprise. Clean and modern, with a big garage out front and enough windows upstairs that there must be at least three bedrooms, it looked like something a suburban family would live in. It was close to downtown and she imagined the rent must be reasonable for Dwayne to live here.
    She parked in the driveway in front of the closed garage door and they approached the front door. “You let me do the talking, Mom. Okay?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    She rang the bell and in no time at all, her daughter opened the door.
    “Mom!” she cried and threw herself into Toni’s arms the way she’d done when she was much