been seen at two of the three crime scenes.”
“Well, I bet a lot of people have.”
“Oh, don’t go defending everybody.”
“Not everybody, just . . .” He paused and Cam could tell he didn’t want to say it out loud, so she leaned in. “Just women of a certain age,” he said sheepishly.
“You’re a sucker for a pretty face.”
“I suppose I am at that. Do you need anything else, sunshine?”
“I’d love it if you’d come back for the pageant. It starts at seven.”
“I’ll be here.” He kissed her cheek and headed back toward his car, giving Lydia a friendly wave and smile as he left.
The crowd had mellowed considerably. Kyle Lance had shaken each girl’s hand and promised an autographed picture for each of them before the pageant was over. Cam could see his back as he returned to his limousine, accompanied by smarmy Jimmy Meares. She liked to think the boy was nice, but somebody advising him had very poor taste. She remembered, though, she had business with Jimmy, so she shouted and ran after him.
For all the fuss Ms. Towers-Stevens had made about having Hilary step in, Jimmy didn’t seem to care at all. She was glad to check that off her list.
* * *
T he supper buffet was off to one side. Hired helpers had set out chairs. Pageant veterans had spoken of the nightmares of pageant participants held up by slow restaurants. It was just easier to have it all done on location. Even if it was a little behind schedule, everyone had the same disadvantage, though Cam trusted Petunia and her luau bonanza to be right on time.
As they had the night before, Nick and Petunia pulled right onto the lawn behind the tent. The girls were starting to return from their hotels, so Cam went over to help Petunia unload.
Not five minutes later, Venus DiAngelo, one of the pageant contestants, ran out of the library shrieking, her mom not far behind. Cam practically dropped the fruit bowl she was carrying and ran to head off the upset girl.
“Venus, what happened?”
“Somebody dumped all my makeup!”
“What? Come with me. We’ll look into this.” Cam turned the girl back around and headed toward the library, catching the mother on the way and explaining that she was there to help investigate.
“It’s very expensive, you know,” the woman said. “The very best stage makeup. Venus dances a ballet. She is dressed as a dragonfly.”
“Sounds lovely!” Cam said. It actually did sound sort of cool, were it not dripping in pretension because this mother was absurd. But vandalism was vandalism, and it couldn’t be tolerated.
When the woman showed Cam, Cam gasped. The makeup hadn’t just been dumped, it had been taken into the main portion of the library and dumped onto a bookshelf. Cam shouted and stormed back out to where the girls were gathered and called everyone to her.
“Somebody here not only sabotaged a teammate, but vandalized library books. Until the culprit comes forward, or somebody turns them in,
nobody
will be permitted
any
makeup. Violators will be disqualified.”
Unlike on school grounds, pageant contestants held no disregard for snitches if it got the rest of them what they wanted. Within ten minutes, Delphinia Lovette-Hicks had turned in Skye Derringer. Skye swore Delphinia had dared her, and Cam left the outcome between the parents, but insisted on seventy-two dollars from each to cover the makeup replacement cost and took credit card numbers to address the book replacement. There had to be a no-tolerance policy or these nuts would bring chaos upon them.
* * *
T he talent competition always caused high tension, or so Lydia Fennewick had told Cam. Cam had never seen a Young Miss pageant before. As she hovered behind the scenes, she felt a little dirty for being involved. Mothers rubbed Vaseline on their daughters’ teeth to make sure they sparkled, and poked them into perfect posture, barking reminders every ten seconds.
When Alexandria pushed Andromeda over, though, Cam
“Well, I bet a lot of people have.”
“Oh, don’t go defending everybody.”
“Not everybody, just . . .” He paused and Cam could tell he didn’t want to say it out loud, so she leaned in. “Just women of a certain age,” he said sheepishly.
“You’re a sucker for a pretty face.”
“I suppose I am at that. Do you need anything else, sunshine?”
“I’d love it if you’d come back for the pageant. It starts at seven.”
“I’ll be here.” He kissed her cheek and headed back toward his car, giving Lydia a friendly wave and smile as he left.
The crowd had mellowed considerably. Kyle Lance had shaken each girl’s hand and promised an autographed picture for each of them before the pageant was over. Cam could see his back as he returned to his limousine, accompanied by smarmy Jimmy Meares. She liked to think the boy was nice, but somebody advising him had very poor taste. She remembered, though, she had business with Jimmy, so she shouted and ran after him.
For all the fuss Ms. Towers-Stevens had made about having Hilary step in, Jimmy didn’t seem to care at all. She was glad to check that off her list.
* * *
T he supper buffet was off to one side. Hired helpers had set out chairs. Pageant veterans had spoken of the nightmares of pageant participants held up by slow restaurants. It was just easier to have it all done on location. Even if it was a little behind schedule, everyone had the same disadvantage, though Cam trusted Petunia and her luau bonanza to be right on time.
As they had the night before, Nick and Petunia pulled right onto the lawn behind the tent. The girls were starting to return from their hotels, so Cam went over to help Petunia unload.
Not five minutes later, Venus DiAngelo, one of the pageant contestants, ran out of the library shrieking, her mom not far behind. Cam practically dropped the fruit bowl she was carrying and ran to head off the upset girl.
“Venus, what happened?”
“Somebody dumped all my makeup!”
“What? Come with me. We’ll look into this.” Cam turned the girl back around and headed toward the library, catching the mother on the way and explaining that she was there to help investigate.
“It’s very expensive, you know,” the woman said. “The very best stage makeup. Venus dances a ballet. She is dressed as a dragonfly.”
“Sounds lovely!” Cam said. It actually did sound sort of cool, were it not dripping in pretension because this mother was absurd. But vandalism was vandalism, and it couldn’t be tolerated.
When the woman showed Cam, Cam gasped. The makeup hadn’t just been dumped, it had been taken into the main portion of the library and dumped onto a bookshelf. Cam shouted and stormed back out to where the girls were gathered and called everyone to her.
“Somebody here not only sabotaged a teammate, but vandalized library books. Until the culprit comes forward, or somebody turns them in,
nobody
will be permitted
any
makeup. Violators will be disqualified.”
Unlike on school grounds, pageant contestants held no disregard for snitches if it got the rest of them what they wanted. Within ten minutes, Delphinia Lovette-Hicks had turned in Skye Derringer. Skye swore Delphinia had dared her, and Cam left the outcome between the parents, but insisted on seventy-two dollars from each to cover the makeup replacement cost and took credit card numbers to address the book replacement. There had to be a no-tolerance policy or these nuts would bring chaos upon them.
* * *
T he talent competition always caused high tension, or so Lydia Fennewick had told Cam. Cam had never seen a Young Miss pageant before. As she hovered behind the scenes, she felt a little dirty for being involved. Mothers rubbed Vaseline on their daughters’ teeth to make sure they sparkled, and poked them into perfect posture, barking reminders every ten seconds.
When Alexandria pushed Andromeda over, though, Cam
Similar Books
