4 Pageant and Poison Read online

  “I'm so sorry,” he said again and rested his forehead against hers. Bekki sighed and pulled away from him to collect the clothes she had cast in all different directions.

  “It's fine,” she shrugged mildly. He rubbed his hands lightly over the curves of her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She reluctantly turned to face him.

  “It's not fine,” he said firmly as he looked into her eyes. “But I don't have a choice, I have to go.”

  “It is fine,” she forced a smile to her lips as she studied him in return. “You have an important job Nick, things come up,” she kissed him gently.

  As he pulled away from her he smiled with relief, “You are amazing.”

  “Oh I know,” Bekki nodded quickly with a grin. When she heard the door close behind him she sank down on the couch with a frown. She really was understanding about Nick's job, but lately it seemed as if he was always getting called away or getting random texts. He always said it was work, but it seemed to be getting more and more frequent.

  Chapter Two

  Once Bekki had her bags packed and had received the email from Rafael she decided to stop off at the police station before she drove to New York. She wanted one last kiss from Nick. When she parked her car in the lot and walked up to the door she noticed that there were a few extra cars, more expensive than most of those she saw around Harroway. She walked up to the front desk, where Morris, an overly enthusiastic rookie, was working.

  "Hi Morris," she said brightly. He glanced up at her casually, but when he recognized who she was, his eyes widened.

  "Hi Bekki!" he said loudly. "It's good to see you Bekki!" he said, nearly shouting her name. Bekki looked at him with utter confusion as she stopped in front of the desk.

  "Hi," she repeated with a slight shake of her head. "Are you okay?"

  "Sure," he grinned so widely she could almost count all of his teeth.

  "Okay," she frowned. "Is Nick around?" she asked as she tried to peer past him into the main area of the police station. She had been allowed behind the scenes a few times, but Nick's partner wasn't exactly fond of her, especially after Bekki had solved one of her cases right under her nose.

  "Uh, no, he's not," he said quickly and tapped his fingertip lightly on the desk.

  "But his car was in the parking lot," Bekki pointed out feeling even more unsettled.

  "Right, well, he, uh," he hesitated a moment. "He ran out of gas."

  "What?" Bekki stared at him dumbfounded.

  "He ran out of gas, so…"

  "I'm right here," Nick interrupted as he walked up behind the rookie officer.

  “Oh, here I thought you were out of gas,” Bekki laughed dismissively, but the strangeness of Morris' behavior was not lost on her.

  “Detective Malonie,” a voice called out from a few feet behind him. “We're not through here.”

  When Bekki lifted her eyes towards the voice she was stunned by the appearance of a statuesque, blonde bombshell. That was no exaggeration. From the perfect slope of her nose to the blossom of her naked pink lips, to the curves beneath her button up blouse, that spilled over into all the right places on her body, there was not a single flaw that Bekki could pinpoint about the woman. To make all of this much worse, her hair was perfect, flowing, and pin straight. Bekki had spent most of her life believing that every woman was beautiful, and she still did, but she had to admit that the woman she had just set eyes on was a very good representation of that beauty.

  “Sorry Agent Fox, I'll just be a minute,” Nick assured the woman as he glanced over his shoulder at her. When he looked back at Bekki his face had reddened with a light blush.

  “Agent Fox?” Bekki whispered in a husky voice. “Seriously?”

  “It's her name,” Nick hissed back as quietly as he could. “I swear!”

  Bekki narrowed her eyes slightly. “Is she a new detective?”

  “No,” he said, his eyes widening slightly. “She's an FBI agent…”

  “Special agent,” Agent Fox corrected as she stepped up beside Nick and pointedly glanced at her watch. “Am I to understand that this little tryst is more important than the case?”

  Bekki winced at her words and realized that her little visit might have got Nick into some trouble.

  “Oh don't worry I was just borrowing him for a minute,” Bekki said quickly. “I'm sorry if I disturbed your investigation.”

  “There's no investigation,” Nick said swiftly. “Really, it's just a cold case we're looking into, nothing big,” he cleared his throat.

  Bekki wondered why he was acting so strangely but she could tell that Agent Fox was getting even more impatient by the way she folded her arms across her stomach.

  “Okay,” Bekki nodded slightly. “Well, let me know about this weekend,” Bekki managed a smile. She felt as if everyone was lying to her.

  “Sure, right,” he nodded quickly. “Have a safe trip.”

  Bekki leaned forward to give him a light peck, but Nick turned his head to the side, causing her lips to graze along his cheek. Bekki was more than a little put off by that, but she reminded herself that he probably considered it unprofessional to be kissing in front of an FBI agent, special agent.

  “All right, then, good luck on your cold case,” Bekki offered an overly bright smile, turned on her heel and headed out the door. She could feel Nick's eyes on her as she walked out.

  “Detective Malonie,” she heard Agent Fox call out as the door swung shut.

  ***

  The drive to the city was a long one. Bekki and her father always discussed the best routes to take. They both preferred the scenic routes, but since it was getting dark she wouldn’t be able to see much.

  Her thoughts were what kept her company. So many memories were flooding back about the time she had spent in New York. She hadn’t thought that she would ever go back home to Harroway, though she had missed it. She had been planning the rest of her life with Trevor as her husband, and their children going to private schools, growing up in a cultured environment with every single thing they needed at their fingertips. That entire ideal had been shattered by her discovery of Trevor's infidelity, and more than that, the revelation that he had never intended to marry or have children with her. All of that wasn't even on his radar at the time, and she was so blinded by what she imagined to be true that she hadn't even noticed the lack of intimacy or his aversion to discussing their future plans.

  Now she was embarking on a relationship with Nick, and as difficult as it was for her to trust that it would be different, she had found a way to adapt. She simply didn't think too far ahead. Like the weekend. He would either show for it, or he wouldn't, and she was determined to be okay with it either way. With everything else in life she could be logical. She was a savvy business woman and had made her mother’s salon very profitable. She was very good at discovering evidence and solving crimes, or so it seemed. But when it came to her love life she had a difficult time remaining logical. Even the idea of being away from Nick for a week was beginning to wear on her. The shrill sound of her cell phone ringing startled her back to reality. She hit the button to put it on speaker phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey I heard you're coming into town,” a cheerful voice cried out. It was Elena, a friend and old roommate of Bekki's in New York.

  “Until Sunday!” Bekki replied with a short laugh.

  “Oh I can't wait! We have to go out and party!” Elena insisted, and Bekki could hear her car radio blasting with one of their favorite dance songs.

  “Party huh?” Bekki laughed again, she could barely even remember what that meant. “You know what, let's do it. Let me get settled in and find out my hours, and I'll let you know when we can go out.”

  “Great!” Elena declared. “It's been way too long. And, I want to hear about this cop that Trevor told me all about.”

  Trevor. That's right, in the middle of all her New York friends was one ticking time bomb. Trevor. She had made it clear to him she wanted nothing to do wit
h him, but once back in the city, in all their favorite places, would she still feel the same way?

  “He's a detective,” Bekki corrected her with a light laugh.

  “Oh, fancy,” Elena giggled. “All right, call me when you can!”

  “Will do,” Bekki replied, and ended the call. It would be great to see everyone again, at least, that's what she was telling herself.

  ***

  When Bekki arrived at the hotel, she was surprised and elated to find out that Rafael had booked her a suite. She had never stayed in such a fancy room before, but it was Rafael's way of saying thank you to her for showing up at the last minute. The living area was huge with luxurious couches and a big kitchen area. The fridge was stocked with all kinds of goodies, and there was a mini-bar.

  “Might not want to go home,” Bekki muttered to herself with a laugh as she headed for the bedroom to check it out. The bedroom was large with a king sized bed piled up with pillows of all shapes and sizes. There was a nice view of the city below, and the walls were painted with a mural of old New York. If the bedroom wasn't opulent enough when she stepped into the bathroom she decided she would never leave. The bathtub took up most of the bathroom because it was large and round with jets. There was also a glass enclosed shower beside it that sprayed water from all different directions. Bekki turned on the water in the tub and started stripping down right away. She wasn't going to waste any of the time she had with that tub. Just as she was about to step into the water her cell phone rang. Nick's name came up in bold white letters.

  “Hello,” she grinned as she put the phone to her ear and sank into the bubbling tub.

  “Hello to you,” he laughed. “Have you made it?”

  “Yes I have,” Bekki said amidst a sigh of pleasure as the warm water relaxed her. “You would not believe the hotel room I'm staying in. Then again, I don't have to tell you about it, because you'll see it this weekend, right?”

  “Sure, I'm going to try,” Nick promised. “Just wanted to make sure you got there okay.”

  “I'm fine,” Bekki assured him. “Just wish I had someone to share this huge tub with.”

  “Oh, now that's just cruel,” Nick mumbled with frustration.

  “It's cruel for me too, really,” Bekki giggled and turned off the water.

  “Well, enjoy yourself gorgeous, you deserve it,” Nick said warmly. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too,” Bekki replied, and she meant it. As nice as the room was she would have traded it to be snuggled up with him on the couch. “So tell me about this case?”

  “I really can't,” Nick said quickly, his demeanor shifting. Bekki narrowed her eyes slightly. Lately, he seemed very defensive about his cases.

  “What, are you afraid I'll solve it for you?” she teased him playfully.

  Nick was silent on the other end of the line.

  “Nick?” Bekki laughed as she sat up in the tub. “Is that it?”

  “Not exactly,” Nick replied with a sigh. “The truth is, Agent Fox knows about you being involved in previous cases and she was adamant about me not sharing any information on this one with you,” he explained hesitantly.

  “Oh,” Bekki tried not to feel hurt by his words, but she was. “All you had to do was tell me.”

  “I'm sorry Bekki,” Nick said quietly. “It isn't that I don't respect your insight or your intelligence, but this is a really sensitive case, and Agent Fox has her reasons.”

  “Well, I'm too busy for your little crime anyway,” Bekki said jokingly. “I'm in the big city now.”

  “All right,” Nick chuckled lightly. “Just don't forget to come home.”

  “I won't,” Bekki promised him in a serious tone.

  “I love you, Bekki,” Nick said calmly into the phone. The words still made Bekki's skin tingle. She couldn't help but smile when she heard them. Nick didn't wait for her reply, he knew better, he just hung up the phone. Bekki set her phone down on the floor beside the tub and sank back down into the bubbling water. She closed her eyes against all of her concerns and let the warm water melt everything but peace away.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning Bekki arrived at the convention center where the pageant was being held. There were already plenty of cars in the parking lot. The first couple of days would be rehearsals as well as grooming of the contestants. Bekki opened the door to step inside and found a man in uniform standing beside it with a clipboard in his hand.

  “Name?” he asked. Bekki was surprised to see such high security.

  “I'm a stylist for Rafael Alonzo,” Bekki began to explain, but before she could finish Rafael came walking up to her. He was dressed as flamboyantly as usual with a thick, white faux fur coat and huge, dark sunglasses framed by white, sparkling plastic. He wore tight, dark blue jeans and pointed, black dress shoes. His main goal was never to conform, and he was very successful at it.

  “Bekki, Bekki, Bekki, look at you!” he said with a disappointed shake of his head. Bekki grimaced as she knew that her department store dress was not something he approved of. But she hadn’t felt like digging out her designer clothes from the back of her closet. Besides, not having them with her meant she had even more of an excuse to go shopping.

  “Relax, I'm going to find some new clothes later,” Bekki laughed lightly. She had learned never to take Rafael's insults too seriously.

  “Well, I guess I'll just have to tolerate the tackiness for today,” Rafael sighed dramatically. “Hurry up now, there's a lot going on,” he called out as he led her down the hallway to the main staging area. What looked like a normal convention center was transformed when she stepped backstage.

  All the glitz and glamor of the pageant, from the sparkle of the ever present glitter in gowns, in curtains, in the twinkling show lights, to the nearly blinding shine of the lip gloss that absolutely everyone was wearing, left Bekki feeling a little overwhelmed. As she closed her eyes momentarily while she tried to calm her nerves, memories flooded her mind. She had been one of the stylists that was in demand when it came to fashion shows and beauty pageants. She knew how to do big makeup, and big hair, without it actually looking gaudy and overdone. Her clients would insist that Bekki knew just how to make them beautiful. She appreciated the adoration of her clients, but always attributed their beauty to themselves.

  “I can't create what isn't there to start with,” was her usual mantra. Now with her feet once more solidly planted on the sparkle covered floor of the backstage area, she knew she had a long week ahead of her, and found surprisingly, that she couldn't wait. She felt more in her element than she had for quite some time.

  “Just go ahead and get familiar with the girls, introduce yourself. Here,” Rafael pushed a pamphlet into her hand. “These are the hairstyles we'll most likely be using the most.”

  “Thanks,” Bekki said and started to say more but Rafael had already whisked himself off in the other direction.

  Although the backstage area was a swarm of women buzzing with excitement and giggling, Bekki could tell right away who were the contestants in the pageant. They were the ones with stars in their eyes, that distant and stunned look that showed they were certain that they were dreaming. There were ten contestants, and Bekki intended to take the time to meet each one.

  “Hello there, I'm Bekki, I'll be working with you on your hair and makeup,” she said to one raven haired beauty who looked like she was about to turn green with nervousness.

  “Oh great, oh thank you,” she said as she tugged lightly at her thick hair. “I don't know what you can do with it though. I'm Ana,” she shook Bekki's hand quickly.

  “You have gorgeous hair!” Bekki assured her. “Are you excited?”

  “I wish I could be,” Ana winced. “I just can't believe I was actually chosen, and I get to wear all of these expensive clothes, and now all I can think about is whether I will trip and fall!”

  “Don't worry,” Bekki assured her. “I've been to plenty of these things and you'll do just fine. Just reme
mber to smile.”

  “Oh no, I forgot to smile, didn't I?” Ana reached up to touch her lips lightly. Bekki laughed gently and patted the girl's shoulder reassuringly.

  “Try to have fun,” she advised the young woman as she walked towards the next contestant. Before she could introduce herself, an argument drew her attention.

  “That is Sasha's sash,” a shrill voice carried over the din of the backstage. It was followed by the loud cluck of a tongue.

  “No, it most certainly is not,” a harsher more masculine tone fired back. “That is Alana's sash, see, it matches her dress!”

  The voices were easily recognizable, not because Bekki knew who they belonged to, but because she had heard the same words from different mothers on more than one occasion. Since most of the contestants were in their late teens, they still had dear old mother controlling their every move. Bekki had often felt sorry for some of the girls whose mothers were so delusional that they would not allow their daughters to eat or drink before the pageant.

  Then the true horror erupted.

  “Oh no!” the shrill voice grew even shriller to the point that Bekki needed to cover her ears. “They're wearing the same dress!”

  Bekki caught the overbearing floral scent before she even saw the person approaching. She recognized the woman by her obnoxious perfume. She had been wearing it for years, and it made Bekki a little sick to her stomach every time she smelled it. Candy LaRuse had organized thousands of pageants. She was a Miss Everything herself, and now as a woman in her mid-fifties she still took her beauty every bit as seriously.

  “Ladies, ladies, how unbecoming,” she chastised in a syrupy voice as she wriggled her skin and bone frame through the crowd that had gathered. “Of course it is a horrible tragedy that you have both purchased such an ugly dress for the opening segment, perhaps there is something that we have laying around from last year that will at least be slightly better than that piece of… of…,” she shuddered a little. “I'm not even sure what to call it,” she smiled sweetly and batted her mascara laden lashes.