4 Pageant and Poison

by Cindy Bell

  Bekki observed both of the mothers' heavily made up faces contort into expressions of deep offense. But neither would dare say a word against Candy, as they might end up negatively affected in the competition if they did. As both mothers hurried off, presumably to find the nearest dress shop, Bekki did her best to avoid having to speak to Candy. She made it to the small room where the hair and makeup stations were set up, and breathed a sigh of relief. At least here she would be able to hide out for a while. As she was setting up her supplies one of the judges sauntered into the room. She knew he was one of the judges because he was wearing one of those brilliant orange ribbons that declared that he should be bribed and kissed up to by every contestant.

  “Hey there gorgeous,” he slurred as he leaned close to Bekki. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. He looked to be in his mid-forties with pocked scars on his cheeks that gave him a rough quality. His piercing, green eyes afforded him some attractiveness, but the fact they were bloodshot made it clear that he was half-crocked. “What number contestant are you?” he inquired.

  Wow, he must be drunk. Bekki thought to herself with a quiet giggle. “I'm not a contestant,” she grinned, feeling a little flattered that he had thought so, since most of the girls in the competition were about ten years younger than her, and at least thirty pounds lighter.

  “Oh, too bad,” the man said with disappointment. “I'm Martin,” he offered her his hand.

  “Bekki,” she replied politely and gave his hand a quick shake. She knew from experience how fast a drunk person could shift from friendly to enraged and she didn't want to aggravate him by ignoring his advances. “Have to get back to work,” she said quickly as she began sorting through a makeup kit.

  “Work can wait,” Martin slurred as he stepped closer to her. Bekki suddenly became aware that she was alone in the room, and with all the noise and chaos outside no one would likely hear her call for help. All of the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his alcohol-laced breath trail across the spaghetti strap of her dress.

  “Back off Martin,” she warned as her muscles tensed. She had studied for several years to become a black belt, and was prepared to use that knowledge.

  “Oh, come on now,” he hooked his fingers lightly through a wave of her dark hair and drew it back across her shoulder. “A little fun won't hurt you any, and no one's around to stop us…”

  “Martin what are you doing back here?” Candy's squeaky voice interrupted just as Bekki was turning into a throwing position. Martin stepped back from Bekki and turned to face Candy who was standing in the doorway.

  “Just getting to know the staff,” he said casually and took a swig from the paper cup he was holding. He moved past her out of the room, as if the matter was settled.

  “I told you to stop harassing the women,” Candy snapped at him. “If it were up to me you'd already be fired.”

  “But it isn't up to you is it,” Martin chuckled darkly as he leaned closer to her, drawing the attention of everyone around them. “You're not really in charge here.”

  "Dry up Martin," Candy snapped as she snatched the cup from his hand. She took a sniff of the liquid inside and then gasped. "You're kidding me, right?" she glared at him, and then in front of everyone backstage she splashed the drink across Martin's shiny blue button-down shirt. Martin sputtered, his eyes wide with fury as the vodka sunk into the material.

  "Do you have any idea how much this cost?" he demanded as his ruddy hands curved into tight fists that made his large knuckles stand out.

  "I don't care how much your shirt cost," Candy snapped in return and glowered at him, her perfectly stenciled brows forming a very rigid line across her forehead. "I will not allow any of my judges to be drunk during one of the most important competitions of the year," she pointed a manicured fingernail in his direction, the diamond-like jewels tacked on to the end glinted in the stage lighting. "If I catch you with any of this swill anywhere near one of my girls I will have you arrested for public intoxication…"

  "Don't you threaten me, Candy!" he growled, and his piercing, green eyes lit up with hatred. Bekki tried to stay out of it, as the last thing she wanted was to be tangled up in some kind of argument with Candy, but she could see all of the contestants looking at the two with worry and a good amount of fear.

  "Why don't I find you a new shirt," Bekki heard herself suggest to Martin before she could catch herself. Candy pursed her dark maroon shaded lips and scowled at Bekki.

  "Why don't you stay out of this, makeup girl!" she spat each word in Bekki's direction. Bekki felt her temper rise the moment she heard the woman's voice. As she turned swiftly to face Candy she caught sight of someone standing in the shadows, watching her. It was Rafael, and from the look of warning on his face it was clear that she was not allowed to put Candy in her place.

  "I just didn't want the smell to get into the dresses," Bekki explained through gritted teeth. "You know the scent of alcohol will just cling," she managed a sweet smile that trembled with the rage hidden beneath it.

  "Oh," Candy said with slight surprise. She nodded as if it made perfect sense to her now. "Fine then, just find him something, and make sure that shirt gets tossed out with the garbage, along with any bottles of alcohol he has stashed."

  With that she spun on her spiked heel and click-clacked off across the stage.

  "Any man would need to be drunk to put up with her," Martin was grumbling to himself as he wiped at his shirt. Bekki bit her tongue as she wanted to point out that he was not much better, but she decided against it. She started walking towards wardrobe, when she heard his footsteps behind her. She spun around and thrust her forearm beneath his chin, pushed hard against his throat, propelling him into the wall.

  “Back off, Martin,” she said and met his gaze intensely. “I'll get you a shirt, but you stay right here. And if you try to pull any of that with any of these young girls, it isn't only Candy you'll have to worry about, understand?”

  Martin sputtered as he tried to draw a breath, but he nodded. Bekki released him and then headed off to find him a new shirt. She didn't think he would have done anything to her, but even just the indication that he might have was reason enough to teach the man a lesson. Bekki walked back to the wardrobe area and snatched up a shirt to replace Martin's. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that the man had left her with.

  As Bekki walked back towards the stage, she felt a strange sensation that caused her to look up quickly. Jemma glowered from the shadows cast by the thick curtains. Bekki noticed the heated expression on her face. Jemma was in line to run the pageant this year, but when, at the last minute, Candy volunteered to run it for another year, Jemma was demoted back to being her assistant. Bekki could see why Jemma was upset, but she hoped it wouldn't interfere with the pageant.

  “Jemma, where's my coffee?” Candy called out shrilly as she marched back and forth amidst the fluttering and gossiping of the girls getting ready for rehearsal. Jemma reluctantly stepped away from the curtains to hand Candy her coffee.

  “Are you still drinking that garbage?” a woman in a bright pink dress asked with a hint of superiority in her tone. “Really Candy, do you have any idea what that does to your adrenals?”

  Candy stared at the woman with less animosity than she did most, which made Bekki think that they might actually be friends.

  “I have to stay on my game somehow Suzanne, not all of us can be young forever,” she laughed in a high tinkling tone.

  “You should try this,” Suzanne said as she held up the drink she was carrying. When she lifted her arm Bekki noticed the bright orange ribbon she was wearing that indicated she was a judge. The bottle she was holding was dark green and clear, and declared itself Natural Power! on the label.

  “What is that?” Candy asked with a scrunched up nose as Jemma swirled the coffee cup in her hand. Bekki walked past the three and tossed the clean shirt to Martin who was still fuming at the edge of the stage.

  “Thanks,” he winked
lightly at her, and then passed a lingering glare in Candy and Suzanne's direction. “Those two deserve each other,” he muttered to himself and then headed off to change.

  Bekki shook her head at the pageant politics, something she dreaded about working on these kinds of shows. She walked towards a pair of sisters who were speaking quietly to their mother. It was easy to assume they were all related because of their dark red hair. The mother and eldest daughter were very pretty with an ivory complexion paired with light green eyes, but the youngest daughter, who wore the number five on the back of her dress indicating she was a contestant in the pageant, was stunning. She really didn't need any makeup to accentuate her high cheek bones, or her deep green eyes. She had naturally pouted lips and the curve of her chin was something plastic surgeons could only dream of creating. Bekki knew in that instant that this young woman would be the winner, or at least she should be. She held her breath as she walked up to them, hoping that they wouldn't turn out to be insufferable.

  “Hi I'm Bekki, I'm the stylist that will be working with you on your hair and makeup,” Bekki said, used to the refrain by now.

  “Hi,” the youngest said with a shine in her eyes. “I can't wait!”

  “It's not that big of a deal,” her older sister admonished as she folded her arms across her stomach.

  “Shh, Monica, let Abby enjoy herself,” their mother hissed at her oldest daughter. “Bekki, I'm Jane, it's a pleasure to meet you,” she held out her hand to Bekki. Bekki was a little surprised by this as most of the mothers treated stylists as if they were just another staff member, too insignificant to personally greet. Bekki shook the woman's hand with appreciation.

  “It's great to meet all of you. Don't worry, it's going to be a fantastic show, and I'm sure you'll do great,” she smiled knowingly at Abby. Bekki was careful not to play favorites when she had worked at these pageants in the past, but she always had an inkling of who the judges were likely to vote for.

  “Here drink this,” Monica offered her younger sister a bottle of Natural Power!

  “No thanks,” she said quickly.

  “What is that stuff?” Bekki laughed as Abby scrunched up her nose.

  “It's this amazing drink made by a fantastic herbalist,” Jane explained with a bright smile. “It's made completely from herbs, and not only does it give you energy, but it also helps you lose weight.”

  “Oh really,” Bekki frowned slightly. “Are you sure it's safe?”

  “Of course it is,” Jane laughed. “It's all natural, try some,” she pushed a bottle towards Bekki.

  “Sure, thanks,” Bekki smiled and accepted the bottle.

  “Everyone's drinking it,” Monica pointed to a few of the other contestants who were also drinking the same green liquid. “Trust me it's delicious, I drink almost a dozen a week,” Monica laughed.

  “Okay then,” Bekki smiled. “Thanks again, and I'll see you later,” she pointed with a smile at Abby. Abby nodded eagerly, her eyes shimmering with that same star struck expression that Bekki was used to seeing on the first time contestants. Bekki was soon swept up in the excitement of the first rehearsal of the day. Each of the contestants would be fitted with their outfits for the day as well as a dry run of hair and makeup to ensure there would not be any surprises. Bekki as well as a few other stylists worked together to create beautiful but light examples of the hair and makeup the women would be wearing on the days of the actual show. The show would take place over two days, starting on Friday and ending on Saturday.

  “Testing, testing,” a deep voice spoke into the microphone on stage. The lighting was turned up, and Bekki caught sight of the presenter. She was a willowy woman, tall and very thin, which made her deep voice a little surprising. She looked like she was in her thirties, which by beauty pageant standards probably meant she was in her late forties or early fifties.

  “Hello and welcome to the annual Miss Brilliant Beauty Pageant!” she announced to an audience of empty chairs spread out before her. There was a long runway that extended out through the chairs that guests of the show would be sitting on.

  “Get on with it Marissa!” Candy snapped from the side of the stage. She tapped her shoe against the floor and folded her arms. In time with Candy's insistent proclamation the piano player, who would provide live music during the show and the interlude between wardrobe changes, began playing a dark and frightening number.

  “Very funny Milo,” Candy called out to the musician who immediately stopped playing.

  “Candy, I'm just practicing the introduction,” Marissa began to explain.

  “You've been doing it for ten years now Marissa, if you don't know it by now, then you might as well give up. Of course, you won't have to worry about that, will you?” she laughed haughtily. “This is your last year after all.”

  Marissa was fuming as she turned back to the microphone. Bekki looked in Candy's direction, she wondered if there was anyone in the whole world that Candy actually liked. Then she recalled her interaction with one of the judges, Suzanne. They had at least seemed friendly, but Bekki had overheard a lot of the parents gossiping about Suzanne. They said she would only choose the contestant that Candy told her to, and that in the past she had scored great contestants very low. The only other judge, Justin, had yet to show his face, and Bekki was wondering if he would. This was his first year as a judge. She was a little disappointed with the way the pageant was being run, as glamorous as it was supposed to be, it seemed more chaotic than anything else.

  She took a moment to text Nick while the contestants began to take the stage.

  Miss you. Any news on this weekend?

  She stared at the phone for a few seconds, hoping to get a response. When nothing came she tucked her phone back into her pocket and decided to watch the girls practice their routines for the show. All of the girls looked absolutely gorgeous and performed the dance number flawlessly. As the girls sashayed off the stage and the announcer began to introduce the next segment, the music died down for a brief interlude. As soon as the music began to fade, it was replaced with a cascade of shrieks that were coming from backstage. Bekki jumped up and went running around the curtain to see what was happening. By the time she got there several of the girls were in hysterics while others were running for the emergency exit with tears ruining their makeup.

  “What's happened?” Bekki asked as she pushed through the crowd of onlookers. Sprawled out on the floor was Candy LaRuse, her perfect hair mussed, her beautiful dress tangled around her knees, and one shoe hanging off her curled toes.

  “Oh no is she…” Suzanne gasped and closed her eyes tightly.

  Bekki rushed forward and checked for a pulse, and to see if Candy was breathing. But there was no sign of life. Martin was on his cell phone with 9-1-1 and security had been called. Bekki searched Candy's body for any sign of trauma, but there was none. Her makeup was not smudged in the least, her perfect manicure had no signs of broken nails. Bekki was quickly ushered away along with the other onlookers when security arrived, followed by medical personnel and the police. Bekki couldn't help but stare as she watched the police begin to tape off the area as a crime scene. She had just been thinking terrible thoughts about Candy, and now this. She shuddered, hoping that it would turn out that Candy had died of natural causes. The last thing the pageant needed was a murder on their hands.

  “Well,” Jemma said from just beside her with a slight smirk on her lips. “I guess I'm in charge now.”

  Bekki shot a glare in the woman's direction, but Jemma wasn't the only one smirking. Martin could barely contain his comments about bad people and their karma. The police insisted on interviewing everyone who had been present. When it was Bekki's turn, she grilled the officer in return.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” she asked him. “Was it natural causes?”

  “Well, we won't know for sure until more tests are done,” the officer explained. He was quite young, and Bekki could tell he was not used to people asking him questions inste
ad of answering them.

  “Well, she was a very important person, you should take this very seriously,” Bekki warned him with a slight frown.

  “Did you notice anything unusual about the way she was acting today?” the officer asked her hopefully. Bekki wished she could say that the woman's surly attitude had been out of character but she knew it hadn't been.

  “Not really,” she admitted. “But I was a little busy.”

  “I see,” the officer said and then studied her more intently. “From what I understand you don't currently live in New York?”

  “No, I don't,” Bekki replied calmly. “Why?”

  “Well,” the young officer hesitated. “We're not quite sure what happened here today just yet, and we want to make sure that we remain in contact with everyone who was here today.”

  “Oh don't worry,” Bekki said with a mild smile and handed him her card. “Call me any time.”

  “Thanks,” he said with a slight blush and accepted the card. “Did you know Ms. LaRuse well?”

  “Not personally,” Bekki explained quickly. “I've worked with her in the past.”

  He lowered his voice slightly and stepped closer to her. “To tell you the truth, just about everyone we've talked to here today has had something bad to say about the woman. Do you know why that might be?”

  “Well,” Bekki frowned. “She wasn't the easiest person to get along with.”

  “So you had run-ins with her?” he asked as he whipped out his notebook to make a note.

  “I wouldn't call them run-ins,” Bekki said sternly. “She just wasn't the nicest person.”

  “Hmm,” the officer nodded and made another note. “Okay Bekki, I'll be in contact,” he smiled and then turned to walk away. Bekki felt a little unnerved. She had been in the position of being accused of a crime before, and she hoped that was not going to be the case again. She pulled out her phone and called Nick this time. After two rings he answered.