Read Online Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 06 - Tiaras & Texans by Laina Turner - Free Book Online

as it seems to us spectators, who don’t realize all that goes on behind the scenes.”
    “I’m sorry I missed it.”
    “Whatever,” I joked.
    Cooper was busy on his laptop, and I was lying on the bed relaxing and admiring his profile, when the phone rang.
    He grabbed it. “Hello? What? Where?” He spoke in short bursts, his body suddenly getting stiff. I knew from his posture this wasn’t a friendly call to meet Harvey or whomever down at Starbucks.
    “Who was that?” I asked, propping myself up on my elbows.               He was already out of his seat, picking up his coat where he had dropped it.
    “Harvey,” he said curtly. “Put your shoes back on, there’s been another prank.”
    “What happened?” I asked as I hurried to throw on my shoes. “Please tell me no one is dead.” I didn’t think so, since Cooper wouldn’t exactly classify a dead body as a prank, but it was never good to assume. That much I had learned the hard way from Cooper.
    “No one was hurt this time, thank goodness, but one of the girls found a message on the mirror in her dressing station, and Harvey said it’s threatening.”
    We walked out of our room, Cooper moving so fast I could hardly keep up. “What did the message say?”
    “Harvey didn’t say.”
    We quickly made our way to the rooms containing the contestants’ dressing stations and walked in to find the girls huddled around one station in particular. I could tell it wasn’t Allie’s, Marissa’s, or Janine’s. Theirs were at the other end. So this must be someone new to add to the mix.
    “Excuse me,” Cooper said, pushing through the crowd of girls all is various states of dress. From the fancy gowns many of them had on they must have been doing fittings for the evening competition.
    Harvey saw Cooper and waved him over. “Let him through, ladies.”
    We finally made it to where Harvey was standing and he pointed to the mirror of the dressing station. Written in what looked like red spray paint was a message that said:
    Roses are red
    Violets are blue
    Don’t compete on Sunday
    If you know what’s good for you
    “Well, whoever wrote it likes rhyme,” I whispered to Cooper.
    “What do you think, Cooper?” Harvey asked him.
    “First, I think we need to get all the contestants out of here except whoever this station belongs to. Then we need to talk to everyone separately.”
    “Okay. Linda,” Harvey said, turning to his right where Linda was standing, “can you get the girls over to the room next door? The photography people won’t be here for another couple of hours, so it’s available. Have some drinks brought in while they are waiting for Cooper or Presley to talk to them.”
    “Sure thing, Harvey.” She faced the girls and spoke louder.  “Ladies, listen up. Follow me over to the Cambridge room next door.”
    As the girls started leaving, Harvey called out, “Bridget, I need you to stay here, please.” Another blonde—surprise—turned her head and walked back. I tell you, they were coming out of the woodwork here. “Cooper, this is Bridget. This is her dressing station.”
    “Hi, Bridget,” he said shaking her hand. “This is my associate, Presley. Can you tell us when you got here to find this?”
    “I came here right after lunch.” Bridget seemed very calm. It didn’t look like the message had rattled her much, while the other girls seemed visibly shaken.
    “Do you remember what time that was?” Cooper asked.
    “Not long ago. Maybe fifteen minutes or so.”
    I glanced at my watch to see it was almost one thirty. No wonder I was starving.
    “Harvey, when was the last time this room was used today before this?” Cooper asked.
    “This morning, before the run-through. Then the contestants had photos next door at eleven and then lunch in the main room. Then they had a short break before coming back to get dressed for more photos. But we don’t keep this room locked, since girls are always coming in and out to grab