Read Online Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 06 - Tiaras & Texans by Laina Turner - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laina Turner
Ads: Link
something.”
As I listened to Cooper and Harvey talk, I noticed the maintenance man I had seen yesterday lurking around the employee exit doors again. I started to interrupt Cooper to tell him, when the man noticed me looking at him and quickly exited. Was it just a coincidence the same maintenance guy was hanging around the second time something went wrong at this pageant? I made a mental note to talk to hotel management about this.
“Bridget, can you think of anyone who would want to do this? Or have you noticed anyone hanging around here that doesn’t belong?” Cooper asked.
“I’m pretty friendly with all the girls, so no, I don’t know who would do this.”
That seemed to be the mantra of everyone here, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed something about her station that didn’t look quite right. “Is that your bag, Bridget?” I asked, pointing to underneath her dressing station where an oversized brown Coach tote was sticking out of the curtain that covered the base of the station.
“Um, yeah,” she said nervously, as Cooper looked at me and then at the bag quickly. I could tell he wasn’t sure why I had asked.
“May I?” I said, motioning to the bag.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked, a little snotty. She seemed to go on the defensive.
“What’s going on?” asked Harvey, looking confused. Cooper held his hand up to silence him and nodded at me.
I reached down, hooked the corner of the bag with my fingers, and pulled it out. Sticking out of the unzipped tote was a can of red spray paint. I looked at Bridget, and then at Harvey, who slowly realized what he was looking at.
“Bridget. You did this to yourself? Why on earth…” he said, trailing off.
Bridget burst into tears as we all looked at her. “I’m sorry,” she wailed.
“Why, Bridget?” Harvey asked.
“Camille was getting so much attention and I figure people might feel sorry for her and that would give her a better chance to win. I wanted that attention.”
“Oh, Bridget. This isn’t the way.” Harvey shook his head and turned to Cooper. “Cooper, I’m sorry. I know you have better things to do with your time than to deal with pranks that aren’t real.”
“That’s okay,” Cooper said. “Presley, go ahead and tell Linda the girls are free to come back in and then meet me back in the room,”
I did as he asked, and Linda and Elaine were full of so many questions I had to promise to try and meet them later for coffee and fill them in. As much as Cooper would allow, which I tried to make clear to them, but wasn’t sure they truly understood.
When I got back to Cooper, Harvey was gone, as was Bridget. “Is she in trouble?”
“Yeah. I think Harvey is going to kick her out of this pageant,” Cooper said. “He was very upset one of his contestants would do this.”
“Did she say anything else after I left?”
“No, just kept repeating she was sorry over and over. I feel kind of bad for her.”
“Why?”
“To be so insecure to do something like this for attention?”
“I guess.” I shrugged, not feeling all that sorry for her. Maybe that was callous of me, but she knew what she was doing was wrong. “That’s what they signed up for when they made the decision to be in a pageant. To be scrutinized.”
“Maybe. But still. It seems like it can be brutal to the self-esteem. Anyway, I didn’t get to finish what I started to tell you this morning about my visit to the greenhouse.”
“Did you get the information you were looking for?”
“They gave me a list of the people they knew of who would have the ability to grow a tassel flower. There are no public greenhouses that they knew of, but there are three private ones.” He pulled a slip of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to me along with his keys. “Do me a favor and take the rental car and check out these places. I need to follow up on some things back here.”
“Do you think one of these greenhouse owners killed
As I listened to Cooper and Harvey talk, I noticed the maintenance man I had seen yesterday lurking around the employee exit doors again. I started to interrupt Cooper to tell him, when the man noticed me looking at him and quickly exited. Was it just a coincidence the same maintenance guy was hanging around the second time something went wrong at this pageant? I made a mental note to talk to hotel management about this.
“Bridget, can you think of anyone who would want to do this? Or have you noticed anyone hanging around here that doesn’t belong?” Cooper asked.
“I’m pretty friendly with all the girls, so no, I don’t know who would do this.”
That seemed to be the mantra of everyone here, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed something about her station that didn’t look quite right. “Is that your bag, Bridget?” I asked, pointing to underneath her dressing station where an oversized brown Coach tote was sticking out of the curtain that covered the base of the station.
“Um, yeah,” she said nervously, as Cooper looked at me and then at the bag quickly. I could tell he wasn’t sure why I had asked.
“May I?” I said, motioning to the bag.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked, a little snotty. She seemed to go on the defensive.
“What’s going on?” asked Harvey, looking confused. Cooper held his hand up to silence him and nodded at me.
I reached down, hooked the corner of the bag with my fingers, and pulled it out. Sticking out of the unzipped tote was a can of red spray paint. I looked at Bridget, and then at Harvey, who slowly realized what he was looking at.
“Bridget. You did this to yourself? Why on earth…” he said, trailing off.
Bridget burst into tears as we all looked at her. “I’m sorry,” she wailed.
“Why, Bridget?” Harvey asked.
“Camille was getting so much attention and I figure people might feel sorry for her and that would give her a better chance to win. I wanted that attention.”
“Oh, Bridget. This isn’t the way.” Harvey shook his head and turned to Cooper. “Cooper, I’m sorry. I know you have better things to do with your time than to deal with pranks that aren’t real.”
“That’s okay,” Cooper said. “Presley, go ahead and tell Linda the girls are free to come back in and then meet me back in the room,”
I did as he asked, and Linda and Elaine were full of so many questions I had to promise to try and meet them later for coffee and fill them in. As much as Cooper would allow, which I tried to make clear to them, but wasn’t sure they truly understood.
When I got back to Cooper, Harvey was gone, as was Bridget. “Is she in trouble?”
“Yeah. I think Harvey is going to kick her out of this pageant,” Cooper said. “He was very upset one of his contestants would do this.”
“Did she say anything else after I left?”
“No, just kept repeating she was sorry over and over. I feel kind of bad for her.”
“Why?”
“To be so insecure to do something like this for attention?”
“I guess.” I shrugged, not feeling all that sorry for her. Maybe that was callous of me, but she knew what she was doing was wrong. “That’s what they signed up for when they made the decision to be in a pageant. To be scrutinized.”
“Maybe. But still. It seems like it can be brutal to the self-esteem. Anyway, I didn’t get to finish what I started to tell you this morning about my visit to the greenhouse.”
“Did you get the information you were looking for?”
“They gave me a list of the people they knew of who would have the ability to grow a tassel flower. There are no public greenhouses that they knew of, but there are three private ones.” He pulled a slip of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to me along with his keys. “Do me a favor and take the rental car and check out these places. I need to follow up on some things back here.”
“Do you think one of these greenhouse owners killed
Similar Books
