should be worried, aside from general damage control.
* * *
W hen Cam got home, she sent out a press release about the unfortunate demise of Telly Stevens.
“The cause of death is still being investigated.” If it was murder, the word would eventually be out, but there was no reason to hurry it. The only real guilt she felt was not telling Rob about her hunch that Telly’s death had not been accidental. He’d be irritated if he thought she’d hidden it, so she was willing herself to believe it really was accidental. Before they heard otherwise, she hoped the pageant would be over. If he learned it was murder now, he’d report it and the effect on the pageant might be devastating, a possibility she wanted to avoid.
* * *
C am arrived at the Patrick Henry the next morning, found her way to her empty office, and turned on her laptop to organize her day. The first full day of pageant activity was likely to be chaotic, even if they hadn’t had the dead judge to worry about.
“I’ve been thinking about replacement judges,” Evangeline said.
Cam started and looked up to see Evangeline in her doorway. “I didn’t know you were here!” She took a minute to catch her breath and then looked back to Evangeline. “We interviewed five, based on the RGS screening. Should we go to the next on the list?” Cam said.
“Yes and no. If Toni Howe is available, that would be great. She was actually our third choice for a judge until we were blackmailed by WONK. She would have been second on my list. Whatever the case, Vicky Wynan was last on everybody’s list, so if Toni isn’t available, we need to look further.”
“What’s wrong with Vicky?” Cam asked.
“She has no manners! She offended every person she talked to. Believe me. She almost needed to
try
to rank behind Telly Stevens.”
“Okay . . . We’ll skip Vicky. I will check with Toni, though, and see if she’s available.” Cam looked at Evangeline, who nodded. “Then I guess I will let Benny and company know about these boxes of dogwoods.”
“They should love that,” Evangeline said.
Cam had to laugh at Evangeline’s sarcasm; she didn’t stoop to it very often.
“By the way,” Cam said, remembering their elevator ride the night before, “a man who must live in the building was asking about you.”
“Really?”
Cam described him, but Evangeline couldn’t seem to match it with anybody who might be looking for her, and Cam needed to get back to work.
She went out to fetch the work crew. Only Benny and Dylan had arrived so far, but she wanted to get them started on the dogwoods.
She retrieved them and had each man grab two boxes from the office where they’d been stashed the night before. She grabbed one, heading for the elevator with as little talk as possible.
“You’ll need to put these on all the dogwoods that will show behind the stage when the camera is running.”
“Put what on the dogwoods?” Benny asked, eying the boxes suspiciously.
“The dogwood flowers. It has to look like they’re in bloom.”
“Why?” Dylan sounded incredulous.
“Because the dogwood flower unites all of the Virginia State pageants, and it needs to look authentic.”
“Dogwoods blooming in July is
not
authentic. But I guess
we’re
getting paid and
you’re
the boss,” Benny said. Dylan just winked.
They deposited the boxes to the side of the amphitheater and then Cam made both men follow her to a central audience spot so she could point out the most obvious trees to attend to.
“You can see the whole tree from this angle,” Benny complained.
“And?”
“We have to get these up really high.”
“I’m sure there’s a ladder or something.” She wasn’t, but Cam had never let the truth interfere with telling people what she thought they needed to hear. Plus, if there wasn’t a ladder around, she’d find one, so it was only a small lie.
“Catch me if I fall?” Dylan asked, looking at the treetops.
Cam rolled her eyes, more
* * *
W hen Cam got home, she sent out a press release about the unfortunate demise of Telly Stevens.
“The cause of death is still being investigated.” If it was murder, the word would eventually be out, but there was no reason to hurry it. The only real guilt she felt was not telling Rob about her hunch that Telly’s death had not been accidental. He’d be irritated if he thought she’d hidden it, so she was willing herself to believe it really was accidental. Before they heard otherwise, she hoped the pageant would be over. If he learned it was murder now, he’d report it and the effect on the pageant might be devastating, a possibility she wanted to avoid.
* * *
C am arrived at the Patrick Henry the next morning, found her way to her empty office, and turned on her laptop to organize her day. The first full day of pageant activity was likely to be chaotic, even if they hadn’t had the dead judge to worry about.
“I’ve been thinking about replacement judges,” Evangeline said.
Cam started and looked up to see Evangeline in her doorway. “I didn’t know you were here!” She took a minute to catch her breath and then looked back to Evangeline. “We interviewed five, based on the RGS screening. Should we go to the next on the list?” Cam said.
“Yes and no. If Toni Howe is available, that would be great. She was actually our third choice for a judge until we were blackmailed by WONK. She would have been second on my list. Whatever the case, Vicky Wynan was last on everybody’s list, so if Toni isn’t available, we need to look further.”
“What’s wrong with Vicky?” Cam asked.
“She has no manners! She offended every person she talked to. Believe me. She almost needed to
try
to rank behind Telly Stevens.”
“Okay . . . We’ll skip Vicky. I will check with Toni, though, and see if she’s available.” Cam looked at Evangeline, who nodded. “Then I guess I will let Benny and company know about these boxes of dogwoods.”
“They should love that,” Evangeline said.
Cam had to laugh at Evangeline’s sarcasm; she didn’t stoop to it very often.
“By the way,” Cam said, remembering their elevator ride the night before, “a man who must live in the building was asking about you.”
“Really?”
Cam described him, but Evangeline couldn’t seem to match it with anybody who might be looking for her, and Cam needed to get back to work.
She went out to fetch the work crew. Only Benny and Dylan had arrived so far, but she wanted to get them started on the dogwoods.
She retrieved them and had each man grab two boxes from the office where they’d been stashed the night before. She grabbed one, heading for the elevator with as little talk as possible.
“You’ll need to put these on all the dogwoods that will show behind the stage when the camera is running.”
“Put what on the dogwoods?” Benny asked, eying the boxes suspiciously.
“The dogwood flowers. It has to look like they’re in bloom.”
“Why?” Dylan sounded incredulous.
“Because the dogwood flower unites all of the Virginia State pageants, and it needs to look authentic.”
“Dogwoods blooming in July is
not
authentic. But I guess
we’re
getting paid and
you’re
the boss,” Benny said. Dylan just winked.
They deposited the boxes to the side of the amphitheater and then Cam made both men follow her to a central audience spot so she could point out the most obvious trees to attend to.
“You can see the whole tree from this angle,” Benny complained.
“And?”
“We have to get these up really high.”
“I’m sure there’s a ladder or something.” She wasn’t, but Cam had never let the truth interfere with telling people what she thought they needed to hear. Plus, if there wasn’t a ladder around, she’d find one, so it was only a small lie.
“Catch me if I fall?” Dylan asked, looking at the treetops.
Cam rolled her eyes, more
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