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“Yes. It was the last time I saw her.” She fell silent again.

“Okay, Lucy. That’s all I need for now.” I paused before adding, “I’m sure the sheriff told you she’s here in the medical examiner’s office in San Francisco. Will you be able to travel here to identify her? Then we can help with the arrangements for transport once the medical examiner deems her body ready for release.”

“Yes, yes, of course. My husband is flying up here tonight,” she said softly. “Have you by chance talked to the sheriff again before I called you?”

“I only talked to him once, when I told him about Gretchen being here.”

“Well, another girl has gone missing today. The pageant team is frantic. We don’t know what’s going on. The sheriff’s here at the hotel now,” she exclaimed. My stomach twisted, and I only hoped it wasn’t turning into a pattern.

I gave Lucy my contact information, then hung up. Sean had spent the afternoon in the forensics lab and the evidence room gathering more details about Gretchen. I knew once he returned, I’d need to tell him about my conversation with Gretchen’s mother. That was really fucked up. What was going on in Lake Tahoe? I couldn’t worry about it. My focus was on solving Gretchen’s murder. Sheriff Chet Landon would need to handle the situation in Lake Tahoe.

The drive home took longer than expected, and by the time I got there, I was too tired to eat dinner, so I cracked a beer, sat down, and turned on ESPN. No sooner had I gotten settled than my phone buzzed on the coffee table, where I’d tossed it. From where I sat, I saw Craig’s caller ID and a goofy smile appear on the screen.

“Hi, babe. Just got home,” I said, taking a swig of beer.

“You didn’t call me today,” he replied, sounding dejected.

“Aw, shit…and I left you a message that I’d call. I’m sorry, babe. I’ve been really busy.”

“Well, consider this your verbal lashing,” he said teasingly.

I huffed a laugh. “I hope you can forgive me, especially with what I did to you last night.”

“I can forgive you, but my ass is sore…then again, it usually is when you fuck me. It didn’t help that I sat in my office most of the day, on that sore ass, on the phone. Oh, and by the way, Wynn says hello.”

Winston Summers, or Wynn, was Craig’s best friend, who lived in New York City with his new husband, Eli. Wynn had been a weatherman at one of the local TV stations here in San Francisco, but he moved across the country to do weather for a major TV network. I’d met him at Beaux Nightclub one night when I was doing a drag performance.

From there, I was brought into a case where Wynn had been kidnapped by a crazed stalker. It wasn’t my purview, being in homicide, but since it was Craig’s bestie, I couldn’t just sit back and not help. With the FBI and the SFPD, we located where he’d been taken and rescued the man before anything could happen to him. He went to New York shortly after that.

“Ah, and how is the married couple doing? We had such a great time at Wynn’s birthday-and-proposal bash. Their wedding was fabulous, too,” I replied.

“They’re doing well. According to Wynn, their new grandson is the most beautiful baby in the world.”

“Of course, because there’s no bias there,” I chuckled.

“Apparently, Chelsea has taken a sabbatical to be a stay-at-home mom for a while,” Craig said.

“And I’m sure having the granddads living down the street from her and her husband gives them instant access to preferred babysitters?”

“You know it. Now, enough about my bestie in New York. How was your day? You said you were really busy?” he said, changing the subject.

“Yeah, well, we found out who the young dead woman was. She had been a beauty pageant contestant in Lake Tahoe for the Miss Nevada title. She was from Boulder City.”

“No shit?” I heard him blow out a breath. “I guess that explains the evening gown. Odd that her body was found here, though. Is the pageant going on now?”

“It’ll end this weekend when they crown the new Miss Nevada. I spoke with the victim's mother today. She was barely holding it together, but she and her husband would be coming to San Francisco to claim their daughter’s body. She also told me a second girl had gone missing.”

Craig remained silent. “What?” I asked, figuring he was thinking about something.

“Are you aware that the Miss California pageant is happening in a week and a half? It’s being held here in San Francisco.”

“How do you know that?” I asked, surprised that he was up on beauty pageant news.

Craig snorted. “Because I have a client who wanted me to do a background check on a contestant from Sacramento. They weren’t convinced that the young lady had the education and community service she’d claimed on her resume. These pageants can be brutal behind all that glamor.” He paused, then added cheekily, “Plus, I’m gay…I keep up on all things beauty.”

“I have yet to hear you even mention beauty pageants in the three years we’ve been together, babe. I doubt you’re actually keeping up with them,” I retorted.

“Okay, fine. You’ve got me there, but I have you, and you’re the most beautiful thing I keep up with,” he replied lovingly. I snickered, but appreciated the compliment all the same.