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I heard Sean in my ear. “I swear you’re winning the award for best actor.” I cleared my throat loudly.

“Today we start rehearsals. Honestly, some of these ladies have two left feet and couldn’t walk a straight line if one was drawn on the floor,” he said with an irritated tone.

I chuckled. “At least I can help them look pretty from the neck up.”

He snorted. “Yeah, it’s the rest you leave me with.”

We got to the ballroom, and Sami excused himself as I headed backstage to the makeup area. A couple of hairstylists were already setting up their stations, and I seemed to be the first of the makeup team to arrive. I took the phone from my satchel and put it in my pocket, thinking it might be a good time to wander about.

Before I headed back to the ballroom stage, I heard Sofia’s voice. “Why are you here so early?” she asked, walking up to me. “You’re doing touchups, not full glamor.”

I pulled her to the side. “Sofia, I’m here undercover, remember? I was told you were brought up to speed on why I was put on the makeup team.”

“Oh, shit. That’s right. You’re doing your police thing to help security,” she replied, putting a hand to her mouth. “You’re so convincing, dear.”

I snickered at her praise. “Correct. Just make sure you don’t say anything to anyone.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry. My brain has been working overtime since Saturday. I’ve had two makeup artists quit already. They said they couldn’t handle the pressure. These young girls don’t know what pressure means. They have a lot of growing up to do.” I stifled a laugh, and judging by her age, I was sure she’d seen and done a lot.

I kept my voice low. “They wouldn’t last a day with what I actually do either,” I replied with a wink. “Are we going to be short on the team with the two having quit?”

“I think we’ll be okay. I’ve already replaced one, but she won’t start until tomorrow. From what I’ve heard, many of the contestants do their own makeup. You never know whether we’ll be twiddling our thumbs or working them back-to-back, though. Pageants can be unpredictable.”

I knew my priority was the safety of the women and solving our case, but my helpful instinct kicked in, and I said, “If you need more help, feel free to use me, Sofia. I can do more than touch-up if necessary.” I could sense her curiosity about how I knew makeup application, but she didn’t ask.

“Thank you, but I think we’ll be okay,” she replied. “I’d rather know you’re protecting the girls. We can’t have what happened in Lake Tahoe.”

“Wait…you know what happened there?”

“Of course. I’ve been with these pageants for years, and word gets out. I wasn’t up there for the pageant, but the makeup community is pretty tight-knit.”

I looked around to make sure we were still far enough from prying ears. “Have any of the contestants said anything about what happened in Lake Tahoe? Are any feeling afraid for their own safety?” I asked.

“Most of these ladies would risk anything to walk on that stage. They’ve been told about the extra security, and many feel safe. We’ve seen the patrols and the security staff throughout the hotel.”

I thanked her for her honesty, and she assured me my role wouldn’t be compromised. After she left, I looked around. I asked Sean if he was getting a clear view from my lapel pin, and he said he was. “What are you doing now?” Sean asked as I checked backstage and in the main ballroom.

“Just looking for areas that might be vulnerable for the women. There is an exit door directly backstage. I doubt we can block it due to fire restrictions, but we’ll need to let the rest of the team know about it.”

“Noted,” he replied.

I had already dropped off the stage when a group of four men walked out from the wings. One held a clipboard and pointed toward the light scaffolding above. The other looked like a production worker and nodded in response to instructions. The other two wore suits. I could see one of them had a name tag that looked like the ones staff wore at the hotel, while the other wore a different plastic badge clipped to his suit jacket.

“Do you see these guys on the stage?” I asked Sean quietly.

“I do.”

“I’m going to take a quick picture of them. I’m sure a couple of them might be production staffers, but I'm not sure about the two in suits.”

It was dark enough in the ballroom that they hadn’t noticed I was there. Pulling out my phone, I zoomed in to get as clear a shot as I could. The man with the clipboard was the only one with his back to me, but I was more interested in the men wearing suits.

Satisfied with my pictures, I was about to head backstage again when Sami joined the others. He sidled up to the man wearing the plastic badge. I pegged the man at about six feet one or two, so he leaned over, allowing Sami to whisper in his ear. He nodded, and Sami walked away. The group of men left shortly after.

“Well…that was interesting,” I said.

“Was that Sami, the pageant coach?” Sean asked.

“Yup.”