Chapter 10

Cassidy stood from the makeup chair and thanked Rose for her magical hand in applying cosmetics for all the interviews she’d be subjected to during the long day. Earlier, Brandi had blown out her hair and added tousled curls until it tumbled down her back in a cascade of waves. Though it might look beautiful, she much preferred to pull her hair back when she danced. It wasn’t a requirement, but the producers preferred longer hair. More dramatic on camera, or something. Some of the other dancers chose to keep theirs short and just add extensions for show days.

Her first stop of the morning had been to the Sun Shack, as they’d named the building housing the spray tan bays. She now looked like she’d spent a couple of weeks in the tropics. Spray tans were wonderful things since, one, her fair skin burned but never tanned, and two, she tried to avoid the harsh rays as much as possible. The color lasted between five to seven days, so she’d have it reapplied each week. She was so addicted to the look, she was considering purchasing the equipment for her dance academy. Much safer than tanning beds or the sun.

Dress rehearsal days were packed with activities, from on-camera questions to group number final practices to camera blocking. Today was more intense since it was the first show of the new season. The excitement was exhilarating. It didn’t matter how many times she’d been through the routine, it never failed to get her blood pumping.

Final fittings for her outfits were finished yesterday, so they’d be ready for her to pick up. She’d start with one outfit for her solo number and then quickly change for the group number. One last switch for her routine with Trey and she’d wear that costume for the remainder of the show.

“You look stunning.”

She turned to see Harlow Oldham smiling at her. “Thanks, so do you.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever worn this much makeup,” the other woman said, peering into a mirror and gently patting her face. “I barely recognize myself.” She stood and smiled again. “My husband will be helping Mason set up security at your apartment tonight. I was hoping we could all go out to dinner first.”

“I’d like that.”

“Great.” Harlow squeezed her hand and then someone called her name. “Looks like it’s my turn for the hairstylist. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me, too.”

Cassidy watched as Harlow took a seat in the chair while Gene started brushing out her hair. The woman was so nice and down-to-earth, much different than Cassidy expected. Many of the celebrities who appeared on the show were either aloof or arrogant. There were several approachable ones, too, but none she could picture herself being friends with away from the show. She felt that way with Harlow Oldham.

She hadn’t officially met Harlow’s husband, Sawyer, but she’d seen him around with Mason. The man was gorgeous, and he and Harlow made a beautiful couple, but it was Mason who made her heart pound faster.

As if conjured by her thoughts, she spotted him as soon as she stepped out of the bungalow. He was leaning against a wall with his arms and feet crossed. He wore a dark blue polo today with khaki colored cargos and hiking boots and on cue, her heart-rate kicked up a notch. Or five. He was so handsome. Harlow’s husband stood beside him with his hands in his pockets, one bent leg propped against the wall. His matching polo was dark brown and he wore the same tactical pants. Oh my, they made an imposing team. One of the assistant costume designers tripped and almost fell when she couldn’t keep her eyes from the dynamic duo.

Mason’s gaze hadn’t left her. It was thrilling being the focus of his attention. She smiled and headed in his direction.

“Hey, Cass.”

She spun to see Colin hobbling her way. He was getting better with the crutches, but still a bit clumsy. She hadn’t talked to him since he barged in on her embarrassing midnight molestation of Mason, and she hoped they could get past the awkwardness.

“Hey, Colin. How’s the knee?”

He came to a stop in front of her and shrugged. “Hurts.” He glanced around the area wistfully. “I love it here. Everyone is focused on dance. They live it and breathe it.” His brown eyes met hers. “You’re lucky.”

The familiar feeling of guilt settled in her heart. This had always been Colin’s dream. “I know.” She cleared her throat. “The producers would like to interview you for a segment on the show, if you’re willing.” It’d been her idea to include him in the package that would be played before she danced her first number with Trey. Maybe she’d suggested it to ease her conscience, but they’d agreed.

His eyes lit. “Really? Me? I’d love to.”

Relief washed over her. It wasn’t much, but it was something. “Let’s go talk to them.”

#

Mason and Sawyer reclined on a bench against the wall in the largest practice studio while the dancers and celebrities were seated in a semi-circle in the middle of the room. Crew members were going over all the details of how the show would flow tomorrow night. Mason’s cell buzzed a text and he glanced down at the screen. It was from Corrine, one of the production assistants. Mason had asked the woman to text him if she saw Lacy Brubeck around the set. She’d just spotted her rushing inside Irina Dubov’s trailer with something in her hands.

He turned to Sawyer. “Feel like accompanying me to interrogate a suspect?”

Sawyer pushed to his feet. “Absolutely.”

Mason led the way to Irina’s trailer. The curtains over the small window were shut tight. He banged on the door. When there was no answer, he knocked again and called out, “Ms. Brubeck, open up. We know you’re in there.”

The door opened a crack to reveal green eyes. “Who are you? Ah!”

She jumped back when he climbed the stairs. “Someone who wants to ask you a few questions.”

She backed away from the door. “You really can’t come in here. This is private property.”

“Don’t worry, I have Russell Ingram’s permission.”

Her eyes widened and darted around nervously. “Russell? He’s not here…is he?”

Sawyer followed him inside and closed the door. Lacy backed away like a cornered cat, her hands behind her back. Something shiny caught his eye and he glanced at the table. Anger flared in his chest. “What are you doing with Cassidy Swain’s outfit?” He recognized it as the one she would wear for her routine with Trey.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s not—”

Sawyer plucked the dress off the table and held up the attached tag clearly labeled with Cassidy’s name.

Lacy shrugged. “I’ve no idea how that got there.”

“Ms. Brubeck, show me your hands right now.”

She shook her head frantically.

He took a menacing step forward, not intending to harm her, only intimidate. It worked. She thrust her arms out. “Fine. Here.”

He plucked the small orange tool from her hand.

“Seam ripper,” Sawyer informed him.

He narrowed his eyes at Lacy. “You were planning on sabotaging Ms. Swain’s outfit?”

She crossed her arms defiantly. “You can’t prove that.”

“Really? That’s your defense?”

She dropped her arms and slammed them on her hips. “I’m not saying anything else. I know my rights. I want a lawyer.”

He shared an amused look with Sawyer and chuckled. “She thinks we’re cops.”

“If you’re not the police, who are you?”

He almost said, “your worst nightmare,” but that was a little cliché. “We’re here to prove you’re behind the attacks on Ms. Swain. It’d be in your best interest to confess now. The police are on their way to arrest you for attempted murder.”

“Attempted…what? I didn’t try to kill anyone!”

“You cut the rigging on the light,” Sawyer accused.

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t do that. I heard about it, but I had nothing to do with it.”

“Where did you get the snake you released in her trailer?” Mason questioned.

Lacy recoiled. “I had nothing to do with that, either. I actually felt sorry for her. I hate snakes, too.” She shuddered.

When they both continued to pin her with stares, her shoulders sagged. “Fine, I’ll admit to wanting to rig her outfit so she’d have a wardrobe malfunction, and I might’ve tampered with her shoes, but that’s all, I swear. I didn’t try to kill her.”

“You’re the one who sawed off her heel?”

Reluctantly, she nodded, her gaze dropping to the floor.

“Why?”

Her head jerked up. “Because that bitch got me fired,” she snapped.

“Yeah? And how did she do that?”

“She’s the one who told Russell about my social media pages. I’m sure of it. He knows squat about computers, so someone had to inform him. Anyway, those posts were just for laughs. I didn’t mean anything by them. They were all in fun.”

Mason had no idea what posts she was talking about, but they must’ve been bad if they got her fired. It amazed him that people could post mean or hateful things and then try to downplay them by claiming it was a joke. Why write them in the first place?

There was a knock on the door and Sawyer opened it to reveal two uniformed officers. Panic flashed in Lacy’s eyes and she threw out her hands. “No, wait. I didn’t try to kill anyone. I swear. You can’t arrest me.”

He followed Sawyer outside while the cops handcuffed her. Russell came hurrying over. Mason had texted him letting him know they were going to question her.

“What’s going on?” When the cops led Lacy outside, Russell’s mouth pinched. “Lacy, what the hell are you doing here? You were fired.”

“I was just visiting with my friend Irina.”

“You were warned not to come back here, Lacy. I told you I’d have you arrested.” He turned to one of the cops holding her arm. “I’d like to add trespassing charges to the list.”

“Wait! I didn’t try to kill anyone. Please don’t do this, Mr. Ingram,” she wailed as the cops led her away.

Russell shook his head. “I specifically told her when she was fired, it was because of social media posts that had been brought to my attention. She was snapping pictures of Muslims and Mexicans and adding racist comments. She called overweight people by derogatory terms. She even threatened to shoot a gay couple in line in front of her at a coffee house. That’s not the kind of person we want associated with our show. She violated the terms of her contract, so she was let go. She had no one to blame but herself.”

What a winner. “She admitted to destroying Cassidy’s shoes and attempting to tamper with her outfit.” He held up the sequined gown.

Russell muttered a curse and took the dress from Mason. He handed it to his assistant and told her to have the costume designers check it carefully for any defects. When the woman hurried away, he turned back to them. “Do you think she’s responsible for the other incidents?”

Mason paused before answering. Lacy was cruel and she was vindictive, but he didn’t think she was behind the attempts on Cassidy’s life. Her stunts were meant to embarrass, not kill. “I don’t think she is.”

“I don’t, either,” Sawyer agreed.

“That means there’s still someone out there who wants to harm Cassidy.”