Daisy toweled dry after scrubbing off body paint in the shower. She threw on a black, satin robe and flip-flops and walked to her dressing room. She sat at the lighted mirror countertop, brushed out her hair, applied some light makeup and turned the curling iron on before changing into a white miniskirt and turquoise blouse studded with silver sequins. She slipped on her new, favorite heels from Shoe-Be-Do and reassessed in the mirror.
Stacey, one of the French House dancers, knocked, then popped her head in. “You were amazing tonight. You’re gonna win it in Vegas. Good luck, babe!”
“Thanks,” Daisy called after Stacey’s echoing heels. She heard the back door slam.
Daisy applied dark red lipstick and picked up the hair dryer. She blew her hair dry in about three minutes, flipping her head over and using a large, round brush to smooth out her locks. She flipped the switch to cool and blew it into her face.
She looked at her red hair in the mirror. Lovin’ this megawatt color.
She picked up the curling iron and twirled a strand of hair around it. She was hurrying, knowing Bam-Bam was waiting for her, but she wanted to look good. The look in his eyes when he first saw her was always worth the effort.
A knock sounded at the door, and before she could respond a stocky, dark-haired guy walked in followed by a leaner, but definitely fit, dark-complected man.
She didn’t turn around, just smiled at them in the mirror. “I’m sorry, I’m not —”
The stocky guy presented her with a pink martini. “You earned this, that’s for sure. We just wanted to stop by on our way out to tell you how great your performance was tonight. We are with Desert Glitter in Las Vegas and would like you to perform at our club next week, if you can squeeze it into your schedule.”
Daisy smiled and took the drink. “Nice place. I’d love to do a show at your club.” She took a refreshing sip and picked up her phone, clicking on the calendar. “I’ll be in town for four days and I think maybe Thursday night would work. I’ll have to check with the promotions people at the awards, to make sure they don’t have anything they need me to attend.”
The leaner guy looked at her drink, then at her. “We understand completely and will do whatever is necessary to accommodate your schedule.”
Daisy chatted with them about the competition in Vegas while she worked on the martini and her hair. Just as she perfected the last curl, she felt a little woozy.
Did I eat today? she thought and started to say something but couldn’t. She slumped against the countertop and heard a crash right before everything went black.
***
Jason walked toward the backstage door of the French House, a look of concern on his face.
Al pushed back his chair. “I’ll get him past the bouncer.”
Kate jumped up. “I want to see what the back of a strip club looks like!”
“Come on, girls,” Adrienne said. “Let’s go see what the heck’s going on.”
As they approached, the bouncer was shaking his head and waving Jason away. Al stepped between them, and soon the bouncer nodded and allowed them back.
Adrienne walked by the bouncer and touched his arm. “We appreciate you taking such good care of us, Bruno.”
The back of the club still looked like the warehouse it had once been, only the small offices had been converted to dressing rooms.
Jason hustled down the hall, calling Daisy’s name. He poked his head through a room with multiple dressing stations. “Have you seen Daisy?” he asked a sailorette and a nurse.
“Who?”
“No.”
He kept moving and looked into the few dressing rooms they passed, which were empty.
They came to a bathroom, and Vivian walked in calling for Daisy. The toilet stalls were empty, as were the two showers, one still wet. She exited and shook her head. “No one’s in there, but someone has taken a shower recently.”
Jason turned the knob on the next closed door they came to just as Trikki Vikki opened it.
“Shit! You scared me,” she said.
“Have you seen Daisy?”
“No,” she said, curtly. “It’s not like we’re friends. She does her thing, I do mine.” Vikki tried to get by him but he blocked the door.
“When’s the last time you saw her?”
“I don’t know. Get the fuck outta my way.” She pushed him and moved past. “I’ve got a private show to get to.” She looked the girls up and down like they were trash, then flung open the back door.
Jason dialed Daisy’s number again. Lionel Richie’s “Hello” echoed from down the hall. He followed it and bent down to pick up a phone. “It’s hers,” he said, then turned the phone toward them.
The screen was shattered but Vivian could still make out Jason’s smiling face and the words “Bam Bam.” She walked to the door of the dressing room closest to the exit. A strappy, silver, studded shoe lay on its side in the middle of the floor. She glanced up at the lighted mirror above the dressing table where a vase of flowers had been knocked over. The purple ribbon around the vase had bled into the water, staining the white laminate countertop and still slowly dripped onto the floor. The burning scent of hair and chemicals reached her.
“This is dangerous,” Vivian said, unplugging a curling iron from the multi-plug outlet on the wall. The lavender puddle was inches from a short circuit, or worse. The live feed from the stage showed on a small monitor in the corner. The naughty nurse was already down to her skivvies and in full swing on the pole.
“Isn’t that her Shoe-Be-Do shoe?” Wendy asked, pointing to the high heel.
Lucy gasped. “She’d never leave that behind.”
Jason bent down to pick it up but Al stopped him. “Hold up there, chief. I wouldn’t touch anything. Adrienne, call your brother. I’ll get Gino.”
Adrienne pulled out her phone and began dialing.
“Who’s your brother?” Jason asked.
“Cop.”
Jason leaned against the wall and sank slowly to the floor. He put his head in his hands.
Kate went to him and rubbed his back. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
“No, something really bad has happened. I can feel it.”