Page 32 of Shadow Angel
Her music slowed and she crawled across the stage. This part of her routine she’d gained from watching online videos. Crawling around to allow men to stuff bills inside her costume wasn’t part of her exercise routine but was expected at Tempters. She slapped away roaming hands and stood to leave, glad when Tom came to her rescue to get her safely through the crowd. It seemed like everyone there wanted a piece of her. Feeling dirty, she dragged the bills from her costume and tossed them onto a counter. She grabbed her bag from the locker and went into the bathroom, locking herself in one of the shower stalls. To think she must repeat the same thing again made her sick to her stomach. How did these woman cope with the foul comments and the groping?
After emptying a bottle of water, she dragged off her wig and hung it on a peg with her bag, stripped off the costume, and took a quick shower, avoiding her face. Just removing the men’s touch from her flesh would help. Once done, she dried off, slipped into her next costume and stepped outside. In the bathroom mirror, she pulled on the wig and touched up her makeup. When she returned to the dressing room, the dancer she’d spoken to in the hallway handed her a wad of bills. She nodded to her. “Thanks.”
“Why are you doing this?” The woman examined her face. “You’re good, but it’s obvious you hate being here. It’s not easy dancing in front of an audience like those pigs out there. I’m guessing you hate men and are only doing this for the money, right? Can’t you use that notion to keep going? Like, ‘you can look but you’ll never have me’ or something?”
Shaking her head, Beth smiled at her. “Oh, I like men just fine, but not those men. Where I performed before, they were a little more restrained. Here, they’re like animals, but I’ll get used to it. Money is money, right?”
“Yeah, well this is Montana. The men sure are real here, honey.” She giggled. “Cashed up most times too.” She waved to a coffee pot gurgling on the counter. “Take the weight off and grab a cup of coffee. You’ll feel better in no time.”
Sighing, Beth nodded. “I sure hope so.”
THIRTY-FIVE
Reluctantly, Beth dropped her bag back into the locker, pulled out her phone, and walking to a quiet corner, called Styles. It took him ages to answer and then his voice came down the line. It was quiet in the background and she realized he’d walked outside. “How was I? Think I got the right person’s attention?”
“I figure you got everyone’s attention. You sure you haven’t performed before? Ah… no don’t answer that. It’s none of my darn business. Sorry.”Styles cleared his throat.“What’s up? You sound different.”
When she had a goal in sight as in the permanent removal of a monster, the thrill of pitting them against her was intoxicating. Knowing if this killer attacked her, her response must be to take him into custody took the thrill out of the chase. She had no endgame, no reward, but how could she explain this to Styles? Plainly she couldn’t.
“Beth.”Styles blew out a long sigh.“Talk to me. You called me for a reason. What’s wrong?”
Thinking on her feet was one of Beth’s attributes. She sighed. “You got it right about my reactions to the men’s catcalls and the touching turns my stomach.”
“Does it bring back bad memories?”Styles had lowered his voice.“You can pull the plug if it’s too much.”
The small hint of her time in foster care had hit home with Styles and she could hear the concern in his voice. She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I can block it out for ten more minutes. Heck, I didn’t believe ten minutes could take so long. Keep your head in the game. There’s a ton of distractions and this is a one-time deal. I’m not doing this again.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”Styles footsteps crunched on gravel. He must be in the parking lot. “I’ll get back inside. Just so you know, Beth, doing this took guts. You’re one hell of an agent and I’m proud to be working alongside you.”
Surprised, Beth stared at her phone unable to believe what he’d just said. He admired her as an agent? She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thank you. Let’s just hope we can catch this guy. I’m looking forward to a few days’ downtime after this to set up my cabin.”
“We’ll take a week.”Styles laughed.“They owe us. I’ll see you after the next set.”He disconnected.
Taking down the killer of Cassie and Vicki slipped back into view. Now she had a purpose to walk back onstage again. She must catch their killer tonight and although it wouldn’t be satisfying her dark side, at least he wouldn’t be killing again and that would do. She’d look forward instead to taking down Levi Jackson at her leisure. She locked away her phone and went to pour a cup of coffee. One more time on the stage and it would be game on.
Back out onstage, Beth twirled to a different tune and surveyed the audience. To her surprise, Joseph Crenshaw and Rowdy Bright were not in the crowd watching her. The other two stage huggers, who’d practically mauled her pushing bills into her underwear, were still there, still grinning. Amused that she’d certainly fooled them with her disguise, she gave them a broad smile. As she twirled, she scanned the room, over and over, trying to pick out anyone looking at her differently. None of the men scowled at her, as reported by one of the strippers from Cassie Burnham’s murder case. Everyone was smiling and having a good time.
She finished her routine, pulled the bills from her costume, and followed Tom to the private dancing rooms. When he opened the door and she met Styles’ gaze, her cheeks burned. The door shut behind them and she took the offered bottle of water. “Thanks.”
“I saw all four suspects earlier.” Styles dropped into a chair. “Not now, Crenshaw and Bright have left. Neither are in the bar. That leaves us with the two miners.”
Nodding, Beth sipped the water. “Do you figure they’re both involved?”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” He sighed. “I’ve been made, so I’ll head out now. I’ll head in the direction of Rattlesnake Creek and then take a back road to double back. Ryder will do the same, so give him fifteen minutes before you leave to get into position. I’ll already be at Ryder’s cabin by the time you arrive. I’ll park a ways away and walk.”
Needing to tell Styles about her gut feeling, Beth stared at him. “I was sure someone was watching me when I arrived. Does anyone else know I hired that cabin?”
“The mine’s secretary does but they’ve no reason to tell anyone.” Styles shrugged. “They needed to get a bed delivered is all, but they wouldn’t have told a delivery driver about you.”
She leaned against the wall and sighed. “You hired it under my name, as in Crystal Dreams, so it forms part of my cover story? We don’t know how thorough this killer is. One mistake and he’ll know it’s a sting.”
“Yeah, I said I was a travel agent acting on your behalf. It’s solid.” Styles stood and, taking her gently by the forearms, stared into her eyes. “You’ve got this, Beth. Trust in your ability. Don’t remove the makeup. You’ll need to keep up the illusion.” He dropped his hands. “Now let’s make this happen before he gets cold feet.”
Soothed by his professionalism, Beth nodded. “You got it. Don’t forget your com. I’m going to be alone out there.” She opened the door and walked back to the dressing room.Don’t let me down, Styles.
THIRTY-SIX
Dressed in jeans and a sweater and wrapped in a warm coat, Beth walked from the dressing room and ran straight into Tom, the security guard. She smiled at him. It was good to know the manager actually cared for the well-being of his dancers. “Thanks for looking out for me tonight.” She pulled the wad of bills from her pocket and handed them to him. “I appreciate it.”
