“How was I supposed to know that?” she challenged. “I’m new to this.”
“Did you or did you not attend the briefing by Kaycee before the show where she explicitly went over different scenarios?”
Hazel shrugged a shoulder. “I was there, but she talked so much, I tuned her out. I’m signed with Models, Models, Models, so I don’t need the damn lectures.”
“Well then, I’m happy to send you back to them. Please gather your belongings and exit Fontana Island immediately.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The following day, Brooklyn headed to hair and makeup before visiting the wardrobe department. As soon as she stepped inside the room, Beatriz Pace pulled her aside, looking pensive and anxious.
“What’s wrong, Beatriz?”
“I can’t believe what transpired yesterday. The two mistakes are on me. You put me in charge, and I failed. Hazel’s strap coming undone and Genie’s heel snapping are my fault. I completely understand if you want to replace me.”
Brooklyn grabbed the woman’s arms. “Malfunctions occur all the time, Beatriz. You can’t control them. I certainly don’t blame you.”
“I should’ve caught them before they happened,” she insisted.
“Did you tie Hazel’s suit?”
She winced. “Actually, I did.”
“Did you snap Genie’s heel?”
She shook her head resolutely. “Absolutely not.”
“Well, as I said, these things happen. Actually, I’m glad it occurred at the beginning of the week. It was a lesson for the women on how to deal with adversity. Genie shined while Hazel faltered.”
“Nevertheless, it won’t happen again.”
“I believe you.” Brooklyn pulled her in for a hug. Beatriz left, looking monumentally relieved.
After dressing, Brooklyn met the contestants at the open-air pavilion situated on a bluff overlooking the water. “Everyone did a fabulous job with the shoot yesterday, and though we had a couple of bumps with the runway event, for the most part, you did well.”
“I still can’t believe I ended up in the water,” Genie groaned, burying her head in her hands.
“Models fall all the time,” Brooklyn told her. “I have. It’s how you react, and you did so with grace and humility.” Too bad Hazel hadn’t done as well.
Clark nodded to let her know Jade was ready.
“We have special advisors lined up all week to work with you on various aspects of modeling. I’m super excited to introduce today’s guest to you. We are so fortunate to have her here with us. She’s a Golden Globe and Oscar-winning actress and one of the most popular women in Hollywood. Ladies, please help me welcome icon Juliet LaRue.”
The girls surged to their feet and screamed as Jade walked in. A couple looked like they were about to faint. Jade patiently waited until they quieted.
“Hello, ladies. I’m so happy to be here with you on this beautiful island. As an actress, I have to be able to portray emotions at the drop of a hat. A script might call for happiness one minute and sorrow the next. As a model, you face the same issues. A photographer might want you looking excited and carefree in one frame and then dark and brooding in the next. I’m going to show you the techniques that have helped me be expressive and emote, and then we’re going to act out a scene.”
Jade ran through different methods and then called on the girls individually and gave them scripts with various emotions to portray. The women would be graded from one to ten on how they performed, and those scores would be added to their picture scores. Each of the women got into the acting, some overly so, but they all tried.
“You did a great job,” Jade praised. “See you later.” They cheered as she left.
“We’re going to break for lunch now,” Brooklyn told them. “We’ll meet at hair and makeup for today’s shoot. The theme will be past actresses.”
“Think of the Golden Age of Hollywood,” Jax informed them. “Lana Turner, Lauren Bacall, Dorothy Dandridge, Anna May Wong, Ginger Rogers, Josephine Baker, Ava Gardner, Vivien Leigh, Hedy Lamarr, those glamorous women of the nineteen twenties, thirties, and forties.”
“You’ll be wearing fancy outfits and jewelry to look elegant, with sleek curls, long eyelashes, and winged eyeliners fitting of the era,” Brooklyn revealed.
Once the contestants ate lunch, had their hair and makeup applied, and were outfitted, they met at the pagoda in the gardens. A tufted chaise had been brought in for the women to pose on for their photos.
“Your photographer today is Gideon Crawford.”
The women clapped heartily.
“Ladies, this style is emotional, dramatic, and high in contrast,” Gideon explained. “We’re shooting in black and white. I want to see you exude the confidence and glamor of old Hollywood.”
Watching Gideon bark at the woman to raise their chin or find the light brought back flashbacks from when she’d been young and new to the business. Gideon didn’t hold back. He expected the best from his subjects, and he usually got it.
While the women returned to their house, Brooklyn went over the photos with Gideon’s input. She selected the best pictures from each woman and printed them out. Later that evening, when the ladies were standing in the judging room, Jade announced the scores from her class. “You all did a great job, but the winner is Terica.”
Terica gasped and clapped her hands.
The rest of the scores flashed on the screen. Genie cringed when she scored the lowest with seven points.
Next, they went over the contestants’ photos, giving their critiques and their scores. Once each woman had been evaluated, Brooklyn announced the standings. “With the ten points earned at the challenge, added to the scores from the photos, Terica takes the top spot today.” She ran down the other names until it was down to Rose Cooper and Amber Waters. She called them forward.
“You are both beautiful women, and making it this far is an enormous step. The woman with the lowest score and therefore leaving Fontana Island is Amber.”
#
Olathe enjoyed being in the house with the other women, but it would’ve been so much better if Jessie were here. She got along with the others but didn’t click the same way she had with Jessie. They’d bonded instantly.
The first day, Terica and Nari had gotten into a screaming match about sleeping arrangements. It’d been uncomfortable, and Olathe was afraid it would come to blows. She didn’t care where she slept. She’d bunk on the floor if necessary. Olathe was just grateful to be here. She’d voluntarily given up her bed so Nari and Terica were separated. The other women hadn’t even thanked her.
“Don’t let them walk over you,” Carmelina Heinz told her.
“I’m not. I just don’t want to deal with the drama.”
“Still, Nari can be a bulldozer,” Carmelina said. “I don’t think she’s model material.”
Olathe had heard the same thing said about most of the women. Gossip was a favorite pastime. Still, she didn’t feel comfortable critiquing the others. She just kept her mouth shut and let the others speak. She didn’t doubt they talked about her behind her back as well.
Olathe had just settled under the covers when a scream filled the air. She shot out of bed, wondering if someone had hurt herself. She rushed into the kitchen to see Rubi and Genie standing on the counter and Alease perched on a chair.
“What happened?”
“S-snake,” Genie cried, pointing to the floor by the refrigerator.
Olathe spotted the coppery, reddish-brown reptile with a triangle-shaped head larger in proportion to its narrower neck, marking it as a copperhead. She didn’t think they were native to southern Florida. She’d dealt with snakes many times on the reservation in Arizona. While she didn’t love them, she wasn’t necessarily afraid of them, either. She glanced around for something to use and spotted a small metal trash can. Perfect. Grabbing it, she dumped the contents on the floor and then made her way closer.
“Olathe, no,” Genie cried. “It’l
l bite you.”
“I won’t get too close.” She eased forward, and when she was within striking distance, she dropped the can over the snake. “Can someone find something to put on top of this to weigh it down, please?”
Alease scrambled for a crockpot on the counter and handed it to her. She placed it on top to anchor the can in place so the snake couldn’t escape.
“I’ve called security,” Leah, one of the camera operators, announced.
“Ladies, head to your rooms while we handle this,” Mitch, the producer in charge of filming at the house, instructed.
Genie ran up to Olathe as she left the kitchen and hugged her. “You were so brave,” she praised.
“Yeah, I can’t believe how cool you were,” Rubi said. “I was about to pee my pants, and you calmly handled the situation like it was no big deal.”
#
Brooklyn cuddled in Gage’s arms as the hammock gently swayed with the breeze. His intoxicating scent, along with the gentle crash of the waves, lulled her into a state of utter contentment. When her phone buzzed, she seriously considered ignoring it to enjoy the time with the man of her dreams, but she couldn’t neglect her duties.
She checked the screen and sighed. “Hey, Stella.”
“Brooklyn, they just found a gigantic snake in the contestant house.”
Brooklyn shot up, dislodging Gage’s arm from around her. “There aren’t any snakes on the island.”
“I don’t think this one was from around here. It’s a copperhead.”
Brooklyn shuddered. She hated snakes. “Aren’t they poisonous?”
“I don’t know,” Stella admitted.
“Did it bite anyone?”
“No.”
“We’re on the way.”
Gage followed her as she rolled out of the hammock. “They found a copperhead at the contestant house.”
“They aren’t native to southern Florida,” he said, reiterating Stella’s comment as he slipped on his shoes.
A sense of unease washed over her. Was it another attempt to sabotage the show?
They drove to the house and entered to see security guards Ron and Travis corralling it into a burlap bag. “We need to search the entire house to make sure there aren’t any others,” she insisted. Where there was one, there might be several. She shuddered again.
“Already on it,” Travis assured her.
“What are you going to do with it?” Brooklyn asked.
“We’ll take it to Miami and have animal control deal with it.”
Good. She didn’t want it released on the island.
“I need to speak with the women,” she told Gage as she headed upstairs. They were all in one room, talking animatedly. They all jumped up when she walked in.
“How are you doing?” she asked them.
“Shaky,” Genie admitted.
“Freaked,” Alease added.
“We’ve got people searching the house to make sure there aren’t any others.”
“We’ll be okay with Olathe around,” Rubi announced. “Olathe Lovett, snake slayer.”
When Brooklyn raised her brows in question, Rubi explained how Olathe was the one to trap the snake.
Olathe waved off the praise. “I come from an area with rattlers, so you learn to deal with them at a young age.”
Brooklyn made sure the women were all okay before she left.
Gage was waiting for her when she came down the steps. She couldn’t help but search the floor for any of the disgusting creatures. Once they were in the golf cart, she turned to him. “The snake didn’t just show up.”
He nodded slowly. “Someone planted it there.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Once the competition began, the days flew by. After the incident with the snake the previous evening, Brooklyn was afraid the women would be skittish, but they were all in good spirits when they arrived at the amphitheater.
The security team scoured the house, finding no other slimy, slithering reptiles. They assured the women it was an anomaly that one found its way inside. In reality, Brooklyn was afraid it had been planted there.
Forcing images of the serpent from her head, she studied the group and waited for Clark to give her the cue to begin.
“Good morning, ladies. One issue you’ll have to deal with when you become a model is the media and paparazzi. Sometimes you’ll be tired, and the last thing you want to do is give an interview, but you always want to be professional and polished. If you are unpleasant or standoffish, that clip will haunt you. Also, you might land a job as a television correspondent, and you’ll need to learn how to conduct a good interview. Our guest has experience on both sides of the microphone, and I can’t wait to introduce her to you. She’s as close to royalty as it gets in the United States. Please welcome the granddaughter of the president of the United States, Harlow Duquesne Oldham.”
Harlow walked out with a smile as the women cheered and waved their arms.
“Hello, everyone. I’m excited to be here today. With both sides of my family involved in politics, we’ve been in the spotlight for as long as I can remember. I’ve grown up with media scrutiny—especially when your grandmother is the president. I learned the art of a good interview at an early age so I wouldn’t embarrass my family. I’ve also stood on the other side and asked questions. I’m going to provide you with pointers on how to give a polished interview, as well as how to conduct one.”
She outlined different scenarios and then put the women through mock interviews, asking tough questions. Several fumbled their responses, and a couple cursed when they couldn’t come up with an answer. Harlow cautioned them to watch their language when the cameras were rolling, or else that would be the part of the interview that was remembered. She critiqued each performance, praising things they did right and advising them where they needed to improve.
Once everyone had a go, Harlow flipped the tables and had the women interview her. Again, she critiqued their execution and techniques.
“That was wonderful, and I hope you listened and learned,” Brooklyn said once Harlow finished. “We’ll take pictures after lunch, and today, ladies, you’re going to be mermaids.”
The women twittered in excitement.
“We’re going to slide you under a table filled with water so it will look like you’re actually under the sea.”
#
After lunch with Gage, Brooklyn headed to the conference center to check on the preparations for the shoot. Jae Choi, one of the makeup artists, came rushing to her.
“Brooklyn, have you seen Linc?”
“Not since yesterday.” Jae had done her makeup this morning.
“I can’t find him, and his phone goes directly to voicemail.”
“Maybe he overslept and he’s still at the hotel.”
Jae shook her head. “We rode over together on the boat this morning.”
Brooklyn checked her watch. “The women should be headed to makeup now. You take charge, and I’ll look for Linc.”
“Okay.”
Gage noticed her expression and pushed away from the wall. “Is something wrong?”
“Linc is missing. He came over this morning, but no one has seen him in hours, and they can’t reach him by phone.”
“Maybe he went back to Miami,” Gage suggested. “Let’s check with security.”
They took the golf cart to the booth at the top of the pier. One of the guards came out to meet them. “Has anyone requested a ride back to Miami?” Brooklyn asked.
“No, not yet today.”
“Can I look at the logbook?” she asked.
“Sure.” He reached inside and handed it to her. As Jae said, Linc had signed in this morning, but he hadn’t signed out. She handed it back and thanked him.
“I need to check on the shoot, but I think we should look for him.”
“You go. I’ll get my coworkers and security to search the island.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Sh
e kissed him and then took off, unease making her stomach queasy. They’d already lost Shoshana and Jessie. She was beginning to think there was a legitimate curse on the show.
#
Gage sent a group text to his coworkers, and soon they met him at the dock. He’d also contacted Travis Cross, head of the network security team. Once they all gathered, he explained the situation.
“If he didn’t go back to Miami, he has to be somewhere on the island,” Logan surmised.
“This is your op,” Luke said. “We’ll follow your game plan.”
Gage took out a map and placed it on a picnic table. “Let’s search in groups of two. Sawyer and Mason, you explore this section.” He pointed to the area around the bungalows. “Luke and Logan, you take this part.” He indicated to the gardens. “Noah and I will cover this segment.” It included the conference center where Linc had been spotted last.
“I’ll coordinate with the island security team, and we’ll search both the model house and the main building,” Travis said. “He could be anywhere.”
They split up and combed for clues. Noah drove the golf cart while Gage kept an eye out for any sign of the makeup artist. Linc was flashy and flamboyant, and he’d yet to see him in neutral-colored clothes, so he should be easy to spot.
The conference center was buzzing with activity when they arrived. Bypassing the busy first floor, they headed upstairs to the redesigned space that served as the judging suite. They searched the waiting area and bathrooms before moving to the main room. Finding nothing, they took the elevator to the hurricane shelter on the bottom level. Brooklyn told him where to find the key to the heavy-duty, watertight steel barrier to keep floodwaters out. He located it quickly and slid it into the lock.
There were rows and rows of cots where one end lifted up to also serve as a lounge chair. Each was outfitted with a blanket and pillow. Shelves lined an entire wall and held supplies, including water, canned goods, and other necessities. They didn’t find Linc. The bathrooms were clear, too.
They decided to scour the grounds and wait until the women had finished with wardrobe and makeup before clearing the bottom floor. They hiked on foot but found no sign of Linc. By the time they blanketed their designated area, the women had departed for the shoot. He and Noah returned to the conference center and spoke with people inside the various rooms. No one admitted to seeing Linc in hours.
Dressed to Kill (COBRA Securities Book 22) Page 21
