Hazards on the Hardwood (Hazards and Hijinks) (20 page)

36

Willie wrote Sophie and told her that he was sorry for all his ill doings and hoped that she would, at some point, forgive him. He was a changed man; living for God and holding down a full time job. He wanted to eventually have visitation rights with Zoe, supervised at first, but time would tell if this was an option at all.

Sophie was able to forgive him but knew their relationship was over. There were so many side issues; gangster ties, gambling and other dynamics from the past that still bothered her and made her feel uncomfortable. She had thought about taking Zoe out to see him in a few months; nothing else, just a visit. She would be going to the competition with Raul and didn’t want to upset that opportunity. Willie and Sophie had divorced and she needed to forgive, forget and move on. Raul had been a perfect gentleman to her and loved playing with Zoe. He seemed to be a natural with children. Something, Sasha never saw. Stranger things had happened.

Willie visited a local lawyer and they drew up legal papers that would, if Sophie was agreeable, allow limited visitation with Zoe whenever he was able to travel into New York City.

He doubted that he would have that opportunity very often, but he held hope in his heart that at some point he would be able to see his daughter again.

Sophie had received the visitation papers and gladly signed them. She didn’t want to deprive Willie from the opportunity to visit his daughter. She also agreed to send frequent updates to Willie; school pictures, milestones that Zoe reached, hobbies and friends, as well as any illness issues. In other words, Willie would be able to be part of Zoe’s life; even if only by long distance. It made Willie feel like progress had been made; his heart full of more hope than in the past.

* * * *

The mysterious man that wanted to warn Taffy, Sasha and Sophie decided to meet them at a local restaurant, in the daylight, in front of many witnesses. No more dark corners; that was spy stuff! It turned out that the “mystery man” was none other than Fallon Middleton.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Fallon said in a pleasant voice. “I hope I haven’t scared you too much with my “cloak and dagger” routine. It’s just that I had to stay behind the scenes, knowing that Willie was being tailed by the police and the guys that Willie was mixed up with were seasoned criminals. I would have been caught up in the middle of it all and that would not help you and your situation.”

“We’re glad you came out of hiding and decided to talk to us in the open. It is easier to trust someone with a common bond, such as good friends or in this case, people within our dancing circle,” Sasha explained.

Fallon relayed the events that had led him to Sasha and Sophie’s situation. He had gotten wind of the plot through his association with Sparky Haversham and her brother, Landon Mills.

Landon had told Fallon about all that Willie O’Brien had plotted, not knowing that Willie had moved on, changed his lifestyle and reformed. The gangster element had other lucrative options in Vegas and disappeared from the scene altogether.

After everything was explained, Fallon paid for the ladies’ food and drinks and told them he would be in touch later.

Sasha was relieved that things were getting straightened out. She hoped that the dance competition would go off without a hitch. If only!

37

It was February and time for the Lakeside Dance Competition. All the ladies and gents were eager to win the trophy and the twenty-five thousand dollars wasn’t a bad deal, either.

Gowns purchased and fitted, shoes broken in, new hairdos and haircuts adorned the dancers, tuxedos tailored and pressed; it was all coming together. Who would win? Edward thought he had it in the bag…ha ha, the garment bag!

The days leading up to the competition were full of practices day and night, stepped on toes, ankle strains, bruises here and there, expletives sometimes joined the fray. Everyone was nervous and wanted to do their very best!

The pairing off of the dancers had changed significantly since all the cloak and dagger stuff had taken place; Sophie and Raul were now together, as well as, Taffy and Nicholas, Sasha and Landon, Francois and Caroline. They were eagerly looking forward to this elegant and exciting event. They had all worked very hard to get here.

Sparky shook as she thought about what Edward was doing.  She hadn’t been able to talk him out of anything.  Of course, Edward hadn’t let her know all that he was plotting.

The more she thought about everything it became nerve-racking. Hoping to get through it without  her prescribed tranquilizers, she sipped a calming cup of chamomile tea and for the first time in a long time, she said a prayer. God? She didn’t even really believe in God, but knew that this distance between her and the Almighty was on her side, not His! He was always there…waiting to hear from His children.

Time would tell if Sparky could actually let Edward’s fate fall to the law and see what would take place in her life, as well. She was hesitant to let it play out, but realized it was necessary in order to catch Edward breaking the law.

* * * *

Clarkson Daly was gearing up for his next competition emcee job at the Lakeside Dance Competition. Getting his old tuxedo out of mothballs, he headed to the dry cleaner down the street.

“Hum I wonder what kind of mishaps and adventures will happen this year?” He thought with a slight inner smile.

After dropping off his tuxedo he stopped by Starbucks to get a latte before heading back to practice his script for the competition.

He walked in and there stood Taffy behind the counter. “Hey, Clarkson! Good to see you!” Taffy yelled.

Clarkson always had a soft spot in his heart for Taffy. She never slacked off when it came to holding down a job or two. He had once thought about asking her out on a date, but then thought better of it since Francois was in the picture.

“I wonder what in the world Taffy sees in that peacock,” Clarkson mutter to himself as he walked out of Starbucks with his drink in his hand.

When Taffy saw Clarkson, she always had a warm smile for him. She had a great deal of respect for him, knowing that he was a veteran and all around nice guy. He’d been deployed to Iraq and after two tours of duty he returned, found a place to live and finished some classes at the local community college. To earn some extra money, he took up his former hobby of public speaking. His local Toastmaster chapter had some interesting gigs for him. The ballroom dancing world always needed capable emcees for their competitions and he was very talented. He was hired on the spot!

Sometimes, Taffy wondered if things had been different; if she hadn’t been hooked up on the dance circuit with Francois, maybe she and Clarkson could have been an item. Friendship seemed to outweigh a romantic involvement, now that she and Nicholas were a possible match.

“No time to think of what might have been,” Thought Taffy as she took a customer’s money. She had Nicholas in her life and was quite happy with that change taking place. He was a good man and always treated her like a lady. Classy and clergy; quite the combination, she smiled at herself and her romantic nature. Well, if things worked out at the competition with Nicholas, maybe there would be other aspects of their lives that would bloom. “Back to work or it won’t matter,” She snickered quietly.

* * * *

Clarkson focused on the script and went over it several times. The microphones were in place and the cameras were positioned in several strategic spots around the Grand Ballroom. This always gave Clarkson a surge of excitement.

The dancers were preparing for the spectacular competition at the Lakeside Dance Center. The lights were brilliant, colorful and resembled a starlit night.

Huge chandeliers made of the finest Swarovski crystals hung over the well-polished wooden floor, reflecting the elegant décor and beauty of the ballroom.

Waiters dressed in their serving finery dashed from table to table making sure everything was in order. The dinnerware was polished; the servers made sure there wasn’t a spot to be found on the glassware; their uniforms crisp and pressed, waiting to greet the guests with their superb service.

The catered menu had been planned to include gourmet favorites from a couple famous chefs; Anthony Bourdain had agreed to oversee the culinary side, along with Wolfgang Puck…it would prove to be an excellent catered affair.

The judges’ podium was decorated elegantly with roses and crystal. The dinnerware was spotless and the tablecloth was of fine linen. All of it looked as though a president or prime minister was in attendance. These events were always showcased with the utmost care to display elegance, taste and class.

38

As the contestants arrived a dark shadow moved behind the scenes. No one had seen him dash inside the backstage door. After finding the janitor’s maintenance closet, he grabbed an identification badge and a clean uniform, changed into the coveralls and discretely looked before exiting and then walked out as if he belonged there. All he had to do now was move forward with the final steps of his plan and put these people in their proper place…the bottom of the competition. He had researched the facility from top to bottom, knew the layout of the building’s exits and hallways, the security operation and who was stationed where and their shifts. He was out for revenge and would have it!

“They won’t ever get the best of me now,” he said. The first place he went to was the wardrobe area of the Ladies’ dressing room. There were row upon row of dancing accessories hung on steel racks. To the right of the racks were lockers for the dancers’ personal items.

The ladies had stowed their jewels, tiaras, and dancing shoes safely away in their secure lockers. He went down the row of lockers checking first to see if any of the competitors had forgotten their locks. He jiggled the handles and finally found one without a lock. He snickered as he put his plan into action.

First things first, he had to determine whose locker he had opened. He reached inside and luckily found a nametag from a previous competition, “Taffy Torkelson,” read the tag. “Perfect!” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to this for years and now I shall fix these prancing peacocks. They shall earn their just rewards.”

There was a beautiful tiara inside the locker wrapped in plastic. He reached in his black backpack and pulled out a plastic tiara and replaced the real one with it. He snickered. This was only the beginning. There was more to come!

More cars pulled up to the well-lit arena and ladies and gentlemen in their finery, ready to observe the competition, were escorted to the Grand Ballroom. Jewels adorned the ladies and the gentlemen were decked out in their finest tuxes. Everyone looked elegant as they strutted into the main room. As they were shown to their tables and seated, the dancers prepared backstage.

As the ladies rushed to their lockers to get their accessories and head off to makeup area, Taffy absently picked up her tiara and it felt lighter than she remembered. “What in the world? I thought this tiara was heavier.” Upon examination, she realized it was lighter; it was a fake! “Who would do such a thing?” She wondered. Taffy ran to find a member of the security staff and report the theft.

As she ran hurriedly down the hallway toward security someone stuck out their foot and tripped her. Fortunately she landed on the skirt of her gown which cushioned her fall. She stood up and dusted off her dress and looked around to see who had tripped her. The only people that were around were a photographer with a press badge and a man with a janitor’s uniform. When her eyes met the janitor, he backed away quickly before she had time to recognize who he was. There was a hint of familiarity in the way the person walked and his height. It struck her as odd that he didn’t turn back to see if she was alright.

She finally reached the security office to report the theft and to ask the staff if any of the cameras were positioned in the hallways and tell them about her mishap. As she opened door she noticed not only were the chairs empty, coffee cups knocked over and the monitors had gone blank. “What happened here?” She wondered. Where was everyone?

She ran out of the office back into the hallway and no one was around. Where was everyone? Taffy walked back to the women’s dressing room and found all the locker doors were opened and items were scattered around the room. It looked like a tornado had hit the place. She grabbed her phone out of her jeweled clutch and called Nicholas. He was in the parking garage and when he heard her voice, he knew something was terribly wrong.

“Nicholas, someone has been in the ladies dressing room and gone through all the lockers; prying them open and rifling through them. It looks like some of the ladies’ jewels and valuables were stolen; other things scattered and destroyed. Who would ever do such a thing?” Taffy sounded breathless and panicked.

“I will call the local police and get them here immediately. Are you okay, Taffy?” Nicholas was genuinely worried about her. She and her friends had been through so much lately.

Other dancers were entering their dressing areas to find chaos and destruction.

“Taffy what happened here?” Sasha asked.

“I don’t know who did all this, but there was a suspicious man, dressed in a janitor’s uniform here earlier. I think he was the one that tripped me as I made my way to the security office; which, by the way is also trashed.” Taffy was still talking in a panicked voice.

“Oh no, this is terrible. We’ve got to notify the staff right away.” Sasha was angry and trying to keep her composure as she headed out of the dressing room and toward the dance floor.

One of the backstage staff stopped Sasha, after seeing the frazzled expression on her face, “Excuse me, Ma’am, may I help you with something?”

Sasha’s Irish temper was brewing below the surface as she tried to steady herself before answering, “Sir, if you were doing your job correctly the ladies’ dressing room would not have been violated and vandalized”

“I beg your pardon, what are you insinuating? Are you saying I’m not upholding my position?” His voice had a slight tremor to it as he walked off
slightly irritated, to see what she was talking about.

“What a dork!” Sasha exclaimed as she tried to calm herself.

Backstage more pandemonium ensued as the dancers, one-by-one found their lockers ravaged.

“Oh my goodness! What in the world happened in here?” Caroline Smathers was absolutely livid when she saw her locker’s contents spilled out on the floor.

“Raul said that someone broke into the men’s lockers and tore up some of the bibs with our numbers on them. There were about three or four lockers that the contents were completely destroyed.

Sophie shouted, “Someone poured shaving cream in my locker…all my forms are damaged and the sign with my number on it was in Raul’s locker and it is torn to shreds! What will we do if we don’t have our number? They won’t let us out on the dance floor without it!” Sophie had tears welling up in her eyes as she viewed what was left of their tattered number; the paper was unusable.

“Don’t worry Sophie, they have duplicates and they keep very good records. There should be no trouble getting you guys a new one,” said Sasha. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that someone had torn through her personal stuff leaving it in a messy pile.

All of a sudden the place was crawling with Lakeside’s finest; cops in uniform swarmed backstage and some undercover in the Grand Ballroom. It was like something out of a television crime drama.

Things seemed to calm down in the ballroom as guests still filed in being checked by the security staff. Some of the attendants were extremely agitated at the nerve of being questioned at such a well-known and social event.

The culprit snickered once again, thinking he’d only started with his revenge. “More to follow you losers,” He said to himself as he went back into the janitor’s closet. He looked down the hallway first to make sure it was all clear and headed into the small space stealth-like. He changed back into his regular clothing and again, opened the door quietly and glancing down the hallway, judging that it was again safe to exit, he went out the door and down the hallway to the men’s dressing room. He wasn’t noticed much as he walked in and found a row to himself. His locker had several incriminating items stowed there. He had to be fast if he was going to accomplish the other tasks of sabotage. The impact of his escapade would be felt long after this competition by many on the roster of dancers.

As he sat on a bench near his locker he heard footsteps; looking up to see if anyone was coming his way, he took a deep breath. Luckily for him, not one soul came down his row. He’d dodged another bullet.

With the police department roaming the hallways, he was not sure how to proceed with his next item on his list.

He grabbed his cell phone and called his assistant. The co-conspirator was dressed as a waiter and darting around hectically pouring water and coffee to the arriving guests. He had his phone on vibrate and felt it in his jacket pocket.

“Mimms here,” He said quietly.

“Mimms, it’s time to go to work,” His boss said whispering into the phone.

“Right sir, I’m on it.” Mimms looked around to see if anyone was looking as he fumbled with a vial in his jacket. Looking at the place cards, reading the names of the judges, he was ready to fulfill his duty and collect the money promised.

The bottle opened easily and he poured a couple of drops of the contents into several of the goblets on the judges’ dais. He went about it undetected. A slight feeling of regret hit him as he moved toward another place setting on the judges’ table. Everything seemed to be working according to plan, he smiled at himself. Hopefully his boss would recognize his “talent” and reward him with a special bonus above that which he was already contracted to receive after the job was completed and the desired results achieved.

Mimms moved silently with a blank expression on his face. No one would ever suspect him of anything but that of being a great waiter.

More guests strolled into the ballroom, looking elegant and appearing refined and poised. It seemed as though it were some kind of royal event instead of a dance competition.

Rumor had it that there might be some celebrities in attendance; adding to the atmosphere of glitter and glamour.

Mimms was yet undetected as he “slithered” toward the last place setting on the list. The judges’ dais was not occupied as yet so Mimms was free to continue his “dirty work.” He had received a list from his boss and several of the judges on the panel were on it. They had refused to cooperate with him, so they were “going down.”

The orchestra members started filing in; dressed in their tuxedos with the proper demeanor. As they seated themselves, each greeted their friends quietly; smiling and setting up their stands with the night’s music.

One by one they started tuning up their instruments. The atmosphere became electric with the crowd chatting among themselves as they were seated. Their waiters poured their beverages and whisked away quickly.

The guests were not aware of the mayhem that was going on backstage or the fact that a mysterious person was sabotaging the proceedings in hopes of gaining the coveted title, cash and trophy.

A tip-off to the local police had been called in and the villain was not aware that Inspector Morris had gone undercover among the finely dressed guests. His tuxedo was rented and he had to take good care of it or any mishaps would be docked from his pay.

He scanned the room trying not to be too obvious; not seeing anything suspicious, he introduced himself to others at the table as Mr. Callahan, a real estate broker from Long Island. The ladies at the table appeared to be impressed with his introduction and smiled and chattered quietly.

* * * *

Backstage the scene was still somewhat chaotic and strained. Nerves were frayed and ladies were trying to relax. The gentlemen appeared reserved, strong and showed no conflict at all; at least on the surface.

Sparky arrived late but was already dressed. She looked around and didn’t see Edward. They were to meet as soon as he arrived. He texted her and said he had some last minute details to attend to and she was concerned of what those “details” might be.

Her turquoise gown was exquisite. She always looked elegant at these events. Her money ensured that people would serve her to her liking and she was always a cut above her competition in the appearance department. She hoped that Edward would join her soon and quit his funny business.