If they really wanted to get to know a contestant, beauty pageants should never ask questions about world peace or how to solve the world hunger problem. Instead, Rowena thought they should ask, "What did you do the last time you saw a homeless person?" She glanced at Carmen, who was talking into a purple karaoke microphone while standing on a makeshift stage of stacked wooden crates.

"Have you ever sent unsolicited nude pictures?" That would be a brilliant question.

Jeremiah, Rowena's friend who was an escort she met in the county lock-up for prostitution, scooted closer to her, wearing an annoyed expression.

"Jeremiah," Rowena whispered. "It's always fun to have you around, but you realize I was joking when I said you could be my beauty pageant adviser. This is not a real beauty pageant that's going to be televised." She lifted her arms and gestured around her. "We're having a pageant rehearsal in the store's loading bay."

Not to be deterred, Jeremiah shook his head. "Rowena, I watched you put neck cream under your eyes. You need me. Besides, I won several beauty pageants when I was younger. I'm here to navigate you through the cutthroat world of pageantry."

"You told me you were six when you won those pageants," Rowena reminded him. "How cutthroat could it have been?"

"Once, I entered my dressing room to find my Care Bear with its head cut off, drowning in a pool of ketchup."

Rowena's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. It was my favorite doll." Jeremiah's eyes narrowed on Sylvia Finch, the new assistant manager, and Rolando, who were both asking Carmen questions about the rise in unemployment. Liam was standing next to them, his arms crossed, his eyes closed, and his head facing the ground.

"Did you find out who did it?" Rowena asked, grateful she didn't have any children.

Jeremiah gave a single nod. "It was my mother."

Rowena stared at him for a beat, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"She wanted me to know how cutthroat the pageant world was."

"Okay," Rowena said, stretching out the last syllable. "Just promise not to leave any of my belongings in a puddle of ketchup. Except for French fries. Those can always swim in ketchup."

"You need to take this seriously, Rowena."

Her shoulders drooped, and they both turned back to Carmen at the same time. Jeremiah's jaw tightened. "Your cousin brought her own microphone. I told you to wear your alternate ballgown to practice. That way, she knows we mean business. It's an intimidation tactic."

Rowena raised a finger in the air. "One, I don't own a ballgown much less an alternate ballgown." A second finger joined the first. "Two, if I wanted to intimidate Carmen, I'd slash her tires and leave pictures of all her ex-husbands in the backseat with a pair of her dirty underwear."

A crease formed between Jeremiah's brows. "Gross. You've thought about this, haven't you?"

"She'd be confused," Rowena shared. "Then paranoid. She'd probably think it was me at first, but I would also include the picture of husband number one. He was a random man she drunk-married in Vegas when she was nineteen. Our abuela convinced her to get an annulment. Carmen doesn't know I know about him."

"And the dirty underwear?" Jeremiah asked, grimacing.

Rowena gave a diabolical chuckle. "Just to mess with her. Why would someone steal her underwear and throw it in her backseat with pictures of her ex-husbands?"

"You're secretly evil, aren't you?" Jeremiah asked.

She winked at him. "It's no secret."

Before he could respond, someone called out to Rowena. Her brows lifted, and she turned to see Gina striding her way. She was wearing green leggings and a tight black top to match her stilettos. Gina ignored the women who stopped conversing to stare at her.

Rowena pulled the older woman into a hug. "Are you okay?"

Gina returned the hug and nodded into Rowena's neck. "Mikey said you stopped by. Thank you for checking on me. Things have been hectic. I thought about dropping out of the pageant, but Mikey convinced me I would look guilty if I did."

"You found a dead body," Rowena reminded her. "That would traumatize anyone. No one would blame or suspect you if you dropped out of the pageant."

Gina gave Rowena one more squeeze before releasing her. "Thank you. That means a lot."

A few of the men working in the loading bay whistled and catcalled the women. Carmen giggled into her microphone. Rowena rolled her eyes. "I hope they're ready for her nudie subscription."

Jeremiah frowned. "Her what?"

"I'll share later." She turned to Gina. "How are things going with the investigation?"

Gina shrugged. "I'm not too sure. Selig, my lawyer, is keeping me posted. He said they can't pin anything on me without a murder weapon. Since I didn't kill Karen, I should be okay." She glared at the group of women who were staring at her. "I swear they already think I'm guilty of Karen's murder."

"She drowned in a toilet," Rowena muttered. "There won't be a murder weapon."

"I didn't like Karen, but I didn't wish her dead," Gina said. "She was just always calling Mikey. It annoyed me. He annoyed me for taking her calls."

"Do you want me to slash his tires?" Rowena offered. Jeremiah nodded.

Gina laughed. "No. Everything is fine between Mikey and me."

Rowena bit her bottom lip at her friend's words. She knew Mikey thought Gina was guilty of murder. How could things be fine between them if there wasn't trust?

"For all anyone knows," Jeremiah said, "Someone killed Karen because she works at Sweeter Homes. Either of you could be next."

"Not me. My boyfriend hired a bodyguard for me," Rowena said, pointing at a sleeping Liam. A cramp tightened her stomach, and she grunted, clutching her abdomen.

"Are you okay?" Jeremiah asked.

She shook her head. "My stomach has been hurting lately. I think I ate some expired peanuts."

"Peanuts expire?" Jeremiah looked around the loading bay. "Don't eat or drink anything anyone gives you. For all you know, someone could try to poison the competition. Promise me!"

"I promise," Rowena said in an annoyed tone.

Jeremiah nodded and then grinned. "And did you say, boyfriend? Did you and Cross finally decide to make it official?"

Rowena shared her happy news.

"That's great!" Gina exclaimed.

"I don't know," Rowena said, tugging at her braid of hair. "His mother hates me and his ex-girlfriend is still loitering in my happily ever after like a bee at a picnic."

"Why doesn't she like you?" Jeremiah asked. "Because of your criminal history?"

"Because your clothes never match and you have man hands?" Gina asked.

"I do not have man hands!"

"Then what is it?" Jeremiah asked.

Rowena shrugged. "She doesn't think I'm good enough for him. To be fair, my family doesn't think I'm good enough for him either. Carmen thought I paid him to be my date the first time they met him."

Jeremiah rolled his eyes. "Really? Carmen paid me to take her to that illegal dog race. She has no room to throw stones."

Warner called out to Rowena from the docking bay's entrance before looking back and waving someone in. Rowena's mouth dropped open. Walking behind Warner in short, efficient steps was Winona Howler, her face pinched in an expression of disgust.

"Ms. Howler, you shouldn't be here," Liam's voice reached from across the bay.

Winona ignored him and turned to Warner. "Thank you for your help, young man."

Warner blushed at the young Elizabeth Taylor lookalike. "It was no problem. If you need anything else at all, please let me know."

"Please don't tell me she's in the beauty pageant," Jeremiah whispered.

Rowena turned to him. "Why?"

Jeremiah pointed at Winona. "She'll win. No contest. Game over."

"Thank you," Winona graced Rowena's friend with a smile. "You clearly have some taste, even though you're associating with her." She nodded in Rowena's direction.

"Rude," Rowena muttered.

"Who are you?" Gina asked, stepping up to Rowena's side. "A bill collector?"

"I don't owe anyone any money," Rowena protested.

Gina raised an eyebrow at her words. Rowena sighed. "Fine, but bill collectors don't come to your place of work. They just harass you and your family on the phone."

Gina's eyes narrowed on Winona. "Are you someone trying to serve Rowena a warrant?"

Winona's head jerked back as if Gina's words were a hot cup of coffee. "As if I'd have a job serving warrants."

"She's my boyfriend's mother," Rowena shared. "And since she's here at my place of work, I'll say she's also my new stalker."

Liam stepped in front of Rowena. "Cross asked me to guard Rowena against any threats. After the way you hurt her, that includes you."

"Your boyfriend's mother hurt you?" Carmen asked, popping up beside Liam. Her wide eyes stared at Winona. "Tell me how you pulled that off. Rowena's overweight, but she's still fast in a fight."

"I am not overweight!"

Carmen pulled out her phone, and her fingers danced across the screen. "I'm telling everyone in the Flores family chat."

"There's a family chat?" Rowena asked. "Why wasn't I included? I'm a Flores too!"

Carmen smirked before turning away.

"Can we talk in private?" Winona asked in a way that made her question sound more like a demand.

Rowena let out a frustrated grunt. "Fine, but Liam's going to stay close and he's texting Cross that you're here."

The two walked outside the loading bay and into the parking lot. The nearby traffic buzzed in Rowena's ears, reminding her she needed to pick up some dinner before heading home. Cross said he was stopping by.

Winona scowled at her. "First, I want to know what you did to Angelina."

"Angelina? You mean the woman who pretended to be dating Cross? The same woman who got a job here at Sweeter Homes? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Angelina said you cursed her," Winona spat. "Imagine her surprise when she woke up with warts all over her body and thinning hair. She does not look like her usual self. She had to call in sick today and your manager fired her for calling in the day after they hired her!"

"Yeah, Rolando hates it when people call in. I hexed her looks to match her personality," Rowena admitted. "If she wants to look better, she needs to be nicer."

Winona's mouth fell agape. "You did what?"

"You heard me. I may seem weak, but I'm not."

"Something must be wrong with your hexing skills. Angelina is a sweetheart. If anything, her looks should have become more pronounced if what you said is true."

Rowena rolled her eyes. "Is that why you came here? To defend the crazy woman who won't let go of your son?"

"No," Winona snarled. "I'm also here to warn you to stay away from the fairies."

Rowena debated whether to play ignorant. How did Winona know she and Cross were planning to meet with them?

"I smell a rat," she mumbled.

Winona screeched, looking at the ground and jumping from one foot to another. "There are rats here?"

This was supposed to be a werewolf shifter? Rowena had to admit it was disappointing. None of the shifters in the books she read were afraid of rats.

"No offense, Winona, but why should I listen to you?" Rowena leaned against the building's brick wall; her arms crossed at her chest.

Winona gave a huff of indignation. "There are things a human like you simply wouldn't understand. The Paranormal United Nations has always had a contentious understanding that all magical beings would keep their existence a secret."

"They're not all under some kind of compulsion?"

"Only wolf shifters have that in place. Other beings have their own methods for keeping their anonymity."

"Why are you telling me this?" Rowena asked.

"Because going to fairy territory with my son in tow is dangerous. That group is unpredictable and they're currently in the middle of a big war about whether to make their existence known. I don't want Cross involved."

"Then why don't you tell him this?" Rowena asked. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because he considers you his mate," Winona growled. "He said you were soulmates. He's also not talking to me until I publicly apologize to you for physically harming you with my shifter strength."

Rowena chuckled. "I hate to cause strife between a son and mother, but it's nice to know Cross isn't a mama's boy. Have you ever dated one of those before? I did. He dragged his mother with us everywhere. I drew the line at Victoria's Secret."

Winona's mouth curled in disfavor. "You are such a tramp."

"I didn't sleep with him," Rowena denied.

"Rowena!" Donnie Valdez, Clarkton's newest homicide detective, shouted her name and raised his hand in the air as he exited his vehicle.

"Did someone give me ojo, or what? What is with everyone and their mother coming to see me today?"

"What's ojo?" Winona asked.

"It's slang for evil eye," Rowena answered before turning to Donnie. "I don't know where Lorena is, if that's why you're here."

"I'm not here because of your cousin, Rowena," Donnie answered. "I'm looking for your friend, Gina Perpulnerpaul."

"Donnie, don't you have anyone else to harass about Karen's murder? Gina's innocent. All our co-workers are staring at her like she's Ted Bundy's reincarnation."

"Now isn't the time to make jokes, Rowena."

"I'm not making jokes. I'm serious. If you need to talk to her, do it at her home. Don't come to her place of work, Donnie."

Two police cars pulled into the parking lot. Rowena's forehead creased in confusion. "What's going on, Donnie?"

He stepped closer, ignoring Winona, and lowered his voice. "We got a search warrant for Gina's house. Between you and me, it doesn't look good for your friend."

"What? I thought Karen died because someone drowned her in a toilet. Wouldn't the only murder weapon be the toilet?"

"The autopsy showed Karen had Propofol in her system when she died," Donnie whispered.

"Someone drugged Karen?"

Donnie nodded. "We found syringes and a bottle of Propofol in Gina's home, Rowena. This isn't a social call. We're here to arrest her."