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“The drag king,” Elijah continued. “But… well, maybe… I’ve never seen her wear red lipstick, not when she’s in drag or out. Her signature color is black. She’s always worn a black lip.”
“That’s a solid observation. I think it raises a huge red flag.” I turned to Cindy, who seemed to be intently listening to our conversation. “I’m going to need this screen printed, thank you.”
I didn’t give her a chance to shoot me down. This wasn’t a case-cracking find, but it put me back on track, and that’s what mattered most. It gave me reason to go have a chat with Kimmy and figure out why her lipstick ended up being used for a threatening mirror message.
“And you’re sure you don’t recognize any other name?” I asked Elijah. I’d still look into everyone on the list, but having a sharp focal point certainly helped.
“No one… I mean, I know Susie and Judy. They’re both teachers at the high school, and I just can’t ever believe either of them would be involved. They don’t have any connections to me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them at my shows.”
“But you’ve definitely seen Kimmy.”
Elijah scoffed and nodded. “Hell, she took my spot in the show. I’ve seen her around for sure.” His face scrunched up, and I could see a cloud of doubt casting a shadow in his eyes.
“What?” I asked, wanting to hear everything Elijah thought. Not just now—always.
“It’s just so weird. The stalker showed up pretty much from the start of my drag career, years ago now. She only moved into town a few months ago. I mean, I’ve got a big head and think I’m the next drag-motherfucking-superstar, but I’m also not unhinged, and I doubt someone who lived all the way in Seattle even knew my first name, much less ended up as my stalker.”
I nodded, understanding his point but seeing a counter. “The internet changes things. She could have been scrolling through a hashtag one night from across the country and found you. Hell, she could have even moved here to be near you. And you said all the initial messages were digital, right? Dollworshipper?”
“True,” Elijah said. Cindy chose that moment to loudly clear her throat, drawing my attention to the paper in her hand.
“Is that all? Are you guys going to buy anything? We’ve got a two-for-one on beauty blenders and concealers.”
“I’m actually taking all my business to Amazon, thanks.” Elijah gave a big old shoulder full of sass as he turned around on his heel and walked out of the store. I decided to play good cop and thanked Cindy for her help. Lars had finally spotted the struggling customer and dragged his feet to go figure out what she needed.
Outside, Elijah waited for me, leaned up against a light post. The summer heat still wasn’t as oppressive as it would be once the day went on. “That went well,” he said. “Maybe we should be permanent sidekicks.”
“Maybe,” I said, wondering if Elijah was talking about being sidekicks in just investigating or in life. I honestly wouldn’t have minded either. “I think we’ve got a solid trail here.”
“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Elijah asked, kicking off the post.
“Working on this.” I tapped the paper in my hand. “I want to see if Mr. Reggis Fillme is available for a talk. I want to get to the bottom of this lipstick situation.”
“Work,” he said, snapping a finger in the air.
“You?”
“I have to work,” he repeated with a little more flair, snapping a finger again but this time with fake tears. “I’ll see you after my shift is done?”
I nodded, unable to tamp down my smile. “Of course. Want me to pick you up?”
“Nah, I’m okay. I think Billie’s going to pick me up—he wants to show me a new wig he styled.” Elijah’s smile matched mine. He tilted up on his tiptoes and met my lips with his, grin against grin. I instinctively grabbed his hips and tugged him closer, not caring that we were on the sidewalk of a busy street.
“Oh,” I said. “I told my dad I wanted to bring you around the farm this weekend. That all right with you?”
“Of course,” he answered without hesitation.
“Okay, good. Good.”
And we parted ways, my lips still tingling with Elijah’s kiss and my adrenaline spiking with the rush of the case. I was going to solve this. I was going to be the one who saved Elijah.
22
Elijah King
Working at a supermarket was as glamorous as it sounded. We had uniforms that looked purposefully made to make us as unattractive as possible, with hours that stretched way past the point they should and customers that were hangry most of the time, made worse by the overwhelming selection of processed foods that surrounded them. The only saving grace of the job was the people I worked with (some of them, at least). I loved my manager, Mike, another local drag queen, who’d moved here from New Zealand. He was a chill guy who liked to constantly drop silly jokes and approve time off almost instantly, making him one of the best managers I’d ever worked with.
