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“Oh, sweet moon, you’re even more gorgeous in person,” one of them gushed. She had a hot pink wig and a leopard print jumpsuit. We were almost twinning.
“I know! Aren’t I? You’re gorgeous, too. But these signs are breaking my heart. What did we do to upset everyone?”
“You might know there have been some love connections in the crowd between people who came here to see if the Hudaknocker was real,” a queen with a platinum bob and the sparkliest outfit I’d ever seen said. “But last night, they all broke up. All of them.”
I gasped. “No.”
“That’s what we said. And you know, Suzanne’s been out here, trying to get the scoop.” The queen rolled her eyes. I already appreciated her fashion sense, but now we were bonding. “She insists that the Hudaknocker is to blame.”
I took a step closer to the fence. “Were you here last night?”
“Girl, this town is tiny. Where else would I go?”
“You’d be surprised. It has several hot spots. First, I suggest you check out Dolls and Dames night at The Orchid Lounge. I don’t host anymore, but I think you’ll find it to your liking. But before you go anywhere, I need to know—was Suzanne here last night?”
“Of course she was, but she left much earlier than usual, and in a hurry.”
I knew the queens wouldn’t let me down. “Can I have your email addresses? You ladies are so gorgeous. I need to let the world see you.”
The queens were prepared, and each one handed me their card. I’d figure out some way to get them seen, but the most important thing was I had their contact information. I sauntered back over to Bjorn and Hugo.
“Mission accomplished, boys. Let’s go inside.”
“Did they see anything?” Hugo asked.
“Not exactly, but I might have expanded the security team in the most fabulous manner. The girls will have eyes on the crowd at all times, and they won’t let me down.” I gasped. That did not come out the way I wanted it to. “I didn’t mean it like that. You’re doing an amazing job.”
The receptionist brightened when she saw us walk in. “I’m so glad you’re here. It’s been crazy today.”
“Tell me about it.” There was a visitor log on the desk. We didn’t have many—they were usually here for contestant interviews or vendors bringing items for makeovers. The log for the day was empty. I flipped back a day. Same deal. “That seems odd. No visitors?”
“The regular appointments are delayed since we put a new production team in place. So our usual suspects haven’t come to visit this episode yet.”
“What’s the usual protocol when a visitor comes?” Bjorn asked.
“They have to show their ID, and whoever’s at the desk records the information,” Hugo explained.
I nodded. “Does anyone ever check the information that’s recorded?”
The receptionist’s lips parted. “How would we do that?”
“If the need arose, we have the technology available. Right now, it’s more of a precaution than anything else,” Hugo said. “Let’s head inside.”
We checked every office and found Tina in one of them. The babies were with her in a portable playpen.
“Boy, am I glad to see you.” I gave her a hug and then bent down to give the boys kisses. “If you need time off, please tell me.”
“It’s cool. I figured it was a quiet day, and it wouldn’t be a big deal if I brought them to work.”
“No, of course it isn’t. I just don’t want you to feel like I’m asking too much.”
“I would tell you.” Tina furrowed her brow. “You seem stressed.”
“The security cameras were tampered with last night. Have you noticed anything out of place?”
She looked around, then shook her head. “Everything is out of place because I’m still unfamiliar with things here. And these two have kept me on my toes.”
Hugo burst into the room. “Where’s the Hudaknocker?”
