(Original air date: September 28, 1977)

 

 “Remember...the pageant rises when the sun sets!”  Ben Pawl called out cheerfully, leaving.

 “Right,” Sabrina laughed.  “Charlie, you’re not serious?”

 “I am, Angel,” Charlie answered.  “If any of those girls had a weak heart someone could have been killed.  One of you will have to go undercover as a contestant.”

 “I can’t,” Kelly answered reluctantly, sliding the left sleeve up on her blouse to show a huge bandage.  “I have to wear this for about six weeks.”

 “What happened?”  Bosley asked in concern.

 “I had a blind date with an octopus last night,” Kelly answered, pulling the sleeve back down gingerly.

 “Was this Mike?”  Sabrina questioned, eyebrows rising in surprise.

 Kelly nodded.  “He didn’t want to take no for an answer right away.”

 “Are you all right, Angel?”  Charlie asked anxiously.

 “I’ll be fine, Charlie,” Kelly replied, grinning slightly.  “As the saying goes, you should see the other fella.”

 “What did you do to him?”  Sabrina asked curiously, cupping her chin in her hands.

 “Actually I took your advice.  Remember a few months ago when you went out with Joe Harrison?”

 “Joe Harrison?”  Bosley asked curiously.

 “Let’s just say that Mike’s going to be spending the next few days at Rampart General,” Kelly finished.  “Maybe I’ll send him some flowers.”

 “Kelly!”  Sabrina exclaimed.

 “Well, Angel, since Kris is on vacation that leaves you,” Charlie decided.

 “Hey, wait a minute, Charlie!”  Sabrina protested sharply.  “Aren’t you going to call her back?”

 “She’s in Bimini,” Bosley reminded her.

 “So?!”  Sabrina demanded, folding her arms across her chest.  “It’s a small island.  She can’t be that hard to find.”

 “Angel, she deserves her vacation after what happened on the last case,” Charlie corrected.

 “Face it, Bri, you’re stuck,” Kelly chuckled.

 “When’s the contest?”  Sabrina sighed in resignation.

 “This Friday,” Charlie answered.

 “Don’t worry,” Kelly reassured her.  “I’ll pick up a few things for you.  I know just what you’ll need.”

 “Why doesn’t that make me feel any better?”  Sabrina muttered.

 “Why don’t you all meet back here in a few hours?”  Charlie suggested.

 “That’s a good idea,” Bosley agreed.  “I should have most of the background checks finished by then and we can discuss our respective covers.”

 “Okay,” Kelly agreed, glancing at her watch.  “Say 3pm?”

 Sabrina nodded.

 

 “Sorry I’m late,” Kelly announced breathlessly, putting her packages down.  “Charlie asked me to pick something up for him and it wasn’t ready on time.”

 “What is all that?”  Bosley inquired curiously.

 “Stuff that Bri’ll need for the pageant,” Kelly announced, smiling.

 Sabrina was behind the bar, pouring them all drinks.

 “What do you think?”  Kelly deadpanned, opening one of the boxes and pulling out a tiny white bikini.

 Sabrina glanced over and stared at it in open-mouthed amazement, almost dropping the glass in her hand.

 “That’s the smallest bathing suit I’ve ever seen,” Bosley stated, stunned.

 “I’m not wearing that,” Sabrina managed to choke breathlessly.  “It’s – it’s – “

 ”Very small,” Bosley repeated in astonishment.

 “It’s two band aids and a handkerchief!”  Sabrina sputtered furiously, advancing towards Bosley.  “And you – “

 ”What did I do?”  Bosley protested defensively, taking a step backwards.

 “You’d better call Charlie and tell him that I’m not doing this,” Sabrina fumed, sparks flying from her eyes.  “He’d better either freelance this job or turn it down because I’m not wearing that.”

 “Bri – “ Kelly tried to interject, trying to keep a straight face.

 “It’s obscene!”  Sabrina continued angrily.  “You know what?  I’ll call him myself.  Give me that phone!”

 “Bri, wait!”  Kelly interrupted hastily.  “It’s a joke.”

 “What?”  Sabrina repeated, staring at her in disbelief.

 “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” Kelly chuckled, putting the bikini away and taking out a black, french cut, one-piece bathing suit with red and blue piping.  “How’s this?”

 “That’s not funny,” Sabrina stated sharply, snatching the suit out of her hands and studying it critically.

 “You should have seen the look on your face,” Bosley chuckled.

 “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Sabrina snapped in an icy voice, giving him a dirty look.  “I’m going to try this on.”  She stalked into the bathroom.

 “I’ve never seen her this upset before,” Bosley observed thoughtfully.

 “If you think she’s not happy now just wait,” Kelly sighed.

 “Whoever heard of wearing high heels with a bathing suit?” Sabrina voice was heard complaining loudly.

 “You’re not going swimming,” Kelly pointed out in an equally loud voice.

 Sabrina came back into the room slowly, tugging the bottom of the bathing suit.  “Is this supposed to be so short?”

 Bosley let out a wolf whistle.

 Sabrina stumbled mid-stride, freezing in place.

 “You look great,” Bosley reassured her.

 “Hey, he’s right,” Kelly said suddenly.  “You need practice in this, too.”

 “What, wolf whistles?!”  Sabrina demanded.

 “Hasn’t anyone ever whistled at you before?”  Bosley asked in surprise.

 “Not very often,” she mumbled, blushing.

 “Are you kidding?” Kelly exclaimed.

 “After my mother died I spent a few years with my dad on different Army posts,” Sabrina explained.

 “I was in the army,” Bosley said.  “All soldiers aren’t exactly gentlemen.”

 “They are when you’re the colonel’s daughter,” Sabrina explained.  “Besides, bikini’s aren’t practical when you’re in Saudi Arabia.  When I was 14 my dad sent me to boarding school in Europe.   After that it was straight into the Police Academy.”

 “And those cadet uniforms didn’t do anything for our figures,” Kelly agreed, remembering those days very well.  “Look, it’s a fact of life that if there’s a lot of men at a beauty contest you’re bound to get some whistling and other comments.”

 Bosley glanced over at her sharply.

 “Present company excluded,” Kelly reassured him hastily.

 “Thank you,” Bosley said archly.

 “You just need one more thing,” Kelly informed her, opening another box that was sitting on the couch and pulling out a long white ribbon with large gold lettering.   She went to put it over Sabrina’s head.

 “What is that?”  Sabrina asked apprehensively, taking a quick step away from her.  “It’s awfully – “

 ”Colorful,” Kelly completed cheerfully.

 “Loud,” Sabrina corrected, eyeing it as if it were a poisonous snake.

 “Just relax,” Kelly adjusted it around her, then readjusted the bathing suit.

 “‘Miss Alabama’?”  Sabrina read, squirming uncomfortably.  “Kelly, I can’t breathe.”

 “You’re not supposed to breathe,” Kelly informed her.  “Go out and come back in again.”

 Sabrina sighed unhappily and walked over to the bar.

 “Ready?”  Bosley called out.

 Sabrina nodded and made her way back into the living room, head held high.

 “Hey, baby, looking good!”  Kelly called loudly in a deep voice.

 Bosley whistled again.

 Sabrina froze again in mid-stride, cringing. “It’s that whistle,” she admitted anxiously.  “It’s like nails on a chalk board.”

 “You can’t freeze on the runway,” Kelly reminded her gently.  “Come on, let’s try it again.”

 After practicing for two hours, Sabrina had managed to suppress her instinctive reaction to Bosley’s whistling and managed to freeze for just a few seconds before being able to continue to walk normally.

 “It’s better,” Kelly remarked judicially.  “At least you don’t freeze completely.  It still needs a little work.”

 “Can we take a break?”  Bosley pleaded.  “My voice’s getting pretty hoarse.”

 “Sure,” Kelly agreed.  “What about our covers?”

 “I thought we could say that we’re with one of the local television stations and we’re going to film the contest.   You could be the camera person and I’d be the director,” Bosley answered.

 Kelly nodded.  It made sense.  “What’d the background checks turn up so far?”

 “I’m still waiting for a few more phone calls but so far everyone checks out fine,” Bosley answered.  “What are you going to do for the talent competition?”

 “Oh, god,” Sabrina groaned, kicking off the heels and massaging her feet.

 “You can’t sing.  Not if you want to win,” Kelly answered thoughtfully.

 “They do other things than just sing,” Sabrina countered in a tight voice, giving her a sharp look.

 “Bri, don’t get mad, but I don’t see you as the baton twirling type.”

 “Dance?”  Bosley suggested.

 “Hmmm...”  Sabrina mused.

 “Well, what is it?”  Kelly probed curiously.

 She shook her head.  “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

 “This is just your way of getting back at me for that bikini earlier,” Kelly accused.

 “That’s right,” Sabrina agreed readily.  “Okay, we have that taken care of.  What’s next?”

 “The question,” Bosley answered.

 “What question?”  Sabrina asked blankly.

 “Haven’t you ever seen a beauty pageant before?”  Kelly demanded.

 “Once,” she admitted shortly.

 “Then you know they ask ‘the question’,” Kelly pressed.  “And every year’s different.”

 “How about this?  If you had one wish what would it be?”  Bosley suggested.

 Sabrina thought for a few seconds and then began in a high-pitched saccharine voice while twirling her hair and pretending to chew gum.  “I’m not sure.  I think I’d like world peace.  Then no one would fight any more, you know?  Either that or else I’d like to be a model.,

 “You will never win with an answer like that,” Bosley chuckled.

 “How about beauty pageants are sexist and demeaning,” Sabrina retorted.

 “They’ll kick you right out of the contest if you say that,” Kelly warned.

 “If I have my way this case’ll be solved long before I have to go on stage,” Sabrina vowed with a shiver.  “I’m going to put some clothes on before I freeze to death.”

 “What about practicing the walk down the runway?”  Kelly reminded her in a sharp voice.

 “I won’t do anyone any good if I catch pneumonia,” Sabrina countered, shivering again.

 “You can always go home like that,” Bosley suggested with a twinkle in his eye.  “Get some practice being seen in public.”

 “There are two things wrong with that,” Sabrina snapped.  “I’d get arrested for indecent exposure and I can’t sit in this.  I’ll be right back.”  She hobbled into the bathroom.

 “You’re a sadist, Bos,” Kelly commented after she’d gone.

 “You’re the one that said she needed practice,” he reminded her.

 Kelly flexed her wrist experimentally and grimaced in pain.  “We still need to pick up an evening gown.”

 “How’s your wrist doing?”

 “Still a little sore.  She has a point, you know.  These contests give you guys the wrong ideas...they make you think we’re back in the stone ages.”

 “No man in this day and age could possibly think that all women should be judged by those standards.”

 “Oh?”  Sabrina asked, coming into the room clad in her sweater and jeans.  “Bill used to think that a woman really only belonged in one of two rooms.”

 “He said no man in this day and age,” Kelly corrected icily.

 “He’s modern,” Sabrina continued.  “He just has some – “

 ”Old fashioned ideas about certain things,” Kelly finished, rolling her eyes, “If you keep saying that enough times you might start to believe it because I don’t.”

 “It’s been a long day,” Bosley interjected, trying to ease the tension a little.  “Why don’t we all go out to dinner?  My treat.”

 “No, thanks,” Sabrina demurred softly.  “I wouldn’t be very good company.  Besides, I still have a lot of work to do if I’m going to be ready by Friday.”

 “You okay?”  Kelly asked.

 “I’m just a little tired, that’s all,” she answered quietly, staring at the floor.

 “Can we bring you back anything?”  Bosley asked.

 “You go and have a good time,” she declined, taking her purse and heading outside.

 “I’ll drop these things off in the morning,” Kelly promised.  “Then we can go shopping for the perfect evening gown.  After that I’ll test you with different questions.”

 “Great,” Sabrina answered morosely and hurried out the door.

 “And you call me a sadist,” Bosley chided.

 “Come on, Bos, she needs all the help she can get.  And do me a favor?  Don’t mention Bill Duncan to me again for the rest of the night.  Otherwise I’ll lose my appetite.”

 “You really don’t like him very much, do you?”

 “I don’t like anyone that hurts one of my friends.”  Kelly picked up her purse with a little more force than necessary.  “I’m ready when you are.”

 Bosley locked up the office and they left.

 

 Sabrina was sitting on the couch in her living room, clad in a pair of pajamas and a bathrobe drawn tightly around her.  She had a cool cloth on her forehead and a blanket draped over her.   Upon hearing the sound of the doorbell she groaned, put the cloth on the table and staggered over to see who was at the front door.

 “Hi,” Bosley greeted cheerfully, bag in hand.  “I brought you some dinner.”  He took in her drawn appearance.  “You all right?”

 “I’ve been better,” she answered softly, standing aside to let him in and then closing the door behind him.

 “You sit down.  I’ll put this in the oven,” he offered sympathetically.  “It’ll be warmed up in no time.”

 “I’m not very hungry,” she sighed, slowly making her way back to the couch and sitting down heavily.

 “How’s your headache?” he questioned, putting the bag on top of the counter and sitting beside her.

 “I’m waiting for the aspirins to kick in,” she sighed, leaning her head against the back of the couch again.  “I think it’s just stress.”

 “I’ve seen you handle cases that were a lot harder than this.”

 “You wouldn’t understand,” she sighed, glancing at him.  “When I was younger I wanted to join the Army...follow in my dad’s footsteps, you know?  But the Army wouldn’t take women.”

 “Yes, they do.”

 “Okay, maybe I should say that women can’t go into combat,” she corrected.  “Anyway, I’d read that the police department was starting to accept female cadets so I decided to sign up.  Bill thought it was just a phase...that I’d see how hard it was and I’d quit.  He couldn’t understand that this was something I really wanted to do.

 I dealt with all of the verbal abuse, the snide comments, and everything else they could think of.  I worked hard, studied, graduated in the top 1% of my class, and got assigned to traffic duty  When Charlie’s job offer came up I jumped at it.  We were all hired because of our qualifications.  We’ve helped a lot of people, and I’ve usually been proud of what we’ve done.”  Her voice trailed off and she drew the blanket around her tightly. “I really can’t talk about this any more, okay?”

 “I’m going to put this in the refrigerator and make you some tea and a sandwich,” he began after a few seconds of silence.

 “I’m really not hungry,” she protested.

 “You haven’t eaten since breakfast,” he admonished as he went into the kitchen.  “When I get home I’ll call Kelly and ask her not to call you until tomorrow afternoon,” he called out.  “ I’ll even try to have her tone down the jokes, but I can’t promise anything.”

 She nodded gratefully.

 He came back five minutes later with a sandwich and a cup of tea.  “Here you are,” he announced cheerfully, putting them down on the coffee table.  “Maybe I’ll talk to Charlie and see if we can get Kris to cut her vacation short a few days.”

 “No, don’t do that,” Sabrina protested, picking up the cup and taking a few deep sips.  “Charlie’s right...she deserves her vacation.  I’ll be okay.”

 “I’m going to let you get some rest,” he said, patting her on the arm.  “I’ll just pull the door shut behind me on the way out.”  He walked to the front door.

 “Bos?”

 He turned to face her quizzically.

 “Will you be home in the morning?”

 “I should be.  Why?”

 “I may have a favor to ask you.”

 “What is it?”

 “I’d rather not say just yet.  I need to do a little research first.”

 “Okay. “

 Thanks for everything.”

 “Any time,” he smiled.  “And tomorrow will be better.  You’ll see.”

 “I hope so,” she sighed, finishing the rest of her tea.

 

*   *  *   *   *

 

 Kelly was at home reading a book when the telephone rang.  She snatched up the receiver.  “Hello?”

 “Hi, Kelly, it’s me,” Kris greeted cheerfully.

 “Hi!  How’s your vacation?”

 “Great.  I met this really nice guy and we’re going sailing tomorrow.  You think Bos would let me take off a few extra days?”

 “I’d keep a low profile if I were you,” Kelly advised cautiously.  “We’re on a new case and Charlie may decide to see if he can call you back early.”

 “What kind of case is it?”

 “Some beauty pageant contestants are being threatened.  Charlie wants one of us to go under cover as a contestant.”

 “What are you going to wear?”

 “Not me.  I sprained my wrist fending off some chauvinist.  You know you have to look perfect to be in those things.  Bri’s the lucky one this time.”

 “You’re kidding!  What a time to be out of town.”

 “Be glad you’re not here, otherwise you’d be the one in the bikini.”

 “She must be freaking out,” Kris laughed.

 “No lie,” Kelly agreed, smiling.  “I tried to get her to lighten up a little by showing her that white bikini I bought for my trip to Paris but it didn’t work.”

 “The really tiny one?”  Kris asked in shock.

 “I thought she’d have a stroke,” Kelly laughed.  “Tomorrow we’re going shopping for a gown and a matching pair of shoes.”

 “Kelly, you have to take pictures.  This I’ve gotta see.”

 “Well, actually Bos and I are going undercover as a television crew from KBEX.  We’re going to be taping the entire thing.”

 “Oh, my God!  That’s even better.”

 “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re terrible?”  Kelly asked rhetorically.

 “I’ll have you know that Dave thinks I’m a kind, warm hearted person,” she answered loftily.

 “That the sailor?”

 “Actually he’s an engineer but we are going sailing, yes.”

 “Oh, right,” Kelly agreed, grinning.  “Just don’t forget to invite us to the wedding.”

 “Very funny,” Kris retorted.  There was a knock on her door.  “Hey, that’s him now.  I’ve gotta go.  Just don’t forget to get me a copy of that film.”

 “If I know Bri she’ll make sure it’s burned before it sees the light of day,” Kelly observed.

 “Just don’t let her do that until I get my copy.  Please, Kelly?  I’ll do anything you want.”

 There was a more insistent knock on her door.  “Kris?”  A male voice called.

 Kris put her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone.  “Coming!”  She moved her hand quickly.  “I’ve really got to go.  Thanks, Kelly.”

 “Have a good time.”

 “I plan to.”  She hung up the telephone and hurried to the door.

 

 Sabrina was sitting at an outdoor table on the pageant grounds with Bosley and Kelly.

 “You notice anything suspicious since you’ve been here?”  Kelly asked, glancing around.

 “No,” Sabrina sighed unhappily.  “I guess this means I’m going to have to go through with this stupid thing after all.”

 Grace and her manager walked over to the table.

 “Miss Garrett?  Mr. Bosley?”  The manager asked amiably.  “I’m Si Dearborn.  This is my client, Grace Foster.”

 “Hi, Mr.  Bosley, Miss Garrett,” Grace greeted in a friendly voice.  She turned to face Sabrina and her enthusiasm cooled considerably.  “Hi, Sabrina.”

 “Hi, Grace,” Sabrina rejoined absently, not interested in her in the slightest.

 “I understand that you’re in television,” Si probed.

 “We’re not in television, but we do work for the local news channel,” Bosley corrected.

 “We’ll be filming the entire pageant, as well as interviewing all the contestants,” Kelly finished graciously.

 “Hey, why waste time?” Si asked conspiratorially, leaning between the two of them and putting his hands on the back of their chairs.  “You’d be doing yourselves a favor to focus on Gracie here.  She’s going to win hands down.”

 “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Bosley mused.  “I’ve seen a lot of talented girls here so far.”

 “Oh, really?”  Grace piped up innocently.  “Have I met any of them?”

 Sabrina glared at her through narrowed eyes and started tapping her foot impatiently.

 “Seriously,” Si interjected rapidly before things got too out of hand.  “I’ll even guarantee you an exclusive with her after she wins.  Whadda ya say?”

 “Mr. Dearborn, didn’t anyone ever tell you that you shouldn’t count your chickens before they’re hatched?”  Kelly asked pointedly.

 “Oh, I’m not worried,” Grace chimed in, tossing her long blond hair over her shoulders.  “This’ll be a piece of cake.”

 “Oh, Grace?”  Sabrina deadpanned.  “We’ve only got about two hours left before the pageant begins.  You have just enough time to touch up your roots.”

 “Well!”  Grace huffed, stalking off in fury.

 “Gracie, wait!” Si called, hurrying after her.

 “There goes your vote for Miss Congeniality,” Bosley commented.

 “We don’t call you the eradicator for nothing,” Kelly chuckled.  “I think that’s a new record.  That took all of about 60 seconds.”

 “Yeah, well...” Sabrina smiled.  “She was getting on my nerves and we have a lot to go over before this show gets on the road.”

 “You need any help with your introductory speech?”  Kelly offered.

 “No, thanks,” Bri demurred, getting to her feet.  “I finished it yesterday.  I’ll catch you later.”

 “As Ben Pawl says...the pageant rises when the sun sets,” Bosley said with a straight face.

 Sabrina gave him a pained look and hurried off.

 

 Three hours later Sabrina was behind the curtain, apprehensively watching the contestant before her, who was singing while strumming a guitar to The Streets of Laredo.   Sabrina was clad in a skin tight electric red floor-length dress with spaghetti straps and a slit on one side that went straight up to her hip.  She also had on matching two inch stiletto heels.  Her hair was pinned up in an elegant twist.  She dropped the curtain and started pacing nervously.

 “Any minute now,” Bosley commented quietly, coming up behind her.

 She jumped, not hearing him approach. “I’m sorry.  She’s really good, isn’t she?”

 “She’s not bad,” he observed after a few seconds.  “You look fantastic.”

 “Thanks,” she said shyly.  “You’re looking pretty good yourself.  Hold on a second.” She adjusted his tie, then took a step back and eyed him critically.  He always did look good in a tux.  “Perfect.”

 “Thank you,” he smiled, giving her a mock salute.

 They both heard the sound of applause.

 “You ready?”  Bosley asked.

 “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Sabrina answered, taking a deep breath to settle her nerves.

 

*   *  *  *  *

 

 Earl motioned to Millicent Farber.

 She glanced over her shoulder nervously, then walked over to him.  “Yes?”

 “I don’t understand something,” he whispered ominously.  “Why isn’t Billie Jolene ahead?”

 “I don’t know,” Millicent answered fearfully.  “Maybe the other judges didn’t vote for her?”

 “I’ve bought three of you,” Earl countered.  “I want you to show me what the votes are.”

 “I can’t do that.”

 “Yes, you can.”

 “All right, I didn’t vote for her,” Millicent admitted reluctantly.

 “How do you think your husband will feel, knowing that his wife’s been sleeping with Mr. Pawl?”

 “I’ve already spoken to him,” Millicent said decisively.  “We’ve had a long talk.  I can’t say that he was very happy, but at least we’ve gotten a few things cleared up.  He’s coming out here this evening so that we can clear the air once and for all.  We may even give our marriage another try.”

 “How do you think the pageant officials will feel when they find out that one of their judges is sleeping with their MC?”  Earl threatened.

 “They won’t like it, which is why I’ve decided that this’ll be my last contest,” she answered philosophically.  “Now I suggest that you make yourself pretty scarce, because once this pageant’s over I plan to contact the authorities and tell them everything.”

 “Is that so?”  Earl asked ominously, putting one hand in his pocket.

 “You won’t do anything here,” Millicent said logically.  “There are too many people around.”

 Earl glared at her, thinking furiously.  Unfortunately she was right.  There were too many witnesses.

 One of the security guards hurried over.  “You okay, Mrs. Farber?”

 “I’m fine, Mac,” she smiled, inwardly relieved.  Up until that point she really wasn’t sure what was going to happen.

 “Mr. Pawl asked me to tell you that intermission’s almost over,” Mac informed her, glancing at Earl suspiciously.

 “Tell him I’ll be right there,” Millicent promised.

 Earl spun on his heel and stalked off.

 “You sure you’re all right, Mrs. Farber?”  Mac asked again, seeing the expression on her face.

 She nodded.  “Can you tell Mr. Pawl that I’d like to talk to him?”

 “Sure thing.”  Mac hurried off.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

 Kelly was standing in front of the podium waiting for the next contestant to come out on stage.

 “Hi,” Kris greeted cheerfully, hurrying over to her.

 “Kris!  What are you doing here?”  Kelly demanded softly.  “What happened to the engineer...Dave?”

 “Nothing.  The more I thought about it the more I realized that I had to be here to see this in person.”

 “You missed the swimsuit competition.”

 “No, I didn’t,” Kris chuckled.  “I got here just in time.  I didn’t want to distract anyone so I stayed in the back.  Bri looked great but you used too much blush.”

 “She did her own makeup and she wasn’t wearing any blush.”

 “But she was – oh,” Kris trailed off.  “I kinda felt sorry for her.  She had the weirdest look on her face.”

 “Like a deer caught in headlights?”  Kelly prompted, having had the same thought herself.

 “Exactly!”  She turned her attention to the stage for a few seconds.  “She’s pretty good.  Who is she?”

 “Billie Jolene,” Kelly answered.  “She’s not bad.”

 Billie Jolene finished her song, smiled fetchingly at the audience and left the stage.

 “What’s Sabrina going to do?”  Kris asked curiously.

 “I don’t know.”

 Kris started scanning the area, gaze falling on Millicent and Earl.  “Hey, Kelly, who are those people?”

 Kelly lowered the camera and followed Kris’ gaze.  “The woman’s Millicent Farber.  She’s one of the judges.  I don’t know who the man is, though.”

 They watched Earl stalk off.

 “I wonder what that’s all about,” Kris mused thoughtfully.

 They saw Millicent walk over to the MC, seemingly very agitated.

 “I think we ought to go talk to them at the next break,” Kelly decided after a few minutes reflection.  “Let things settle down a little.”

 “Sounds like a plan to me,” Kris agreed readily, scanning the crowd again.  “Hey, where’s Bosley?”

 “He was here a few minutes ago,” Kelly answered, picking up the camera and focusing on the opposite entrance of the stage for the next contestant.  “I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

 “And now, ladies and gentlemen...” Ben Pawl announced, breaking their train of thought.  “Our own Miss Alabama, Sabrina Duncan, with – the tango!”

 Kris spun towards the stage in amazement.

 Sabrina and Bosley danced onto the stage.

 “She looks fantastic!”  Kris breathed.

 “I know,” Kelly smiled, keeping the camera trained on them very carefully.  “It took me 20 minutes to convince her to get that dress, and another 15 for the shoes.”

 

 On stage Bosley and Sabrina continued to spin around the floor, doing a very good tango.  When Sabrina got dipped her gaze was drawn to the catwalk and she spied the back of someone creeping along stealthily.

 When Bosley pulled her up cheek-to-cheek she started dancing towards the right.  He was thrown off slightly and then followed her.  “The man’s supposed to lead,” he whispered sharply as soon as his back was to the audience.

 “Then lead me to the right,” she whispered back, eyes darting back to the catwalk.  “There’s someone up on the catwalk.”

 “Maybe it’s one of the maintenance workers,” he suggested, twirling her around.

 “In a suit?”  She protested.

 “Are they still there?”  He dipped her again.

 She glanced over to the direction she’d seen him earlier and spied a bulge in his pocket.  “Yep.  Still there.  I think he’s got a gun.”

 He pulled her up cheek-to-cheek again.  “To the right?”

 “My right, your left,” she nodded minutely and they danced off the stage.

 

 Kris and Kelly were watching them dance on the stage.

 “Something’s wrong,” Kelly said quietly, following Sabrina’s gaze.

 “What do you mean?”  Kris asked.

 “There’s someone up there,” Kelly observed.

 Kris followed Kelly’s gaze.  “I don’t – wait!  I see him now.  Isn’t that the guy who was talking to that judge – what’s her name – “

 ”Millicent Farber,” Kelly replied, keeping her gaze on the guy on the catwalk. “What’s he doing up there?”

 “I don’t know,” Kris answered, staring intently and watching his progress.  “He’s not there any more.”

 Kelly took a quick glance at the stage and watched Sabrina and Bosley dance off, followed by thunderous applause.

 “Ladies and gentlemen,” Ben Pawl announced, coming onto the stage.  “We’ll be taking a five minute break while the next contestant sets up.”

 “I think we should talk to Millicent Farber,” Kelly decided.

 Kris nodded.  She and Kelly walked over to the judges’ table.

 “Excuse me, Mrs. Farber,” Kelly began politely.  “Do you remember me?”

 Millicent thought for a minute.  “Kelly Garrett, KBEX.  You’re doing a special on our pageant.  Your producer’s a wonderful dancer.”

 “Wasn’t he great?”  Kris chirped.

 Millicent glanced over at her curiously.

 “Oh!  I’m Kris.  Kris Monroe.  I just got here a few minutes ago.”

 “Mrs. Farber,” Kelly tried to get them back on track.  “I was just thinking of possibly doing a follow-up piece to this one...maybe a feature about scandals.”

 “Scandals?”  Millicent gulped nervously.  “What – what do you mean?”

 

 He nodded and silently made his way up the stairs.

 She started making her way up the stairs on her side when she heard the TAP TAP TAP of the heels.  She grimaced, removed them as quickly and quietly as she could and crept up the stairs in her stocking feet.

 Earl was kneeling on the railing of the catwalk, gun pointed at Millicent.

 Sabrina saw Bosley approaching from the other side, put her finger to her lips and silently crept up behind Earl.  She wrapped her arms around his waist and dragged him backwards.

 “What the – ?!”  He exclaimed in shock, falling on top of her, bullet going off into the ceiling.  He rolled off to the side and onto his feet, trying to get away.

 She jumped to her feet and grabbed him again, trying to force the gun away from him.

 He shoved her roughly away and into the railing behind him, knocking the wind out of her.

 Bosley hurried over, seized Earl and tried wrestling the gun away.  Earl shoved Bosley towards the railing where he almost went over.

 

 “Mrs. Farber, there’s obviously something going on here,” Kris stated.

 A shot rang out, filling the auditorium with silence for a moment, then some confused murmurings started.

 Kris and Kelly dropped to the ground, dragging Millicent with them.

 “Did you see where that shot came from?”  Kelly demanded, raking the auditorium with her eyes while pulling out her revolver.

 “No,” Kris answered breathlessly, scanning the crowd.   She glanced up and saw Bosley being tossed against the railing, almost going over.  “Kelly!”

 Kelly looked up in the same direction, grabbed Kris by the arm and the two of them ran backstage.

 

 Earl grabbed Bosley by the jacket and shoved him aside furiously, pointing his gun at him.

 Sabrina, having gotten some of her wind back, leapt to her feet and tackled Earl from the side.  They started grappling for the gun.

 “Freeze!”  Kelly announced, firing a shot into a nearby sandbag.

 Another shot rang out, startling all of them.

 Sabrina’s face registered stunned surprise and then she collapsed to the ground, clutching her shoulder.

 Bosley took two steps forward, took away the gun with one hand and hit Earl with a powerful left hook that knocked him to the ground.

 “I’ll call an ambulance,” Kris promised anxiously.

 “Here, take this,” Bosley suggested, handing her the gun.

 Kris nodded and hurried off.

 “Sabrina,” Bosley said, kneeling beside her and brushing the hair out of her eyes.

 “I’ve been shot,” she whispered shakily.

 “I can see that,” he remarked patiently, noticing the blood seeping from between her fingers.

 “Owww,” Earl moaned, rubbing his jaw.

 “Don’t move,” Kelly warned ominously, training her gun on him.

 “Hey, man, I think you broke my jaw,” Earl complained.

 “I’ll break your neck if you don’t shut up,” Bosley threatened, keeping one hand on Sabrina’s shoulder.

 “That’s police brutality,” Earl blustered.  “You all heard him.”

 “We’re not cops and I’m warning you for the last time...” Bosley advised tightly.

 “She wouldn’t let go of the gun,” Earl whined.

 Bosley’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he got up on one knee.

 “Bosley,” Kelly warned quietly.

 “How’d I do?” Sabrina wheezed.

 “What?” Bosley asked, not following.  He dropped back to her side again.

 Kris ran back into the room.  “The paramedics’ll be here in a few minutes.”  She knelt beside Bosley.

 Bosley nodded.  “Thanks, Kris.”

 “The dance,” Sabrina continued, wincing again.  “How’d I do?”

 “You were the best student I’ve ever had,” he reassured her, patting her good shoulder gently.

 “You were great,” Kelly reassured her.

 Sabrina smiled faintly.

 “Bri,” Kris ventured, not liking the fact that blood was still seeping through Sabrina’s fingers.  “We have to see if the bullet went all the way through or not.”

 “She’s right,” Bosley agreed as he tried prying Sabrina’s hand away from the wound.  She held it in place in a death grip, white faced.  “Bri, please,” he pleaded softly, pulling a little harder.  “I’ll try not to hurt you any more, I promise.”

 Sabrina thought about it for a few seconds, then slowly moved her hand away.

 “It doesn’t look too bad,” Earl ventured.

 “Listen, mister,” Kelly warned, point her gun sharply into Earl’s ribs.  “I’m not going to say this again.  You just hurt a very good friend of ours, and if you say one more word I’m going to shoot you here and now.”

 “You threatening me?”  Earl demanded with false bravado.

 “I didn’t hear any threats, did you?”  Kelly countered innocently.

 “Me either,” Kris chimed.  “All I heard was some good advice being offered.  If I were you I’d listen.”  Kris turned back to Sabrina and examined the wound.

 Sabrina’s face turned ashen and her breathing became ragged.

 “What’s wrong?”  Kelly asked in alarm.

 “I feel sick,” Sabrina groaned, swallowing hard.

 “What’s keeping those paramedics?”  Bosley demanded worriedly, not liking her color.

 They heard the sound of heavy steps coming towards them.

 Kris pulled out the gun and ran over to the side, covering them.

 Two paramedics came into view.  “We got a call that someone’s been shot,” Roy DeSoto offered.

 Kris sighed and put the gun away.

 Roy spied Sabrina lying on the ground.  He and his partner hurried over, opened the drug boxes and started taking Sabrina’s vitals.  “What’s your name?”

 “Sabrina,” she mumbled, eyes half closed.

 He took her wrist to take her pulse while Johnny Gage took out the bio-phone and called in.  “Rampart, this is Squad 51.  We have a female gunshot victim, age...”

 “29,” Kelly prompted.

 Roy finished taking Sabrina’s vitals.  “Pulse is 100, BP’s 140 over 100, respiration’s 28.”

 Johnny automatically handed Roy the c-collar.

 “Thanks, junior,” Roy said as he put the c-collar on Sabrina.   He paused for a second, then advised calmly, “Sabrina, I’m going to examine the bullet wound

 She nodded, gritting her teeth.

 Roy probed the wound gently.

 Sabrina jacknifed to an almost sitting position, engulfed in a wave of agony.  She clamped her eyes tightly shut, barely to breathe.

 “Can’t you give her something for the pain?”  Kris pleaded shakily.

 “I’m sorry,” Johnny apologized.  “We can’t administer any kind of medication without a doctor’s permission.”

 “Johnny, give me the gauze, tape and a shoulder brace,” Roy instructed, patting Sabrina gently on her good shoulder.

 The pain slowly receded and she opened her eyes.

 “Here ya go,” Johnny stated, handing Roy the supplies he asked for.

 Roy nodded and set to work.

 Johnny pulled out his bio-phone.  “Rampart, this is Squad 51.  We’ve arrived at the scene, packed both sides of the wound with gauze, encased the arm and administered a c-collar.”

 “10-4, 51.  Administer oxygen and transport ASAP,” Morton advised.

 “10-4, Rampart,” Johnny answered, putting away the radio.

 “Anything about the cops?”  Kelly asked.

 “They’ll be here any second,” Johnny replied.

 Roy finished taping Sabrina up and put an oxygen mask over her face.  “I know you’re uncomfortable, but it’ll only be for a little while.”

 She nodded weakly again, closing her eyes.

 “You heard him,” Earl chimed in after being silent for so long.  “I didn’t hurt her too bad.”

 Bosley rose to his feet and took a quick step towards him.

 “Bos, don’t,” Kris advised hastily, grabbing him by the arm.

 The ambulance attendants came over to them and gently loaded Sabrina onto the gurney.

 The sudden movement sent more pain through her and she groaned.

 “Bos, why don’t you go with her?”  Kris suggested hastily.  “We’ll be there as soon as the police come to pick up the trash.”

 “Hey!”  Earl protested.

 “We’ll see you in a few minutes,” Bosley said.

 Soon the only people left on the catwalk were Kris, Kelly and Earl.

 “See?  She’s going to be okay,” Earl continued.

 Kelly, who’d gotten tired of Earl some time ago, couldn’t take it any more.  She gave him a vicious karate chop, knocking him unconscious.  He slid to the ground in a daze.

 The police came over to them.

 “What happened here?”  The first cop asked.

 “He shot a friend of ours,” Kris answered.  “We tried to stop him from leaving and he fell.”

 The second cop knelt beside Earl and checked him over.  “He’ll live,” he announced.

 “Too bad,” Kelly commented.

 “I’ll call an ambulance,” the second cop said, pulling out his walkie talkie.

 “You said he shot your friend,” the first cop prompted Kris and Kelly, pulling out his memo book.

 “She’s on her way to Rampart General,” Kelly confirmed.  “He also tried to kill one of the judges, Millicent Farber.”

 The first cop jotted this down.  “Got it.  He’ll be put away for a long time.”

 “I hope so,” Kris sighed.

 

 “Bri!  How did you get here?”  Kelly asked in surprise.

 “I drove,” she answered in a small voice, trying to be as motionless as possible.

 “You’re not supposed drive when you’re on medication,” Bosley chastened.

 “I didn’t take any,” Sabrina whispered, trying to force the pain to the back of her mind and moving as little as possible.  “I wanted to have a clear head for the debriefing.”

 “I know what’ll make you feel better,” Kris stated cheerfully.  “Hi, there!  Hello!  We’re glad that you could show for the Chrysanthemum Festival Pageant.  From far and near, we girls came here to be the queen of your Pageant,” she sang.

 Sabrina shot her a dark look.  “I could live for the rest of my life without ever hearing that song again.”

 “The Chrysanthemum Festival Pageant,” Kris and Kelly sang together.

 Sabrina turned towards them a little too fast, causing liquid fire to shoot from her shoulder down through her entire body.  She gasped, barely able to breathe.  She closed her eyes tightly.

 “Gosh, Bri, we’re sorry,” Kris said guiltily.

 “Is your medication in your bag?”  Kelly asked quickly.

 Sabrina gave one short nod, unable to speak.

 “I’ll get some water,” Bosley offered, going behind the bar.

 “Thanks, Bos,” Kelly replied, digging through Sabrina’s purse for her medicine.   She pulled out the bottle of vicadin, read the instructions and removed one pill.  She sat beside her friend and handed the pill over.  “Here you go, Bri.”

 “Here’s the water,” Bosley said from her side.

 “Thanks,” Sabrina whispered, taking both from them with a shaky hand.

 The telephone rang.  Bosley went over to his desk and put it on the speaker phone.

 “Hello, Angels.  Bosley,” Charlie greeted.

 “Hi, Charlie,” they all greeted.

 “How are you feeling, Sabrina?”  Charlie asked.

 “Oh, I’ll live, Charlie,” she answered in a thin voice.

 “Why did Earl Williams want Billie Jolene to win?”  Bosley asked curiously.

 “It turns out that they were dating rather seriously.  He’d wanted to marry her, but she told him that she didn’t want to settle down until she’d won one pageant,” Charlie explained.  “He decided to help her fulfil her fantasy and get her to marry him at the same time.”

 “You did a great job, everyone,” Charlie continued.  “And Kris, I owe you a few days vacation time.  Why did you come back early?”

 “Oh!  Um, well,” Kris stammered uncomfortably.

 “Didn’t you say you met someone and things didn’t work out?”  Kelly prompted quickly.

 “Yeah!”  Kris jumped on the explanation quickly.  “That’s right.”

 “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you, Angel,” Charlie commented.

 “Oh, well, c’est la vie,” Kris said philosophically.

 “And Sabrina...you looked positively lovely on stage,” he continued.  “You did a wonderful job.  I know how difficult that was for you.”

 “Thanks, Charlie,” Sabrina yawned, smiling faintly as the pain started to finally recede into the background.

 “I think those pills are starting to kick in,” Bosley observed amusedly.

 “I have a special present for you.  A small reminder of the case,” Charlie continued.  “Bosley?”

 Bos pulled a small paper shopping back from his desk drawer and handed it to her.

 Sabrina blinked, glassy eyed, and pulled out the first item with her good hand, removing the tissue paper and discovering a small teddy bear with a ‘Miss Alabama’ sash tied around it.

 “That’s adorable!”  Kelly commented, taking the bear and putting it on the table.

 “Miss Chrysanthemum wouldn’t fit,” Bosley explained with a smile, enjoying their reactions.

 “What else is in there?”  Kris demanded.

 Sabrina obligingly pulled out another item.

 “Can’t be her heels,” Kelly teased.

 “Too small,” Sabrina frowned, finally managing to remove the tissue paper.

 They all burst into laughter as they saw a tiny trophy with the words ‘First Prize’ emblazoned on the front.

 Sabrina spied the last item in a white cardboard box.  She pulled the box out of the bag and tried to open it in vain.  She kept trying with single minded intensity, frowning.

 “Let me help you,” Kelly offered, taking the box from her and opening it, pulling out its contents.   She started to chuckle.

 “What is it?”  Kris pressed curiously.

 Kelly held up a framed picture of Sabrina in a bathing suit.

 Kris and Bosley burst out laughing.

 Sabrina squinted, trying to see what it was as everything was blurred around the edges.  Realization finally dawned and she blushed.  “That’s not funny.”

 “There’s one more thing,” Bosley added, taking a dozen roses out from behind the bar and presenting them to her.

 “I think you’d better go home, Angel,” Charlie advised.  “I’m glad you enjoy the gifts.  Everyone take the next few days off with pay.  You’ve earned them.”

 “Thanks, Charlie,” they all chorused.

 Charlie hung up.

 “‘m okay,” Sabrina protested, eyes half closed.

 “Of course you are,” Bosley agreed.  “Just humor me, okay?”

 She nodded agreeably.

 “Can you stand?”

 Sabrina tried to get to her feet unsuccessfully several times, then gave up and smiled up at him, shaking her head.

 Kris and Kelly tried not to laugh.

 Bosley went to Sabrina’s side and gently slipped his arm around her waist, helping her stand.

 “The flowers are beautiful,” Sabrina said softly, staggering slightly as she could barely feel her feet.

 “Bri, I’ll drop your car off tomorrow, okay?”  Kelly offered, handing Sabrina her purse.

 Sabrina nodded again, trying to keep her eyes open.

 Kris put the bear and trophy back in the bag.  “You need any help, Bos?”

 “We’ll be fine,” Bosley answered, taking the bag from her.  “Would you lock up the office for me?”

 “Sure thing,” Kelly answered.

 

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