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  One evening, while she was waiting in line to check in at a Las Vegas hotel, she noticed a sixtyish man who seemed to be watching her. He was fit and quite handsome. She had no problem with older men – they could be quite grateful, when a younger woman chose to spend time with them.

  Claudia had nothing whatsoever to do that evening. She hated gambling as much as she hated to dine alone. She was in town to talk to a movie producer, but that wasn’t until the next day.

  She was bored with waiting in line, so she crossed the lobby to talk to the man. “I notice you keep glancing my way,” she said with a smile. “Do I know you? You look familiar.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” His tone was gruff, but it didn’t bother her. She liked a strong, manly voice. “You look like a movie star. In fact, you look like my favorite actress, Claudia Maresko.”

  “And no wonder! I happen to be Claudia Maresko.”

  “Ah, yes! It is you, Miss Maresko. You were great in Winter Bride,” he said. “That scene where you cried at your husband’s funeral … it made me want to cry, too. It was like you loved that gentleman in real life.”

  “Why, thank you! Feel free to call me Claudia. I don’t have any dinner plans, if you’re free this evening. I hate to eat alone.”

  “I’d be delighted to dine with you,” the older man said. “I agree with you – dining alone is no fun. People think you must not be very popular.”

  She looked toward the front desk. “I see there’s a clerk available now. I’d better check in while I have the chance.”

  “No problem at all! I’ll wait here while you talk to the clerk.”

  Claudia checked in, then returned to her mature admirer. “I’m in room 408. I’ll need a little time to settle in. Can you stop by in an hour?”

  “Certainly. See you soon!” The mature man then walked off.

  “Oh, by the way,” Claudia said, when he was about ten feet away. “You forgot to tell me your name!”

  The mature man stopped and turned. “I guess you’re right! Sorry ‘bout that! It’s Noah – talk to ya later!” He laughed as he continued on his way.

  In her room, Claudia took a quick shower and then slipped into a dusky-pink pants suit. Though she’d only talked with him for a couple minutes, she really liked Noah. He seemed so friendly and confident, as though she’d known him for years.

  He looked vaguely familiar, but that was probably because he was so good-looking. She spent most of her time around handsome actors, and after a while they all seemed to look the same. She often thought it would be nice to someday date a man who wasn’t as pretty as her. Maybe this older guy was a would-be actor. She wondered if he would hit her up for an introduction to an agent or a casting director.

  After she finished with her makeup, she checked to make sure she had some condoms in her purse. She did: more than a dozen, in a variety of sizes. She looked at her reflection in the mirror by the front door. “You crazy whore,” she said to herself, frowning. But a moment later, the frown curved up into a smile. So she liked having fun with men. Was that so bad? At least she wasn’t some gay guy’s beard.

  A knock sounded at the door. She looked out the peephole: it was her mature admirer, now wearing a navy-blue blazer. He was holding a red rose and a pink plastic bottle.

  She let him in. “Hello, Noah! What have we here?” she said as he handed her the rose.

  “I thought it would be gauche to show up empty-handed,” he said. “But I’ve only known you for about an hour, so I couldn’t overdo it, gift-wise.”

  She found a glass in her room, added water and stuck in the rose. “So what’s in the bottle?” she said. “It can’t be champagne. Champagne doesn’t come in plastic bottles.”

  “It’s bubble bath!” he said with a smile.

  “You rascal! Maybe we can use it later,” Claudia said with a giggle. “I’ll just put it in the bathroom for now.”

  As she turned toward the bathroom, the man reached into a pocket of his blazer and pulled out a hypodermic needle. He uncapped it and injected its contents into her rear.

  “Jesus! What was that?” she said angrily, turning to face him. She saw the needle in his hand. “Oh my God! Did you just drug me?”

  The mature man laughed. “I guess you’re right! Sorry ‘bout that!”

  She opened her mouth to say more, but instead, fell to the floor, unconscious.

  The man looked outside of the room. The hallway was empty. He opened a janitorial closet a short distance down the hall and hauled out a metal drum on a dolly. On top of the drum was a smaller stainless-steel container and a clear plastic box, which contained stainless-steel tools and a bottle of fluid.

  He wheeled the drum and other items into Claudia’s room, shutting and locking the door behind him.

  Later, a housekeeper noticed a chemical odor in the hallway outside of room 408. She knocked on the door. “Housekeeping! Hello? Anyone in there?”

  No answer.

  She used her master room card to enter the room. Inside, the chemical smell was much stronger. Clearly the room was the source.

  There was something about the odor that bothered her. In addition to the chemical stench, it also seemed to be both meaty and putrid. There was also a hint of some sort of soapy perfume. The stink, she decided, was coming from the direction of the bathroom. She wondered if maybe the toilet had backed up.

  When she entered the bathroom, she said, “Oh, excuse me!” – because she saw that somebody was in the tub. A second later, she ran screaming out of room 408.

  There was indeed somebody in the tub: Claudia Maresko. She was completely naked, but she wasn’t in any condition to object to a visitor. Her body, mostly dissolved, was afloat in a frothy pool of reddish gore.

  - - -

  Acting on Sinthia’s suggestion, December contacted Velvet Vixun and arranged a meeting at HeadTurners. Velvet said she could bring a DVD of her past performances, so he told her they’d meet in the agency’s conference room, where they could watch the DVD on the big screen.

  Velvet arrived wearing her best celebrity outfit, which resembled Marilyn Monroe’s white dress in the movie, The Seven Year Itch. December was amused to see that the dress fit in with the conference room’s all-white decor.

  Velvet’s performances on the DVD were lively and enthralling. The celebrities she impersonated in her various acts included Barbra Streisand, Mae West, Amy Winehouse, Cher, Celine Dion, Ethel Merman, and Angela Lansbury. December was impressed that Velvet could take on so many celebrities of various ages. She was clearly skilled at applying prosthetics to her face and padding to her body.

  After they watched the DVD, December asked, “Just out of curiosity, who’s your favorite female performer?”

  “It’s somebody who I don’t impersonate, because so few people remember her these days,” Velvet said. “Does the name Evelyn Ankers ring a bell?”

  December smiled as he shook his head. “Tell me about her. Tell me about Evelyn Ankers.”

  “Evelyn made her best movies in the 1940s,” Velvet said. “My favorites were The Wolf Man, The Mad Ghoul, The Ghost Of Frankenstein, and Son Of Dracula. She made many other movies, too. She even had a part in Hold That Ghost, an Abbott and Costello comedy. But I liked her horror movies the most. Evelyn always played a strong, beautiful woman who faced the powers of darkness with a brave heart. Her characters always looked absolutely stunning, even when they were completely terrified.”

  “You sure love old horror movies,” December noted. “I like how you described that actress. I’ve watched some of those movies you mentioned, but I don’t remember which roles she played. I need to go back and rewatch them.”

  “I used to watch scary old movies with my dad,” she said. “He was a carpenter. He didn’t like that I was gay, so we never talked about it. He didn’t live long enough to see me perform in drag. He died of a heart attack while I was still a teenager. I don’t think he’d have watched my act anyway. To him, having a gay son was scarier
than any monster movie.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Velvet shrugged. “At least my dad watched scary movies with me. We watched loads of old Universal horror movies together. We also loved Hitchock movies, science fiction, Godzilla movies, anything with a giant monster in it.”

  “You found a common ground with him,” December said.

  “I remember, when I was little, a local channel used to show horror movies on Saturday afternoons,” Velvet said. “One Saturday, they showed an old movie called The Black Scorpion, and it was our favorite. The story was about a gigantic scorpion that attacks a Mexican village. I was only about seven years old, and like I said, my dad was a carpenter, so neither of us had any idea how they did the giant scorpion effect. Throughout the whole movie, we tried to figure out how it was done.”

  “I’ve seen that one,” December said. “It was stop motion, right?”

  “You’re right! But neither of us knew what stop motion was. We knew it couldn’t be a man in a scorpion suit. The scorpion had too many limbs, and they didn’t bend like human legs. My dad thought maybe they’d built a giant scorpion machine, but his idea seemed … well, impossible. And crazy-expensive. Eventually we decided it was some kind of puppet, and they did something with the cameras to make it look bigger. Actually, that’s pretty close to the truth. Showbiz is all about puppets.”

  “That’s quite a philosophical statement. Very profound.”

  “So how am I doing? Is it good to be profound?” Velvet said with a smile. “I’ve never been interviewed for a talent agency before.”

  “It is, indeed, good to be profound!” December said. “I like you. You concentrate on solutions, not problems. You’re good with people. And most importantly, you’re super-talented. I think you’d make an excellent addition to HeadTurners.”

  “Thank you! Working with your team would be an amazing opportunity,” Velvet said.

  “After our meeting, I’ll introduce you to Caleb, the receptionist,” December said. “He’ll provide forms for you to fill out. Also, he’ll help you to schedule a time when our staff photographer can take new pictures of you. We’ll share those photos with our clients and start drumming up projects for you. Does that sound good?”

  “It sounds great!” Velvet said. “Thank you so much!”

  “You’re welcome! Now let’s go talk to Caleb.”

  Chapter 6

  Sinthia Laretta may have entered the world as Sinclair Lawrence, but even as a young boy, he was in touch with his feminine side.

  As a child growing up in Ames, Iowa, Sinclair would watch his mother, Maggie, put on foundation, lipstick, eye makeup, and wigs. He thought about how pretty Mommy looked, and then imagined how pretty he would be, once he started putting on makeup.

  When he was eight years old, he walked up to the vanity to watch Mommy apply her makeup. It was a Saturday morning, and Maggie was getting herself ready to run a day’s worth of errands with her son. Sinclair’s dad was off playing golf with friends.

  When Maggie was finished, Sinclair took his seat at the vanity, thinking he could have a turn.

  “No, honey,” she said. “Little boys don’t put on makeup. Only girls, when they reach a certain age.”

  “How old do I have to be, before I can wear makeup?” Sinclair asked.

  “Good question!” Maggie said with a laugh. “Let’s not worry about that right now, okay?”

  Sinclair began to cry. “Why are you laughing, Mommy?”

  “Oh, I wasn’t laughing at you, honey,” she said, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “You just said something that gave me a funny thought. I’m sorry.”

  Sinclair smiled and wiped away his tears. “Okay, Mommy!”

  “It’s good to make people laugh,” Maggie said. “People will like you more. Always remember that.”

  Sinclair nodded. “It’s good to make people laugh.” He looked sadly at all the different types of makeup on his mother’s vanity. Maggie saw this and it made her sad, too.

  “Oh, honey. Look at you, mooning over my makeup!” She had always wanted a daughter with whom she could share makeup tips, so she didn’t think there’d be any harm in sharing them with her curious little boy. “If I put some on you, and you promised not to tell anyone – especially Daddy! – would that be okay?”

  “Yes! Show me your makeup secrets, Mommy.”

  “Here’s my biggest secret. I buy my makeup at a drugstore, but tell people I bought it at a department store. Now, a person needs to start with a clean face, so go wash your face in the bathroom and come right back.”

  When Sinclair returned, Maggie held up a jar of moisturizer. “First, we’ll put a little moisturizer on you. We don’t need to put much, since you’re so young and don’t have a problem with dry skin.”

  Before she put the cream on Sinclair, she threw a towel over the vanity mirror. “I don’t want you to see the end result until I’m all done,” she said. “Then we’ll have the unveiling, okay?”

  “Will I be beautiful like you, Mommy?”

  “Boys are supposed to be handsome, honey, and you’re already handsome. I’m just showing you what us girls have to go through to be beautiful.”

  After applying the moisturizer, Maggie showed Sinclair how to put on eye shadow, liner and mascara. “I’m not going to bother with fake eyelashes. You already have big eyes and a little face, because you’re a kid. They’d just look funny on you. But grown-up ladies like wearing them.”

  Maggie then applied foundation, followed by blush. “I’m wondering, what kind of lipstick would be best?” she said. “It’s not evening, and you’re sure as heck not heading out to a club…. Let’s see how you look in a nice coral tone. We won’t fuss with lip liner. When it comes to a younger face, less is more. We won’t bother with a wig, either. I wouldn’t have one that would fit you.”

  “Why do some women put on makeup, but others don’t?” Sinclair asked. “The lady who drives the school bus, she doesn’t put on makeup.”

  “Some can’t afford it,” Maggie said. “Some never learned how to apply it. Many do it to be more successful in life. Some folks would say I’m putting down other women by saying that, but it’s true. I have friends who never put on makeup, and nobody seems to notice them. Men sure don’t notice them – and the funny thing is, other women don’t, either. Makeup gives a woman power.”

  Sinclair nodded thoughtfully. “Makeup gives a woman power. I’m learning a lot today, Mommy.”

  “Speaking of makeup – we’re done! Time for the unveiling,” Maggie said.

  She whisked the towel off the mirror.

  Sinclair stared with wonder at his reflection. He was beautiful – maybe even more beautiful than Mommy. But he was smart enough to know not to say so. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings. As he studied his reflection, he found himself thinking again about Mommy’s words: Makeup gives a woman power….

  “Now go wash off all that goop and we’ll go run our errands,” Maggie said.

  Sinclair nodded happily and headed to the bathroom to wash his face. He didn’t mind having to clean the makeup off. Mommy had shown him what to use and how to apply it. In the future, if he wanted to wear a pretty face again, all he had to do was buy the makeup and put it on.

  - - -

  In high school, Sinclair was often teased for being feminine. But he was clever enough to make his would-be tormentors laugh – or better yet, he’d say something to make people nearby laugh as well, completely defusing the situation. He would often remind himself: It’s good to make people laugh.

  In the lunchroom during his junior year, he was walking toward the exit when Brett, a hulking, red-haired member of the football team, yelled to him, “Hey, fag! How come you shake your ass so much when you walk?”

  Half of the room, mostly boys, burst into laughter.

  Sinclair turned around and said, without missing a beat, “I don’t know, but your daddy seems to like it. Later, bitches!”

  Instantly, th
e entire lunchroom burst into laughter – including Brett. In fact, the next time Brett saw him, the large lad just laughed and shouted, “Later, bitch!”

  Eight years later, Sinthia started performing her drag act at a gay club in a community outside of her hometown. In the beginning, she tried out a variety of stage names. Her first one was Candy Sarsaparilla, but she soon found that most people didn’t know what sarsaparilla was, and couldn’t spell or pronounce it correctly. Next she tried out the name Berry Trifle, but again, the name didn’t resonate with her audience.

  Eventually she gave up on food-based names and decided on Sinthia Laretta. She liked this identity because it included elements from her birth name. To her, the new name represented a form of personal evolution.

  One night, she saw Brett, the red-haired football player from her high school days, hanging out at the club. This made her smile. So the bully eventually realized he was a fag.

  After she finished her act, she asked the bartender to give the ginger hunk a ruby-red grapefruit cosmo. A few minutes later, Brett came up to her.

  “Hey there,” Brett said. He did not seem to recognize Sinthia under her makeup. “I liked your act. The bartender said you sent me that drink. Thanks! What did I do to deserve it?”

  Sinthia shrugged. “Nothing at all. I’m a big believer in random acts of kindness.”

  At night Sinthia performed at the club, and that was her true passion. By day, she majored in Business Administration as Sinclair. She chose the major to please her parents, but in time, she came to enjoy the classes. She eventually found that her skills were best suited to Human Resources, since she considered herself a people person.

  For several years, she worked as Sinclair in Human Resources at a hospital by day, and as Sinthia Laretta, drag queen, at night and on weekends. Comedy was a big part of her drag act, and soon, comedy clubs were booking her as well. Occasionally she did some modeling, since more and more designers were incorporating drag queens into their fashion shows. Her popularity grew steadily, and in time, she decided to move to Los Angeles and work full-time as an entertainer.