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a show of some kind, projecting an image into the world. As a detective, you get to see behind that mask. You see what makes a person tick, who they really are.
    Bess led us through another door, farther into the theater. The hallway was brightly lit with fluorescents and lined with doors whose signs read COSTUME SHOP , PROPS , and WORKSHOP .
    Finally Bess stopped in front of a door marked LILAC FAIRY DRESSING ROOM and knocked on the door.
    â€œCome in,” Maggie said from the other side.
    As soon as the door swung open, my jaw dropped. The entire room had been destroyed. All of Maggie’s belongings—her makeup, her brush, her phone, her clothes—had been thrown on the ground and stomped on. The lightbulbs lining the mirror were shattered. The mirror itself sported a long crack right through the middle. One of a chair’s legs had been broken off.
    Maggie sat crumpled in the far corner of the room, as if she was trying to stay as far away from the chaos as possible.
    â€œIt looks like a hurricane came through here,” George said.
    â€œI take it back, Nancy,” Maggie said, looking up at me, tears streaming down her face. “I want you to catch Fiona red-handed. She needs to be stopped!”
    â€œWe’ll nab whoever did this!” I told Maggie. “You have my word.”
    â€œMine, too,” George said.
    Next to me Bess cleared her throat. We all turned to look at her.
    â€œThe thing is,” she started, “I kept a close eye on Fiona all afternoon. She never left my sight for more than a few seconds. There’s no way she had time to do all of this,” she said, swinging her arm out to take in the full dressing room.
    A loud sob erupted from Maggie. “You mean we have no idea who did this?”
    It was closer to the truth than I wanted to admit. The poster hadn’t turned up anything, and with Bess ruling out Fiona, I was at a loss. Looking at Maggie, though, I couldn’t say that out loud.
    â€œJust because Fiona didn’t do this herself,” I said, “doesn’t mean she wasn’t behind it.” Maggie looked up with a glimmer of hope on her tear-streaked face. “It’s been a long day,” I continued. “Why don’t we go to dinner and you can give us a rundown of Fiona’s friends who might have helped her.”
    Maggie nodded. “That sounds good.” She quickly changed into her street clothes and we headed out.
    Sebastian was sitting on a chair in the lobby, but he jumped up as soon as he saw Maggie.
    â€œMaggie! Are you okay? I heard what happened.” He came close as if he were going to hug her, but held back. I saw Bess smile. She loves couples. I think she was more excited when Ned and I started dating than either Ned or I were.
    â€œI’m fine.” Maggie sighed. “We were actually all going to grab dinner. Do you want to come?”
    â€œI’d love to,” Sebastian answered, following as we all headed out into the cold.

    By the time our entrées arrived, Maggie was noticeably calmer. We’d decided to go to Hugo’s Restaurant, much to George’s chagrin. George is a burger and fries girl, and Hugo’s specializes in organic health food. Maggie explained she was on a strict diet. She ate a lot of calories because of how much she exercised, but they were all healthy calories. It was imperative that she maintain her slim figure if she was going to have any shot at becoming a professional dancer.
    George had been shocked when she found out all the things Maggie didn’t eat: pizza, ice cream, steaks. She couldn’t believe that anyone would voluntarily not eat ice cream.
    â€œEvelyn Young and Nicole Rush,” Maggie said. “Those are Fiona’s best ‘friends.’ I say friends, but they’re more like lapdogs. They would do anything for her.”
    â€œGreat,” I said. “I’ll focus my investigation on them tomorrow.” I