Beautiful

[Ella713]

Moonlight Fan Fiction
Rated PG
Beautiful
By Ella713


Mick uses Isabelle to go undercover in a beauty pageant to hunt down a killer.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Okay Josef this better be important" Mick said as he sat down in the chair opposite Josef.
"You know I took on sponsorship of the Miss California Pageant" He began to say. Mick nodded his head. This was another one of Josef's schemes that always seemed ridiculous but always worked out for Josef.
"Four days ago, we had a contestant fall off the runway, she broke her leg and had to drop out. Now the day before yesterday they found another contestant from what looks to be suicide, but cornor just told me that it's a poisoning. Mick, something is going on at this competition. I know that its cut throat, but this a bit much for a gaggle of 20- somethings." Mick thought of something.
"Did Felix say what kind of poisoning was used?" Mick asked.
"Yeah, something called Succinyl Choline. Whatever the hell that is?" Josef said.
"It's a form of euthanasia." Mick said remembering when he was a medic in the war they used it on men who were injured beyond repair.
"Is it easy to get a hold of?" Josef asked.
"No. You have to be either a vet or a MD to get your hands on it. And it's not that easy to get even when you are an MD or a vet." Mick explained.
"Well someone got ahold of it and you have to find out why" Josef said.

As Mick drove home he thought about having Beth help with the some one the young girls. They wouldn't be as forthcoming with him. He let himself in and started to call her name. Then he saw the note on the fridge.
"Mick, Gary sent me and Steve to follow the garbage strike. We'll be gone for a couple of days. Miss you! -Love Beth.
Great....he thought about Zoe, but she was so busy with the kids these days. Ditto for Nicole. Maybe......nah, she wouldn't be interested..........would Josef be able to spare her?.......Mick sighed and punched in Isabelle's private line.

[Ella713]

Mick heard her husky voice reply.
"Mick, is there something you want?" Isabelle had a kind of spooky way of asking questions that made you question her own motives.
"Could we meet for a bit?" Mick asked.
"Sullivans in 30 minutes" She replied and hung up.

Mick pulled up to the swank bistro and sat at a table and waited for Isabelle. She pulled up shortly and called the waiter over and asked for a dark beer, Mick's eyebrows rose for a moment.
"Beer?" Mick asked with a smile.
"It has started to grown on me?" She smiled back.
"Well, Isabelle you know the stuff that is going on with Josef's pageant?" He asked. She took a sip of her beer and nodded her head. "I think I can find out what's going on, but I..." He started to say.
"Yes I will do it. I will find it annoying but I will do it. Let me know when." She said and stood up and walked back to her car. Mick looked down at her glass and saw she had finished the whole things and Mick didn't see a thing!

Isabelle looked around and hated immediately what she saw. She silently counted to 10 before entering the dressing room.

"Attention!" She said sternly. All conversation stopped as the contestants stared at her. "If you do not know already who I am, my name is Isabelle Kostan. As in the wife of Josef Kostan. So know that any un ladylike behavior will result in you being booted from pageant as well as being slapped across the face" She said in all seriousness, The one young woman that was looked upon as being a loud mouthed bully, stood up to speak. She walked towards Isabelle with her hands on her hips getting ready to give her a piece of her mind when Isabelle slapped her hard across the cheeks.
"Steven!" Isabelle called out "Gather this one's things and escort her out" Isabelle said. And turned to the others.
"Anyone else?" She asked. All the contestants shook their heads no.

Mick was working as a stage hand. His lead was a man named Drake. As they worked the contestants practiced their routines.
"Man oh man, What I wouldn't give to be with anyone those gals" He exclaimed.
"Yeah, they're cute and everything but a little young and stupid" Mick said,
"Who said they have to be smart?" Drake laughed.
"I mean what the point of parading around in a swimsuit on television? They should make us do that" Mick said meaning it, thinking of his own two grandchildren.
"Hey, if they wanna offer mean $250.000.00 in scholarship money to parade around in swimtrunks, I'd sign on the dotted line with no hesitation!" he said. "I mean every last single one of them is like a fresh fruit ready to be plucked from the tree" Drake continued. "Except for that one" Drake said pointing at the woman walking by. She wasn't ugly but she was plain. You coudn't tell much about her as she was in head to toe beige.
"Who is that?" Mick asked.
"That's......shit!........Grace Pevit! She's in charge of costumes...hard to believe I know. I mean look at the way she's dressed." Drake said as they kept working.

"Did you find out anything?" Mick asked Isabelle.
"Nothing other than those girls will all be dead in a couple of years" She replied.
"What? Why?"
"They are a group of idiots. They care only for money and clothing. Nothing else. I got rid of the trouble maker in the group, but the rest although they are extremely stupid, they will be no trouble"
"Isabelle....what was your mother like?" Mick asked suddenly curious. Suddenly the hardened expression on Isabelle's face soften.
"My mother was an angel Mick. No one ever said anything against her" She said as walked away.

[Ella713]

Isabelle had done wonders with the contestants. She taught them how to walk and how to conduct themselves. Now they looked and behaved like grown women. Really in spite of all the progress that mankind had made, the general culture was sad to see. Women dressed in basically nothing, had children without being married, and generally behaved and swore like sailors. Isabelle was shocked daily. The young women stood straight and Isabelle grilled them.
"So tell me Donna. What are your dreams for a better America?" Isabelle asked. The young brunette
smiled slightly.
"Kindness" Donna replied. "We as a society have forgotten to be kind to one another. What it means to help someone in need or to give a kind word. And I feel that it is that forgetfulness that will be our demise." Donna finished. Isabelle nodded.
"That was well done" She said.

Grace really liked the new contestant coordinator. Isabelle was stern when she needed to be but forever graceful. Grace could not see one fault. The girls however were a lost cause. It was her dream to once be able to compete, but her mother wouldn't hear of it. She said she had been born plain and her daughters were born plain. That's how it was for the females of the Pevit family. She had always been an excellent illustrator however, and her design talents had taken her pretty far. But there was still a part of her that thought "I deserve this!"

[Ella713]

Donna knew that Isabelle was proud of her progress, so she wanted to continue to practice her routine.
She had been playing piano forever and the piece that was chosen for her, was one that she had played many times before. But still she wanted every note to be perfect. Isabelle said it wasn't enough to know the notes, but you had to feel the music. Donna started to play the first few notes. She closed her eyes and let the notes sweep over her. Then there was nothing but darkness.

Mick looked down at the young woman. Her pretty features distorted. What the hell was going on here he thought as the ME took the body away. Isabelle glided up next to him.
"I think I know who is responsible" She said quietly. Mick turned to look at her quickly.
"Who is it?" He asked
"Not now. I might be completely wrong" She said looking around.
"When are you ever wrong Isabelle?" Mick asked.
"There is always a first time for everything Mick." She said and walked away.

Grace discarded yet another gown. At this rate there would be no contestants alive to wear her costumes. She got busy with her work when she heard someone softly walk up behind her. She turned and saw the beautiful Isabelle Kostan behind her.
"Yes, Mrs. Kostan. Is there something you need?" She asked standing up. Isabelle looked at woman. She actually had very lovely features, but one couldn't see a thing with all the beige she clothed herself in.
"What size do you wear?" Isabelle asked. Grace blinked a couple of times.
"I'm a size 4" she replied.
"That will do. Come with me." Isabelle said briskly.

[Ella713]

Grace was being pinched, poked and powder puffed. But when they were done, Grace looked like a supermodel. Isabelle stared at her for a long time.
"What would you do with the $250,000 scholarship?" Isabelle asked.
"I would love to continue my studies in fashion design. My mother has a prosthetic leg which requires her pants to be of opposing lengths and widths. But there is absolutely no market for that. I want to design clothing for people dealing with these issues. They are already given the stigma that they are abnormal. I was to design clothing that makes them feel like a normal person but also a very beautiful one" Grace said. Isabelle smiled. This young woman would do well.
"Other than designing what else can you do?"
"I play the cello, but it's been a couple of years..." she began to say.
"Good. I will have one brought here. Practice everyday" Isabelle said and walked away. Grace turned and looked at herself once more and simply could not believe it. She was going to be in the pageant.
She couldn't wait to see the look on everyone's face!

Mick had been following around the contestants for days now. Not one girl was allowed out alone. and men even fiance's' and husbands were off limit until the crowning.

There were no more incidents and it looked like the pageant would go on as planned.

All the girls looked at Grace like she was a peasant. She had never even competed before. Donna was the only girl who thought that Grace would would do very well.
"Hey, don't worry about them" Donna said. "They're just jealous. They've been doing this pageant thing all their lives and they finally got here. You didn't have to do any of the stuff they did and it makes them angry" Donna explained.
"But you did too. So why aren't you furious?" Grace asked.
"Because I'm the hard luck case too. I'm the token charity case. Dirt poor but with a lot of gumption and determination I won a scholarship to Sarah Lawrence. I figured it I entered the pageant, maybe I could win some money for grad school."
Grace felt bad the she had judged them so harshly. Maybe they weren't all bad she said to herself.

There were only five days left until pageant night and everything was going beautifully. There had been no more accidents/murders and things were moving along.

"Who's that?" One of the girls pointed and placed her hand over heart.
"That's Josef Kostan" one contestant whispered.
"He looks so young" another one replied.
"He's hot!" another girl said.
"That's Isabelle's husband" Donna said pouring ice cold water over the conversation. All the girls groaned. You couldn't compete with Isabelle.

"You are being admired my darling" Isabelle said to Josef. Josef glanced over her shoulder and saw the contestants all smiling at him.
"Well, isn't that adorable" he said kissing Isabelle passionately before walking away to speak with pageant officials.

[Ella713]

Mick had Logan do a thorough background check of each girl competing. Nothing unusual came up at first. Each girl had been in the pageant business since they were around 7 years or so. Each had a title at the teen level followed by the regional level all but 2. Grace Pevit and Donna Hartford. Grace really couldn't be added as a suspect as she had only just been placed in the competition, but her father was a vet. And that made her suspicious in Mick's eyes.

Grace was doing exceptionally well. After her makeover, she now possessed confidence but that coupled with the poise she already had made her almost unbeatable. Isabelle watched all the girls closely. She knew who had it in their hearts to kill. She knew who it was that carried hate and contempt in their heart. She would meet with Mick to find out what they must do.

Mick met Isabelle at Josef's office.
"Alright, who's the guilty party?" Josef asked making himself a drink. Mick and Isabelle spoke at the same time.
"Grace" Mick said.
"Donna" Isabelle said.
"Okay.....so there's some indecisiveness" Josef said

"Look, Grace's father is a veterinarian. His office stocks the drug and Grace helps out on the weekends. She could easily taken a vial of the stuff and given it to whoever she wanted."
"Donna hates this pageant and all the contestants competing. She is an academic who loathes the very idea of something as shallow as beauty being the pinnacle of a woman's worth. I feel she has the capacity to kill and would do it quite gleefully" Isabelle explained.

[Ella713]

Isabelle entered the Hyatt Hotel, taking time to walk around each area where the pageant would be held. She didn't see anything that gave her alarm. After making her sweep, she went upstairs to check on the contestants. The first room she went into, both girls were sound asleep. She walked down the hallway and checked each room. The last room belonged to Donna and Grace. She very quietly and very slowly opened the door. They were both gone. Isabelle quickly turned the lights and picked up the phone.

Mick drove to the hotel as quickly as he could. He found isabelle in the lobby with the police. Mick knew the situation was bad.
"Isabelle. What happened?" He asked.
"The contestants are all dead. Every last one of them." Isabelle said.
"What! What happened?"
"They were all poisoned it appears and Grace and Donna are no where to be found. We were correct Mick, we just did not move fast enough" She said handing him the note she found in their hotel room.

"We are not sorry for what we've done. These young women were poisoned by society. They really couldn't help themselves, so we in turn put them out of their misery. In death they will stand for so much more then they did alive.

"So it was both of them the whole time?" Mick asked aloud.
"Yes." Isabelle said walking outside of the hotel.

7 Months later

Josef loved Atlantic City and was very surprised that Isabelle wanted to go there for a long weekend. After playing poker for a while Isabelle excused herself. She quickly went to the stairwell door and leapt to the 10th floor. She found the room she was looking for and burst down the door. There laying bed holding one another was Grace Pevit and Donna Hartford. They jumped up in surprise and stared at Isabelle in fear.








The End