“Shane? It’s the crack of dawn,” Dennis said, answering his phone.
“I know you’re awake and in the office.”
“Of course, I am. I figured you slept in these days since you worked late into the night.”
“I’m fine. Listen, I’ve been over your list a dozen times. The guy could’ve picked this magazine up from anywhere. Half of the subscriptions are for churches and businesses. The rest are all women. Mind you, he could be married and just snagged his wife’s magazine.”
“Okay? What’s your angle from here?”
“I don’t have one,” she said.
“Why’d you call, then?”
“I resigned my position last night. I’m coming home day after tomorrow.”
“What?”
“If you want to work something out with Rich and send someone else so we keep the paycheck, that’s fine. I’m not doing this anymore. I’ll keep working to figure out who is behind all of this until I’m gone.”
“Okay,” he sighed. “I’m honestly surprised you lasted this long.”
“You and me both.”
“If anything changes, let me know.”
“I will, but I doubt that’ll happen. Hey, one thing I noticed with the list…the church near Haley’s house was on it, and I believe her maid might be on there too. I doubt her family is doing this to her, and the church could just be a coincidence since all of the churches in Nashville and the surrounding areas seem to be on there too,” she said between bites of cereal.
“What is that crunching sound? We must have a bad connection. Where are you?”
“More than likely still in Illinois. We haven’t been on the road long. Anyway, it’s probably this sugar-filled cereal I’m eating.”
“That’s a new development,” he laughed.
“I woke up starving. Someone stocked the bus, but I guarantee it wasn’t Rich. Haley is going to be pissed when she wakes up. Rich probably sent Rico Suave shopping.”
“Excuse me?”
“Rico. That’s our new driver. He’s part of the road crew and was Fizzy’s back up driver for Haley’s bus. Anyway, I’ll call you from Nashville. I’ll have to fly back there to get my car from her house.”
“Sounds good,” Dennis said, before ending the call.
***
Shane was asleep on the couch when Haley gave into her hunger and came out of her room in search something to eat. “Do you always sleep out here?” she said, shaking her head.
“Not intentionally,” Shane replied. “I wouldn’t bother if I were you,” she added when Haley began opening the fridge and cabinets.
“What the hell? Who did the shopping? A ten-year-old?” Haley grumbled.
“Told you.” Shane shrugged. “The cereal isn’t half bad, although it may give you diabetes.”
“Wonderful,” she muttered, microwaving water for her tea. “I’ll just grab something when we stop in Nashville.”
“Wait. What?” Shane sat up. “I thought we were headed to Georgia.”
“We are…well, the road crew and band are. Since the show in Atlanta is tomorrow night, and we have to go through Nashville, I’m stopping to play at the Hillbilly tonight by myself. Rich is picking you and I up when the cavalry stops to change shifts.”
“You could’ve told me ahead of time.”
“I was a little preoccupied…don’t you think?” Haley deadpanned.
Shane shrugged and stood up.
Haley’s eyes shifted to the bare skin showing above the waistband of Shane’s jeans where her t-shirt had rose up in her sleep. Following her line of sight, Shane quickly pulled it back down and walked away. She was barely in her room when her phone began ringing. Seeing that it was Dennis, she reached for it.
“Thank you for calling Hell. Press one to save my soul,” she answered.
“What the fuck?” Dennis laughed. “Shane?”
“Yep, that’s me. I’m still here. There’s nowhere else to go, bud.”
“Stop eating that sugary shit. It’s making you crazy.”
“I’m afraid it’s not the cereal,” she sighed. “Anyway, what’s up? Oh, and apparently, Haley is playing by herself at some Honkytonk tonight in Nashville while the rest of the group goes on to Georgia. She and I are flying down with Rich afterwards. I wish I’d known. I would’ve made plans to leave tonight…in my car, instead of staying on for another venue.”
“That’s great.”
Shane pulled the phone from her ear and looked down at it. “Great? What’s so damn great about it?”
“Listen, I’m calling because that guy you told me to send all of the letters to, he just called. The paper is the same printer paper you can buy at any store, like all the others. The first few letters had no finger prints or DNA, and this didn’t either…but, this last one did have an imprint. You know where someone writes something on a piece of paper on top of it and it makes an indentation?”
“Yes, Dennis. I was a Deputy Marshal. I know what the hell an imprint is. What did it say? I knew he was rushing with this letter. That’s because he found out at the last minute.”
“I agree. It’s not much to go on though. It said: DEA EETIN URDAY.”
Shane slammed the nightstand drawer open and closed, looking for a notepad and pen. Once she finally found what she was looking for, she quickly wrote the letters down in the order that he read them. “The last word is Saturday.”
“I thought the same thing. Any idea what the rest is?”
“No. Let me play around with it. I’ll call you back. This could be the big break.” As soon as she hung up her phone, she went into the Google search screen. The first thing that popped up to correct the spelling was Deacon Meeting. “Son of a bitch!” she yelled, slamming her fist on the nightstand. “I knew it!” She quickly dialed Dennis back.
“That was quick,” he answered.
“It’s Deacon Meeting Saturday,” she exclaimed.
“What? how did you come up with that?”
“Google. Anyway, it’s someone in a fucking church,” she said, shaking her head. “I had a feeling, but was hoping I was wrong.”
“What now?”
“We need to cross reference churches with deacons who are in the Nashville area, and who also have subscriptions to that magazine.”
“I’m on it. There are probably a hundred or so,” Dennis said.
“Try more like four-hundred.”
“Are you serious?” he squeaked.
“Didn’t you look at the list you sent me? I guarantee you thirty percent of them, if not more, have subscriptions to that magazine,” she sighed. “This is a lead, but not a very good one. Anyone coming or going from the clerical area of at least three hundred churches could have grabbed the paper…as well as the magazine. It’s not a lot to go on.”
“I’ll still work on it. If I can help you eliminate some of them, that may help.”
“Dennis, he was really sloppy this time. He could make a move on her soon. I don’t like it.”
“I know. I agree. I thought you quit, though.”
“I did. I’m still done after tomorrow night’s show, but at least I’ll have a place for the person to start. Maybe a fresh set of eyes is what’s needed. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.” She ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed to keep from smashing it into the wall. She grabbed the pencil and notepad, flinging them instead.
“What’s going on in there? It sounds like you’re in a wrestling match,” Haley called from outside the galley, near the hallway as her eyes scanned the wall from the night before.
“I’m fine,” Shane replied, opening her door. “Who knows about you performing at that bar tonight?”
“No one but the owner. Why?”
“Just checking. I have a lead on your letter writer, but it’s a long stretch.”
“What do you mean?”
“It could be one of thousands of people living in or near
Nashville, who attend a church with deacons.”
Haley raised a brow. “Most of Tennessee goes to church, it’s like a family tradition in the south. I’m also pretty sure they all have deacons.”
Shane nodded and held her palms up. “Long stretch.”
“Wonderful,” Haley muttered, walking past her to get her guitar. “Are you hiding in there all day?” she asked, turning back to face her before entering the bathroom to get to her room.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I’d like to work…therefore, I kind of need to know.”
“I thought you can’t work around me?”
“I can’t, but I’m going stir crazy on this bus.”
“Are we going to talk about last night?” Shane asked.
“Why bother?”
Shane nodded her head. “I have some calls to make. I’m sure Rich will want to get started as soon possible with my replacement. I also have to book my flight back to Nashville to get my car. Can you please make sure Emma Jean will be there?”
“Fine.”
“In the meantime, I need to shower, so…”
Haley rolled her eyes and walked through the bathroom to her room, returning a few minutes later with her notepad, pencil, and guitar. Shane watched her step into the living room and get settled before going to take her shower. At the moment, all she wanted to do was wash off the remnants of last night.
Chapter 29
Afternoon had come and gone by the time the entourage pulled into a truck stop to refuel and shift change the drivers. This was the longest leg in the tour so far, but it had only happened this way because of the couple of missed shows. Most of their drives were no more than eight hours at a time, and the drivers were allowed a maximum of ten hours.
Shane was sitting in the living room, dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt with a black button-down shirt over it to hide her gun, watching out the window. As soon as the dark SUV turned into the parking lot, she got off the bus.
“Is Haley ready to go?” Rich asked through the open window as he came to a stop.
“I’m sure she is. Have you talked to her today?”
He shook his head. “Is she still in rare form? I figured she’d be happy about tonight. She loves playing at the Hillbilly, where people don’t seem to care who she is. They just love listening to music.”
“I left you a voicemail earlier.”
“I never even checked my phone. I’ve been nonstop with the label all day. What’s going on?”
“I resigned last night.”
“You did what?” he squawked like an angry bird. “Why? What happened?”
“It’s been a long time coming. She and I are like oil and water. It’s just not…healthy,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “I’m staying on through tomorrow night. When she’s back on the bus after the show, I’m out.”
“Wow…” he muttered. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I have some contacts I’ll give you, so hopefully you’ll have someone ready to go. Also, I have a solid lead, but it’s a pretty long stretch. I’ll leave all of my notes, so hopefully the new person can pick up where I’m leaving off.”
Rich shook his head and chuckled. “You know, she told me she’d give this a month. Then, you were out of here. It’s funny how she outlasted you. I swear that woman is something else. She can charm the skin off an alligator and bite you like a cobra at the same time.”
“She’s something…alright,” Shane sighed.
“Well, you should enjoy tonight at least. It’ll be a lot smaller crowd. Hell, Emma Jean and Marvin may even be there.”
Shane nodded, then turned her head when she heard the bus door open. Haley was wearing her usual threadbare jeans with a wide black leather belt and large silver buckle. Pointed toe boots were on her feet, and a tight back Johnny Cash t-shirt with a deep V cut in the collar, was hugging her breasts. Her long blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders and down her back in spiral waves. “I hear that train a coming,” Shane muttered in a fake southern drawl.
Rich laughed. “If she wasn’t like a daughter to me, my wife would skin me alive for hanging around a woman that beautiful,” Rich said. “Should be outlawed.”
“I’m pretty sure she is an outlaw,” Shane replied, stepping away and glancing around the parking lot for anything suspicious as Haley walked over and got into the SUV.
“Can you have one of the roadies get my Tele? I want to take it with me,” she said to Rich, as she slid across the seat.
“Sure. Anything else?”
“Nope, but you’re stopping for some real food. Whoever stocked the bus is still in elementary school,” she said sarcastically.
“Okay,” he uttered as he got out of the vehicle.
Shane slid into the front passenger seat.
“You’re not riding back here with me?”
“Do I need to?”
“Nope.”
Shane stared out the window, watching one of the roadies get Haley’s guitar for Rich. A minute later, he walked back to the SUV with the hard, black case.
***
The Hillbilly was just as it seemed, a hole in the wall honkytonk that smelled like stale beer. It was a fairly decent sized room with vaulted ceilings. There were stools all along the bar that ran halfway down one wall, and various high-top tables were in the back. Regular round tables were staggered along the sides of the dance floor. The stage was three feet off the ground and had old whisky barrels and potato sacks sitting on both front corners. A microphone, a couple of amps, and an old console piano were sitting on it. Autographed pictures of country artists and album posters littered the walls, all the way up to the ceiling.
“Well, God put an angel in front of me. I see it with my own two eyes!” an old heavyset man said as he waddled up to Haley, wrapping her in a big hug.
“Aww, you’re so sweet,” Haley gushed.
“Here she is, all the way from her big city tour,” he added. “It’s been too long.”
“I know.” Haley shook her head. “The road’s been hell this time around. I needed to feel my roots, even for just a couple of hours.”
“You’re welcome here any time your pretty little heart desires,” the big man said with a grin. “I’m surprised your caretakers aren’t in here.”
“I was home recently, but I didn’t tell them I was passing back through.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry to hear about your bus driver. It sounded like an awful accident.”
“It certainly was. We were lucky to make it out alive,” she replied, looking at Shane. “Anyway, I’m not here for sappy stories.” She smiled brightly.
“It’s always a good time when Haley Nielsen comes to visit,” the big man said.
“Big Earl, you remember my manager, Rich Bergman,” Haley said. “And this is Shane Crowley. She’s working security for me.”
The man nodded, recognizing Rich, who was always with her when she played.
“This is Big Earl Smidley.”
Shane smiled politely and shook his hand.
“I gave this pretty little lady her first gig when she was just a baby. Her old man brought her in one night with her guitar and said, ‘Earl, you gotta hear this kid sing.’ I thought he was off his rocker, but I let her give it a try. Lord almighty, the place came alive. Her voice blew everyone away. I knew she was going to take over country music one day.”
“You should see her play in front of a packed arena,” Shane said.
“Oh, I have…a few times actually, and when she played the Opry. But, I love it when she comes in here to let her hair down. She could sing her ABC’s and I wouldn’t care. I just like to hear her sing and play music.”
Shane grinned at Rich, who just laughed.
“Enough with the chitchat,” Haley said with a big smile. “I came to play music.”
“Well, alright, then. Get to it. What are you drinking? It’s on the house tonight.”
> “Nothing for me,” Shane said.
“Me either,” Rich added.
“I’ll have two shots of JD, one for each of them,” Haley said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder to Shane and Rich.
Big Earl went behind the bar and poured two iced shot glasses full of Jack Daniels and slid them over to her. Haley winked at him. Then, she walked over to the stage and set them on the piano before opening her guitar case.
“I’m not sure if you know who I am…and that’s fine with me. I came in here tonight to see some old friends and play a little music. Is that okay with you guys?” she said into the microphone as she adjusted it for her shorter height.
The place was packed by this point and several people were already cheering.
Haley put the strap of her guitar around her neck and plugged the amp cord into it. Then, she adjusted the knobs to give the sound a little more country tone. “This was the very first song I played here, and as Big Earl likes to say…I was just a baby, at the ripe old age of fourteen.” She grabbed one of the shot glasses and held it up towards the bar. “This one’s for you, Earl!” she yelled, chugging it, and setting the empty glass back down. Then, she walked back to the microphone, strummed a few chords, and went right into singing Jolene. She started the song slow, using the full range of her voice as it picked up pace.
The fifty or so people in the bar cheered loudly, holding their beer bottles and cocktail glasses up in the air as she finished the song. One woman yelled, “We love you, Haley.”
She smiled, strumming the guitar a few times. “I think you need to be seasoned to sing this next one. I mean…you have to have lived through some shit, man.” She played a short intro on the guitar, then stopped. “I also think you have to know what the hell Tennessee Whiskey tastes like!” she added, walking over and grabbing the other shot glass, which she lifted in the air to the crowd, then chugged, getting another round of cheers. Then, she set the glass down and began singing Chris Stapleton’s hit song Tennessee Whiskey. She usually didn’t make eye contact with anyone when she sang, but her eyes wandered over to the side of the stage where Shane was leaning against the wall beside Rich.
Rebel Sweetheart Page 17
