The Wages of Cin (Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries Book 4)

by Alexie Aaron

  I thought about ordering the obligatory white wine, but I needed courage, so I ordered, “A Manhattan on the rocks.”

  Vicki nodded and then looked at her cousin.

  “Beer, whatever’s on tap. I’ve got a concert tonight,” he explained to her.

  She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder tenderly. “So glad you’re back at it, Sid.”

  I had a feeling she wasn’t talking about the concert.

  “Manhattan? That’s an old man’s drink,” he observed.

  “And my old man was the first one to serve me one. After my first sip, I was hooked for life.”

  “Are we talking Daddy or ex?”

  “My father. He uses cheap whiskey, but there’s nothing like it. Glad you broke the ex ice. Have you always been single?”

  “Never made it to the altar. Two close calls. One ex?”

  “Yes, divorced, and with the exception that we still share the house, he’s pretty much just a memory at this point.”

  “Good… Wait, that sounded bad.”

  “No, it sounded fine.”

  Vicki arrived with our drinks. She pulled up a chair and sat down. “How’s it going?”

  “Honestly! Go away, Vicki. I’m not doing too bad,” Sidney said.

  Vicki raised an eyebrow. She turned to me. “The chef is going to make a special crab linguini. It’s not on the menu. I’ve had it, and I think it’s great. Of course, you’re going to have to navigate the noodles. Consider this a test by noodle.”

  I laughed. “I’m a slurper, so I guess I’ll fail. It sounds marvelous though.”

  She smiled.

  “Vicki, how do you expect me to make small talk if you’re sitting here?” Sidney asked.

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Fine. We’ve covered exes, and I think we’re moving on to deeper subjects,” I said.

  Vicki smiled, got up and returned the chair to the other table.

  “She’s a piece of work, but she means well. I called her today, asking where I should take you. She insisted we come here, so if I bombed, she could beat you up.”

  “Well, you better not bomb. I’m not sure I can take her,” I warned.

  “She’s a scrapper, used to beat me up when we were kids. I come from a close family. My mother and Vicki’s mother are sisters.”

  We talked about siblings, parents and my children before we moved on to music. We had just started on how we got into music when our shrimp arrived. Vicki placed the plates before us and left without a word.

  “Do you think she’s mad at us?” I teased.

  “Too early to tell,” he said.

  I took a bite of the appetizer and nodded my appreciation.

  “Do you play an instrument?” I asked after I swallowed.

  Sidney grinned. “I used to play piano but was nothing great. I love mixing music though. I had this great mentor who cut his teeth in Motown. He took me under his wing, and soon I was ready to leave the nest. I used to follow the big groups from venue to venue, but when I got ill, I kept to south Florida.”

  “There are a lot of opportunities here for a good sound engineer,” I said.

  “I’m surviving. Speaking of surviving, Cin, I want you to know that I have a rare blood cancer. I’ve been in remission for a year now, but there’s no guarantee.”

  “I appreciate you being honest with me. Let’s take it one date at a time,” I suggested.

  He reached across the table and asked, “Is there going to a second date?”

  “Most certainly,” I said. “I don’t know my schedule yet. This investigation is just starting, but I’ll make time for you, I promise.”

  He squeezed my hand and sat back down. “I hope that didn’t look too desperate. It’s just that I like you. I really like you, Cin.”

  “I like you too, Sidney.”

  “I understand I have competition.”

  My mind went in a whirl. Did Harry talk to Sidney? Does he know about Father Michael? Can this guy read minds? Hell, I’d better ask. “I don’t understand.”

  “I heard you went to dinner with Elijah,” he said. “I wouldn’t have poached on him, but I had already called you when I found out.”

  “That was just business, Sidney. I had a good time, but no chemistry.”

  Sidney brightened up. “Most girls go for the rocker.”

  “I’m not most girls.”

  Sidney picked up his beer. “Here’s to Cin, a woman with interesting tastes.”

  I raised my glass and giggled.

  “Tell me about Harry.”

  “I guess he’s my partner in our fly-by-night consultant business.” I went on to give Sidney a brief explanation of our meeting and the serial killer case. He asked questions and seemed to really be interested in what I was saying. “You’re a great listener, Sidney.”

  “Part of my job, darlin’. Good ears.”

  The dinner went too quickly. Soon I was refusing dessert, and Sidney was escorting me to the door. I stopped to thank Vicki. She seemed pleased that we enjoyed our time at the Crab Shack.

  I handed my keys to Sidney. He smiled and took them from me. He drove to a small outdoor mall. There we walked, hand in hand, while window shopping. We stopped at an outdoor café and ordered coffees and sat down.

  “How did you get involved with Elijah Broadhurst?” I asked, suddenly remembering why I was with Sidney in the first place.

  “I did a few concerts for him in the old days. He wanted to independently produce his comeback record, so we worked out a deal. Hopefully, it will be a success.”

  I noticed that this wasn’t the information he had given me yesterday, but I decided to let it go. “Will you follow him on tour?”

  “I’d like to. Most of the larger venues have their own sound engineers, and I haven’t really thought that far ahead. You see, Ely’s Coming is an unlucky band.”

  “You don’t seem like the superstitious kind.”

  “Oh, I am a little. Most people in the music business are.”

  “I guess I’ll admit to being influenced a bit by superstition, but I believe we make our own luck,” I told him.

  “Are you religious?”

  “Not a churchgoer, but I have a pretty good regard for the man upstairs. He’s saved my neck too many times to ignore.”

  “Amen to that,” Sidney said, smiling.

  We finished our coffees and walked back to the car. Before we got in, Sidney drew me close to him.

  “I’d like to kiss you, Cin.”

  “Please,” I said, melting.

  He kissed me softly, eliciting a response with his soft lips. I felt his hands move to my back and pull me closer to him. I kissed him back, and for a few minutes, we enjoyed being caught up in something very special. Sidney’s watch beeped. He lifted his arm and looked at the time.

  “I guess we better start back. Thank you, Cin.”

  “My pleasure, believe me.”

  “Your eyes are dancing. I like that,” he said, helping me into the car.

  As he walked around the car, I rued that I wasn’t sitting in the large cargo van right now. It wasn’t the drink that was making me dizzy; it was how my body responded to Sidney. Was it Sidney or was it the unanswered lust of the last few years? Whatever it was, my body was calling the shots right now.

  Sidney sat down, and after he backed out, I leaned over and he put his arm around me. He kept the top up on the convertible. I leaned over the console and enjoyed being in the circle of his arm as we traveled back. As we approached the guard, we split apart and frantically searched for our lanyards to show our IDs.

  The guard, recognizing the BMW, just waved us through.

  “I’m going to be busy in the booth for a while. Why don’t you hang with the band? I think you’ll enjoy seeing those goofs go through their preconcert jitters. I’ll send a bouncer to come and get you and escort you through the crowd to the booth about five minutes before start time.”

  “I can’t wait.”

 
“See you soon,” he said, drawing me close for another well-received kiss before we left the parking lot, separately.

  Harry was waiting for me at the steps.

  “Did you have a good time?” he asked.

  I twirled around before I answered, “Oh yes, I had a wonderful time.”

  He frowned and stepped closer to me. “Cool it, you’re acting like a teenager.”

  “Sorry, Dad, but I can’t help it.”

  “I hope you, er, talked.”

  “No, we made out in the BMW for four hours,” I snapped.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Let’s save the business conversation until we’re home where we won’t be overheard and misunderstood.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I get you. Alex seems to like your new boyfriend.”

  “Really? He’s so hard to read.”

  “I don’t like him.”

  “Alex?”

  “No, Sidney. He scrambles your brains,” he said. “And there’s something about him that doesn’t ring true to me.”

  “You’re just jealous. You haven’t had you brains scrambled in a while, Harry,” I said, ruffling his hair.

  “Cut it out,” he protested, stepping away.

  “Let’s go inside. It’s too hot and sticky out here.”

  Harry opened the door for me, and we headed to the band suite together.

  I stopped before we opened the door and whispered, “Eyes and ears open. This is where we will get to meet the family and friends. Watch for anything that seems out of place,” I instructed.

  “We are of one mind, Cin.”

  Chapter Five

  The room was crowded. I really didn’t want to stay there, but I feared that the bouncer sent to find me would miss me in the hall. Harry and I wove our way in between VIP holders. Women eyed us curiously. They took their time looking over Harry. He had gelled his black curls. He was wearing a black tee, black pants and shoes. I could understand their scrutiny. Was he a bouncer, or was he something else? I made it over to where Alex was sipping on a bottle of water.

  “Have a good concert, and enjoy yourself,” I said, holding back from hugging my nervous son.

  “Did you have a good time?” he asked.

  “Yes, I had a very good time. Sidney’s a great guy.”

  “You know he’s got cancer.”

  Trust Alex to come right to the point.

  “He told me.”

  “Just so you know,” he said. “Manuel couldn’t wait to give me the lowdown when you left. I think he was rather put out that you walked out with the sound engineer.” Alex smiled wickedly. “I’m proud of you, Mom.”

  “Likewise, egg.”

  “Harry’s been snooping around. I swear he’s written a novel in his notebook,” Alex enlightened me.

  “Glad one of us is on the ball. Me, I’m going to sit in the booth and enjoy seeing my son perform.”

  “After?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “You got protection?”

  “Alex!” I said, embarrassed.

  “Harry went out and got you these,” he said, shoving a small brown bag at me.

  I looked inside. I was mortified. Harry bought condoms and gave them to my son to give to me.

  “I took half of them,” he said, winking at me.

  “Can we let this go? I’m very, very uncomfortable right now.”

  He nodded. “I’ve got to get back in there,” he said, nodding towards the practice room. “See you tomorrow.”

  I nodded. I decided I needed to look for a washroom before I had to go upstairs. Inside the suite, I found a ladies room, which was more like a cell. I imagined the male performers must make up the majority of the green room visitors and hoped their bathroom was bigger. I took care of things and tucked the brown bag’s contents deep in my purse before leaving the stall. I inched my way around a duo of young women and headed for the sink. One of the women grabbed my lanyard and looked at my name. “Fin-Lathen? Who the fuck are you?”

  “I’m Sidney Stoneridge’s guest,” I said, prying her white-dusted fingers off my ID. I washed my hands again, pushed past her and out the door. I prayed that Alex didn’t end up with that foul-mouthed, drugged-up creature tonight.

  Harry was leaning against the wall chatting with Elijah who seemed to be enjoying the chaos of the room. I walked over and stood there, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.

  Elijah turned around and surveyed me with his green eyes. “We meet again, Cin.”

  I held out my hand. Elijah took it and drew me in and planted a kiss on my cheek. I pondered this a moment. Was it just a band thing, or was it done for the benefit of someone in the room? Either way, I didn’t enjoy it.

  “Have a great time out there,” I said lamely.

  “You are sticking around after the concert. We’re going to party until they toss us out of here,” he informed me.

  “Don’t know, we’ll see.”

  The door opened and a big burly man came in calling my name. I excused myself and could have kissed the man for rescuing me from the band lounge and its lizards.

  I followed him through the maze of corridors.

  “This door gets us to the center aisle. Follow close behind me, and I’ll get you to Sidney’s booth.”

  “Thank you!” I shouted as the sound of the crowd almost overwhelmed me. They were chanting for the band. I was surprised as we passed through the multi-generational crowd. The audience ranged from people older than me to young teens standing there waiting for the band to hit the stage.

  Sidney, who was now dressed in a uniform of all black, similar to the security team, nodded to me as the bouncer lifted me over the barrier to his booth. No wonder he sent the Incredible Hulk. Once I was in the booth, Sidney wiggled his finger, and he put a headset on my head. The crowd sound was muted, but I could hear Sidney loud and clear.

  “Cin, you can hear me and the band through these. Don’t worry, no one can hear you, so if you feel like singing along, feel free. Before we start, I want to tell you what a wonderful time I had with you.” He helped me climb into the high, control booth chair, and as I turned around, he kissed me long and hard.

  “Ready?” he asked, looking into my eyes.

  I nodded.

  He approached the mammoth console and started to work his magic. He communicated with the gentlemen running the lightshow and put on a recording of one of Ely’s Coming's more driving songs.

  The crowd got to their feet. Fortunately, I had no trouble seeing from my vantage point. Sidney cued the band. “Move to stairs, guys. Good luck,” he said. “Meyer and Lathen, take up positions.”

  I watched my son climb the stairs, following Meyer who held his drumsticks in the air and saluted the crowd. Alex moved to his position and began a steady beat. Meyer got comfortable and joined him. Together, they matched the music. Sidney gently eased the prerecorded track out, and now the crowd only heard the duet between bass guitar and drummer. “Cue, Manny,” Sidney said. “Come on, old boy, you can make the stairs.”

  “Fuck you, Stoneridge,” Manuel said before entering the stage. He walked on, picking up his cord, and started playing. The crowd went wild. Alex and Manny faced the drummer and played that way until it was time for Elijah to enter the stage. At this point, Alex and Manuel moved to their positions. From my viewpoint, it looked like my son was enjoying himself. If that were me, I would have already soiled myself. The crowd jumped up and down.

  “Elijah, they’re waiting for you,” Sidney said.

  For one agonizing minute, there was only breathing coming from Elijah’s mic. He said, “For Mandy,” and walked onto the stage.

  Elijah plugged in and walked to the center of the stage. I watched as Sidney worked his magic, and now the crowd could hear Elijah. They went wild. Elijah started singing. I was thankful that I had the headset; the noise of the screaming fans at this point could have deafened me. Sidney brought up the sound. The whole concert, he worked hard to give the crowd the be
st sound no matter how unruly they were. The back of his shirt was soaked through before the third song had started. His hands moved so fast along the console, he resembled the Phantom of the Opera on his organ.

  When I wasn’t watching Sidney, I was looking at the stage. I moved my eyes from left to right and back again. It was after my fourth scan that I saw a problem. One of the lights mounted on a twenty-foot-high triangular tower turned ever so slightly. At first, I thought it was just the lighting guys working their magic, but my eyes traveled down the tower, and I saw it was no longer perpendicular to the stage. I pulled on Sidney’s shirt. He motioned for me to come closer.

  I yelled, “The back left light tower is bending!”

  It only took a moment for him to see what I saw. He alerted security, and as Elijah began “Redheaded Stepchild,” four burly men in black and Harry moved quickly behind him. Two had a long metal pole. They managed to brace the tower before it broke loose and crashed. Harry climbed the side wall and caught the rope that was thrown to him. He secured it to the structure offstage, and soon the large light tower was stabilized.

  The band played on, oblivious to the danger. I doubted if anyone in the crowd looked beyond Elijah to witness the near disaster.

  “We’d like to play you some tunes from our new album,” Elijah said. “But first, I’d like to thank Alex Lathen from Barely a Bass Player for filling in for Gareth.” He lifted his hands and clapped which signaled the audience to show their approval. After the crowd had died down, he introduced Manuel and Meyer.

  I sat back and tried to enjoy the rest of the concert. I wanted to be on the stage looking into what made that light break. I had a sickening thought that it wasn’t an accident. I was comforted that Harry was there on the scene, and I was sure he was already investigating.

  I felt a tug and saw that Sidney was trying to get my attention. I hopped off the stool and walked up. He turned and swung me into him. He held me tight. I felt the stress move out of my body as a more welcome feeling flooded my senses.

  “I’m glad you took a chance on me, Cin,” he said, keeping an eye and ear on the stage. “After the concert, don’t run away.”

  I squeezed his hand to let him know I understood. Then I kissed his cheek to let him know I approved.