01 Rock 'n' Roll is Undead - Veronica Mason

by Rose Pressey

  “Just because he’s gorgeous doesn’t mean I like him. I mean, sure, he’s easy on the eyes and what woman wouldn’t enjoy looking at him, but that doesn’t mean anything, Kitty Lauren. So you can wipe that grin right off your face.”

  “Uh huh,” she said while walking Danny to the car.

  While waiting for Kitty and Danny to finish a too long public make-out session, I jumped into the Bel-Air. You’d think he was going off to war by their tongue exchange. I waved at Buzz as he pulled away on his motorcycle and tried not to hold his gaze for too long. Why’d he have to be so mesmerizing? His aura was almost magical.

  After what seemed like an eternity waiting for Kitty, she slipped into the car.

  “He likes you,” she said breathlessly. Kissing Danny must be a real workout.

  “What?” I scowled. “Who? Danny?”

  “No, silly. I mean, yeah, Danny likes you, but not in that way. At least he’d better not.”

  “Kitty you’re rambling, get to the point.”

  “Buzz likes you.” She reapplied her bright red lipstick—I kept her in an endless supply of lip color.

  “What do you mean?” I sighed and started the ignition.

  She waited for it to purr to life before continuing, “He wants to play your bass.”

  “Are you okay? Did Danny-boy slip something into your drink?”

  “He wants to do the mattress tango with you. Or in your case the mattress swing dance.”

  “Your attempts at humor are lame.”

  She chortled.

  “I don’t know what you mean, or why you’re rambling about this. But I have other things to worry about besides a gorgeous bass player. Like my apartment and the little fact that someone was murdered mere hours ago.”

  “I know, I know. Don’t get your bloomers in a wad, I’m just sayin’. Just so you know.”

  “I’ll make a note of it.”

  Did Buzz like me? I kind of got that vibe from the looks he gave me. But I’d been wrong about that kind of thing in the past. Like the time I approached the guy in Target because I thought he’d winked at me, when in reality, he had dust in his eye. Anyway, did I really want to start anything romantic? Nope. I needed to let him know that I wasn't interested. But if he wasn't interested, I’d look like an idiot. Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time.

  Chapter 28

  I pulled onto the street and headed toward the police station. We traveled through the narrow streets, passing an old, weather-beaten gas station, a produce stand, and a small café along the way. I watched and waited for the mysterious Cadillac to pop out of the shadows. Few cars passed—none of them the shadowy stalker. Thank heavens.

  Not the best way to spend an afternoon. The station wasn’t far from my place. The topic of conversation on the way there involved Danny. All Danny—all the time.

  As excitable as Kitty tended to get, I wasn’t sure taking her inside was a good idea, but she’d promised to behave. The police instructed me to compile a list of my enemies. Like I’d told Detective Walker, I didn’t know of any arch-nemesis lurking behind every darkened stage. Sure, he said everyone had enemies, but they hadn’t exactly made their hatred of me known. No one came up to me and said, “Hey, Veronica my heart turns black and my blood boils over the moment you walk into the room.” I scribbled down the only names that came to mind, and felt guilty for doing so.

  I had to add Rick to the list, and his new wife. After all, he’d been angry with me when I broke off our relationship. He didn’t understand why I still didn’t want to date him even though he’d recently married the woman he’d been cheating on me with for the past year. What can I say, I’m crazy like that. His new wife went on the list because she saw me as competition. Her words, not mine. But nothing would ever make me interested in Rick again, so she didn’t have anything to worry about as far as that was concerned.

  My relationship with Rick had been perfect for the first month, then he let his true self shine through. I didn’t want to believe it at first, I had hoped he’d return to the person I’d first met. Only when confronted with his infidelity did I snap out of the trance he had me under.

  Then there was Stacey Jo Higgins. I couldn’t resist adding her to the list. I should be ashamed for adding her, but in my defense, she had been really mean to not only me, but everyone. Homecoming Queen of my senior class. My only true nemesis. Well, at least in my mind, she was the enemy. She’d dumped Diet Coke in my backpack in the cafeteria—on purpose. So I didn’t feel too bad about adding her. Kitty had nearly clawed her eyes out that day—not literally, thank goodness, but it was the day everyone discovered she was a werewolf. Stacey Jo sashayed past my locker on a daily basis, her brown bob swaying with the movement, and hurled insult after insult my way.

  I was pretty sure she’d left town after graduation. She swore she’d never come back, and I was holding her to that proclamation. It would serve her right if they tracked her down and asked her questions.

  After an hour of telling the police everything I knew, we were on our way back to the apartment. We pulled up to my place, and thankfully, all the action had quieted down. Police cars were gone. I wondered what, not only my neighbors in the building, but also the surrounding neighbors thought. Hell, I knew what they thought—they figured I’d be trouble from the start. And it looked as if they were right. Mr. Cooper had taken it upon himself to tell everyone about the crazy rock bandleader who lived in the building with him.

  I slipped out of the car and made my way up the path. Kitty followed on my heels. The building loomed over everyone, like a real-life character, as if it had a soul. Too bad it couldn't talk. Would it tell me who’d been in my apartment?

  “Hurry before Mr. Cooper or Mrs. Stevens catches us. I don’t feel like answering any more questions today.”

  We rushed up the porch and through the foyer. I hurried up the stairs with Kitty lagging behind. Her breathing had turned to huffs and puffs. Movement stirred in Mrs. Stevens’ apartment and then her door rattled.

  “Quick, here she comes.”

  “I can’t go any faster.” Kitty panted. “I think I’m having a heart attack.”

  When I reached the top, I grabbed Kitty and practically pulled her the rest of the way. Her feet landed with a thud on the hardwood.

  I laughed. “Whew. That was close.”

  “Seriously, do you know how to administer CPR? Do you have a defibrillator in your purse?” Kitty asked. “You need a place on the first floor.”

  “Maybe, but I have a great view of the park across the way.”

  “Park smark. Those steps will be the end of me one of these days.”

  I grabbed her hand. “C’mon, we’ve got a lot of work to do. I don’t even know where to start.”

  “I’d start by changing the locks. You need to call someone to do it. Wait, I think Danny is good at that stuff. Why don’t you have him do it? I’ll call him now.”

  I shrugged. “Whatever. If he knows what he’s doing, it’s fine by me.”

  Kitty pulled out her cell phone as I opened the door. The police were finished, all right. Now I was left to pick up the pieces of the mess. The mess of my chaotic life. Thank goodness I had Kitty to help. Maybe I should have let Buzz help. No, less involvement was better.

  I couldn’t believe the police had left me to my own defenses. You’d think they could offer some kind of protection. A lunatic had obviously set his sights on me. Why else mark out my face on the flyer? I hesitated as I opened the door an inch. Kitty yakked away, unconcerned whether the intruder had returned or not. I think she was just happy to have a reason to call Danny. As if they didn’t spend all their time together, anyway. If the intruder had returned, he knew we were there because of her big mouth on the darn cell phone.

  I looked at her. “Shush. What if the killer is back?”

  Her eyes widened. As if that was the first time she realized it was a real possibility.

  “I’ll call you back.” She flicked the phone closed
and tossed it into her bag.

  “Okay, you ready?” I whispered.

  She shook her head. I thought I heard an audible gulp escape her lips as I pushed the door open with my foot again. My heels were already killing me, and I had hours left in the day before I could rest. I needed to change to flats.

  What the hell? Why was I worrying about shoes? If I wasn’t careful, I wouldn’t need shoes where I was going. I motioned for Kitty to follow me into the apartment. She had a look on her face that said she might run at any minute. If I turned around, she may not be there. I eased into the space. Everything was just as I'd seen it before. Except now the bass was gone. The flyers were gone. The evidence.

  A dusty layer of powder covered almost everything in the place.

  “It's gonna take forever to clean this,” she said.

  I didn't answer. If I did, I might have cried.

  “I need to check the rooms before we worry about cleaning. The last thing I need is for someone to pop out while I’m mopping. They could have come back when the police left. For all we know, they’re watching the place.”

  “Oh, don’t say such things. You’re scaring me.”

  “Kitty, can’t you just turn into your wolfy self and kick some intruder ass?”

  “It depends on who the intruder is, plus, I don’t like getting all sweaty and hairy. Just because I can fight doesn’t mean I don’t get scared.”

  “Touché.”

  I made my way through each room as Kitty hovered by the door. If someone did attack me, she wouldn't be much help. She'd probably kill herself running down the stairs. And people were frightened of werewolves. If they met her, they’d change their minds. She was all bark with a sharp tongue. She could lay the smackdown if need be, but she avoided it when possible.

  “Looks to be all clear,” I said. “I can't believe someone did this. Look at this mess.”

  “Do you think they were looking for something?”

  “It kind of looks that way, huh? But I don't know what it would be? I don't have anything. I sure don't have any money, so I know it's not that. And why did they leave Johnny's bass? Did they want me to know it was them? You know, the killer?”

  I picked up the overturned plants.

  “It seems as if they did.” Kitty pulled the chair into an upright position. “How did you know it was Johnny's bass, by the way?”

  “He had his initials engraved into the front on the lower right hand side. I’d looked at it so many times, I’d recognize it anywhere.”

  “But why leave it?”

  “I honestly don’t know. To make a statement, I guess. As if staking a vampire wasn’t enough. I’d guess the police could get fingerprints or something from it.”

  “You didn’t touch it, did you?”

  “No way.”

  “Wow. I can't believe all of this is happening. I only see things like this on TV. Never thought it would happen to someone I know.”

  “I can’t believe it, either. It’s happening to me. And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The gig tomorrow night is important. Help me put the sofa back, would you?”

  She grabbed hold of one side and I got the other. “On the count of three. One, two, three.” We flipped the sofa over. Dirt from the overturned plants smudged the arm. That was what I got for buying cream-colored furniture.

  I swept the dirt from the overturned plants while Kitty grabbed the stepladder and replaced the blinds. “You don't want anyone looking in here at night. All the pervs from the park, you know.”

  I nodded and didn’t argue with her about the perverts in the park—she wouldn’t believe me if I told her I’d never seen anyone weird over there. Safety had never been an issue…until now. The thought of being in here alone at night hadn’t crossed my mind until just then. Everything seemed scarier in the dark. I shuddered at the thought.

  After sweeping, I picked up things from the living room floor, then we moved into the bedroom and hoisted the mattress back onto the bed. When I glanced at the dresser, something seemed off, and it wasn’t just the general state of chaos in the room. No, something was different. Something was missing. The spell book!

  Chapter 29

  The tattered old book had been on top of the dresser. I’d left it there the other night. In fact, I kept it there all the time.

  “My spell book is gone.”

  “Uh?”

  “The spell book my grandmother gave me was right here, now it’s gone.”

  “Maybe it’s on the floor somewhere.” Kitty got on her hands and knees, searching the surrounding area.

  “I always leave it there. I can’t believe anyone would take that old thing.”

  “Was it important?”

  “No. Yes. I mean, it’s not worth much I’m sure, but my grandma said not to let it out of my sight, but she’s dramatic like that.”

  “Uh, now I know where you get it from.”

  “Hey, I heard that. Focus.” I pointed around the room.

  “Well, it doesn’t appear to be here. You may want to tell the police. Although, I doubt they’ll put a ton of effort into locating an old book.”

  “I couldn’t get the spells to work right, anyway. But it had sentimental meaning. Plus, the little thing about her not wanting me to lose it.”

  “Yes, well, there is that. I’m sure it’ll turn up.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” The fact I felt as if I’d eaten a book made me think otherwise. How would I tell Grandma Annie that I’d lost the spell book? Hell, I hadn’t successfully completed one of the spells before letting it slip through my fingers. Would she really be all that shocked? Probably not.

  After another hour and a half, the place almost looked normal again. I’d called the police to report the lost book, which they didn’t seem interested in. I collapsed onto the sofa. “I could use some lemonade right about now, how about you?”

  “I guess. Danny should be here soon with the new lock.”

  “I really appreciate him doing that for me.” With any luck, he was a better locksmith than bass player.

  “It’s no problem. I’ve got him wrapped around my finger.” She wiggled her little finger.

  I wasn’t sure that was a good thing. Maybe for Kitty it was, but I couldn’t see it. I grabbed the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and poured the sour liquid into a couple of glasses.

  “We haven’t had a chance to really talk since this happened.” Kitty grabbed the glass. “I’m worried about you. Did you sleep last night? Still having the weird dreams?”

  I needed to tell Kitty about the dreams and the visions. Confiding in Frank wasn’t something I wanted to do, but it had just kind of happened. Kitty would understand, where as Frank thought I was a crazy witch, although something seemed to stop me from talking to her. Usually she would have been the first person I called. As of late, she seemed distant and I couldn’t put my finger on the cause.

  As we settled back onto the sofa, I said, “About the dreams—”

  A knock on the door made me almost spill the contents of my glass all over myself and the sofa.

  “It’s probably Danny,” Kitty whispered. She jumped up.

  “Probably, but you never know. Be careful.” I sat up straight, preparing to run if need be.

  “I'll ask before I open the door,” Kitty offered. “Who is it?” She asked in a soft voice.

  “It’s Danny. I got the lock.”

  Kitty flung the door open. Danny barely looked up. He may have grunted hello to me, I wasn’t sure.

  “So you got the lock?” Kitty asked.

  “Yeah. This one here the one to change?” He pointed to the only entrance into the apartment.

  I felt like saying no, it’s the door on the west wing of my mansion. What other door did he think it was? He pulled a screwdriver from his back pocket and started fiddling with the lock. Kitty leaned against the doorframe and watched him. As I relaxed on the sofa, I watched her watch him. I was too tired to offer to help, plus it looked as if he ha
d it under control. I hoped the lock didn’t fall off the first time I touched it. Too bad I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Kitty about the visions before he got there. Discussing the subject in front of Danny wasn’t an option. It would have to wait.

  “All set,” he said after another few minutes. He handed Kitty a couple of keys and she walked over and handed them to me.

  I stood. “Thanks a bunch. It makes me feel a lot safer.”

  “No problem,” he said, stuffing the screwdriver back into his pocket. “I’ll be down in the car waiting,” he told Kitty.

  “Okay, I’ll be right down.” She kissed him on the cheek. “You sure you’ll be okay?” she asked.

  “I think so. I’m not sure how I’ll be on stage, though.”

  “You’ll be fine. You’ll handle it with aplomb like always. Want to grab something to eat with us? You want to get some ice cream? We can get extra sprinkles.”

  “I like extra sprinkles.” I shook my head. “No, no. You go ahead. I’ll eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich here and relax for a bit. I need the rest. I’ll see you at my parents’ house in a few.”

  She placed her hand on the door. “Oh, before I forget, do you have anything in a pale pink? I’m all out.”

  “Yeah, hold on.” I opened the closet in the hall next to my bedroom. Inside I had several baskets where I stashed the lipsticks that magically appeared. I rummaged around and pulled one out. “I’ve got a Revlon Shell Pink, will that work?”

  “Perfect.” She took it from my outstretched hand.

  “Oh, wait.” I held up my finger, then ran back to the closet. “Here, I thought this color would look nice on you. Cinnamon Spice. I got it the other day when I tried a spell to make me a better cook.”

  “Oh, well, hey, it kind of worked. Cinnamon, right? That’s cooking.”

  “You’re patronizing me.”

  How embarrassing. In the past, I’d thought about sending the lipsticks back to the manufacturers, but didn’t want to explain how I’d gotten them. No doubt I’d look like a shoplifter.