by Rose Pressey
Apprehension made my stomach feel as if a ton of rocks had been dumped into it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a shovel to get rid of them. As I zipped around a curve and out onto the main street, I grabbed my cell phone from my purse. The paper on the seat was an ugly reminder that someone was very unhappy with me. I crammed it into my purse; I didn’t want to look at it. They want me dead like Johnny, Janey, and the other vampire. Did Buzz have anything to do with this?
I dialed Kitty’s number. I was about to hang up when she picked up. “I didn’t think you’d answer.”
She let out a deep breath. “I was going to call you.”
“Why did you change your plans? Are you on your way?” I asked. My voice trembled and I wondered if she noticed.
“That’s what I was calling about. I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”
“What? Kitty, what’s going on? Have you hit your head?”
“I’m sorry, Veronica. But it’s for the best. Danny really needs me and our friendship just gets in the way. I’m sorry.”
“I can’t believe this. He made you do this, didn’t he?” I hesitated. “Of course, I understand. Do what you have to do.”
“I wish you luck tonight, okay?”
“Yeah. Listen, I’d better go, I’m hitting a bit of traffic. I shouldn’t drive while talking.”
“Okay,” she paused. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry.”
“Break a leg.”
“Thanks.” I hung up.
I’d called to tell her about the note, but when she laid that bomb on me, well, I didn’t bother. What was the point? She’d feel worse about letting that jerk boss her around, and that’s exactly what was going on. Right now, she needed to sort out what type of relationship she wanted with Danny. If he was the type to keep her from her friends, I suspected Kitty would realize that was a bad thing for her sooner or later. But she had to make those decisions on her own. She wouldn’t listen to me. Losing my best friend was the last thing I needed tonight. But what could I do? I hoped she’d change her mind.
I knew I had to tell someone about the note, though. This someone probably thought my middle name was trouble. While at a red light, I dialed Detective Walker’s number. He answered on the first ring. Was he sitting on top of that thing?
“Detective Walker.”
“Hi, Detective Walker, it's Veronica Mason.”
“I’m beginning to think you like me.”
I definitely wouldn’t say that. I didn’t comment on his statement. “I have something you may want.”
“Is that right? What’s that?”
“A note. Someone left it on my windshield.”
“When did this happen?”
“When did they leave it? I don’t know. But I just walked out to my car and found it under the wiper.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m on my way to The Lipstick Lounge.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Okay.”
I was really freaking out. The fact that he was willing to rush over made me nervous. I wished he’d said it was no big deal, probably just someone playing a prank, but he hadn’t.
“I’ll be there about the same time, unless I get caught in traffic.”
“If I get there before you do, I’ll call you.”
“Okay,” I choked out again.
He hung up and I tossed the phone back into my purse. My knuckles were white from clutching the steering wheel.
When I pulled into The Lipstick Lounge, there were a lot more cars than there had been earlier in the day. The strange thing was that Monty’s truck was still in the same spot. But even stranger, so was Buzz’s motorcycle.
Chapter 53
Had he not been back all day? I joked before about the Bermuda Triangle, but this was freaky. Frank and Craig’s vehicles were parked to the side. I shoved the car in park and climbed out. When I approached Monty’s truck, the note was missing. Either he’d gotten it and not called, or someone else had picked it up. Without wind, my theory of it blowing away was defunct. As I walked away from the truck, Detective Walker kept his word and showed up in record time. He pulled his unmarked cruiser into the first available spot and climbed out.
To my delight, the scowl normally on his face was lessened.
“Hi,” I said.
“You look nice. Very retro. I guess you’re ready for tonight.”
“Yeah. And thank you.” Wow, he was being polite. A compliment even. Maybe body snatchers had taken over his body. What had happened? He certainly wasn’t acting himself. I was still nervous from the thought of performing and now I had added stress with the note. At least he wasn’t adding to my level of tension right now.
“Can we go inside and talk?” he asked.
“Sure.” I walked toward the front door. He followed close behind as we stepped into the dark bar. Lights were still on around the dance floor, they wouldn’t turn those down for a while, but even with all the illumination, the corners were still dark. No windows to let in sunshine. Workers busied themselves behind the bar, chatting, and preparing for the busy evening ahead. They forced smiles as we walked by. With the detective behind me, I felt as if I had a bodyguard, and at this point, I probably needed it.
“How about we sit at that table over in the corner?”
The dark corner? Great.
Frank and Craig stood on stage, tinkering with the equipment. Craig spotted me and waved. Frank looked up, then sighed a big breath of relief. As if he thought I wouldn’t show up. Detective Walker pulled out a chair for me, then sat in the one directly across from me. Would he want the note? Of course he would, it was evidence. But I worried about handing over my discovery. They might not find it as important as I did, and toss it out with the trash. But it was the right thing to do, and I always did the right thing; that was part of my problem.
“You got the note?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.” It felt as if we were conspiring on a secret mission.
I pulled the paper from my purse and handed it toward him. Before he touched it, he pulled gloves from his pocket and slipped them on. This was getting scarier by the minute. His face held a blank stare as he stretched out his hand and took the note. He flipped it over, examining the back. All the while, his expression remained blank. But then he frowned. I watched intently as he unfolded it, read it, and folded it again.
“Uh huh,” he said.
Pulling a plastic baggie from his pocket, he stuffed the note inside.
He leaned back, folded his fingers together, and placed his arms over his stomach. He didn’t blink. Although, still not exactly Mr. Nice Vampire, his icy demeanor had thawed. I’d take another one of those compliments anytime now.
“We’ll fingerprint it. Of course, it’ll have your prints now, but we’ll see what we can get.”
“Do you think you’ll find anything?”
“We’ll try. Let me ask you, Ms. Mason, do you recognize this handwriting?”
I shook my head. “No, not at all. It’s not exactly the best penmanship, either.”
“Okay. We’ll see what we come up with. Remember you are in the public eye. Someone could be playing a joke.”
“A joke? If it is, then it’s a sick joke.”
“There are a lot of sick people in the world. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot we can do right now. We are working as hard as we can to find the killer. I have no idea if this is even related.”
“You’re sure the killings are related?”
“I can’t say anything for sure in this business. I’ve been doing this for years and if there’s one thing I’ve discovered, it’s never to assume anything.”
“Did you find out anything about my apartment?”
“I’m afraid not. But we are working on it.”
Not the answer I had wanted to hear. Not knowing who ransacked my house lessened the chances of me ever finding the spell book. Letting my grandmother down disappointed m
e far greater than not being able to perform the spells.
I stood and pushed the chair back under the table. “Okay. Well, I’d better go. I need to get ready for the show. Hey, you want to stay and watch? I’m sure I could get the cover charge waived.” I laughed.
“Kind of you to ask, but I can’t. However, I do have another officer coming to watch you.”
“What? Watch me? I’m confused. Like a bodyguard? Am I in serious danger?”
“After finding this note, I feel it is best. Better safe than sorry. Whoever left this note may show up for your performance. If they try anything, we’ll be ready.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. The last thing I needed was to get all choked up. “How will I know who he is?”
“You won’t, but he’ll be in the audience. So don’t worry, all right?” He stood and patted me on the arm, then he walked away.
Don’t worry? Easy for him to say. He didn’t have chaos surrounding him. I watched his back for a few seconds until he disappeared out the door. I didn’t know what to think. Was I next on the killer’s list? I felt eyes staring at me. Frank scowled.
“You going to join us?” he yelled.
I nodded and held up my index finger. “Yeah, I’m coming.” I climbed on stage, then adjusted my microphone. Someone had changed it from earlier in the day.
“So is your lover boy going to show up?” Frank smirked.
I snapped. My anger got the better of me. I stood in front of him. “Shut up, already! I’m sick of you. If you think I’m putting up with your snide little comments for one more night, you’ve got another thing coming. Just because I dated Rick, then another good-looking bass player comes along doesn’t mean we’re dating. And even if I did date him, it’s my decision. So butt out! Fangs or no fangs, I don’t care. And before you open your mouth and say something stupid like I need you, you’re wrong. I don’t care if you walk away right now. Go! So what if it blows my chances tonight. I’m not taking this from you anymore.” My heart raced. I hadn’t been that mad since, well, never.
His brows pinched together. His jaw set, fangs poked out over his bottom lip and his fists were clenched at his sides, but I wasn’t backing down. I worried for a second he may hit me, or worse, completely drain the blood from my body. Was that policeman here yet? If he was a vampire too, would he save a worthless witch? Whatever, if Frank attacked me, then so be it. I’d had it with him. His attitude had been out of control lately.
I brushed past, not meeting his stare. The best thing I could do was take a second to cool off. We had no specific dressing rooms at this place, but there was an old sofa pressed up against the far wall. I stormed through the door and plopped down, letting out a pent-up breath. The clock on the wall in front of me read thirty minutes until show time. Where was Buzz? And would Frank leave? What would I do? I could play the guitar a little, but I’d have to sing the songs with only a guitar if neither of them were there. There’d be no point in even letting Craig play the drums. It figured—like Grandma Annie always says, if I wanted something done right, I had to do it myself.
I put my head into my hands.
“Hey.”
I looked up. Craig stood in front of me. I’d been so consumed in my thoughts I hadn’t even noticed him. He had a way of creeping up unnoticed. Maybe it was a vampire thing.
“Hi. I kind of snapped a little out there, huh?”
“He deserved it. Frank’s just jealous. He knows how good Buzz is. He wants to be the best player, so you’ll want to keep him around. You got him where you want him.”
“I don’t want him anywhere. I don’t think I’ll want to keep him around if he acts like that all the time. I guess he left, huh?”
“No, he’s not going anywhere.”
“Yeah, true. What was I thinking? Frank’s not going anywhere. Hell, he’ll be torturing my grandchildren. Well, that’s if I have children. At the rate I’m going I’ll be a childless has-been singer. A loser.”
“Shut up. You’re not a loser. You have to put him in line sometimes. Don’t let people use you. You’ll get the record deal, Veronica. You’re going places and you’d better learn quickly not to let people step all over you.”
“I don’t know, Craig. Besides, I didn’t realize I was letting anyone walk over me.”
“I’m not saying you do, just be careful is all.”
“What about Buzz?” I asked. “Have you heard from him? I haven’t seen or talked to him since this morning.”
“He’s here.”
“He is? I didn’t see him when I came in.”
“He just walked in while you were telling Frank off. Dude, that embarrassed Frank even more. But he took it. Buzz is out there sitting at a table, waiting to go on.”
“Did he say anything? Did he hear what I said?”
“I think he heard, all right. I think everyone heard.”
“I’m so embarrassed.” Heat rose to my cheeks.
“Don’t be. Everyone loves you.”
“I hope so.” I paused. “Listen, I left a note for Monty this morning. When I pulled up this evening, his truck was in the same spot, but the note was missing.”
“Maybe he went somewhere with someone else?”
“Yeah, maybe. So you haven’t seen Monty tonight?”
“No. The employees were asking me, too. What do you think the deal is?”
“I don’t know. All I know is he was missing this morning. And his wife was here, but she seems to be missing too, now. Weird, huh?” I wondered if Craig knew about Johnny’s affair with Barbie.
“That is weird.” He peered out the door. “Lots of people out there now. You ready?”
“Yeah. What’s the crowd look like out there?”
“Like they’ve all escaped an insane asylum.”
“Perfect. Good to know. Just give me a minute to freshen up. When I hear you announce me, I’ll be out. Okay?”
“Gotcha.”
I retreated to the bathroom with my bag. My face was flushed from the anger and stress. My blood pressure was probably through the roof. I fixed my lipstick and smoothed my hair. I certainly didn’t need more blush. My cheeks had natural redness now. Stalling any more wouldn’t help, so I tucked my purse into a drawer of a desk in the corner, then stood by the door. Music streamed through the walls. The guys were tuning up.
Frank thanked everyone for coming out, asking the crowd if they wanted a little rockabilly.
“I can’t hear you!” Frank said.
They yelled louder.
“That’s more like it.”
They cheered and Frank announced my name to more cheering. I opened the door, a smile plastered on my face. I just had to get through the songs without messing up and everything would be okay. Well, not everything, but at least some stress would be relieved. I walked beside the stage until I reached the steps.
The lights were dim and the crowd roared. I grabbed the microphone and the band started playing. Red and blue lights shone down on me. I started right into the song and the crowd started right into the dancing. So far, so good. I tried to stay focused on the lyrics and the music, but I couldn’t help wonder if the police officer was in the audience. And the record producer, what if he never even showed up? I scanned the crowd, looking out over the dancing couples. In the far corner, I spotted him—Mr. Ernst, the record producer. His tan skin stood out in the sea of pale vampires. His coffee-colored hair reached the tip of the collar on his pale blue shirt. He wore dress slacks, but the jacket and tie were missing. He saw me notice him. I didn’t alter my expression, but kept on singing.
Buzz stood to my right. He looked gorgeous as he twirled the bass around, then continued to thump out the notes. He wore tight jeans, brothel creeper shoes, and a leopard-skin belt with a skull and crossbones buckle. His bowling shirt was black and white. When he smiled at the crowd, displaying his dimples, the women screamed. Frank and Craig never got that reaction. Buzz lifted his left leg over the top of the bass, while continuing to play. I didn
’t know he had those moves. Why he hadn’t broken them out during rehearsal, I had no idea. As I sang, I felt Buzz’s gaze on me. I glanced his way again. He seemed in high spirits as he watched me, the amusement evident in his eyes and a lopsided grin on his face while he continued to play his bass.
I gestured at Frank. “Take it away, Frank.”
He broke into a solo.
After over an hour of songs, it was time for a break. As I was finishing the song, the producer stood and moved through the crowd. I’d been watching him out of the corner of my eye, hoping to catch an enthusiastic expression. He had his poker face on, though, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He walked across the room and never made eye contact. What if he didn’t like me? Maybe he’d stayed until we took a break only to be polite. Hell, I was lucky to get him to set foot in a vamp bar in the first place.
“Thank you. We’ll be back after a short break.”
My stare followed the producer as he disappeared out the door. Maybe he’d stepped out for some fresh air? The coppery smell of blood could be overwhelming if you weren’t used to it. I climbed down the stairs and made my way through the door into the back-room. The guys followed me. I plopped down on the sofa. Frank sat in a chair across the way. He hadn’t said anything yet, still pouting like a small child who didn’t get the toy he’d wanted. Craig sat on the opposite side of the sofa. Buzz grabbed a chair, brought it over beside us, turned it around, and straddled it.
“I don’t see how you can stand in those things.”
I looked down at my feet. “You get used to it. The wedges are much easier than the spike ones.”
“They’re sexy,” Craig said. “I love when my wife wears heels. Of course, she complains I don’t take her out enough so she gets a chance to wear them.”
“You need to take her out more.”
