"Drive to the police station, please," she whispered.
"Ma'am?" Peter looked at her face, then his eyes moved down to her hand holding the rose. As one of her security agents, he knew exactly what was going on. Without another word, he started the car and drove the few blocks to the police station watching carefully for signs of someone following them, of danger. They sat outside while he called Rogers from his cell phone. He quickly explained why they were there. "I don't want to bring her in. Someone might recognize her, then there'll be no way we can keep this contained." He waited while Rogers responded, then hung up the phone. "Rogers will be out here momentarily," he said, checking the mirrors and windows.
A tap on the front passenger window startled Melody, but Peter was already unlocking the door. Suarez slid into the front seat. Seconds later, Rogers entered and sat next to Melody. He held his gloved hand out for the rose and Melody handed it to him, thankful to no longer have to touch it. He read the note, and passed it over to Suarez. "Did you read the note?" he asked Melody.
"No. I don't know if I want to know what it says."
"You need to. It says, 'Now the fun begins.' Do you have any idea what this means?"
"No. No I don't. That's new. The rose is a different color, too."
"What it means is that you need to stay as contained as possible for the time being, Miss Mason," Suarez said as he put the flower and accompanying note into a large evidence bag.
"That isn't completely possible, Detective. My sister's wedding is in less than a week. And that is nothing compared to the exposure I'll receive after the first of the year. I go on tour then."
"You run the risk of something happening if you don't."
"This has been going on for over a year. Why do I need to be cautious now?" She knew she risked sounding like a spoiled brat, but most of her didn't care.
Suarez answered in a very serious voice. "Because he's changed the pattern. For a year he's sent the exact same message. The exact same color of rose. Now we have a different note and a different flower. It means he's decompensating. It tells us he's going to do something that might put you in jeopardy."
"I can contain myself while I'm here, but once the tour starts, I won't be able to."
"Mr. Glasser, what type of security is involved for a tour?" Roberts asked.
Peter thought for a moment. "There's good security, but we'll make arrangements to really beef it up."
"Good." Both men opened their doors simultaneously. "We'll call you if there is anything useable on this one, Miss Mason. You were smart not to touch much of it."
"Thank you."
Peter drove Melody back to the house, each quiet and locked in their own thoughts.
¯¯¯¯
MORGAN had an appointment for the final fitting of her dress, along with those in her bridal party. The seamstress met everyone at Morgan's house. They made a party of it. By early that evening, the house had filled with women, all laughing, trying on dresses, and generally celebrating Morgan's upcoming big day. Melody wanted to have fun, but the rose that day had deflated her joy. She couldn't coax herself into a party mood so she made her excuses early and went upstairs.
She tossed and turned for a while, eventually falling into a restless sleep. She dreamt of faceless men chasing her through a rose garden, and woke up soaked in sweat and breathing heavily. She turned on the lamp beside her bed, trying to chase the demons away, then shakily got up and went to the bathroom. She splashed her face with cool water and drank a big glass of it. The eyes in the mirror still showed a bit of panic and she didn't want to try to go back to sleep.
She threw on some comfortable clothes and went downstairs in the quiet house. The living room showed the remnants of last night's party, with cups and plates everywhere. She rolled up her sleeves, and in no time had the house put back in order. She left the gleaming kitchen behind her with the dishwasher quietly humming.
In the study, she turned on the television and surfed channels, but nothing was on at that time of morning. She settled on the country music video channel, and watched the new video by her good friend and country music heartthrob Bobby Kent. The tabloids had been trying to put her and Bobby together for over two years now, and the two of them had shared several laughs over some of the headlines.
Restless, she went back into the living room and turned on the lights to the tree. She sat there for a while, watching the colors twinkle on and off, feeling lonely and edgy. Finally, she went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, for no other reason than to give herself something to do. She passed the hall clock and saw that it was four o'clock. She would have to wait at least another hour or two before her sister got up.
As she sat down at the table to wait for the coffee to perk, she pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through the numbers, finding the missed call from James.
Because she hadn't heard from James for a couple of days, she felt very nervous about texting him. But, she did it anyway.
Hi. Restless, awake. Thinking of you. Looking forward to dinner tonight.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone in her hand rang about ten seconds after she sent the text. "Hello?" She said.
"Hello, Melody."
Strange how her heart rate accelerated with the sound of James' voice. "Hi. I hope my text didn't wake you."
"I should warn you about something," he said.
Curious, she said, "Oh?"
He cleared his throat. "When I work, I … work. I honestly don't even know what day it is right now."
That made her smile. "I get the same way on tour."
"Don't we make a pair then?"
"I sure hope so." She licked her lips, surprised she'd said that out loud. "It's Wednesday, by the way."
"I got that from the text."
"Are you still in Albany?"
"Yes, but I'll head back this morning." She heard him yawn. "I can't remember when I slept last. I may need to do that, actually, before I drive back."
Melody rubbed her lip with the back of her thumb nail. "I'm glad you're just a workaholic and not avoiding me."
After a long, audible pause, James said, "I am not avoiding you. I'm actually really looking forward to dinner." She heard some rustling. "Is it seriously four?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I'm going to close up and get some sleep, then drive up. I'll see you later. Thank you for texting me, Melody."
Melody grinned. "Thank you for calling me, James."
¯¯¯¯
CHAPTER 12
"THERE you are. I just got back from Nashville," Hal said when Melody came downstairs several hours later. "Did you see the news reports this morning, Mel?" She'd gone back to bed and had risen after noon.
"No, why?" She headed into the kitchen, straight for the coffee.
"We released My Love Song Friday." That was the title of the album, with the single of the same name that Melody sang at the awards show. "It went platinum before noon on Saturday. It went double platinum before 8 Saturday night — record breaking sales of the CDs — the digital downloads of the singles are crashing servers all over the world."
She set the coffee pot down and stared at him with her mouth open. Unable to contain himself any longer, he picked Melody up and whirled her around. "You sold out the stores, Mel. There's now a huge demand for them to restock for Christmas."
Melody laughed and hugged Hal. "How is that possible?"
"You're just that good, girl."
She wanted to call James and tell him. How did he become so important so quickly? "James will be thrilled," she said out loud.
"James?"
Melody laughed. "Remember my speech at the awards show?"
"Of course. You left the gossip rags tittering about who your mystery man could be."
"In the strangest of coincidences, he happens to be Kurt's business partner."
Hal's face marred in a confused frown. "Run that by me again."
She told him about meeting James and losing touch
with him. "We're supposed to have dinner tonight," she said.
Hal lifted her chin and examined her face. "I like this glow you got, girl."
Melody laughed. "I like the way I feel inside. I can't believe Melody Mason is all jittery about a dinner date."
She left Hal to handle publicity calls about the record breaking sales and went in search of her sister, wanting to spread the good news. She found her in her bedroom, staring at the dress hanging on the back of the closet door. "Hey, sis." Morgan looked pretty melancholy. "Everything okay?"
Morgan shrugged and a tear slipped down one cheek.
"Oh honey, what's wrong?" Melody said as she sat down on the bed and put her arms around her.
Morgan started crying. "I miss dad," she said. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "I know I'm being silly. I'm thirty-two years old, about to get married for the second time, and I'm crying because my Daddy isn't here."
"That isn't silly. Every time I reach some pinnacle in my career, I wish Daddy were here, too."
Their father had been a wonderful man who had showered his two girls with love. Their mother had been a cold, demanding woman, more concerned with her social status than with the children she'd conceived. "I'm sure Daddy will be there. He just won't be able to walk you down the aisle."
"I know. David Patterson will have to do." She sniffed again, and asked, "So, did you come in here for a specific reason, or were you looking to have a good cry?"
Melody lay back on the bed next to her sister and said, "Oh, it's nothing. Just that my album just flew off the shelves at the stores so quickly that they all sold out. It went double platinum in less than 24 hours. There's like this big demand now for the record company to get more out before Christmas."
Morgan flew up. "Oh Melly, that's wonderful! We need to celebrate!"
Melody sat up, too. "That's what Hal said."
Morgan was already walking out of the room. "We'll have a big celebratory lunch. I'll run out and get some pastries from that café on the corner, and we'll make big fat omelets to go with them. We'll put on a few pounds, but who cares?"
"Um, will your wedding dress care?" Melody teased.
"Oh, shoot." Morgan reconsidered. "Okay, let's skip the pastries and do fruit instead."
An hour later, the three sat back in their chairs. Morgan asked Hal, "So what happens now? Will the record company be able to get more CDs out?"
Hal drained his orange juice, and answered, "Sure. They don't send their entire production in one load. There's more en-route to the stores now. But, now that it's hit the news, it has become the next must have consumer item. When people think there's a shortage, and they think there's a huge demand, the demand becomes even greater. We'll probably have a hard time keeping up with the demand."
"Just think, Melly, just over four years ago you didn't even have plans to be a star, now look at you."
"I know. Sometimes the press gives me a hard time about it. In the music industry, the longer you struggle, the better a success you are. I just recorded an album one day with the help of my rich daddy's friend, and all of a sudden, I had a record contract and a hit song. A lot of people don't like me for it, accusing me of buying my success."
"Well, Miss Rich Superstar, roll up your sleeves and do the dishes. I cooked."
Melody leaned back and batted her eyes, exaggerating a southern belle's accent, "Excuse me, Miz Hamilton, but I'm afraid that you must not be aware of my social status."
"Yeah, I'm fully aware of your status. You're six years younger than me, so get to work."
Hal brought in one of Melody's new compact disks and loaded the stereo in the kitchen before turning the volume up loud. The two of them cleaned the kitchen while Morgan went to her office to prepare her business for her absence during her honeymoon.
From her office, Morgan heard the doorbell ring and figured that the two in the kitchen couldn't hear it, so she got up to answer it. To her never ending joy, James stood there looking tired and worn out. "Hi," she greeted.
"Hi Morgan." She stood back and let him in, taking his coat from him. "You wouldn't happen to have any coffee made, would you?"
"You came all the way from Albany, across town from your office, to see if I have any coffee? How many coffee shops must you have passed along the way I wonder?"
When James looked sheepish and answered her with a shrug, she said, "I think what you're looking for is in the kitchen." She left him in the foyer and went back to her office, feeling a silly grin cover her face.
James smiled and made his way to the back of the house. The song he thought he heard when he stepped into the house got louder, and when he pushed open the kitchen door, he stopped short. Melody and the man he recognized from all of the press he'd read about Melody as her manager Hal two-stepped around the kitchen. He twirled her around as if she were a rag doll, performing the complicated footwork with grace that a man his size shouldn't have, and Melody kept up with him just fine. James leaned against the door frame, and watched the odd couple. He recognized Melody's voice singing the song, but had never heard the song before.
Melody saw him and grinned. "James!" she said with a huge grin.
Hal looked over at him and executed a turn and twist that swung Melody in his direction. James automatically caught her. At her look of surprise, he felt his heart leap. He felt his unshaven cheeks stretch into a slow smile. She felt amazing in his arms.
Melody tossed her head back and laughed in pure joy. Suddenly, he found himself moving with her, letting her lead him in a dance that resembled a two-step but had a few extra steps thrown in for some reason. Melody had to raise her voice to a near yell to be heard over the blaring music. "They invented this dance for just this song. It's all the rage in the clubs for the past few months now. I do something like this kind of footwork on stage. I'm thinking this song is going to be my encore next year."
They didn't notice Hal leave the kitchen. When the song ended, My Love Song filled the room, and they changed the pace of their dance, eventually just swaying there, looking into each other's eyes. James slowly lowered his head, keeping his lips just a whisper above hers. She moved her hand up to the back of his head, applying pressure there, trying to close the distance. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and with a groan he crushed her to him, devouring her mouth with his. The song soared around them, enveloping James in a world where nothing existed but Melody's voice and her lips.
The song was the last one on the CD, and when it was over, they slowly ended the kiss. James framed her face with his hands and raised his head to look in her eyes, pleased with the dazed look on her face. He kissed the tip of her nose, and stepped away from her. "Do you have any coffee made?"
"What?" She had to grip the back of a chair to steady herself.
"Coffee?"
"Oh, yes, of course," she said as she ran her hands through her hair, and tried to get a handle on the emotions swirling through her head.
She poured James a cup of coffee as he sat down at the table, and decided to pour herself one, too. He waited until she sat down. "Kurt told me about your roses." He sat back in his chair and calmly met her gaze. To someone not staring into his eyes, he would have appeared completely relaxed. But Melody could see the intensity shining at her through his glasses.
"Did he? Should he have?" Melody pushed her cup away.
James took a sip of his coffee. "I think he should have. I think he is about to leave on his honeymoon and he's worried about you. And I think he knows I care about you."
She tried to wrap her mind around how comfortable she felt with him, how she felt like she'd known him her whole life. His words, despite the short amount of time they'd spent together, made sense and she accepted them. "Okay. That's understandable."
"He told me about the most recent rose you received. He said that the police haven't been able to get anything useable off of it."
"I didn't really expect them to," she said. She began to draw designs on the table with
her finger.
"He told me that Detective Roberts volunteered to talk with your security people to step up security for your tour."
"I wish it wasn't necessary." Her cell phone buzzed at her elbow. She had received hundreds of messages of congratulations that morning. "But since there are so many people on tour, more than half of whom I don't know when you add the crew of the opening act, it's probably best if there were people all around me, watching out for me." She scrolled through a text and set her phone back down. "Hal only has two eyes."
"Are you going to keep the added security a secret?"
"We'll give them cover jobs that put them in the places they need to be, but I'm sure eventually people will figure out that these people don't really know what they're doing and the press will smell blood in the water." She took a sip of coffee.
"What are you planning on doing while your sister's on her honeymoon?" James asked, switching the subject when he could tell the other conversation started to bother her.
"Just bum around, basically. I've never really taken a break before, so I'm not positive." Melody laughed. "The sad thing is that I'm actually looking forward to the workouts with my choreographer these days because it gives me something to do. I used to come up with any excuse so I wouldn't have to go."
He leaned back and hooked his foot on his knee. "Why do you workout with a choreographer?"
The question surprised Melody. "There's more to a show than just standing there and singing pretty. People expect to be entertained. A good number of my songs are choreographed, with background dancers doing more complicated steps."
"Isn't that tiring, to sing and dance for an entire concert?"
A Melody for James (Christian Suspense) Page 11
