Wired For Sound

by Cherime MacFarlane

With a slight jerk, the truck began moving again. "Francie, Francie." He mumbled.

  It seemed to him there was a faint echo in the darkness. It was somewhat like being in a cave. He was being frightfully fanciful he decided before taking another swallow from the bottle of scotch.

  Fanciful or no, he had his answer now. Francie had plotted to kill Vince and had succeeded. The way of it eluded him for the moment, but perhaps Glen would have the answer to that.

  Glen was another matter. He had probably given the information to Francie, which enabled her to put her plot into action, then carry it through to a successful end. But, had Glen known what was going to happen?

  H.M. doubted it. He also doubted Francie wanted Glen to be involved in any way. Glen had no real idea of where she had gone. Francie had taken great pains to find herself a bolt hole. Like a vixen, she had gone to ground. Like a vixen. The thought triggered a memory. That was what he had been struggling to recall for some time.

  The night he had taken Francie to the clinic in London after the rape, she had been asking him how Vince could jeopardize his own flesh and blood.

  Vince had tried to bring on an abortion. Perhaps he even thought that after the episode of the party, Francie herself would voluntarily abort the pregnancy. Vince might have thought she would abort the fetus fearing damage from the drugs he had slipped Francie without her knowledge.

  Vince did not count on her maternal instincts. She took revenge on Vince for the attempt to murder her child.

  Slaughter's mother had never had a particularly strong mothering instinct, so there was no way he could have known it varied in women. Francie was similar in that respect to his own mother. His mum would have attacked anything or anyone who threatened him.

  She had even cut herself off from any possibility of help from his father's relatives rather than risk losing, or harming him in any way. She worked very hard all her life to provide a good life for him.

  Poor Vincent. He always thought of women in terms of sex for himself, never in terms of procreation, never in terms of family and love. Francie killed Vince for love, love of her unborn child.

  None of the rest of them had taken Francie seriously enough. She should never have come along on the tour. It drove her mad, watching him continue to party and use women without a thought for the consequences.

  He thought of Lori in the front of the truck with Ed, did he have any inkling of what she really wanted? Did she want a baby? Was he being selfish by wanting her on tour with him? He had thought of it before. He recalled a conversation they had about starting a family.

  They had discussed purchasing a home, a real one, with room for everything they both needed. Following him from gig to gig was no life. Lori said she was comfortable with things as they were for the time being. He hoped, when she was no longer content, his love would feel free to say as much.

  Truth be told, it was the real reason he had sent her forward with Ed, he wished to think. A door to a whole host of things, he had been loath to confront in their entirety for some time now, had opened. Thanks to Francie, he could avoid them no longer.

  He might have continued on with Vince and Bushmaster, going from tour to tour, woman to woman, if he hadn't met Lori. She put an end to his career with Bushmaster. No, that was not accurate, he put an end to this stage of his career.

  It was his Scots Presbyterian soul which put a stop to the foolishness of dashing about from place to place, now that he had a wife. He was the one who wanted a family, needed a home.

  Perhaps he would even look up his father's family. Now that he was a grown man, able to manage his own affairs, they certainly could not pressure him to do as they wished. Who knew? Perhaps they would enjoy meeting a relative. He capped the bottle then placed it on the bed beside him.

  Enough. There were decisions to be made. He must pay attention to the business at hand. What was he going to tell the polis? They were certainly not going to drop the whole matter because he told them to. Would they even believe his story if he chose to tell it? More importantly, how was he going to keep Alice out of the picture? He had an obligation to her and Tatterson.

  Tatterson, there was a thought. The lad was taken with Alice and would surely help him keep her clear of the polis. Had Tatterson noticed Francie?

  He felt for the radio. "Ed."

  "Yes."

  The voice from the speaker seemed unnaturally loud. "Are the shops still open in Seattle?"

  "Should be for an hour or so."

  H.M. thought for a moment then pressed the send button again. "I need tae have ye stop an make ah call or tae. Ye recall who handled security for tha Seattle show? If so, call them, hav them call Warren in Los Angeles with ah complete list o all tha guards, their names an addresses. I want tae know how many were female. Also, we need tae find out wha airline Francie, Glen's girlfriend used when she left Seattle, an what her final destination was."

  "O.K. Will do."

  Lori's voice came through next. "I thought you were going to try an sleep."

  "Aye, luv. I'm tryin."

  "Do you want anything to eat when we stop?"

  H.M. thought about it for a moment. Food might be a good idea. He hadn't eaten since yesterday evening. "An omelet per'aps."

  "We'll stop soon." She replied.

  The instrument went silent. His body felt somewhat relaxed. It was his mind which refused to wind down. He was so close to being able to go home. It was what he wanted more than anything, for both of them to be safely home in Glasgow. He thought about the rivers flowing through the town, the mellow stone buildings and the hills beyond, rising toward the highlands. The swaying of the truck was much like the motion of a boat on the North Sea.

  He found himself drifting into the halfway zone between sleep and wakefulness. For a time he just drifted along on the tide, allowing his thoughts to surface and drift away as they would.

  The sound of the doors of the trailer opening caused him to come to full consciousness. The daylight was almost blinding after the darkness he had been in.

  Lori walked around the crate. "Hi."

  Hamish blinked as he tried to adjust to the new environment. She pulled one of the lawn chairs over to the side of the cot. Lori placed the items she was carrying on the floor.

  "I brought you some tea along with the omelet. Do you want to sit up or...?"

  "Aye. I was near tha sleep. I ha been thinkin." He sat up and Lori handed him the plastic container of food.

  "I was certain of that. I was hoping you were able to sleep instead."

  He took a sip of the tea then a forkful of the omelet. "Would ye like tae think aboot startin ah family? Do ye want ah wee one?"

  Lori shook her head. "Hamish! I wonder where in the world you get these notions. I don't think I'm quite ready to think about children. I like it the way it is at the moment, just you and me. I enjoy being able to do as I like without having to put a child's needs before ours."

  He took another mouthful of the omelet suddenly aware of how very hungry he was. "What aboot ah home? We were talkin aboot it before. Would ye like ah studio of yur own? I dinnae recall if we had decided tae purchase our own hame."

  Lori bit into a hamburger. "You wanted to buy a church somewhere. The idea was to convert it into a home and studio as I recall. I'm not sure we could afford the upkeep associated with something that large. We decided to check with an estate agent once we were home. I believe that was as far as we got."

  She took another bite. Lori watched as he bolted the contents of the container. After finishing the omelet, he picked up the cup of tea. Hamish sipped at it.

  "Lori, we're goin home soon."

  "Then you know."

  "Aye. 'tis so. Do ye mind terribly if I dinnae tell ye right now? I dinna want Fredrick an his mate tae think they can interrogate ye an find out what they want tae know. If ye hav nae knowledge o tha facts, they will eventually realize it."

  "I mind a great deal. But, I don't want to be questioned by the police either. Wh
at are you going to do?"

  "I intend tae carve out ah deal. When we get back tae Los Angeles, I want you tae contact tha consulate, mind? Talk tae someone in authority there. We may need all tha help we can muster. I intend tae eventually tell them who killed Vince, then I want tae be allowed tae go home. They've held us long enough."

  Ed entered the trailer. He walked around the crate that blocked the view of anyone who might be trying to see inside.

  "The calls are all made H.M. All the information you wanted should be waiting with Warren when we reach L.A. There's a sleeper on the tractor, do you want to come up front?"

  "Nay, thank ye for tha offer. I need tae rest. At some point I will ha tae face tha polis. I want tae be as alert as possible when it happens."

  He motioned to Ed to sit. "I have ah few things tae say tae ye. There may nae be time once we're back tae Los Angeles. I want tae thank ye for all yur help. You may never hav tha answer tae the problem. I wish I could tell ye all tha details, but I cannae. I realize I'm actin very mysteriously, ye will just have tae take it on faith."

  "Believe me when I tell ye none o tha band or any roadie was responsible for Vince's death. Something far removed from music caused Vince tae do somethin terrible tae another person that individual went mad an killed him in revenge."

  Ed nodded. "O.K. That makes as much sense as anything does. Can't say that my curiosity isn't killing me." He shrugged. "That's life."

  "As well I need ye tae gie ah message tae tha lad Tatterson, Tell him if questioned he should admit tae seein ah female security guard on tha stage in Seattle. But only if questioned."

  Ed shook his head. "I suppose the boy will get the drift of that. You sure have left me with a big bag of unanswered questions. Geeze man!"

  H.M. grinned at Ed. "Now, may I impose on ye one more time?"

  "Sure thing boss. What do you need?"

  "Get us tae Los Angeles. Get us intae tha hotel. I hav tae see Warren an another person before tha polis come for me. I also want ye tae crate tha bike an put it with my other equipment. That way 'tis sure tae get back tae tha U.K. Submit all tha charges for everythin on this trip tae Warren. Bushmaster is pickin up tha bill."

  "Done." Ed rose. He put out his hand. "It's been a real trip."

  They shook hands. Ed left the trailer.

  "Shall I stay here with you?" Lori rose and picked up the trash.

  "Nae. I need ye tae ride up front wi them. I need ye tae help them get us safely intae tha hotel. I am dependin on tha three of ye to get us tae Warren."

  "I don't like it. I'll go now before I decide to argue." She leaned forward to give him a kiss. "Rest easy, love."

  Darkness closed in on H.M. once again. He lay on the cot feeling adrift. He took another drink from the bottle as he tried to get comfortable. It was difficult without Lori next to him. For a time he amused himself with some off the cuff composing. After a while, he fell asleep.

  1Ed and Hawkins took turns sleeping and driving. Lori sometimes napped in the sleeper when they were both awake. At times she leaned against the door and slept.

  The speed with which they were approaching L.A., amazed her. She hadn't realized how fast the big trucks traveled out on the open highway. This end of the trip was definitely not going to take as long as the ride up.

  With time to think, she worried what the police were going to do to them once they were back in Los Angeles. Hamish was correct, she did not want to be questioned.

  His injury did worry her. But, she would have to trust to his knowledge of his body and the pre-med courses.

  Praying he was actually sleeping in the trailer behind them, Lori tried to push her anxieties away. Her husband was a very intelligent man. If anyone could get them out of the trouble they were in it was MacGrough.

  Warren was sweating. Fredrick had kept him in the tiny office for at least two hours. He wanted to know where H.M. and Lori had gone. The detective refused to believe Warren hadn't any idea. His attorney flanked Warren. About thirty minutes previously, the attorney had instructed Warren to be silent.

  Patiently, the lawyer kept repeating the same thing for most of those thirty minutes. "You must release my client, he has no knowledge of where the MacGroughs might have gone. To the best of his knowledge, they are out playing tourist."

  Fredrick finally left the room. They were waiting for his return. The door opened, Fredrick stood just inside the doorway.

  Opening it wide, he stood to one side. "I suppose you might as well leave. I don't know whether to believe you or not."

  Warren and the attorney both stood. Warren headed for the door first.

  "Hale!" Fredrick stopped him. "If you hear from them, you had better call us at once. Consider this a warning."

  Warren nodded, walked quickly out of the room, down the corridor and out of the police station.

  The attorney caught up with him on the sidewalk just as Warren flagged down a cab. "Do you know where they are?"

  "You too?" Warren jerked open the taxi's door then slid inside. "I bloody well do not! And I certainly will call the law as soon as I know something concrete. They are probably running around on that motorcycle somewhere, sightseeing. They are both artists. How long did the cops expect to be able to keep them cooped up?"

  The lawyer shrugged his shoulders. Warren slammed the taxi door shut. When he returned to the hotel, there were several messages waiting for him. The list of names from the security company made no sense he could see. The other piqued his interest. It told him Francine had taken a plane to Rio. He knew H.M. must be behind the messages, hopefully, not too far behind.

  Ed took the semi back to the rental place where he exchanged it for a van. He also purchased two fairly large packing boxes. He and Hawkins picked H.M. and Lori up from the diner where they waited. Ed drove over to the hotel and up to the service entrance where they unloaded the boxes.

  The two men trundled the crates into the hotel on hand trucks. Once inside, Lori and H.M. were unloaded. After thanking Ed and Hawkins, they headed straight for Warren's room fearing their own would be watched.

  Warren opened the door. He sighed in relief. "Am I glad to see you two! Fredrick had me in for questioning for two hours yesterday. He refused to believe I didn't know where you were. I'm supposed to call him as soon as you turn up."

  "I'll call him in ah moment." H.M. turned to Lori. "Go back to our room. Call the consulate, then call Tatterson. The polis are probably watchin tha room ye need tae make it quick, luv. Tha polis are goin tae take me in. They may take ye as well. Dinna worry about it. Go on with ye." He gave her a kiss.

  Shutting the door behind her, Hamish turned to Warren. "Did ye get some messages recently from tha security company in Seattle an tha travel agent?" H.M. went directly to the telephone.

  "Here." Warren handed him the slips of paper.

  H.M. laid them on the coffee table. While the phone was ringing, he read the messages.

  "Hello?" Glen answered the phone.

  "H.M. here. Come tae Warren's room immediately. I need to talk tae you about Francie."

  "What's going on?" The younger man asked.

  "We dinnae have much time. Now, Glen." H.M. hung up the phone. He pulled out the card with Fredrick's number from his wallet and dialed it.

  "Where the hell have you been MacGrough? You know you weren't supposed to leave the city." Fredrick was angry. He made sure H.M. was aware of it.

  "Just riding about, thinking about this mess. I think I may have valuable information for you. I imagine I will see ye soon?"

  "Damn straight! In about twenty minutes." Fredrick slammed down the receiver.

  There was a knock on the door. Warren rushed to open it.

  Glen ran over and grabbed H.M.'s arm. "What about Francie? What's going on?"

  Warren pushed Glen's hand away and moved to stand between the two of them. "From the look of Hamish, I think you should go a little easier."

  "Glen, ye know Francie killed Vincent. I think ye even know why. She's
nae in London or anywhere else in the U.K. She went tae Rio." Hamish said to Glen.

  "How long have you known?" Glen turned around to fall heavily on one of the couches.

  Warren looked at H.M. in amazement. "Francie? How the hell would she have known about changing the polarity on the amp?"

  Glen looked at Warren. "I told her. I didn't know she would use the information to kill him. I play guitar as well as bass. I have a vintage guitar at home. I bought a new amp and was checking the polarity. I don't trust factory workers with my life. She asked me what I was doing, and I told her. I explained it all. I suspected her from the beginning."

  "It's the baby. She's had every kind of test known to the medical profession to determine if the baby is going to have problems because of the drugs Vince shoved down her that night. Everything came up negative, but she just couldn't forgive him for trying to abort the baby. I think it made her crazy."

  Warren lowered himself gently on the couch next to Glen. "Why did you bring her along on this trip? Why, Glen?"

  "I didn't have any choice. If I didn't bring her, she would have come on her own. I was hoping I could keep an eye on her."

  H.M. broke in. "Tha coppers are going tae be here soon. I need tae know where you were that last night in Seattle. How did Francie get out without yur knowledge?"

  "My own stupidity. I was so damn angry with the bastard I started drinking early. I was passed out before the roadie's party was in full swing."

  "Where did she get tha security guards uniform?" H.M. asked.

  "Bought it from someone, I suppose. I found it the day Vince died. I put it in the trash. The cops can probably find out who she bought it from if they try. I don't think they realize the polarity was changed in Seattle. What's going to happen to her?"

  H.M. changed position hoping to find a way to get comfortable. "Warren, would ye call tha solicitor please? Have them meet us at tha polis station."

  Hamish looked at Glen. "Well Glen, tha polis ken tha polarity was changed in Seattle. But as tae Francie, they canna get her back here as long as she stays in Rio. In the UK, we all grew up with tales of Nazi war criminals living in freedom in Rio. She knew where tae run tae. We will have tae tell tha whole tale tae tha polis. We may be able tae keep it out of tha media however. Per'aps they willna want tae let tha information out since they cannae touch her."