He laughed. “Yeah, you sure she’s not crying because you took her play pretty away from her?”
“No, because at first she wanted nothing to do with it. Then she heard your voice, and she tilted her head like she was trying to figure out where it was coming from. I think she knows it was you.”
“I hope she doesn’t forget me in such a short space of time.”
“No chance of that,” I replied, balancing the baby on one hip and trying to talk to him and keep Elizabeth from grabbing the phone.
We talked a few more minutes before we both knew we should call it a day. I wasn’t sure who was more choked up, Amadeus or me.
“Just let Peter know when you have time off where you can talk uninterrupted. We’re at the halfway mark, Amadeus. We’ll start talking where to meet and stuff soon. I love you so much and miss you just as much.”
“I miss you two. I love you, Zara. I’ll text Peter when I have time and let him set things up. Give Elizabeth a kiss for me.”
That was it. I knew he’d disconnected; he was probably bawling just as much as I was about to. I kissed Elizabeth on the cheek, telling her who it was from. She patted the dampness on my cheek as though she understood what was going on.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. It won’t be long now before we see daddy. He’s halfway through his tour, then he’s going to come down here, and the three of us are going to just kick back and relax for a week or so. Now why don’t we go change your diaper and get you something to drink?”
I grabbed the sat phone on my way out and put it back to recharge. It was my lifeline to another world. As I changed Elizabeth, I had an idea. It was late afternoon, and the sun wasn’t as fierce as earlier. I’d take my camera and get some shots of the baby on the beach playing, sitting in the sand. The light ought to be perfect.
Being in Patagonia is so, so unique. The landscape is vast and distinct, untouched for the most part by human technology. Greg and Mary had come here way back in the seventies and loved it so much they purchased land and slowly began building the small, isolated resort they now have. To me it was a slice of heaven. One I was constantly capturing on the daily walks Elizabeth and I would take. I would place her on my back all secure and head out on walks, taking photographs of whatever caught my eye. I would have to stop and remember that I was at the other end of the world from Amadeus. I intended to share this with him, just as I had told him a few years prior after I returned from my first visit here.
This was the place I decided our reunion should occur. Away from anyone and everyone we knew. I had spoken with Peter about it briefly, and he assured me he would begin to put the wheels in motion. An uninterrupted ten days of just the three of us. Before we would have to return to the real world and whatever lay ahead. Amadeus was certainly going to need it, time to decompress and breathe.
****
I sat in front of the lap top one evening after Elizabeth was down for the night. The tour was winding down, two weeks to go and I lived for the emails Peter sent me with a weekly update of what he knew, or had heard from Amadeus. If anything had been uncovered as to the true reason the tour existed. I was shocked by what I read. He had written the email just hours prior.
‘A-man in route to you as you read this. All is well. Remaining concert dates postponed. J and D in the wind with all the $$. A, A, & D promised dates would be made up. A-man has details. You were right all along. Enjoy remainder of holiday. It’s back to work for you, old girl. Fondly P-man.’
Shocked, I stared at the screen in front of me. What in the world happened? I immediately thought of Joe Franco and wondered if his presence scared Julia off or if he had actually uncovered something.
I replied to the email with one word: ‘Shocked!’
There was not a thing I could do until Amadeus arrived and spilled the details. As late as it was, I decided to wait until morning to find out if Greg had word on the arrival of Amadeus’s plane. Not knowing when he left, I surmised he might arrive the following night. That would give me a day to get ready. I wanted to write down everything, all questions that came to mind. And there would be a zillion of them. For now, I closed the email account and pulled up the on-line journal I’d been keeping and began furiously typing everything Peter had just conveyed to me and my thoughts.
I had also begun a long put off novel, something I had always wanted to do, meant to do, but never had. This was the perfect place to write, no outside interference. Tonight, however, I couldn’t focus, instead going back into my journal and adding more. I mused that I was soon going to have more juicy stuff to add to the fodder of my novel.
Finally, I headed off to bed. I was exhausted but pumped up about finally seeing Amadeus after all these long weeks. And then the curious, inquisitive side of me came out wondering what had happened. I had my ideas, and hoped at least part of them were wrong. Somehow, in spite of my head spinning with thoughts, I fell asleep.
Once Elizabeth was fed and bathed the following morning, I set her down in the portable playpen while I grabbed my second cup of tea and powered up the laptop. I wanted to see if I could get a Wi-Fi signal. If so, I intended to search the web and see what there was about the reunion tour’s sudden demise.
I wasn’t disappointed. In the few minutes of uninterrupted online time, I managed to go to a few of my favorite pages. I scrolled down, finding what I was after. I wondered who had provided them with the information, and then quickly realized Peter’s people must have been in the wings waiting for something like this. Everything read like a well-oiled public relations machine. The gist was Angus had become ill, and the boys were postponing the remaining dates.
Digging deeper, I found what I was looking for, one site that didn’t believe all the glitz of press releases. In it the article mentioned discord between management and the Tudor brothers as a possible true cause of the postponement. Their other conspiracy theory was that rumor was out on the streets that the boys’ new manager, Julia Tudor, and her associate, Don Roberts, had skipped town, taking any and all money, leaving everyone in the lurch, while vaguely hinting of criminal activity.
Connection lost for the time being, I pulled up a blank page and began making notes of what I’d read. Amadeus couldn’t get here quick enough!
A knock at the door drew me out of that world and back to reality. Being it was the high season for tourists, Mary and I usually didn’t have our daily chats until early afternoon or evening as she was rushing around taking care of her and Greg’s guests. A lot more than the last time I’d been here. Business was good.
Elizabeth stood, holding on to the edge of her playpen, babbling cheerfully as I padded towards the front door of the cottage. I unlocked the deadbolt and swung it open. In front of me stood Amadeus.
Amadeus
The band was in the middle of an after party in Manhattan when Red pulled me to one side and gave me the news. Noticing Julia was nowhere to be found at the venue, and her walkie-talkie dead, Red began to investigate. He and I had our suspicions all along, but that was all confirmed with the unannounced arrival of Don Roberts.
“They’re gone, Amadeus. I went back to the hotel to check after the gig, and her stuff is all gone. So is Don’s. The only thing the hotel could tell me is that Don had ordered a car service to pick them up during the time y’all were on stage.”
“Fuck!” I replied. “Damn her all to hell! Zara was right all along. She planned this from the start.” I swore again under my breath. Pulling myself together, I tried to think what Zara would do if she were here. Someone was going to have to be in charge, and that would be Red and me.
“What do you want me to do? Someone’s going to notice she’s not here. Damien, for one.”
“Don’t say a word for now. Let the party continue. I need to speak with Angus and Damien alone before the others find out. Then I’ll wake Peter and tell him to get his PR machine in full gear and find Zara. We need Zara. She’d know what to do.”
“What about the band?”
> “Let me get this other done, so just act normal. If anyone asks about Julia, say she wasn’t feeling well. That’ll give me time. I’ll gather everyone together at the hotel and tell them then.”
Red went in search of Angus and Damien. We’d been at the party for an hour. Plenty of time, so no one would think it unusual if the three of us left. Tomorrow, thank God, was an off day, but I had the feeling it was going to be anything but a day off for me.
Angus and Damien followed me silently into the waiting limo. They attacked me verbally straight up about being pulled from the fun when everyone had the next day off. God, I hated being the fall guy. I was dreading even more having to tell my eldest brother that his long-time wife had evidently vamoosed with Don Roberts. No note, no good-bye, no nothing. Bitch.
“Come on, A, what’s up? We were having a great time,” Angus chided.
“Well, you can go back after I speak with you both, and there was not the place to do it.”
“So do it now, so Damien and I can get back to the party.”
I shook my head. The back of a limo was the last place I wanted to do this, but Angus had had a few and was in full party mode. I wondered how big a buzz kill my news would be on them both.
“Here? You want me to tell you here?”
“Mother’s okay isn’t she?” Damien asked, making the situation all the more real and serious.
“Yes, she’s fine. It’s not her.” I stared at them both. What the hell, get it over and done with. Julia didn’t deserve better than the back seat of a limo. Not after what she had evidently done to my brother. “Okay, fine. It’s Julia.”
“What about Julia?” I heard Damien ask. There was a hint of concern or worry in his voice. I wasn’t sure which.
“It appears that Julia and Don have left.”
“What do you mean left? Where are they?” Angus asked, his head cocked curiously now.
“Red couldn’t raise her on the walkie-talkie and went back to the hotel after he couldn’t find her at the venue. He was concerned she had gotten ill or something. He discovered all of her things gone. He then checked Don’s room and found it cleaned out.”
“Holy shit.” Angus breathed.
“Julia wouldn’t do something like that. You must be mistaken, Amadeus. Red must be mistaken.”
“No, Damien, I’m afraid it’s the truth. The desk told Red that the two of them left in a car service. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
“You okay, Damien?” I heard Angus ask our older brother.
Damien sat there in silence, taking it all in. Shocked as we all were. Well, maybe Damien, but not Angus and me. We’d halfway expected something to happen.
“Now what, A? What about the band, the rest of the tour?” Angus questioned.
“I already have Peter’s people on it to get something out. As far as anyone is concerned, you, Angus, are going to be ill.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Because everyone would expect Damien to be the one to get ill. He’s hasn’t been on the road since his stroke. If you’re sick, no one will question when we postpone the remainder of the tour. Peter’s people are going to do that and reschedule everything.”
“Well, if that’s what needs to be done, let’s do it. Damien, you up to it?”
Damien nodded his head not looking at either of us. I knew this had to be killing him inside. “Yeah, whatever the two of you want to do, I’m in.”
We rode back to the hotel in silence. Once we arrived, both Angus and I accompanied Damien to his room. It looked as though a tornado had gone through it, Julia grabbing everything she needed and throwing aside what she didn’t. I secretly wondered what their home looked like, and shuddered at the thought.
As we sat there in Damien’s room drinking a beer, I texted Joe Franco enough that he’d know the gist. It was earlier in Seattle, so I fully expected to hear back from him. Perhaps he could take the lead in Seattle, see what he could uncover out there.
Then I called Peter. A text wouldn’t do in this instance. He was awake and waiting for my call, his top PR person having already informed him of our situation.
“Hello, Amadeus. I already know. My people woke me up. Damn mess she left, isn’t it?”
I laughed. Peter always knew how to make light of a dismal situation. “The tour is just the beginning I’m afraid. Damien and Angus are on board. Red’s going to inform the band and crew, and the three of us will speak with them as soon as they return to the hotel.”
“Good. Everything will fall into place, Amadeus, don’t worry.”
“I know it will, Peter. I just wish Zara were here.”
“Well, the best thing right now is for the three of you to get out of town quietly tomorrow. One of my planes will take you all back to Seattle. That will cause less publicity, and poor, sick Angus won’t be seen.”
“Does Mother know? Ask him.” Damien said from across the room.
“Peter, Damien wants to know if Mother knows what’s transpired, and if so, how’s she taking it?”
“Yes, she knows. She’s sitting here across the room from me as we speak. She says she’s not okay but she’ll manage.”
“Good. Now what? We go to Seattle…”
“Go there, assess the situation. We’ll get the tour dates rescheduled. Red can handle the equipment and that end of things. The three of you lay low, and Amadeus?”
“Yeah?”
“Rest up. I’m getting it set up so you can meet up with Zara. You’ll leave from Seattle. I’ll be in touch. For now, lay low. And tell Angus, he’s sick so stay out of sight.”
The next few days, week was a total blur in parts. Some of it was vivid, some not so much. The three of us had managed to sneak back into Seattle unseen, and the band and crew had been informed of the situation. As much as we wanted them informed. For now, Angus was ill and that’s the story we fed them. Red and I decided the less anyone knew the less the media would be interested. I prayed Julia didn’t do anything foolish from wherever she was right now, like make some huge announcement. But, of course, that would be so, so un-Julia like.
Damien was anxious to return to his home on one of the islands that dotted the Washington state area. His daughters, now both teenagers, remained with Julia’s sister at her home in Eastern Washington. Jane had done her best to shield them from the press coverage, and fortunately being at the age they were, they had better things to occupy their time. It was bad enough Julia ripped them from their surroundings in the middle of a school year and plunked them down and left them to their own devices.
The three of us made the ferry ride from Seattle in my SUV one morning. Angus stayed ducked down in the back and out of sight while Damien sat up front with me. We remained in the vehicle during the ferry trip.
Once we arrived, I drove us to the gate that kept their home protected from unwanted prying eyes. I punched in the code Damien gave me, and we drove right up to the house. Immediately all three of us sensed something odd. Then it hit us…there were none of Julia’s flower pots, hanging baskets, or other outside adornments.
“You want me to go in first, bro?” I asked Damien, who was scanning the area.
“No, I need to do this myself, A.” He passed me and walked up to the front door and inserted his key. Angus and I were right behind him, and as soon as he threw the front door open, it was evident what had taken place.
The entire house was empty. Every stitch of furniture, every picture on the wall, every knick knack. Everything. Gone. Except for Damien’s personal clothing and items, including all his professional acolytes and the baby grand that graced his music room, the house had been stripped. She was gone, out of Damien’s life.
Walking through the house in silence, it dawned on me how long she must have been planning all of this. Moving this detailed took a lot of coordination. Damien opened the doors to his daughters’ bedrooms, one at a time. I thought I heard a sigh of relief as he realized everything was as it should be behind the doors. I wondered if
she was leaving her daughters as well. Sure seemed that way.
Making our way out to the kitchen and large French doors that opened onto a massive deck overlooking the sound, the three of us went outside to look around. The huge spa still sat where it had been installed, as was Damien’s prized sailboat. I was glad; he loved to sail as much as I did. It had been a long time since I’d taken my own craft out. Perhaps this turn of events would allow me some time.
“What do you want to do now, Dame?” Angus asked as he perched himself up on a railing.
“I don’t know. I suppose I should go in and see if she left any of our paperwork or even my computer. I need to see what, if anything, she’s done with our finances.”
The plan had been for Damien and Angus to stay out here. It was secluded, and since Angus was supposed to be ill, it would be the perfect place for him. As long as he didn’t go frolicking on the boat or anything crazy, Angus-style.
“We can still stay here, Damien. We can sleep in the girl’s rooms.”
“Yeah, but let’s go inside and look around further before we decide.”
“Hell, Damien, you’re forgetting the guest cottage. If she forgot it as well, the two of you can stay out there for the time being.”
I left the two of them to fend for themselves after Damien and I made a quick trip to the grocery store. It was there he made the sad discovery that Julia had emptied their bank accounts. I gladly paid for the food and left Damien with a few hundred dollars just in case. I knew Angus would help, too.
Damien was on his laptop checking his financial accounts when I left, and Angus was checking out the mooring ropes on Damien’s sailboat. I had a sick feeling this was going to be bad. There was still not a peep out of Julia, and her whereabouts were still unknown. Damien assured me he’d call me the next day with details of what he’d uncovered, and if need be, make plans to return to Seattle.
Tudor Reunion Tour Page 7