by Leonie Gant
“So, did you and Jorge find anything while I was having my drama in the house?”
Griffin nodded. “We found that there are plenty of access points to the grounds that hadn’t been found before. There is a gate down behind the lake. It looks secure if you just give it a cursory inspection, which it seems is all anyone has ever done. The padlock on it looks locked but you can pull it apart relatively easily. That’s one point. There are also some trees that overhang the wall that someone could climb and then drop down into the grounds. To be perfectly honest, there are so many ways to get onto that property that it is almost useless to have security at the front gate.”
“How about security cameras?”
“Another area where they are woefully inadequate. There are some cameras but they don’t even come close to covering the whole grounds. You could almost march an army into that place and security would miss it. Travis has a huge job on his hands if he wants to fix that mess. Then you add in the very real possibility that Jolena’s death could have been an inside job and your problem list goes through the roof.”
“Travis isn’t really there for security evaluation,” I said.
“I didn’t think he was,” replied Griffin. “I know how this town works, remember. I’m betting the record company hired him to find out who killed Jolena so they can preempt any bad publicity that could come the band’s way.”
“Got it in one.”
“Maybe he’ll have more luck than Fletchall and Pickett,” Griffin said thoughtfully. “The band and their management will probably be a bit more forthcoming with him. He could get the jump on them.”
“He told me that he will pass along the information. He isn’t going to let them cover anything up.”
I could feel some of the tenseness in Griffin start to ease.
“That’s good to know. Ramos is really going to need to get some answers.”
I was distracted when my phone started ringing.
“That will be Monique,” I said as I searched through my bag.
“Hello, Monique,” I said when I finally managed to get hold of it. “How are you this fine day?”
I grinned at Griffin as he shook his head.
“I’m hearing stories, ma petite. Stories that are causing me some concern.”
“Has Jorge been telling tales?”
“Our security contingent is becoming alarmed that the situation you are in may be becoming volatile.”
Monique always phrased things so nicely.
“I’m fine, Monique. This morning was just a little glitch. I don’t think that the guys are coping well with the situation and they are acting out in some weird ways.”
“They need to stop acting out around you.”
There was an edge to Monique’s voice that I hadn’t heard before. I had a feeling that arguing with her was not the way to go today. She had obviously reached the end of her patience when it came to this situation. I decided not to make this hard for her.
“What do you want me to do, Monique?” I asked quietly.
Griffin raised an eyebrow. Obviously my not arguing the point was a new concept for him. I hoped he enjoyed the show because he had very little chance of seeing me employ this technique with him.
Monique sighed. “What I want is for you to be as far away from that property as is humanly possible. I want you to never have any contact with any of those people again. Unfortunately, the client is adamant that you are to stay. It seems that despite the issues that your recent run in with Ash has caused, you have been more effective with keeping the band on track than anyone else they have previously had in their employ.”
Monique sounded truly irritated that I was doing the job that I was paid for.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“I want you to view every interaction with these people with suspicion. I do not want you to take any chances. I want Jorge and that man of yours to know at every moment exactly what you are doing.”
“Do you also want to have a GPS tracking device implanted in me,” I said, with just a small amount of sarcasm.
“If I thought I could get away with it, I would,” Monique retorted. “I know you say that you are careful but I have a very bad feeling that this situation is spiraling out of control.”
I remained silent as I let her get the frustration out of her system.
“Stay close to the people who want to protect you. Be aware of what is going on around you at all times. Now is not the moment to do anything stupid.”
“I don’t do stupid,” I retorted, feeling a little like I was being reprimanded by a teacher.
Monique sighed heavily. “I know you don’t. I just want to make sure that you are safe. The next job you get is going to be easy, where the worst risk to you is getting a paper cut.”
I had no problem with that. I figured I was due an easy job.
“Be careful and call me if you want out. Management have indicated that they believe the police will be finished by this evening. They want staff back on board early tomorrow to clean up the mess the police made. The band is currently in a hotel. They will be returning late tomorrow afternoon after the staff have finished their job. I do not want you to be left alone with anyone. At all times you will have Jorge or that man of yours glued to your side.”
“I can’t do my job like that,” I protested.
“I don’t care,” Monique said firmly. “That is my condition for you continuing to do this job.”
I could tell that she had reached the point where arguing was a fruitless exercise.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, feeling a little rebellious.
“Good.” Monique finally sounded like she had found some peace with the situation.
As I got off the phone I turned to Griffin who was watching me carefully.
“That sounded like fun.”
“Monique is not dealing well with me at the moment,” I said. “I have a feeling that she is going to take me off this job at the first opportunity.”
I saw Griffin’s smile.
“Now is not the time to enjoy the moment,” I warned. “I understand everyone’s concern but all this second guessing and protectiveness is starting to get on my nerves. I have to be able to do my job.”
“I understand your frustration and I will endeavor not to add to it,” Griffin said solemnly.
“Oh, honey. I don’t know what conflict resolution course taught you that line but you need to work a lot harder on it. You try that on me again and we are going to have words because there was no sincerity there at all.”
Griffin at least had the good grace to look sheepish.
“Okay, I agree with everything Monique is obviously saying and I really wish I could say that I would stop being overly protective but that is not going to happen.”
I really wanted to argue but I knew that was the best I was going to get out of him. If Jorge had been standing there, I wouldn’t have got any better.
A knock on the door interrupted the glare I was shooting in Griffin’s direction.
I opened it and was surprised to find Crystal standing there, chewing her lip.
“What’s wrong?” I said, instantly on alert. It took a lot for Crystal to look that nervous.
“I need you to come to my mother’s bachelorette party.”
That was unexpected.
“Why?”
“Okay,” Crystal said in that rushed way she has when she is not really sure where she stands on an issue. “The fact that my mother has been married so many times meant that I wasn’t really expecting that she’d want a bachelorette party. I just naturally assumed that the term bachelorette no longer applied to you when your weddings headed into double figures.”
I could see where that was a logical assumption to make.
“The thing is, Roxy wanted to do something where she and I could bond with John’s daughters.”
“And she thought a bachelorette party was the way to go?”
Crystal shrugged helplessly. “What can I say?
She may be acting differently these days but she’s still Roxy.”
“So, why am I supposed to come along?”
“I’m using you as social protection. I’m hoping that with you there it won’t be quite as excruciatingly uncomfortable as I think it is going to be.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“I’ll owe you,” Crystal said.
“That goes without saying.”
“Miss Betsy organized the afternoon so she’ll be there to keep us company.”
“What do you mean, Miss Betsy organized the bachelorette party?”
Crystal smiled guiltily. “I panicked. I didn’t know what to do and Miss Betsy said she’d take care of it for me.”
“Did you by any chance give her any guidance or did you just ask her to organize something?”
“Remember how I said I panicked. Well, I really did, and I had to get to work. Miss Betsy was right there and she said that it would be no problem at all for her to create a day that Roxy would never forget.”
I had a feeling that none of us were going to forget it. Griffin, who had been watching the conversation with avid interest, had a faintly disturbed expression on his face.
“Have you by any chance asked her what she has organized?” he asked.
Crystal turned to him. “After I thought about it, I called her up to give her some rules, but she was so excited that I didn’t have the heart to rain on her parade.”
“That’s going to be interesting,” Griffin murmured.
I took a deep breath. “Maybe we’re overreacting. Miss Betsy would realize how important this is to you. I’m sure she hasn’t planned anything too outrageous.”
Neither Griffin nor Crystal seemed to be too convinced by my argument. To be perfectly honest, neither was I. Thanks to Miss Betsy, I now had a working knowledge of how to pick most locks and break into a car. These were skills that I had never realized that I might need until Miss Betsy got bored one day and convinced me that every modern woman should have them. I still hadn’t been game enough to tell Griffin about that day. Seems life in Hollywood as a stunt woman had provided Miss Betsy with a set of life skills which couldn’t be matched. She also seemed to be determined to share those life skills with the tenants at the apartment building that she owned.
“When are we going?” I asked.
“Pretty much now,” Crystal smiled apologetically.
“Give me five minutes so I can get myself sorted out and I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”
Crystal nodded and walked out.
I almost ran to the bedroom and started looking for something appropriate to wear.
“Do I need to be worried?”
Griffin had followed me and leaned against the door frame as I started throwing clothes off.
“Probably,” I said. “I have no idea what I’m doing or how long I’m going to be. All I know is that the rest of my day is now resting in the slightly unhinged hands of Miss Betsy.”
“How bad could it be?”
I contemplated for a moment telling Griffin about the fact that I could now break into a car or one of the apartments with very little effort thanks to Miss Betsy. At the end of that moment I realized what a stupid idea that was. Did he really need to be even more worried about me than he already was? I consoled myself thinking that I was only protecting him.
“Maybe not too bad,” I said.
I kept reminding myself of that as I drove my car with Crystal sitting beside me and Miss Betsy giving directions.
Chapter Eighteen
Standing outside the building Miss Betsy had directed us to, I didn’t know whether to be concerned or relieved. When Crystal had told me that Miss Betsy was organizing our activities for the day, I had to admit, there was a small part of me which had been worried that I might not get through the day without jumping out of a plane. I would not have put it past Miss Betsy to use this opportunity to convince Crystal and I that skydiving was another skill that every modern woman should have. So, from that point of view, I was relieved that it seemed that my feet would be staying on firm ground. The concerned part of this situation came in when I realized that we would be spending our afternoon at a gun range.
“This is awesome.”
Obviously Crystal did not seem to have the same concerns that I did regarding the suitability of going to a gun range for a bachelorette party.
Miss Betsy bumped me with her shoulder. “I told you that I was going to teach you how to shoot at some point.”
I had forgotten about that, possibly on purpose.
I smiled weakly. “Should be fun.”
“Here comes Roxy,” Crystal said quietly.
I looked up and watched the way Roxy walked down the street. Even from this distance I could see she looked nervous. She was followed by two very tall, younger women who didn’t look any happier to be here than she did.
I lowered my head and spoke to Crystal. “Aren’t John’s daughters happy about this marriage?”
“Doesn’t look like it, does it?” said Crystal.
“Maybe choosing a gun range wasn’t such a good idea,” interjected Miss Betsy. “Those girls look like they would quite happily pitch your mother out into the middle of traffic.”
“To be perfectly honest,” said Crystal, “if someone with Roxy’s past was involved with my dad, I’d be losing it completely. It isn’t as if she is prime wife material.”
If you looked at it objectively, she wasn’t. Roxy had the staying power of a wet paper towel. She might be claiming true love now but her past gave a very different picture. This was a woman who fell in and out of love very easily. I didn’t blame John’s daughters for looking the way they did. The strained smile on Roxy’s face as she walked up to us showed that she was also very much aware that John’s daughters didn’t approve of her.
“Crystal, Trudie. It’s so good to see you both here. These are John’s daughters. Megan and Sally, this is my daughter Crystal and her friend Trudie.”
Megan and Sally nodded at us.
“This is Miss Betsy,” Crystal indicated to the older woman while smiling brightly. “She organized our day today so I’m sure we’re all going to have heaps of fun.”
I thought that was very nicely done. In one swift move Crystal had passed all responsibility for the day onto Miss Betsy. Miss Betsy didn’t seem to have any problem with that. She clapped her hands together.
“Now we are going to have some fun today. Our first step is learning how to shoot a gun, the correct way. Every woman should know how to protect herself, No point in waiting for Prince Charming to rescue you because he doesn’t exist.”
Crystal and I exchanged glances. That was an interesting theme to take into a bachelorette party. We shouldn’t have been surprised though. Miss Betsy was very much a supporter of the theory that a woman could only depend on herself. Megan and Sally were exchanging worried glances. Roxy seemed to have a perpetual frown marring her perfectly smooth face. I could see there was a part of her that regretted suggesting that a bachelorette party was a good idea. I could also see that Megan and Sally had already decided that they were not going to enjoy today.
Upon entering the gun range I was not surprised when Miss Betsy greeted the man behind the counter as if they were old friends.
“Miss Betsy,” he smiled as he held out his hands and gripped hers.
“Billy,” Miss Betsy said warmly.
She looked over her shoulder at the rest of the group.
“This is Billy. He owns this place and he is going to help us today.”
Billy grinned widely at us. “Good to see you here today, ladies. Do any of you have any experience with guns?”
I was not surprised when Crystal put up her hand. I knew she’d had a bit of a wild past when she was younger. Megan and Sally exchanged glances and shook their heads. I already knew about Miss Betsy’s experience. Roxy had been watching Megan and Sally closely and she shook her head as well. I wasn’t really sure how confident I was th
at she was telling the truth. I had a feeling that she was very much aware that John’s daughters were not too keen on this marriage. I wouldn’t put it past her to downplay things just to fit in with them. I reluctantly put up my hand and watched Crystal’s eyes widen in shock.
“You’ve shot a gun?”
“Yes.”
“But you hate guns.”
“I will admit I’m not overly fond of them.”
“How do I not know this about you? You’re my best friend. I’m supposed to know everything about you.”
Crystal seemed to be a little upset. I tried to head her off before she worked herself into a real state.
“My dad taught me how to shoot a rifle. Once, when I was twelve. I grew up on a farm where there was a possibility that I would have to deal with injured animals. Dad thought it was important that I learned how to use a weapon properly. I never did but I roughly know my way around a rifle, enough to use it in an emergency situation.”
“Ever use a handgun?” Billy asked.
I shook my head. “No, and to be perfectly honest my one and only lesson with the rifle was over ten years ago, so I’m pretty much a novice.”
“That’s fine,” said Billy. “I’ll take you through the basics. You’ll do great.”
I could see he was trying to project a confident demeanor but I could also see that he was noticing the less than pleasant looks that Megan and Sally were shooting in Roxy’s direction. Crystal had moved closer to her mother in a defensive stance. Billy glanced at Miss Betsy who smiled encouragingly. I had a feeling Billy was beginning to regret taking this booking, regardless of how fond he was of Miss Betsy. He hesitated for a moment before shepherding us into the range.
“Well, Ladies,” Billy clapped his hands together, speaking loudly as if trying to inject some enthusiasm into the group. “There are four rules in my gun range.” He pointed to a line on the floor. “Number one rule is that you never cross that line without my direct say so. Number two rule is that you never, ever point a weapon in the direction of another person. Number three rule is that you do not point the muzzle of a loaded weapon lower than that target over there.”
“Why not?” interrupted Megan.