Rock Her (16 page)

“Mr. Jones,” Porter said sternly, “we were working off of
information you and Ms. Beecher here gave us. We had no way of knowing you were
being
survielled
. And clearly, your theory of Stewart
here being behind the attempts on Ms. Beecher’s life was a little off, wouldn’t
you say?”

Kip calmed slightly as he watched Annie sob over Stewart’s
lifeless body. He went to her and hugged her. Annie threw her arms around Kip
and held on tight, unable to look at Stewart’s body any longer.

The hall outside the room filled with hospital personnel, and a
doctor pushed his way to the front and through the door.

“Is there anyone in need of medical attention?” he asked.

Porter looked over at Stewart’s lifeless body in the bed. “Not
anymore,” he said.

Kip and Annie both stayed at the hospital for hours while the
paperwork, interviews and depositions were taken. Then, finally, Porter
approached and told them to both follow him.

He led them back to his car and drove them both back to the
station. Once in his office he had them sit at his desk.

“Is there anything else I need to know? From either of you?”
Porter asked them sternly.

Kip and Annie looked at each other. Then they looked back at
Porter. Kip spread his hands.

“No,” they both said at the same time.

“Lieutenant, why do you ask us like that? What is up?” Kip
asked.

“Well, just the small matter of the department spending
considerable recourses on a tip from you two that turned out to be totally off
base,” Porter said. “And a man died.”

“Look, Lieutenant, it was a hunch.” Kip said. “After the
incident the other night it seemed reasonable.”

“Yes!” Porter said. “And after the incident the other night, it
also seems very convenient, don’t you think? And why the hell are you sporting
a gun, Kip Jones?”

Annie looked at Kip as he leaned forward and pulled it from his
belt. He placed it on Porter’s desk. “It’s fully registered.”

Annie leaned forward in her seat, her face turning red.
“Lieutenant, I am not sure what you’re implying, but it was a reasonable
assumption. Stewart started that shit the other night, and Kip put an end to
it. He was an abusive husband. It was entirely possible that Stewart had been
behind these attacks.”

Porter leaned back in his chair, relaxing. “Alright, look. I
may be off base here. But I have to explore all possibilities. It’s clear
you’re not behind the shootings, since one or both of you are the targets.
Which I am afraid brings me to the next point.”

Both Kip and Annie raised her eyebrows at him.

“Which is, there is still an assassin out there and we have no
clue as to who it may be. I am afraid you’re both in grave danger.”

I might go out like
Tupac, great!

Kip looked at Annie, then back to Porter. “What do you suggest
we do?”

“Get the hell out of town,” Porter said.

Kip and Annie looked at one another again. Then Kip said: “It
just so happens that we are heading to Afghanistan tomorrow morning.”

Porter leaned forward in his chair again. “You don’t say?”

“The USO has asked us to do a show for the troops over there.”

Porter crossed his hands in front of his face, his elbows
resting on his desk.

“Okay, this may work out well, then,” he said. “Give us some
time to track down some leads.”

“Oh, so we have your permission to leave town?” Kip said,
sarcastically. Annie nudged him with her elbow.

“Sorry,” Kip said. “I was just really worried about you. Made
me a little edgy.”

“Yes,” Porter said. “You do have my permission to leave town.
In fact, I heartily recommend it.”

“So, are we done here then, Lieutenant?” Annie asked him.

“Annie,” Porter asked, “is there anything in your past,
besides, the recently deceased Stewart, that might shed some light on why
anyone would want to kill you?”

Annie looked up in thought, and shook her head.

“You’re a biographer, is that right?” Porter asked.

Annie nodded. “That’s right.”

“Any sensitive projects you’ve worked on, maybe found out too
much?”

“The last and only big thing I’ve had published is the book
about Senator William Murphy. It was published earlier this year,” Annie said.

“That’s interesting,” Porter said.

“The book was boring as hell, Lieutenant,” Annie said. “There
was nothing in there that could cause any scandal.”

“Okay, well, you’ll let me know if you think of anything
right?” Porter asked.

“Of course she will, Lieutenant. Can we head on out now?” Kip
asked.

“Yes, but I want a car to take you home. And I will be placing
protection outside your door for the night until you leave tomorrow.”

“Fair enough,” Kip said, and he looked at Annie. “And greatly
appreciated.”

Kip stood and reached for his gun. “May I?” He asked Porter.

“I am afraid you’re going to need it,” Porter said.

Kip and Annie made it back to the hotel without incident and
were escorted to the hotel room. As Kip entered and closed the door behind
them, he looked for the notebook on the floor where it was when he left. It was
not there. Annie saw him scan the floor with his eyes.

“Better Than Me” By
Hinder

“You read it, didn’t you?”

Kip did not answer. He went to the kitchenette and poured a
glass of Jack Daniels and downed it in one gulp. “It’s been another long day
Annie,” he said.

“I wrote what I wrote before I gave it as much thought as I
should have,” she said.

Kip turned around and faced her. He had the bottle on his hand.
He skipped the glass this time and just tilted the bottle into his mouth.

“What do you want me to say, Annie?”

Annie thought for a moment. “That you believe what I just told
you. I will not write what you don’t want written.”

“It’s not really about that, Annie. I am not even sure I care
about what goes in the book or what stays out anymore. Mainly I just feel
betrayed. You wrote that entry in your notebook after we had made our
agreement.”

Annie nodded. “Yes, I did. But like I said, I hadn’t thought it
fully through. And it was before.”

“Before what?”

“Before I started to realize I was having some feelings for
you.” Annie said. “Before I began to learn there was more behind the rock
star.”

Kip took another swig and a commotion broke out just outside
his hotel room door. Kip pulled his nine millimeter from his belt and chambered
a round. He rushed to be at Annie’s side, which made her feel secure.

Then the door swung open and the officer that Porter had
assigned to watch over them stuck his head in. “There is a Jack, Stabbs and a
Lock here to see you. Do you know them?”

“You don’t listen to rock and roll, do you officer?”

“Strictly a country guy, sir,” The cop said.

Kip laughed. “They are part of the band. Let them in.”

The cop threw open the door and the three guys strutted in, all
scowling at the cop as they walked by. Then they were followed by Becky and
Becky, the two naked girls from the club on the night of their last concert
event.

Jack tossed Kip a bottle of Jim Beam, which Kip caught despite
having his hands full of a bottle of jack and his gun. Kip had never dropped a
bottle of alcohol. “Nicely done, sir,” Jack said, nodding appreciatively.

“Jacky, what the hell is going on?”

“Well, it looks like we are going to be in a shithole for the
next week, so we thought we’d have a little going away party here,” Jack said.
“Do you know there ain’t no alcohol over in Afghanistan? What kind of a fucking
country doesn’t have any alcohol?”

Kip nodded. “Like you said Jacky, a shithole country.”

“Anyway,” Jack continued, “you know, you’ve got the biggest
room out of all of us, so we thought, well, you know?”

“Sure Jacky, I am on board. Hell, I’ve already started,” Kip
said as he held up his bottles of Jim and Jack in one hand while he tucked his
gun back into his belt with the other.

“Alright then!” Jack yelled. “Stabbs and Lock, we need tunes and
more girls!”

Lock went to the phone while Stubbs went to the stereo.

“And Becky and Becky, you know what to do!” Jack added.

Becky the blonde and Becky the brunette commenced to undress
while they danced.

“Nope! Nope! What have I taught you girls? Come on, you know
the drill!” Jack yelled at them.

Becky and Becky then started to undress each other. Before
long, they were completely naked and dancing across the floor.

Jack looked at Kip and Annie and smiled. “What can I say, I
have them trained. I should open a school!”

Kip looked over his shoulder at Annie. Annie smiled but it was
very reserved. “So, what do we do, now?” she asked.

“We’ll talk more about this tomorrow,” Kip said.

“You mean, tomorrow on the plane?” Annie asked.

Kip smiled at her. “You’re still invited, Annie. You have to
go. You’re in danger here and you have nowhere else to live. Besides, you’re my
biographer.”

Annie’s smile turned south. “I was hoping you would say I was
more than that,” she said.

Kip winked at her. “Like I said, we’ll talk more tomorrow. This
isn’t really the time or place anymore.”

“Party Hard” By Andrew WK

Just then one of the Becky’s danced in between Kip and Annie
and grabbed her hand, pulling her along. Annie started to dance along with the
two Becky’s.

Kip dropped back onto the couch and pulled his gun from his
belt, letting it fall on the table. Soon Jack was there beside him tilting his
own bottle. Then Stabbs ran to the door and pulled it open. The officer in the
hall stepped aside and let three more girls in. When they saw the two naked
Becky’s they immediately started pulling their clothes off.

Jack called out from the couch, “You got it girls. This is not
a clothing optional party. Let them drop where you stand.”

Annie caught Kip’s and Jack’s eye as he made the last comment.
And Jack amended his last comment. “Except the biographer!” and he let his
voice trail off in disappointment. “She does what she wants, apparently.”

Kip laughed and so did Annie, who suddenly flashed Jack her
tits. Jack took a deep breath and hollered, “Woo-
Hoo
!
It’s going to be a great night, fella’s!”

Kips hotel room saw much debauchery again this night. Little of
it involved Kip or Annie this time, although they both drank way more than
should have been physically possible, just as the rest had. Annie flashed her
tits several times throughout the evening, and Kip pretty much stayed on the
couch and enjoyed the scenery. When he woke, he was in the exact same place he
passed out, on the couch and curled around the bottle of Jim Beam that Jack had
provided him.

Jack was on the coffee table, fully naked, except his socks.
When he got up to survey the room, he found Annie on the carpet with her head
on Blonde Becky’s belly, both snoring.

When he staggered to his room, he threw open the door and found
the other Becky and the rest of the girls littered around the floor, with
Stabbs and Lock in the center of them all. Again, all naked.

Kip clapped his hands and startled them all awake. “Hey Gang,”
he said. “It’s five thirty. We have got to get our asses to the airport to meet
Lydell.”

Brunette Becky croaked out disapproval. “I don’t have to be at
any airport, do I have to get up?”

“I don’t give a shit what you do,” Kip said smiling. “But you,
and you!” He added, pointing to Lock and Stabbs “Get your ass up. We have to
get moving.”

Jacky called from the coffee table. “You’re mighty fucking
chipper for someone who didn’t really even want to go.” He rolled onto the
floor and pushed himself up to his knees. He looked down at his dangling
pecker. “Why the fuck am I naked?” he said to himself.

Kip laughed. “Who knows why you do what you do, Jacky. All I’ve
got to say is, that pizza delivery guy will never come back to this room.”

Jack looked up at Kip as he walked to the freezer and pulled
out an icepack. He tossed it to Jack and took out another and put it on his
head.

“You’re joking right?”

Kip didn’t answer, he just relished the cool frozen block on
his forehead.

“Hey, Kip, you’re fucking joking right?”

“I never joke around when it comes to your sex life, Jacky,”
Kip said.

“
Fuuuuuck
!” Jack said and stumbled to
his feet.

Kip went over and nudged Annie with his toe. She stirred to
life and groaned. “Time to get up, baby. We have to be at the airport in an
hour and a half. Luckily for you, you’re already packed. Just grab your
shopping bags from the other night. It’ll do.”

Annie realized she was sleeping on Blonde Becky’s belly. “Oh my
God, is there going to be a biography about me, now?”

Kip pointed to his temple. “I am already writing it up here.”
He said.

Kip went to the front door and let the officer in. It was a
different cop than was there last night. They must have switched places
overnight. As Kip’s vision cleared from the light in the hallway, he realized
that the new guard was deputy Sparks, the cop that was the real hero at the
mall.

“Sparks, how the hell are you?”

“I am doing just fine, Mr. Jones.”

“But, you were shot. Why are you here?”

“Bullet went in and out,” Sparks said. “I am officially on
leave. But I was home last night listening to the scanner when Reynolds called
in. family emergency or something. So I called Lieutenant Porter and asked if I
could fill in. Hell, what was he going to say? We are already short staffed.”

Kip stretched out his hand. “Glad to have you. I feel safer
knowing you’re around.” Sparks shook his hand.