Rock Star Down (The Psychic Registry) (19 page)

Cutaways?
"Okay, give me a second?" she asked.
Nathan?
How much do I tell her?

Don't hold back
, Nathan sent to her.
We know she did it. We have a
witness. We know about her history. She was probably snitching on Jaqui to
Rock. Try getting on her side. But maybe tell it wrong and have her set the
record straight.

So just do it like
you would? Okay, put me in the loop!

It could be too
much for you.

Either I can handle
it or I can't.

Alright, just get
started. You'll know when you're in.

 
Nathan had never done something so complex on his own.
He'd done it in pieces, but never in whole. And always with other psychics. But
it was his idea and Laurel was game. Either he was up to the challenge or would
fail spectacularly.

So Nathan cleared his
mind and tightened down his reads; he left Natalie's at a 7, but reduced Laurel's
to a 4. Then he opened the gate and bridged Natalie's thoughts to Laurel. He
thought of Archer's admonitions and was mildly amused that they were all still
conscious. Then he let that thought pass and became more of an observer, rather
than an actor.

Laurel was addressing
Natalie and the camera. If she had stumbled in her presentation, he'd taken no
notice.

"… Where he'd
spent the morning serving as producer for a recording session with the band
Jumbletron
Heroes
," Laurel said.

Stupid band.

"What?"
Laurel asked.

"What?"
Natalie replied.

"Never mind,"
Laurel said.

Blonds.

"The band had to
leave early in order to make a television appearance later in the evening. Rock
Franklin was alone at the studio when he was visited by his killer."

He sure didn't look
alone.

Laurel paused.
Did
Natalie see Rock and Vanessa together?
"There were signs of sexual
activity upon the body. And detectives theorized that Mister Franklin and his
killer were physically intimate."

If only he was so
lucky! We were so close, Rock! But you threw it away.

"Uh, there were
also indications that Rock was concerned about the fate of his marriage."

What marriage!

"Apparently, he'd
learned that Jaqui was planning a move to Hollywood against his wishes."

Jaqui was right to
leave him!

"So
he
decided to leave
her
."

Natalie interjected, "What?"

"Rock was going
to leave Jaqui. She wanted to be a movie star and he wanted to stay here and
start a family. And that's exactly what he was going to do."

With the tramp?

"With someone who
loved him," Laurel said.

Love? I loved him!
Not Jaqui! Not Vanessa!

"Someone who
would bring him happiness. The kind of happiness that he'd long sought with his
wife," Laurel continued.

He wasn't happy.
But we could've been.

"Someone who
loved him from afar for a very long time."

So very long…

Laurel sighed,
"You know what that's like?"

"Maybe,"
Natalie admitted, though she added the challenge, "Do you?"

Laurel smiled, "To
love a man, to be at the mercy of his affections, or lack thereof? To hang on
his every word and deed. Ever in suspense, seeking clues to an unsolvable
mystery.
He loves me? He loves me not?
To love him still more for his
every defiance, his inscrutible ways, his willful pride, his very indifference
to your love. To know how much he doesn't need you and how that only makes you
want him more."

Natalie nodded, "
Yes
."

"And maybe you
manage to break the spell. To reclaim your love and move on. But then it
happens
again
," Laurel said.

"And everytime it
hurts more," Natalie added.

"There's always
someone prettier or more popular to take his love away. Someone who makes it
look so easy, when you have to try so hard," Laurel said.

"It isn't
fair," Natalie agreed.

Laurel was getting
swept up in her own reverie as well as Natalie's feelings. And the pull was
strong for Nathan, too. But he had to be stronger than the tide, he had to push
back, to keep Laurel from going adrift and losing control of the interview.
Laurel?
He nudged her.

Oh? Nathan.

It's Natalie's
turn,
Nathan sent.

Right…
"You went out on a limb for Rock? Didn't you,
Natalie?"

"That was
my
chance," Natalie said.

"He
owed
you."

Natalie nodded, "Instead
he went to Vanessa!"

Laurel shook her head
in sync with Natalie's incredulity.

"I thought he
liked me! But he was just using me, just
pretending
," Natalie
foamed. "Jaqui was right to ditch him!"

So he had to be
punished
, Nathan interjected.

And Laurel picked up
the thread and pulled, "He deceived you! Sounds like he deserved his
comeuppance."

"Yeah,"
Natalie nodded.

"Everyone always
talks about what a great guy he was. But they should know the truth,"
Laurel said.

"I— I don't know,"
Natalie stuttered.
Maybe she should check with Aaron? Jaqui might not
understand.

"They need to
know, Natalie. You have to tell them. Otherwise, everyone will keep going on
about how much they loved Rock."

"He was
cheating
!"
Natalie spat.

"You saw them that
day, didn't you?"

"What? No—"

"
It's okay.
You were
here
. A witness saw you
leave
."

"I just came to
see Rock," Natalie stammered.

Laurel nodded, her
face was kind, understanding. "You were checking on him to make sure he
was okay. And that's when you caught them making love."

"They were
fucking
,"
Natalie spat.

"And you were
hurt, weren't you?"

"I thought I
meant something to him," Natalie sobbed.

Laurel wiped a few
stray tears from her own cheeks and said, "I know how you feel, sweetie."

"I cried in the dark.
Right over here," Natalie said, pointing to a spot near the door.

Laurel was struggling
with the surge of emotions and went mute.

Nathan sent,
keep
her talking.

"Then what
happened?" Laurel managed.

"I guess the
bitch left," Natalie said, "When Rock found me in the studio he asked
if I was okay."

"And?"

Natalie shook her
head.
They'd be mad at her.

Despite the trickle of
fear coming from Natalie, Laurel gave a reassuring smile. She said, "People
need to know, Natalie. Jaqui will be grateful. And think of the ratings. The
show could be bigger than ever."

"I did it for us,
you know? They
need
me."

"They're very
fortunate to have you looking out for the show."

Too bad we didn't
get that on tape! Fucking rock star—

"You could show
us," Laurel said.

"Huh?"
Natalie replied.
What's going on?

She's cracking up
, Nathan realized.
You've got to put it to her.

"What happened
with Rock?"

"He
fell
,"
Natalie grinned.

"How did he
fall
?"

"I suppose I
pushed
him."

"Why did you push
him?"

"He was supposed
to love
me
! Instead he fucked
her
— I hate her! But Jaqui
needs
Vanessa.
So
…" Natalie giggled.

"Then what
happened?"

She laughed, "Rock
died."
Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.

"Just like that?
What about the guitar?"

Natalie's eyes grew
wide.
The guitar? She smashed Rock's head, that's what. But why all the
questions? Rock was dead and gone. And she missed him. But it was time for her
meds.

"I need to take a
break," Natalie muttered.

No you don't
, Nathan thought.

"I— I'm okay,"
Natalie said, "I just miss him, you know?"

"Yeah,"
Laurel nodded. She was looking glassy eyed, too.
Nathan?

The guitar!
Nathan sent.

Right!
"Natalie, what did you do with the guitar?"
Laurel pressed.

"The guitar that
I hit him with?
Nothing
. I left it here," Natalie shrugged.

"You hit Rock
with the guitar?"

"Right in his big,
stupid, head. And that was that!" Natalie said, dusting off her hands.

Laurel fumed, "
That
was that
? You murdered him, you psycho bitch!"

Psycho?! Psycho?!!
Natalie huffed and stammered. "That's what
Rock
said."

"He was right!"
Laurel spat.

That had to be enough.
Natalie was fracturing under the stress of the confession. And although Nathan
was keeping most of the emotional turbulence at bay, the spillover was clearly
affecting Laurel. Nathan severed his connection to Laurel and stepped up his
read on Natalie whose thoughts had gone spastic.

Natalie lunged at
Laurel, "I'm not
psycho
!"

But Laurel was both
more nimble and more lucid than Natalie; she pivoted out of the way and pushed
Natalie off balance.

"Archer!"
Nathan called. And he thought he heard the door swing open.

Archer was shouting, "Police
officer!"

Meanwhile, Natalie had
caught herself with a mic stand that she promptly hefted as a cudgel.

Smash her pretty
little mouth!
And she wheeled about
to whack Laurel.

STOP!
Nathan thought.

Natalie wobbled and
lost her momentum in mid swing while Laurel closed the gap and delivered a
right hook that knocked Natalie flat.

The read was severed.
And that was that.

Nathan opened his eyes and took in the
scene:

Laurel was dusting off
her hands and looking down at Natalie who was out cold.

Meanwhile, Archer was
checking Natalie's vitals and saying something to Silverman who had followed
her into the studio. Apparently Natalie was still alive because Archer rolled
her over and handcuffed her. Then Archer got on the phone, presumably to summon
EMS and backup.

Nathan wasn't ready to
join them yet. He had a splitting headache and he didn't trust himself to leave
the chair. He looked to his left and noticed Josh the intern still manning his
camera. "You get all that, Josh?"

"Yeah, but do you
think they'd be down for a second take?"

Despite himself,
Nathan laughed and his head throbbed in concert. "Nice job, smart ass."

Nathan closed his
eyes.

My name is—

My name is Nathan
Miller. My father is Douglas Miller. My mother is Anne Prince Miller. I'm
thirty-two years old. I'm a psychic investigator. And I live with my cat, Doyle.

He tapped upon his acupressure
points and took deep and slow breaths. Then he attempted to clear his mind but
a memory kept floating up: he was treading water in the ocean, only a thin
wetsuit separating him from the big blue, a mile deep and as wide as the
horizon. The water was warm, the air warmer. And the clouds danced beneath the
sun. The white boat, a charter, floating nearby but drifting away. All alone in
the water. Just a small fleck of life, mere food for the leviathans. And the
voices calling to him, to come back.

So very peaceful…

Whose memory is
this?

"Nathan?"
Laurel spoke, her voice soft and bruised.

He ventured a look at
her; she wore a brave smile.

"I don't feel
very well," she said. "Could you do
something
?"

He nodded and pointed
to another chair in front of the console.

She took a seat facing
him and he gently grasped her around her wrists. "Close your eyes and
breathe deeply."

Some ten minutes later they were both
feeling better,
not normal
, but better. For Nathan, the headache was
gone and the serenity of the ocean forgotten. Laurel was looking livelier, but
was still subdued following the unaccustomed adrenaline surge and rapid crash.

A trio of firefighters
monitored Natalie, who'd since regained consciousness and had been immobilized
on a backboard. A pair of patrol officers stood watch and chuckled as Big Ed
recounted the preceding brouhaha.

Silverman was there,
too, looking after Natalie like a concerned parent for a child. But she wasn't
a child. And she was more than just
a bit off
. She was
broken
.
And she'd murdered a man. There was no undoing such a wrong.

Archer joined Nathan
and Laurel in the control booth. She smiled and handed Nathan a bottle of iced
tea, "Drink up, Miller. You earned it."

He took the bottle
with a faint grin. Then he had a long drink and offered it to Laurel, "You
want some?"

"I could go for
something a bit stronger," Laurel replied.

Nathan nodded, "I'll
buy the first round." And he looked to Archer, "Detective?"

She shook her head, "Nah.
I gotta take statements, collect evidence. Make sure Miss Porter gets processed
correctly— Besides, three's a crowd."

"Do I have to
give a statement?" Laurel wondered.

"Not right now.
We've got it all on video. We'll do it tomorrow, okay?"

"Well, alright. You
sure you don't need our help?" Laurel asked.

"No, thanks. I
got Jacobs and Ramirez on their way. They want a piece of the collar, they can
pitch in," Archer smiled.

Nathan said, "Copy
me on your report before I give my statement?"

"Of course,
Detective," Archer nodded.

Detective, huh?

Archer gave Laurel an
approving smile, "Nice job in there, Miss Comfort."

"Thanks,
Detective," she replied, "But I'm not sure how much credit I deserve
for that performance." And both Laurel and Archer looked to Nathan.

"I'm not sure
either," Nathan conceded. "But I certainly didn't do it alone."

"Well, it was a hell
of a thing," Archer added.

"That it was,"
Laurel nodded.

An ambulance crew arrived and Natalie
was transferred to a gurney, then carted away. Natalie had calmed considerably
and Archer was hopeful that the ER docs wouldn't have her committed under a psychiatric
hold. Otherwise the ER visit was merely precautionary. Silverman argued that
she
should
be committed. But Archer first wanted to arrest Natalie and have
her charged with the murder;
then
she could be dropped in the psych ward
if that was the final determination.

Archer told the
producer, "I get that you see yourself as an advocate for this woman. But
understand, she's a murderer. Keep that fact foremost in your thoughts
regarding Miss Porter."

Silverman relented,
but only slightly, "You think I don't know that? She killed my friend. But
somebody's got to stand up for her. Once she gets a lawyer, I'll wash my hands.
But until then, she's one of mine."

Only somewhat less contentious was
Archer's collecting of the hard drives from the cameras.

Silverman groaned, "You're
killing
me here, Detective. I'm losing my assistant
and
the
footage?"

"You'll get the
footage back," Archer told him.

"Yeah? In how
many
years
?"

Archer shrugged, "I
can't let you keep the drives— Chain of custody and all that. And we can't have
you running this footage in case we go to trial. Fucking lawyers will claim
tainting
the jury pool
and the like. We'll have to move the trial to North Korea or
something."

Nathan interjected, "I
don't see this going to trial, Aaron. Anyway, talk to your lawyers, work out a
deal with the City Attorney."

Laurel added, "Honestly,
Mister Silverman, it might be better for Jaqui if this footage
doesn't
get released."

Silverman considered
her comment, "Yeah, maybe you're right with that last part. But what kind
of producer just rolls over without a fight, huh?"

"It occurs to me,"
Laurel said, "That the footage will keep. Someday the ratings will fall or
the show will end. Then you'll need an ace up your sleeve."

Silverman smiled, "Enter
the never-before-seen confession of Rock's Franklin's killer, served with a
side dish of
Jacquelyn Scott
confidential
?"

"It's just a
thought," Laurel grinned.

Silverman nodded, "You
got nerve, Laurel. And talent. I could use a girl like you."

"You mean
work
?"

"Well, I'm in
need of a new assistant. And you held your own with Jaqui and the gang. What do
you think?" Silverman said.

Laurel was dumbstruck.
So Archer and Nathan both answered for her, "She's interested,"
Nathan said.

"Definitely,"
Archer added.

Silverman was
satisfied and didn't press the issue, "It's been a long day. Call me
tomorrow, Laurel. We'll talk details."

Laurel nodded and
managed a grateful smile.

Barnes, the security
guard, poked his head into the control room, "You got press setting up
outside, Detectives."

"Thanks, Mister
Barnes. Just keep them off the property, okay? We'll get some more cops to help
out," Archer replied.

Barnes nodded and
ducked back down the hall.

"You two get out
of here unless you want to be on the evening news," Archer said to Nathan
and Laurel. "As for you Mister Silverman, could you please sequester your
men on the premises and refrain from discussing the case until your statements
can be taken? With any luck we can all make it home for a late dinner."

Nathan and Laurel managed to sneak out
of the studio unnoticed. His car was parked around the block which they reached
unmolested. There was yet plenty of daylight, but the day felt spent. Still, he
had responsibilities beyond the Franklin murder.

"I need to check
in with the office," he told Laurel.

"Please do,"
Laurel replied, "I'd call Mister Fletcher, but I'm sure he already knows."

He nodded his
agreement and called Cindy on his cell phone.

"Hey, Nathan,"
Cindy greeted him. "You wrap-up Rock's killer?"

"Yeah, Archer's
got her in custody. We're pretty beat, so we're going to debrief and call it a
day."

"You and
Detective Archer?"

"No. Miss Comfort
and I," Nathan said.

"Uh-huh,"
Cindy noted. "Well, you'll have to tell me all about it. The case— Not the
debrief."

"It was a hell of
a thing," Nathan admitted.

"But you're
alright?"

"I'll be okay.
Just have to sort things out."

"And Miss
Comfort? She needs
sorting out
as well?"

"Actually, she
does."

Cindy stammered, "How's
that?"

"She was in the
read. She did the interview."

"What? Is she
alright?"

Nathan wavered, "I
think so."

"But y'all need
sorting
out
," Cindy sighed.

"You know how it
is, Cindy."

"Yeah, I know,
Nathan."

And that was that.

"So I'm calling
it a day," he told her.

She was silent for a
moment. "
Oh, shoot
," she said. "Jinny overheard me
talking to you. Brendt wants to know if you've got time."

"Just transfer me
to his office, okay?" Nathan replied.

"Done," she
said.

Brendt answered after
the first ring, "Nathan? You close on Franklin, yet?"

"Yeah, but I'm
cashed out," Nathan replied.

"Really? Cause I
think we've got the guy for the Dunn Forestall job," Brendt said with some
excitement.

"Oh?" Nathan
perked up. "Another accountant?"

"Nope. A
programmer
.
Graham Wilson."

"He's our guy?"

"Oh, he's the
guy," Brendt said. "But the little shit's holding out for a deal. He knows
that the company wants to keep things quiet. He'll only give up the money in
exchange for a year's severance and glowing letters of recommendation. Oh— And
he wants a pink slip so he can file for unemployment."

"Do we know where
the money went?" Nathan asked.

"We've tracked it
offshore. But unless he moves it back, we've hit a dead end. Dunn Forestall
will have to go to the Feds to get their money."

"What did we
negotiate?" Nathan asked.

"
Six
percent," Brendt reminded him.

"So we're looking
at one point five? One point six?"

"My kid needs a
new car, Nathan."

He laughed. "Do
you have him there?"

"Yes, but he's
starting to grumble. We wait on this, we'll be dealing with his lawyer next."

"Alright, I'll
come straight there," Nathan said. "And Brendt? Tell him that I'm on
my way and that I'm tired and pissed off and that he'd better not be dicking
around."

"Atta boy, Nate."

He rang off and looked
at Laurel in the passenger seat. She ventured a grin.

"A short detour,"
he told her.

"Sounds like a
lot of money on the line," she said. "Need an accomplice?"

Nathan smiled and
started the car.

During the drive back to his office they
talked more about Natalie.

Laurel wondered, "Do
you think that she and Rock had a thing? Or was it all in her head?"

Nathan shrugged, "
She
certainly believed it."

"But she's nuts,
right?"

"
Something's
wrong with her."

"I can't see Rock
going for her like that," Laurel concluded.

"Nope,"
Nathan agreed.

Laurel sighed, "Girls
in love do crazy things."

"
Love
wasn't
her problem."

Laurel chided, "You
know what I mean."

"Yeah,"
Nathan admitted.

"She couldn't
handle having her bubble burst. He was this huge deal and she was a nobody. Yet
she thought that they were in love! That they would be together after that
bitch Jaqui had gone to Hollywood!" Laurel spat.

"Hey,
who are
you
?" he challenged.