The Wages of Cin (Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries Book 4) (3 page)

“Stop while you’re behind.  Where are we with this investigation?”

“I think we need more data.  So far everything that has happened can be explained.  I think we need to look deeper.  Me, to the internet, and you, to grilling Broadhurst.”

“Don’t expect too much.  I get a bit befuddled when I’m around Elijah.”

“I noticed,” Harry said.  “Try to think of him as your brother.”

I angled my head and thought about it.  “Nope, not brotherly material.”

“A priest.”

“I have enough problems with a certain priest.”

“Well, do your best. Eli’s coming,” Harry said.

“Oh, hardy har har.”

“Ahem,” Elijah said from behind me.

I whirled around and almost lost my balance.  He reached out and steadied me.  His hands sent shockwaves to parts of my anatomy that had been ignored for quite a long time.  I was doomed.

“Whoops, sorry, I’m not very graceful,” I stammered.

“No problem, I’m used to women falling into my arms.”

“I bet.”

“Shall we?” he said, holding out a hand.

I took it and said over my shoulder, “See you, Harry. Don’t wait up.”

Elijah and I walked to his car.  He opened my door for me and walked around and got in.  In my head, I knew I was doing the right thing.  We needed information.  But in my heart, I knew I was going to dinner with this sexy man for all the wrong reasons.

“I know a place where we can sit and watch the water while we dine.”

“I hope it isn’t too fancy,” I said, moving an arm to display my outfit.

“This is Florida; you can go anywhere dressed however you want as long as you have a pretty woman on your arm.”

“Does that line work for you?” I asked.

“Every time,” he said and pulled out into traffic.

“The divorce from Caroline didn’t come as a surprise.  We’ve been at odds with each other for years.  My ex is very possessive and suspicious.  Harmless things and incidents out of my control would get her back up, and all hell would break out at home.  We stayed together for Mandy.  But once she graduated from high school, there really wasn’t any point in staying together.”

I listened to Elijah carefully.  I took note of his tone and suspected that it was a relief when Caroline finally served the papers.

“Did your professional lifestyle get in the way of your relationship?”

“Writing music is pretty solitary.  I did that mostly at home.  Recording involved long days and nights at the studio, but touring, that was the straw that broke the happily ever after.  Your turn.”

“A bevy of flight attendants, and finally, a pickle heiress broke my happily ever after. But you know what?  I think I’m much happier.  The freedom of making decisions for myself and controlling where I want to go, when I want to go is so, well, freeing,” I said and started laughing.  “I’m sure that sounded more confusing than it actually is.”

“No, I understand.  I’m enjoying my freedom too.”

The waiter arrived with our entrees.  I chose the house special while Elijah ordered a large steak.  He seemed so at ease.  I was able to study him as he navigated through his meal.  Nothing seemed to bother him.

“You’re so relaxed. I envy you,” I said.

“I think it’s the company.  I think we ‘clicked.’ It’s a rare thing. I’m glad you decided to take this case, Cin.”

“I hope we can sort all of this out, so you can tour in peace.  I enjoy performing, and I imagine you do too.”

“Yes, I do.  It can be a pain at times, and it’s exhausting.  I used to lose so much weight,” Elijah confessed.

“Sign me up!”

“I imagine, on this go round, I won’t be drinking my meals, Cin, but you’re welcome.”

“Wow, another good line.  Mind if I copy that one down?”

“Sorry, that’s copyrighted.”

He reached across the table and took my hand.  “Life on the road is a hard one, but I do so love meeting people.  I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of
people
.”

“People as in women,” I interpreted.

“You’re very observant.”

“It’s a talent.  Well, I certainly am glad we had this time together.  I will treasure it,” I said, backing out of the flirtation gracelessly.

“Plus, you got to
grill
me.”

“You heard,” I said, embarrassed.

“I have excellent hearing,” he said.  “There are a lot of excellent things about me if you care to find out.”

I frowned.  “Don’t use that line; it’s a stinker.”

“Damn, how about…” he proceeded to try out line after line after line until I laughed so hard I got the hiccups.

The evening continued to be easier after that.  The romantic veil had lifted, and I saw Elijah more as a person.  We got along well, and I didn’t feel I had to impress him with witty conversation or observations.  On the car ride home, he put on an oldies station, and we sang to songs from our youth.  It didn’t matter that I didn’t know all the words or sang flat.  It was just fun.  After, I would brag to my friends that I once spent a night singing duets with Elijah Broadhurst.

~

Harry was waiting up.  He sat in the living room, in his pajamas, reading a book upside down.  I looked at the title and was surprised to see it was one of Alex’s old music theory books.

I reached down and turned the book the right way up before walking into the kitchen to pour myself a rather large glass of wine.

“I thought you didn’t like wine?”

“Tonight, I like wine,” I said.  “Want some?”

“Sure, why not,” he said.  “Was it a bad evening?”

“No, I just didn’t drink during the meal.  I wanted to keep my head.”

“He’s not all that handsome, Cin.”

I almost did a spit-take.  “Yes, he is, but he’s not for me. I admit being attracted to him - who wouldn’t be - but he’s a client, Harry.  We have to act professional if we want to be regarded as professionals.”

“I’m surprised that you’re not fighting me on taking this case,” Harry admitted.

“I think it’s a pretty straightforward example of coincidence with a smattering of revisionist history.”

“I don’t know if I can agree with that.  I think a
lot
of history has been covered up. I did a little research.”

“Really?” I asked, pulling off my perfectly-sound pair of shoes.  “Let me sit down before you burst my bubble.”

It was at that moment, Alex decided to turn up the volume on the stereo and his bass amp in his room.  I launched myself and caught Harry’s empty glass before it vibrated off the counter.  “Let’s go outside,” I shouted, grabbing the wine bottle.

Harry opened the slider, and he and I retreated to the pool deck away from the driving beat of “Redheaded Stepchild
.
”

I eased down on the deck and stuck my feet in the warm water of the pool, ignoring that the hem of my pants were getting wet.  Harry rolled up the legs of his pajamas before pouring himself a small serving of wine.  He sat down beside me.

“Elijah Broadhurst was arrested in Kentucky for second degree murder.  This is why the band broke up.  He was acquitted, but the circumstances around the arrest were enough to sour Gareth and Meyer on Elijah for a few years,” he blurted out.  “Only Manuel stuck with him through the aftermath.”

“That can’t be.  The man I had a meal with was no murderer.”

“He was acquitted,” Harry repeated.

“Still, what happened to put that nice man in that situation in the first place?”

“It was a groupie named Karen.  He was found unconscious, beside her broken body, in a hotel room.  She was beaten to death with Elijah’s souvenir Yankees baseball bat.  His lawyer argued that there were no fingerprints on the handle of the bat, but they were everywhere else as if someone only wiped
their
prints off.”

“Was there motive?”

“While Elijah was on tour, Karen had been calling his home repeatedly, at all hours, claiming that she was carrying Elijah’s child.  Mrs. Caroline Broadhurst didn’t find it funny.  The cops believed that after the Louisville concert, Elijah went to talk to Karen, and they argued, and it got out of hand.  The coroner found that Karen was not pregnant at the time of her death.  They wanted him to plead to manslaughter, but he refused.  His lawyer got him off.”

“Well, someone killed her, but why?”

“Good question.”

“Did Elijah sleep with her?”

“Don’t know.  He claims that she followed the band, but he didn’t have anything to do with her.  Gareth, Meyer and Manuel backed him up.”

“But you said this broke up the band.”

“Yes. I guess they closed ranks to get him out of trouble, but maybe they didn’t believe his story at the time.”

“Shit.”

Harry and I sat for a while in silence, each of us trying to make a link with the murder of the groupie ten years ago and what was happening now.

“Sidney, the sound guy, said ‘shit happens’ when we were talking about Simon’s accident.  I wonder if these
happenings
are attempts at sabotaging Ely’s Coming’s comeback?” I asked.

“I’m not following you,” Harry confessed.

“I think that the murderer did a good job of breaking up the band.  Perhaps the same person is trying to keep Elijah or one of his bandmates out of the spotlight again.”

“How long has this sound guy been around the band?” he asked.

“Since they started recording again.”

“Maybe it would be worth your while to spend some time with this Sidney to get more information on the other band members.”

“I don’t know. It would be like using the guy.”

“I don’t get you?”

“Calling him up out of the blue and, you know, asking for a date.”

Harry got up.  “Come on,” he said, helping me up.

I followed him into the house and into the den.  He closed the door so we could hear above Alex’s practicing and walked over and hit play on the answering machine.

“Ah, Cin, this is Sidney, Sidney Stoneridge.  We met today. I’m the sound guy.  I was wondering if you’d like to hang out tomorrow, and we could get some food before the concert.  I’ve got the best seat in the house if you want to see your son play.  Anyway, I’m going to be up for a while, so give me a call.”

“When were you going to tell me about this message?” I asked Harry.

“I figured that you’d find it sooner or later, preferably later.  The guy was hitting on you right away. But now I think I may have been too hasty.  I think you should hang with Sidney tomorrow, ask a few questions.”

“Again, I think this guy is very vulnerable now. I don’t want to use him.”

“A day, Cin.  What can happen in a day?”

I could become attached to someone who might die on me
, were the words I didn’t say aloud.  “Alright, I’ll do it, but don’t you dare mention this to anyone else, not even Alex.  I don’t want anything getting back to Sidney. Do you hear me?” I warned.

“I hear you loud and clear.”

“Now get out of here. I don’t need an audience,” I said, holding the door open, enduring the loud, walking bass line blaring in the house.

I shut the door, thankful we went for the extra insulation in the office.  The sound proofing didn’t negate all the sound, but it gave me a break from the migraine-inducing practicing Alex was in the middle of.

I listened again to the message and dialed the number.

“Allo.”

“I’m looking for Sidney Stoneridge.”

“You found him. What are you selling, darlin’?”

I started laughing and said, “This is Cin Fin-Lathen.”

“Oh damn, sorry, Cin.  All I get these days are telemarketers.”

“Most people don’t even answer the phone.”

“Rather rude though, don’t you think?” he asked.

“Actually no, but let’s not argue.”

“Damn, our first fight.  Does this mean we’re through?” he teased.

I laughed again.  “I think we can look beyond this and see if we can save our first date.”

“Whoa, a date.  It’s really a date, isn’t it?”

“Did I get the wrong idea?” I asked, embarrassed.

“No no, not at all.  I’m just amazed I had the cojones to ask you,” he admitted.

“Well, you did, and I’m accepting.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking.  Tomorrow afternoon, I have to be there for an additional sound check, so the band can run through the numbers with your son.  After, I have a few hours before I have to return for the concert.  I was hoping that you’d let me take you to an early dinner, and maybe we could walk around and do some people watching and get to know each other.  And then, if you’re not thoroughly turned off, you can sit with me and watch the concert from my booth.”

“Sounds great.”

“Does it?” he squeaked.  “I mean, fabulous.  Would it be bad of me to ask you to meet me down here at four?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Here’s my cell number if you chicken out,” he said and gave me the number.  “Just tell the guard who you are. I’ll have a pass waiting for you.”

“I’m looking forward to this, Sidney,” I said and hung up.

I took a moment to get myself together before I faced Harry, and Alex’s music.  What an interesting turn of events.  This morning I was Cin Fin-Lathen, retired consultant, shelving books.  Twelve short hours later had me on the job again, dining with a rock star, and accepting my first date since my divorce.  A date?  What the hell was I going to wear?  I was sure I had nothing.  Not only did I need to guess what to wear to an early dinner, but a concert too.  The Florida heat had to be considered, and being on my feet all evening meant no heels.

I was so deep in my panic that I didn’t notice the door opening.  The level of sound startled me.  I looked up to see Harry easing in the door, carrying my forgotten wine glass and the half-finished bottle of wine.  I wanted something stronger but smiled when Harry tipped a few ounces in my glass before sitting down.

“Well?”

“I’ve got a date.”

I gave him the particulars, and before I could say it, he said, “We need to go shopping.”

“No, I need to go shopping, solo.  I can’t afford you.”

Harry flashed a brilliant smile.

“I didn’t mean that,” I said, getting up.  “Are you going to the concert?”

“I’m Alex’s roadie.  Actually, Elijah’s manager faxed over some passes for the three of us.”

“I imagine you’ve negotiated some kind of deal.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be looking out for us professionally while you’re flirting with the suspects.”

“Thanks.”  I picked up the glass of wine and headed for my bedroom.