Chapter Fifteen
Kit
“Are you Olive Chevalier?” I asked an attractive woman who was looking around with a frown on her face. She was tall and slender and didn’t give the impression she was a tour manager, not that I had any idea what a tour manager should look like.
“I am. Are you Kit Hansen?” Her voice had a snap to it I didn’t appreciate,
“Yes, ma’am. Do you have any bags?” I reached for her shoulder tote, which she let me take. She was wearing a beige top and slacks with sneakers. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and the large Prada sunglasses she wore probably cost more than all the clothes I owned.
“I have two checked bags. What am I getting into?” She led the way to baggage claim without looking back to see if I was following. I wasn’t sure I liked her, but if Nate sent her, she must know her business.
“Uh, they’re good guys, but they’re still trying to feel their way through all of this.
They were going to get together today to discuss whether they want to drop their agent.
They’re all between twenty-one and twenty-six, so they like to party, and that’s been apparent during some of their performances.
Los Angeles was a fucking disaster,” I answered. She’d asked, and I wasn’t going to lie.
“Okay. Take me back to the hotel and call their agent to meet us in the restaurant. Notify the leads to meet us there in an hour.” I pulled out my phone to do her bidding, but it rang in my hand. It was Clancy.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
“We got a big problem… Well, two of them. I can’t find Kensington, and three of the band members have been taken to the police station, two for smoking pot, and one for an outstanding warrant. What should we do?”
Ho-ly fuck!
I stared at Miss Chevalier for a moment, knowing she wouldn’t be thrilled at all with that news. “Uh, okay. I picked up Miss Chevalier, and we’re on our way back to the hotel. Tell Lauren, Allen, and Sam to meet us in the restaurant in an hour. I’ll try to find Kensington. Who got arrested?”
“Arlo has the warrant. River and Goldie were smoking a joint in a public park. There was a playground nearby. I brought JD and Hardy back to the hotel. I’d say we need to get a lawyer or two on this, Kit.”
Fucking hell. I was sure Arlo’s case was more serious than smoking pot, but what the fuck had they been thinking? “Yeah, they do. I’ll get on it. Bring JD and Goldie along to the restaurant. See you in a bit.”
I ended the call and took one of the bags from Chevalier.
“I’ll call Kensington from the car. We have another issue that’s come up.
Seems three of the band members were picked up by the cops in a park near the hotel for smoking pot…
Well, two of them were. The other one had a warrant for— I fear it’s for statutory rape. ”
The woman stopped abruptly and turned her head toward me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m afraid not. I’ve got to find Kensington. The bus driver told me about this, and he can’t find Kensington anywhere.” I was going to choke the life out of the guy when I found him.
We went to the sedan I’d hired to get Chevalier back to the hotel.
The driver got out and put her luggage in the trunk while I opened the back door for her to slide in.
I’d planned to sit in the front, but when I started to close the door, she put her hand out to stop the door from closing. “Get in. We need to talk.”
I sighed and closed the door, walking around to the other side and getting in next to her.
Before the driver, Bill, could put the car in gear, Chevalier had her phone out and was dialing through speakerphone.
“Hello, Olive.” It was Nate, whom I hadn’t planned to contact until I had a better handle on what the fuck was happening.
“Nate, it seems we have a problem. Three of the band members have been arrested,” she said.
“Uncle Nate, it’s me. We don’t know for sure if they’ve been arrested. They were taken into custody: River and Goldie for smoking a joint in a public park and Arlo for an outstanding warrant. That’s all we know,” I said, attempting to clarify things.
“If you’re calling me uncle, it’s not good. Where’s Kensington?” Nate sounded as frustrated as I felt.
“Clancy tried to find him at the hotel, but no dice. I’m going to try to track him down.
The kids need lawyers, Nate. I think Arlo needs separate representation from Riv and Goldie.
They weren’t trying to sell pot, and while it was poor judgment to smoke a joint in a park near a playground, pot is legal in Arizona, so it’s likely a misdemeanor with a fine.
I’m not a lawyer, but I can’t imagine it’s too serious an offense. ” Or so I fucking hoped.
“Son of a bitch. We can probably keep it out of the papers because they’re not that well known yet. I’ll find some lawyers. What kind do you think Arlo needs, Kit?”
“I fear the warrant is for statutory rape. He had a girlfriend who was seventeen when they started having sex. She recently turned eighteen, but she’s pregnant, and it’s hard to say if she got that way before or after her birthday.
But he admitted they had sex when she was seventeen,” I explained, not thrilled that I was the one telling Nate someone else’s business.
“Well, fuck. Okay, two criminal lawyers coming up. Find Kensington. Why wasn’t he with them?
See if you can find out where they’ve been taken and text me which station.
Oh, Chanice is leaving me. Call me later, Kit.
Olive, call me with an update. I expect you to work your magic and make this problem go away. ”
She tossed her phone into the large tote bag. “So, you’re Nate’s nephew?”
“I am. I also haul the band’s equipment between venues. I’m a long-haul trucker by trade. Work for myself.”
“I was in Europe with Stella Rae. She was recording with the London Philharmonic for their upcoming holiday release. She’s a snippy little bitch.” Chevalier took off her sunglasses and put them in that big tote.
“Is Nate dating her?”
“No. She’s got a girlfriend in a nice flat in London.
The pictures with Nate were merely publicity photos to slow down the runaway speculation.
We were planning her coming-out journey while I was there.
She’s not ready to swing open the closet door yet, and everyone should make that decision in their own time.
“You’ll learn that I wear many hats for Nate: tour manager, publicist, fixer. Sounds like I’ll be wearing all of them this time around. If you’re just hauling their equipment, how’d you get mucked up in this mess?”
I had the feeling that telling her I was involved with River was a bad idea. We weren’t on solid enough ground to make any declarations. “I’m supposed to be a mentor to them. Try to keep them from repeating some of the mistakes they’ve made in the past.”
She pulled a folder out of her tote and flipped through a few pages. “I see that’s going well. Seems they have a propensity for running amuck. They have security, right? Why weren’t they in the park with the band?”
I sighed. “Rowdy Wilder, the head of the detail, and his crew are really only needed at the venues, so Kensington gave them the time off until Saturday for the second date at The Van Buren.”
“A second performance? That’s not on the list. How’d that happen? Did Kensington orchestrate it?” Chevalier reached into her bag and pulled out a pen, writing something on the paper in front of her.
“I’m not sure. I was surprised by it myself, but I’m not involved in the business end of anything. I’m just trying— Well, anyway. I’m going to try to find Kensington.”
I picked up my phone and scrolled until I found Kensington’s number and touched the screen. The phone rang once before it went to voicemail. “Kensington, you need to get back to the hotel. Three of the guys from the band are sitting at a police station. Where the fuck are you?”
I ended the call and texted Clancy.
Clancy, where are the boys being held by the police? Kit
Not ten seconds later, I got my answer.
Central City
I turned to Chevalier. “I’m dropping you off at the hotel, and then I’m going to the police station.
Clancy will get everyone together for you in the restaurant off the lobby.
Can you give me your number so I can update you after I find out what’s happening with the guys?
” I handed my phone to Chevalier, and she pecked in her number and took a picture of herself—which was unexpected—and then handed it back.
“So, uh, Ms. Chevalier, when you’ve handled musicians who want to come out, has it gone well, or is it devastating to their careers?” That was something I hadn’t considered. Would River want to come out officially, and how would that affect the band?
“Please, call me Olive. Many musicians get outed because they’re not good at keeping things off the radar.
One of the members of Murder of Crows was outed because a stagehand at The Troubadour saw him kissing a guy in the hallway after the band came off stage.
No one’s impervious to scandal these days, and everyone has a cell phone camera and a price in mind to sell the pictures.
If it’s planned properly, it doesn’t have to be career-ending, but when a popular musician keeps their private life private, it makes the fans want more information, and the gossip rags are relentless. ”
That made sense. I needed to talk to River about what he wanted to do. I hadn’t seen anything that would have led me to believe he was gay, so maybe he wanted to stay under the radar? I’d respect his decision either way.
Bill took me to the Central City police station after dropping Olive at the hotel. Kensington still hadn’t called me back, and I was pissed about it. My main goal was to get River and Goldie out of custody and find out how much trouble Arlo was in.
I thought of calling River’s brother, but I didn’t have his number, and no way was I going to try to get in touch with Regal Ashe. The guy sounded like an asshole.