Chapter 17
Austin: Sweet or Sexy? Mysterious or Open Book?
I’m trying to get the badge and tie on my police uniform straight when someone knocks on my dressing room door.
“Come in,” I call.
The door opens and Brad is standing there. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I turn away from the mirror. “You can come all the way in by the way.”
He smiles and steps inside. “Thanks.”
I continue messing with my tie and badge. “Do you need something?”
He closes the door and leans against it, his arms crossed. “Devin wants to reshoot the bar scene.”
“He does?” I untie the tie and start over. “Why?”
“Something about the lighting. Guess we’ll be here late this evening again.” He takes out a pack of smokes. “Do you mind?”
“No. There’s an ashtray over there.” I nod toward it as I try to get my tie situated again.
Brad lights his cigarette and takes a drag. “You having trouble over there?”
“You’d think I’d never done this before,” I grumble.
Brad comes over, his cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. “Here.” He turns me to face him and grabs the tie from my hands. “Are you okay? Your hands are shaking.”
I haven’t heard from Harvey in almost two days. I feel odd calling Pete Laden’s house looking for him, and I’d feel even weirder driving over there to look for him. I don’t know what I’d do if one of the biggest rock stars of all time answered the door and asked what I wanted with this son.
“I’m okay,” I lie, looking down at Brad’s hands as they loop the fabric into a knot. “Just tired I guess.”
Harvey usually calls me or shows up at my door. When I called his house last night, a woman answered. I assumed it was his stepmom, but I hung up. I wasn’t sure if she’d ask who I was. I don’t want to accidentally say the wrong thing.
“I hear that,” Brad says, tightening the knot. “There ya go.”
I look in the mirror. “Way better. Thanks.”
He takes a drag from his cigarette and stubs it out in the ashtray. “Are you getting into anything later?”
I glance at him. “What?”
“Phil keeps saying he wants us to go out together.” He shrugs. “Be seen, you know.”
I turn back to the mirror to fix my badge.
“Oh, yeah.” I wonder if Harvey will show up or call tonight.
With a good story. I keep hoping nothing’s wrong, like with his sister or anything.
I’m probably going to have to drive over there.
Even though I’m not one hundred percent sure where Pete Laden’s home is.
Maybe when we get a break later, I can try calling again.
“I just thought,” Brad says, “if you don’t have any plans. That’s what Phil wants, I guess.”
“Yeah, he does.” I finish up and look at myself in the mirror. It’s not Austin Rivers who looks back. It’s Todd Winfield. “Maybe we can. I just need to make sure… um… I just need to make sure I don’t have anything else going.”
Brad nods. “Cool.”
We both go back in the studio to reshoot the bar scene. It’s hard for me to focus, and we have to do a few takes. After Devin calls it a day, Brad catches up to me on my way back to my dressing room.
“I was thinking of going to Osko’s,” he says. “What do you think?”
I almost trip over my own two feet. “Um.” I look at the time. “I don’t know. I need to check with someone first, if that’s okay?”
Brad gives me a curious smile. “Who? Harvey Laden?”
I stop dead in my tracks and turn all the way around to look at him.
“I told you, your secret is safe with me.” He smiles. He slaps me on the shoulder. “I’ll be at Osko’s later. If you want to stop by. And bring Harvey if you want.”
“Okay,” I say faintly. “Thanks for letting me know.”
When I get inside my dressing room, I shut the door and lean against it.
Of course he’d know it was Harvey. That’s just the first time he’s mentioned him since his party.
I was hoping maybe he’d been too drunk to remember, but he clearly does.
I use the phone to call Harvey’s house. It’s not too late, but I still worry I’m disrupting or waking up someone.
It feels strange to call there. The phone rings a few times and no one picks up.
I hang up. Did something happen to his family?
I feel like I would have heard something if something happened to Pete Laden, his wife, or any of his kids. I don’t know what to think.
I change out of my police uniform into my street clothes.
I return the uniform to wardrobe, hop in my car, and take off down the highway.
I’m hoping that Harvey will be at my house, waiting.
Waiting with an explanation. Some assurance.
Everything will be fine, and I’ll be relieved.
I’ll tell him how close Brad stood to me today, Harvey will get mad and jealous, and we’ll fuck like crazy on my living room floor.
But no one’s waiting for me at my house. It’s empty and quiet.
I fix myself a drink and call Harvey’s home again. There’s no answer. In a rush of anxiety, I call the hospital, but no one with his name has been admitted. Where is he? The only other person that I know that would know where Harvey is would be Steve.
I call him up and he answers on the third ring. “Yello?”
“Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“Austin? Long time, no talk. What’s crackin’?”
“I’m okay. Listen, I’m looking for Harvey Laden. Have you seen him?”
“Why? You’re not going to beat his ass again, are you?”
I laugh. “No. No, it’s not like that now.”
“I thought so. He was at your TV party.” Steve pauses. It sounds like the TV is on in the background. “I saw him last night. At Flipper’s. Not sure what he’s getting into tonight, though. You want me to call him up? The three of us can hang.”
Gravity suddenly feels ten times heavier on my chest. “He went out with you last night?”
“Not with me, no. I just saw him there. He was with one of the guys from Hot Night. Not his dad… damn it, I can’t think of his name. I’m a little wasted.” Steve laughs.
I wrap the phone cord around my fingers. “What was he doing?”
“Just hanging as far as I could tell. Having some drinks. George! That’s the guy. The bassist. That’s who he was with.”
I swallow a thick, cold lump in my throat. Why would Harvey be out with George Wilkins? And more importantly, why would Harvey be out and not tell me? Or invite me? I don’t understand what’s going on.
“You still there?” Steve asks.
“Yeah. Um. Thanks, man. I’ll catch you later.”
Before Steve can respond, I hang up. I stand as still as a statue by the phone for several minutes. I should go to Flipper’s and see if he’s there again. But if he’s fine, if nothing’s happened, and he’s out just having some drinks with George Wilkins, then why give me the cold shoulder?
I finish the drink I poured and grab my keys. I hop in my car and drive downtown, but not to Flipper’s. To Osko’s.
It isn’t hard to find Brad. He’s got his own roped-off booth with a couple of girls on either side of him. I would have found him even if one of the guys at the door hadn’t recognized me, let me in ahead of the line, and led me to him.
He grins his dreamboat grin when he sees me. “Hey there! Glad you could come out.” I can tell he’s had a couple of drinks already. He stands up to move the rope aside to let me in. “Ladies, may I present the charming Austin Rivers.”
They’re giggly and showing lots of skin. The one with curly dark hair reaches out for my hand. “I had your picture all over my bedroom walls. I wrote you a letter one time too. And you never answered.” She makes a pouty face.
“Sorry about that,” I say, giving her a half-hearted smile.
I sit down, and she slides a hand over my chest. “I was always a sucker for The Boy Next Door.”
Brad moves over beside me. “I invited my friend, Inga, here.” He nods to the tall lady on the other side of him, sipping some wine. “And she brought her friend.” He nods to the curly haired one beside of me. “I hope you don’t mind.”
I shake my head. “No, of course not.”
The curly haired woman keeps rubbing over my chest. “I’m Jen.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say. I signal for the bartender and order a whiskey.
“We’re in a new television show together.” Brad sits back against the sofa, and stretches out both arms, one behind Inga and one behind me. “We’re a couple of police officers.”
“Really?” Inga leans into him.
Jen is right up against me like we’ve been dating for months. “Do you carry a big stick?”
“It isn’t real,” I say.
When my drink arrives, I take a long gulp.
I find myself looking around, my eyes darting from the dance floor to the balcony.
I don’t know if I can be angry or not. I know I’m not worried anymore.
What would I do if I saw him here tonight?
Would he be angry at me sitting here with these two ladies and Brad Vick?
I take another gulp. I request another one.
Inga leans forward, looking over at Jen. She sets her drink on the table. “Let’s go to the girls’ room.”
Jen and Inga pick up their clutches and walk away. My second whiskey comes before I’ve finished the first one.
Brad notices. “Rough night?”
I sip my drink. “Would you go out without Inga and not tell her?”
Brad laughs. “All the time. We just met. She was waiting in line when I got here.”
I finish the first whiskey and start on the second one. Pete Laden lives in Bel Air, I think? I heard that somewhere. I wouldn’t need to knock on the front door. I could just throw rocks at Harvey’s window. If I could figure out which window was his.
“Everything okay?” Brad asks.
I set down my drink. “I think I should go.”
Brad’s arm is around my shoulders. “There are some photographers here. Phil and Arnold would maybe get off our backs for a bit.”
“We’ve been seen by lots of people.”
While searching the crowd for Harvey, I spotted some interested and curious glances our way. This is the first time Brad and I have been out together. He’s probably what’s drawing the most attention toward us. I suddenly feel insecure. It might be the alcohol.
“Stick around,” Brad says. “Jen seemed to be really digging you.”