Chapter Fifteen
FROM: Pastor Charles Littleton
Sent: Friday, June 05 10:00 AM
To: Candi Canaberry
CC: Shade Blackledge
Subject: Worship Conference
Candi and Shade:
Attached is all the hotel and registration confirmation information you need for the worship conference this weekend. Keep all your receipts, and we’ll do our best to reimburse you for meals and parking not included in registration. Please forward or copy for Max. I still can’t reach him via email. Don’t forget to take him with you. Be careful, and I look forward to hearing all about it when you get back.
Charles
Shade set his duffle bag by the door and waited for Candi and Max to pick him up. He prayed he could be patient on the three-hour car ride to Austin. He always considered himself an easy going guy. He got along with most people, and most people didn’t have a problem with him. Live and let live, to each his own, and all that.
But Candi Canaberry...
Candi Canaberry had become the proverbial thorn in his side that provided daily nails-on-the-chalkboard irritation and inflicted general pandemonium into his otherwise laid back existence. Though many things had gotten so much better for her as she fought her way to a new level of spiritual understanding, her ability to clearly see what was right in front of her cute little nose continued to elude her.
They’d bickered so much at their last practice over a simple series of chords, that Carol Ann used the emergency whistle on her key chain to shut them up. She reminded them if they couldn’t say something nice, they shouldn’t say anything at all.
So they said nothing.
Everything had looked so promising after she’d rescued him by the side of the road and came clean, but their entire relationship had become like a recurring computer problem. There were erratic starts and stops, crash dumps, and near fatal errors. Just when he thought they were getting somewhere, an unexpected shutdown would occur. Files were lost. Data seemed unrecoverable.
Life would be simpler if she’d just admit she had feelings for him. Her inability to do so was driving him insane.
Some days he wanted to give up. Most days he just wanted to kiss her.
Someone pounded on his door. “Let’s go,” Max shouted.
Shade stepped outside. Candi sat in the driver’s seat with her sunglasses perched on her nose. She tapped the steering wheel.
“Is she in a good mood?”
“She’s in a great mood.”
But an hour and a half later, as they stopped to get gas and change drivers, she seemed annoyed.
Shade got out when she pulled to the pump. “I’ll get it.”
She tossed him the keys and scrambled to beat him to the nozzle. “That’s OK. I got it.”
“No, I’ll do it. Go stretch your legs and get something to drink.”
She swiped her card before he could. “I pump my own gas all the time, Shade. I got it.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Fine.”
“Fine.”
Max joined him in the front seat. “You two crack me up.”
“Glad you’re amused.”
Candi got in the back. “Do you want to get something to eat before we get there? I think the only food tonight will be at the welcome reception, and I’m sure it’s not much.”
“Good idea,” Shade replied.
“Yeah,” Max added. “The free food won’t amount to anything, and I don’t want to spend my money on hotel food.”
“What are you in the mood for?”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Candi said. “You’re driving. Your choice.”
“I know a great barbeque place about twenty miles from here.”
“That sounds good,” Max said.
Candi sighed heavily. “No barbeque.”
“I thought you said it didn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t. Just no barbeque.”
Shade pulled onto the highway. “I know of a mom and pop Mexican place that’s pretty good and not far from here.”
“No Mexican,” Candi said.
Shade flexed his hands on the wheel and glanced over his shoulder to give her a dirty look. “You’re doing this to annoy me, right?”
“No. I just don’t want Mexican food.”
“Know what I wish?” Max asked.
Neither took the bait.
“I wish,” he continued. “I wish we were in Vegas and it was my turn to drive. That way I could go straight to a drive-thru wedding chapel and get you two hitched. Poof! ” He waved his hands and wiggled his fingers in the air. “All the tension disappears. It’s a miracle, and you two live happily-ever-after. We could get Elvis to do it. I’ll hold the bouquet and then take pictures.”
“I’m not getting married in a Vegas drive-thru,” she snapped. “Elvis or no Elvis.”
“I don’t think you have to worry,” Shade mumbled.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
He caught sight of her in the rearview mirror. As frosty glares went, it was one of her frostiest. He needed a parka to warm up after that one.
“So what do you want to eat?”
She bunched her travel pillow behind her head. “Doesn’t matter to me. You’re driving. Your choice.”
When Max and Shade entered their room, Max proceeded to touch everything like he was six years old. No complimentary shampoo or soap was left unturned.
Shade collapsed on his bed and reached for one of the many pillows lined up against the headboard. “That woman’s trying to kill me.”
“And you’re letting her.”
“How do I make it stop?”
“Take control of the situation, my friend.”
“How do I do that?”
Max toyed with the TV remote. “Do you love her?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
The television blinked on, then off again. “Then why are you here? Go get her. Tell her how you feel.”
“Yeah, right. I’m gonna lay that on her on the first day of a worship conference. She’d skin me alive.”
“Couldn’t be any worse than what you’re feeling right now.” He tossed his door card on the nightstand and pulled out his phone. “Go for it. I’m texting her right now. There.” He tossed it on the bed. “She’ll meet you downstairs in twenty.”
Shade sat up. “What’d you do that for? I’m not sure this is the right time.”
“Look, Shade, you can go down there and tell her you love her, or you can go down there and buy her a fancy overpriced latte. Doesn’t make any difference to me. All I know is you two love each other, and it’s time you put all of us out of our misery and do something about it. A lot has happened. She’s growing, but she’s stubborn, and she’s hanging on to her last thread of control because she can. Go put a ring on it. Or something. Take away her power to torture us all.”
Shade hoisted his bag onto the bed and dug for a clean shirt. “I’ll get you back for that text.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Max settled in to watch TV. “Go get her, tiger. And find out what her roommate’s like. We can double date.”
Eighteen and a half minutes later, Shade headed for the elevator. He waited with several other conference attendees, all of them wearing their nametags and chattering about various workshops and people they’d already seen.
He glanced out the eighth floor window at the Austin skyline. I’m not going to tell her I love her...it’s too soon...it’ll make things worse....
But when the doors opened, Candi was already inside. She met his gaze amidst the people who piled on. Warm and inviting, that smile had to be only for him. She reached for his hand and tugged him to her side through the crush of the crowd. Soft light shimmered across the sparkling buttons on her white sweater and glistened in her eyes. She smelled like springtime. How could he not tell her he loved her?
“Max said you needed to see me.” They snuggled closer as more people got in on the next floor. “What’s up?”
“Uh...” Her soft hair brushed against his chin as they huddled in the corner. So much for being able to answer her. “You smell great.”
Yeah, he was one smooth operator...
“Thanks. I’m sorry I was so snarky on the way up here,” she whispered. “I’m nervous about my presentations tomorrow. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you and Max.”
They spilled out into the lobby.
“What did you want to talk about?”
His throat started to close. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I’m OK. The meet-and-greet starts in a bit. I can wait.”
He couldn’t. He snatched a bottle of free water off the registration table and downed it in a couple big gulps.
“You OK?”
“Yeah.” He took her hand. “Let’s take a walk.”
They passed through the lobby and into the long, glass-enclosed hallway that led to the workout room, the sauna, and eventually out to the pool. The steamy walkway only added to his feeling of suffocation. Professing his love was going to choke him to death.
Hotel staff in black pants and crisp white shirts scurried from the side door to the buffet with everything from napkins and rolls to baskets made out of watermelons. He dragged her to the most private corner possible.
She sat on the low brick wall that surrounded a jungle of tropical plants. “Now you’re scaring me. Are you sure you’re OK?”
He sat beside her. “I’m fine. I just need to talk to you.”
But nothing came out of his dry mouth.
She jumped up. “You don’t look so good. I’m going to get you some more water.”
“No.” He yanked her back to his side.
“O- K .” She smoothed her flowery skirt and clasped her hands in her lap.
He met her expectant gaze. All at once, everything made sense.
“Here’s the thing,” he began. “I know my timing stinks, but I love you, Candi. I’ve been miserable trying to keep it to myself, and I just want it all out in the open. I want to be a couple and spend more time together and see where it goes. And...”
Though she seemed surprised, her smile was hopeful and encouraging. Right up until the second it wasn’t.
A bag of rocks landed in his gut. “...and I can see I’ve seriously missed the mark here so—”
“No, no, no !” She took hold of both his hands and squeezed them in hers. “It’s not that.”
“Are you worried about Rachel?”
“Heaven’s no! Not the way you think. I love that baby. I know everything with her and Jess and everything would be just fine.”
He searched her face for answers. What started out looking like joy now looked like pain. Something struck him. He held out his arms. “Seriously, Candi, are you still hung up on these tattoos? I told you I was young and stupid and if I could undo it, I would. I’ve done research and even if I could afford the laser removal it would take forever. I think they’re too big anyway. I’ve talked to someone about re-working the art into some other image but I’m not sure what can be done.”
“Please don’t think it’s that. I don’t even see those tattoos anymore. I don’t care what they are.”
He stood. “Well, if it’s this stupid ponytail, I can take care of that right now.” He pulled his knife out of his pocket.
She let out a little scream when he exposed the blade. “What are you doing?”
He grabbed the wad of hair with one hand and started sawing with the other. It took years to grow out, but only a few quick passes with the sharp blade to cut it loose. He tossed it into the ivy with the rubber band still attached. He slid the knife back into his pocket. “End of problem. I was tired of it anyway.”
“Oh, Shade, what have you done?” Her hands shook as she reached for his and pulled him back down beside her. “It’s not the ponytail. I told you none of that superficial stuff matters. It’s not you, or your love for me, or you being a father that scares me. It’s me. You hear me? It’s not you, it’s me.”
“Here we go. If the next words out of your mouth are something about being friends, I’m gonna drop your snarky little keister in that pool.”
“Please listen... All this time I was worried about those things, but now I know I was wrong. I’ve had to reevaluate everything I was comfortable with, and I’ve made some not so flattering discoveries about myself. I’m a mess. Rachel needs strong Christian women in her life. I don’t know if I can be what she needs. My mother died and left me, remember? I only recently understood what that did to my insides, and I’m trying to let it go.”
“All Rachel needs is love and attention.”
“Exactly. But apparently, I’m just one big ball of bitterness and anger. I don’t know if I’m through this yet. I’m still trying to make peace with my father.”
“And I’m still trying to tell you you’re further along than you think. You can choose to keep wallowing in this, or you can choose to declare your freedom from whatever it is that had you so tied up in knots and move on.”
“I’m trying, Shade. It’s not that I don’t have feelings for you, I’m just worried I’m too damaged to give you everything you need.”
“Or maybe you’re reacting out of that same fear you’ve been clinging to for years.” He stood and brushed several long blond hairs off his shoulder. “I’ll make it easy for you. You do your thing, and I’ll do mine. I need to make some changes myself. Money’s tight, and I’ve been offered an opportunity that will help with that, so I’m going to take it. I’ll fulfill my obligation to Cornerstone to get this youth service off the ground because I promised Pastor Charles I would. But after that, I’ll be out of your way.”
“Shade, please...”
“No, we’re done here. I’m not going to keep trying to convince you you’re grown up and worthy enough to love and be loved. I’ve been down that road, and you’re gonna have to figure it out for yourself.”
Candi stood guard at the door between the lobby and the pool. Shade had yet to make an appearance at the welcome reception. Max hadn’t either, and they weren’t answering their phones. She passed back through the long hallway and left the hotel through the front entrance. She settled in a wrought iron chair under the portico as hotel guests came and went, and valets maneuvered cars in and out of the circular drive with deft precision.
She didn’t see Shade.
“Keep him safe, Lord,” she whispered. “Keep him strong and comfort him until I can get my hands on him. And please show me what to do. I was just trying to be honest. Why can’t I get anything right?”
She headed back inside. Her heart leaped as someone waved their arms to get her attention. She rushed forward and then stopped.
Brett .
Not today, Lord...I need to find Shade.
She approached his table. “Hey, Brett.”
He pulled out a chair. “Have a seat.”
She glanced around the room again. “Uh... All right.”
“Looking for someone?”
“Yes. I can’t find Shade and Max.”
“I don’t know about Max.” He scooted his clear plastic plate to the edge of the table. “But I saw Shade a couple hours ago.”
“Where?”
“He was leaving as I was coming in. He tore out of here like he was in a hurry. Didn’t say much, just jumped in an Uber and left.”
“I don’t suppose he said where he was going.”
“Sorry.”
She snatched a napkin off the table and twisted it into a pointy spike and then pulled her phone out of her skirt pocket. Nothing. She fired off another quick text. Where are you?
Brett sat back and took another drink of coffee. “Is there something I can do for you, Candi?”
“What do you mean?”
He gestured around the room. “This conference here is kinda like the Super Bowl of Worship for people like us. There are a couple legendary songwriters and worship leaders right over there at that table. You should be smiling and networking and firmly planted right in the middle of that crowd. And yet, you’re over here with me looking like you want to cry.” He leaned forward. “What’s up with that?”
This would be one of those times when, in the past, she’d clam up. She’d lock herself in her room and wait for the storm to pass. If Shade wanted to stay out of her way, she’d let him. If Brett wanted to get personal, she’d say thanks, but no thanks.
She couldn’t do that anymore.
“Oh, Brett. You have no idea what a mess I’ve made.”
“Does this have anything to do with your father?”
“You know about that?”
“I caught the end of the show at the festival. People talk, but we don’t know the whole story. No one’s judging.”
“Well, that’s only part of the side show I’ve been performing in the last couple months.” She hesitated, and then went on. “Right now it’s a problem with Shade I need to fix, but I can’t find him, and I’m worried.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Brett was nothing if not helpful. She had to start opening up to more of her friends sometime. Might as well be today.
“We had a misunderstanding. He was trying to tell me how he felt about me, and I was trying to tell him why it wouldn’t work. And it’s not because of him. It’s because of me.”
“So you rejected him?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“But you actually used the words it’s not you, it’s me ?”
“Something like that.”
“Uh-oh.”
“What uh-oh?”
“That’s the kiss of death for a guy. I hope you didn’t follow that with how you just want to be friends.”
“Of course not. I love him.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Gee, Brett, I don’t know, because I’m brain dead? This is not helping. What do I do?”
He crossed his arms on the table. “Guys are not all that complicated. We see a woman we like, and we go after her. If we’re in love, all we want to know is that you love us too. We don’t nit-pick it to death, or look for problems under every stone. There’s no analyzing of motives or taking a magazine quiz about feelings to see if it’s gonna stick. It’s I love you, do you love me, check yes or no.”
“What if I accidentally checked no?”
“Then you better be sharpening your pencil and making it right because the thing that scares us most is rejection.”
She sprang from her chair. “Thanks, Brett. That’s what I needed to know.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s just say I’ve had a lot of practice with the rejection thing.”
Harsh realization smacked her upside the head. “Oh. I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings.”
“It’s OK. You and I look good on paper, but I knew it was a long shot. Especially after I saw the way you and Shade interact with each other. You’re off the market anyway.”
Candi rushed to the elevator. Too slow. She hit the stairs. Completely out of breath, she pounded on Max and Shade’s door. Hopefully, he was back.
Max opened it. His eyes were glazed over with sleep and his hair was crazy. “What time is it?”
She brushed past him. “It’s eight o’clock. You missed the reception.”
“Wow... I fell asleep.”
“Where’s Shade?”
“I don’t know. I thought he was with you.” He scratched his head. “Uh-oh.”
“Again with the uh-oh. What now?”
“I thought he was with you and that you two would be celebrating or something. Do you want a soda? ‘Cause I could use a soda.”
She yanked him by his scraggly t-shirt. “We are not having soda, you understand me? We’re going to find Shade because we are not celebrating right now, and it’s my fault. Now think. Do you have any idea where he might have gone? Brett said he saw him get in an Uber.”
Max checked his phone. “All I have is a lot of missed calls and texts from you. I must’ve really passed out.”
“Think, Max.”
“Can’t you see his location on your phone?”
She gave herself an exaggerated slap on the forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She pushed him backward. “No! I’m not tracking him. Think of something else.”
“OK, he mentioned Spider Monkey and Tom, but I don’t have any idea where to find them. He also recently talked about Remy Charbonnet.”
“Who is that? I keep hearing that name.”
“He’s a drummer friend of Shade’s. He wants him to join his band. Big money. Recording contract. I don’t think Shade’s interested. I think Shade wants to stay in Spring and play house with you.”
“Well, I messed that up. We’ve got to find him and fast, so I can un-mess it up.”
“You don’t think he’d hook up with his friends and do something stupid, do you? I mean he’s been sober for almost a year.”
“I don’t think so. He’s hurt and upset with me right now, but he has a strong faith and I don’t think he’d do anything to endanger what he has with Rachel. I’ve been praying, just in case. You pray too.”
“Austin’s a good size city. We could start at Sixth Street, but that’s where all the students go. You lived here. Where do people go to listen to bands? Where might people like Spider Monkey, Tom, and Remy hang out on a Friday night if they don’t have a gig?”
Candi sat on the edge of the bed and rocked back and forth as she scoured her brain. Everything hurt, and not one logical plan of attack panned out in her mind.
Save for one.
She rummaged through her wallet until she came up with what she hoped was the golden ticket. There was only one man who could turn the city of Austin upside down in record time and come up with an ex-Dead Lizard. She picked up her phone.
“Daddy? I need your help!”
Shade sat at a table in the corner of the club he and the band once called The Clover . He wasn’t sure what it was called now. He’d done the right thing and called his sponsor to let him know he was walking into a bar for the first time since the accident. He explained his reasons, and they discussed his game plan.
No, he wasn’t in a great frame of mind for the challenge.
No, he wasn’t going there for a party or a gig. He needed to connect with his friends about a job then he’d be gone.
Yes, he was spiritually fit.
Yes, he’d call him later.
He checked his phone. More texts from Candi, a few from Max, and only one from Spider Monkey, who said he and Tom would be there any minute. That was an hour ago. The longer he sat there, the more he realized that was fifty-nine and a half minutes more than he needed to be in the place. Everything there reminded him of Pete—and it wasn’t the good times he thought about.
Patrons came and went and ordered drinks. Some looked at him as if he was familiar, but it was a little early for the people who would recognize him instantly. Did he really want to reconnect with them anyway?
Lord... what am I doing here?
His phone chimed with a text from Tom. Are you here?
Yes, where are you?
Outside talking. Be there in a minute.
Shade glanced at Candi’s hundred texts and missed calls and pocketed his phone. If they were outside, he’d go outside.
Spider Monkey and Tom stood at the far end of the building with a couple other guys. He headed their way. As he reached them, in the dim light from the street lamp and the glow of a neon sign, he spotted someone else. Don Canaberry jogged toward them from across the street. He paused at the curb and shoved his glasses up on his nose as he wildly punched buttons on his phone. He dropped it in his pocket and joined the group.
“I’m too old for this,” he said with a wide smile. Beads of sweat dotted his upper lip. He extended his hand. “Shade. Good to see you. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Don. What are you doing here?”
As Canaberry exchanged hellos with the others, three men came down the sidewalk. They paused and flashed a badge. The scrape of the brick wall seared the side of Shade’s face. Few things had happened to him faster.
“You’re under arrest.”
Candi jumped out of the chair in the lobby and yanked Max from the complimentary coffee urn and plate of cookies. “We have to get the car.”
“Why?”
“My dad texted me. He found him, he’s fine, they’re on the south side of town.”
“Why do we need the car? Your dad will bring him back here.”
“No. We need to go there. Shade wouldn’t answer my calls. He may not come back. At least I can pick up his trail and track him down if my father loses him.”
Max stumbled as she pushed him toward the door. “Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth? Shade’s mad, but he’s not unreasonable. He’ll be back. Besides, we don’t know where he is.”
“We can figure it out. My dad shared his location and mentioned the street.”
“It’s a needle in a haystack situation.”
“Don’t you have an app for that? Get in the car.”
Candi maneuvered each busy road as Max yelled out directions. She cut it close with a couple yellow lights, and there was a distinct possibility they’d taken a short trip the wrong way down a one-way street.
“Hang a left, hang a left,” Max shouted. “It’s gotta be right here on this block somewhere.”
“I don’t see anything. Wait! I’m not going down that street. There are police lights flashing.”
Max waved his phone in her face. “But that’s the location.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Drive on by. It’s probably disorderly conduct or public intoxication or something. What does your dad drive?”
“I don’t know. Before he went to jail, he had a white Toyota. Camry or Corolla or something like that. Who knows what he’s driving now? Use my phone to try to call him.”
“Slow down.” He dropped her phone. “I think I see them.”
“Where?”
“Uh...right there.”
Candi glanced at the front of the club as she drove. Her father and Shade sat together on the curb. They were handcuffed. A man stood above them. They both stared up at him with their eyes wide. Spider Monkey, Tom, and one other man stood handcuffed along the wall.
Her gasp was so violent she choked on her own saliva. She slammed on her brakes.
Max flew forward and jerked back. “Whoa, woman! Did you even look behind you?”
“I’m getting out.”
He yanked on her arm. “No! We’re in the middle of the street and you can’t walk up to a bunch of cops during an arrest or you’ll be wearing fancy bracelets too.”
“What do I do?”
“Go around again. Go around again!”
“Are you kidding me? They’ve been arrested. I need to see what’s going on.”
“No. We can’t get out. Just go around again and we’ll park and watch what happens.”
“We’re going to have a stakeout and watch the police?”
“What else are we gonna do? Something can’t be right about this. They’ll probably let them go.”
She crept around the police car and circled the block. Her heart thumped hard and fast in her chest. It hurt like the night at the music festival, and the one person who could calm her down had been arrested. Arrested!
She parked at the end of the street and shut off her lights.
Max opened his window and stuck out his head.
“What do you think happened?” he whispered.
“I don’t know. My dad and Shade weren’t together. Whatever it was, it happened fast. They haven’t had time to get in real trouble.”
“I guess it could be a fight or something. Someone could have started something with them.” He leaned farther out the window. “It’s dark, but they don’t look busted up, and I don’t think Shade has a hot temper, do you?”
“Ha! I saw him punch a truck once, and today, during our heated discussion, he pulled out his knife.”
Max jerked his head back in the window. “ What ?”
“Long story.” She scooted forward to better see out the windshield. “Spider Monkey and Tom look as guilty as homemade sin. I don’t know who that other guy is, but he looks guilty too. If they’ve hurt Shade or my father or have done anything to jeopardize Shade’s progress, I’ll have to beat the devil right out of them with my bare hands.”
Max shook his head as though disappointed. “Now Candi. What would Jesus do?”
“You do not want to mess with me right now, Max.”
“You gonna beat the devil outta me too?”
She glared at him. “You have no idea how bad I want to pull your hair right now.”
“Back at ya, sister. Back at ya.”
Candi saw movement. “Shhhhh! What’s going on?”
“They’re letting them stand up.”
“Maybe they’re going to let them go.”
“Nope.”
It was like a slow motion nightmare as both of them disappeared into the back of the police car.
“They’re hauling them. Why are they hauling them? They didn’t do anything. I know they didn’t.”
“I hate to point out the obvious, Candi, but five men just don’t accidentally get arrested. Something happened.”
“I know...”
“Follow them,” Max ordered. “Otherwise, we’ll have to wait for a phone call. We can find out what happened if we go straight to the station.”
“Or, as you pointed out earlier, we could be arrested too.”
“Would you rather go back to the hotel and sit on your hands?”
“I don’t know what to do. I usually don’t spend my Friday nights this way, do you?”
“No.” He helped her look both ways before she pulled out behind the police car. “Stay back.”
“I’m trying. Do you think they’re bringing the other guys?”
“Yeah, I think I saw another police car coming this way.”
They tailed the car until it drove into a parking garage and disappeared to the lower level.
“Should I park in there?”
“No. Go around front and park on the street. It’s late. There’ll be a spot. I have a feeling visitors and civilians don’t get to use that entrance.”
Candi did as he said and killed the engine. She downed the rest of a warm diet soda she found in the back seat cup holder. “That was nasty, but I’m dying of thirst. Let’s go.”
“Hang on a minute.”
“Why?”
“They’re probably not out of the car yet. Let’s sit here and think about what we’re gonna do.”
“What’s to think about? We’re gonna go in there and get them.”
“No we’re not, Candi. This isn’t TV. You can’t go in there with guns a-blazin’ and get your man.”
“All right.” She pulled out her compact and slapped on a fresh coat of powder and then applied lipstick.
Max’s expression was sardonic as he waited for her to complete her touch-up. “I’m sorry, did you misunderstand me and think I just invited you to brunch?”
“No, smarty pants, but you’re right. We’re going to be calm and confident and see if anyone will talk to us. Then I’m gonna get my man. But first.” She took his hand. “We’re going to pray.”
Shade flexed the fingers of his right hand. They were all numb and tingling. Being handcuffed for that amount of time had seriously irritated his old injury.
Don stretched and sat on one of the chairs in the small, stark room where they’d been placed. It wasn’t even a cell. More like they’d been locked in a closet. The men had said nothing during their arrest and consequent chauffeured drive to the station. Shade didn’t know where to start.
“Be careful what you say in here,” Don said. “They’re probably listening. That’s why they put us in here together.”
“That would be an issue only if I had something to hide.”
Don turned his head from side to side until something cracked, and then he crossed his arms and studied Shade as though trying to figure something out. “Something’s different. You got a haircut.”
“Not exactly.”
“What do you think this is about?”
Shade continued to pace and rub his hand. “Near as I can tell, I was walking up the street and you were walking across the street. I guess that’s illegal.” He paused in front of the older man. “Unless you know something else.”
“I know what you know. I heard the word arrest and something about distributing a controlled substance... But look at me, Shade. I’ve got enough trouble. Do I look like a drug dealer?”
“What were you doing there?”
“Candi sent me to find you.”
“Seriously? She called you? To find me?”
“Yes. She was hysterical. She said I had to find you and bring you back to her.”
Shade collapsed in the other chair. She was desperate to find him. So desperate she called her father. He didn’t know whether to be thrilled or annoyed. Stripped of everything in his pockets, he couldn’t even call her to let her know they were OK.
“What were you doing there, Shade? I thought you were done with this scene.”
“I am. We’re in town for a worship conference. I was trying to touch base with Remy about that project, but he’s in Dallas. Spider Monkey and Tom said they had more information. I thought I might do it because I need the money for a new truck, but obviously those guys have some extracurricular activities I want no part of.” He left the chair and started his pacing line again. “I can’t believe those two. I know they always lived a little on the wild side, but buying and selling drugs on the street?”
“People do strange and desperate things for money, Shade. You were about to do it with a new band. I did it.”
That ticked him off. “Let’s get one thing straight, Don. Hitting the studio with Remy is not illegal. Extortion and fraud is. Don’t compare my near mistake with your white-collar crime spree.”
“Fair enough. I’m just saying desperate times call for desperate measures. Trying to keep someone alive when they’re dying of cancer is expensive. So is sending your daughter to college and trying to keep a normal household running when everything is upside down. I’m not trying to make excuses or justify my actions. I’m just saying it is what it is.”
“Does Candi know that’s where the money went?”
“No, and she doesn’t need to. I doubt it would make any difference.”
Shade went back to the chair. “Not in that black and white mind of hers. She would say it wasn’t your money to take for any reason, and that you didn’t work hard enough in legit ways.”
Don shrugged. “She’d be right.”
“For what it’s worth, I think she’s coming around about you. She did call you tonight.”
“That’s only because she wanted you.”
“Yeah, but there was a time she wouldn’t have reached out to you at all. She’d have been out there tearing up the city on her own.”
“That’s what worries me. She likely still is because she hasn’t heard from me since my last text.”
Shade scrubbed his hands across his face. “Look, they can’t keep us here forever. They found nothing on us, and we didn’t confess to anything because we haven’t done anything. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We’ll be out of here in no time.”
“ You’ll be out of here in no time.”
“What do you mean?”
“My parole, Shade. Stips say I can’t be in a bar or get arrested. I’m sure they’ve already called my parole officer. I’m on my way back to prison.”
“But you weren’t in the bar, and you may have been picked up, but they can’t charge you with anything because you didn’t do anything.”
“Details.”
“Wait a minute, how are you scouting bands if you’re not allowed in clubs?”
“Music festivals, county fairs, fundraisers. I’ve also attended Bar Mitzvahs and weddings.”
“Why on earth did you go there tonight if you knew what could happen?”
“My daughter needed me.”
Panic rose in Shade’s chest. “Candi will never forgive herself if she thinks you went back to prison because she called you.”
“Then make sure she doesn’t find out. Make something up. I don’t care what it is.”
“No, Don, I don’t lie to the woman I love. There’s gotta be a way out of this.”
“I don’t think so.”
Shade leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m praying.”
“Praying? Now?” Don shook his head. “Well, if that don’t beat all. People were right about you. You really have hopped the Jesus Freak Express and are ridin’ it all the way to the station.”
“Is that necessary? I would think it would be in your best interest to start praying too.”
Don cackled like a hyena. “I’m just messin’ with you. So you love my daughter?”
“Yes.”
“She could do a lot worse, I guess.”
Shade met the older man’s skeptical gaze and made an instant decision. He would lead Don Canaberry in the sinner’s prayer if it was the last thing he did.
Don scooted forward. “Keep praying. I won’t interrupt anymore.”
The door opened and hit his chair with a thud.
“That won’t be necessary,” a woman said. “I can’t listen to any more of this completely useless information. It’s been entertaining, but it doesn’t help my investigation.” She extended her hand. “I’m Detective Ramirez.”
The men glanced at each other as they exchanged polite introductions.
“Mr. Blackledge, you can go. Officer Jenkins is right outside the door. He’ll get you released and return your belongings.”
Everything inside him said to shut up and run. He couldn’t. “Can you at least tell us why we were arrested?”
“Like you said, wrong place, wrong time.”
She had heard everything.
She closed the door. “We’ve been watching that area for quite some time, but given all the circumstances, it’s obvious the two of you were not involved in the purchase of a controlled substance. That’s all I can say about this ongoing investigation.”
She reopened the door for Shade. When Don tried to follow, she stopped him. “Not so fast, Mr. Canaberry.”
Shade didn’t look back. What would he say to Candi?
After an hour and twenty-eight minutes, Candi returned to the counter. “Is there any news?”
The burly cop behind the desk looked at her over the top of his crooked glasses. “No more than the last couple dozen times you asked me.”
Max took her by the arm and led her away. She dropped back in her chair and gazed at the streetlights through the front glass doors of the station. Lord, where is he?
As though in a dream, he appeared on the sidewalk through the mist of the sprinkler system as it watered the trees along the street.
“Max! He’s outside. Hold my purse. Give me a minute with him alone, will you?”
She charged out the front doors and jumped into his arms. The fact it appeared he couldn’t see her coming did not deter her in the least.
“Oh, Shade, thank God.” She smashed her lips against his. “Are you OK? What happened? Where’s my father? Forget everything I said earlier.” She kissed him again. And again. “I love you, and that’s all you need to know.” Her feet dangled in the air for a second before he set her on the ground. She didn’t let go. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain, and I promise I’ll check the box yes every single time, no matter what. Do you understand? I love you.”
He looked confused, so she kissed him again.
He peeled her arms from around him. “I love you too, baby, but I have to tell you something. Come out of the sprinklers. We’re getting wet.”
“I don’t care. What are you doing out here? We’ve been waiting in there forever.”
“I got turned around downstairs and came out the wrong door. How did you know we were here?”
“My dad sent a text and a pin when he found you. The rest is just...weird. Why were you arrested?”
“Wrong place, wrong time. They didn’t want us. They wanted Spider Monkey and Tom and their drug dealer.”
“Oh no.”
“Yep. Didn’t see that one coming.”
“Where is my father?”
“About your father...”
Max came out the doors, clutching her purse against his chest. Her father was right behind him.
“Dude! Where’s your ponytail?”
“It’s back at the hotel.”
“ Whoa ...”
She rushed into her father’s arms. This time it wasn’t hard to hug him. This time it was just about a girl and her dad. This time it was about her hero.
“Thanks, Daddy.”
“Anything for you, sweetheart.”
She stepped back and met his hopeful gaze. If the bitterness still remained, it was only a fleeting twinge as she pushed out a deep breath and let God take it, once and for all. Her knees trembled at the thought of her miracle.
Guess that’s it, Lord. Consider me pruned.
Shade came forward. “What happened in there, Don? Are you free to go?”
“Yes. Detective Ramirez and I have an understanding. She’ll forget about this arrest if I pass along any information I might stumble across in my dealings with other bands.”
“She made you a snitch?”
“I think the less we know about this the better,” Candi said.
“That’s true,” he agreed. “But I don’t plan on having too much to say. I think I’ve run my course in the music business.”
“Ya think ?”
“What will you do?” Max asked.
“I have a friend in Dallas who’s in the car business. He said I’d have to start out in the pre-owned division, but I think I’ll give it a try.”
“Used cars?” Candi shrugged. “Well, you are a salesman.”
“What about you, Shade? You said you needed a truck. Maybe we can work something out.”
Candi laughed as Shade squeezed her hand.
“We’re not buying a used truck from you, Don.”
“Let’s go,” Candi said. “I’m sure you two are starving, and I’ve got to present my first workshop in about five hours.”
Shade wrapped his arm around her. “Thanks for coming to get me out of jail.”
“I love you, Shade. Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.”
“I love you too.”
“I’m confused,” Max said. “How exactly is your ponytail back at the hotel?”