Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evanovich [32]
“Vanished.”
“Now what?”
“I have a crime scene guy here, examining the car. And I put out an informal request to look for Loretta and Dom. The mother’s house wasn’t locked, so I’m going back there to snoop around. How’s it going with you?”
“Could be worse.”
The sound check lasted an hour. When it was over, the Nancy clone fetched us back to the dressing rooms and Lula, Nancy, and I mooched food while Brenda settled into a director’s chair and the makeup wrangler started working on her. An hour later, the makeup thing was still going on and the hair guy had Brenda’s hair rolled up in curlers the size of soup cans.
“You’re eating a lot of doughnuts,” Lula said to me. “Something bothering you?”
“I’m worried about Loretta. She’s disappeared.”
“That was fast.”
I told Lula about the car.
“That’s ugly,” Lula said. “I don’t like the way that sounds.”
My mother’s number popped up on my cell screen. It was my Grandma Mazur.
“We’re on to the griefer,” Grandma yelled into the phone. “We got him on the run. We’re moving the operation to Morelli’s house, so the griefer can’t track us.”
“Why would he track you?”
“Griefers are like that,” Grandma said. “And anyway, we’re driving your mother nuts.”
NINE
I HAD ARRANGED for three comped tickets to be left at will call for Morelli, Zook, and Grandma. I thought it would help to take Zook’s mind off his mom. Morelli phoned at seven to tell me they were in the building and so far, no word on Loretta.
“After the show, I’m bringing Zook back to my house,” Morelli said. “He’s persona non grata with your mother. He spray-painted his name on your mother’s sidewalk and front door, and then your grandmother spray-painted Scorch on everything, including your parents’ ninety-two-year-old neighbor, Mrs. Ciak. They said it was to throw the griefer off.”
“You need to talk to Zook. He needs a father figure.”
“I know nothing about being a father.”
“You’re good with Bob. Just pretend he’s Bob. Remember when Bob ate all your furniture? How did you get Bob to stop?”
“I didn’t. He still eats the furniture. He has me trained to live with it.”
“You’re just a big softy,” I said to Morelli.
“Don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t want that to get around. I have to go. I can’t let Zook wander away from me. I’m afraid he’ll redecorate the men’s room.”
Ranger strolled in at ten after seven.
“Where were you?” I asked him.
“Meetings with house security and checking the building.” He glanced across the hall to Lula, who was taking pointers from the makeup lady. “I understand I have a new employee.”
“I needed someone to help persuade Brenda to come with me.”
“Looks like it worked.”
“How’s Tank doing?”
“He’s confused. If this goes on much longer, I might have to kill Lula.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Ranger didn’t answer.
“Right?” I asked him again.
He hooked an arm around my neck, pulled me to him, and kissed me on the top of my head. “I’m kidding. But it is tempting.”
“So what’s going on out there? Bomb threats? Animal rights activists? Stalkers? Women against boobs?”
“No bomb threats. All the other crazies are in full force. Never have a rock concert on a full moon.”
“How were ticket sales?”
“She sold out. Not a lot to do in Trenton this week. And Brenda still has a lot of fans. Mostly your parents’ generation.”
Truth is, I liked Brenda’s music. She had a brassy way of combining country and rock, and she could really belt it out when she wanted. At least, that was true of her last album, but that was a bunch of years ago. I suspected that, in spite of all her efforts, she wasn’t capturing the kids. And the kids were the ones who spent money on music. The kids bought sex, and Brenda was good, but she wasn’t sexy to a sixteen-year-old. Even the Stones were struggling with that . . . and they were the Stones!
Brenda spotted Ranger and blew him a kiss.
“Sorry,” I said to Ranger, “you can’t kill her, either.”
“I’m getting nervous,” Brenda said. “I’m gonna throw up. I need a drink. I need a pill. Somebody get me something.”
“You’ll be fine,” Nancy told her.
“I need a pill.”
“Last time