Chapter Ten

Lucy

Lucy watched the other performers go back on stage for the jam session that would close the concert. She saw Mariah and Soleil go into the room and she heard the door lock. She envied the closeness they shared as performers. As much as she loved music, Lucy had no desire to become a musician or singer. Despite having music in her genes, she could barely carry a tune. As much as she had loved her father, she would never be able to demonstrate it in the medium he preferred above all others—music.

She looked around for Eve, but she didn’t see her either. She inched closer to the stage so she could have a better view of the performers.

Brad

She was alone. Finally, she was alone. Brad moved closer to where she was standing in a miniskirt and a red top. She had great legs, he thought admiringly. Then he remembered what he had come to do.

He walked over to her. “Great show, isn’t it?” He wore jeans and a dirty tee shirt, blending in with the roadies and stagehands.

She smiled shyly. “Yes, it is wonderful. It’s great that so many people are here.”

Brad relaxed when he realized she didn’t know who he was. It was unlikely that Eve carried his picture around any more. He glanced around tentatively, but there was no sign of his ex-wife. He decided to pretend he didn’t know who she was, either.

“Are you here with one of the musicians?” he asked.

She smiled again. “Yes, I am.”

He tried to remember what Faith had told him to do. He started coughing. “The air back here is really bad. Where is the nearest exit? I want to get a little air.” He tried to make the cough as convincing as possible.

She looked at the front of his shirt. He wasn’t wearing a pass. “Well, if you go outside without your pass, you won’t be able to get back in.” She showed him the all access laminated pass she wore around her neck.

He shook his head and coughed again. “You know, I must have dropped it when I was moving some amps. Could you walk out with me? It will only take a minute.” He acted like he was trying to clear his throat.

“Sure.” Lucy started walking towards the nearest exit. Brad walked a few steps behind her and continued to cough.

Eve

Eve came out of the bathroom and looked for a familiar face. She saw Lucy standing alone and then she saw a man come over and start talking to her. The man looked very familiar. He looked a lot like her ex-husband. But what would Brad be doing backstage?

Eve saw a short blonde woman walk in the opposite direction in a mink jacket. What was Sally Fountaine doing at the concert? She watched Sally go over to a reporter, who placed a microphone in her face. What was that about? When she looked back to where Lucy had been standing, she and the man were both gone.

Lucy

The exit was deserted; no guards were around. That’s strange, Lucy thought. When she opened the door, she felt the rush of air in the stale hallway. Then she felt something hard and cold at her back.

“Don’t make any sudden moves,” the man whispered.

She heard the gun cock at the small of her back. “What do you want?”

“Shut up, bitch, and just walk.”

The man pulled her left arm behind her back, all the while keeping his other arm steady as he pressed the gun harder. She could feel the indentation of the muzzle on her flesh. He guided her to an old Chevy that had the back door open and roughly pushed her inside. Faith had borrowed the car from a friend, in case Lucy recognized her Honda. Her head hit the back of the front passenger seat and, before she could straighten up, she saw a hand with a cloth come towards her face.

She started to feel faint from the strange chemicals entering her nose. Everything was getting hazy and, as she lost consciousness, she heard a familiar voice say, “We’ll get some money now, goddammit!”

Eve

Olivia ran backstage during the jam session. She saw Eve standing in the wings. “Where is Mari?” she asked. Just then Mariah and Soleil came out of the small dressing room. She ran over to them in her spike-heeled sandals. “Mari, come on, we’re going to do ‘Working at J and L’!” She gave her old friend a big hug.

Mariah chuckled. “I haven’t done that song in years.”

Olivia put her arm around her and started pushing her towards the stage area. “Me neither, girl. Let’s go!”

Mariah looked back at Soleil. Soleil shook her head. “You go on. I’ll pass.” She winked at Mariah.

The two women ran out to the stage with big smiles on their faces.

“Let’s watch, “ Soleil said. They walked to the wings where they could watch the musicians.

Even Eve knew this song. It was Sheffield Steel’s biggest hit, an ode to Mik’s short stint as a steelworker at the Jones and Laughlin Steel mill. Everyone in Pittsburgh loved the song. The local rock stations still played it.

“Hey, I’m working, working down at J and L. And it’s hot, baby, baby, it’s hotter’n hell.” Mariah and Olivia were shaking tambourines and doing the bump. The band was loud and tight and the other musicians weaved their voices and instruments around them.

Soleil clapped along to the pounding beat. “They still sound great!”

Eve had to agree, even though she didn’t really know what they sounded like before, other than this song.

“This must be bringing back a lot of memories for Lucy,” Soleil said. Then she looked around. “Where is Lucy?”

Eve looked around, too. “I don’t know. I saw her not too long ago. She was standing close to here talking to someone.”

“I can’t believe that she would miss this.” Soleil shrugged. “Maybe she went to sit out front.”

Eve nodded. But she couldn’t shake the odd feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. Who was that guy talking to Lucy? He was probably just a stagehand, she thought to herself.

Brad

Brad and Faith had carried Lucy from the car to a unit in an abandoned storage complex belonging to one of Faith’s many contacts. He got the feeling that this wasn’t the first time Faith had used the unit to store something.

Lucy looked so peaceful, and up close she was even more attractive. When they had placed her on her back on the floor of the empty dark room, her black leather skirt rode up her thigh. He could feel the stirrings of a hard-on.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Faith took the heavy duty lock out of her pocket and started to close the door.

“Are you going to leave that tape over her mouth? There isn’t anybody for miles around.” He couldn’t stop looking at Lucy, with her hair fanned out around her face.

Faith looked at him in the dim light. She looked at his crotch. “You want to fuck her, don’t you? Well you better keep it in your pants, asshole! She is our ticket to big money, not your ticket to shoot your load.”

Brad looked at Faith. Why had he gone along with this scheme? He took one last glance inside the room as Faith closed the door and secured the lock. “What if she suffocates?” He opened the car door and got in the driver’s seat.

“The tape isn’t that tight, she won’t suffocate.” Faith got in the car.

“What if she has to go to the bathroom?”

“She has a whole room to piss in.” Faith handed the key to the room to Brad.

He took the key and put it in his pocket. He was still worried about Lucy. He still wanted her. But he also wanted the money. Could he have both?

Soleil

The applause from the audience was deafening. The artists remained on the stage until the house lights came back on. Then everyone was backstage, kissing and shaking hands. Soleil was caught up in the feeling, the magic of the music.

Olivia Stephenson enveloped her in a tight hug, even though she was much shorter. “Soleil, you have the voice of an angel! And the fingers of a demon! You sound like your father with that guitar.”

“Thanks.” For once, Soleil didn’t know what to say.

“You’ll have a record deal before you leave tonight, girl. I saw some A and R guys practically peeing in their pants while you were onstage.” Olivia winked. “At least I think that’s what they were doing.”

Soleil laughed. She could imagine what it had been like being on the road with Olivia. She would have to ask Lucy. She looked around. Lucy was still no where to be seen.

Eve walked over to Mariah. “Have you seen Lucy?”

Mariah stopped laughing. “No, I haven’t.” She looked at Soleil. “Have you?”

“No, I haven’t seen her, either.” She started to feel anxious. Something was wrong.

Eve looked at Mariah. “The last time that I saw her was about forty-five minutes ago. She was talking to some guy. I looked away and she was gone.”

Some reporters from the local television stations came over to Mariah and Soleil to get some statements for their late newscasts.

Soleil couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucy was in trouble.

After the reporters left, Toby walked over with a big smile on his face, a genuine smile for a change. “Ladies, it was fabulous! Let’s go and celebrate.” He led them to the large dressing room.

The room was filled with musicians, recording industry people and hangers-on. The tables were laden with food and liquor.

When they walked in, Marc Wallach, the drummer for Sheffield Steel, gave Mariah and Olivia a glass of champagne. Eve grabbed two beers off of the table and handed one to Soleil.

Marc stood up on a table. He lifted up a champagne glass. “Okay everyone. To Mik! May he rock on forever!” Tears glistened in his eyes. “I miss you, brother.”

“To Mik!” Everyone in the room shouted and lifted their glasses and bottles skyward. Soleil felt her own eyes filling with tears. She looked over at Eve. Hers were the only dry eyes in the room.

Soleil looked at Mariah. Her eyes were also glistening, but she kept looking toward the door. Soleil could sense her disappointment with each new entrant into the room.

Eve tapped her forearm. “Do you feel it, too?”

Soleil nodded.

“She isn’t here, is she?” Eve whispered, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Soleil nodded again. “Something’s wrong.”

Olivia walked over to Soleil and Eve, holding her glass of champagne. “Let’s go into the little dressing room. Mariah wants to talk.”

Mariah started moving towards the door. Soleil headed out with Olivia and Eve behind her.

Mariah was the last person to enter the room. She locked the door. She was starting to shake. “No one has seen Lucy. That isn’t like her. She doesn’t just disappear.” She looked at Eve. “Have you seen that guy you saw Lucy talking to earlier?” She sat down in a folding chair.

Eve shook her head. “No. I never saw him again.”

Mariah continued to stare at her. “Did he look familiar?”

Eve bit her lip. “From far away, he looked like Brad.”

Soleil sat down in a chair. “Your ex-husband?”

Eve ran her fingers through her hair. “He was too far away for me to tell for sure.”

Mariah looked at Eve. “How would he have gotten backstage? He wasn’t on the guest list.”

Olivia looked at Mariah. She tapped her long tapered fingernails on the table. “Uh, a lot of people not on the guest list got backstage. I think I even saw Faith.”

Soleil felt the blood rush to her face. She jumped up, knocking the chair over. “Faith! I left explicit instructions that she not be allowed backstage! She must have given a blowjob to one of the security guards.”

“Some things never change,” Olivia mumbled.

Mariah took a deep breath, which she let out raggedly. She shook her head. “If Faith kidnapped Lucy…”

“She would have kidnapped her for money.” Soleil finished the thought.

“And Brad—if it was Brad—could he be involved?” Eve looked from Soleil to Mariah.

“Does he know Faith?” Olivia asked.

“Not that I’m aware of. I didn’t know that he was still in LA. I thought that he had gone back to Pittsburgh.” Eve looked from Olivia to Mariah. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”

“No!” Mariah and Soleil shouted in unison.

“If Faith is involved, no police,” Mariah said.

Eve looked confused. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“You don’t know Faith,” Soleil said, trying to hide her feelings. She ran her hands through her dreads and shook her head. Faith had Lucy. She just knew it, felt it in her bones. And Faith would stop at nothing. If she had tried to kill Mariah, tried to kill her, her own daughter, what would she do to Lucy? Faith hated Mariah. She would do anything to hurt her, even murder. Soleil knew in her heart that Lucy was in grave danger. She knew in her heart that she was going to have to kill her mother.

Mariah stood up. “I’ve got to get home. Whoever has her probably wants money. They will probably call the house with their terms. I didn’t bring my cell.”

Soleil didn’t like the fact that Mariah kept saying “probably.” That meant that she was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Did Faith want money or revenge? She picked up her backpack and the gig bag she had stored in the room earlier in the evening, a lifetime ago. “Let’s go,” she said. “I’ll get my truck and meet you there.”

Olivia went over to Mariah and put her arms around her. “I’ll stay here for as long as you need me,” she said softly. She kissed the top of her head.

Tears were rolling down Mariah’s face. “Thank you,” she whispered back.

Eve

Someone knocked at the door. Eve went to the door and looked into the smiling face of Toby Reynolds. “Why is everyone hiding out in here?” His smile faded when he saw Mariah. “What’s wrong?”

Mariah looked at Toby. “Toby, we need to go. Please get our limo ready. Call me tomorrow. And have Lieberman call me, too.” Her voice still shook.

Toby peered into the room. “I set up an after party.”

“Toby, just do it,” Mariah screamed. “We need to go now!”

Eve jumped. She had never heard Mariah raise her voice before.

Toby jumped also and squinted at Mariah. He nodded his head. “Okay. I’ll call you in the morning.” He closed the door.

Mariah took a deep breath and wiped her face.

Eve still stood at the door. “Ready?” She looked at Mariah.

Mariah nodded. The four women hurried to the exit.

Lucy

Lucy woke up to darkness. She was breathing through her nose. There was something over her mouth. Lucy could feel the sticky tape on her skin. Her hands were tied behind her back. It was hot in here, wherever here was. She was sweating profusely, she could feel it rolling under her arms and between her breasts. Where was she? She twisted her head back and forth. She tried to shimmy herself to a sitting position, but when she touched a wall, she fell over on her side.

She thought about San Francisco and Ricky. Was she going to go through that again? Her whole body tightened as she remembered the experience. She had been left barely alive. What was going to happen this time?

She thought about her mother. She had to get out of here before Mariah got worried. Her heart was racing and she had to pee.

I have to think this through. I have to keep my mind occupied.

She flexed her feet. Her ankles were sore from the rope binding them together. The rough rope itched. She rotated her neck; it cracked from tension. Pain was radiating from her shoulders down her arms. Maybe if I try to stay still, I won’t feel the pain so much.

Think. I have to think.

What happened? I was taken from the concert hall, drugged and brought here. Why? It had to be for money. But who had kidnapped her? The guy didn’t look familiar, but the voice she heard before she went under did. Who was it?

If they wanted money, maybe she wouldn’t be killed. But who had the money for her ransom? Since the will was still being contested, they hadn’t received any money yet. Mariah didn’t have any money because she’d mortgaged the house for the concert. But she did have her other properties, which Lucy guessed were worth over a million dollars. And she knew her mother would do anything, spend any amount, to get her back. Mariah would give up everything she worked for all of her life to save the life of her only child.

She couldn’t let her mother do that. She had to get out of here! She strained against the ropes, rolling over onto her stomach.

What if it wasn’t enough? What if they wanted more money than Mariah could get together? Would they kill her? Once she had wished she was dead, had practically been left for dead, but she had survived. She willed herself to believe she would get through this, too.

She slowly rolled onto her side once, then again. She continued to roll, trying to find out the size of the room and if there was anything else in it, something she could use to loosen these ropes. She could feel dust and grit coating her skin and hair, but she didn’t encounter anything else. The room was empty, except for her.

Now she had to pee real bad.

Eve

Eve had never seen Mariah lose control before. She sat in the back of the limo with Olivia’s arm around her. Eve sat across from them. She didn’t know what to say. She wished that she had ridden in the truck with Soleil.

Could that really have been Brad she saw backstage? She knew he was an adulterer, but would he go so far as to kidnap her sister to get money? Was he capable of murder? She shuddered to think that the man she had loved was capable of committing homicide.

And what was this Faith really like? Eve couldn’t imagine that she was as bad as everyone said. But she didn’t know anyone who was a prostitute or a drug addict. Except for Ricky. But Ricky had not become a drug addict until he left Pittsburgh for LA. She never saw him again after he moved to California, until she saw his body at the San Francisco morgue. Why had her father married someone like Faith? She could understand why he had been with Mariah. She was a kind, good person who she had grown to like. But her father had become a drug addict, too. She wished that she were back in her apartment in Mount Washington.

Olivia broke the silence. “How did you like the show, Eve?” She tried to add lightness to her voice.

Eve tried to smile. “It was something else. I had never been to a rock concert before.”

Olivia looked surprised. “Never?”

“No, I wasn’t into rock much when I was growing up. It reminded me too much of him. I was busy with sports. I played soccer and ran track.”

Olivia nodded her head. “Well, you did all right with the tambourine.”

Eve smiled. “Yeah, that was kind of fun.”

“Lucy used to love to get onstage and play the tambourine when she was a little girl,” Mariah said wistfully.

Olivia looked at Mariah. “Yeah, she did.”

Eve wanted to see the tough, in control Mariah come back. She was uncomfortable with Mariah’s distress, even though she understood it. Mariah was scared that Lucy would not be returned unharmed, and Eve was scared, too.

Olivia tried again. “It was a capacity crowd out there. I think you made enough to pay for the hall rental and all of the incidental costs. Those charities should get a nice chunk of change.”

Mariah looked at her. “Well, there are also the hotel expenses for the performers.”

“I paid for my own room at a nice, reasonably priced hotel.”

“I tried to get you to stay at the house.” Mariah looked at her friend.

“Well, I knew you already had company.” Olivia glanced at Eve.

“I have four extra bedrooms, and if I didn’t I would still make room for you.”

“Do you want me to stay over tonight?” Olivia asked.

“Yes, I would like that.” Mariah wiped at her eyes.

“Maybe I should stop by the hotel and get my bag.” After the show, Olivia had changed into jeans and a long, lime green cotton top.

“Pick it up tomorrow.”

Eve felt that she should say something. “I’ll pick it up tomorrow, if I have a way to get there.”

“I’ll have a car available.” Mariah gave the trace of a smile. “We may need one to get Lucy back. I don’t think I am in any shape to drive. At least not until I find out what is going on.”

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

When they got to the house, it was around 2 a.m. Soleil was pacing in front of the door. She walked over to the car. “I tried to call Faith’s place, but she must have changed her number again.”

Mariah stepped out of the car. She grabbed Soleil by the shoulders. “Don’t go over to her place! Please, don’t go over there! I can’t lose you, too!”

Eve wondered what she meant by that statement. She wanted to see this Faith, find out why everyone was so afraid of her.

Mariah’s hands shook as she unlocked the door and disabled the alarm system. She sat down in the kitchen. Eve put water and coffee in the coffeemaker. Soleil turned on the small television under the top kitchen cabinets.

There was a news report about the concert. Sally Fountaine appeared on the screen. “This concert was a wonderful tribute to my late husband. I’m so grateful to all of the wonderful musicians who performed on his behalf.” She smiled broadly at the camera.

Olivia looked at the screen. “She acts like she was the one to put this concert together.”

“Another Sally Fountaine production. She is better at acting in real life than she is in her films,” Soleil said.

Brad

Brad watched Sally Fountaine on the news broadcast. He listened intently when she talked about the will. If she was still contesting the will, how were they going to get the ransom money for Lucy? He wondered if Faith had other reasons besides money for the kidnapping. He knew about the animosity she felt towards Mariah. Did Faith want money or revenge?

He looked closer at the screen. Sally Fountaine looked familiar to him, real familiar. He had seen her somewhere before, many years ago. Then he thought back to the time he worked at his friend’s adult video store. His friend used to get amateur videos made by a friend of his in Youngstown, Ohio. There was one hot little blonde who liked to take it up the ass. Her video name was Sahara Sodomie. Maybe he would be able to get some big bucks without having to share anything with Faith.

Brad picked up the car keys from the table. He needed to get away. Faith looked up from the television. “And where the fuck do you think you’re going in the middle of the night?”

He decided not to lie. “I want to see how Lucy is doing.”

“We can check on her tomorrow. You aren’t going down there alone, so put your cock back in your pants.” Faith poured some brandy in a glass.

“When are you going to call her mother?”

“Tomorrow.” She glanced at the clock. “Later today.” She held her hands out for the keys. “Give me the car keys and the key to the lock.”

Brad stood and looked into Faith’s eyes. She continued to hold her hands out. He gave her the car keys and took the other keys out of his pants pocket. He would wait until later and see what happened. But he was going to get a chance to be alone with Lucille DeSalle, whether Faith liked it or not. And he was also going to pay a visit to Ms. Fountaine. Alone.