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PEPPER SAT AT HER LAPTOP and wrote out everything she knew about what was happening with Owen and his band here in Sinful. When she was finished, she went back through and read it all. One thing she couldn’t figure out was how they ended up in Sinful in the first place. Did they take a wrong turn off the highway?
Even though she knew Carter was likely asking the same questions, she made a list of things she wanted to know. She wondered if her past friendship with Owen meant he would be more open with her about recent events. Carter seemed to be more suspicious of Owen as the hours passed. With the threat of a lawsuit hanging over his head, Pepper couldn’t really blame him for being in a bad mood, but she wondered if it was clouding Carter’s judgement. He didn’t take kindly to people questioning his investigative methods.
Just as she closed her laptop, Pepper heard the kitchen door close. Since the construction crew had already left for the day, nobody should be here. Then she heard Jaxson’s and Owen’s voices and relaxed. Jaxson actually owned this house. She was living here to keep an eye on things while renovations were being completed. She remembered thinking it seemed just a little odd that he thought he needed someone to be here when Sinful was full of nosey old people who had nothing better to do than watch the place. But she wasn’t going to question it too much since it gave her a free place to live for a while.
She skipped down the stairs and found Jaxson and Owen talking while leaning on the kitchen island. Both men turned to smile at her, and she felt like life was good. Then Jaxson moved toward her and slung an arm around her shoulders, and she couldn’t help but notice the frown that crossed Owen’s face. She decided to put it out of her mind. Owen was passing through and had no real bearing on her present life. Their friendship had been a very long time ago. It was ridiculous to think he had any interest in pursuing something deeper now.
“I was just telling Owen the crew has really been kicking butt here. They told me only a couple of hours ago that they should be done with almost everything by the end of the week. There might be a small punch list after that, but it will be nice to know this place is finally what I dreamed of when I began renovations.” The smile on Jaxson’s face was undeniable, but the flutter in Pepper’s stomach was unpleasant.
She made light of the situation by forcing a laugh and saying, “Oh, great! That means I get to look for a new place to live. I can’t wait to go through that experience again.”
Jaxson moved to look directly at her, placing a hand on each shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that for a while.”
“Oh, Jaxson, come on. This is your house, and I’m living in it. It’s pretty ridiculous to keep up this arrangement after the renovations are done.”
“I don’t know. I kind of like knowing you’re here.”
“Hmmm... I’m sure the gossips in this town could have a field day with that statement.”
Jaxson’s laugh echoed through the house. “All I’m saying is, I don’t mind staying at the range. There’s no hurry for you to move out.”
Pepper slid a glance toward Owen, who was pretending not to listen, even though she knew he was hanging on every word. Finally, she said, “Well, we don’t have to figure it all out today. What brings the two of you into town?”
Owen spoke up. “The record company’s lawyer wants to meet with me this afternoon at 4:30. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind keeping me company afterward. Jaxson has to go to New Orleans for a meeting and I thought maybe you could show me around Sinful.”
Pepper nodded in agreement. “Sure,” she said. “Where should I meet you and what time?” Spending time alone with Owen meant she could get answers to her questions about how he ended up in Sinful and whether it had anything to do with her.
“We’re meeting at Mr. Perry’s office and it shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes or so. I just hope the company’s lawyer listens to reason.” Owen shook his head in frustration.
“I hope so, too,” Pepper said. Then she turned to look at Jaxson. “What’s going on in New Orleans?”
Jaxson’s eyes widened, and he stumbled slightly over his explanation, “Oh, I have to meet with a company about some security issues at the shooting range.”
“This late in the day? That seems strange. How come they didn’t send someone out to the range if there’s a problem? That would make much more sense.”
Jaxson blew out a quick breath and said, “Really, Pepper? Do I try to micromanage your schedule?”
Taken aback by Jaxson’s tone, Pepper didn’t say anything right away. She had a feeling there was more to his story than he was telling. It seemed like that was happening more and more often these days, and she knew something was going to have to break loose between them soon. She wondered if Jaxson also felt something different in the air. He was usually so laid-back, always ready with a quick smile and a joke. But everything had shifted since their trip to Wisconsin, and Pepper knew it couldn’t be all about her. Something else was going on.
Rather than airing her grievances in front of Owen, she smiled tightly and said, “You two had better move along if you want to get where you need to be on time. Owen, I’ll see you in about half an hour. Jaxson, call me when you get back and we’ll meet up.”
The men nodded and waved as they left through the kitchen door. Pepper hated that the atmosphere felt strained, but she couldn’t do anything about it at the moment. She went back upstairs to work on her notes and freshen up in preparation for spending a few hours as a tour guide.
###
PEPPER WAS WAITING for Owen outside Mr. Perry’s office when he emerged just after five o’clock. She suspected the meeting had been more than just his lawyer wanting to speak to him, and her suspicion was confirmed by the deep sigh he heaved when he came to a stop in front of her.
“Not good?” she asked.
“Sometimes I feel trapped by having a contract with a record company,” he replied.
Pepper nodded. “I can imagine it’s pretty confining at times.”
“I managed to talk the company lawyer out of bringing a lawsuit against anyone. We’re rescheduling the Houston concert, but now I have to get Lisa to spin this like crazy for the media. Good grief, I hope we don’t end up with paparazzi here in Sinful. I wonder what the chances are she can keep our location quiet?”
“Well, you’ve been here almost two days already. I don’t see any strangers here or people hiding behind shrubbery with cameras. Although, I wouldn’t put it past the locals to be taking pictures of everyone in your band for their personal collections.”
That made Owen laugh. The deep, rich sound brought a smile to Pepper’s face. “Where do you want to go first?” she asked.
“Take me to the bayou,” he said. “I don’t know much about this area. You know I spent most of my growing-up years in Tennessee and then Michigan for college. During my military years, none of the places I was stationed were anything like this. Since I’ve been singing, we’re on the road all the time and I don’t get a chance to be a regular tourist.”
Pepper shrugged. “If it’s the bayou you want to see, we don’t have to go very far. It actually runs behind some of the buildings here. Come on.” Pepper led him down the street, turning the corner by Walter’s General Store and auto repair shop, then walking out onto the dock where Walter kept his boat.
Owen was silent for a few minutes, contemplating a landscape that was so different from anything he was used to. Finally, he said, “You’re probably wondering how I ended up here in Sinful.”
“It’s crossed my mind.”
“I came to see you.”
If Owen had wanted to surprise her, he certainly knew how. She looked at him sharply, waiting for him to deliver the punch line. He couldn’t be serious. “Of course you did. Because everyone looks up their old friends from college and decides to visit them in tiny backwater southern towns.”
Owen just smiled. “Actually, I have been looking up my old college friends. When I found out you were here, so close to the route between our concert venues, I asked Marty to take a little detour and pretend something was wrong with the bus.”
Pepper felt shock and a bit of fear slither down her spine. Owen must have noticed the change in her expression, because he hurriedly continued, “That came out sounding really bad, but I promise I’m not a stalker. This life I’m living now—it’s so far removed from reality. The people around me... I never really know whether they’ve got my back or they’re out to get something out of me. Sure, Joe and Bruce are like brothers. We served together, and we’ve been through a lot. They’re the only ones I really trust. But I can’t live my life only hanging with my army buddies.”
“Owen, you can’t go home again or live in the past. You know that. What makes you believe you can pick up relationships from almost twenty years ago and go on just like nothing ever happened in the meantime?”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s more like... I need a connection. My grandmother passed away just after college. That’s actually why I went into the army. I always wanted to serve, but I didn’t want to leave her. After she was gone, it was time. Then, after serving my tours and retiring, this music thing just happened.”
“How did that happen, anyway?”
Owen leaned against a piling at the end of the dock. He looked relaxed and completely at home. His country boy persona was a fit for this little town. Pepper had to admit, it was nice being able to talk to someone with such a deep connection to her past. But she kept her thoughts to herself. She still wasn’t sure about Owen’s real reason for visiting Sinful, and she didn’t want to say anything that would give him the wrong idea. So she settled in to listen to the story of how her skinny, dorky college friend had become a country music superstar.
“It’s a funny thing, actually. I had no intentions of doing anything like this. But one day Bruce called me. He was putting together a band and wondered if I wanted to play with them at a bar in Nashville one night. We had a blast practicing, and the gig was going great until Bruce got sick. He had to leave, and I took over lead vocals. The rest...” Owen shrugged, assuming she knew the story.
“You’re gonna have to spell it out for me, Owen. Remember, I didn’t even know who you were when you got to Sinful.”
Owen laughed. “Right. You know how much I love that, don’t you? Anyway, some record company guy happened to come in while I was singing. Before we left the bar that night, we had an appointment to talk to the bigwigs at the record label.”
“But didn’t you say it was Bruce’s band?”
“Yeah. I told them he was the lead singer, and they seemed okay with that. But by the time the negotiations were finished, we agreed to release records as a band, with him singing lead on some tracks and me on other tracks. Then, after we did the recordings and released a couple of titles, the most popular songs ended up being the ones I sang lead on. So Bruce and I talked about it. He said he would rather be part of a successful band with me as lead singer than go out on his own and work for years, possibly never getting the same kind of break again.”
“So you guys are still tight?”
“Sure. We’ve been through a lot. Closer than brothers, you know?”
Pepper did know. She also knew how resentment could simmer beneath the surface in any relationship, family-like or not. Maybe Bruce wasn’t as cool with the situation as he seemed. But once again, she kept her thoughts to herself.
They stood at the end of the dock, not saying anything, both lost in their thoughts. Finally, Pepper broke the silence. “So where do we go from here?”
“I was thinking about that. How about if we—” Owen didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Pepper felt something whiz past her head. Just as she realized it was a bullet, Owen pulled her down to the dock with him, covering her body with his.
“Are you okay?” he shouted.
“Yes, I think so. You?”
“The shot missed me. Listen, when I say ‘go,’ we’re going to zig-zag up the dock and into that door, okay? You go first. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Got it. That door leads to Walter’s General Store. We’ll be safe there.”
She felt Owen nod, then his body shifted, and he said, “Go!” They both ran for the back door of Walter’s store, but there were no more shots. Once inside, Owen moved to look out the back window, scanning the bayou as if the shooter would be waiting to be caught.
While Owen watched out the back of the store, Pepper was thinking about the phone call she had overheard when Lisa had bragged about her sharpshooting skills. She put that aside for a minute and dialed the police station. Carter answered the phone, and she told him what had happened. Before she finished talking, he hung up and Owen said he saw Carter burst out the back door of the police station, pulling on a bulletproof vest as he ran. He jumped into the police boat at the dock and started the engine, ready to search the bayou for any signs of the shooter.
Owen continued to keep watch through the window, and Pepper went through the storeroom door into the main area of the store. Walter looked up from his paper in surprise. “Pepper! I thought I heard something back there, but then figured I must have left the door open earlier and the wind blew it shut. Hey... what’s going on? You’re white as a sheet.”
Pepper felt herself beginning to shake. When she started telling Walter the story, he made her sit in a chair and handed her a bottle of water. When she finished, he stood looking thoughtfully at the back door of the store, placing a hand on her shoulder and saying, “You just sit there and collect yourself for a bit. I’m going to have a word with Owen.” Pepper leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes. After a minute she felt better and picked up her phone to call Gertie and tell her what happened, but there was no answer. Next she tried Ida Belle, who picked up on the second ring. When Pepper told her what happened, Ida Belle explained they were at the Baptist church, holding a clothing drive for the tour group members.
Pepper chuckled. “They’re not exactly a charity case, Ida Belle. I’m sure they could afford new clothes if someone just took them to a store.”
“Out of the question. Carter must suspect something, because we’re not supposed to let any of them leave town.”
“Does that mean Lisa is there with you?”
“She is.”
“Okay, well I guess that means she didn’t just shoot at us.”
“I would say not. Listen, I’ve got Fortune standing right here with me. I was thinking the one person we don’t know much about in this whole thing is Marty the bus driver. He’s staying with Scooter, and Scooter has a bit of a ‘thing’ for Fortune. Maybe we should send her in to collect some intel.”
Pepper looked at the phone. Collect intel? For real? Who talked like that? But she shrugged and agreed that it was a good idea. What else did they have to go on at this point?
“We’ll pick you up after we’re finished at the church. Don’t go anywhere.”
“I’m supposed to stay with Owen until Jaxson gets back from New Orleans. We’ll probably hang out here with Walter for a while. If Carter doesn’t find anything, I’m sure he’ll be back soon and want us to make a statement at the police station. So if we’re not here, we’ll be there.”
“Got it. See you later.”
Pepper disconnected and looked up as Walter and Owen came through the door. They appeared to be fast friends, and she could see Owen’s charm worked just as well on men as women. Both men dropped into chairs facing Pepper, and Walter said, “Okay, let’s get everything out into the open. Obviously, someone wants to take Owen out. I’m thinking the bus explosion was meant for him and simply went off at the wrong time.”
“But don’t you think if it had gone off at a different time, whoever set it was taking a chance of hurting or killing everyone else at the same time?”
Walter nodded. “You have a point.” He turned to Owen and said, “How long have you known everyone in your tour group?”
“I’ve known Bruce and Joe for years. Wendy was part of our original band. Lisa has been with us for about six months or so. The record company said we needed to have a media manager traveling with us to do tweets and posts and all that garbage we don’t actually have time for. Like I said, Courtney was with us for a while. Marty just joined us a couple of weeks ago.”
“Whoa,” Pepper said. “You’ve only known the guy for a few days? Did you do a background check or anything?”
Owen blushed. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t. The guy said he needed a job, I gave him a basic road test and he could maneuver the bus. He said he had all his paperwork, but I was so desperate because our last driver got too sick to travel that I gave him the job on the spot. Honestly, I don’t know much about the guy. He drives, I sleep or write songs. When I asked him to come through Sinful on the way to Houston, he didn’t argue.” He dropped his head, looking defeated and embarrassed.
Walter tried to cheer him up. “I’m sure Carter ran a background check on him. If anything had popped, the guy would be in jail right now. You may have been a little stupid-headed, but let’s not play the blame game right now.”
Owen nodded. Pepper was busy texting Ida Belle, Gertie, and Fortune. If Fortune was already on her way to check out Marty, she needed to be extra careful.