Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies (An Adams Grove Novel) (11 page)

Sacrifices. Yeah. I had no idea what you meant back then. I thought you meant all those weeks on the road in a van playing dives and singing over bar fights. Shit. If only.

Arty had acted like he was there for him through those months he was so down about the breakup with Lou. He’d even had Cody move into his place for a couple of months
while he worked on the new songs. Every time he’d thought of trying to renew things with Lou, Arty had reminded him what a foolish idea that was. Turns out there was a whole lot more to what Arty was trying to protect than his artist’s heart. He was probably behind Lou keeping everything a secret. It would be just like him to stick his nose in where it didn’t belong.

I shouldn’t have listened to him. I should have talked to her. Kept in touch.
But then again, his songs had said it all. He’d poured every bit of emotion he had into those songs. They’d paid off nicely too. He’d hung his heart on his sleeve and people were right there with him, hearing their own heartaches in his songs. Lou had to have known how he felt. He was sure she did, even if she’d never called or tried to contact him.

He’d broken promises. He’d put his dreams first, but they were young. All she’d wanted was a family. Well, it looked like she got what she wanted and decided to do it without his help. Even so, if Arty had taken care of all of that like she’d said, he had no right to keep it from him all these years.

As he got closer to Adams Grove he knew he wasn’t going to sleep until he sorted this out with Arty. He should fire him. It was the ultimate betrayal.
Hell, if he could set Lou up like that and use my money without me knowing, no telling what he’s been scamming off the top all these years.

The old Thunderbird wasn’t known for its speed, and that was probably lucky for him right now. He’d already driven an hour out of his way, but that didn’t matter now. He needed to face Arty tonight. The static on the radio was about the best Cody could get with AM on this stretch of road and that couldn’t drown out even half the stuff reeling through his mind. He wished he’d driven his motorcycle.
He’d have cut this trip in half, and wouldn’t have to stop for gas, because this little ride was a heckuva gas guzzler.

He took the next exit off the interstate to refuel. As he stood there, he couldn’t help but get madder. His success had turned Arty Max into one of the most sought after agents in the country.

Arty might own fifteen percent of my career but he has no right to the details of my life. How could he have kept this a secret all of these years?

He tugged the receipt from the pump and twisted the gas cap back in place. He was pissed at Arty, but Lou wasn’t free of fault either. What a fool he’d been then—and now.

Cody got back in the car and pushed it to its limits all the way to Arty’s estate.

K
asey was glad she’d been able to freshen up and change at Pete’s parents’ house before she headed back south toward Arty’s estate near the Blue Ridge Mountains. That sure beat stopping somewhere on the way. The two-and-a-half-hour ride to northern Virginia with Pete had flown by and meeting his parents was fun. His mom had insisted on having her stay for dinner, and since Arty’s party didn’t even start until eight, it had worked out perfectly. Pete’s dad was just as big a flirt as Pete and it had been neat to see them interact. It made her wish she’d had parents like his, but then she’d never had an adult relationship with her own parents. Once she went off to college Mom and Dad had headed off to Europe, and after several long trips there, decided to make their life in Spain. Other than money and the occasional card from one place or another, they really seemed more like distant relatives these days. Grem and her stuffy house had really been all the family she’d known for the past ten years.

I’ll never let Jake think that way of me.

The ride to Arty’s was an easy one and now that she was recognizing landmarks, she knew she was close.

Arty Max had a reputation for representing top acts and his property was just as flashy as the talent he managed.
The road back to the estate was long and windy just like she remembered it, only it looked different in the dark. The whole road was lit with so many lights that it made her feel a little like she was driving down a runway. Around the next corner there was a makeshift guard shack.

She slowed at the giant stop sign.

A guy with a clipboard stepped to her window. “Your name, ma’am.”

“Kasey Phillips.” It wasn’t a clipboard, but rather an electronic tablet.

He swept his finger across the screen, scanning the list. Then he walked around to the back of her car. It looked like he’d taken a picture of the license plate number. She watched him come back around to the side of the car. He handed her a ticket. “Thank you. You can take this road straight back and then follow the blue lights. A valet will be there to take your vehicle.”

“Thank you.” She rolled up her window and drove on. One way in and one way out. They had this under control. When she got to the end of the blue-lit path, the valet ran to the side of her car and opened the door to help her out. “Ms. Phillips?”

“That’s me,” she said.

He handed her a valet ticket then lifted a leather tote bag. “I’ll put this in the backseat of your car for you. The bag and contents are a welcome gift from Arty Max. You can follow the path to the house. Enjoy your evening.”

These guys were on the ball. “I will.”

He pulled away from the curb and two other valets helped others with their vehicles as she started to walk away.

Lanterns lit the grounds like giant fireflies and music filled the air. The music seemed to come from the direction of a huge tent that was set up just outside the front of the house.

Country music. Probably new talent Arty’d just signed getting some exposure, and whoever they were, it sounded pretty good.

She ducked inside the tent. A few people mingled at tall bar-height tables that lined each side of the stage. A lit marquee listed half a dozen names. She recognized only one of them. CDs were stacked next to the marquee, free for the taking. Arty was pimping them in a big way, but then that’s what he was known for. A young woman stood in the center of the stage singing with only an acoustic guitarist, and she sounded great. Not something just anyone could pull off.

Kasey wished she had her good camera equipment with her. It would’ve made an awesome picture. The brunette beauty had the look and the chops. Arty sure seemed to know how to pick them, but she didn’t see any signs of him out here. She took her small camera from her purse and took a couple of pictures.

A bartender served drinks near the entrance looking bored, and heavy hors d’oeuvres filled tables nearby. The few guests who were out here listening were probably record-label types and the girls on their arms were about half their ages.

She wished now that she’d done the selfish thing and had Cody come with her. She always felt so awkward at these kinds of parties by herself. She headed for the house hoping Arty would be inside.

A small crowd gathered there. It was a mix of everything from evening gowns to blue jeans. She was somewhere in the middle in her black pants and dressy blouse, and that suited her fine. Good jewelry was always a blessing. Having Grem as her personal style consultant in Kasey’s formative shopping years had given her a champagne taste for the good stuff, but she’d mastered dressing up and down with accessories instead of closets full of clothes over the years out of necessity. With the amount of travel and varied activities the photo shoots called for, accessorizing was a must. Plus, she’d much rather have an extra suitcase of camera equipment than clothes.

A waiter stopped and offered her a glass of wine, which she accepted. She took a sip and glanced around the room for a familiar face. Several people congregated around a fountain of chocolate, dipping fruit with silver tongs and trying not to make a mess. It looked like a hassle, but there were also rows of gold-rimmed china with fruit that had already been dipped. She chose one of those instead.

Arty stood across the room holding a glass of brown liquor, swirling it in the air as he talked with his hands like he was known to do. She suspected if someone tied Arty’s arms behind his back, he would fall mute.

By the expressions on the people listening to his story, that might be a welcome gift right about now.

Kasey recognized a couple photographers clearly here to work the party. Although she’d been invited as a guest tonight, she’d have been much more comfortable if she had been here to photograph rather than mingle.

She heard her name, and turned around.

Arty had spotted her. He was waving his arms in the air and calling out to her, motioning her over.

She smiled and worked her way across the room.

Arty introduced her to the group. “Sit,” he said as he gestured to the huge half circle of leather he called a couch. The publisher of the book she and Cody had done for the tour was there and it was the first time they’d met in person.

“We love what you did with the photographs for the tour book,” he said.

“Thank you. It was fun to do.”

“Where is Cody? Isn’t he going to be here tonight? Did you know your book is up for an award this year?” The publisher scanned the room, then leveled a stare at Arty. “I thought you said he’d be here.”

Arty looked flustered. “He was going to try to fit it in, but he’s on the road. Doubtful.”

Kasey knew Cody would love to see Arty squirming right now. She was so tempted to take a picture.

“I’ll tell him when I see him,” Kasey said.

“Please do. We’d love to hire you to do a couple other tour books for us.” The publisher handed her his card. “Let’s get together and talk about it.”

She knew Arty would kill her if she squashed the offer right here so she accepted the card knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to do another job like that now.

The book guy turned to talk to someone else and Arty sidled up to her.

“You’ve spoken to Cody?” he asked.

“Yeah, saw him this morning.” She was enjoying making Arty feel a little uncomfortable under the circumstances. Her phone vibrated and fear pricked her nerves. “Excuse
me. I need to take this call.” She glanced at the display. It was Riley. She answered the call and moved quickly toward a door to go outside where she’d be able to hear.

“Is everything okay?” Her voice shook.

“It’s fine. I didn’t mean to scare you. Jake wants to check on you. Do you have just a minute?” Riley asked. “It’s noisy. Are you already at the party?”

“Yeah. I am.” Kasey let out a breath and placed her hand on her racing heart. “Thank God, everything’s okay. Of course I’ll talk to him.” She shifted the phone and walked over to one of the garden benches. Jake came on the line and they spoke for a few minutes. He didn’t seem the least bit worried about being away from home and that was a relief.

“I love you ten and five, Mom.”

Those had been the biggest numbers in his world when he first started saying it. Now it was just their little secret code. She loved it when he said that. “I love you too, Jake.”

The door she’d walked out of had locked behind her so she walked around until she found an unlocked entrance and ducked back inside. It was a little like being in the middle of a carnival on a weekend now that more people had shown up. The bartenders were tossing bottles and serving up drinks with all the flair of a Vegas bar, and the music from outside comingled with an acoustic set being played inside.

Kasey went to get a refill, but two people arguing in the hall caught her attention. A brunette had her back to Kasey and Arty was clearly not happy with her. Whoever the girl was, she sounded like she didn’t want to be here tonight. Kasey couldn’t blame her really. It wasn’t her kind of thing either, but Arty probably expected all of his people to show
up and make the effort. Evidently, something wasn’t going according to plan.

She saw him catch her staring. She slowly turned, pretending to have been scanning the room.
That was embarrassing.
A tall man walked over to her with a longneck beer and struck up a conversation. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to find one of the guys she’d done shoots with several times over the years.

“It
is
you!”

Kasey brightened. “Andy Lawrence. It’s great to see you.”

Andy glanced at the guy. “Am I interrupting?”

“No. We were just chatting.” She turned to the stranger. “Will you excuse me?”

He nodded and Kasey turned back to Andy. “It’s great to see you,” Kasey said. She rose on tiptoe and gave him a hug and whispered into his ear. “You couldn’t have had better timing. Thanks.”

He smiled. “Haven’t seen you in way too long. How’s business?”

“Great. I didn’t know you knew Arty Max.”

He laughed. “Once Arty decides you can get him some airtime or press, he kind of makes you a friend whether you like it or not.”

She nodded. “I know what you mean.”

“I saw the pictures you did of Cody Tuggle. They were smokin’.”

“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.” Andy’s camera hung over his shoulder. “You’re shooting tonight. Great.”

“Yeah. Told him I’d take some candids while I was here.” He took a step back. “Smile for me.”

She raised her glass, and let him take a picture of her. “
Cha-ching
.”

“I like the sound of that. I hope tonight brings some
cha-ching
in. Jobs have been a little tight lately.” He looked at the picture. “Thanks. That’s a good one. I’ll send you a copy.” He looked past her and turned back with an apologetic expression. “Oops. There’s Dustin. I gotta run. We need to catch up sometime.”

“I’d like that.” He moved through the crowd and she saw his flash go off as a crowd of people surrounded Arty’s latest act.

She glanced at her watch. It was almost nine thirty and the quiet little gathering she’d walked into was now a high-pitched thrum of action.

She’d done her duty. She’d made nice with the book people, and Arty saw her. She could leave at any time, and now seemed like the perfect moment to make her exit.