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“Hum,” I pause for a moment, “Hard to pinpoint. The moment I was told Lily had left the stage to find me, while accompanied by a security officer, I knew something was amiss. That was around 9:40, I believe.”
“U-hum,” Daniels agrees, deeply focused on me. “And how did you locate Ms. Rockwell?”
“Once I learned they were seen leaving for the parking lot, I immediately requested the CCTV footage of the arena. After a few moments we located Lily, Castor, and the car they used, and called the police.”
“And did you accompany the police to the place they were?”
I nod, keeping calm and trying to recall everything. “I headed straight for this station after calling the police. Was informed here that the cruisers were going to the canyons, having located the car there, and it was just a matter of following them there.”
“I see,” Daniels types furiously, “and you told the officers you had experience dealing with hostage situations to get closer?”
“Not at first,” I correct him. “I just said Lily was my responsibility when I arrived. When someone mentioned they would need a crisis specialist and that none of the officers on the scene had experience, I then explained my previous experience and training in dealing with similar situations and showed my military ID. They gave me the bullhorn. They didn’t want to waste time for a hostage negotiations expert to arrive.”
“U-hum,” Daniels hums, chewing on the insides of his mouth. “It’s highly unorthodox to let just anyone barge in and take control of the situation, and I would scold you, and my men, if you hadn’t done such an astounding job. Thank you very much, Mr. Garrison.”
He offers me his hand to shake, and I take it with humility, aware that I had taken a step outside of my boundaries. In the meantime, Lily leans over my shoulder and kisses me on the cheek, turning on a little white light inside me and filling me with the feeling that I did the right thing.
“Just doing what I could, Detective,” I explain, assertive.
“Well, thank you anyway. If you ever need a job, the force has open arms for you,” Daniels says with sincerity.
I look at him, from head to toe and reply with a smirk, “No, detective, ifyouever need a job, my company has open arms for you.”
I drop him one of my business cards and leave the room with Lily.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
LILY
Denver,SaltLakeCity,Vegas. The shows were all postponed for a week while we dealt with the police procedurals, but once everything was said and done, we rocked again, and we rocked hard.
As they say, the show must go on.
We’re now in California, and it’s the last show of the tour. In the afternoon, before the sound check, Sweets and I are at a salon, getting properly pampered for the big finale.
Sitting side by side in the pedicure chairs, Sweets leans in close.
“I have a surprise for you today,” she says, nonchalant, as if hearing that from a big star was no big deal.
“Okay…” I roll my eyes, surprised instead of annoyed, “Now youhaveto tell me what it is!”
“Nuh-uh!” She waves an index finger in my general direction. “You’ll have to wait!”
“Oh, so you are going to torture me?” I ask playfully.
The lady doing my pedicure starts to scrub my left foot, leaving me ticklish and giggling. In the same vibe as I, Sweets laughs and answers me back, “I have to! You’ve been torturing me this long with how popular you are!”
I stop to think. “What? The great Sweets Tyler is jealous of a nobody like me?”
Sweets turns her gaze to me, with the resigned smile of someone having the knowledge of something I can only wonder about. She takes my hand in hers, and looking me deeply in the eye, says, “I’m a few years older than you, Lily, and been working in the business since I was much younger. I’ve been through enough to know when I’m being replaced.”
“Whatever!” I cry out. “You’re a diva, you’ll never be replaced! Our styles are different, and there’s a place in the sun for both of us! Plus, I have no idea of what is going to happen when I can’t work anymore…”
I rub my belly under my t-shirt, trying to feel the life inside of it. I can’t feel it quite yet, but knowing it’s there, boy or girl, makes me feel complete.
“Now it’s my turn to saywhatever! You can work until the end of a pregnancy these days,” Sweets says. “And you’re healthy, right? Less risk for something to go wrong.”
I shiver for a moment. Thinking about something going wrong with the baby has been giving me night terrors.
