Death and Her Devotion (Rogue Vows #1)(12)

Stevie noticed too. “Shoot. I was going to grab a latte. I’m not going near that place now.”

“Let’s go in the station and see if your brother has come up with a plan to handle the influx of people.” They stepped out of the vehicle, and Zane spotted a half dozen reporters headed in his direction. “Inside. Now.”

“You can’t hide. You’ll need to talk to the press.”

“Later.”





Inside the station, Stevie found her mother, her brothers James and Bruce, Sheila, and Nell with their heads together as James took notes. Her older brother looked relieved to see Zane and jumped to his feet as they entered.

“We need to hold a press conference,” James announced.

“Slow down,” Zane ordered. “We’ll get there.”

“I’m getting nonstop phone calls asking for information.” James wiped his forehead, his eyes slightly dazed.

“Tell everyone there will be a press conference at”—Stevie looked at her watch—“four p.m.?” She raised a brow at Zane. He nodded. “That will shut everyone up for a while and give us some time to prepare.”

The group let out a collective sigh of relief. “Nell, don’t they need you at the store?” she asked the older woman.

“They’ve got it under control,” Nell said. “I called in both my girls to help. We’re going to run out of fried chicken, but I sent my brother-in-law out for more. He’ll chop the heads off himself if he needs to.” She looked pleased. No doubt her store would do a week’s worth of business in a single day.

How long will this last?

“What have all of you come up with so far?” Zane asked. James gave a quick rundown. The group had considered the needs for regular media, paparazzi, and fans. All these people would require housing, food, bathrooms, garbage pickup, and parking.

Stevie’s head spun. We don’t have room for this.

James looked at his list. “The biggest headache is hotel space. It’s been wiped out from the coast to the valley. People are going to be sleeping in their cars, which means we need porta-potties set up around town. We’re worried about the noise too.”

Ugh.

“Can someone open up the real estate office and make certain there are some cots in there?” asked Zane. “I’m moving Chase Ryan’s brother and friends in there until we know what happened to Chase.”

“I’ll handle it,” said Sheila.

Zane engaged James, Sheila, and Nell in a deeper conversation, and Stevie took a seat between her younger brother Bruce and her mother. “You don’t have to be here for this, Bruce,” she said with a smile. “I think they’ve got it under control.”

Bruce glared at her. “Maybe I want to be here. I can help, you know.”

Stevie held up both her hands. “Just saying.” Her brother did look pretty good. His girlfriend had been murdered last Christmas, and he’d broken a leg after being run off the road and left stranded in his car in the snow. His recovery had been slow, both emotionally and physically.

“I can’t believe this happened,” Bruce said. “I was a big Chase Ryan fan. I guess being a star doesn’t guarantee a long and happy life.”

Patsy patted his hand. “Why don’t you go tell the reporters about the press conference?”

Bruce headed out the door.

“Is he okay?” Stevie asked. “I was surprised to see him here. I swear he hasn’t left the house in months.”

“When I told him what was going on, he insisted on coming. I think he needed to get out. He’s been talking more and more about looking for a job outside of the music industry.”

“No!” exclaimed Stevie. Her brother had slaved for years to get his band off the ground. Out of the four Taylor siblings, Bruce’s soul held the strongest connection to and love for music.

“He’s not depressed about it, and he’s interested in expanding his horizons a bit. Maybe he’s realizing he can still have his music, but it might not support him financially.” Patsy’s unfocused gaze looked past Stevie, and she sat quietly for a few seconds.

A small chill went up Stevie’s spine as she realized her mother was experiencing one of her “feelings.” Does she see something horrible about Bruce?

“He’s going to land on his feet,” Patsy stated finally. “I can see he’s going to be happy. Very happy.”

Relief swamped Stevie. Bruce deserved some happiness.

“Will you have time to stop by the grange later?” her mother asked. “I want to show you my idea for your reception’s table decor.”

Stevie blinked. She hadn’t thought about her wedding in hours. “Whatever you do is fine with me. I don’t think I can make it.”

Patsy’s face fell. “It’s so beautiful. I managed to get some lovely roses—”

“Mom. I trust your taste, okay?”

“But you should have the final say.”

“I don’t mind a surprise.” Images of Chase Ryan’s corpse battled with images of roses in her brain. “I need to focus on this case right now. I’ve got a million things to follow up on.”

“Will you have time for the wedding?” Patsy quipped.