The High Notes: A Novel(33)

When Scott answered, Glen’s voice was taut. “The bitch is in New York. Find her, god damn it. That’s what I’m paying you for. It’s been two goddamn months.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Scott said, not happy to hear from him. Scott had decided long since that he didn’t want to find her, and from everything he had heard about Hendrix and experienced himself, he was sure she didn’t want to be found. He was going to tell Hendrix that he didn’t want the job, but he hadn’t had the guts to yet. The guy was in a rage all the time, and high on coke.

Against his own better judgment, Scott called a contact he had in New York, who knew everyone and was a genius at accomplishing the impossible. He asked him what he could find out about a singer named Iris Cooper, out of Las Vegas. He said she had walked out on a tour after a concert in Idaho, had been seen in Jackson Hole more than a month ago, and was now in New York. His client wanted to find her.

“I’ll see what I can dig up,” his contact said. “Is she running from the law? Is there a boyfriend involved?”

“No to the law, and I don’t know about a boyfriend. There wasn’t one before. I think she’s running from a bad manager. The guy’s a little crazy, and he wants to hold her to her contract so the rest of his contract players don’t do the same.”

“It doesn’t sound like it’s worth the trouble,” Mike, his contact, said, unimpressed.

“Probably not.”

“I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Thanks.”

Mike called him back three hours later. “I picked up a copy of Variety. There’s a small notice in it. Just simple publicity stuff. It says that Clay Maddox, the King of Music, just signed two new ‘golden voices,’ Boy Brady and Iris Cooper. The Brady guy is working on a single and she’s recording an album, and ‘you’ll be hearing more about them soon.’ So she’s working for Maddox, and she’s sure not going to go running back to some two-bit manager in Vegas who wants to kick the shit out of her. And Maddox will protect her. That’s his reputation. He’s good to his talent. I called around to see if I could find out where she’s staying. She’s not hiding. She’s staying at the Plaza, in a suite booked and paid for by Maddox. And so is the other guy mentioned in the notice, Boy Brady. I don’t know if they’re together or not. They have separate suites.”

“Thanks, Mike. I owe you,” Scott said with a heavy heart. He really didn’t want the information, or to give it to Glen Hendrix.

“Don’t worry about it, it just took a few calls, after I saw the notice. So you’ve got your girl.”

Scott sat staring into space for a few minutes after he hung up, and looked at the photographs he still had on his board. She looked like a sweet girl. He couldn’t do it to her. He was sure she didn’t deserve whatever Hendrix wanted to do to her, and he was a bastard. Scott called him a few minutes later on his cell, and Glen picked up when he saw it was Scott.

“Yeah? Did you find her?”

“No, I called all my best contacts in New York, and they can’t locate her. She’s probably staying with a friend. There’s no way to trace her, I’ve tried. The trail is cold on this, Glen. I don’t want to waste your money. I’m resigning from the case,” Scott said, and felt better as soon as he did. A weight had lifted off his shoulders and his conscience.

“I won’t pay you a penny,” Hendrix spat at him, “you didn’t find her.”

“I’m sorry. It works that way sometimes. Good luck,” he said, and hung up before Glen Hendrix could say more. He’d heard enough. He looked at Iris’s pictures again, and smiled at her. “Take care of yourself, Iris.” He felt like she was smiling at him as he took the photographs down and slipped them into a drawer in his desk. It felt good to have done the right thing.

And in his office, Glen had just punched a hole in the wall as he shouted, “You bitch!” His hand was bleeding and he didn’t care.





Chapter 9





A week later, Pattie had to call Glen and give him the bad news. Her mother was in the hospital, and there was no one to take care of her son, Jimmy. She had to leave the tour.

“Bullshit!” he shouted at her, and knew immediately why she was doing it. She was following Iris’s example and thought she could walk out on her contract because Iris had, but it had nothing to do with it. “I’ll have you put in jail if you leave,” he threatened her.

“There’s nothing I can do,” Pattie said. “My mom’s in the hospital. She can’t take care of my son. He’s at a neighbor’s and I can’t leave him there. You don’t pay me enough to hire childcare for him,” she said bluntly. “I’ll come back when Mom’s better, but I’ve got to leave today. I don’t want my son to wind up in foster care.”

“I won’t pay you a penny while you’re gone,” he warned her. She knew he wouldn’t, and she knew she would have to waitress or work at the 7-Eleven, whatever she had to do for now. Jimmy was the priority for her, not the tour. She was lucky her mom had taken care of him for eleven years. Now it was Pattie’s turn to be a mom.

“I just wanted to let you know. I’m not running out on you. I’m giving you notice that I have to go home for a family emergency.” She was doing everything by the book, and Glen didn’t care. He hung up on her without another word. She took the bus to Biloxi, Mississippi, that night. She sent Iris a text to let her know she had left the tour, and Iris texted back that she hoped her mom would be okay soon.