The High Notes: A Novel(34)

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As soon as Boy’s single was released, the publicity office of Maddox Productions booked him onto various radio shows and a couple of TV shows to publicize it. On two of the TV shows, he was booked to perform his single, which was flying up the charts and rapidly becoming a hit. Boy asked the publicity office if they would book Iris on the show with him, so they could do a duet. Iris thought it sounded like fun. The show accepted, and Boy and Iris had been rehearsing one of her songs. It was the one they both liked best, and gave Iris a chance to show her stuff too. Clay thought it was a good idea, and would give the public a glimpse of her, as a teaser for her own album that would be released soon.

They were booked onto a late-night talk show, the most popular one, and their performance was thrilling. Boy’s first single was a big hit that week and way up on the charts. They were two beautiful young people performing and the studio audience went crazy. So did the ratings. Their first TV appearance was a huge success. Someone from Glen Hendrix’s office called him when they saw it.

“If you’re still looking for Iris Cooper, turn your TV on,” his booker said. “They’re on Marlon at Midnight.” It was the highest rated late night talk show, and often featured live talent.

Glen hit the remote. Boy and Iris were halfway through their duet of her song, and they both looked great. As soon as they were finished, he called his booker, who set up all the venues for Glen’s tours. Glen sounded tense.

“Find out where she’s staying. Is that her boyfriend?” He had missed the introduction, so he didn’t know what it had said.

“I don’t know,” Harvey, the booker, answered, “it looked like it.” They had sung a love song and looked like they were in love while they sang.

Glen had to wait until the next morning for the answer. Harvey walked into his office just after nine o’clock, which was noon in New York.

“I called the station and got some intern on the phone. She said it was her first day and I said I was Iris’s long-lost cousin trying to get in touch with her. She’s staying at the Plaza in New York City. So is he.” Harvey looked pleased with himself, to have made Glen happy. Glen smiled. He picked up the phone on his desk as soon as Harvey left his office. It was a number he had only called a few times before. It was ridiculously cheap, but had been very effective before if anyone needed a little “reminding” or “convincing” or a “wake-up call.” In this case it was more about retribution or simple revenge for what he considered an intolerable act of insubordination. His ego couldn’t bear it. There was no way he would let Iris get away with what she’d done. He had waited for this moment for more than three months. He gave the person who answered the information they needed, and had an envelope with cash dropped off an hour later. Glen thought it was worth what he had spent. It was only five hundred dollars.



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Boy and Iris had taken the day off from the studio after their late night appearance on TV the night before. They’d been basking in glory, and both slept late. She wanted to work on one of her arrangements and was playing pieces of a melody on a keyboard, and Boy was watching TV in his suite, when he heard a knock on the door. He hadn’t ordered room service, and figured it was one of the maids or someone to restock the minibar. He opened the door and two enormous men out of a bad movie shoved their way past him into the room. They had tipped a bellboy to get his room number and Iris’s and took the elevator upstairs with some of the guests.

“Where is she?” one of them asked Boy, glancing around, and Boy instantly guessed they were looking for Iris, although he couldn’t guess why. The other man grabbed Boy by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Boy wasn’t a small man, although he was slim.

“You know damn well who I mean. The singer. Your girlfriend.”

“I don’t know. She doesn’t stay with me. This is my room. I think she’s out,” Boy managed to choke out, as the first of the two thugs delivered a hard punch to Boy’s gut. He doubled over, while his attacker punched him squarely in the face when he tried to stand up. Blood gushed from Boy’s face as the man hit him again, and the other attacker threw a chair at the wall just for the hell of it. The TV was still on, as the hoodlum who had punched Boy continued to pummel him, until he was on his knees on the carpet, with blood gushing everywhere. He was shouting at Boy to tell him where his girlfriend was, when Iris heard strange noises coming from Boy’s room, and assumed it was the TV. Boy looked up with eyes full of blood, with a gash on his forehead, and saw Iris appear in the doorway between their suites.

“What are you watching?” she asked him, and saw Boy crouched on the floor with one man punching him, and the other one kicking him. Boy shouted to her.

“Lock the door!” She froze where she stood and then rushed toward them, as the man kicking Boy slapped her across the face and literally threw her across the room. She hit her head on the dresser and was dazed for a minute. The other man came over and kicked her. She was so small and so light that she flew several feet, and couldn’t get up when she landed. He yanked her up by one arm, and slapped her again, as Boy struggled free of his assailant with all his strength to reach her. His attacker landed another punch squarely in Boy’s face. He fell back on the floor, his entire head and face covered with blood, as Iris let out a bloodcurdling scream. She hit the high notes as never before, and the two men looked at each other uncertainly, while Iris continued screaming. One of them put his hand across her mouth. She bit him hard and screamed again.