Page 39 of Accidental Fire
Arlo was already in the back seat of the cop car. When we got to the car, Shorty made us lean forward over the hood as he patted up and down our legs. “Is there anything in your pockets that could stick me or hurt me in any way?”
“N-n-no.”
He slid his hands into my pockets and patted up to my balls through my jeans. He repeated the same on Goldie, and then the two of us were put into the cop car with Arlo.
The tall guy was the driver, and after he backed the car out of the spot, I turned toward the picnic table where we’d been sitting. Hardy and JD were laughing so hard they were holding on to each other. Stupid fuckers.
Chapter Fifteen
Kit
“Are you Olive Chevalier?” I asked an attractive woman who was looking around with a frown on her face. She was tall and slender and didn’t give the impression she was a tour manager, not that I had any idea what a tour manager should look like.
“I am. Are you Kit Hansen?” Her voice had a snap to it I didn’t appreciate,
“Yes, ma’am. Do you have any bags?” I reached for her shoulder tote, which she let me take. She was wearing a beige top and slacks with sneakers. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and the large Prada sunglasses she wore probably cost more than all the clothes I owned.
“I have two checked bags. What am I getting into?” She led the way to baggage claim without looking back to see if I was following. I wasn’t sure I liked her, but if Nate sent her, she must know her business.
“Uh, they’re good guys, but they’re still trying to feel their way through all of this. They were going to get together today to discuss whether they want to drop their agent. They’re all between twenty-one and twenty-six, so they like to party, and that’s been apparent during some of their performances. Los Angeles was a fucking disaster,” I answered. She’d asked, and I wasn’t going to lie.
“Okay. Take me back to the hotel and call their agent to meet us in the restaurant. Notify the leads to meet us there in an hour.” I pulled out my phone to do her bidding, but it rang in my hand. It was Clancy.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
“We got a big problem… Well, two of them. I can’t find Kensington, and three of the band members have been taken to the police station, two for smoking pot, and one for an outstanding warrant. What should we do?”
Ho-ly fuck!
I stared at Miss Chevalier for a moment, knowing she wouldn’t be thrilled at all with that news. “Uh, okay. I picked up Miss Chevalier, and we’re on our way back to the hotel. Tell Lauren, Allen, and Sam to meet us in the restaurant in an hour. I’ll try to find Kensington. Who got arrested?”
“Arlo has the warrant. River and Goldie were smoking a joint in a public park. There was a playground nearby. I brought JD and Hardy back to the hotel. I’d say we need to get a lawyer or two on this, Kit.”
Fucking hell. I was sure Arlo’s case was more serious than smoking pot, but what the fuck had they been thinking? “Yeah, they do. I’ll get on it. Bring JD and Goldie along to the restaurant. See you in a bit.”
I ended the call and took one of the bags from Chevalier. “I’ll call Kensington from the car. We have another issue that’s come up. Seems three of the band members were picked up by the cops in a park near the hotel for smoking pot… Well, two of them were. The other one had a warrant for— I fear it’s for statutory rape.”
The woman stopped abruptly and turned her head toward me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m afraid not. I’ve got to find Kensington. The bus driver told me about this, and he can’t find Kensington anywhere.” I was going to choke the life out of the guy when I found him.
We went to the sedan I’d hired to get Chevalier back to the hotel. The driver got out and put her luggage in the trunk while I opened the back door for her to slide in. I’d planned to sit in the front, but when I started to close the door, she put her hand out to stop the door from closing. “Get in. We need to talk.”
I sighed and closed the door, walking around to the other side and getting in next to her. Before the driver, Bill, could put the car in gear, Chevalier had her phone out and was dialing through speakerphone. “Hello, Olive.” It was Nate, whom I hadn’tplanned to contact until I had a better handle on what the fuck was happening.
“Nate, it seems we have a problem. Three of the band members have been arrested,” she said.
“Uncle Nate, it’s me. We don’t know for sure if they’ve been arrested. They were taken into custody: River and Goldie for smoking a joint in a public park and Arlo for an outstanding warrant. That’s all we know,” I said, attempting to clarify things.
“If you’re calling meuncle, it’s not good. Where’s Kensington?” Nate sounded as frustrated as I felt.
“Clancy tried to find him at the hotel, but no dice. I’m going to try to track him down. The kids need lawyers, Nate. I think Arlo needs separate representation from Riv and Goldie. They weren’t trying to sell pot, and while it was poor judgment to smoke a joint in a park near a playground, potislegal in Arizona, so it’s likely a misdemeanor with a fine. I’m not a lawyer, but I can’t imagine it’s too serious an offense.” Or so I fucking hoped.
“Son of a bitch. We can probably keep it out of the papers because they’re not that well known yet. I’ll find some lawyers. What kind do you think Arlo needs, Kit?”
“I fear the warrant is for statutory rape. He had a girlfriend who was seventeen when they started having sex. She recently turned eighteen, but she’s pregnant, and it’s hard to say if she got that way before or after her birthday. But he admitted they had sex when she was seventeen,” I explained, not thrilled that I was the one telling Nate someone else’s business.
“Well, fuck. Okay, two criminal lawyers coming up. Find Kensington. Why wasn’t he with them? See if you can find out where they’ve been taken and text me which station. Oh, Chanice is leaving me. Call me later, Kit. Olive, call me with an update. I expect you to work your magic and make this problem go away.”
