She pulled the door open wide and walked back into the house.
Kendra glanced around as they followed her inside. The small house was decorated with framed concert posters, many autographed, that she assumed must have come from Nash’s previous tour jobs. The décor and furnishings had a definite masculine vibe, suggesting that Katy had only recently moved in.
“Your boyfriend is Delilah Winter’s sound guy?” she asked.
Katy nodded. “Second audio engineer.”
“He works in the booth?” Kelland said.
“No. On the stage. He manages the microphones for the instruments and vocalists.”
Kelland looked at several framed photographs of Adrian, posing with such rock luminaries as Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul Simon. “I remember him. We spoke to Adrian briefly at the Bowl before we let the crew go.” Kelland pulled out his phone and swiped his finger across the screen.
Kendra leaned over and saw he was scrolling through photos he’d taken of the crew members. He finally stopped at what was clearly Nash. “Yeah, I remember him. He said he assumed the big speakers were there for another show this weekend.” Kelland glanced up at Katy. “We released everyone by four thirty A.M. You’re sure he didn’t come home while you were sleeping?”
“Positive. He would’ve had to turn off the alarm, which would have woken me up. I’ve been here all day. I’d know if he was in the house.”
“Have you tried calling him?” Jessie said.
“About fifty times. It just goes to voicemail.”
Kendra scanned the room, looking for something, anything that would give her insight into the missing man. She paid special attention to the cluttered foyer table and the kitchen’s overflowing trash can. “Has he behaved or spoken in a way you might call unusual?”
Katy shook her head. “He’s been on tour with Delilah Winter. I joined him two or three weekends a month, and things were the same as always. He seemed happy to be back home. We’re supposed to drive up to Big Sur together next week.” She looked down. “I thought he might be going to propose there.”
Kendra smiled. “He may still.” She was still glancing around the room. She stiffened. Yes, that might be it. Now pull it all together…
“Maybe,” Katy said. “I don’t want to talk about it now.”
“Is there anyone else who may have an idea where he went?” Kelland said. “A friend, a coworker…”
“He’d tell me before he’d tell anyone. But I did check with a couple friends of his. I’m so upset. No one has any idea where he is.”
“Really?” Kendra asked softly. “Aren’t you laying it on a little thick, Katy?”
Katy’s gaze flew up to meet her. “What?”
“You heard me.” Kendra tried to sound threatening. It was hard to do because there was something vulnerable about the woman that reminded her of a lost kitten. “I don’t have to tell you that it may appear suspicious that he went on the run just hours after Delilah Winter was abducted on his stage.”
“Suspicious?” Katy recoiled at the word.
“Yes,” Kendra said. “Even more suspicious than it is for you to stand there and lie to us.”
She could tell Jessie and Kelland were almost as surprised to hear this as Katy. “I know Adrian was here this morning,” she said. “He packed a rolling bag and left. I think you even helped him. Maybe you carried another bag out to his truck. Or maybe a large van or camping vehicle?”
Katy stepped back and raised her hands in an almost-defensive posture. “What in the hell is going on here?”
Kendra moved toward her. “You tell us, Katy. But be careful. You’ve already lied to the FBI. That alone can get you jail time. How deep do you want to bury yourself?”
Katy’s eyes widened as she tried to think frantically. “One of my neighbors told you, didn’t they?”
“Does it really make any difference? Start by telling us where he went.”
“I don’t know. He said he parked his pickup on the street a couple blocks from here. He left in an old RV he inherited from his parents. I have no idea where he went.”
Kendra shot her a skeptical look.
Katy’s eyes were tearing. “Really, I have no idea!”
Kelland gave Kendra the faintest nod of approval before turning back to Katy. “Okay, let’s back this up. I want to hear about every second you had with him this morning. Don’t leave one word out. What you say next could mean the difference between spending the night in jail and not. Do you understand?”
Katy nodded.
“Good. So when did he get home?”
Katy was silent for a long moment, as if weighing her options. Finally she replied, “About five this morning. He came straight from the Bowl. He was freaked.”
“About what?” Jessie said.
“Delilah’s kidnapping. He said some security guys had been killed.”
Kelland nodded. “What else did he say?”
“He said he had to get the hell out of here. Right away. Like at that very moment.”
“Why?” Kendra said.
“He wouldn’t say. He said the less I knew, the better.”
“He used those words?” Jessie said.
“Exactly. He was scaring me. He wouldn’t even let me go with him.”
“Okay, so where was he headed?” Kelland asked.
“He wouldn’t tell me.”
Kelland clicked his tongue. “You wouldn’t be holding out on us, would you?”
“No. I’m telling you, he was here only long enough to change clothes and pack a bag. Then he was gone.” Katy crossed her arms in front of her. “I’ve never seen him like that. He was scared.”
“Scared of what?” Kelland said. “The police?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Then what was he afraid of?”
“I…don’t know. He’d been acting kind of strange since he got back into town.”
“You said he was happy to be back.”
“He was. It’s just that sometimes he was kind of…distant. He was on the phone a lot.”
“Was that unusual?” Jessie said.
“Not by itself. Whenever he finished a tour, he was trying to line up his next one. But in the last few days…” Her voice trailed off.
“If you want to help him, you need to talk to us,” Kendra said.
Katy looked away, then back. “He left the room when he was on the phone. He didn’t usually do that. I joked that he was having an affair, but he said he needed to concentrate.”
“Did you believe him?” Jessie said.
“I don’t know. I didn’t really think he was having an affair. He really cares about me. And a couple times I could hear that he was talking to a man and he’s definitely not gay. I think Adrian met him for breakfast on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
“Now, why did you lie to us?” Kendra asked.
Katy nervously ran her fingers through her hair. “Adrian told me not to tell anybody that he’d left town. I don’t know why. It was important to him. It was the last thing he said to me before he left.”