“Good. Keep me posted.”
“Will do. Thanks, Henny. Seriously. You never let me down.”
I end the call with Henn and place another one. This time, to my head of security, Barry Atwater. Unfortunately, though, I get Barry’s voicemail.
“Hey, Big Barry. It’s Reed. I need your help with something personal and confidential. It’s urgent and highly important. Call me as soon as you can.”
Chapter 14
Georgina
Friday 9:24 pm
“And this was when Dax and I dressed up as the Wonder Twins for Halloween,” Kat says, showing me a photo. “I was sixteen. Dax, twelve.”
I’m in Seattle. Sitting on Kat’s couch in her stunning home. Earlier today, Dax and the Goats gave me a tour of “their” Seattle, while I interviewed them. Tonight, Kat is regaling me with story after story.
“You two look so much alike,” I say, grinning at the photo. “You’re both spitting images of your mom.” I know this because I met Kat and Dax’s mom, Louise Morgan, last night, when I went to “Casa Morgan” for a family dinner.
“Oh, I know. Everyone says that. Gracie, too.” That’s Kat’s spitfire of a daughter. “My mom always says the four of us are Russian nesting dolls. Oh! This is a good one. Dax at age two.” She shows me a photo of Dax as a toddler on a couch, looking like he’s playing air guitar, while little Kat in the photo, a tow-headed blonde, cheers on her little brother enthusiastically. “According to family lore, Dax saw some hot shot guitar player on TV, and he jumped up and started mimicking him. It’s how Daxy got his lifelong nickname: Rock Star.”
I giggle. “The Morgans sure love their nicknames.”
“Oh, Georgie girl, you have no idea.” She pulls out another photo. “This is the Goats rehearsing in my parents’ garage. A very common occurrence back in the day. They used to come home from high school every day and head straight to the garage to practice for hours.”
“How old are they here?”
“Fifteen or sixteen.”
“And Dax already had long hair.”
“He always loved having long hair, from day one. My mom said at his very first haircut, he started bawling when he saw his long locks floating to the ground. My mother swears he said, ‘But now how will you know which one is me?’”
I laugh and laugh. The same way I did yesterday, when I toured Seattle tourist spots with Kat and her kids, and Kat’s best friend, Sarah, and her kids. The same way I did last night, during dinner with Kat’s family. Also, during today’s fun-filled interview with the band, which Kat tagged along on. Seriously, any time I’m in Kat’s presence, I can’t stop smiling.
“Do you think Dax would mind me using that ‘first haircut’ anecdote in my article?”
“Go for it. Dax already told me I could tell you anything.”
“Thank you so much. When you offered to put me up in Seattle, I had no idea you’d go all out like this. You’ve made me feel like family.”
“That’s because you are family, Georgie.” She returns to her photos, like she didn’t just take my breath away. “Oh, this is a good one. It’s from my destination wedding in Maui. This is the night Reed watched 22 Goats play a show for our wedding guests.” She smiles. “He signed them to River Records that very night.”
Reed. Oh, God, he’s gorgeous in the shot. Tanned and relaxed. I love him. That’s all I can think as I stare at his chiseled face. I. Love. Him. Immediately followed by Why did you screw everything up, you stupid man?
When I look up from the photo, Kat is staring at me. Scrutinizing my face. Probably looking for signs of heartbreak, since yesterday, while touring Seattle with her and Sarah, I spilled my guts, in nauseating detail, about what happened between Reed and me.
“I’m sorry I showed you a photo of Reed,” Kat says. “I didn’t think.”
“It’s fine. Reed and I are friends.”
Kat flashes me a look that tells me she doesn’t buy that.
Blushing, I return to the photos splayed out before us. “May I use any and all of these for my article?”
“Use whatever you want. The Goats said to give you ‘full access.’”
“Thank them for me. I feel like I won the lottery. Not just in terms of my article, but also because I’ve found you. You’re so amazing, Kat.”
She touches my shoulder. “The feeling is mutual. You’re my spirit animal.” She winks. “So, do you have everything you need?”
“For my article about 22 Goats, yes. More than I ever dreamed possible.” I pause. “Although... there’s another article I’m gathering information for... something for Dig a Little Deeper. Would you mind giving me Hannah Hennessy’s number? This is highly confidential, but I’d like to ask her about her boss.”
Kat grabs her phone. “I just sent you Hannah’s contact info and texted her that you want to talk to her.”
“Thank you.”
She looks up from her phone. “So, by ‘Hannah’s boss,’ do you mean that gray-haired guy who’s marrying Isabel?”
I nod. “Howard Devlin.”
“You’re going to interview him?”
“No. I’m investigating some rumors I’ve heard about him. I want to ask Hannah if she’s heard the rumors, too.”
Kat arches an eyebrow. “What kind of rumors?”
“I shouldn’t say.”
“The ones about him being a pervert groper?”
I gasp. “Oh my gosh! You know about that?”
“Hannah told me. When Howard invited her to get a drink with him at the party, she dragged me along. Later, she told me she did that because it’s well known at her company women should always use the buddy system around him.”
“Holy hell.”
“She said she’s almost certainly safe around him, since she’s only in PR. Not an actress. Plus, he’s apparently a fan of big boobs, and, if you didn’t notice, Hannah’s Flatty Mcgee. But, still, she didn’t want to be alone with him. She’s actually looking for a new job. She’s heard too much bad stuff about him to want to keep working there.”
“Why the hell has nobody reported him? He’s the worst kept secret in Hollywood!”
Kat shrugs. “He’s a powerful old guy. Those guys always get away with murder.” Her phone buzzes and she looks down. “Hannah says she’s just putting Hazel down for the night, but we can call her in ten minutes.”
My stomach clenches. “Oh, wow. I didn’t expect to hear from her quite this fast.”
Kat looks perplexed. “Is something wrong?”
I grimace. “The truth is my boss told me not to pursue the Howard story yet. I’m kind of ‘going rogue’ by talking to Hannah about him.”
“She told you not to pursue the story, because she’s trying to cover up for whatever he’s been doing?”
“Oh, gosh no. My boss wants to take him down, with all her heart. She just thinks I’m too green, and the story too explosive, for me to try to tackle it just yet. But she said that before I’d landed my ace in the hole—this woman named Francesca Laramie.” I google Francesca and show Kat some articles. Of course, I don’t mention Isabel’s connection to Francesca, or tell Kat how I found Francesca in the first place. But I tell Kat the gist of my conversation with Francesca about Howard, and the amazing news that Francesca has agreed to lend support to my efforts, if I can get anyone to come forward.