It didn’t take long to negotiate the cobbled lanes to the address he’d given me. I paused to think through my strategy before knocking on the heavy wooden door. Footsteps approached from within, then the door swung open to reveal a man with sandy hair who looked to be in his mid-thirties.
‘Oh, hi!’ I gushed. ‘I was wondering whether Chris Ford was here?’
‘He doesn’t live here.’ He had a broad Scottish accent. ‘He’s a friend of mine, though.’
‘Of course, you must be… Sorry, Chris told me your name but I’ve forgotten already…’
He gave me a puzzled look. ‘Jack. You know Chris?’
‘Oh man, he didn’t mention me, did he?’ I flashed him a rueful smile. ‘I’m Lisa. Lisa Emmanuel. Chris has been wanting to keep us on the down-low, you see. He doesn’t want the media—or Virginia—knowing he’s in a new relationship.’
‘Relationship?’ Jack looked completely confused. ‘Sorry, lass, the man doesn’t reveal too much. I had no idea he was in any kind of relationship.’
I tried to look downcast. ‘It’s OK, I understand. That’s what happens when you fall for a rockstar, I guess. Anyway, he told me to meet him here. Do you know where he is now? I really need to see him.’
‘He gave you my address?’
‘Of course, silly. How else would I have known to come here?’
‘It’s just strange that he wouldn’t have mentioned it to me,’ Jack said. ‘Especially since he left Rome first thing this morning.’
Crap. He was already on the way to Paris.
‘Are you serious? He told me to come today.’ I manipulated my face into what I hoped looked like distress. ‘Why would he tell me that and then leave?’
Jack’s face broke into a warm but sympathetic smile. ‘Chris is a bit of an enigma. He comes, he goes, he doesn’t always explain. He did leave some of his things here, though, so he must have been in a hurry.’
‘Damn, I should’ve come earlier. I’m always too late!’ I put my hands over my eyes and allowed my shoulders to shake a little, as if I were crying.
I felt Jack’s hand on my shoulder. ‘Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?’
‘Oh, thanks so much, that’d be great.’ I raised my head, hoping he wouldn’t notice the lack of tears. ‘You must think I’m completely pathetic.’
Jack stepped back to let me into the apartment. ‘Don’t mention it. I went to school with Chris, and he’s always had the girls falling at his feet. I’m kind of used to it now.’
‘So you’ve known him for a long time?’ I asked as I followed him into the open-plan kitchen and living area.
‘I knew him when he got his first guitar.’
‘Wow! So you’d know Angus Bright as well?’
‘Aye.’ He switched on the kettle and gestured for me to take a seat at the dining table. ‘I haven’t seen him for a few years. But yeah, I know him.’
‘What’s the deal with him?’ I asked. ‘Has he left the band?’
Jack turned to look at me, and this time his face was suspicious. ‘Why would you say that?’
‘Well, I know he wasn’t on the Australian tour. And Chris told me about the fights they’ve been having.’
Jack paused. ‘Look, I don’t get involved in any of this personality stuff. As far as I know, they’re still great mates.’
‘Do you know the manager of the band?’ I asked. ‘Grady, isn’t it?’
He gave me a long, piercing look before he answered. ‘How do you know his name?’
I was starting to panic. ‘Look, Jack, I’ll be honest with you. Chris told me Angus is missing, and that the police think he has something to do with it.’
The kettle hissed as it neared boiling point, then it clicked off and a low simmering was the only sound in the kitchen. Jack made no move to make our tea. ‘What? Angus is missing? Chris didn’t tell me that.’
I stood up from my chair and took a few steps towards him. ‘But he did tell you something, didn’t he?’
He avoided my gaze. ‘No offence, Lisa, but I’ve known Chris all my life. I met you five minutes ago. I’m not really comfortable discussing his personal matters.’
I retreated, resting back against the dining table. ‘I understand. Chris is your friend. But you have to believe me—he’s scared, he’s in trouble, and I need to find him before the police do.’
‘But… I don’t see how you can help him. Surely he’d be better off going straight to the police?’
I held up my hands in what I hoped was a non-threatening gesture. ‘Normally I’d agree. But he panicked and ran, and now he looks guilty. I wasn’t going to tell you this, Jack, but I’m more than just Chris’s girlfriend… I’m a private investigator, and I have reason to believe there are some powerful people setting him up on a murder charge. If I can get evidence that he’s innocent first, he’s going to fare a lot better when we take it to the police.’
Jack’s brow furrowed as he struggled to know whether to trust me. He turned away and took two cups down from the overhead cupboard, then added a teabag to each and filled them with boiling water from the kettle. ‘How do you take your tea?’ he asked without turning around.
‘White, no sugar, thanks.’ While his back was turned, I scanned the room for signs of Chris. At the end of the dining table, beside a bowl of fruit, was a small collection of things: hair wax, shaving cream, a baseball cap, a pocket-sized notebook. I edged closer and my heart beat faster when I saw Chris’s name scrawled on the front of the notebook. I sat down in the chair nearest to it, snatched it up and rifled through it quickly while Jack stirred three teaspoons of sugar into one of the cups and added milk to the other. The notebook was filled with scribbles of what looked like song lyrics. Jack finally turned back to me and I quickly replaced the
