Whispers of the Wolf

That explanation mollified Meghan, although Will thought that as he wasn't there as a

boyfriend he did not need to account for who he spoke to. Then Meghan caught up with fans taking

selfies and complementing other ladies on their dresses. Will felt a hand on his shoulder and turned

around to see the club owner still looking like thunder.

"Chalmers needs to come back," said this man.

Will looked at the hand on his shoulder and at the owner, who let his hand fall.

"It's Max right?" said Will. The man nodded. "Ms Chalmers doesn't need to do anything

but work the crowd as far as I know, and come back to where?"

"Mr Scranton says that he had almost closed the deal and then you charged in. He wants her

back and what Mr Scranton wants he gets."

"He thought that, really?" said Will. "Your Mr Scranton couldn't be more wrong. The

reason Henry and I went in was because we got the distress signal. Ms Chalmers was being really

bothered by your guy. She told me that she thought that she might even be kidnapped and forced

onto that yacht of his." Max's face changed from anger to concern as he was told this. "I dunno

what the deal was between you and Stella Buckingham. You dealt with her right?" Max nodded.

"But I'm pretty sure it doesn't include being Shanghaied to the Bahamas as a sex toy. I dunno what

side deal you've got going you with your billionaire friend but Ms Chalmers isn't coming back."

Will looked past Max to check whether billionaire Scranton was watching the confrontation

to see him deep in conversation with another woman. Despite the dim club light Will was sure the

woman was Danni, with Brett standing just behind her.

"With any luck, Mr Scranton will still get what he wants in a different package," the writer

said, nodding at the couple.

Sam turned, checked the scene, glanced sourly at Will and then left without another word.

The Clarise Chalmers show moved on around the club with the star pausing for selfies and

the occasional snippet of conversation. Halfway through the circuit in what proved to be a big club

they found Misty Dawn, the minor singer/model who had refused to give Will his shirt back,

trailing a guy who proved to be a drummer for a rising band. When the dancing started, at Will's

suggestion, each lady danced first with the person they had brought and then the other's escort to

look as if they were mixing things up. Will included Brett in this dancing ring, when he wandered

by, but could not see Danni. He asked Brett when the porn star had gone and the man just shrugged.

Will also could not see Scranton and thought he knew what had happened, but it was no business of

his.

Back in the car, after some dancing, with Misty Dawn and drummer Cass, Meghan handed a

card to Henry.

"I want to make a stop at that place," she said. Henry nodded and handed the card to Noah

who looked at it without comment. "And I need to go to a bank terminal first."

That last request drew a questioning look from Henry but he said nothing.

"What's the stop?" asked Misty.

"Just a stop," said Meghan smiling, slightly.

"Ohhh, okay," said Misty.

Will thought he knew what the stop was for but did not say anything. He did not want to be

told anything about it.

"I saw you talking to that manager guy, Will," said Meghan. "What was that about."

Will told her, which meant that he also had to fill in Misty and Cass on the background.

"Complete the deal," laughed Misty. "What a romantic he is."

"And I thought I was making myself clear, politely, that I wasn't about to go to the Bahamas

with him," said Meghan.

"Billionaire or not he's still a guy," said Will. "Unless you hit him over the head and scream

the message in his ear he doesn't get it."

"Not sure even that'd do it," said Cass. "Some of the musicians I've known, banging their

heads into a desk repeatedly and then screaming the message might work maybe 50 per cent of the

time."

"Girls can't really bang guys' heads into a desk," said Misty. "We just have to shoot them

and claim self-defence."

"You haven't shot me," said Cass.

"Not yet, no," said Misty, smiling.

They stopped at the bank machine with Henry standing guard and a little further on was the

mysterious Hollywood address. This proved to be a mansion with a curved drive way so that cars

could go in one gate and come out the other. Another car, a Porsche, was leaving by the exit gate as

they drove up to the entrance. Noah typed four numbers that had been on the card into a security

keypad and the gate opened.

"Come in with me, Will?" said Meghan. "Bring the money I got. Henry, you stay here. We

won't be long."

The interior had expensive carpets, expensive sideboards with expensive vases sitting on

them, as well as a huge man standing just inside the door. This gentleman had a lot of bling hung

around a roll-neck pullover, a neatly timed beard, hot black eyes and surgical gloves on his hands.

Will thought that the doorman was not the sort of person he would care to meet in a dark alley, but

the man held the door open for Megan politely enough and waved her through, glancing at Will.

In the living room was another man who could have modelled for a statue of an evil Buddha

except that he wore a purple track suit and pants as well as surgical gloves. Off to one side, sitting

forlornly on a couch, was a thin man of middling height in jeans and a tee shirt, unkempt beard and

hair and the bleary eyes of a user. The rest of the house seemed quiet but after a few moments, Will

thought he heard voices murmuring from a darkened, open doorway on the far side of the room. A

faint haze wafted through the opening. He suddenly had a great desire to be away from the place.

The evil Buddha smiled and said, "good to see you again Ms Chalmers". His smile

reminded Will of a shark. "I'm sorry we don't have your full usual order. We had it when we called

but there was a mix up and some got sold to another client." The Buddha produced a small plastic

bag with a handful of the sticks which Will had seen in Meghan's bedroom when they had been

rehearsing.

"Will there be more soon?" asked Meghan looking askance at the bag.

"On order," said Evil Buddha. "We'll call when they've arrived, and our deepest apologies

for the mix up. You are a valued client."

The drugs cost two hundred dollars which Will handed over without comment.

"Hello Ty," said Meghan to the dishevelled man.

"Hey Meg, looking good," said Ty quietly.

"Will, this is Connie's brother Ty."

"Oh okay," Will went over and shook Ty's hand. "I was arguing with your sister a few days

ago about who was the bigger diva her or Meghan."

Ty's handshake was limp. He smiled without any enthusiasm. "She won that fight I bet."

"She did. Um, can we offer you a lift anywhere Ty? Are you waiting for anyone?"

"We have a problem," said Evil Buddha. "Mr Leighton owes the house three hundred and

fifty dollars and we have trouble contacting his sister."

"We have that," said Will looking at the money Meghan had given him.

"I'm not paying for Ty's shit," said Meghan. "I had enough of that at college."

"Then take it from what you pay me," said Will, exasperated. "We can't leave Connie's

brother here. We can drop him at her house. It's not far."

"Humph!" said Meghan but didn't object when Will handed over the rest of her money. Will

said, "plus trouble" to avoid the issue of change. Evil Buddha did not look like the sort of

independent businessman who gave change. The writer thought he'd be able to get it back from

Connie.

"All yours," said the dealer, then handed them both a notice about a party in a week's time.

The address didn't mean anything to Will, but he later discovered it was just fifteen minutes drive

further North.

"You guys have get-togethers?" asked Will.

"Valued clients only," said Evil Buddha. "Whatever you want 'll be there at a price."

Will slipped the invitation into his jacket pocket, thinking that he'd prefer to be torn apart by

wild dogs than go to such an event. Meghan put hers into her purse. Ty followed them out as they

left, and the scary doorman ushered them through without comment. A little more relaxed Will

noted that there were security cameras in the hallway and at the front door.

Back in the car Misty Dawn said "hello" to Ty, having seen him around the music scene.

"We can put him up for the night in our spare room," she told Will. "Drop him where ever

tomorrow. You'll tell Connie?"

"I'll send a text with your phone number to her assistant if that's okay," said Will. "I think

Connie herself is on tour."

They dropped their guests with Meghan complaining, after they had gone, about giving

"lifts to half of LA" and got back to casa-Meghan in the small hours of the morning, with the star

wanting coffee.

"You used to date Ty?" said Will, over coffee.

"He had talent before he got into the heavy stuff. Like I said I got sick of bailing him out of

drug debts and dumped him."

"Didn't I read somewhere that Connie accused you of breaking her brother's heart?"

Meghan shrugged. "I dunno if his heart was broken but I dumped him because he was

blowing his mind on shit as you saw just now."

"You didn't tell Connie that?"

"We weren't speaking at that stage and Ty begged me not to. He said he'd go into rehab. I

don't think he ever did but anyway he's now as you saw him today, and I know Connie's tried

interventions. It's a shame but there was nothing I could do."

"That place we went to today, incidentally, is evil," said Will.

Meghan's face fell. "It's just a business place serving a need," she said.

"I got a really bad vibe," said Will. "It seemed to be like those old style Chinese Opium dens

– a place where lives are ruined."

"I didn't see anyone else around apart from Ty."

"That's 'cause he ran out of money and they cut off his supply. I'm pretty sure there were

more druggies further inside the house. I could hear people. And what are you doing being seen

anywhere near that place?"

"Why, what do you mean?" said Meghan. It was the first time Will had challenged her

seriously in any way, and she did not like it.

"What I mean is that it's an evil place. I know the sticks you get are pretty soft, but they're

still illegal, even in California, and there are cameras in the living room in the hallway and in the

entrance way not to mention on the gates."

"Cameras?" said Meghan. "Well, so what, they're hardly likely to turn over the files to the

police."

"They may not have a choice. The LA cops are bound to find out about that place if not

them then the DEA. Granted Evil Buddha…"

"The guy at the desk?" said Meghan.

"…my name for him, and that doorman and whoever else is in the house probably have an

exit plan of erasing all files with a few key strokes then doing a flit over the back wall, with nothing

traceable to them. The guys we saw were wearing gloves remember?"

"I just thought it was because of the drugs they handled," said Meghan, nettled.

"Maybe that, but fingerprints as well. But what happens if the DEA or whoever knows about

the escape plan or just has people on the back wall, or these guys slip up in some other way? You'll

bet they have back-ups of those photo files stashed somewhere, and they'll trade them for a cut in

their sentences. You're too high profile, Meghan. They'll happily nail you, as a way of showing that

they're doing a good job."

Meghan frowned over this. "Will I don't like being lectured like this. I'll want you to go and

pick up my order when it's ready."

"What? I'm not having anything to do with that place or those drugs."

"You work for me," said Meghan, now upset about being defied. "I'm telling you I want

you to go and get these drugs for you."

"No way I'm going to do it. Find someone else to be your drug courier."

"Well I will, so that means you're fired."

"Fine," said Will, standing up and leaving.

"Fine," said Meghan to Will's back.