They crack them open, and for the first time since the nightmare unfolded, I think to check the time. The clock on the wall above the desk says 8:10 am. Funny how six months ago I would have thought nothing about joining them at this time in the morning, but now a beer is the last thing I need.
“It will solve the problem pretty easily,” Martin says, although he doesn’t sound quite as enthusiastic.
“You really think creating the illusion that Cassie is seeing Jon is going to help?” I demand.
“Why wouldn’t it?” Kevin says after taking a big swig of beer. “When you think about it, it’s genius. The media will lap it up. We can even make more meetings happen. It could be a great cover for you both. Now and in the future.”
I’m speechless when I realise that Kevin actually thinks he’s doing us a favour.
“No,” Cassie says firmly, snapping my gaze away from Kevin’s shit-eating grin. “I won’t do it.”
“Cassie,” Martin says, and he steps closer to her. “Think about it. It could be really good for you.”
“No,” she says, and then she’s standing, her hands out of my hold. “I’ve said I won’t do it. And I won’t. End of discussion.”
With that she storms away from the three of us, goes to the bathroom, and slams the door shut.
RHYTHM & NEWS
Saturday, December 1, 1979
BATTLE OF THE BANGS: SPOTTED – Cassie Everard in LA
Photos have been published of Cassie Everard back in Los Angeles, for a week’s break before Evergreene heads further south to do their final dates in Central and South America. She was spotted heading to a law firm in Downtown LA, notably alone. Neither her manager, Kevin Briggs, nor her record label, Haven, made a comment when we contacted them.
This further fuels rumors that Cassie Everard could be considering breaking free from Evergreene and going solo, although some say this is speculation designed to distract from the photos that surfaced last month, showing her checking in to the same hotel as Femme Fatale in Amsterdam. While some fans assumed this meant she would appear on stage with Pia Lindberg to sing their hit song, “What I Want,” others believe it was evidence that Cassie Everard is now romantically involved with one of the Femme Fatale men. Again, there has been no official statement about this, although the disappointment when Everard didn’t show up on stage during Femme Fatale’s remaining Amsterdam dates was palpable.
Throwing further confusion on Everard’s relationship status, Stephan Greene spoke with reporters outside Chateau Marmont, where he is currently staying, claiming that he only has eyes for Cassie Everard, and that as soon as the tour is finished, he will be proposing to her. It’s worth noting that Stephan was visibly intoxicated while talking to reporters, and he also claimed that his brother will soon be freed from Los Angeles County Jail. Vik Greene has been incarcerated at the facility since he was extradited from Canada just over a week ago. With the FBI recently stating that Vik Greene’s trial, for a total of eight drug-trafficking charges, is expectedto be held in spring next year, it is not clear why Stephan Greene is so confident in his brother’s release.
And still, the fans do not get what they want, namely Pia Lindberg and Cassie Everard singing ‘What I Want’ together.
CHAPTER 26
CASSIE
“Mail for you,” Nora says, and I look up over the piano in my music room, bracing myself for a stack of fan mail. I’ve been expecting it, considering I’ve been away for nearly three months, and I’m only back here for a show tonight, then a week’s rest until we do our final performances in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Mexico City. I haven’t opened any mail in months, much less replied to any, which I used to love to do, especially to letters from young girls who found their escape, their comfort in music, like I once did.
Because I don’t know if I want to use the music to escape anymore. I don’t think I want to escape anymore, full stop.
But Nora is not carrying a stack of envelopes. She has just one item in her hands. A postcard.
She hands it over and then gives me a cryptic smile before walking out of the room.
A glossy photo of gabled houses along a canal stare back at me. Amsterdam. A postcard from Amsterdam.
I flip it over, a smile already on my face. There is a line of capitalised handwriting and next to it a sketch of a bed, sheets in disarray.
Your scent likes to linger on my sheets. P
After checking that Nora has completely left the room, I clutch the postcard against my chest and hug it close. A tear squeezes out of my eye, and I wipe it away immediately. But it doesn’t stop another coming.
It shouldn’t be this hard.
Not knowing when I’ll see her. Not knowingifI’ll ever see her in the same way again. Not knowing what she’s thinking, what she’s doing, how she’s feeling.
Not that I’ve ever really known how Pia feels, but that last time we were together, in Amsterdam three weeks ago, I felt like something was breaking free inside her. I felt like she was shedding a skin or lifting a façade or just letting me a little closer…
And now it feels like I’m destined to go backwards.
