Aspen Allegations - A Sutton Massachusetts Mystery

Chapter 19

The options were moving as far down the starch chain as possible, apparently. "Can I have a garden salad instead?" I asked.

She nodded, and in a moment she was off again.

The steak arrived, and the salad was just right. I was only able to eat half the steak, but Jason was thrilled when I waved him over and offered the rest.

In short order the band was doing its sound checks, and soon the gig started. The floor filled up almost instantly with fans eager to have some fun. Jason had said that Meredith had been feeling sick, but you couldn't tell by hearing her voice. She was fantastic, hitting the notes with ease, ripping through classics like "Rock and Roll" and "Barracuda."

There was a movement to my right, and suddenly a handsome Asian man was coming toward us.

"Jeff!" I cried out with a smile. "I'm so glad you could make it. Morgan, this is Jeff; he's involved in that matter I'm researching."

"Of course," agreed Morgan, moving to the side of the dance floor with me. Her voice became somber for a moment. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Morgan is a great help in my research," he stated, nodding to me. "I think we might have some more information to go on soon."

"Oh?" asked Morgan. "What happened?"

"A new file we found that might have interesting information in it," he explained. "We're in the process of accessing it."

"Good luck," offered Morgan.

I heard the opening notes to "My Own Worst Enemy" and my ears perked up. "Time to dance!"

Morgan nodded and Jeff moved to sit at our table while she and I danced. Soon Meredith took a break to help her voice, and the band drew two guest singers out of the crowd – a man and woman who fronted local bands. Both were phenomenal.

Finally the band took a break and Jason came over to the table. "Jeff, great to see you," he greeted, offering his hand.

Jeff smiled in welcome. "Jason; your band is fantastic. I love your music mix."

Jason sat down at my side, giving me a warm hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm having a blast," I told him. "You guys are alive tonight, and the crowd is loving it."

He looked out over the stuffed room. "This is probably our largest crowd ever," he agreed, "although I think it's the pre-Thanksgiving timing rather than our mad skills."

"Ah, but if you guys were awful they all would have left," I pointed out. "They're all staying, even though they could go elsewhere or even head home to prepare for tomorrow's festivities."

He gave a warm smile. "True enough. I suppose they must like us."

Meredith, the lead singer, came by. "Hey there, Morgan," she greeted. "What does your t-shirt say?"

I looked down at the black Japanese kanji on the face of my ivory shirt, and held out the cloth so she could see it more clearly. Below it, in black letters, was the word "Peace."

"Very nice," she praised. She looked out over the origami cranes which stretched down the center of the table. "And these are yours?"

I nodded. "Yes indeed." I had made a small sign to lie next to them, stating free – please take one. "I figured people might like them for their loved ones, with the holidays being tomorrow."

"A nice idea." There was a call from further down the bar and she headed off.

Jason looked over at Jeff. "No word from Matthew yet?"