FADE TO BLACK, Book One: The Weir Chronicles

Chapter Fourteen

Jaered was intrigued by how much Andy resembled the Heir and wondered if people believed Andy’s claims to be the illusionist.

Fade to Black’s sound man stopped stumbling about the Western-themed bar and sat alone with a blissful stare directed at the redhead, one table over.

Jaered set down the empty beer bottle and approached him. “I know you from somewhere,” he said. Andy peered up at him through half-closed lids. “I’ve seen you somewhere before.” Jaered sat down across from the guy.

Andy shrugged. “You don’t look familiar, dude,” he said.

Jaered jabbed his finger at Andy. “Now I’ve got it. You’re Ian Black.” He slapped the table. “Wow, you’re like, amazing!”

Andy jerked forward. The fog waned in his eyes. “You got me. And here I thought I was incognito.”

“Oh man, my girlfriend thinks you’re the hottest thing around.” Jaered glanced over his shoulder. “Hell, you probably get that a lot.”

“Not as often as you’d think.”

“You’re empty. The next one’s on me.” Jaered gestured to the waitress. “I’m Jaered.”

The waitress stopped next to Jaered, and he sized her up with a glance—early twenties, part-time college student. He kept his voice light and good-natured. “Get my buddy and me another round, whatever he’s having.”

She gave Jaered a flirtatious grin. Unlike Andy, if questioned later, she would remember him.

He rose to greet her when she brought the drinks and then distracted her with a smile as he dropped the pill into Andy’s bottle. She lingered, and he flirted with her the few seconds it took to dissolve. When she left, Jaered handed Andy the bottle of beer.

A couple of minutes later, the muted knock on the table signaled the meds had done their work. Andy’s forehead rested against his damp cocktail napkin.

When their waitress crossed to the other side of the room, Jaered tossed a few bills on the table and jerked Andy out of his chair.

The limp head would have given it away, but Jaered’s one-sided conversation and boisterous laughter did the trick. They reached Andy’s car in the unlit parking lot without earning more than a fleeting glance. Jaered propped him against the hood and hit the remote. When he went to open the back door, the sound man slipped to the ground in a heap.

Jaered looked around, then hoisted him up and shoved him in the backseat.

He drove to the auditorium and pulled the car next to the backstage door. He dragged Andy out of the backseat and entered the code that Eve gave him, using the guy’s index finger to punch the keys. The red dot turned green. Pitched in darkness, he brought Andy inside then kicked the door closed.

Jaered laid the sound man on top of a crate and checked his pupils with his penlight. They remained dilated. He looked at his cell. In twenty minutes, security guards would be making their rounds.

With his penlight beam on low, he located the short hall leading to the offices and stopped at the first door. It appeared to be a dressing room. He tried the next one, but it was locked. He shyfted inside. The cluttered desk was a sign that he’d found the right office. The picture staring back at him from the credenza confirmed it.

He sat in the chair across from the manager’s desk and felt underneath the edge. He pushed the listening device in place and left for the next location.

Ten minutes later, with the last of his surveillance equipment in place, Jaered headed backstage. Andy would arouse soon. The guards would find the drunken sound man wandering the building. He would have some explaining to do.