Painted Black by Greg Kihn

Author:Greg Kihn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
Published: 2014-10-16T18:42:23+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Monterey Pop

Baltimore’s Friendship Airport was sparsely populated as Dust Bin Bob, Clovis, and Brian Jones made their way to the gate. Erlene, Cricket, and Winston were there to wish them bon voyage. They hugged in the jetway.

“Take care of yourself, hon,” Erlene said. “And watch out for Brian.”

“We will,” Clovis said.

Brian’s clothes always drew stares. He never wore anything normal anymore. His wardrobe was as colorful and exotic as a Moroccan prince. He walked through the airport like an emissary from outer space.

They flew from Baltimore to San Francisco, rented a station wagon and drove south to Monterey with Clovis behind the wheel. Bobby rode shotgun, and Brian sat in the back. As they neared the fairgrounds, they began to see groups of long-haired rock fans streaming into the venue.

“I’ve never seen so many freaks in one place,” Clovis said.

“This is going to be great,” Brian said.

They drove slowly through the crowd to the VIP parking area. Californian sunshine poured down from the sky. The smell of food cooking drifted through the air. Marijuana smoke wafted freely across the grounds.

It was a glorious afternoon in every sense of the word. Clovis had believed the trip would be good for Brian, and so far they had already witnessed a life-changing performance by the Reverend Julius Cheeks thanks to Preston Washington. They couldn’t wait to see Ravi Shankar, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Hendrix, and of course, the great Otis Redding.

As soon as Brian got out of the car, he was inundated with fans. Most of the musicians at the festival admired and respected Brian. Here, at Monterey, he was a conquering hero. His problems were behind him here.

Brian wasted no time. He wanted to walk through the crowd and soak up the atmosphere. Bobby realized he’d left his camera in the car. And while he and Clovis went to fetch it, Brian wandered away.

Bobby retrieved the camera. As he did so, Clovis grabbed his arm.

“Look!” he whispered, and pointed across the parking lot to a white van. Getting out of the van were none other than Bruce Spangler and Acid King Leon Silverman. Leon had his brown leather briefcase, the same one the cops didn’t search at Redlands. It was generally believed by Mick and Keith that Silverman was the snitch and had been working for News of the World.

His disappearance after the Redlands bust was suspicious enough, as was the fact the cops had not charged him with anything. To see him here at Monterey was a shock.

Bobby raised his camera and took half a dozen pictures of the group.

“Holy shit! What are those two doing here?”

Fascination turned to consternation when Renee got out of the van behind them. Bobby took a few more pictures of her alone and with the group.

Clovis gasped.

“It’s that chick that Brian had in Morocco. Something’s going on here.”

“I know who she is. I’ve met her. She’s obsessed with Brian.”

She walked briskly away from the van and the three men.

“They’re working together. We better warn Brian.

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