Substitute Soloist by D.R. Ransdell

Author:D.R. Ransdell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: D.R. Ransdell
Published: 2019-04-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Joey and Rachel and I were early getting to the Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport. We sailed through security and found seats in the nearest lounge. Rachel and I had an hour to spare. Joey had a longer time to wait, but he refused to sit down. He shifted from one foot to the other as he gazed at the myriad of shops advertising duty-free.

“Are you feeling all right?” I asked.

Joey took out his wallet. “I should have picked up something for Christina, but I didn’t find anything I liked. I’ve got chocolate for the girls, but I don’t always know what to do for my wife.” He held out a fifty-euro note. “Rachel, would you mind? I mean, I don’t mean to be sexist or anything, but—”

Rachel smiled as she took the bill. “I don’t mind shopping around, but no guarantees.”

I waited until she was out of earshot. “Usually you don’t have any trouble buying for Christina.” My brother was the only person I knew who had a stable relationship with a partner. He and Christina were in perfect synch, never had heated arguments, and, as far as I knew, kept no secrets. That meant they had a much more solid relationship than our parents ever had. “Are you guys having any trouble?”

Joey’s tone changed completely. “Andy, my trouble, as usual, is you. What do you remember about the hitmen you met in Squid Bay?”

“I try not to remember anything about them.”

“When you get back to Tucson, I want you to change your phone number.”

“I did that last summer.”

“Do it again.”

“I see. You think I should get an Arizona number.”

“No. Use some other state. You can order a cell phone online.”

“You’re not overreacting?”

“And another thing. You need a new name.”

“But—”

“I mean for the concert programs in Tucson.”

I paused. “The orchestra members know my name is Andy.”

Joey raised his eyebrows. “Tell them that there’s a famous musician from Mexico named Andy Veracruz and you don’t want anyone to confuse the two of you.”

“You want me to make up a last name?”

“Go with Crus. With an S. That’s a stupid spelling anyway. Antonio Crus. No. Try Tony. That way neither of the initials will mirror your own.”

Rachel waved as she passed us, empty-handed, and continued to a store opposite our waiting area.

I sat back against the uncomfortably hard plastic. “The musicians will think I’m vain. Or delusional.”

“Tell them that this other Veracruz fellow made a terrible recording. That you need to distance yourself.”

“What if you’re overreacting?”

Joey sighed deeply. “Why do you think I moved my family to London?”

“Only temporarily.”

He shrugged. “Still.”

I’d claimed that we were perfectly safe in Squid Bay and that the hang-ups hadn’t meant anything. Joey hadn’t believed me. He reasoned that a murderer would have no qualms about a repeat performance. When Joey found a short-term contract in the U.K., he’d jumped on it.

“I thought you liked living in London. Theatre, museums, etc.,” I said.

“That’s beside the point. I don’t believe in coincidence. You shouldn’t either. A killer is released

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