The Wages of Cin (Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

Broadhurst was arrested in Kentucky for second degree murder.  This is why the band broke up.  He was acquitted, but the circumstances around the arrest were enough to sour Gareth and Meyer on Elijah for a few years,” he blurted out.  “Only Manuel stuck with him through the aftermath.”
    “That can’t be.  The man I had a meal with was no murderer.”
    “He was acquitted,” Harry repeated.
    “Still, what happened to put that nice man in that situation in the first place?”
    “It was a groupie named Karen.  He was found unconscious, beside her broken body, in a hotel room.  She was beaten to death with Elijah’s souvenir Yankees baseball bat.  His lawyer argued that there were no fingerprints on the handle of the bat, but they were everywhere else as if someone only wiped their prints off.”
    “Was there motive?”
    “While Elijah was on tour, Karen had been calling his home repeatedly, at all hours, claiming that she was carrying Elijah’s child.  Mrs. Caroline Broadhurst didn’t find it funny.  The cops believed that after the Louisville concert, Elijah went to talk to Karen, and they argued, and it got out of hand.  The coroner found that Karen was not pregnant at the time of her death.  They wanted him to plead to manslaughter, but he refused.  His lawyer got him off.”
    “Well, someone killed her, but why?”
    “Good question.”
    “Did Elijah sleep with her?”
    “Don’t know.  He claims that she followed the band, but he didn’t have anything to do with her.  Gareth, Meyer and Manuel backed him up.”
    “But you said this broke up the band.”
    “Yes. I guess they closed ranks to get him out of trouble, but maybe they didn’t believe his story at the time.”
    “Shit.”
    Harry and I sat for a while in silence, each of us trying to make a link with the murder of the groupie ten years ago and what was happening now.
    “Sidney, the sound guy, said ‘shit happens’ when we were talking about Simon’s accident.  I wonder if these happenings are attempts at sabotaging Ely’s Coming’s comeback?” I asked.
    “I’m not following you,” Harry confessed.
    “I think that the murderer did a good job of breaking up the band.  Perhaps the same person is trying to keep Elijah or one of his bandmates out of the spotlight again.”
    “How long has this sound guy been around the band?” he asked.
    “Since they started recording again.”
    “Maybe it would be worth your while to spend some time with this Sidney to get more information on the other band members.”
    “I don’t know. It would be like using the guy.”
    “I don’t get you?”
    “Calling him up out of the blue and, you know, asking for a date.”
    Harry got up.  “Come on,” he said, helping me up.
    I followed him into the house and into the den.  He closed the door so we could hear above Alex’s practicing and walked over and hit play on the answering machine.
    “Ah, Cin, this is Sidney, Sidney Stoneridge.  We met today. I’m the sound guy.  I was wondering if you’d like to hang out tomorrow, and we could get some food before the concert.  I’ve got the best seat in the house if you want to see your son play.  Anyway, I’m going to be up for a while, so give me a call.”
    “When were you going to tell me about this message?” I asked Harry.
    “I figured that you’d find it sooner or later, preferably later.  The guy was hitting on you right away. But now I think I may have been too hasty.  I think you should hang with Sidney tomorrow, ask a few questions.”
    “Again, I think this guy is very vulnerable now. I don’t want to use him.”
    “A day, Cin.  What can happen in a day?”
    I could become attached to someone who might die on me , were the words I didn’t say aloud.  “Alright, I’ll do it, but don’t you dare mention this to anyone else, not even Alex.  I don’t want anything getting back to Sidney. Do you hear me?” I warned.
    “I hear you loud and clear.”
    “Now