over his head and flung it away revealing a ragged t-shirt. He stared straight ahead seeing nothing, his chest tight and suffocating. Adam and Garrett exchanged concerned looks; Peter ignored them. A tech ran up and attached his headset, securing it quickly without a word. Around them chaos reigned as the crew launched the show.
The lift jerked and rose as spot lights circled the stage and the announcer spoke.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Jamieson is in the building!” The crowd erupted in screams. The lift stopped high above the stage. The view was staggering. The spots iluminated the three young entertainers, as if they were statues from the heavens.
This was the last place Peter wanted to be.
He stood lost in thought, not thinking to start the show.
Garrett took over and gave the count. He and Adam hit the strings of their instruments and the music of Jamieson filed the air. On autopilot, Peter went through al the motions of the concert. He channeled his anger and frustration into the pulsing music. His performance was intense, the light side of him nowhere to be seen.
He sang each song with anger and pain. The tender balads became mournful wails of emotion. The high-powered rock numbers a snarl of passion. His eyes closed as he lived each word.
It wasn’t their normal upbeat, chatty concert, but there existed an incredible energy that no audience had ever witnessed.
Peter felt drained with nothing left to give. The final encore ended, and the trio ran off stage.
“Way to channel that anger, Pete,” Garrett smacked him on the back. “We need to piss you off more often.”
“Fuck you,” Peter spat, with a venomous glare. He ripped the headset off and whipped it across the room. He stormed out the same door he came in.
Chapter 19
Julie Orman flipped through paperwork in her office when the secretary popped her head in. “Hey Julie, I’ve got another cal about Libby Sawyer, can you take it?”
“Sure, send it over. It’s probably from the state.” Julie stil stressed over the way everything had gone down for Libby. The poor kid couldn’t catch a break and there was no way for her to help. Her phone buzzed with the new cal.
“Helo, this is Julie Orman.”
“Hi, Miss Orman, I was hoping you could help me. I’m trying to find a girl who recently went to your school. Her name is Libby.
Libby Sawyer.”
Julie sat back, a bit startled. The voice on the other end sounded like a teenage boy, certainly not a social worker from the state.
“Excuse me, who’s caling?”
“I’m a friend of Libby’s.” The voice tinged with hope. “She and I had a misunderstanding and then I heard she left town. I’ve been trying everything I can think of to track her down, but no one wil help me.”
Julie warmed to the boy, wondering who he was, perhaps a friend from Libby’s old school or a cousin?
“I’m sorry, the school isn’t alowed to give out student information, particularly in a situation like hers.”
“Please, you have to help me. I’ve talked to people in Milwaukee, at the Department of Family Services, Child Welfare and the foster system. No one wil tel me anything. I didn’t know where else to cal.”
His desperation touched her. He was obviously distraught and had exhausted al his options.
“I’d like to help you, I truly would. Libby was a special student to me, but you seem to already know as much as I do. The only people they’l release information to are her parents or guardians.”
She heard his defeated exhale. “You aren’t family, are you?” she asked.
“No,” his weary voice answered. “I’m her boyfriend.” Julie sat up and leaned closer to the phone.
“What is your name?” she asked, stunned to learn that Libby truly did have a boyfriend.
“Peter. Peter Jamieson.”
Julie nearly dropped the phone. “Oh God.”
“Excuse me?” He asked politely.
“Libby told me about you.” Guilt overwhelmed her. “You wouldn’t happen to be . . .”
“In a band? Yeah.”
“Oh shit.” She dropped her head forward, while grasping the phone against her ear.
He laughed. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No, I’m so sorry.” Julie couldn’t believe this. “Libby told me about you a few times, but I didn’t believe her. Her situation is . . .
unusual. I was convinced she dreamt you up.”
“Yeah, we aren’t the most obvious couple. Listen, I realy need to know if she’s okay. Do you know where her dad is? Did they find him? Is she with him?”
“No, they haven’t been able to locate him. I wish they had, I’m sure he’d