Death Sung Softly by David Archer Read Free Book Online Page B

want me to have it.”
    “Indie,”Sam said, “I like you, and I like you a lot. I see how beautiful you are, and I'll admit I like that about you, but that isn't why I like you; and if this turns into more, then it still won't be because you're beautiful on the outside; it'll be because of the woman I see on the inside.”
    Indie sat there for a moment, and Sam could see tears welling up in her eyes again, but he thought they were okay, this time. She got up and walked around the table, leaned down and kissed him. It wasn't the chaste little kiss she'd given him before, but a truly passionate kiss that said that the future might hold some surprises.
    She turned back to her cooking then, and Sam sat there and watched his new girlfriend make dinner.
    After they'd eaten, Sam asked Indie to see what she could dig up on Jimmy Smith, the agent. She went to the computer and told Herman what she wanted him to do, then she and Sam went into the living room and put a movie on the TV. Sam passed up his recliner and sat on one end of the couch, and a moment later, Indie sat down beside him and leaned back against him.
    “Well, hi, there,” Sam said, smiling down at her.
    “Hi,” she said. “Is this okay?”
    Sam didn't answer, but put an arm around her and pulled her closer. She snuggled in and relaxed, and they watched most of the movie before Kenzie noticed the way they were sitting. When she did, she didn't say a word, but climbed up on Sam's lap and let her head rest against her mother's on his chest. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.
    “Want me to take her on upstairs?” Indie asked quietly, but Sam shook his head.
    “She's just fine where she is,” he said.
    When the movie ended, however, Indie said it was time for Kenzie to go to bed, so she took her up and tucked her in. Sam went to the dinging room and looked at the computer, but it was just running numbers across the screen. He waited for Indie to come back, and then she punched a few keys and papers began to spit out of the printer.
    “Okay,” she said, looking over the printouts. “Jimmy Smith is fifty two years old, married with two kids in college, and get this, he's got four felonies on his record. Two for assault, one for fraud and another for tax fraud. This is not a very good guy, Sam.”
    “And he's been known to harass people who don't do things his way. The more I hear about this guy, the more suspicious I get. What else you got there?”
    “Well, he's been sued repeatedly by people who claim he didn't deliver on his promises, and he's settled out of court with most of them. Paid out a settlement of more than half a million to one band that said he promised them a recording contract that never materialized. He's got some shady deals in his history.”
    “What about the assaults? How bad were they?”
    Indie looked through the papers. “One was against a woman named Samantha Harris, who backed out of signing a contract with a minor record label, and the other was in a bar fight. He broke a beer bottle over some guy's head, then slashed him up with it. According to the victim, Johnny Darnell, Smith was mad because he rejected a musician Smith wanted to put in his band. In both cases, he got probation. The woman was back in 2006, and the bar fight was in 2010, not all that long ago.”
    “Hmm. Sounds like a guy who might lose it if he doesn't get what he wants, then, doesn't he? I think I'll go see him in the morning, see what kind of reaction I get.” He looked at Indie, and smiled. “You done good, there, kid. Now go get you some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow.”
    She looked at him and grinned. “A big day?”
    “Well, you don't think I'm gonna get up there and sing without my number one fan, do you? We've got rehearsals to go to, and I'm not doing this without you.”
    Indie inclined her head, said, “Okay,” then stood. She started toward the stairs, but stopped, turned around and came back to him. “Sam,” she said, but then she