Rock 'n' Roll is Undead (Veronica Mason by Rose Pressey Read Free Book Online

will.”
    Craig coughed from behind me. I spun around and noticed the first of the proposed bass players walking toward us. I gave Frank one last evil glare, then turned to watch the other one emerge from the front door. Both men wore jeans and t-shirts with more wrinkles than my grandfather’s face who’d smoked a pack a day for fifty years. Did they coordinate their outfits? We weren’t a grunge band. My day kept getting better. A smarmy detective, a drunken pain-in-the-ass vampire, and badly-dressed musicians. What was next?
    I sat for what seemed like forever waiting for the torture to be over. The second bass player was finishing his rendition of a cat dying. Neither one had been good, but one was better than nothing, I guessed. I'd have to discuss the situation with Frank and Craig and see if they felt the same way. Then again, Frank would hire almost anyone.
    When the door opened, we looked up. Daylight splashed across the front of the bar. Apparently the vampires were still a little jumpy and not used to the whole being-able-to-go-out-in-sunlight thing. The stocky detective from last night walked toward me. His face was expressionless. He stared straight ahead. A trip to Disney World would do him some good. He had that tough cop look down pat. All I wanted was to get this over with and be finished with the questions for good.
    “Can we speak in private?” he asked and motioned across the room.
    Every time I talked about last night the vision of poor Johnny's body flashed through my head. It was something I'd never forget. Nightmares would haunt me for years to come, no doubt. But at least the vision with the killer had stopped.
    “Hi, Detective Walker. You weren’t kidding about needing to talk to me, huh?” I didn’t expect him to show up so soon after I arrived.
    “I don’t kid. This is serious, someone was murdered.”
    Well, yeah, duh, I’d discovered the body.
    “Can I speak with you privately first?” he requested again. “Then I’ll talk to the other band members.”
    “Sure, that’s fine. How about we sit at the table over there in the corner?” I pointed.
    He nodded. “That’s fine. After you.” He gestured for me to go first.
    I made my way over to the table and pulled out a chair. “I’m not sure what else I can tell you past what I said last night, Detective Walker.”
    “I just want to make sure we didn’t miss any details.” He pulled out a chair and sat across from me, retrieving a notepad from his pocket, then clicking his pen.
    “Sometimes we overlook little things in the heat of the moment. Or you may remember something later, after your mind has had time to process everything.”
    I believed him, but there really was nothing. I couldn’t tell him about my vision. He wouldn’t believe me. Besides, I didn’t know if I believed myself. What did the visions mean, anyway? Maybe I had an overactive imagination.
    “So you’re already looking for a replacement, huh?” He pointed to the men on stage.
    I didn’t know what to say. It was as if he’d smacked me in the face with his words. I frowned. But the longer I went without saying something the worse it looked. I needed to talk now. All I could think of at that moment was to ask whether they made blood glazed doughnuts. What a stupid question. Of course they did. They made blood everything. Damn Frank for making doughnut jokes in front of the cop yesterday.
    “Um,” I stuttered.
    Okay something other than stuttering. Speak. Speak now.
    “I didn’t want to,” I blurted out. Great. I was so smooth.
    He’d have me confessing to a crime I didn’t commit if I wasn’t careful. Heck, he’d have my written confession to some random robbery, kidnapping and who knew what else. There had been a lot of break-ins recently. I could see the headline now: The lipstick witch behind bars! Finally captured!
    “You didn’t want to what?” His frown grew.
    “I didn’t want to get a replacement so soon. I thought we should give