Chapter 8

"How do you figure that?" Anderson asked.

"You read the note. It's pretty obvious that Anne is dead because Juliet thinks that I shouldn't be seeing anyone but her." Keith's tone was firm and accepting.

"You said that she's been writing to you for years. Have all of her notes been this demented?" Anderson asked as he flipped his hand at the piece of paper sitting on the table.

"No. Not really. Just delusional." Keith answered.

"What do you mean?" Detective Anderson leaned forward.

"It started out like most fan letters, you know?" Keith shifted in his chair. Fan letters were part of his life, but he didn't particularly like the adulation that was a part of them; girls declaring their love for him when they didn't even know him.

"Well, actually, I've never received fan mail. You might have to be more specific." Detective Anderson tried to infuse a little lightness into the conversation. His comments did not get the response he'd hoped for.

Keith wiped his hand down his face. He did not want to talk about this, but he had no choice. "She started out like some of them do. They tell me how much they love our music and somehow leap to the conclusion that they love me too." When had he become so negative about his fan mail? He normally loved to hear from his fans. Juliet had truly screwed with his perceptions.

"They don't even know me. I'm just a picture in a magazine and a voice on an album." Keith finished a little lamely.

"So, you don't like your fans?" Detective Anderson was hoping to get Keith to realize that he was painting a picture with a very broad brush. This situation was much more specific and very different from normal – even normal for someone adored by millions of girls.

"No. Yes. What I mean is that, yes, I like our fans. They're wonderful, for the most part." Keith said slightly confused at what he was actually trying to say. "Fan mail is normally harmless and very flattering. I don't even see most of it. It goes directly to Reuben's office and they handle making sure that a picture is sent out, you know?"

"Go on." Anderson didn't want to stop him. He'd finally started talking and he knew eventually they'd get to the point.

"A lot of it comes from girls too young to even know what they're asking for. But, some of it comes from girls, women, who know exactly what they want." Keith smiled wryly at the differences in the fans.

"I'm sure you find that fascinating, huh?" Keith said sarcastically.

"Actually I do. Your life is very different from anything I will ever experience." Anderson assured him.

"Well, you can have it." Keith offered.

"You don't mean that." Anderson pointed out. "It's just that right now, this one fan has altered the way you look at things. She's altered your life."

"Not as much as she's altered Anne's life." Keith said bitterly.

"We're not sure that what she said is true." Anderson pointed out.

"You don't believe that any more than I do." Keith pressed his fingers into his temples. When in the world had he gotten such a bad headache?

"No, you're right, I don't." Anderson finally admitted.

His answer brought Keith's eyes up quickly, "So, someone finally admits to me that it's true. That I'm guilty of getting my girlfriend killed."

"Keith, I didn't say that." Anderson pointed out. "I just agreed that this 'Juliet' is capable of doing what she wrote."

"Which makes me guilty." Keith pointed out.

"No, I don't think so." Anderson continued, "How can you be responsible for someone else's actions? You never even wrote back to this girl much less talked to her. Did you?"

"No, I threw all of her letters away after reading them. I wanted to throw them away without reading them, but I just couldn't. Every time I felt compelled to read it and then I'd feel sick afterwards." Keith admitted.

"That doesn't sound to me like someone who's responsible for what happened." Anderson pointed out.

"But, if I had told someone….." Keith trailed off.

"Told them what? Did she ever threaten Anne before this note?" Anderson asked.

"No, but shouldn't I have known?" Keith asked.

Finally, a speck of doubt in Keith's feelings of guilt.

"Keith, how could you have known if she didn't tell you? This 'Juliet' is obviously a very sick individual. I would say she has some severe mental problems. You're neither a trained psychiatrist nor a psychic. There's no way you could have known what she was capable of." Anderson hoped he was getting through.

"She wasn't even in the states until recently." Keith added finally able to see that maybe he couldn't have stopped this.

"Really? Where was she?" Anderson asked.

"The postmarks all said Switzerland." Keith told him.

"When did she get here?" Anderson was starting to wonder how long Keith had been followed without his knowledge. This girl obviously had seen Keith with Anne. How else would she have known about her?

"I don't know, maybe the middle of May or so. I got a letter from her about that time with a postmark of New York."

"She obviously has money." Anderson said.

"How do you figure that?" Keith asked.

"Well, she's been in Switzerland, New York and every other city you've been in since you started your tour. Also, a bouquet of flowers isn't cheap. I ought to know, I had to send an apology bouquet to my wife just last week." Anderson was running through the facts that they knew so far. This girl had some means. They should be able to find her.

"My mom has had Reuben trying to find out who's been at our last performance in each city. I don't think he's come up with anything yet." Keith told him.

"Well, we have a few more contacts than your manager I'd be willing to bet." Anderson was sure that Bob who was listening with Mrs. Partridge in the other room had already gotten someone started on the search. They'd have this 'Juliet' in no time.

"Anything else you can think of that you should share?" Anderson asked.

Keith thought for a minute, "I don't think so."

"In that case, go back to your hotel and get some sleep. We'll be in touch in the morning and let you know what we found out. Maybe we'll be able to tell you that we have Juliet in custody and that we've found Anne." Anderson left out the fact that they were only likely to find Anne's body.

xoxo

When they reached the hotel, the sun was already coming up over the horizon. If they were to make their next show in San Antonio, they'd need to leave that night yet. They'd told Detective Anderson to contact them as soon as he knew anything. They'd wait for him until the last minute.

Shirley was concerned about Keith getting some sleep so they finally decided that Keith would go to Reuben's room with him and just sleep until he woke up. No one would disturb him and Reuben would be there to watch over him. His Mom hadn't voiced the last point, but he knew that she didn't want him to be alone right now. He honestly couldn't disagree with her on that one. Though he needed time to think and process what had happened, he wasn't sure he wanted to be completely alone. Reuben was the perfect companion for that. He wouldn't force Keith to talk yet he'd be there if he wanted to.

They parted ways at the elevator and Shirley went back to the family suite while Keith and Reuben headed the other direction.

Shirley let herself in and found Laurie curled up on the couch. She looked very uncomfortable. Shirley wondered how much sleep she'd actually gotten. She smiled tenderly at her eldest daughter. She was such a big help to her at home and on the road. What would she do without her?

That thought made her think about Anne's parents. What if it was true? What if Anne was truly dead? How would her parents react? Would they blame Keith?

"Mom?" Laurie had woken up when Shirley put her purse down on a table. "Where's Keith?"

"He's with Reuben. I thought it best if he got some sleep before he was bombarded by the boundless energy of his fully rested three younger brothers and sister." Shirley smiled.

"Makes sense. How is he?" Laurie asked.

"Better. He's still way too quiet, but I think he'll be alright." She added 'eventually' in her head but didn't want Laurie worrying too much.

"You look like you could sleep for a couple of days yourself. I can keep the kids quiet. Why don't you go to bed?" Laurie offered.

"Laurie, if you were on that couch all night then you didn't get much sleep yourself. I'll be fine." Shirley assured her daughter.

"Mom, I wasn't at the police station all night. I actually slept quite a few hours." Laurie assured her though it was a little white lie. If she'd slept for an hour that was about it. "Besides, Keith will need you over the next few days and weeks so you better make sure to catch sleep whenever you can. Like right now."

Laurie led her mother to the bedroom door, opened it and pushed her through. "Just send Tracy out here if she wakes up without me noticing." She said as she closed the door behind her mother.

xoxo

"I was sleeping in this bed, so the other one is all yours." Reuben said as he sat down on the bed nearest the bathroom.

"That's fine." Keith said as he walked over to the window and looked out over the waking city.

"Aren't you tired?" Reuben asked barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Sure." Keith said absently.

"Alright, I'll use the bathroom first." Reuben said as he watched his singer lean heavily against the wall.

When Reuben exited the bathroom ten minutes later in his pajamas and robe, he realized that Keith didn't have any clothes other than what he was wearing. "What are you going to sleep in?"

"Hmmm?" Keith glanced back over his shoulder.

"I just realized that we didn't stop to get your suitcase. What are you going to do for clothes?" Reuben tried again now that he had Keith's attention.

"Oh, I guess I'll just sleep in my shorts. I can get fresh clothes later." Keith said and turned back to the window not really concerned about something so trivial.

"Aren't you going to go to sleep now?" It looked like Keith had made himself comfortable leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, in a minute." Keith had already become absorbed in the scene below him.

'Good thing he wore a night mask' was all Reuben could think as Keith continued to stare outside, the bright sunlight streaming into the room.

Reuben made himself comfortable and told himself he'd stay awake until Keith settled down. Unfortunately for him he was too tired to keep that promise and was lost to a dream world in ten minutes.

Keith heard Reuben's soft snoring and smiled to himself knowing that he was finally alone with his thoughts.

They weren't pretty, that's for sure. He kept wondering how long it would be before the police found Anne's body. He wondered if they'd be able to figure out who Juliet was. He wondered if he'd ever be able to live with the guilt that was gnawing at him like a hungry dog.

He wondered if anyone had thought about what would happen once the press got a hold of this story. His name would be mud. Would they be able to sell tickets anymore? Would they be able to sell albums anymore? Was their career over? All because of him and his biggest fan. Had he ruined his family's future?

Keith ran his hand down his face and walked to the bathroom. He wondered if Reuben had any aspirin. His headache hadn't let up at all. His head was killing him.

He found aspirin and a prescription bottle in Reuben's shaving kit on the counter. He shook out two aspirin and swallowed them quickly with a glass of water. He then paused to look more closely at the prescription bottle. He read the label and found that Reuben had a full bottle of sleeping pills. Reuben had always complained about how hard it was to sleep in hotel rooms. He must have finally done something about it.

Keith held the bottle for a while and even contemplated taking one. What the hell, why take just one? Why not the whole bottle? That would solve all of his problems, wouldn't it? He shook them out into his hand.

xoxo

Shirley woke up to a ringing phone. She glanced at the nightstand to see that it was noon. She'd slept much longer than she thought she would but still not enough to make her feel fully rested.

She got up, grabbed her robe and walked into the outer room. She glanced over to see Laurie on the phone.

"She's still sleeping, Detective, but I'll go get her. I know she'll want to talk to you. Just a moment, please." Laurie set the phone down and turned to find her Mother watching her. "Oh, Mom, Detective Anderson is on the phone for you."

"I'll take it in the bedroom." Shirley said as she turned back around and closed the door behind her. She'd noticed her three youngest were watching TV and she didn't want to have to watch what she said.

"Hello?" Shirley said into the phone. As she heard the detective answer in kind, she heard the light click on the line that meant Laurie had hung up the extension. "What have you found out?"

"Not much, Mrs. Partridge. We can't find any hotel reservations in any of the cities that you've been in on the dates you gave us that match up. We went over to the venue to check on the flowers, but they weren't there. Do you know what happened to them?" Detective Anderson asked.

"Oh, I completely forgot. It's part of our contract. Any items that we receive from fans are to be distributed to local hospitals or children's homes." Shirley explained. "They likely got shipped to one of the hospitals. The venue manager should know which one."

"How many possible places are we talking?" Detective Anderson wanted to know.

"Well, it could be several. You see we get, well actually Keith gets, many gifts sent to him everywhere we go. Flowers, stuffed animals and other small gifts. If we tried taking them with us, our bus would be filled to overflowing in no time at all." Shirley was amazed at how generous their fans were.

"Ah, I see." Detective Anderson was still trying to wrap his head around this whole being famous idea that the Partridges lived with every day. "So, instead of taking them with you, you share the goodies?"

"Well, on occasion, one of the kids will get something they want to keep. Usually it's something more personal like a scrap book compiled by a fan or maybe a personal drawing. We have very talented fans." Shirley smiled remembering some of the better pieces of art and some of the extensive scrap books that she'd seen over the years.

"I don't suppose you remember seeing a flower shop name on that particular arrangement do you? It would save us a world of time instead of having to chase down which hospital it may have ended up at." The Detective asked hopefully. If she didn't, he was looking at a full day of chasing around the city. Well, one of the new detectives would do the chasing, but he'd be waiting to hear back from them for longer than he'd like.

"Sorry, with Keith's reaction to the note, I didn't even think to look. What does that mean for time?" Shirley asked realizing the same thing the detective had.

"Well, we're not likely to find out the name of the shop before it closes today so we won't be able to talk to anyone until tomorrow." The detective admitted.

"Oh, no. That means we won't even be in the city anymore. We need to leave today for San Antonio. Is that going to be a problem? I mean, you don't need us here to continue your investigation do you?" Shirley realized that they may need to alter their schedule.

Of course, if Keith didn't feel up to performing, they may have to alter their schedule anyway. Oh, why hadn't she thought of that sooner? She should have at least broached the subject with Keith last night so he'd have some time to think about it.

"No, you can go to your next show. That shouldn't be a problem. Just call me with a new contact number so that I can get a hold of you." The Detective answered.

"I've got your card in my purse. I'll call you as soon as we check in." Shirley assured him. "Good luck with finding the arrangement. And, please, call me as soon as you have any information. Anything at all."

"I will. And, if you or Keith think of anything else we should know, you'll do the same, right?" At Shirley's affirmative answer he continued, "I'll also be contacting the San Pueblo police and the Oregon State Police with any information I gather. This has turned into a multi-state search."

"Well, with so many people working on this, you should be able to catch her pretty quickly, right?" Shirley asked hopefully.

"That's the plan. Hopefully this will all be over in a few days." Detective Anderson said not really believing it. He'd never been a part of a multi-state search that had worked out well. But, he'd do his part in his city and hope for the best. "I'll also be contacting San Antonio so that they can possibly set up a sting and catch the girl as she buys the next floral arrangement. If all else fails, that should be the game breaker. There's no way she can make the purchase without being found out."

Shirley rang off with the Detective with a little hope in her heart. She decided that showering was the next order of the day and then they'd need to decide what to do next.

xoxo

Laurie had heard her Mom start the shower and knew when she'd finished. She waited until she knew she'd be dressed then knocked lightly on the door opening it slowly, "Mom?"

"Come on in, honey." Shirley answered from the vanity in the bedroom. She was just finishing her make-up.

"Mom, what happens next?" Laurie asked.

"I was just trying to figure that out myself. I was going to head to Reuben's room as soon as I was ready and find out how Keith's doing. After that, we need to talk about whether or not the tour continues."

"Oh, Wow. I hadn't thought of that. Do you think Keith will want to go on?" Laurie asked as she sat down on the end of the bed.

"I really don't know what he wants to do. If I had to judge from last night, I'd say we're heading home. But, I don't want to speak for your brother." Shirley said as she applied mascara.

"He was really that bad, huh?" Laurie asked.

"Well, you saw him in the dressing room. Whoever this person…" Shirley said the word with distaste, "is, she's sick and she may very well have taken an innocent life. And, though he's not to blame, your brother has taken full responsibility. He blames himself for not telling anyone about her before all this happened. But how could he have known?"

"Yeah, Danny said that she's been writing for years and though her letters were sometimes kind of creepy, they didn't sound deranged." Laurie looked up to see her Mother looking at her in shock. "Oh, umm, I guess I didn't tell you that yet, did I?"

"No, you didn't. Maybe we should get Danny in here." Shirley suggested.

"I'll get him." Laurie offered quickly and got up to do just that.

"What's up?" Danny said as he entered the room to see his mom dressed and ready for the day. She was pacing the room with a frown on her face.

"Alright, Danny, tell me everything you know about Keith's fan." Shirley said without preamble.

"Oh, uh, sure." He shot a look that said, 'you could have warned me' at Laurie and turned back to his mother.

He confessed about how he'd been spying on Keith for years and that he had read every letter he'd ever gotten from Juliet. He also mentioned that he happened to keep each and every one of them though they were starting to take up too much space in his safe. He'd recently thought about throwing them away himself but hadn't quite been able to bring himself to do it.

Shirley grabbed him and hugged him tightly, "Thank goodness you are so nosy."

"What?" Danny and Laurie said in unison.

"I never thought I'd be thankful that you eavesdrop, spy and pay way too much attention to what everyone else is doing, but this time you may just have helped us out immensely. As soon as we get home, you are turning those letters over to the police, alright?" Shirley beamed at her middle son.

"Sure, Mom." Danny said completely confused by his mother's strange reaction.

xoxo

Reuben rolled over and groaned at the shaft of sunlight that penetrated his eyelids. Why were the curtains open? Where was his night mask? Man, he still needed another 4 hours of sleep at least.

As consciousness finally penetrated he remembered that he hadn't put his night mask on because he'd meant to stay awake until Keith went to bed. At that thought, his eyes shot open and he looked at the other bed. It was empty and appeared untouched. His eyes scanned the room and found no one else present. Where was Keith?

His eyes scanned the room again when he noticed a bottle of aspirin on the night stand. Where had that come from? It looked like his bottle, but that was in his shaving kit in the bathroom, wasn't it?

At that thought, Reuben suddenly remembered the full bottle of sleeping pills in the same shaving kit. Keith had to have seen them if he'd been in the kit. He wouldn't have taken any would he?

"Keith!" He said loudly. When he got no answer he threw back the covers and yelled, "Keith!"

His shouts were met with total silence.