The Princess and the Rockstar
Part 3
Sympathy For the Devil
By Nick Maro
The squad car pulled up to the Gabor Estate. An officer got out of the car while his partner waited inside. The officer walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Pizzazz opened the door smiled as she greeted the officer. "Hi. I take it you're here to bring me in for my statement about the fire at the old Starlight House?"
"Yes," the officer said slightly stunned, "how did you know?"
"Vanessa Phillips just called saying that Mary was a suspect." Pizzazz began to explain on their way to the car. "I take it that the term suspect is being used very loose. Anyway, I saw you guys pull up to the house and it was just easy to put together." She gave him a slight shrug and got into the backseat of the squad car.
Pulling through the main gate, the officer driving looked back at Pizzazz in the rear view mirror. "I saw what you and the Misfits did last night on the Harriet Horne Show. I don't think I laughed as hard as I did last night in a long time. Man I love live television." He lightly backhanded his partner. "Bob, did you catch that? We have a celebrity riding back there." He let out an amused chuckle.
Bob laughed to himself. "Actually I did. The wife and I were channel flipping when we caught it. She wanted to swoon over the fuzzball Riot and she grabbed the remote from me. Boy was she pissed when you guys stormed the stage, Ms. Gabor. And I must say you gained yourself a new fan just for simply shutting that Riot guy up."
Pizzazz let out a loud laugh. "I'm glad I could be of service. By the way, call me Pizzazz or Phyllis." She shook each of the officer's hands. "And I don't see myself as anything special. I'm just a normal woman who has had her bit of luck lately."
"Well, it's refreshing to see that attitude in this day and age." The officer driving smiled again. "Just for the record I'm Steve Upton and this is my partner Bob Garcia. This is just a routine act of questioning and statement taking. I prefer these kinds of orders than going out on patrol."
Bob adjusted his uniform. "Your friend Shana was telling us on the radio how she accidentally panicked Mary and her mother. I'm sure everything will be straightened out when we get to the station. It's just a rookie mistake."
Pulling up to the station house, Pizzazz nodded and moved closer to the door as Steve drove into the station's garage. The garage door slowly closed behind them and Bob opened the door for her. Pizzazz quietly followed the two officers into the station and into the waiting room. Stormer was sitting there with Aja and Kimber. Pizzazz gave a quick hug to each of the women and sat next to Stormer.
"Why do I feel like we're in trouble in the Principal's office?" Pizzazz leaned her head against the wall and grinned at Aja. "Those were good times, huh?"
Aja let out a laugh louder than she wanted and grinned back at Pizzazz. "Oh Gods, yes. I don't know how many times you got in trouble sticking up for us." She leaned forward a bit toward her and lowered her voice. "Looks like you might be doing it again after last night."
A tall detective in his early thirties interrupted Aja. "Pardon my intrusion down memory lane, but I'm Fire Marshall Richards. I've been assigned to this case." He gave the four young women a quick, comforting smile. "Now, none of you are here are suspects. We just want to ask a few questions, take a quick statement and you all can go. We found each of your fingerprints at the starting point of the fire. From what we understand it was a common place to find your prints. Any questions before we divide you up?"
Kimber looked around slightly nervously. "Is Jerrica going to be coming? I mean, doesn't she have to answer your questions?"
"We've made arrangements to take her statement and answers later tonight," Richards explained in his soft voice. "She and her boyfriend will be coming in after their appearance on the Lin-Z Show." He clapped his hands together gently. "The quicker we start, the quicker we can get out of here." The four women followed the fire marshal down the hall. He pointed to a bench outside a room. They each took a seat and waited.
Sitting and watching two of the members of the Misfits practice their wrestling; David tapped the side of his cheek with his pen. He decided to use this downtime from his own band to write a few songs. Watching his twin in action had inspired him. He looked up when he heard Jetta grunt in pain.
Roxy had Jetta pinned face first on the mat with her knee in the black haired woman's back. She twisted Jetta's arm again, putting pressure on her shoulder. Roxy grinned. "Come on, Limey. Tap for me. Let's hear the canvas make some music."
"Not on your life, Colony." Jetta flipped herself over, forcing Roxy to break the hold. She grappled for Roxy's feet but her hands were kicked away. Roxy got to her feet and both women stared at the other for a long moment. Finally Jetta grabbed Roxy's arm and flung her into the padded wall. Roxy hit the wall with a grunt as some of the air was knocked from her lungs.
Jetta ran toward Roxy and flung her body into the platinum blonde's midsection. David winced at the move as he watched them both fall to the mat. They landed next to each other out of breath. Slowly they each started laughing. Jetta turned and looked at her best friend. "Okay, that wasn't the brightest move I've even done. Turnbuckles work so much better."
Roxy caught her breath and felt her chest where it was sore. She knew she was going to be bruised there for the next few days. "Yeah, turnbuckles have a hell of a lot more give than a cinderblock wall with padding on it. But I give for now. I don't feel like dying at your sloppy hands anyway." Roxy gave Jetta a playful wink.
Putting the pen and notebook away, David stood and handed a towel to each woman. He gave Roxy a quick hug and a peck on her cheek. "You two looked like you miss the ring for real. Ever think about wrestling in between albums?"
"It was a thought. But we are going to be touring in between albums." Roxy gently padded the sweat from her face. "Besides, the federation we were with was very small and is just local to the southern California area. If we were with a national federation, then I think we could pull it off. Have the tour coincide with the show schedules." Roxy gave a slight shrug.
"Rox and I talked about it for great length after we joined up with the Misfits. We're much better musicians than we are wrestlers." Jetta wiped her arms off. "Just because we come from famous wrestlin' families, doesn't mean we're any good." Roxy nodded with Jetta's statement. "Besides, I much prefer playin' the drums than getting' beat on by a bloody amazon with a 'roid rage problem."
Roxy let out a loud laugh. "Oh I know who you're talking about. Glamazon Rex was the second person I ever faced. She beat the shit outta me. I swear when she pinned me I heard her say, 'Gonna eat you!' in my ear."
Jetta started laughing as she took a drink of water. A bit sprayed out of her nose. "You bloody tart. You made me spray water outta me nose. That hurts!" She wiped the water from her face and nose and kept laughing. "What she said was, 'Gonna beat you!' It's what she always says when she pins someone."
"Speaking of eating, I'm going to make some breakfast." David started to head up the stairs to the first floor. Roxy ran to catch up to him while Jetta headed for the shower in the basement. David put his arm around Roxy's waist and went into the kitchen with the woman he was growing very fond of.
Time seemed to slow to a stand still while waiting to give their statement to the police. Pizzazz looked over and saw Kimber resting her head on Stormer's shoulder. They both had their eyes shut but weren't fully asleep. Aja was sketching in an art book she had brought with her. It was funny how she'd forgotten the small things about the women she called sister since she moved out.
Pizzazz stood and stretched. She walked to an officer's desk and put on her best smile. "Hi. I was wondering if you had anything to read. If I knew we'd be waiting so long, I would've brought something to do. So can you help a breakthrough rock star out?" She smiled again.
The officer chuckled under his breath and handed her a copy of a video game magazine. "Sorry, that's all I really have here. I'm sure the inspector will be with you shortly." Pizzazz nodded and sat back down. She began flipping through the magazine. She hadn't played a video game in years, so the level they were at amazed her. She knew the girls at the Starlight House owned a system, but she never paid any attention to it.
Time flowed a bit faster while reading the various articles. Pizzazz looked up as she saw Aja look up out of the corner of her eye. The inspector was coming down the hall towards them. Aja lightly nudged Kimber and Stormer. They both hid their yawns and rubbed their eyes. Pizzazz figured that they had actually fallen asleep.
Inspector Dan Richards stopped in front of the four women. "Ladies, let me first say good morning and thank you for coming. Today we're going to take a statement from each of you about where you were the night the fire started at the Benton residence. None of you are suspects or under any kind of arrest. Ms. Gabor and Ms. Leith, you both have stated before that you were together. This was verified with Ms. Pelligrini and Ms. Burns. We have questions for the both of you about the area the fire started at. But first, I want to take a statement from Kimber Benton."
"Okay, sir." Kimber stood and followed the fire inspector into the small room. She heard him close the door behind her. She sat in a chair opposite of the inspector. "So what can I do for you, sir?"
"First thing is stop calling me sir. Makes me feel old." He gave a kind smile and wink. Reaching over, he turned on a tape recorder and looked up at her. "It's just a formality. Nothing to worry about." Kimber just nodded slowly. "Now, the spot the fire start was in back of the house, not near any of the bedrooms. It looks like it was started near the kitchen with a handful of old rags from the garage. Your sister Aja is a racer isn't she?"
Kimber nervously answered. "Yes. But she couldn't have started the fire. Why would she?"
Inspector Richards chuckled. "She wouldn't, I know. She's not a suspect I just needed to ask for the record of how the rags got there. Everyone will be asked that. So don't worry. Now, we found evidence of everyone's fingerprints around the site. So we can't rely on that." He sat back and clasped his hands together.
Looking around slightly less nervous, Kimber cleared her throat and began giving her statement. "I was asleep when it happened. I fell asleep on the couch watching TV. Mary was there with me when I was awake, but I guess she went home. She lived right next door. We're still best friends. Anyway, Jerrica woke me up when they smelled smoke and saw the fire. I ran up the stairs to help get the girls out of the house." She gave a light shrug and smile.
"Well, that's almost word for word of what you told the police after the fire was put out." Inspector Richards stood and opened the door. "Thank you so much for putting up with this, Ms. Benton." Kimber shook the older man's hand and followed him to the waiting room.
Inspector Richards looked at the next name on the list. "Ms. Leith, you're next." He stood next to the doorway while he waited for Aja to enter the room. He followed her in and shut the door afterwards. Pizzazz looked up from the video game magazine and glanced at Kimber. They exchanged reassuring smiles and she went back to the magazine.
Five minutes later the door opened and Aja came out. She gave an eye roll to Pizzazz. She tried to hide her chuckle as the inspector called her name. Pizzazz handed the magazine to the officer who gave it to her and went into the room. Inspector Richards shut the door after following her in.
Stormer looked up from her conversation with Kimber. It had been roughly ten minutes since Pizzazz went in. The door opened and Pizzazz came out. She walked up to Stormer with a smile. "You're next. But let me just say it was nothing. You'll be fine." Pizzazz sat back down and stopped Stormer real fast. "Come by the mansion tonight. We're going to go over the tracks for the album."
Nodding, Stormer went into the small room. She sat opposite of Inspector Richards. He gave a quick rundown of what he was going to ask and for her permission to be taped. Stormer agreed and tried to relax. Her palms were sweating like crazy. "I was at the Benton's place until about eleven that evening. Kimber passed out on the couch while were watching V-TV. I think it was V-TV. I don't remember off hand.
"Anyway, I think I turned the TV off and went home. I was very tired myself so it's just that I have a vague memory. I remember leaving the house and going home. I went upstairs and fell asleep in my clothes. When I woke up, I heard screaming next door. My mom and I both rushed out to help get the Starlight Girls in our house." Stormer took a sip of water that the inspector poured for her. "Thank you. Everything else is just a frantic blur. I just really remember comforting the Starlight Girls." She gave a slight shrug.
Inspector Richards looked through some notes then gave a slight jump. "Damn phone was set on vibrate." He looked at the phone and stood. "I'll be right back. I have to make a quick phone call. My wife just texted me."
Stormer smiled. "Perfectly understandable, I'll be waiting here."
The inspector returned her smile and left quickly. Stormer sat in the room alone. She took the time to study the small room when her head began to hurt. She rubbed her temples and the pain seemed to go away. Inspector Richards returned a few moments later. He saw her resting her head on the table. "Ms. Phillips, are you okay? Do you need anything?"
"I'm fine, Inspector. Just a headache." Stormer sat back in the chair and wiped sweat from her forehead. "I just want to finish this up so I can go home and rest."
"I was about to say the same so I can see to my wife. She's got a nasty flu virus that's been going around." Inspector Richards sat opposite of Stormer again. He went to turn the recorder back on but it was still running. He shrugged and thought nothing of it. "Now, I wanted to ask you about the garage and a section by the kitchen. It looks like the fire was started in that area with some old rags that Ms. Leith used for her car. What do you know about that?"
Stormer looked at the inspector a long moment in thought. "I don't know anything about it. Just that part of the patio in the back went under the window by the kitchen where the fire was started. It was a great hiding place for hide and go seek. It was also a great spot to hide and scare someone. I did that to Jerrica and Kimber a lot." Stormer giggled to herself at the memories.
The inspector put his file away and turned off the recorder. "Well, that's all I needed. I apologize for taking up your time like this. An officer will drive each of you young ladies home. I hope you have a nice day."
"Thank you. I hope your wife gets better quickly. My mom had a cold last weekend." Stormer shook Inspector Richards hand and left the room. The three other women looked up when the door opened and stood when they saw Stormer leave. Inspector Richards called for a few officers to drive them home.
Pacing the room like a trapped animal, Pizzazz finally turned to Roxy and Jetta. "We can do the track listing later. I still have time to make it to the studio to see Jerrica before the show starts. You two want to come with?" She grabbed the keys to her van.
"I actually have to get my laundry done." Roxy laughed. "Trust me, I'm down to wearing clothes that makes me look like a bad Eighties punk."
"I'll stay behind too. I'm still sore from this morning." Jetta lightly elbowed Roxy's side. "Tell you what though; I'll tape the show for you."
Pizzazz nodded. "Okay, you two behave and keep trying to get a hold of Mary. Tell her she can stop by if she wants. I'll be home after the show." She left out the front door and jogged to her van. She heard the front door slam shut and someone running to catch up to her. Pizzazz looked over her shoulder and saw David coming her way. "You coming with to the Lin-Z Show?"
David got in the van on the passenger side and shut the door. "Yeah, I figured that this was a big deal. I wanted to see it first hand." Pizzazz smiled as she started the van. David pulled out his cell phone dialed a number. "I'm calling Jerrica's cell. I figure I'll at least give her a heads up so she can get us backstage. After last night, Lindsey might be a bit nervous." He gave her a smirk and Pizzazz laughed. Together they drove to the studio to support their friend.
The gray luxury car sped down the highway. Madison turned and looked at Frenzy. "Now, why are we crashing the Lin-Z Show? I mean, aside from the obvious publicity this will get us."
Frenzy just gave Madison an evil smile. "Tonight Jerrica Benton is revealing her secret of the fact she's really Jem. Last night the Misfits actually helped us. The Stingers big announcement was that Jem and Jerrica was the same person. By all rights we should've been the ones to reveal her secret and not the Stingers. Kevin Ross was denying us that right. So tonight we get revenge not only on the Holograms and the Misfits but also on Ross and the Stingers. Not too mention I get to humiliate the accursed Princess as well. Nice and convenient, huh?"
"Let's just make sure it's not too convenient. Something smells like a set up and I don't like it." Thorn shared a worried glance with the Gemini Twins in the backseat of the car. Frenzy just looked back at Thorn with a slight scowl. Madison drove toward the studio thinking things over.
After knocking lightly on the door, Kyoko opened it a crack and peeked her head in. She made a noise to get Jerrica and Rio's attention. "Hey! I thought I'd stop by and see how you're doing." She took a quick look around before entering the room. "Wow, this dressing room is pretty nice. Does all the talent get rooms like this?"
Jerrica gave Kyoko a quick hug. "What are you doing here? I mean, what you doing backstage?"
"Let me tell you, having a father who supplies most of the technology to a studio has its perks." Kyoko sat in an empty chair. "One of the things Gabor Industries makes is the frames and casings for the cameras used here. Basically I just flash my father's name and I get free reign. Not bad, huh?" Kyoko gave semi-cocky smirk.
"Well, you could've just called." Rio sat on the couch next to Jerrica. "David and Phyllis just called Jer asking to get in. Lindsey said it would be fine." He took a sip of the glass of water he was holding. "So I guess you guys will be watching from off stage with me. It should be fun."
Kyoko nodded and hooked a lock of hair behind her ear when another knock came from the door. Pizzazz and David came in and shut the door after thanking one of the studio pages for showing them the room. Pizzazz handed Jerrica bouquet of flowers and kissed her foster sister on the cheek. "David and I stopped to get you these. We figured we couldn't come here without giving you something."
David stood behind Kyoko's chair and rubbed her shoulders. "So, where do we watch from? Is there some kind of room or do we get to sit in the stands?"
"I think we wait in the green room once the show starts and then watch from off stage." Rio shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. This is my first time to one of these shows. Maybe you should've asked Harriet last night when you were crashing her show." Rio laughed at the dirty look Pizzazz gave him.
The five friends talked and joked until an assistant knocked on the door and told Jerrica to go to the green room and wait. He told the others that only one person could watch from off stage. It was unanimously decided that Rio took that honor. Pizzazz, Kyoko and David watched the monitor in the green room as Jerrica was being introduced.
The sound of rushing footsteps came from the hall and Pizzazz peeked her head out to what was going on. A small handful of security guards were running to the side stage door. She looked back at David and Kyoko. "Looks like something is going on. Let's go check it out." Pizzazz opened the door and followed a few steps behind the group of guards. Kyoko and David followed.
A somewhat familiar voice rang through the stage door. None of the three friends could see who was yelling. The guards were blocking their view. David pointed to an emergency exit that was open a crack. He led the way out and saw that the guards were fighting with five familiar women. David ran out a bit to get a better look. It was just as he had thought; Banshee's Wail. Their lead singer Frenzy was arguing with a guard to let them inside.
"Oh great. What do they want here?" David mumbled.
Pizzazz shrugged. "Let's go see." She and Kyoko walked up to the band of women. "Hey! What the hell are you doing here? Trying to disrupt my sister's big announcement?" She froze in her tracks when Frenzy turned and looked at her. The murderous look in her eyes chilled Pizzazz to the bone.
"You! This is your entire fault! Yours and the Princess'!" Frenzy ran at full speed past the guards and towards Pizzazz. She tackled Pizzazz, knocking her to the ground. The two women wrestled on the ground for a few minutes and then broke free. They both stood.
"Listen, you damn psycho, I don't know what your beef is with me. And I certainly don't know who this Princess is." Pizzazz put up a hand for Kyoko to back off. "I sure as hell don't who you are or how you learned what you did about Jerrica."
Frenzy gave a psychotic grin. "Don't you know, Phyllis. I'm the Rockstar. You helped make me who I am today. You did it by ignoring the Princess. That spineless weakling. I'm here today because of you and the Holograms. You all ignored me. You didn't give me a chance at all." Her voice began to rise into a scream. "I stood by and helped you to just be ignored! I hate you! I hate you all and you're all going to pay! Burning down the house was only the beginning!" She leaped toward Pizzazz again.
Pizzazz dodged out of the way and grabbed Frenzy by the hair. The wig pulled off easily. Frenzy turned and looked at Pizzazz. Her jaw fell when she saw the face of the woman she had known almost all her life, except it was full of rage and sadness. "M-mary?" She looked at the wig and dropped it. "What did I ever do to you, Mary?"
"Don't call me that! I'm Frenzy! I'm the Rockstar! I'm not the pitiful Princess!" Stormer's body tensed up and she fell to the ground to unconscious. Pizzazz saw David standing behind her.
"What did you do?" Pizzazz asked quietly.
David crouched and checked Stormer's pulse. It was steady. "I just knocked her out with by touching a few key pressure points. She'll be okay." He looked up at his twin and Kyoko. "We should get her out of here before the authorities arrive." Pizzazz and Kyoko nodded their agreement.
David picked up Stormer gently and started walking toward Pizzazz's van. The other members of Banshee's Wail started to block David. The security guards kept them back. One of the guards walked up to David. "You do know this woman, correct?" David nodded and the guard moved. "I thought so. Do her a favor and get her some help."
"That's what we plan on doing." David waited for Pizzazz to open the side door of the van and then laid Stormer on the backseat. He then turned to Kyoko. "I need you to tell Jerrica to meet us at the Gabor Estate. Don't tell her what has happened here. Also, when you're done doing that, stop by. We definitely need your help here."
Kyoko agreed and ran back to the studio. David and Pizzazz got back into the van. Pizzazz stuck the key into the ignition but didn't turn the engine over. She spoke in a soft, cracking voice. "You know something don't you. What's going on with Mary? Why is she acting like this?"
Letting out a deep breath, David combed his fingers through his hair. "I think Mary had a massive mental breakdown. The way she kept referring herself as the Rockstar while in the wig and talking about the Princess. While in college, Kyoko took a few psychology classes. I helped her study for them when I could. One of the things she was studying was dissociative identity disorder." He finally turned and looked at Pizzazz. "Mary is showing most of the major signs."
Pizzazz choked back a sob of tears and turned on the van. She drove out of the studio without saying anything. On the highway she spoke in a hoarse voice. "She'll be okay, right?"
"Yeah. With the proper therapy and treatment she will be." David put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "We just need to get a professional opinion. But I think she'll be okay." He gave Pizzazz a comforting smile and they drove home in silence.
Stormer laid on her bed unconscious at the Gabor Estate. Pizzazz was sitting by her side holding her hand. Kyoko entered the room and rubbed Pizzazz's back softly. She knelt beside the green haired woman. "She's going to be okay. When I talked to her she was herself. She isn't aware of her Frenzy side. So, that's a good thing. We need to call her mother and let her know so she can get Mary into therapy. Okay?" Pizzazz just nodded. "Listen, I'll be downstairs in case you want to talk."
Pizzazz listened to Kyoko's footsteps fade down the stairs. She stayed at Stormer's side a while longer until she heard Roxy yell that Jerrica was waiting for her. She stood and looked at Stormer for a moment then left the room. Pizzazz wiped her eyes dry and went down the steps. Jerrica was talking to Jetta near the kitchen door. She turned toward Pizzazz. Her smile faded as soon as she saw that Pizzazz had been crying. She ran forward and hugged Pizzazz tight.
"What's wrong Phyllis?"
"I need to talk in the den, Jer. It's about Mary." Pizzazz walked with her arm around Jerrica's waist into the den. She slid the door shut and sighed. "Listen, I know who set the fire. It was Mary but it wasn't really Mary." Jerrica gave her a confused look. "Mary suffers from dissociative identity disorder. She has a dark side that obviously regrets the Holograms and the Misfits. This dark side is the one that set the fire. Mary doesn't know she has it. The dark side called itself the Rockstar and called the light side, the Mary we know, the Princess. I figured I should be the one to tell you." Pizzazz sat in one of the plush chairs and sighed.
Jerrica paced the room in shock and confusion. She couldn't believe that one of her closest friends could've done this. She also knew she couldn't tell the cops that it was Stormer. "Phyllis," Jerrica said quietly, "I'm not going to turn Mary in. I'm just going to and say one of the Starlight Girls was playing with the matches for grill. That it was an accident. But promise me that you'll get her some help."
Pizzazz nodded. "I'm going to get her the best help I can." The two sisters hugged tightly. Pizzazz asked David to call Vanessa to tell her about what has happened. He then made a call to Eric Raymond to make the necessary arrangements to get her the best mental help they could. Everyone knew that tough times were on the horizon.
TO BE CONTINUED IN
THE BANDS BREAK UP PART 1
