CHAPTER 3
Hutch stood in the wings, nervously tapping his foot as he waited for his cue to go on stage. Starsky had taken up a position at the front of the stage helping to keep the crowd from getting too close to the entertainers, at the same time that allowed him to maintain eye contact with Hutch for reassurance and encouragement during his set. Hutch was casually dressed in a pair of new blue jeans and his blue denim shirt with a guitar embroidered on the back.
Hutch heard his name being announced, and the introduction to his first song began to play. Pasting a smile on his face, he walked onto the stage and took his place in front of the microphone. The glare of the stage lights kept him from seeing past the first couple of rows in the audience, but before the show started, he had overheard one of the crew members saying that they had a sold-out crowd. The mere thought of singing in front of that many people was enough to give Hutch an anxiety attack.
He opened his mouth and began to sing. He performed his whole set in a nervous daze, and it took all his self-control to not just run as soon as he finished his last song. But the resounding round of applause that followed him off stage made him feel confident that he had done a good job in spite of his nerves. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Starsky grinning broadly and giving him the thumbs up. He lingered in the wings observing everyone wandering around in the compact area.
Mandy Reed took the stage to a round of thunderous applause and began her first song. She had a relaxed and confident stance on stage that Hutch envied. She bantered with her band and told jokes to the audience, and they loved her for it. Flashbulbs flashed as fans took pictures of her and the band. Some members of the audience could be seen singing along with her music as they waved signs at the stage, hoping to be noticed. From his vantage point, Hutch could keep an eye on things and enjoy the show at the same time.
Noting nothing unusual that demanded immediate concern or attention, Hutch relaxed and watched the performers on stage. They were all seasoned professionals who made it look so easy and effortless. Hutch knew that as much as he enjoyed his music, it was a private pleasure for him. He didn't have the dedication or the ambition that it took to make a living at it. He both respected and admired those who did. Although he was assured that he had done a good job during his set, he was still glad it was over and was already dreading the show,
After the two hour show, Mandy sat on the edge of the stage where she posed for pictures, signed autographs and chatted with her fans. Her band members lingered in the background, breaking down and packing up their equipment while keeping a watchful eye on the petite star of the show.
"Congratulations, Blintz," Starsky said breathlessly in his ear, momentarily startling Hutch who hadn't heard his approach. "You were great!"
Hutch tossed his exuberant partner a grin. He knew that Starsky would praise him even if he had done a mediocre job. "I'm just glad I didn't embarrass myself by messing up the lyrics."
"Nobody could tell you were nervous just by looking at you. I heard some people in the crowd raving about how much they liked your voice."
"Yeah, well they'd better enjoy it while they can because after this assignment is over that's the end of my singing career," Hutch said firmly.
Starsky laughed and slapped his partner on the back. "Come on, Blondie, let's find the food. I'm starved. One of the crew said there's a table somewhere in the back loaded with goodies."
Hutch laughed and fell in step beside Starsky. Leave it to his brunet counterpart to think about food first and the job at hand second. It didn't take long to find the table in question. As promised, it was loaded down with a variety of food. Cold cuts, fried chicken, fresh veggies and dip, chips, all kinds of fresh fruit, two different pizzas, and an assortment of other appetizers. There were also bottles and cans of cold soda, light beer, spring water and juice.
"One of the perks of the job, fellas," a fellow roadie told Starsky with a wide grin.
"Do they have a spread like this after every show?" Starsky asked as he eyed the buffet hungrily.
"Yeah, it's one of the riders in Mandy's contract."
"Riders?" Hutch questioned in a puzzled tone.
"Yeah, little extras that the star requests as part of their contract."
"What kind of extras does Mandy ask for besides the buffet?" Hutch asked
"Separate dressing rooms with their own bathroom for her and the band. Strawberry scented candles in Mandy's dressing room. Spring water in both dressing rooms before the show. A professional to do Mandy's hair and makeup and an emergency seamstress on hand in case a costume needs a quick repair or adjustment."
The roadie snorted and shook his head as he added. "Hell, you should see some of the things the big shots ask for in their riders. They ask for certain brands of toilet paper or a certain color on the walls, even new socks or underwear. Jennifer Lopez wants everything around her to be white, furniture, walls, carpets, paint, you name it. It has to be white. And I heard that some big rock star wanted a bowl of M & M's with all the brown ones removed. The bigger the name, the more way out there the riders can be."
"Seems like it wouldn't be hard to get used to that kinda thing," Starsky said as he began helping himself to the food.
"Yeah, well the down side is all the time you spend on the road, going from town to town, living on a bus with five or six other people, sometimes more. Missing your family, missing holidays, birthdays, anniversaries…" the seasoned roadie shook his head as a wistful smile tugged at his lips.
"It has to be hard on a marriage." Hutch noted
"It is. Most of us have been divorced at least once…some of us three or four times. It goes with job. And then you have the groupies…that's not good for any marriage. Especially if you happen to catch some creepy crawly and take it home to your better half."
"Ouch," Hutch said "I can see where that could kill a marriage."
The roadie eyed Hutch with a knowing look "Just wait, Blondie. With your looks, you're gonna have them creaming in their jeans and tossing their panties on stage."
Hutch blushed self consciously. "They don't really do that, do they?"
The roadie cackled "You better believe they do, sometimes they toss more than that. Hell, we used to have one groupie that followed us around and stood in front of the stage flashing her tits whenever we were on…till one night she flashed a little more than that and got banned from the shows."
Starsky and Hutch exchanged an amused glance. Even cops had their fair share of groupies. Hutch had a groupie who almost got him killed when she found out he was a cop. He was undercover on a case and she blew his cover. She also made an embarrassing call to Captain Dobey that took some fast explaining on Hutch's part.
Starsky had run up against a groupie who wanted to make a plaster cast of his 'family jewels' as a keepsake to remember the occasion. Hutch still teased him about that one. They had even shared a groupie or two in their time.
"So, when do we pull out for the next show?" Hutch asked as he began to fill his plate with fresh fruit and veggies. "In the morning?"
The roadie laughed and shook his head in amusement. "Hell, no. We pull out in a couple of hours as soon as we have the trucks loaded. We drive all night to get to the next venue and then sleep for a couple of hours before the show. Since you two are new, you'll either have to sleep in your own vehicle or in the back of one of the semis. We'll do a sound check and a rehearsal about three hours before show time. Then we do it all over again from now until the end of the tour."
Hutch sighed. He was beginning to see how hectic and taxing a life on the road could be. And it would be even more hectic for a relatively new artist like Mandy who had to do one date after another to build up a fan base. On the flip side, an older more established artist could take fewer dates for more money or fly to their shows instead of traveling on the bus all the time. Hutch was beginning to see that the road was a world of its own with time honored rules and routines that needed to be followed.
Everyone had their own job to do, and they all had to work together to put on a good show. But, the real burden fell on the shoulders of the performer. They had to get out there and put on a good show even if they were tired, sick or didn't feel like being on stage that night. He'd heard of performers who did a show and then collapsed from illness or fatigue after they walked off stage. And the audience had been none the wiser, not seeing the truth hiding behind the smile and the jokes.
Being a cop might be a twenty-four hour a day job, sometimes going weeks without any time off, but at least Hutch was able to sleep in the same bed every night (at least most of the time). He found himself gaining a new perspective and respect for the artists who made their living making the music.
Starsky and Hutch found a quiet corner of the room where they could eat and talk in private.
"It's not going to be easy finding this guy," Starsky said glumly. "Between all the road crew and back stage people, not to mention the groupies that manage to sneak back stage, and the size of the audience, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Yeah. And I don't think Mandy or her manager is going to like the idea very much, but I think we need to tell them no more autograph sessions after the shows for now."
"I bet that's going to go over real big."
"Me, too, but we have to get some kind of order going and step up the security around here."
"Yeah, nobody is supposed to be back stage without a pass, but it can be done." Starsky said.
"I'm going to ride with Mandy on the bus to the next show," Hutch decided. "Since we're supposed to be a couple. Sorry about the short notice, buddy."
"Figures. I do all the hard work while you get to pal around with someone who looks like Mandy."
"Hey, if I had my way I'd be part of the crew along with you, not standing up there on that stage in front of those damn footlights making an ass out of myself."
"Hey, who knows," Starsky said with a huge grin, "Maybe you'll get yourself discovered on this tour. Could be the start of a brand new career."
"Uh-huh…no way," Hutch said "I'm perfectly happy with the career I have. Thank you very much."
"Then I could at least say I knew you when," Starsky teased him good naturedly.
"Yeah, well I'll give you the first autograph…on a ticket for being a smart ass." Hutch told him. The two friends shared a laugh as they finished their food and went their separate ways. Starsky went to help load the trucks while Hutch went in search of Mandy.
He found her relaxing on her bus. With her face scrubbed clean and her hair combed out smooth and flowing, she looked like the young woman she really was instead of the star she appeared as on stage. She was too young for Hutch under normal circumstances. He reminded himself solemnly that this was just another case; they weren't really getting romantically involved. They just had to make it look that way. Hutch had no doubt that he could play his part convincingly; he just hoped that Mandy could too.
"That was a great show," He told her with a smile as he sat down on the sofa beside her.
"Thank you. That's kind of you to say."
"I meant it. You have a good voice, and the fans like you."
"That's one thing about country fans…if they like you starting out; they'll stick with you through thick and thin. Even when you're old and over-shadowed by all the new stars, they'll still be coming to your shows and buying your records. They're a loyal bunch, that's for sure."
"So it would seem."
"You're not a die-hard country fan are you?" Mandy asked with a lilting laugh.
"I like it well enough, but then I like classical music and jazz and the blues, too. I really like just about any kind of music as long as it's good."
"Where I come from, Country is all there is…all that matters anyway. Everybody I know either sings or plays an instrument or both. Hell, my daddy played six instruments and had his own band when I was a little girl. He had me on the stage when I was four years old."
"So you were more or less born into it."
"I guess you could say that, What about you? Do you play anything besides the guitar?"
"Piano and the violin."
"A fiddle player, huh? You ever play any down home hoe downs?"
"Not where I come from," Hutch told her with a laugh. He could just imagine the look on Richard Hutchinson's face if he ever heard Hutch playing a hillbilly hoe down on the violin. As far as his father was concerned, any music that wasn't classical or jazz was just flat out noise.
"You got a girlfriend back home?"
"No, nobody special."
"Too bad. A nice looking man like you. I'm surprised some filly hasn't lassoed you and put her brand on you before now."
"Went that route once. It didn't work out very well."
"Maybe the next time you'll have better luck."
"Maybe…" Hutch let it go at that. After his disastrous first marriage, Hutch doubted if he would ever be ready to take that plunge again. He'd rather play the field. No strings, no promises, no expectations. Besides, most of his relationships never seemed to get very far. Being a cop played hell with his personal life. Too many broken dates, too many interrupted dates, and too many cold meals because he was late, and the women were usually out the door.
Mandy and Hutch continued to talk as the bus prepared to pull out for the next show, slowly getting to know each other as they prepared to pretend to be a couple in hopes of drawing out the stalker.