On Tour

Chapter 32 - Vengeance

DAAN

Steven's words make me feel weak in the knees. Why does this man want revenge when I had nothing to do with his sister's death? I feel as if I'm choking and Steven supports me. The agent approaches a nurse, who nods at whatever he tells her. He motions for us to follow them and we enter a room nearby that serves as an office. Steven pulls a chair for me and I feel grateful since I don't know how long my legs will support me.

"Take a deep breath... Easy... I know this is shocking," Steven comforts me.

"Shocking is an understatement," I say after my breathing has returned to a normal rhythm.

"You really never heard about him?" The agent asks me and I shake my head. "What can you tell me about your ex-girlfriend?"

I tell him about Janet's struggles with her upbringing, her self image and deep depression. Even the time that I stood by her side in the hospital the first time she attempted to end her life. That's something I have told no one, not even Gabriella. I was the patient boyfriend, and wanted the best for her, but she refused to get treatment or talk to anyone. I had no other option, and with the biggest pain in my heart, I ended the relationship. I kept in contact with her, because I feared she would succeed in what she attempted before. Then it was too late.

"In conclusion, you were not in a relationship with her at the time she ended her life," the agent says while Steven looks around for tissues for my tears.

"I wasn't even in town when it happened. I was working at a festival and was a wreck when I got the news."

The agent asks me a few more questions about what happened in the wardrobe area. He reassures me I won't get in trouble for hitting Marv or Dustin, whatever his name is, with a baseball bat. According to him, I stopped things from becoming worse.

"Do you want some water or coffee?" Steven asks after the police agent leaves.

"No. Thanks. I just need to gather myself before I return to Gabriella's room. Steven... That time at the bar... What happened to Joel? Was it also him?" I ask.

"It's too early to know, but between us, it wouldn't surprise me if he had something to do with it. Especially since it happened in your hometown."

I feel so incredibly stupid because when I hired him, things felt odd. He appeared unannounced at the office for an interview and seemed to know details that only my crew knew. He said he'd met a few people and mentioned names. I didn't take it too seriously, because people talk, but now I wonder how he got that information. His papers were complete, and I needed people, so I brought him in.

"Did he also have to do with the lights rail, the staircase, Gabriella's laptop? I'm such an idiot. I hired him and his papers were fake. How could I be so reckless?"

"Don't beat yourself around the details. I bet half of the people who work in the crew have a past they want to forget and forged their documents. It doesn't make them bad people. I already mentioned the incidents we had to the police. They'll check on everything. "

"He shot Gabriella. The one person in the entire production who is kinder than anyone I know to everyone."

"And he'll pay for everything. How is she doing?"

I give him a quick update of Gabriella's situation as we walk outside the office. I then see Erica walking towards us. Tears have left makeup trails on her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

"I will be," she says while wiping her face, smearing the makeup even more. "I've been in crisis-solving mode in the past hours and it just hit me I could have lost people I care about. After I sent the first statement, it all exploded and I couldn't cope with the workload, so I had to call the office to ask for help to answer the press queries. Ozzie had gone into surgery and that played in my mind while trying to give honest and straight answers to reporters. I've just released a second statement saying they are all recovering and shut down my laptop because I just don't have the energy anymore. What's left is keeping the fans outside the hospital premises. The hospital security is complaining that they won't be able to cope."