Part 12:
In A Fog
Kevin
walked to the bank of sinks against the far wall. Placing his cell phone on the
shelf above the sink he turned on the faucet and began scooping handfuls of
cold water into his face until it stung.
“What
the hell is going on with you man?” A.J. appeared in the mirror over his
shoulder, a concerned look on his face.
“Nothing
A.J., leave me alone.”
“Everything
was fine a few days ago, I don’t get it?”
“What
don’t you get?”
“I
don’t get that your nanny can call you out of the blue and accuse Kris of some
random thing and you believe her?”
Looking
up Kevin and A.J.’s eyes met in the bathroom mirror.
“Just
leave A.J.”
“Kevin,
when I went to rehab a lot of people made assumptions about me that weren’t
even close to the truth. So just promise me that you’ll research this out,
you’ll follow up on the things your nanny has told you and make sure they’re
true before you fuck up your families lives. ”
“You
guys.” The door opened letting in the roar of the crowd from the arena above.
“We have to get up there. The band has played the opening song five times
already. The crowd is getting anxious.” Brian looked back and forth from Kevin
to A.J.
“C’mon
Kevin.” Reaching out A.J. grabbed ahold of Kevin’s shoulder, squeezing it with
a small smile. “It’s going to be okay.”
*
* *
Kevin
was lost in a fog. Sleepwalking through the concert he barely heard the screams
of the fans as the group sang song after song, the loudest screams coming when
they launched into the hits from the new CD.
After
two and a half long hours the guys lined up across the stage, pausing for a
beat as the filmy red curtains emblazoned with the group logo dropped, the guys
falling on cue through the stage floor.
By
the time the curtain fluttered to the stage floor they were, as if by magic,
gone.
Once
they had landed safely beneath the stage they were moved quickly through the
underground corridors to the freight elevator that would take them back up the
main level where their dressing rooms were located.
The
mood was light and fun with Nick and Brian kidding around slugging each other
in the arm in a wicked game of flinch while Howie jumped on A.J.’s back
covering his eyes making A.J. steer them into walls and closed doors cracking
everybody up. And then there was Kevin in the middle of all of it his mind on
one thing……what the hell he was going to say to his wife?
Stopping
at the bathroom on his way back into the locker room Kevin slipped inside,
unnoticed by the other guys, closing the door behind him.
He
knew he would have a few minutes before they discovered that he was gone. There
were always throngs of people waiting backstage from radio stations and local
newspapers to contest winners and reporters from teen magazines to keep
everybody busy.
Quickly
spotting his cell phone, still sitting on the shelf above the sink he punched
in the digits to his home and waited for Leslie to answer.
“Hello.”
Her voice was his bright light out of the fog.
“Les
it’s me.”
*
* *
When
Kevin returned to the hotel his room was empty.
Kristin’s
bags still sat unpacked by the closet door, along with her jacket, which was
draped over a chair in the corner, so he knew she was still around. Just not
waiting for him in their room like she had promised.
Looking
around the room Kevin took a deep breath.
“Leslie
tell me again why you think my wife is doing drugs?”
“Kevin,
she’s been spending a lot of time at Mark Caudiff’s house.”
Mark
Caudiff, a prominent Tampa Bay Attorney lived three doors down from the
Richardson’s in their upscale gated community.
Mark
Caudiff was well known for the high profile cases he took on and won. He was
also well known around the community for being a womanizer and cocaine abuser.
The
first was well documented the second and third had become the stuff that
legends are made of.
Shortly
after moving into the neighborhood two years before, Kevin and Kristin had
attended a party at the Caudiff home. One look at the silver bowls of cocaine
on every table as well as numerous baskets of brightly colored pills being
handed out right and left to some of Tampa Bay’s most influential citizens had
Kevin and Kristin scurrying for the door never to return.
Aside
from a few friendly hellos on the street they never entered the Caudiff home
again.
“Mark
Caudiff, as in Attorney Mark Caudiff?” Walking into the bathroom stall at the
far end of the bathroom Kevin closed the door, securing the flimsy silver lock.
“Yes.
He started coming around the house after you left on tour. I really didn’t
think anything of it until last month when Kris started spending more and more
time down at his place. Coming home all hours of the night, and seeming sort of
out of it.”
“Fuck.”
Slamming a hand against the stall door Kevin felt his face getting hot with
rage.
“Why
didn’t you mention Caudiff the other night?” His voice was growing impatient.
“Because
I didn’t want you to be upset if I was wrong, I thought maybe I could talk to
Kris about it and talk some sense into her. But then the other night-“ Lily
stopped.
“What
about the other night?”
“Well,
the other night I saw her kissing him your driveway. When she came in-“ Lily
choked back a fake sob. “When she came in, she had white powder around her
nose. Kevin when I asked her about it, she just laughed at me and told me to
mind my own fucking business.”
“Give
me Mark Caudiff’s phone number.”
“Kevin-“
“GIVE
ME HIS FUCKING PHONE NUMBER!” Kevin’s voice boomed over the phone echoing off
the gray tiled bathroom walls.
“Kevin
you know how much I care about Kristin. I just want her to get help, I don’t
want Nate to lose his mother to drugs.” Lily gave Kevin the phone number.
“I
have to go now Leslie.”
Kevin
slipped out of the venue unnoticed but not before commandeering a car and
driver to take him back to the hotel where he now stood, alone trying to decide
what to do next.
Pushing
a hand through his hair he walked to the phone, dialing Mark Caudiff’s phone
number.
“Caudiff
residence.” A woman answered most likely one of his servants.
“Mark
Caudiff.” Kevin commanded.
“Mr.
Caudiff is in the sauna right now, may I ask who’s calling?”
“It’s
Kevin Richardson, his neighbor.”
“I
can have him call you-“
“Put
Caudiff on the phone, right now.”
“One moment Mr. Richardson.”
***
