“Jesse, keep it in your pants!” I warned as Bridge snorted from the doorway.
“Dude, listen to your mom,” Bridge said with a snicker. Jesse rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, think you should all learn that!” Jesse shot back, and Johnno, who was entering, spun on his footstep and left the room. I began laughing helplessly. Jesse first noticed girls when he was thirteen and often teased the guys for having women on the side.
“Dave wants to see everyone in the dining room. Including you brat,” Bridge said, tossing a cushion at Jesse. My boy reached up casually and caught it before launching it back at Bridge.
“Sure,” Jesse grunted and clambered to his feet. I swapped glances with Bridge and knew I would not like what I was about to hear.
Chapter Eight.
To my surprise, the dining room was jammed packed. Nana and Jed were present alongside the band. Levi, Shee and Celt stood behind them, and Levi came to take Louisa from my arms. Ken sat with Jesse, and the two detectives, Lio Hawthorne and Phil Gold were next to Dave moving some papers around. Dave looked up as we entered with an air of grimness and resignation.
“What have you found?” I questioned, going straight to the point.
“Cheyenne, we think we’ve got him, both on camera and in mail,” Dave said, and I leant forward.
“A fan?”
“He was, not now. Man thinks you rejected him,” Dave replied.
“What’s his name?” Jesse quizzed.
“Colm Higgins. We have tracked Higgins’ back five years. At first, Higgins commented on the music and was full of compliments. Apparently, you signed several autographs for him, Chey. Higgins appreciated the time you spent with him. That turned into an obsession. About two years ago, the tone of the messages changed. Higgins stopped sending emails and began posting handwritten letters, which Higgins felt made the link between you more personal. That was when he hit our radar because Higgins spoke of a relationship between you.”
“And you just kept those mails?” Celt asked suspiciously.
“Yes, we keep every piece of mail sent to the band,” Ken confirmed.
“But that must be in its thousands,” Levi said, astounded.
“Millions, we enter each item of correspondence in a folder by surname. Most only have a poly-pocket because they only send one letter. People like Higgins end up with an entire file. There’s an office that deals with fan mail replies, and several girls work there answering each piece. Usually, we have a bog-standard response, but sometimes a more special reply is warranted. Such as a sick child or terminal patient,” Ken explained.
“The tone of messages changed?” Celt asked, sitting next to me.
“Yes, after six months of constant compliments and the affair building in his head, Higgins concluded he was in a personal relationship with Chey. The messages were flagged, and security was sent the file. Higgins destabilised the last eighteen months. He switched to intimidation three months ago. He saw Kye and Chey hugging and decided that Chey was cheating. The threats not only mentioned Chey but moved to Kye as well. The crunch point came when Chey didn’t sign his book at a concert and Higgins flipped the switch.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Nana murmured with a worried gaze at Jesse and me.
“Not at all. Higgins felt Chey had betrayed and used him and then thrown him away. Higgins swore vengeance and described several bad outcomes for Chey. Our team informed local police as we tend to do. Higgins made our hit-list of those we look for,” Dave said.
“How many are on there?” Jed asked, straightening his shoulders.
“As of today, there are fifty-three. We watch for who we deem operational risks against the band. Not every letter is against Chey, but the guys also get their own stalker mail. The threats are dispersed throughout The Wild Wind. However, there are levels of intimidation. Higgins, Tobias and a woman called Cara Montgomery are the highest level.”
“Who is that?” Lio asked, interrupting Dave.
“Cara is madly and completely in love with Saint or thinks she is. She has an obsession with Saint that surpasses much we’ve seen. But because Saint and Chey have hugged on stage and sent winks, Cara blames Chey for Saint not being hers. At the minute, Cara is serving six months for breaking into Saint’s hotel room, intending to seduce him. Cara was removed stark naked by security, who caught her red-handed. So we’re fully aware of where Cara is at the moment.”
“And this Tobias?” Lio asked.
“Tobias Urban, the fucker is out there; Mom has seen him, and so have I,” Jesse erupted. “He’s obsessed with Mom, even making up lies to claim he was my father.” Jesse sent Celt a look. Celt refused to respond to the taunt and sat back in his chair.
“Wasn’t there injunctions against Tobias?” Celt asked instead.
“Yeah, but we have to catch him. Tobias is more slippery than an eel. Asshole’s done time too. But I’m more worried about why Tobias has been seen twice since Higgins attacked Chey,” Ken said, drawing eyes to him.
“You think they’re working together,” I suggested, and Ken nodded.