Chapter 63

“You said a couple of things,” Liz said.

“What was your impression of Geoff Granger?” I asked.

Liz held her hands apart.

“No different today than normal,” she said. “I’ve only dealt with him personally a few times and he’s always been very accommodating. Why?”

“Because I believe it is time to make him aware of what is going on at his label,” I answered.

“And you think he doesn’t already know?” Liz asked.

“I’m sure he doesn’t,” I said. “Liz, I listened to your conversation today. He treated you like you were a daughter more than just a cash cow for him. It was obvious that he didn’t agree with your idea to move your marketing away from the label but he said if you wanted to try it he would back you. That’s the sort of thing my dad used to say to me. If he understands how things really are ... I think you’ll find a very powerful ally.”

“And if he knows?” Liz wondered.

“I can’t see that we’ve lost anything,” I said. “If he’s involved then he might pull the plug on the idea if he finds out we’re aware of it. The goal is to blindside you along with the public. It’s going to lose some luster if one side is already in on the game. I’ve thought about asking you to tweet a warning to your followers.”

“Travis!” Liz said sharply.

I fell back to my familiar refrain.

“Please just hear me out,” I said. “I was thinking about something along the lines of ‘just heard a scandal rag is planning an outrageous story about me. Please consider the source before reacting.’ I don’t know. I haven’t really had a minute to consider this from all sides yet. But it’s crossed my mind and I wanted you to know what I’ve been thinking.”

“OK,” Liz said. “I know what you’re thinking. Now stop thinking it!”

“Fair enough,” I said. “But I reserve the right to bring it up again once I have an hour or two to really look at it. Now, about Granger... ?”

“You think he’d be on my side?” she asked.

“I don’t know him as well as you do, obviously, but it sounds to me like it,” I said. “I don’t see how it would hurt either way.”

“OK,” Liz said. “I promised you I’d do things your way so let’s call him.”

“Just a second,” I said. “Your promise ended when those idiots walked out the door. This is your decision and I’ll support you in whatever you decide. If you don’t like this approach then we’ll find another one.”

I got the half smile and a shake of the head.

“I wish I could find a way to stay pissed off at you,” she said.

“Keep trying,” I said, smiling at her. “I’ll piss you off enough that you’ll get better at it.”

“Yeah, well, maybe,” Liz said. She arose from her perch and knelt on the floor in front of me. She put her hand atop mine and wrapped her fingers around my palm. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you about this. I’m sorry that you had to force me to reveal this at all to you. I was scared that I would lose you if you found out. I was hoping that it would never come up again. But you were right. If Caley told Lillian then this is what I have to look out for.”

“How do you know Lillian ... Graves?” I asked, still unsure I had the last name right.

“She’s on my label,” Liz told me.

“Wait!” I said. “She’s signed to a deal with RFN? Are you sure? I looked at the roster and I don’t remember the name.”

“She’s never released a fucking thing,” Liz told me. She stood and sat beside me. I put my arm around her and she snuggled up to me. We were back to being on the same team, I thought. “She got a deal ... two years ago. Everyone knows McHenry is screwing her. He tried to get her as my opening act for this tour and I told him no way. She can’t sing at all. She puts her tits out and shakes her ass but she can’t sing. I’m the only one on this tour that gets to use her tits and ass to wow the fans.”

I chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

“And your boyfriend,” I said.

“I am definitely the only one that gets to do that,” Liz said.

“So he wanted her on tour with you,” I repeated. “Most likely to see if she could get corroboration for what Caley already spilled.”

“I’m almost positive you’re right,” Liz said. “When I told him I wasn’t going to use an opening act then he pushed for her to do backup vocals. I told him to drop dead. I don’t like her at all and she’s not riding my coattails to success. I had already secured the right to hire my own dancers and musicians so he was SOL.”

“So, we have two and probably three members of your management team seeking to undermine your credibility and appeal,” I related. “Does that sound right?”

“I’m not sure about Dewey,” Liz admitted. “I think he’s just an asshole. He’s never actively campaigned against me. Once I made a decision about something he would go along with it.”

“Except for the photographers in L.A.,” I noted.

“Yeah,” she said. “I think that was more about you than me. He wanted to show you how the job gets done since you’re such a dummy. He sent me an email today apologizing for his behavior and telling me hoped the severance from the label’s PR department wasn’t permanent. He said if I changed my mind or if you needed anything from the label in Dallas then all you needed to do was call his supervisor and it would be done immediately.”

“His supervisor, not him?” I asked.

“Not him,” Liz said. “He said that he understood why I might not want to work with him again but everyone in the PR department was still available for me anytime I needed them. I guess Granger called and laid down the law to them.”

“Do you want them to handle Dallas for you?” I asked.

“No,” Liz said. “I know for a fact that I don’t have to worry about you selling me down the river if it becomes convenient. I really do trust you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to remember that you have always looked out for me.”

“And I’m sorry my faith in you wavered,” I said. “I should have considered the mitigating factors before I convicted you. I think Nadia was right. You were a means to an end for those three. They concocted the plot and you just played along ... wittingly or unwittingly.”

“I missed you last night,” Liz said softly.

“I missed you, too,” I admitted.

“I mean, not the sex,” she added. “I missed the closeness. I missed my partner.”

“I knew what you meant,” I said.

“You missed getting laid by a superstar,” Liz joked.

“I jerked off,” I said. “I’m a superstar in my own mind.”

Liz’s laughter was full and rich.

“Let’s talk about how we want to approach Geoff and then give him a call,” Liz said.

We already knew Geoff Granger wasn’t in his office. He was on vacation in Hawaii with his wife and daughter. We found that out when the sleepy man had called us earlier in the day. His assistant had called him immediately when Liz had mentioned that she urgently needed to speak to the label head. We still felt bad about interrupting his time away from work but Liz had said that he rarely spent time there anyway.

“I’m sorry for interrupting you again, Mr. Granger,” Liz said when he picked up the cell phone.

“I’m happy for any chance I can get to sit down,” the man replied with a laugh. “They’re running me ragged! What can I do for you, Liz?”

“We’re in a complicated situation here, Mr. Granger,” Liz told him. “I’m going to let Travis explain if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” the man said. His voice had taken on the same grave tones as Liz’s. “It’s good to talk to you, Travis. I’ve never seen Liz look as happy and relaxed as she has the past few weeks. She’s a great lady.”

“Yes, sir,” I agreed.

“Tell me what I can do to keep that happiness going,” Geoff Granger said.

I let out a deep sigh.

“I will be the first to tell you that I’m naïve about the inner workings of your company,” I admitted. “But I’ve worked in a dysfunctional environment for the past few years and I know one when I see it.”

“Oh?” Granger asked. “What have you seen?”

I found it interesting that he didn’t get defensive or dismiss my assertions. I knew it was because I was affiliated with his largest draw but he still seemed genuinely interested in my opinion.

“It’s more along the lines of what I’ve heard,” I confessed. “I’ve corroborated everything I’m about to tell you so it’s not hearsay. It’s not a matter of seeing something I didn’t understand and finding fault in it because I wouldn’t have done it that way. I’ve spoken to Liz and her staff about things. I’ve done some independent investigations. I’ve found some troubling aspects and I thought as the president of the label and its largest shareholder that you deserved to hear about them as soon as we confirmed things.”

“Thank you,” the man answered. “I appreciate it. What has you concerned?”

“Well, obviously, Liz is my biggest concern,” I said. “It comes back to this morning. The reason that we wanted her media access determined solely by us is because we’ve determined that a smear piece is going to come out soon and we want to be the only people reacting to it.”

“A smear piece?” Geoff Granger asked rhetorically. “She’s weathered those before with our help.”

“Yes, sir,” I answered. “But employees of your label have never been confirmed as the source of the material before.”

I was greeted with silence for a long moment. Liz and I were content to let the man parse the information on his own.

“You said ‘confirmed’?” he asked.

“Yes, Mr. Granger,” Liz said.

I heard the man release his breath over the phone.

“Who?” he asked in a voice that was no longer jovial or concerned. He was angry.

“Lillian Graves went to great lengths to secure information that might be potentially damaging to Liz’s reputation,” I told him. “The story is ridiculous but it’s so harmful that we are worried about its impact.”

“What information?” Geoff asked. “We’ll get to Miss Graves in a moment but I’d like to know what we’re dealing with.”

I looked at Liz. She had been uncertain about revealing the true situation. She shook her head again.

“It’s ancient stuff from a decade ago,” I said. “Liz and some of her friends were in proximity to something horrible. Miss Graves ... well, she seduced one of Liz’s ‘faux’ friends. The woman in question took a series of events and tied the group to them. I’m sure you know about the time period I’m speaking about so you can imagine some of the events that happened around them.”

“I can,” Geoff said in a tight voice. “Liz, you know I opposed that deal from the outset. This is why! Those girls you were with are nothing but trouble and I knew it. But you were on board so I let myself be swayed. I wish I had put my foot down at the outset.”

“It isn’t your fault,” Liz said. “I wanted to lead that sort of life and I got caught up in it. I’m not proud of how I acted. Uh, I told them this evening that the deal was through.”

“Good,” Geoff said. “So, we’re talking drugs and ... other unsavory activity.”

“That’s part of it,” I said. “The story we’re hearing is going to link Liz to several criminal acts – each a little worse than the one before it. Caley Cross was the author of the story. She has told us what she could remember of the incident with Miss Graves. I can’t find any evidence that links them to what’s going to be alleged and believe me, I’ve looked hard. But a lack of evidence isn’t going to sway some people if they can make a name for themselves at Liz’s expense.”

“No, you’re right about that,” Geoff said with a heavy sigh.

“We’re not going to go lightly on Radio Free Nashville when the story hits,” I told him. “We’re going to reveal the source. We’re going to reveal the person behind the source. We’re going to tear down anyone that had a hand in this. I got the impression this morning that you really like Liz as a person so I wanted you to be warned. Liz isn’t going to be tarred alone.”

I got a mirthless chuckle in return for my candor.

“You know, my accountants have told me that Liz could probably buy the label and put us all out of work if she really wanted to,” the man said. “About a third of our bottom line can be traced to Liz Larimer. That’s why it is so important that we get her to renew her contract. I’ve understood this and I’ve made certain that the people she deals with understand it. That’s why we caved so readily on your concert demands.”

“My concert demands?” Liz asked in an angry voice. “I was handed a concert schedule with the relevant sections of my contract attached. This fiasco of a tour is your doing, Mr. Granger. I had no hand in it.”

More silence followed.

“That is not the impression I was given,” Geoff Granger said eventually.

“Then someone lied to you,” I told him. “If I had to guess, it was Mr. McHenry. He’s having an illicit affair with Lillian Graves. That’s going to be the first thing we reveal. It’s only going to get worse from there.”