Page 17 of Wild Idol (Tyson Wild Thriller #82)

S eascape Sound was a state of the art recording studio.

The owner, Dale, had converted a house on the beach into an award-winning facility.

With a magnificent view of the teal ocean, several soundproof recording rooms, and comfortable areas to lounge, it was quickly becoming a favorite among recording artists.

A secluded oasis to nurture creativity. A place to let your imagination run wild.

The futuristic white stucco house was elegant and refined. With black doors and trim, it had a clean, minimalist feel. Surrounded by lush green foliage, it had an infinity pool and a private beach. No expense had been spared in its construction.

Jack had kicked around the idea of recording the next Wild Fury album here.

We parked at the curb and made our way up the walkway to the front door. I rang the buzzer, but nobody answered.

I rang the bell a few more times .

Finally, an annoyed voice crackled back through the speaker. “We’re in the middle of a private session.”

I flashed my badge to the lens. “Coconut County. We need to speak with Brianna.”

The man hesitated. “Hang on.”

JD and I exchanged a hopeful glance.

The man’s voice filtered through the speaker a moment later. “She says, and I quote, fuck off .”

“That’s too bad. We’re such big fans. We just talked to Sable. I guess we’re going to have to take her side of the story as fact.”

I said it to get under her skin. I figured she was listening to the interaction.

Her voice crackled into the speaker a moment later. “What did that bitch say?”

I tried not to smile. “We can talk about it if you’ll open the door.”

The line disconnected.

JD and I exchanged another optimistic glance.

Some guy answered the door a moment later. I figured he was the sound engineer. It was the same guy we had talked to on the speakerphone. “Come in.”

He stepped aside and held the door for us.

We walked into the foyer.

The home was light and airy, with plenty of soft natural light flooding in through large windows.

He led us through the foyer, into the living room, and down the hall to the control room.

A giant SSL mixing board with knobs and faders was the focal point.

A large glass window offered a view of the studio room where the magic happened.

The control room was full of gadgets and equipment—compressors, equalizers, FX, you name it. All expensive vintage analog gear. Of course everything was getting recorded digitally on the computer. There was a large widescreen monitor atop a desk.

The control room was quiet and cozy.

Brianna sat on a leather couch against the far wall behind the mixing console, next to her producer. She was a fierce redhead with emerald eyes and a tight figure with all the right curves.

Two big guys hung out in the control room, along with the sound engineer. I figured they were her security staff.

“Let’s hear the shit she’s talking,” Brianna snapped as we entered.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been charged with arson and are awaiting trial,” I said.

“So? What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

I shrugged casually. “It seems like you’re treading on thin ice. You need to be careful. One screw up and your bail could get revoked.”

“I need to not talk to fucking cops.”

“No. You need to convince me that you didn’t have anything to do with the recent attack that turned Sable’s car into scrap metal and killed a woman. ”

“I didn’t have nothing to do with that.”

“There’s a lyric in your recent hit that says I kill all my rivals. Burn them up. I’m fighting for survival.”

She gave me a flat look. “It’s a lyric in a song. It ain’t real life.”

“Sure seems inspired by real life.”

“I draw from everything I experience.”

“Did you experience shooting a woman you thought was Sable and setting her car on fire with a Molotov cocktail?”

She raised an eyebrow. “No. But maybe I should write a song about that and take credit.”

“Tell me about the feud between you two.”

“Publicity. My people came to me with the idea, and I said let’s run with it.”

“Sable says you took the feud seriously.”

“I take everything seriously. I just took it as far as it could go.”

“How far is that? Calling her up, making threats? Murder?”

She laughed. “If the bitch can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

“You’re good about turning up the heat.”

“Damn right, I am.”

“Is that an admission?”

“That ain’t shit. ”

“Care to tell me where you were the night in question?”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“No. You don’t. But it’s gonna make me really suspicious if you start being evasive.”

Brianna exchanged a look with her two bodyguards. “When exactly did this occur?”

I told her the date and the approximate time.

“I was here in the studio. Ryan and Devin can vouch for me.”

I looked at the sound engineer, and he nodded. Devin, her producer, nodded as well. What else were they going to say?

I focused my gaze back on Brianna. “See how easy that was?”

She sneered at me.

“What about these two?” I asked, looking at her muscle.

“She was right here in this room,” the thick musclehead said, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.

Ryan nodded again.

“If you’re trying to figure out who wanted Sable dead, you need to talk to Eddie,” Brianna said.

“Who’s Eddie?”

“Eddie Valerio. He owns the Pearl Room.”

I shared a look with JD.

This was all coming back to the club .

“What’s his beef with Sable?” I asked.

“She owes him a fuck ton of money,” Brianna said.

“How much?”

“You’d have to ask him. But I heard it was half a ticket.”

A ticket was $1 million in street slang.

“But you didn’t hear that shit from me,” Brianna said, not wanting any part of the blowback.

We asked a few more questions, and I gave her a card. “Get in touch if you can think of anything else that might be helpful. Good luck on the new album.”

Brianna smiled. “I don’t need luck, honey. My shit is fire!”

Before we left, JD asked Ryan if Dale was around.

“No. He’s not here at the moment. Do you want me to have him call you?”

“Yeah,” Jack said. “We’re looking for a place to record our next album.”

Ryan smiled. “This is the best facility on the island. It’s got a vibe. That’s for sure.”

We showed ourselves out and decided to kill a little time before heading over to the Pearl Room. It wasn’t open yet. Eddie Valerio was next on my list of people to talk to.