Page 40 of Edge

“Whatwould Alice disagree with?” The woman in questionentered the room with a wide grin. “Have we got fresh coffee in thepot?” She went over to the makeshift kitchen and sighed insatisfaction. “Ahh, coffee. I need.”

Jory watched as Aliceladled three teaspoons of sugar into the black, tarlike remains ofthe coffeepot and took a sip. Her smile of beatification made himsmile.

“You do knowthat stuff rots your insides and makes you shit all day, don’tyou?” he teased his friend.

She shrugged. “Don’tcare. It’s my precious….” She Gollumed out as everyone laughed.Alice getting her coffee fix was always entertaining. “So what isit I’m supposed to be agreeing or disagreeing with?”

“Jory being amoody bastard,” Bernard commented.

“Oh fuck, whata no-brainer. He’s a moody blighter for real.” Alice giggled. “Welove him to bits, but the man needs to chill the fuck outsometimes.”

As his fellow bandmembers roared with laughter around him, Jory felt whether it wasat his expense or not, it was good to hear. Deep down he knew whatthey’d said was true. He had been a pain in the arse. The argumentwith Damian, although resolved, and the constant threat of theemotional blackmail grated more than usual. The problem was Rogerdisappearing for two weeks and not telling anyone where he wasgoing.

Normally Jory wouldn’thave given a shit, but the pressure being put on him by hisboyfriend to resolve the diary situation and the niggling concernabout Roger’s state of mind was a factor. He still wasn’t a hundredpercent sure he’d go to the police, but if he got a lawyer who’dsend a letter to Roger regarding the legalities of stealing whatwasn’t his, and the threat of blackmail being illegal, maybe Rogerwould give over.

Jory’s life was differentthan when Roger first stole the journals. Jory had a publicprofile, money in the bank, and perhaps someone would take him moreseriously.

He also had something tolose, and the thought of Damian not being able to cope with thesituation anymore scared the crap out of him.

***

“Cornwall?We’re going to Cornwall?”

Jory loved the area; he’dspent many a wonderful holiday there with his parents and Lark, andas an adult, he’d gone surfing with his university friends. But itwasn’t quite the usual type of place Stone Edge playedin.

Sooty contemplated herbright red talons, as Jory called them, and nodded. “Uh-huh. Ispoke to Katie yesterday and she asked you to do a gig at the endof the month. You’re going to this amazing outdoor theatre calledTragurtha. It’s in Penzance.”

“Oh my God, Ilove Cornwall,” Hannah gushed, eyes lighting up. “So pretty, allthose cliffs and the sea, and let’s not forget yummy Cornishpasties. When do we leave?”

“Thursdaytwenty-eight October. We’ll leave on the bus around seven am, getdown there in time to set up for Friday night.”

Bernard’s eyes buggedout. “Seven in the morning? Jesus, kill me now.” He scowled. “Andan outdoor venue? We’re gonna freeze our arses off.”

Jory nudged him. Bernardwasn’t a half-full kind of guy. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Don’t youremember being woken up by your folks to go on a road trip? Mumwith the sandwiches and coffee flask, and Dad grumbling because hecan’t find the right map? The days before sat-navs.”

“And don’tforget the special kiddy goodie bag,” Alice reminded themexcitedly. “Always my favourite part of the trip.”

Jory frowned. “What wasin your goodie bag? I never got one when we travelled.”

“A packet ofcrisps, an apple, a box of raisins, a bottle of Ribena, a chocolatebar, and a puzzle game,” Alice said excitedly. “They were epic. Mymum always made sure I got the Word Search puzzle. It was myfavourite.”

Sooty sniffed. “I canassure you there will be no goodie bags for you on this trip. Ofcourse, I’ll be taking my own. A bottle of gin, a bottle of tonic,and plenty of pretzels.”

“Exactly whatis this event we’re playing at?” Jory finally managed to get a wordin edgeways. “It doesn’t sound like our normal gig.”

Sooty nodded. “You maynot remember the story, but Katie was a homeless teen for aboutthree years. She lived on the streets of Bristol. When she sortedherself out with the help of the homeless charity, The Doorway, shepledged she’d do what she could to try to help others like her. Shebelieved so much in it, she guaranteed every one of her artistswould play pro bono every first year of their signing.”

Jory narrowed his eyes.“I remember the clause. You painstakingly pointed it out to us whenwe signed. I thought it was a fabulous idea.”

“Yes, what alovely gesture,” Hannah murmured, eyes misty. “So this is thecharity gig?”

“Yep,” Sootyacknowledged. “All proceeds for the tickets go to a couple of localhomeless shelters in preparation for the winter holidays. All itcosts us is a few nights in a B and B, some food expenses, and ofcourse, while you don’t get paid, the same isn’t true for the roadteam.” She grinned wickedly. “They still need theirsalaries.”

“As long as wewear warm clothing up there, I’m game,” Bernard said gloomily. “Irefuse to bare my nipples on stage because I’ll lose them if Ido.”

Jory guffawed. “God, youare such a killjoy, Bernie. Yeah, it’s going to be cold. It’sOctober, you git, but dancing around on stage should warm usup.”

“I’m withBernie,” Hannah grumbled. “I’m going to freeze my tits off in anoutdoor arena. And I’m rather partial to them.”