"She saw me smoking in some music video of ours and called me every hour of every day harping on me until I quit," he said.
Reagan rummaged around in her purse for the sucker she knew was in there somewhere.
"And if he refused to answer, she'd call Brian," Sed said. "And if Brian refused to answer, she'd call me. And if I refused to answer, she'd call Eric. One time she called our manager."
"She's a bit persistent," Trey said.
Reagan laughed and tugged a sucker from the bottom of her purse. "So you traded one vice for another?" A folded up piece of paper fell into her lap when she lifted the sucker to Trey.
"Pretty much. Mom doesn't much care if I suck on suckers all day."
"Did the talent with your tongue come before or after you started with the suckers?" Reagan asked him.
He wriggled his tongue at her, unwrapped his sucker, and stuck it in his mouth. "I've always had an oral fixation."
Reagan started to put the folded piece of paper back in her purse, but she noticed her name written on the outside and it didn't look familiar. She opened it and found a handwritten message inside.
You took what is mine, bitch. Don't think you'll get away with it.
She felt the blood drain from her face and the piece of paper tumbled from her slack grip.
"Reagan?" Trey asked.
She blinked hard and looked up at him.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
Trey retrieved the piece of paper from her lap and read it. His brow furrowed with confusion. "What's this?"
She snatched the note out of his hand and stuffed it into her purse. "Nothing," she said. "I'll be right back."
She headed to the bathroom with her cell phone in one hand. As soon as she was inside, she called Ethan. As usual, he answered on the first ring.
"Please don't tell me you're not going to be home tomorrow. I miss you like crazy."
"I'll be home. We're already in New Mexico."
"Okay, good. So what's up?"
"I got another message. Well, the same message again."
"Did you get the number this time? I never did get anything out of the phone company. Times like these I wish I was still on the force."
"It wasn't a text message," she said. "It was a note in my purse."
"In your purse? Reagan, that means this is someone close to you."
"Don't you think I realize that?" she yelled and realized how thin the walls were in this place.
"Who could it be? One of the band members? The crew?"
"I don't know. I don't even know what it means. You took what's mine. I haven't taken anything from anyone."
"It still sounds like a jealous ex-lover to me, Reagan. Maybe you should ask Trey if he's dated any psychopaths."
"Ha ha, Ethan. Will you be serious?"
"I am serious. Did you tell him about the last message?"
"No."
"This one?"
"He saw it, but I played it down."
"Maybe it's a practical joke. One of the guys messing with you the way guys mess with each other. Maybe the joker didn't realize how inappropriate it is."
"Maybe," Reagan said. Eric did have a strange sense of humor. Maybe he was behind it. It didn't seem like something he'd do though. Put saran wrap over the toilet bowl, yes. Send threatening messages to his bandmate's girlfriend, no.
"Well, stay close to Trey. Let him know you're worried about it. Bring the note to me tomorrow and I'll see if I can find any telling clues."
"Thanks, Ethan." Just talking to him made her feel safer.
"See you tomorrow."
She hung up the phone and left the bathroom to find Trey standing just outside. "So what did Ethan say?" he asked.
Caught. Reagan swallowed and decided to take Ethan's advice. "He said to tell you that I'm worried about this and that this isn't the first time I've gotten this message since I started dating you."
"What?"
"I got a text message a little over a week ago. Said the same thing."
"Why didn't you tell me someone was threatening you?"
"Because I wasn't sure it was real. I can't deny that it is now. That note had my name on it. It was in my purse. The message was exactly the same. Eric wouldn't pull a prank like that, would he?"
Trey shook his head. "Not his style. It's not funny."
"I was afraid you were going to say that."
"When did you get the last message?" Trey asked.
"The morning I called my father." She hadn't told him about that either. "Um, after your first concert in Topeka."