Terror On Tour Chapter 10

Terror On Tour

Chapter 10

What do you mean? What is he going to do?

I think it has to do with Seth and his time as a student at U of T, I said. As the elevator descended, I related what I found when researching Seth. He was in the same music program as Dylan Price and Teresa Simmons, I went on. I think something happened back then.

The elevator arrived at the bottom. We hurried out and headed to the road. I had called for a taxi and soon one arrived

Quickly I said to the driver, we need to get back to the Auberge hotel.

The driver nodded and pulled out into the street. The traffic had eased a bit since my trip here earlier, but it was still crawling out on the main thoroughfare.

As we turned on to the street where the hotel was located, raindrops spattered the window of the taxi. The driver put on the wipers then I noticed flashing lights ahead.

Uh-oh, I thought as we approached the hotel. Sure enough there were 2 firetrucks, a police car and ambulance at the front of the Auberge hotel.

The driver let us off and Van and I got out and approached the entrance. The police had cordoned off the entrance, not letting anyone in. Hotel patrons milled around the entrance as well, huddled under umbrellas to keep out of the rain.

There was no sign of Corey or the rest of the band. Where were they?

I approached one of the police officers and he motioned me to stay back. Qu’est-ce qui se passe ici? I asked him. What’s happened here?

There has been a gas leak, the young officer remarked. We have evacuated the building.

Is everyone out of the building? I have friends that are staying here, a rock band. I don’t see them out here.

The officer whose badge read “Lemaire” pulled out his radio and spoke in rapid French. A few minutes later a voice squawked back. Lemaire turned to me, his expression grave. There have been some injuries reported due to the gas leak, he remarked. It has originated in the basement of the hotel, near a music room. Is this where your friends were?

Yes, I muttered. How serious are the injuries?

Lemaire spoke into his radio again and a few seconds later a voice answered. Not too serious. Only two members of your group have reported nausea due to the leak. They are being treated right now by paramedics. The others are being questioned. It seems you might know who is responsible for this?

I related what had happened so far on the tour and mentioned Seth Teller’s name as well as Chris Taunton-Reeves being his accomplice. There was a third person involved—a Billy Bob Morrow.

Lemaire’s radio squawked again and then he turned to us. Mr. Taunton-Reeves has been arrested. This is the gentleman with the tattoo of a serpent—snake on his head, no?

I nodded.

He was found at the scene of the gas leak and is being questioned by authorities, Lemaire went on. He was alone, no sign of Mr. Teller or Mr. Morrow.

Can we go and see our friends now?, I asked Officer Lemaire and he nodded. He led us to the entrance and spoke to the officer that was on guard at the door to allow Van and me to go down to see the group. The man led us to the elevator and took us to the lower level where more cops were milling around as well as a maintenance crew worked to fix the leak and do some air testing. The air was deemed safe but I could still detect a whiff of the gas vapour.

Justin! Van! A voice called out from down the hallway. It was Corey. He came up to us. You’re OK? He said to Van.

As OK as I ever was, Van muttered.

That’s great, Corey said with a grin. Look, guys, Teresa and Dylan are being treated by the paramedics. They’re going to be OK. I’m fine, by the way. Renny and Charlie are OK, too. It was pretty brutal, he went on. I could smell something like gas first but the guys said it was in my head. But then Teresa collapsed and we got out right away.

They’ve arrested Chris, I said. Snake tattoo guy. No sign of Teller, though. He must have planned this. He lured Van to the Eiffel Tower, no doubt figuring out I would find out about it and come after Van.

I’m glad you did, buddy, Van said with a grin.

With me away from the hotel, and you guys practising after the interview, which went well, I hope, he had the perfect opportunity to cause the gas leak.

It did, Corey remarked. But what happened at the Eiffel Tower? he added, concerned.

Tell you later, Van remarked. We have to find Teller. Any idea where he is, Justin?

I thought about it for a moment. I think I know, I said finally. And I think I know why he’s been doing this. I need to speak to Dylan.

We moved along the corridor to the music room where the paramedics were still treating Dylan and Teresa. They were both conscious, Dylan was walking around.

He nodded when he saw me. You heard what happened? He muttered.

You’re OK, now?

Yeah, just a bit nauseous, though. Still feeling the effects of the poisoning.

I need to ask you about your time in the music program at U of T. You were in the same program with Seth Teller, back before he had the mohawk?

Yeah, I told you already, Dylan said with a frown.

Yes, I know but something happened during your time there, right. Something to do with a grant?

Dylan nodded. We were offered a grant to get our band up and running. Seth was in another group and was up for the same grant. The X-Communicators, I think their name was.

But you guys won, right?

Dylan nodded. But why would Teller go to all this trouble?

To ruin your chances at a music contract and career, I said. A chance that he might have had if he had gotten the grant. You used the grant for your last band, the one you were in with Chris Taunton-Reeves?

Yeah, Dylan remarked. We used the money to start up the band, equipment and stuff. Some of it on promotion.

Then you broke up soon after, so the money was in effect, wasted?

Well, I wouldn’t say it was wasted, Dylan said defensively. It happens that bands don’t work out. We didn’t know that when we started out—say, we used some of that money to start up ComfortZone, he added. Maybe Teller is ticked about that.

I nodded. And that’s how Taunton-Reeves is involved. Teller recruited him because he was mad too, that you used the money to start ComfortZone. And that you are having success now—with grant money that they could have used.

No wonder he was mad, Van remarked.

Especially now that you have an album coming out and are on tour. He wanted to stop the tour and make TopFlight drop you guys.

So he cancelled our flight and hotel reservations when we made the flight after all, Corey remarked.

He was hoping TopFlight would be so annoyed at you guys for not making the tour that they would drop you, I remarked. They’ve been there every step of the way, which makes me think they had inside help.

And they almost did, Dylan said. We were silent for a moment. It was all making sense now.

So he sent us the poisoned fruit too, Corey said soberly. He was hoping that Dylan and I would both eat it and both be out of commission. He already took care of Nate and Sam back in Port Salser, but a band without its lead guitar and lead singer. TopFlight would have dropped us for sure.

Pretty serious, though to poison the fruit, Van remarked. One of both of you guys could have been seriously hurt—well, you were in bad shape, Dylan, he added with a nod to the guitarist.  Dylan nodded back that he understood.

But he’s still out there somewhere, I said. We have to find him. If he’s still out there he might be planning something more serious. Now that his buddy Chris has been arrested. He’s put all this effort into ruining your chances that he won’t stop now.

The all clear had been given for the hotel patrons to return to their rooms. We were all exhausted and returned to our rooms after talking again with the police.

It was now 9 pm and I was worried that Seth Teller was still loose. Van took a quick shower while I changed into jammies (tank top and gym shorts). One thing still niggled at the back of my brain. How Seth and his cronies had been able to keep one step ahead of us all along. He cancelled our flight from Toronto, so when that failed to deter us from making the flight to London, he cancelled our hotel reservations in London. How he known which hotel we were staying at? And where to send the fruit basket?

Seth must have had inside help from someone who knew the band’s itinerary. But who?