Page 21 of Requiem

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“The afternoon of her first rehearsal, she shows up in tears. She takes me aside and explains that she went to the idiot Orchestra Director and begged him to swap our spots.”

“She did what?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Nobody turns down that kind of an opportunity.

Jeremy is nodding adamantly. “Oh, yeah. I confirmed it with one of my moles in the administration offices. She wanted out of that spot bad, but the asshole flat-out refused.”

“But why? If it was what she wanted …”

“Christ, Brett! Do I have to spell it out for you? She wanted third horn but they gave her principal. I wanted principal but they gave me third. You see where I’m going with this?”

I resist the urge to tell him to fuck off. I want to see if he’s going where I think he’s going with this.

“So you think management is fucking with you,” I deduce.

“I don’t think, bro, I know. The Director is over-the-top pissed off that I managed to sneak into the auditions right under his nose … and actually win. Now the little shit can’t fire me without a huge lawsuit on his hands, so he fucked me over the only way he could.”

Holy shit.

If I didn’t know how dangerous Jeremy can be, I might just laugh at the insanity of this situation.

“So, what are planning to do?” I ask at last.

“Not much, as it turns out. She’s taking care of it all by herself. The stupid bitch is a basket case before every concert and our new maestro hates her. The whole thing is just a ticking fucking time bomb,” he declares with a satisfied grin.

That’s my cue to leave. I’ve already heard too much. I drain the last of my beer and slide off the barstool. “Yeah, well, I’ve had a long day so I’m gonna head back to the hotel …”

He puts a hand on my forearm to stop me. “I heard that Philip Tonka is resigning as cellist of the Walton this season.”

Shit! I was so fucking close to a getaway …

“Well, he’s here in Detroit with us,” I begin, choosing my words very carefully, “but this will be his last concert for a while. He’s having some surgery that’ll have him out of commission for several months, at least.”

“Is it true that Julia is taking his place?”

I nod slowly, waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it finally falls, it falls hard and fast.

“I have to admit, Brett, I’m really surprised. I didn’t think you had it in you. I guess we’re more alike than I realized.”

The mere suggestion of that causes my blood pressure to spike. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I growl, sitting once again so I can be sure to catch every nuance of every twisted word he’s about to utter.

“First, you convince Mom to cut me out of the will so you can have it all to yourself. Then, you exclude me from your wedding. And now, you choose Julia, that whore who trashed my reputation, over me, your own brother. Dude, how do you sleep at night?”

I make a weak attempt to hold back but it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Ah, fuck it. I laugh. I throw back my head and continue to laugh until tears are streaming down my face and I’m getting over-the-shoulder glances from the regulars at the bar. Jeremy goes still in his rage.

“Are you for real?” I snap, wiping my damp face with the back of my hand. “You want to know how I sleep at night? You’re fucking delusional, man!”

His lips twist into a sneer and his eyes narrow. This is my second cue to leave and I aim to take it.

“Goodbye, Jeremy,” I conclude, getting to my feet. “Thanks for the drink.”

“We’re not done,” he informs me, grabbing my forearm this time. I raise my eyebrow, which communicates that he needs to get his hand off of me. He gets the message loud and clear, releasing his grip.

I turn and walk out onto the sidewalk outside of the bar, but my brother hot on my heels.

“Brett, I’m not kidding …” he calls out from behind me. “There’s more that we need to discuss,” he’s saying as he catches up to me and matches my brisk pace.

I stop and face him.