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Dear Readers,
I'm taking a break from the story hoping that I can create a more enticing tale. Thanks for understanding, Leslie.
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A Wildcat Fall 10
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“How’s that sound to you, Jack?” The musician looked straight into the glass window of the control room. He’d been frustrated trying to get a smooth, mellow sound out of his guitar and looked towards the producer to give him some feedback.

“It’s good, Spider. Do you want to hear it?”

The guitarist nodded and listened to the playback. He frowned and shook his head. “Nah. It still got too much edge. I’m not used to going for that easy tone. Man, soft sounds are hard to make. Can you lend a hand?”

Jack nodded and spoke into the mic, “Sure, Spider. You’ve got great talent, buddy. It’s just a mindset, and you’ll find it. I can show you some tricks.”

He stood up from his swivel chair, came around into the studio, and took the young musician’s guitar. He leaned in and fiddled with the controls on the amp, then reached into his pocket. Fishing out a glass tube, he slid it on his pinky. Using the glass as a slide, he slowly played exactly what Spider had been trying to do.

“Aw, hell, man. You make it sound so good. Seriously, you should record it and I’ll listen!”

Jack shook his head and smiled. “You know your guitar work is what gives The Deep their sound. You’re better than anyone. I’m just facilitating.”

“No, dude. You make everything look so easy and sound so smooth. I wish I could play like that.”

The producer smiled. “Hey, buddy. Those wishes will all come true. I’ll check back with you after you’ve played for twenty more years, and you’ll have it all under your belt, too. It’s just that I’ve been around longer and seen way too much.”

“Jack, I’ve heard you sing and play a dozen times with your band. You’re the bomb, guy. That’s why the record company sent us to record with you.”

Jack Dempsey handed Spider his guitar back and flipped the slide to him. “Keep that and play around with it until you get set to record.”

Jack stood there patiently and watched Spider try. The producer helped and encouraged him until the talented young guitarist had mastered the slide.

Spider looked up and smiled. “Yeah. Go ahead and give me a playback of the whole band, and I’ll see what I can fit into the song.”

“You got it. Give me a minute to ready the song, and I’ll give you a countdown.”

Jessica called Lisa. “Found him! And it wasn’t that hard. Guy’s got a Facebook page promoting a band he plays with, and he’s a producer at Electric Lady Studios in New York. It appears that he’s pretty successful.”

Lisa was already looking at his photo and reading a blurb from the recording studio. “He’s a worker bee. I’ll bet we can get tickets to hear his band play sometime soon. I’m going to call Richard when I hang up.”

“Don’t leave Teri behind.”

“Right. She’d freak if we forgot her. Thanks, Jessica.”

When Lisa called Richard, she was shocked to hear him say, “Whoa! No, Lisa. Let's let your lawyer investigate it. And let’s get Jessica to do a deep dive first. A serious background check - family history, a full chronology of his whole life. The man’s in his forties, and we need to know everything before we dive in. I’m worrying about addictions like drugs, alcohol, gambling, or women. And the guy could have a serious police record. All the stuff needs to be brought to light before we move forward. We don’t want to rush this. It might backfire on the Wildcats if the connection comes to light and the guy has problems. Let’s think about the band, too.”

Lisa wanted to argue, but hesitated. “Sure, okay. But can you direct all of this? I guess I’m just too close to what’s happening here.”

“Sure. I think you’re being smart.”

“Well, I hope Teri feels the same way.”

“I know that she’ll do whatever we want. She plays the ten-year-old, but there’s a sharp brain there.”

Teri immediately called Zoe after she got Zoe’s text. “Hey, your idea is awesome. And we can create a song where that melody should appear throughout the opera in different fashions and forms, just like a real symphony. And I love the idea of recited words. Maybe we can create more Haiku as the story progresses. I think it might be an interesting break between acts, like climaxes or hooks in the story.”

Zoe laughed. “I really like the way you’re mapping it all out. Put it all down on your word processor so I can get involved.”

Teri was nodding as she talked. “Sure. I love collaborating with you. And it’s going to give me something to do while I’m trying to heal.”