Authors: Tracey West
Nashville Nights (7 page)
When their set was over, Aly and AJ headed backstage to thank Faith and Hope for the tickets. They found Faith and Hope in their dressing room, looking tired but happy.
“That was a fantastic show!” Aly said.
“Thanks so much for inviting us,” AJ added.
“You're welcome,” Faith said. “You know, when we're up there singing, it's like everything else melts away. I'm so happy onstage.”
“It shows,” Aly said.
Hope stood up and stretched. “Singing also makes me soooo hungry! Do y'all want to go out for a bite to eat?”
Aly and AJ looked at each other. They had promised their mom they wouldn't stay out late.
“But it's just for a bite to eat,” Aly said, reading AJ's mind.
“And we did have a nap today,” AJ added. “I don't feel tired at all.”
“Then you have to go out with us!” Faith prodded.
Aly and AJ grinned. “Well, when you put it that way, let's go!”
CHAPTER NINE:
A CLOSE CALL
Aly and AJ didn't totally dismiss their mom's advice. They made sure they were back at the hotel by midnight.
“This is an early night for us in Nashville,” AJ joked.
They slept late the next day and ate brunch at the hotel. AJ's cell phone rang. It was Hope. AJ put her on speakerphone.
“Good newsâsort of,” she told AJ. “The record company is going to give us the money to reshoot the video. We're still not sure if the music awards will air it without Cadence and Calista in it. But Maxine's working on them. That gal could sell sand to a man living in the desert, so we think we have a good chance.”
“That's great!” Aly said.
“We were wondering if you two could meet with us this afternoon at the studio,” Hope continued. “We have some new ideas, and we'd love to get your input.”
“We're there,” Aly said. “What time?”
“Two o'clock,” Hope answered. “Thanks so much! You two are the best.”
Aly hung up the phone.
“I'm glad things are working out.”
Aly and AJ looked up to see Jim standing by their table. He had heard the phone conversation with Hope.
“Me too,” Aly said. “Although I still wish we knew who had stolen that tape.”
“Hey, we forgot all about interviewing Parker Mackenzie,” AJ said. “We should try to do that today.”
“Listen, you guys only have a few more days in Nashville, so take some time to relax and have fun,” Jim advised. “Once we're back on the Hello Kitty bus, it'll be nothing but days of interviews and publicity. There are a lot of cool things to see in Nashville. Did you know that Gibson makes its electric guitars here?”
Aly's eyes widened. “Is there a factory tour?”
Jim shook his head. “Not in Nashville, but I hear the retail store is amazing.”
That was all Aly and AJ needed to hear. They could spend hours looking at guitarsâespecially Gibsons, some of the most famous guitars in the world.
AJ looked at her watch. “We have to meet Faith and Hope in three hours. That should be plenty of time.”
Jim grinned. “Great! I could use a little fun myself.”
Twenty minutes later they were surrounded by racks of gleaming electric guitars.
“Each guitar is hand-painted in the factory,” Aly said, admiring one with a bright electric-blue finish.
AJ was distracted by a wall lined with guitars painted in all different designs. One caught her eyeâa black guitar with colorful swirls and flowers painted on the body. The bottom of the body was cut out in a v-shape.
“No way,” AJ said, walking closer. “Is that what I think it is?”
Jim and Aly walked up next to her. “The Psychedelic Flying V,” Jim read from a sign. “Hey, that's Jimi Hendrix's guitar!”
“It's a limited edition,” AJ said, her eyes shining. “That is truly awesome.”
“I really like that one,” Aly said. She pointed to a guitar with a soft silver paint job, covered with a cascade of flowers.
“I think you have a shirt that would match that,” AJ joked.
A salesclerk in a Gibson guitar T-shirt walked up to them.
“Hey, it's Aly and AJ,” he said. He was about twenty years old, with a mop of blond hair, green eyes, and a Southern drawl. “My name's Tyler. It'd be great if y'all would play something for us.”
Aly grinned. “Just show us where to plug in!”
Tyler hooked them up with two guitars from the floor: the electric-blue one for Aly and a bright red one for AJ. They plugged into two amps, tuned up, and then launched into “Bullseye,” a track from their
Insomniatic
album. A small crowd gathered around as they played.
Insomniatic
album. A small crowd gathered around as they played.
Aly and AJ smiled at each other as they played. Playing in front of thousands of people was great, but it was just as much fun playing in front of ten people. They ended the song to a round of applause.
“Y'all sure can rock out,” Tyler said, grinning. “I hope y'all are havin' a good time here in Nashville.”
“Definitely,” Aly said. “But we've been here more than a week and we don't have any souvenirs yet.”
“I can help you with that,” Tyler said. He helped the girls pick out a Gibson guitar T-shirt for each of them. Then he showed them a case full of necklaces with different Gibson guitars. Aly and AJ each picked out one that they liked. Jim got himself a denim jacket with the Gibson logo on the front.
The time at the Gibson store passed quickly. They said good-bye to Tyler, and Jim drove them to Nashville Star Studios. They sat around a table with Faith, Hope, Maxine, and Lionel.
“Thanks for coming,” Lionel said, beginning the meeting. “I'm really excited about reshooting the video. I think it will be even better than before. Faith, why don't you tell everyone what you and Hope have in mind.”
“Sure,” Faith said. “First of all, we loved Aly and AJ's scenes with Brady and Michael. So we're going to bring them back.”
Aly smiled, remembering the cute models. “That's
totally
fine with us!”
totally
fine with us!”
“And we still have the stuff from the shopping scene, so Hope and I are going to use it instead of Cadence and Calista this time,” Faith said. “We just need to think of a way to bring the âsister' angle in.”
“I thought we could just try on a bunch of cute clothes,” Hope suggested.
AJ's eyes brightened. “I know! What if one of you is trying on some hideous outfits, and the other sister saves the day with really cute clothes?”
Lionel laughed. “That could be really funny.”
“And I hate to admit it, but it's not too far from the truth,” Faith said. “Hope is always saving me from fashion disasters.”
Aly was getting into the idea, too. “In the end of the scene, you could put on the outfits that you're wearing to your concert.”
“Perfect,” Lionel said. “Then we can cut to Aly and AJ running to get to your concert, and then show Faith and Hope on stage.”
Faith looked happy. “That's really good!”
“I like this idea a lot,” Maxine said. “It will show your fans how adorable you both are.”
Faith and Hope blushed.
“Thanks, Maxine,” Faith said. “But do you think the National Music Awards will still air it?”
Maxine winked. “Don't you worry about a thing, sugars. I'm working on it.”
“Aly and AJ, can you film on Friday?” Lionel asked.
AJ nodded. “Sure. That's our last day in Nashville.”
“And it'll be done just in time for the music awards,” Faith said. “Thanks so much!”
Lionel stood up. “Fantastic, everyone. I'll see you all Friday morning, six A.M. sharp.”
Aly and AJ walked out of the studio with Faith and Hope.
“I guess we'll be going to sleep early Thursday night,” Aly remarked. “It's time to say good-bye to our Nashville nights.”
“There's always tonight,” Hope said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Very tempting,” AJ said. “I was thinking maybe we should do some clothes shopping first. We could find some hideous outfits for the video shoot.”
“I've been so worried about the tapes, it feels like I haven't done anything fun in years,” Faith said. “We'd love to go.”
“We'll drive with the top down on the convertible,” Hope promised.
“Sounds great!” Aly exclaimed, and AJ nodded in agreement.
The girls walked outside the studio and followed Faith and Hope across the studio parking lot. Suddenly, a squeal of brakes pierced the air.
Faith and Hope froze, terrified. Aly and AJ turned to see a red sports car speeding through the parking lot. It was aimed right at the Walker Sisters!
“Faith! Hope! Look out!” AJ screamed.
Aly grabbed Hope by the arm, and AJ grabbed Faith. They pulled them back just in time, as the speeding red car barreled past them. They quickly ran back to the safety of the building.
Faith's face was pale white, and Hope was crying.
“Whatâwhat just happened?” Faith asked.
CHAPTER TEN:
NABBED!
Faith and Hope hugged each other, shaking. Aly and AJ exchanged glances. They had both recognized the carâit belonged to Parker Mackenzie.
“Let's go inside and sit down,” AJ suggested.
Maxine was running toward the front door when they came in. “I heard all the yelling. What happened out there?”
“Parker Mackenzie tried to hit Faith and Hope with his car,” AJ said. Maxine went pale.
Hope sniffled. “He would have hit us, too, if Aly and AJ hadn't pulled us out of the way.”
“This is very serious,” Maxine said. “I am going to call the police right now. Are you sure it was Parker?”
Aly nodded. “It was his car.”
Maxine disappeared for a few moments, and the girls went into one of the studio rooms and sat down. The Walker Sisters' manager appeared a few minutes later.
“The police will be here in a moment,” she said. “They'll be escorting you girls down to the police station to give a report. Aly and AJ, they'll need to hear what you have to say.”
Aly and AJ nodded. “No problem,” Aly said. “I'm just glad that everyone is okay.”
“Maxine, we think Parker might have stolen the tape, to get revenge on Faith and Hope,” AJ said. “Is it okay if we let the police know about that?”
Maxine nodded. “Tell them everything. I don't care about bad publicity. Faith and Hope's safety is the most important thing.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon with the police. An officer came to the studio and took statements from everyone. Officer Hill was a tall, graying man with kind, blue eyes. After he took their statements, he asked them to go down to the police station.
“This is a serious crime,” he told them. “If what you say is true, Faith and Hope could have been seriously injured, or worse. We want to make sure you're safe until we can locate Mr. Mackenzie and determine what happened.”
Luckily, the time at the police station passed quickly. The officers on duty were sympathetic about what had happened, but they were also thrilled to have two sets of sister singing sensations in the station. Aly, AJ, Faith, and Hope signed autographs while they waited for some news.
After about two hours, Officer Hill came to see them.
“We have Mr. Mackenzie in custody,” he told them. “Besides your statements, we interviewed some other people in the area who saw his car speed out of the parking lot. We've got enough evidence to hold him right now. We're also getting a search warrant for his apartment, so we can see if he has that stolen tape in his possession.”
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