Ashley’s POV

“Okay, I think I found her.”

It was Jared.  Sean and I were eating pizza at Farinelli’s when he came running in all excited.

“Found who?” Sean asked with a mouth full of pepperoni.

“Found her.  The new voice of Atomic Passion.”

“You’ve got to find a new name,” I muttered from the corner, where I sat in the booth beside Sean.  Jared slid into the booth across from us and continued speaking, completely ignoring me.

“The girl from the bar.”

That got my attention.

“Wait.  Hottie can sing?”

“Yeah.  She’s pretty good.  Sweet.”

“Wait can she sing, or is she just good with her mouth?”  

I smiled at Sean’s question, while Jared looked annoyed.

“Both,” was his response.

I felt a little jealous.  She’d been checking me out.  I’d gotten the gay vibe from her.  Yet, she was giving Jared something to beam about.  L.A. sucks.  I bet this doesn’t happen in Chicago.  The thought made me want to puke.

“Okay, you guys.  That’s enough.  If you think she can sing you should get her to the studio.”

“Yeah, I invited her.  She’ll be there after lunch.”

“Great,” I mumbled, while Sean added an equally emotionless, “Awesome.”

We finished our pizza and wandered back to the studio.

I was on the phone with a hotel in Atlanta.  Elizabeth had been living in the hotel for about four months according to the boring Ex-boyfriend, Richard.  I was starting to think that he was completely wrong.  I’d found him only by luck.  I’d called the University and asked for a last known address for Elizabeth, and it had been his address in New York that they gave me.

“Oh, yes, Elizabeth Rivers is in the penthouse.  She’s been there a long while.”  The guy sounded Chinese, and not the boy who works at the Chinese restaurant Chinese, but the guy who just came from China last week, Chinese, and I was having trouble understanding him.

“Could you connect me to her room?” I asked.

“I can.  She never answer though.”

“Do you know if she’s there?  Have you seen her in or out today?” I asked.

“Never know.  She comes out at night.  I not here at night.”

“Okay, thanks, please just try to put me through to the pent house.”