The Rock 'N Roll Detective's Greatest Hits - a Spike Berenger Anthology Read Free

Don’t you have that list of tasks I gave you at the beginning of the week?”
    “I done all that, Spike! We’re in here twiddlin’ our thumbs!”
    “All right, I’ll be in after my shower.”
    “Oh, well thank God for that . We wouldn’t want you to come in before you shower.”
    “Turn off the intercom, Remix.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    It’s too bad Rap Metal played such a huge part in Danny’s musical vocabulary, although Berenger respected that the kid was occasionally into jazz artists like John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Rap, Rap Metal, and Death Metal were not high on Berenger’s list of favorite types of music. Call him a dinosaur. He enjoyed the “classic” rock of the sixties and seventies the most. Especially Prog Rock, a style of music that was frowned upon by music critics but enjoyed by a devoted legion of fans.
    Berenger went through the door that separated the studio from the inner hallway, skirted past his private office, and down to the bathroom. It was a fabulous setup on the second floor of the brownstone that was the headquarters for Rockin’ Security Inc. The ground floor contained Rudy’s office, the conference room, and other administrative offices that were primarily used to store junk. The second floor, where Berenger hung out the most, held his office, Suzanne’s office, and the studio/gym. Berenger liked to spend off-hours in the studio playing the myriad of instruments they kept on hand. Sometimes he’d roll some tape for the fun of it, especially when Charlie Potts came over and they hit a nice vibe together. The top floor was reserved for operations—the computer equipment and Danny’s hideaway was up there, along with Tommy Briggs’ office. Rudy had let Berenger have a lot of say when the building was purchased and gutted so that it could be re-designed from the inside out. Located on E. 68 th Street between Third and Second Avenues, the brownstone had needed a major overhaul anyway. Rudy had sunk most of his own money into the remodeling but they had made it back within four years. Rockin’ Security was the number one security business in the world of rock music. With branches in LA and London, the firm had a database of security personnel that could be called in for a single gig or a major tour at a moment’s notice. Bodyguard service was a specialty as well. Not many people knew about the private investigation operation, which belonged exclusively to Berenger, and he was happy about that. If he had to work undercover it was best that the rock ‘n’ roll world thought of him as an expensive bodyguard rather than a PI. All in all, the partnership of Rudy Bishop and Spike Berenger worked like a dream. As long as Rudy handled the money and the dealings with Uncle Sam and let Berenger handle operations, it was the best job he could hope for. Except perhaps being a major rock star, but that prospect went out with the bath water at least two decades ago.
    Berenger stripped and looked at himself in the mirror. He frowned at his bulky physique. No matter how hard he worked at it, he’d never get rid of that extra twenty-five pounds that had attached themselves to him in his forties and never let go. “Heavy set,” was how he’d characterize himself if he had to provide a description. Still, there was very little fat on his body. Most of the bulk was pure muscle. His daughter Pam once told him he looked like a wrestler. That was probably too true.
    He was a rather hirsute guy as well. The long salt-and-pepper hair he had worn in a ponytail since coming out of the army reached to the middle of his back. His facial hair was slightly darker but the gray and white patches complimented his blue eyes. The carpet of thick curly chest hair was nearly all white, oddly enough. Berenger wondered why that would be the first area to grow completely middle-aged.
    All in all, he was a good-looking man. At least the women he dated told him so. Of course, it had been months since he’d dated