'That'll Be The Day' (Final Chapter)
That'll Be The Day, When You Say Goodbye
CHAPTER 1 • CHAPTER 2 • CHAPTER 3 • CHAPTER 4 • CHAPTER 5 • CHAPTER 6 • CHAPTER 7 • CHAPTER 8 • CHAPTER 9 • CHAPTER 10 • CHAPTER 11 • CHAPTER 12 • CHAPTER 13 (THE END)
Thank You All For Reading Along
Writing music-themed crime fiction can be a deep niche so it’s cool to find people who appreciate what I’m trying to do. Big thanks to those of you who went the extra mile and bought a copy of That’ll Be The Day.
If you’ve read any indie authors and liked their writing, leaving ⭐️s and reviews, sharing their books on social media, and even sending them a positive private note goes a long way.
Read The Sequel…
At this point I don’t plan to serialize the sequel, Good Girls Don’t.
But there are a handful of signed copies available exclusively through Big Stir Records.
Or you can get Print & eBook editions on Amazon.
That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist
by S.W. Lauden
Chapter 13 (Final Chapter)
Jack woke up in a motel room the next morning. He made himself a pot of coffee and climbed back into bed. The briefcase was on top of the dresser across the room. They’d given Jenna half the money, leaving him and Jamie with twenty-five grand each.
Flush with cash and nowhere to be, he decided not to stay at his little brother’s house. Jamie had enough to worry about without an ex-con moping around. But that wasn’t the only reason.
Truth was, Jack needed some time to think. He’d survived three years in prison by focusing on the money and his deadbeat father. The pure hatred that coursed through Jack’s veins became like an armor against the daily horrors surrounding him. Wound tight and often deep in thought about how he planned to exact his revenge, he moved through prison life relatively unscathed. It might have been a deeply flawed survival strategy, but it got him out in one piece.
But now what?
Jack didn’t exactly forgive his old man, although there was a certain kind of peace in knowing why he’d left. He didn’t plan to visit him again, but he did want to stay in touch with Jenna. She seemed to feel the same way, far as he could tell.
The confrontation over—bloodless as it was—Jack couldn’t figure out what to do next. Where to go. Who to be. Why it mattered either way.
His entire family was in Tulsa, but he didn’t feel any deep connection to the city he grew up in. He could probably head back to Memphis and get to work on the new album, but there was no rush since Jamie still had to write the songs. Or maybe he should head up to Milwaukee anyway, use some of his record deal money to reinvent himself. The options were almost limitless, but nothing he dreamed up seemed remotely appealing. Jack laid there sipping lukewarm motel coffee and staring at the ceiling.
The phone rang.
He reached over his gun on the nightstand to pick up the receiver.
“Yeah.”
“It’s Jamie. Did I wake you up?”
Jack heard a song playing in the background and immediately recognized it as “That’ll Be The Day,” the original Buddy Holly version.
“Not really. What do you want?”
“Jamie Junior’s got a doctor’s appointment this morning. Wendy would normally take him, but she’s got the flu.”
“Okay…”
“Any chance you could keep an eye on the record store? Should only be for a couple of hours.”
“What about your manager?”
“Alex quit. Said he’s moving to LA to start a band. I can really use your help.”
Jack didn’t have to give it much thought. Like it or not, this is what he did. Taking care of Jamie and Jenna was the only thing that ever truly mattered to him.
“Yeah. Okay. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“I really owe you one.”
Jack stood up, polishing off his coffee in the process. He slipped into his jeans and pulled the leather coat on over the T-shirt he’d slept in. It was the same outfit he’d been wearing for three days, and it was starting to reek. He made a mental note as he laced on his sneakers to stop by the mall that afternoon to buy underwear and socks. A pack of smokes went into his pocket along with his room key.
Jack was halfway across the parking lot before he realized “Please Please Me” wasn’t looping in his head.
He knew exactly which album he planned to play the minute he got to the store.
—The End—
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S. W.,
Well done. Just finished “That’ll be the day.” The story has some good twists and turns that I didn’t anticipate.
By mixing in the videos in the chapters you added a new dimension to the reading experience. I would start up the video, them would read while listening to the music. This is where ebooks and emedia should move. I’m slowly reading Paul McCartney’s book Lyrics in a similar way: I play the song, then read McCartney’s thoughts, listen to the song again, then go to the next song.
Looking forward to my signed copy of “Good girls don’t.”