Nashville Nights Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER ONE: - ENCORE, ENCORE!

  CHAPTER TWO: - SISTER SENSATIONS

  CHAPTER THREE: - IT’S A WRAP!

  CHAPTER FOUR: - THE CLUE IN THE CONTROL ROOM

  CHAPTER FIVE: - HEAVENLY SUSPECTS

  CHAPTER SIX: - A MYSTERIOUS NOTE

  CHAPTER SEVEN: - MIDNIGHT DETECTING

  CHAPTER EIGHT: - A NIGHT AT THE OPRY

  CHAPTER NINE: - A CLOSE CALL

  CHAPTER TEN: - NABBED!

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: - CAUGHT IN THE ACT

  CHAPTER TWELVE: - STILL A PUZZLE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN: - THE MARK OF GUILT

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN: - A DOUBLE DECEPTION

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN: - NOTHING LIKE A SISTER

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

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  Copyright © 2008 by FREAKY TWIN POWER. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. .

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  eISBN : 978-1-440-68807-2

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  CHAPTER ONE:

  ENCORE, ENCORE!

  “Good night, Nashville,” Aly yelled into her microphone. The screaming crowd at the Sommet Center clapped and cheered. Aly grabbed her sister AJ’s hand and they ran off the stage together.

  “Wow!” AJ panted as she tried to catch her breath. “What a rush!”

  “You bet,” Aly said as she snagged a bottle of water off of a table. She gulped it down. “But we’re not done yet!”

  The concert crowd was clamoring for more. Clap, clap, stomp. Clap, clap, stomp. The stadium shook as the fans clapped their hands and stomped their feet in rhythm to get Aly and AJ back for one last song.

  AJ grabbed Aly’s water and took a big swig. “Okay—let’s do this!”

  The girls raced back onto the stage. The crowd went wild.

  “We couldn’t leave you all without doing one more song,” Aly said into the microphone. “How about this one?”

  Aly and AJ nodded to their band. The drummer, Tommy, began tapping out the beat. Matt, the lead guitarist, and Jeffrey, the keyboardist, joined in. Soon the bass player, Malcolm, was playing along. The crowd went wild as they recognized the song “Walking on Sunshine.” It was originally recorded back in the 1980s by a band called Katrina and the Waves. Aly and AJ loved it so much they recorded their own version on their album Into the Rush.

  “I used to think maybe you love me, now baby I’m sure, and I just can’t wait till the day when you knock on my door,” Aly and AJ sang together.

  As they got to the chorus, AJ turned her microphone so it faced the crowd. “We know you know the words—sing it for us!” Aly urged.

  “I’m walking on sunshine, and don’t it feel good, hey!” The arena echoed as everyone sang the words of the feel-good anthem.

  They hit the last note and ran off the stage to thunderous applause.

  “I love ending the show with that song,” AJ said. “It makes everyone so happy.”

  Aly smiled. “What a great show! The crowd was so much fun. I love Nashville!”

  Their mom, Carrie, and their tour manager, Jim, were waiting for them backstage. Carrie gave them each a big hug.

  “Fantastic!” she exclaimed. “You both were wonderful. I was singing along the entire time!”

  Jim smiled. “Everything went off without a hitch. No problems. That’s always a good thing,” he said.

  “You can relax now, Jim,” Aly teased. Jim was young and just out of college, but he was very organized and always worried about things running smoothly.

  They all walked back into the dressing room. The girls grabbed a couple of bottles of flavored water before flopping on the couch.

  “Faith and Hope Walker would like to talk to you,” Jim said.

  “The new country music singing sister duo?” Aly asked. “They are awesome!”

  AJ nodded. “I love their single, ‘Nothing Like a Sister.’ It’s so cool.”

  “Bring them in, please!” Aly said to Jim. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

  Jim and Carrie left to find Faith and Hope. A minute later, the country music sensations walked through the door.

  Faith and Hope were dressed simply, in jeans, boots, and T-shirts, but they both looked beautiful. Faith had long, curly brown hair that fell almost to her waist, and dazzling green eyes. Hope had dark brown hair cut in a sleek bob and the same emerald eyes as her sister. They broke out into huge grins when they saw Aly and AJ.

  Faith let out a squeal. “I can’t believe it—Aly and AJ right before my very eyes! You all are so talented. I can’t believe we’re standing in the same room as you!”

  Aly and AJ stood up and smiled at the country singer sisters.

  “Same goes for us,” AJ said. “Mad props on your new single. I’ve got it on my iPod. It’s so sick it’s contagious.”

  “Your show tonight was amazing,” Hope said. “And I’m glad you like ‘Nothing Like a Sister.’ It’s the reason why we wanted to talk to you.”

  Faith nodded. “I know this is short notice, but we would love for you both to be in the video for the song. I don’t know how long you plan to be in town for, but we’re going to be shooting tomorrow. We need to have the video done by next Sunday night for the National Music Awards. It’s going to premiere then.”

  “Wow, that’s a big deal,” AJ said. Practically everybody in the country tuned in to the National Music Awards every year to watch singers and bands get honored for their songs and CDs. The hottest acts in music gave live performances between awards. And every year, the show aired a video from one up-and-coming act. Faith and Hope were lucky to have been chosen. Millions of people would see their video.

  “Since the song is all about sisters, we decided to invite other sister music acts to be in the video with us,” Hope added. “It would be real amazing if you two could do it.”

  Aly and AJ looked at each other, and their sister intuition kicked in. They both knew what the other was thinking.

  “We would love to be in your video,” Aly said with a bi
g grin on her face. “It sounds like a lot of fun. Are any other sister acts besides us in the video?”

  Faith’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “We’re waiting to hear from two really famous sisters. I’d tell you, but I don’t want to jinx it. Plus, if they agree, it’ll be a real surprise.”

  “Ooh, I like surprises,” Aly said. She looked at AJ. “What do you say?”

  “I love the idea of a sister-themed video,” AJ answered. “We don’t have to leave for our gig until Sunday, so we’ve got almost a whole week to spend here anyway. Let’s go for it!”

  Faith clapped her hands together. “Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “We’ll give all the details to Jim.”

  “Now how about letting us take you out for dinner tonight?” Hope asked. “When you come to Nashville, you’ve got to try some hot chicken!”

  “Hot like hot in temperature, or hot and spicy?” Aly asked.

  “Hot and spicy!” Faith said. “And we know the best place for it.”

  “I don’t know,” AJ said apprehensively. “Spicy doesn’t always agree with me.”

  Hope laughed as she linked her arm through AJ’s. “Don’t worry—they’ve got mild, too. Let’s go. You’ll love Nashville at night!”

  CHAPTER TWO:

  SISTER SENSATIONS

  “Music Row!” Jim said as he drove Aly and AJ through Nashville the next morning. “The home of country music.”

  AJ looked up from the guidebook of Nashville she was reading. “It says here that Music Row is the heart of Nashville’s music industry. It is home to record labels, recording studios, video production houses, and radio stations,” she said.

  Aly took a large gulp from the coffee she was holding in her hand. “I need caffeine this morning. We got to bed a little late, although I’m glad we went out with Faith and Hope.”

  “We have so much in common,” AJ said. “They’ve both been singing since they were little, just like us. And we like a lot of the same music, too. It will be a blast to shoot this video with them.”

  Aly nodded. “I know we just met them, but it’s like we’ve known them forever, right?”

  Jim pulled up to a large brick building. The sign on the front read NASHVILLE STAR STUDIOS.

  “This is the place,” Jim said. “I’ll pick you guys up later. Have fun!”

  Aly and AJ hopped out of the car and were greeted by Faith and Hope, who had walked out to welcome them.

  “Hey!” Faith called. “Long time no see!”

  “We are going to have so much fun today,” Hope said as she gave Aly and AJ a hug. “Let me show you where we are filming. The studio is huge—it’s like a maze!”

  Just then, a large black limousine pulled up behind Jim’s car. A chauffeur wearing a black suit and hat sprung out of the driver’s side and walked around the car to the rear passenger door. He opened it with a flourish, and three tall, beautiful young women stepped out of the car. They all looked a lot alike, with their long brown hair, dark skin, and high cheekbones.

  Aly grabbed AJ’s sleeve and tugged. “Do you know who that is?” she hissed in a loud whisper. “It’s HeavenSent!”

  AJ recognized the sister group right away. The R & B singers were superhot. Last month their single “Spotlight” had hit number one. AJ wondered if the sisters were going to be in Faith and Hope’s video. But instead of walking toward Nashville Star, they turned and headed for the building next door. They disappeared inside as the girls watched.

  “Wow!” Aly said. “Holly, Sabrina, and Eve in person. I’ve seen so much of them on TV and in magazines the last few months. Hey—they’re a sister group! Did you ask them to be in your video?”

  Hope nodded. “We did, but they refused. They said they were busy shooting their own video.”

  “From what I’ve heard, HeavenSent is one of the hardest working groups in the business. It seems all they do is practice, tour, record, and do publicity,” AJ said.

  “Sometimes it seems like that’s all we do, too,” Aly pointed out.

  “Right, but you need to make time for other things, too,” Hope said. “If I didn’t see my friends and family every few weeks, I’d be too sad to sing.”

  “True,” Aly agreed. “And a little chill time now and then is important, too. I mean, we’re musicians, but we’re people, too.”

  “Well, whatever HeavenSent is doing, it’s working,” Faith chimed in. “I’m sure they’ll clean up at the National Music Awards. I’ve heard they’re very competitive.”

  “Let’s get going,” Hope said. “Lionel is eager to get started. He’s the video director.”

  Aly and AJ followed Faith and Hope inside the studio building. They walked through a maze of hallways until they came to the soundstage where the video would be shot. It was a huge room with a high ceiling that had a network of lights hanging from it. A balding man with a beard was holding a clipboard as he talked into a phone. When he saw Faith and Hope approaching, he smiled and ended his call.

  “You must be Aly and AJ,” he said. He held out his hand. “I’m Lionel, the video director. It’s great to be working with you.”

  Aly and AJ both shook his hand as they said hello.

  “And I’m sure you’ll want to meet the other sisters appearing in the video,” Lionel said. “Let me introduce you to Cadence and Calista.”

  AJ and Aly looked at each other, their eyes wide and their mouths open.

  “Cadence and Calista Collins are here?” AJ asked in disbelief.

  Faith let out a giggle. “We wanted to surprise you. They’re in town for a month, recording a new album. Isn’t it great that they agreed to do the video?”

  “Great—it’s awesome!” Aly chimed in. “We loved their TV show when we were little.” She began to sing. “Welcome to the Fun House. We’re gonna laugh and giggle the day away.”

  AJ rolled her eyes. “Oh, no. Now she’ll be singing the theme song to Fun House all day! But seriously, we watched that show every Friday night.”

  “We did, too,” Hope said, smiling. “All of America did. Imagine growing up on TV like that? I think they were six when they started the show, and it lasted for ten years.”

  AJ nodded. “They were so funny on that show. And when they started their music career—remember how we bugged Mom to get us their album?”

  Aly laughed. “I promised to do the dishes for a month!”

  “It’s amazing how they transformed their careers,” Hope said. “They started out as child stars, then formed one of the hottest pop duos around. They’re on a different magazine cover every week. I couldn’t believe it when they agreed to do the video with us.”

  “It blew my mind,” Faith agreed. “We’re really lucky. Not only are they megastar sisters, but they’re twins, too. This video is going to be fantastic.”

  “Twintastic!” Aly said. “Remember—that’s what Cadence and Calista used to say on Fun House.”

  AJ chuckled. “I sure do. I can’t believe we’re going to finally meet them!”

  Lionel smiled at the girls’ excitement. “Come with me and we’ll make your dreams come true!”

  He led Aly and AJ toward the far wall of the soundstage as Hope and Faith went to get into costume. Two chairs were placed against the wall. In one chair sat a woman in her late twenties with a sleek blond bob with bangs cut in a straight line right over her eyes. She was talking on her pink cell phone. Next to her sat a woman who looked to be around the same age and build. She had her long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and wore large, dark sunglasses and a baseball cap.

  “Excuse me, Calista, Cadence. I’d like to introduce you to Aly and AJ. They’ll be appearing in the video today, too,” Lionel said. “This is Calista.” He gestured toward the girl wearing the baseball cap. “And this is Cadence.”

  Cadence gave a curt nod. She was still talking on the phone. In a quiet voice, Calista said, “Hi.”

  “I’ve got to get back to work,” Lionel said. “I’ll let you guys chat. We’ll let you know when your
scenes will be shot.” He walked off.

  Aly was so excited that the words just poured out of her. “Until Cadence got her hair cut, it was so easy to get you two mixed up—I mean you look so much alike. You even have identical heart-shaped birthmarks, right? On your shoulders? I know all this because I used to get your fan club newsletter. I’m sorry, I must be totally babbling!”

  Cadence let out a sigh. “I’ll have to call you back,” she said into her cell phone. She looked at Aly, and it wasn’t in a friendly way. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  Aly blushed. “I’m sorry; I know I was going on and on. It’s just we loved your show so much. It’s really a thrill to meet you both.”

  “Thanks,” Cadence said. But she didn’t smile or say anything else, and Calista just sat next to her, not saying a word.

  AJ tried to break the silence. “Calista, I loved the dress you wore to that movie premiere a couple of months ago. You know, the one that you said you designed yourself? It was so pretty.”

  Calista looked over at her sister.

  “Listen,” Cadence said. “I don’t mean to be rude, but Calista isn’t feeling well right now. So if you don’t mind, we’d really like some privacy.”

  AJ was taken aback. “Uh, okay, of c-course,” she stammered. “Aly, let’s go.”

  Aly and AJ walked away from the sisters. When they were out of earshot, AJ said to Aly, “That didn’t go so well.”

  Aly frowned. “It was certainly not twintastic!”

  CHAPTER THREE:

  IT’S A WRAP!

  “I know Cadence said she didn’t mean to be rude, but she sure was good at it,” Aly remarked. She and AJ sat in makeup, getting prepped for the shoot.

  “We were definitely dissed,” AJ agreed. “Maybe it was because Calista wasn’t feeling well.”

  Aly sighed. “I guess. It’s just that when I was little, I dreamed about meeting Calista and Cadence. I never thought it would be like this!”

  Tina, the woman applying their makeup, looked up from her brushes and bottles.