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saying?”
    Cricket put her tiny hand on his shoulder.
    â€œI’m saying maybe you should go with Erlene and Clovis. It’s too important to miss. He’s about as big a client as they come.”
    â€œBut …”
    â€œI know what I said. I’ve changed my mind. Just be home before I leave so I can kiss you good-bye.”
    Erlene said, “We’ll keep an eye on him, hon. He’s safe with us.”
    Cricket said, “I trust him.”
    Clovis said, “I’m bringing my guitar. We’re gonna jam. You wanna know something else? It’s supposed to be a secret, but I heard that Mick and Keith are gonna drop by. Mick and Keith! That’s three fifths of the Stones. If John comes, that’s one quarter of the Beatles. If you miss this, you are out of your fuckin’ mind.”
    Bobby looked at Cricket and squeezed her hand.
    â€œAre you sure you don’t mind?”
    Cricket tried to act cool.
    â€œGo, have your fun. Leave before I change my mind.”

Chapter Two
    Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown
    Brian Jones’s address at 1 Courtfield Road, South Kensington was a beautiful mansion townhouse with twenty-foot ceilings. The stately brick building had a balcony over the grand entrance from which Brian could address the people on the street below like the pontiff on Easter morn.
    Bobby arrived with Clovis and Erlene. Brian welcomed them like old friends. There were several guests already there that Bobby didn’t recognize. Brian introduced Christopher Gibbs, an antique dealer, and Robert Fraser, an art gallery owner. Anita had invited one of her strikingly beautiful model friends. Bobby thought he’d seen her face on billboards around London. Blond, thin, and aloof, she had the same Anita Pallenberg–look that was so popular in London at the time. Anita introduced her as Claudine Jillian.
    Brian acted the ultimate host and flittered about refilling wineglasses and making conversation. Bobby declined all offers of beverages, mindful of Brian’s fondness for dosing people with drugs at his parties. At one point, Bobby snuck back to the kitchen and filled his water glass from the tap thinking at least that would be safe.
    Anita spoke German, French, Italian, and English, often at the same time. Brian filled a big hookah with hash and fired it up until billowing blue smoke filled the room. Bobby wondered what would happen if the cops happened by just now. Brian didn’t seem to care.
    Clovis sat on the floor and rifled through Brian’s impressive record collection of blues records. Bobby sat next to him, intrigued by what they might find. After all, this was the man who created the Rolling Stones. Clovis pulled out the album Bo Diddley’s Sixteen All-Time Greatest Hits and held it up for everyone to see.
    â€œMy favorite album cover of all time!” Clovis gushed. “Just look at this thing!”
    Brian took it from him and examined the front as he had done a hundred times before.
    â€œIt’s just big block letters on a white background. That’s it. No artwork, no nothing.”
    â€œThat’s the joke, Brian,” Clovis said.
    Bobby said, “Marshall Chess didn’t budget much for the cover art on that one, eh? What do you think? Thirty-five cents?”
    Bobby and Clovis broke up laughing. They thought they were hilarious. Brian just stared at them. He had every album Bo had ever made. It was not a collection he took lightly. Brian Jones had actually recorded in the same room that Bo recorded in at 2120 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. When the band first walked into Chess Records, Brian got the shock of his young life to find his idol, Muddy Waters, wearing overalls and painting the studio ceiling. Muddy had actually helped carry their amps that day, his face and hair flecked with white paint.
    Bobby knew Bo’s album covers were always mind-bending. Brian had them all: Bo Diddley Is a Gun Slinger , Have Guitar,