The Hunt - Ch. 3 (Love, Again Side Story, Patreon Exclusive) (Patreon)

Chapter One / Chapter Two 

Chapter Three – Sharing Is Caring

“What do we know of Mr. X?” Robert started.

He helped Billy with the equipment, but after a while, he noticed that his help wasn’t really needed. He sat in an armchair and observed his partner.

“We should share, right?” Billy said, without stopping from pulling cables everywhere and connecting devices that looked pretty cutting edge from where Robert stood.

“Yes. Won’t we have a bunch of problems with the housekeeping? They might wonder what we’re doing with all this stuff.”

“We opted for the package that says that we’re so into building a new life together that we want to start fighting over who gets to vacuum and who gets to do the laundry. Until the end of our stay, no one will come in here.”

“All right.”

“Don’t worry. I have my methods to keep everyone away from our little love nest. Let’s say that whoever tries to enter even using a key will find that impossible.”

“They could just ask us about it.”

“And admit that they wanted to gain access to our temporary home without our permission? I think not.”

“You’re thinking of everything.” Robert was more and more intrigued by Billy. He seemed young, in those clothes and sporting that hairdo, so being so proficient at what he was doing appeared out of the ordinary, to say the least.

“I’m trying.”

“How old are you?” Robert asked.

Billy stopped and looked at him with a small smile. “Are we doing personal, detective?”

“I married you,” Robert joked. “Your age should be among the things I should know about you. You know, in case someone asks and you don’t want me to commit some unforgivable blunder.”

“Matt is twenty-five years old,” Billy replied promptly.

Ah, so he didn’t want to answer. Robert minded a bit and then reconsidered. Why did it matter? They were partners by chance, and if they were lucky, they would spend very little time together. He wasn’t there to make friends with a guy he would never meet again once their mission was over.

“Does the story with the coffee shop still holds?” he asked.

“Sure. You seem to have taken quite a liking to it,” Billy replied and winked at him.

Robert rolled his eyes theatrically. “It’s clear who the joker is in our relationship.”

“I’m happy with that designation.”

“I bet. What do you know of Mr. X?”

Billy fiddled with a sophisticated camera and sat on the bed. “He grew up in the Santa Clara orphanage until he was eleven years old. He moved from foster home to foster home after that, and then, at the age of fifteen, he died.”

Robert nodded. That was the same information he had on file.

“I doubt he has anything to do with the Second Coming, but he re-emerged, ten years later, under a different identity. A few things from his file at the orphanage helped me find his humble beginnings,” Billy explained. “Let me say that I’m happy that file is locked in your office.”

“He’s a man with interesting skills. How come he hadn’t made the file disappear?” Robert asked, not really hoping for an answer.

Billy frowned. “He did try.”

“Police stations aren’t necessarily the safest places in the world. I should have heard of a break-in anywhere near this file.”

“Indeed. I’m not sure if he knows you have the file.”

“So how did he try to destroy it then?”

He couldn’t see Billy’s eyes.

“Do you know what happened to the Santa Clara orphanage?”

“Part of it burned down several years ago … Wait, are you trying to say --”

“Yes,” Billy replied abruptly. “Seven people, adults and children, died in the fire.”

“And he did that? Are you sure? The police classified it as an accident.”

Billy nodded. “I don’t mean to brag, detective, but my intuition has served me well so far. I investigated that fire on my own. He was there. The night before, he replaced one of the kitchen staff, temporarily.”

“The kitchen burned in its entirety. And three of the people who died … they were the personnel working there.” Robert tried to remember the details.

“They should have been four. One luckily survived. The day before the fire, he had the strangest accident. He was riding his bicycle on an empty road, when all of a sudden, a car cut his way, made him lose his balance and end up in a ditch. He needed stitches in his right arm and suffered a concussion, so he was in the hospital for a few days.”

“You really did investigate,” Robert murmured. “But how do you know about the replacement? Since all the kitchen staff died in the fire --”

“An orphanage is not the National Reserve building, but there are accounts of ins and outs. I don’t think Mr. X knew of how his visit to the place while acting as a stand-in for the hospitalized kitchen worker was recorded.”

“You saw this document?”

“Yes. The clerk in charge told me that one of the kitchen staff informed him that a replacement had come in. Since he is the pedantic type, he wrote it down, and that was it.”

“So Mr. X had no knowledge of this?”

“It’s what I think. He would have made that disappear if he knew of its existence.”

“The room with all the documents burned in its entirety, as well,” Robert said, “but, by then, the police had already taken the file with the residents brought there in 1972.”

“Yes.”

“So he doesn’t know we have it.”

Robert sighed. How long was the list of people who had lost their lives at the hands of that beast that dared to call himself a man? Longer than he knew, than the police knew. That was a frightening thought.

“Do you believe in karma, detective?” Billy asked.

“It sounds like a logical concept, but so far, it doesn’t look like karma has any interest in coming and biting Mr. X in the ass.”

Billy’s eyes became unfocused as he stared ahead, at nothing in particular. “He rarely makes mistakes. The fact that he doesn’t know about the file the police has on him is one of them.”

“It didn’t serve us much, though. He just kidnapped Florence Clark,” Robert pointed out. “And who knows how many unsolved cases are part of his horrendous body of work?”

“Mistakes are a funny thing,” Billy continued. “It’s like if you’re a runner, and suddenly you start to stumble. You may try to gain back your balance, but your arms flail, and your feet don’t listen to you, and then you fall.”

“If that’s what you think, Mr. X stumbled years ago with the fire at the Santa Clara orphanage, and he’s fine and dandy as we speak. There’s no sign that he’s going to fall and make friends with the floor anytime soon.”

“I’m not talking about that mistake.”

Billy added nothing after that.

“Well?” Robert asked. “What’s the mistake you’re talking about?”

“That’s something I will share with you after we get to know each other better, my dear Ned. It’s a long story, and we have more pressing matters to deal with. What do you say?”

Billy moved in and out his Matt’s persona as he saw fit, and Robert found it entertaining, for lack of a better word. He took the camera handed to him. “Is there something I should notice?”

“Go to the window and take a look. See how far it goes.”

Robert stood up and went to the window, as advised. He brought the camera to the eye level. There was no need to fiddle with the focus knob, as there was none. At first, he couldn’t understand what he was seeing, but then he understood. Night vision came built-in, but now, he was no longer sure that what he was holding in his hand was a camera.

What it showed him was a topographic image detailing the landscape in front of him in specific detail. He could see far through it, by how things looked, but not in the conventional sense.

He handed it back to Billy. “Are you from the future or something?”

Billy grinned. “We’re going to catch this bastard, detective.”

“I hope you’re right. Now let’s get some rest. Unless you have a plan for investigating Mr. X’s whereabouts starting now.”

“No. He’s not home, and we need to wait for him to come back.”

“Is that a good strategy? What if he doesn’t come?”

“Don’t lose your faith, detective. This is the only home base I’ve ever identified as belonging to this scumbag, and as far as I know, he’s pretty attached to it. He’ll come.”

Robert nodded. Billy was at least several steps ahead, and now, he had a feeling that his only role was to be the police detective in charge of the case. No, he wouldn’t be satisfied with that. Billy might be needing him because he had been assigned the case officially, but he would prove more useful than that.

With that decision in mind, he turned toward the bed. “Matt, I think we have a problem.”

“What is it, Ned, darling?”

“It looks to me like there’s only one bed.”

To his despair, Billy shrugged. “It’s a honeymoon retreat. People start sleeping in different beds a bit later in a marriage.”

Robert groaned.

Billy patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll keep to my side of the bed; don’t worry.”

***

Billy could tell the detective wasn’t sleeping. He would have hit the hay immediately after taking a short shower and brushing his teeth, but, as usual, sleep didn’t appear in the mood to visit him anytime soon.

Could it be that Robert was that uncomfortable about sleeping in the same bed with a man? They stood far apart from one another, and the bed was large enough to make sure they could sleep without touching by accident, but the atmosphere was intimate.

They didn’t say a word, and each of them pretended to be asleep. But even in the dark, their thoughts felt as if they were tangled together.

“Not sleepy just yet?” Billy asked.

“No. It’s hard for me to fall asleep in other places than my own.”

“You don’t travel much, then.”

“Just when my job requires it. But please, don’t mind me.”

Billy hesitated for a moment but then decided that he should go ahead and grab the bull by the horns. “You can tell me, detective. Is this too much of a bother for you?”

“This? What do you mean?”

“This whole Matt-Ned thing.”

To his surprise, the detective laughed softly. “No.”

A simple word, yet it sounded amused and a bit provocative. Billy turned toward Robert and rested his head on his palm, his arm bent from the elbow. “I could have sworn you were put off by it.”

“Why would I be?”

If he said that he knew of Robert’s conservative family, would it be too much? Billy had a feeling his temporary partner didn’t care for nosy characters. “I don’t know. You’re a straight guy, so you might not be totally comfortable with this scenario.”

“You’re a straight guy, too,” Robert pointed out. “You took your time to reply. That’s not what you’re thinking.”

Damn. He shouldn’t forget that the detective wasn’t the kind to let many things slide. “It’s true,” he admitted.

“Then spit it out. I’m starting to think that you’re the one not completely comfortable with your own plan.”

“How come?” Billy shifted closer. “For the record, I take great pride in being a master of disguise.”

Robert chuckled. “A master? Who told you so?”

“Aren’t you a teaser?” Billy protested right away. “Everyone says so.”

“People who don’t know you, most probably.”

“Ah, you’re so raining on my parade. And I thought I had the twink act down to a tee.”

“At twenty-five, Matt, you’re hardly a twink anymore.”

“Is this payback for teasing you? You just called me old.”

Robert laughed. It was a pleasant change after getting to know the man. “Am I succeeding? Here’s my take, Mr. Private Eye. You’re younger than you think.”

Billy repeated the words under his breath. What were they supposed to mean?

Robert continued. “I’m glad we paired up for this mission. I believe I will have to guard you against your own enthusiasm at one point.”

“That’s quite the assumption.”

“Good night, Matt. Don’t let the bed bugs bite you.”

“Don’t be like that, Ned. It’s a nice enough place. I doubt they have bed bugs.”

The detective didn’t say anything more. Shortly after, as Billy listened, his soft breathing became deep and regular. Apparently, he didn’t have that much trouble sleeping.

Billy lay on his back, his eyes on the ceiling. He couldn’t see much, but his eyes had already adapted to the darkness, and now he could think of their next move without interruptions. Mr. X would appear back home during the following day or so. By the frequency of his short trips, Billy could determine how far away the place where he kept Florence was.

The shorter the range, the better, but there was no point in hoping for anything that would ease their task at the moment. Mr. X had to keep Florence in a location he could access easily. He could choose to spend the night at that place, but he would still have to run his business. Billy had followed him for weeks before, during his so-called vacation days, and he had noticed that even a scumbag like that had routines he preferred.

He had been away for the last two days, so tomorrow he would have to return. If not, they had to rethink their plan a little.

Another thing Billy counted on was that Mr. X wasn’t a total stranger to the honeymoon retreat. Even though the resort was mostly dedicated to the people lodging there, it wasn’t closed to the general public. Anyone who wanted to eat at the restaurant on the grounds, or use the spa, could do so. Since it was close to where Mr. X lived, he could come to visit the amenities. That if they were lucky enough to have such a character interested in not being a complete shut-in.

Those were details he hadn’t yet disclosed to the detective. Billy knew why Robert had sensed that he was a tad uncomfortable, but the reason was different from what the detective must have thought. That came mainly from the fact that he preferred to be in charge of his plans and act alone. He didn’t mind partners and others’ input on a situation, but once a plan was starting to make the gears of his mind turn, he found it difficult to rope anyone else in.

The detective would be mad at him, but Billy really needed to get things going his way. Afterward, he would be happy when they returned Florence to her family and put the asshole responsible for her disappearance behind bars.

Something else was bothering him and didn’t let him sleep. Mr. X would never divulge his business associate. He didn’t care about the people he worked for as he didn’t care about his victims, but it served his purpose to have the reputation of a man who would never talk about his employers. That meant that discovering who had hired him to kidnap the girl would be extremely tough.

Billy had yet to come up with a plan for that, and it bothered him. Covering the bases, working with what he knew, those things were doable. But once he met the complete unknown, he couldn’t let it go.

And yes, that meant that he couldn’t fall asleep quickly.

“Do I have to hold you so that you can sleep?”

The question took him by surprise. “Detective, I thought you were already sleeping.”

“I was, but your muttering woke me up.”

“Guilty as charged.” Billy was used to talking to himself when he needed to clarify the points of his plans. “Sorry about it.”

“So, would it help if I hugged you and held you tightly?”

“Now that sounded really romantic. The tooth-rotting kind. I thought it wasn’t your speed, detective.”

“Call me Ned. We don’t want you to slip up by accident.”

“Okay, darling. And no, you don’t have to hold me.”

“All right. But you missed your chance to tease me. If you had said ‘yes’, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“Ah, too bad. All right, my love. Let’s sleep.”

“Good night, sexy.”

Billy turned on one side, away from Robert. The last words had been spoken playfully, but a short unfamiliar jolt in the pit of his stomach at hearing them gave him pause. Maybe he really needed to sleep and focus on his plan.

***

Robert woke up, feeling better rested than usual. Intrigued with Billy, he had engaged in a bit of innocent teasing last night, but that had served another purpose. As much as he was involved with this case, his younger partner was even more. He could recognize in Billy some of the things that had convinced him many years ago that he wanted to become law enforcement and rid the world of criminals.

That kind of enthusiasm was good, but the portion size was just as crucial. Robert had wondered about his role in their shared mission. Billy appeared to be in charge, and it was clear for anyone with eyes to see that he was following a plan of his own.

At first, Robert had wanted to be upfront and ask Billy to share everything, but since they were nothing but strangers, he had strong reasons to believe that the plan would backfire. As things stood now, the private investigator acting as his partner was pretty relaxed and open around him.

The teasing going on between them was a double-edged sword. Robert enjoyed it, but at the same time, he could tell that it opened closed doors.

Sexy. Of all the words in the dictionary that could count as endearing terms to exchange with a better half, he had had to choose that one. Billy was, he tried to remember himself, plain and ordinary. It served him well since he could adapt to different personas and disguises with excellent ease.

And Robert found him … sexy. He didn’t find men sexy. He could admit to a guy being handsome, but that wasn’t what was going on there.

Billy didn’t match the definition of handsome, movie-star, celebrity image most people had about the term, either. But there was something about him, and Robert wondered if that specific something wasn’t just imagined and not necessarily real.

He had to stop his mouth from running like that. Billy most probably considered all those slip-ups nothing but teasing, but, for Robert, they were more.

They had a case to solve and a scumbag to catch. Trying to get in impossible situations with a temporary partner wasn’t part of the plan.

“Rise and shine, partner,” Billy said as he walked out of the bathroom.

“You’re a morning person, aren’t you?”

Billy shrugged. Robert’s face fell the second he noticed the gesture. Billy reached for something in his luggage and took out a pack of cigarettes. While seemingly lost in his own thoughts, he put a cancer stick in his mouth.

“You’re not going to light that up in here,” Robert warned.

Billy stared at him, surprised. “Oh, sorry, I was just thinking of stuff. I’ll go out on the balcony. But get ready, as we’re going to have the first breakfast of our honeymoon.”

Great. He had to be a smoker on top of everything. Robert had used to smoke like a chimney, but it was just one of those things people had to give up on. Not because it was an unhealthy habit, but because when someone asked you to do something out of their love for you, you had to do it, even if it was too late.

Still, the smell of burned tobacco sometimes triggered memories, not all good, but not all bad, either. Billy had closed the balcony door, so none of it reached him. Yet, Robert stood there for a moment, looking at his partner’s back and the familiar gestures, imagining the scent of burnt ash like the trace of a memory.

***

“Hey, guys!”

They were barely seated when a couple approached them. Most probably, they were the other gay couple Maddie had told them about. Billy stood up with a large grin on his face. The two guys wore floral shirts and white shorts, and both sported the biggest smiles. Anyone could spot from a mile that they were on their honeymoon.

“Hi,” Billy offered and took their extended hands.

“We’re Andy and Tyler,” one of them said and pointed out first at himself and then at his partner.

“So nice to meet you! We’re Matt and Ned,” Billy replied. “I’m Matt, and he’s Ned.”

Robert stood and shook the guys’ hands, but his face was as stern as always.

“Wow, what a grip,” Andy commented. “Did you arrive yesterday? We’ve been here for almost three days, and we already know everyone. So far, our honeymoon has been nothing but perfect.”

Billy observed his partner from the corner of one eye. The detective didn’t appear too happy about having company. He needed to remind Robert that they needed to blend in, so he leaned against his shoulder. “That’s what we also hope for our honeymoon.”

Andy continued to speak vivaciously, while Tyler stood there, with an arm wrapped around his partner’s shoulders and smiling. “We can show you everything. By the way, do go for the seafood whenever it’s on the menu. It’s really great, unless you have allergies, of course. I don’t recommend the French fries, though. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with them --”

“Sweetie, you’re going to make the guys all dizzy,” Tyler intervened and kissed Andy shortly. “Allow them to figure out some of the things on their own. But it’s true; the seafood is really tasty, you’d think this place was close to the ocean.”

“Thank you for the info,” Billy said and offered their new friends a large smile.

“I have a great idea,” Andy said. “I suppose you’d like to have the entire day to yourselves, but how about joining us tonight, for a little dip in the hot tub? Don’t worry, we called dibs already, and no one but us will be there at the hour we have in mind. What do you guys say?”

“Oh, we’ll be glad to --” Billy started.

“I don’t think we can make it,” Robert said at the same time.

Andy and Tyler exchanged a brief but meaningful look.

Billy laughed, feigning only partially embarrassment, and wrapped one arm around Robert’s. “Come on, darling, you said you would love to try the hot tub, the soonest we were here.”

“Yes, but … we also said that we’d spend a lot more time in bed.”

The detective looked downright constipated as he said those words. Billy looked at Andy and Tyler and could tell that they weren’t convinced of that being the reason in the slightest. Their smiles were already becoming a little forced, and they were probably thinking of an exit strategy without coming across as rude.

“Nonsense,” Billy hurried to say and patted Robert’s shoulder a bit hard. “We will be there. Just save us a spot,” he added with another, hopefully dazzling smile.

“Sure,” Andy replied, and his genuine smile returned.

Billy was about to work a little harder to put their new friends’ minds at ease when he noticed a man in his late seventies taking a quiet breakfast at one of the corner tables. He looked frail and his shoulders hunched, but the thumb of his right hand as he flipped through his phone had unnatural precision, given the age of its owner.

“Let’s talk later,” he said and stood up, the first signs of trepidation acute and hard to ignore.

TBC

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