by W L Knightly
“Don’t think I’ve relaxed any,” Bay said. “I’m just taking a breath when I can. And when I find out who is doing this, I’m going to fuck up their world. You can mark my words.”
“All I can say is, you better find them before they find you.” Darek wanted to tack on, “if it’s not you,” but he let it go. Accusing Bay would only piss him off, and he sure as hell didn’t need him pulling a no-show in court.
“Likewise. Whoever they are, they might just decide to take out the cop and lawyer next.”
Darek wasn’t going out like that. He was going to find whoever this was, and then—well, he wasn’t sure. He knew that whoever was targeting the Zodiacs, their ultimate goal was to out them for their past crime, but hopefully, he could figure something out, and it wouldn’t ever come to that.
He pulled a shirt off its hanger and slipped it on, shuffling the phone from ear to ear. “Today’s the funeral. Are you going?”
“Shit no, and you shouldn’t either. Please tell me you’re not.”
“I’m not,” Darek said. “But aren’t you curious about who will show?”
“No, but I’ll have eyes and ears there. You know me, I try my best to stay in the know.” Bay kept himself in the loop so he could control everything. He was the ringmaster of his little circle of animals. More like a puppeteer.
“Yeah, I’m sure everyone’s figured that out by now.”
Bay laughed. “You just make sure that you’re watching that partner of yours. I want to know every move she makes that you can’t deter. If I need to, I can pull a few strings.”
“We need to get rid of these marks. We were stupid to think that they were a good idea.” He expected Bay to have something to say about it, but instead, he brushed it off.
“Just sit tight, Darek, and let’s just get through Monday. I know your ice princess ex pisses you off, so let me do the talking, would you? You will be speaking through your attorneys.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be ready.” Darek hung up the phone and pulled on his shoes. He was ready to go see his mother. He just hoped she was having a good day and was lucid.
The sky was clear and blue, and the sun beamed down on his shoulders as he left his motel room and went to his car. He had moved out of the fancy hotel that Bay had gotten him after Tad took his flying leap out the window from the twelfth floor.
He just couldn’t go into the building at the end of every day, remembering how it looked to see Tad go over that balcony railing. The motel he’d gone to wasn’t much, but it was clean enough and affordable. He couldn’t ask for more until he got his house back from Megan in the divorce.
He got in the car and headed out toward Pine Grove where his mother lived. Letting his mind drift, he thought back to when he was younger, to when he met the other Zodiacs at Camp V and things were still fun and carefree. Those few weeks before the incident with Emily Johnson were some of the greatest times he’s ever had. Back then, even Bay had seemed normal most days.
One night, he and a few the others had sneaked out of their rooms and met down by the counselors’ cabins. There was a break in the frosted glass of the bathroom window, and they each had taken turns watching Tits, also known as Counselor Katie Lewis, as she took a long hot shower with Counselor Richard, who everyone referred to as The Dick, mostly because he was an asshole.
The Dick had put it to Tits really good that night, and Darek had walked away from the wall with a raging boner, which he’d taken care of later, courtesy of a tube sock which he threw into the trash the next morning.
They’d gone fishing together the next day, competing for the biggest fish, and then that night, the others had tried to trick him into snipe hunting. It seemed to be part of the initiation into the group, but luckily, Darek had already heard of it. His grandfather had taken him out when he was younger. He’d tapped that paper bag with that stick for hours, and eventually cried when he didn’t catch anything. His grandfather had taken him into town and got him a malt as a consolation treat.
Bay had been impressed that he didn’t fall for it and said he was the first one who hadn’t fallen for it. Tad had apparently stayed out the longest when they’d done it to him. He had been so determined to catch a snipe, and then Bay went out and let him off the hook.
He recalled the retelling and how Tad had gotten mad all over again. He passed the cemetery road and wondered if he should stop by the service, but Hannah never knew they’d been friends, so he knew he wasn’t expected to show up.
He couldn’t help but wonder who Bay had planted at the funeral. If he had eyes and ears there, he had them in other places, and at other times, as well.
Darek kept on toward Pine Grove. By the time he arrived, he was finished thinking about the month at camp that changed his life. He headed inside the nursing home to see the woman who had given him that life to begin with.
Carla, the nurse on duty, took special care of his mom. She greeted him with a smile as he passed her desk and headed to his mother’s room. “You just missed her, detective. We sent her down to the community room for a puppet show. You can join her if you like. I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad day. We just woke her up, and she hasn’t had time to get assimilated.”
He wouldn’t know if she recognized him or not until she saw him. Some days, she didn’t know him at all. Others, she thought he was his father, which always stung the most. Every now and then, though, she’d know he was Darek, her baby boy.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll just go sit in the back and let her enjoy it.” He went down to the cafeteria and spotted his mother up at the front of the room in the audience. She was clapping her hands along with the others, but that didn’t mean she knew where she was or why.
Once the program was over, he walked over and asked her if he could take her back to her room.
She smiled. “I’d like that.” She turned to the lady beside her and tapped her on the shoulder. “Look at my handsome date. Isn’t he a knockout?”
She took Darek’s arm, and she felt as frail as a flower.
As they stepped away, he couldn’t help but smile. “Come on, Mama. Let’s get you to your room.” Darek had gotten used to her being like that, but he never knew what to would come out of her mouth next.
“I liked those dogs,” she said.
“The puppets?”
“No, the dogs. Did you see them? They could sing. I had a dog once that could sing.” She began humming a little song under her breath. “Oh, I can’t remember his name.”
“That’s wonderful, Mama. Do you know who I am?”
“You ask me that every time I see you. Of course, I do. You’re that man who comes to see me. I have to tell you, Mr. Blake, I’m a married woman. My husband won’t like this affair we’re having.”
Darek knew to take statements like that with a grain of salt, but he often wondered if any of what she said was true.
“I understand. We’ll be friends.”
“Friends are nice.” She gripped his hand. “I have a lot of friends here.”
“I’m glad, Mama. I’m glad you like it here.”
He sat with her in her room and talked with her as the hours past, losing himself in her reality. It was sure better than what he’d been dealing with the past few weeks.
3
Logan
Logan had never seen so many models and escorts together in one place, but with all the beauty in the room, no one caught his eye like Hannah. Tad’s sister had grown into a gorgeous woman, and despite her puffy red eyes, she looked like a goddess in her black dress.
Looking around the room, he searched for Zodiacs. He had wondered just how many of Tad’s old Camp V buddies would come to pay their respects. He looked for Bay first and couldn’t believe when he came up short. Usually, Bay wouldn’t miss a thing like this.
Then, he sank in his seat, wondering if Bay was going to have his head for showing up here. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to, but he really didn’t know the Zodiac protocol for burying
a fellow brother.
Surely, Darek had come. Logan couldn’t imagine the cop, who had always seemed like the most decent of the twelve, not showing up. Then again, he might have seen enough of Tad at the scene of his suicide.
He looked up at the closed casket and the portrait of his friend. What a waste. He’d heard all about Tad and his story and wondered if any of his friends had known about Tad being the victim of a pedophile ring.
Sitting there in that funeral home, he looked back to that time when they were all so young and vulnerable. Knowing what he knew now, he thought that something in those memories would suddenly click into place for him and give some indication that Tad was suffering in secret. But he couldn’t think of anything. It still didn’t make any sense.
One thing alone gave Logan peace: that he wasn’t the only fucked-up member of the Zodiacs. Tad’s story was way worse than his. Or was it? He shifted in his seat as memories of Bay’s taunting voice echoed in his head, chanting the teasing nickname he’d given Logan: Mama’s Boy. He buried that memory as quickly as he could.
Logan got the feeling he was being watched, and when he turned his head, a beautiful brunette across the room seemed to be scanning the crowd. Her face wore an expression of accusation and suspicion. A cold chill ran up his spine, as if he’d just seen a ghost.
The service continued a bit longer. When it finally ended and the crowd parted, a familiar man passed his aisle. Finn Wheeler. The Zodiac’s Pisces was one of the last people he expected to see because he lived in Los Angeles. Finn made eye contact and stopped to let Logan out in front of him.
As they headed to the back of the room, Hannah approached and took Logan’s hand.
“Thanks for coming, Logan. Could you wait for me in the Fellowship Hall? I really need to talk to you.”
Finn stepped forward and took her hand as she dropped Logan’s. “I’m Finn; I knew Tad through Logan. He was a good friend.”
“Then you should stay, too. Please?” Her eyes went back and forth between the two men, and Logan wasn’t about to tell her no.
He just wasn’t sure what Finn was up to. Perhaps he thought Hannah was as hot as he did. Finn was an introvert for the most part, but whatever he had cooking, he could surely land any lady he wanted down in Hollywood.
They stepped away to the Fellowship Hall and waited while a friendly old lady with a round, wrinkled face served Finn a piece of pie. She offered Logan a slice, but he politely declined.
Finn took a bite and groaned in appreciation. “I can’t believe you’re turning down free food. This pie is fucking amazing.”
“I had a donut for breakfast.” Logan had more pressing things on his mind than pie. “So, what brings you all the way to New York? And don’t say it’s because of Tad.” He doubted Finn would hop a plane for the occasion.
“I have business, actually. Something I thought I might ask you about.”
Logan raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh yeah? What’s up?”
“It’s a project I’m working on,” Finn said. “I need some steampunk pieces for a movie set. I thought about going in another direction, but seeing you here, I couldn’t help but wonder if you were interested or knew anyone who might be?”
Logan’s blood pumped faster, but he didn’t want to seem too desperate. “I would love to do something like that. You should come by the studio and see some of my work. Maybe we can discuss it?”
“That sounds good, man.” As they shook hands, something brought his eyes over Logan’s shoulder.
Logan glanced around at the pretty brunette. Now, instead of suspicion on her face, she had a cold, dead stare. She stood with a dark-haired man and two uniformed policemen.
“You know her?” Finn asked.
Logan shook his head. “No, but I overheard some of the others saying how the cops were here. They mentioned the crime scene.” He paused. “Yeah, I guess suicide is technically a crime. Anyway, from the sound of it, it’s no wonder there’s a closed casket.”
“I still can’t believe he did it,” Finn said, shaking his head, but not slowing down on the pie.
Logan frowned. “Maybe it wasn’t a simple suicide. Someone was after him. I’m not so sure he didn’t have a little help off that balcony.”
He wasn’t about to say what he was thinking, that Bay had someone help him off. The man had always promised to look after his Zodiacs, and with so much heat coming their way from the recent murders, Bay could have easily had someone take Tad out to make it look like he was the guilty one.
As the place thinned out, Hannah crossed the room. “Thanks for hanging out, guys. It would mean so much to Tad that you’re here. You knew him the longest, it seems.” She gave Finn a questioning glance, and Logan knew she didn’t quite know all the details of their friendship.
“Yeah, since we were kids.” Finn shrugged, still not mentioning anything about Camp V. Logan didn’t know how much he wanted Hannah to know, either.
“Were you in camp with my brother, too?” she asked.
Finn smiled. “Yeah, I knew him from Camp V. He was a great fisherman. He also knew how to fix the lawnmower. Do you remember that, Logan?”
“Yeah, Corgi couldn’t get it to start, but Tad knew exactly what was wrong with it.”
Hannah smiled sadly. “Yeah, he and my uncle spent hours out in the yard tinkering with lawnmowers and his motorcycle. I’m surprised Tad didn’t become a mechanic.”
Logan didn’t know what to say. She was obviously trying to be strong, but it felt like mentioning the uncle who had abused Tad made her a bit on edge, like she was trying to pull only the positive pieces from a dark puzzle.
“He was a good guy,” Logan said.
“Would you have a seat with me for a moment?” Hannah asked. “I really need to sit and have a cup of coffee. This whole thing has been so draining.”
“Sure.” Logan took her hand, and all three of them walked to a nearby table. Then he walked over to the coffee pot across the room and brought her some coffee.
She accepted the Styrofoam cup gratefully. “Thank you. It’s been a long two weeks. The police wanted to go over Tad’s life with a fine-toothed comb, so it took them forever to release him, it seems. Or maybe I’m just impatient. I don’t want to sound insensitive, but I want to get this nightmare over with. But I fear it’s only beginning.”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked, feeling panic churning in his gut.
Hannah frowned. “I think someone pushed my brother out that window. Maybe physically, but if not, I’m certain someone drove him to do it. Tad called me and told me that someone else murdered our uncle, and he told me that we were both in danger. He said someone was coming after us. He wanted us to get away, and he said Bay had found us a safe place to stay, so I know for a fact that Bay knows something about what happened that day.”
“You think it was Bay?” Logan was shocked that she’d make that accusation, even though he’d been thinking the same thing less than ten minutes ago.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I know he’s your friend, but it seemed like every time I thought Tad was getting away from that guy, his name would pop up, and then there he was, back in my brother’s life.”
“Didn’t Bay give him a job at his restaurant?” Finn asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, but I think those little offers of help were only to keep Tad under Bay’s thumb. I’m not sure what they had going on, but it couldn’t have been good.”
Logan looked at Finn and wondered if he’d tell Bay everything she was saying. Bay had always been especially short with Finn, but he took the abuse like he loved it. He was always the worst about kissing Bay’s ass.
“You really hate Bay Collins, don’t you?” Logan was amused but tried not to smile at the unfortunate moment.
“I know I shouldn’t let my hate for him cloud my judgment, but it’s difficult.” She sipped her coffee. “What I really want to know is, did you guys know anything about where my brother got that mark? The Capricorn symbol on his
shoulder? The police said it was found on a murder victims head, and the same branding iron had been used, but I know that my brother got that stupid thing back at camp when he was younger. Did you know how it happened, or why Tad let someone do that to him?”
Logan shrugged. “It was probably just a stupid dare.”
Finn leaned in closer and cleared his throat. “We were all pretty eager to show our manhood. Maybe with what happened to him, he needed to prove something.”
Logan knew that he’d had something to prove. He wondered if Finn did as well, and if so, what was it?
“Did you see any type of brands around the camp?” she asked. “Anything with those symbols?”
Finn shrugged. “Maybe. You know, there were a few Native American symbols around. Maybe he found something metal and heated it up.” He turned and looked Logan right in the eyes, as if to say, I’m covering for your ass.
“It was so long ago.” Logan shrugged.
“I’m trying to clear his name,” Hannah said. “That brand was a major link to those murders, and I know my brother didn’t do it.”
“He worked for an escort service, right?” Logan asked. “Maybe someone he was mixed up with sexually saw the mark, copied it, and then did all of this as a revenge scheme? It’s possible.”
“I guess.” She turned her head down and eyed the cup of coffee. “I just miss him.”
“I can’t imagine your pain, Hannah,” Logan said. “You’re a good sister, and I can see now why Tad spoke so highly of you.”
“He did?” She narrowed her eyes and wiped away a stray tear. “Thanks for sharing that. One of the last things he told me was that I wasn’t there for him.” She covered her mouth and turned away as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She caught her breath and then dried them with a tissue. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to hold it together. It’s just those last hours of his life; he was so broken. And scared. He was really scared. And I know you’ve seen the news about our uncle. I really thought Tad admired him, that it was a good time in our lives. If I had known that was happening to him, I would have paid closer attention. I would have done something.”