Dak rubbed his chin. “You know what’s even easier than trying to look it up online?”
“What’s that?”
“You said Lacey knew them. Why don’t you show one of those pictures you have. I bet that she can tell you whether it’s Wiley or not.”
“Damn, Dak, you need to get back home so you can help me think things through. I suck as a detective.”
“Less than three weeks,” said Dak. “Do you think you can wait for me?”
“I’ve waited twenty years.”
After the phone call ended, Dak left his room to hang out in the crew mess area. A Twins game was on TV, and Leo sat swigging a beer along with one of the newer deckhands. He raised the beer in acknowledgment of Dak.
Dak settled into a chair at a table that doubled up to serve for both desk purposes and dining. He opened up his laptop and began to mindlessly play a game. It required little enough concentration that he could glance back and forth and keep an eye on the Twins’ progress in the baseball game.
He barely noticed when the deckhand with Leo said goodnight and left the room. Leo stood up, beer in hand and ambled over to Dak’s table.
He seated himself in the chair opposite and gave the cover of the laptop a light push with two fingertips. Dak looked up and then pulled the cover the rest of the way closed. “Do you want something, Leo?”
Leo raised his hands up behind his head and asked, “How’s the celibate life, bud?”
Dak leaned forward and hissed in a voice just above a whisper, “What the fuck’s wrong with you? At least have the decency to whisper. Do we need to talk about this somewhere else?”
“What’s wrong, Dak?” He spoke the name in a long, drawling tone. “Is that dick lonely, Dak?”
Dak growled and stood up from the table. “I shouldn’t listen to any of this. You’re too shit-faced to be reasonable, but if you insist on hashing it out, you’re gonna have to follow me to my room. And no, it’s not an invitation.”
Leo stood and pitched his empty can into a trash bin from halfway across the room. He deliberately swaggered as he followed behind Dak. He whispered, “I knew you’d miss me sooner or later.”
Dak opened the door to his room and gripped Leo’s bicep tugging him inside. He pointed at the chair and said, “Sit.”
Leo’s voice was still louder than Dak preferred as he said, “I’m not half as drunk as you think. My tongue is still in good shape. Do you need a little attention?”
“I don’t need any fucking attention from you. I brought you in here to make sure you still understand. No one is sucking my dick on this boat. Those days are over.”
“Does your boyfriend keep it locked up in a cage?” asked Leo. He reached out for the waistband of Dak’s jeans. “Let me see.”
“That would make you happy, wouldn’t it? Then you wouldn’t have to feel hurt because I don’t want your fucking lips and tongue on my body anymore.”
Leo growled, “I don’t need it anymore. He gestured toward the door. You know those new guys out there? Both of them have better cocks than you, buddy. And you should see them when they cum. Their eyes practically roll back into their heads. They love it so fucking much. They’re practically begging me to do it again the next day.”
Dak laughed. “And you’re good at making up stories, Leo. Both of those guys are married, and they aren’t cheating on their wives.”
Leo lunged at Dak, but he was so intoxicated that his efforts to pin Dak to the bed were unsuccessful. Instead, he fell to the floor and Dak pinned him to the carpet with one hand clamped lightly around his neck. Dak growled, “Don’t you ever try to attack me. If you do, I’ll wring that scrawny neck.”
With a voice just above a whisper, Leo said, “And you’ll get us both thrown off the boat.”
“And you’ll be in prison for ten years for assault.”
Leo started to squirm. “Let me go.”
“I will, but first, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna go to your room, grab a towel, and then take a long shower. While you’re in there, you’re gonna jerk off that little dick of yours until you cum. You’re gonna do that every day while we’re still on the boat. You can’t handle it when that energy gets built up inside. Do you understand me?”
Leo stared back into Dak’s eyes. He didn’t say a word. Dak responded by pressing his thumb tighter into Leo’s neck until he heard a cough. He asked again, “Do you understand me?”
Leo coughed again, and Dak loosened the thumb. He whispered, “Okay, fuck, just let me up. I’ll leave you alone.” Then he tried a half smile and added, “We’re buddies, Dak. Remember that? We’re on the same side.”
Dak pulled his hand back and pointed to the door. “Now, get out of here. Go take that shower. Until you take care of your shit, you’re a hazard to this boat.”
Leo scrambled to his feet and shut the door carefully behind him. Dak picked up his laptop and settled back onto his bunk. He realized all of the talk about cocks made him wish that Brody was around. Dak gripped his own package and pulled up a photo of Brody on the computer taken from his Facebook page. Dak reached out and traced a fingertip down the side of Brody’s face.
He whispered to himself, “I’m springing for a hotel room for an overnight in the cities when I return. I don’t care what it costs. Just you and me away from everything. Away from the river, the town, the ghosts in your house. It’s just you, Brody, just you and me.”
Dak sighed as he relaxed into his pillow while staring at the computer screen. Then he laughed softly when he heard the water in the shower. Leo was obediently following instructions.
17
Brody
Lacey took the photo from Brody’s hand and said, “That’s Clyde. I would recognize him anywhere. He was handsome, wasn’t he? You know, I see a little bit of you in his face, Mr. Sexton, even though the hair is very different.”
Brody brought one of the photos of Clyde and his lover to work to share with Lacey. He took one of them both facing the camera instead of kissing. It was easier to see their facial features so Lacey could attempt to identify them. “What about the other man?” asked Brody.
She held the photo closer to her face. The second man was looking slightly downward, so it was more challenging to make a positive identification. Lacey said, “It definitely could be Wiley Tarrant. I can’t say for sure, but it’s possible. As I said, they apparently hung out a lot together, so it wouldn’t shock me that it’s him in the picture. I always heard rumors that they were both gay.”
Lacey handed the photo back, and Brody retreated to his desk chair. He asked, “Do you know where Wiley Tarrant is now? I know his family is still running Tar-Mor, but he’s not one of the top executives, is he?”
“Wiley died,” said Lacey. “I think it happened at least ten years ago. I wouldn’t have known except a cousin works at Tar-Mor. They didn’t put an obituary in the newspaper.”
“He’s dead?” asked Brody. He looked at the photo and found it hard to believe that the two men who looked so happy and pleased with their lives were both gone. “Do you know what killed him?”
She shrugged. “I don’t have any idea. He was living off in California by then. I think I heard he moved to Palm Springs.”
Brody lowered his head. “I’ve got a good guess about it.”
Lacey, “Yep, there were plenty of rumors about that, too.”
“Maybe that’s why my mom didn’t tell me. It’s such a sad story. It would have torn her apart. She was so sensitive when bad things happened to people. Still, I wish I would have known I wasn’t alone in the family.”
“Would it have made a difference?” asked Lacey.
Brody shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I just wish she didn’t have to hide what was in her heart.”
When Brody arrived home from work, the house felt like home. Somewhere in the previous twenty-four hours, something shifted inside. He was no longer camping out at his mom’s house. Instead, he was home. He could feel it.
It was a relaxing and soothing sensation
Brody looked around and saw traces of his occupancy spread through the rooms. His towels hung on the racks in the bathroom, and his toothbrush was the only one in the holder. His mail lay scattered on the small desk just inside the front door, and his mugs were in the sink waiting for deposit in the dishwasher. Brody smiled when he saw the yearbooks from high school he’d stuffed into the bookshelf in the living room as he unpacked one of the boxes from his apartment.
He grabbed a bottle of unsweetened iced tea from the fridge in the kitchen and sat down on the sofa in the living room. Brody pointed the remote control at the TV with a smile on his face. He thought perhaps the worst of the grief was over, and he was moving into the next stage of his life.
Brody wondered how his next stage would unfold. He had a decent job. He had the potential for a boyfriend, and he had a beautiful house. Everything was in place. If he was living in one of Dak’s romance novels, he was ready for the happily ever after ending.
That’s when the phone rang. Brody didn’t recognize the number. He wasn’t sure of the location of the area code, but something inside told him that he should answer.
“Is this Brody Sexton?” asked the voice on the other end.
“Yes, who is this?”
“You don’t know me. My name is Lin Miro, and I live in Palm Springs. I heard news of your mother’s recent passing, and I send my greatest sorrow.”
Lin had an Asian accent. Brody tried to sweep through his memory to identify anyone in his mom’s inner circle who could be Lin. She often mentioned other librarians, but he didn’t remember any Asian names. His brief memory search came up empty.
“I have a big surprise for you, Mr. Sexton.”
“Big surprise?”
“Instructions from a will. I think you will be pleased.”
The story about Clyde Miller and Wiley Tarrant unfolded even further. Lin was a personal accounts manager for Wiley Tarrant. He had a sizable check to transfer to Brody, and he’d been instructed to wait until the passing of Brody’s mother.
“Why didn’t they tell me before she died?” asked Brody.
“I don’t know the personal circumstances. This is the last matter in Mr. Tarrant’s will to be settled. His instructions were to forward the final disbursement from his will to you in honor of your mother Sylvia Sexton. If you can share the required information, I will transfer the check to your bank account tomorrow, Mr. Sexton.”
It took only five minutes, and Brody found out that he had $100,000 more to his name. After he hung up from the phone call, he stared dumbfounded into the distance.
It felt like the world had rained good fortune from the moment his mother passed away. The juxtaposition tore a new wound in his gut. He wondered why his mother had to die for the events to unfold. He wanted to ask her more about Clyde Miller and Wiley Tarrant. Why did they hold money in limbo until she was gone? Brody tried to lose himself in programs on TV.
At 11:00 p.m., he turned out the lights in the living room and trudged off to bed. As soon as the light came on in the bedroom, the wedding band gleamed gold on the dresser. Brody blinked hard before opening the dresser drawer and sweeping the ring into it. Closing the drawer, he willed all of the mystery to go away. He didn’t want to live in the mystery books of his childhood. Life was good, and he decided that he didn’t need to know why.
Brody woke up an hour early the next morning. He planned for time to accomplish a small task before heading off to work. Pulling out his laptop computer, he navigated over to the Facebook app and pulled up Dak’s personal profile.
The information included was sparse. Dak didn’t spend much time documenting his everyday life for the world to see. However, he did post a small set of excellent photos of himself.
Brody searched through the choices and narrowed it down to three. Finally, he selected one, and he printed it out. By the time he finished the task, Brody had to rush through his morning shower and smear butter on a bagel before rushing out the door.
Lacey looked up when Brody dashed into the office, and she said, “You made it with a minute to spare.”
Catching his breath, Brody asked, “Did you find one of those frames I asked about?”
Lacey pulled a small black lacquered photo frame out of her desk drawer and handed it to him. “This looked like a good match for what you requested.”
Brody grinned. “Yes, it does. Thank you.” He sat at his desk and pulled out the image he printed at home. The quality was lacking compared to a real photo, but it was clearly Dak in the photo, and that’s what mattered.
With scissors from his desk drawer, Brody trimmed the sheet of paper so the picture would fit the frame. He slipped it inside and smiled at his handiwork.
Brody held the photo up for Lacey to see. She said, “There’s the lucky man! He’s very handsome. You’ve known him for a long time, right?”
“A very long time,” said Brody. “We’ve been friends since we were kids.”
“Oh, that’s very sweet,” said Lacey. She reached for the photo and said, “Let me try something.”
Brody handed it over. “What are you going to do with it?”
“Nothing. Just a quick check.” Lacey instructed him to squat down slightly, and she held the photo of Dak up beside Brody’s face. Nodding, she proclaimed, “The perfect couple. Here, hold on to the picture while I get my phone out.”
“Your phone?” asked Brody as he held onto the image of Dak.
“Yes. I want a picture of this. I’ll share it with you, too. Where’d you say Dak is?
“Somewhere near New Orleans,” said Brody. “He works on a boat in the river.”
“Then you can email it.” She instructed Brody to smile and snapped the photo. He grinned when he saw the results.
“Dak’s gonna love it. Thank you, Lacey.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Sexton, and I’m very very happy for you. The two of you look like a perfect match. When does he get home?”
“Just over two weeks.”
“And you’re taking a few days off?”
“I hadn’t really thought…” said Brody.
“We can run the store. You need to be with Dak. Go to the Twin Cities or maybe spend a few days in Galena. Get away and enjoy yourself.”
Brody beamed. He decided that he would follow Lacey’s suggestion. He pulled out his personal calendar and added two days off next to Dak’s date for returning home.
18
Dak
Dak handed Jeff a bucket. He said, “I hope you don’t mind me hanging out here. I was a little bored with the rest of the boat, and I thought you might appreciate some company.”
Jeff said, “I thank you for that, but I’m a loner by disposition. Have you ever thought of being an oiler, Dak? It might be an option if you’re looking for a small boost to your paycheck.”
“I’ve thought about moving up to a new position on the boat. I could use a little extra money. Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Working for Eagle Point, it’s good. A lot of companies put any old deckhand in the engine room, but there are stories about that turning out to be a big mistake. Since I spend so much time watching the dials and instruments, I know when something’s wrong, and I usually know where the problem is, too, so I can fix it fast. I’ve headed off a few serious issues in my time. They could have caused serious trouble down the road.”
From Dak’s point of view, Jeff didn’t do much more than endless cleaning. He kept the engine room spotless on his watch. He rarely joined the rest of the crew. When he did, it was usually only for meals.
“Do you have any family onshore?” asked Dak.
“Oh, yeah. My wife and I got married twelve years ago. We fell for each other in junior high. We have both a son and a daughter. They are great kids. I talk to them over the phone, and they are all over me when I get home. It’s such a fantastic feeling. I feel like a hero every time I get back home.”
“It’s not a problem bei
ng away for so long?”
Jeff shrugged. “I feel like I miss some things. I keep telling myself that I’m only on the boat for five more years.”
And then what?”
“Maybe I’ll go to community college to learn how to do a real job.” Jeff laughed. “I don’t know. The river seeps into your bones. I’m sure you feel that.”
Dak nodded “Yes, it does, but then there are times I hope to be away from it for a long time. I heard other guys say it’s a little like being in love. Some days you can’t stand her, but you know you’ll never leave.”
“That’s an interesting way of putting it, but fortunately, I can’t say I feel that way about my wife. I would be with her every day if I could. As soon as I open my eyes in the morning and see her; I feel like one of the luckiest guys alive.”
“I hope I experience that day soon,” said Dak. “I hope I do.”
Dak left Jeff to his work and headed for the mess area. It was still too early for meal time, but he decided to grab a little bag of chips to ease his growing hunger.
Leo was watching an old movie on the TV. He asked, “Hey Dak, how’s it going?”
“All is good, Leo, and how is it for you?”
“I can’t complain. I got to talk to my daughter this morning. She’s growing up so fast. I hate that I miss so much of it, but she’ll be in my arms within seconds when I get off the boat. She loves her dad.”
Dak made himself a glass of ice water and turned in the direction of his room. He was pleased with how docile Leo was after their physical encounter in his quarters. He suspected that Leo was even keeping his mouth to himself. Dak didn’t notice odd noises behind closed doors, and Leo spent most of his non-sleeping time watching the TV.
“I envy that. Will you be out here for dinner when it’s ready?”
“Yep, it looks like we’re on the same schedule.”
River Town Box Set Page 10