by A M Huff
“You were really out of it last night. I’ve never seen you that drunk before. What were you drinking?”
“I don’t know. I asked the bartender for something strong.”
“Well, you got it.”
Suddenly Justus felt self-conscious. He could not remember anything from the night before. He felt his cheeks turning red.
“Uh, did I do anything embarrassing last night?” he asked nervously.
“I don’t know. You only made out with a guy on the dance floor. You tore off his shirt and then yours and practically raped him.”
“No, I didn’t!” Justus’ face felt hot.
“Yeah, you did. If it wasn’t for Scotty dragging you away, Stumptown could have been shut down for indecency.” Marcus laughed.
“Oh, God.” Justus buried his face in his hands.
Marcus roared and sat back against the wall. “I’m kidding!” he said.
“Seriously?” Justus looked at him.
“Yes. You didn’t do anything but pass out at our table after you finished your drink.”
“Oh, you!” Justus slapped Marcus on the arm.
“Had you going there for a moment, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but it’s not funny.”
“What’s not funny?” Scotty asked and pulled out the only chair at the table. He sat down across from Marcus and looked at them.
“I was teasing Justus about last night,” Marcus said.
“Oh.” Scotty nodded.
The waitress returned. She took Scotty’s drink order, then left and returned with his large class of orange juice. They placed their lunch order and she left again.
“So, what’s new?” Scotty asked.
“I have something interesting,” Justus spoke up. “This morning I told Harry about the other missing guy. He thinks the disappearance of this guy and Jack could be related.”
“Really?” Scotty said, sounding surprised.
“Yeah, they were both last seen leaving gay nightclubs with guys. Maybe it’s the same guy?”
“It could be, but no one seems to remember what the other guy looks like. So there’s no way of knowing,” Marcus spoke up.
“Hey, do you think Stumptown has one of those security cameras like they do at gas station stores?” Scotty asked.
Suddenly Justus felt his face flush again. The thought that someone would have him and Barry on camera left him feeling panicked.
“I doubt it,” Marcus answered. “They don’t even like people snapping pictures with their cell phones inside. If they see you, they make you delete it. It’s highly unlikely they would have their own cameras.”
Justus relaxed a little.
The waitress returned with three plates filled with steaming fries and huge cheeseburgers. She set them down on the table in front of them. “Is there anything else?” she asked. “I’ve got a fresh pot of coffee brewing.”
“That would be great,” Marcus told her.
Justus watched her return to her station.
“So, what do we do now?” Justus asked.
“Do?”
“Yeah, how do we find Jack?”
“I thought the police were looking,” Marcus said.
“They are, but we have to do something.”
“How can we do anything when we don’t know who is behind it? Or if there even is a who?” Marcus answered.
“I don’t know,” Justus said. Marcus was right. They needed more information in order to be able to do anything. Perhaps the police were having better luck.
“So, have you heard anymore from that Dean guy?” Scotty asked, changing the subject.
“No, thank heaven. I think he may have finally moved on. He stopped texting and I didn’t see him at Stumptown last night.”
“I’m surprised you could see anything,” Marcus laughed.
Justus sighed and looked at his friends. “Fine. Let’s not talk about that again.”
The three ate their lunch while continuing their playful bantering. When they finished, Marcus paid their bill. Scotty and Justus insisted on at least paying the tip, and both quickly pulled out a couple fives from their wallets.
When Justus glanced at the door, he noticed a man seated at the table by the front window. He was pleasant looking with dark hair, dark eyes, and a killer five-o’clock shadow. He could be Justus’ type if he had not been staring at Scotty.
“Hey, Scotty,” Justus whispered and leaned closer. “Don’t look now, but that guy by the front window. He’s staring at you.”
“Where?” Scotty asked and turned his head to see.
“Not now!” Justus groaned. He looked at the man who had turned away. He obviously knew Justus had told his friend. “Never mind.”
The three said their goodbyes on the sidewalk outside the café. Scotty declined Justus’ offer of a ride home, saying he wanted to check out a new store downtown. Justus watched him walk away and turned to Marcus.
“Did you drive or would you like a lift home?” he asked.
“I drove, but can we go for a walk? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Justus glanced at his car across the street. “Sure, let me feed the meter first.”
“Sure.”
The two jaywalked. Justus purchased another parking pass from the kiosk and placed it on his dashboard, taking the old one away. Relocking the passenger door, he turned around to Marcus.
“Lead the way.”
The two headed west to SW 12th Avenue. They crossed over to Jake’s on the corner and turned south. They walked in silence for nearly the entire block before Marcus said anything.
“I have a huge favor to ask you.”
“Sure, what?” Justus said without hesitation.
“I want you to be the executor of my will.”
“What?” Justus stopped in the middle of Washington Street. Marcus grabbed his arm and pulled him the rest of the way to the sidewalk.
“It’s no big deal,” he said.
“We’re too young to have wills. Those are for old people and people about to die.” Justus’ eyes widened as he looked at his friend. “You’re not—”
“No,” Marcus answered and smiled. “Since I now own a house, my accountant—”
“You have an accountant?” Justus’ mouth dropped open.
“Yes. She files my taxes and stuff. She has been on me about having a will written up ever since I bought the house. I want you to be my executor.”
“Sure, but why me?”
“You’re my best friend. I trust you to take care of things.”
Best friend, the words echoed in Justus’ ears. “Okay, I’ll do it but you have to promise me something.”
“Okay, I promise.”
“Wait, you don’t know what I want you to promise. I want you to promise that you won’t die for a long time.”
Marcus laughed. “I promise.”
The two continued their walk down 12th Street.
“Do you think we’ll ever find Jack?”
“No,” Marcus answered.
“Why?” Justus asked, trying not to sound shocked.
“I don’t know. It’s only a feeling. Jack is an attorney. He’s not some flighty twink who runs off on a whim. He has responsibilities and people depending on him. He wouldn’t up and disappear without a word. For the weekend maybe but not for this long.”
“What do you suppose happened to him?”
“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it’s not good.”
“Do you think he’s dead?”
Marcus did not answer but his silence did. Justus looked at the intersection ahead.
“Look at that old stone church,” he said when they reached the intersection of SW Taylor Street. “That’s the second one I’ve seen.”
“And there’s another church a couple blocks up. Haven’t you seen them before?” Marcus asked.
“Yes,” Justus admitted. “Only I never realized there were so many. We should head back.”
They turned around. The walk
back to their waiting cars seemed quicker. They stopped when they reached the Stark Street intersection.
“So, are you still coming out Monday night to Stumptown’s Saint Paddy’s Day Bash?” Marcus asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Justus answered. They said their goodbyes and Justus watched Marcus cross the street to his waiting car parked outside of Jake’s.
When Justus turned around and started for his car, he caught a glimpse of Dean’s apartment building. A thought flashed in his mind. He wondered why he had not heard from Dean. Did he finally get the message?
On the drive back home, Justus turned the radio up until he felt the bass vibrate through the steering wheel. Still it was not loud enough to drown out the voices in his head that kept replaying his conversation with Marcus and his confusing feelings about Dean’s silence. A feeling of dread and hopelessness began to pull at him.
Justus shut off the radio when he reached NE 62nd Avenue. Harrison hated hearing people’s car radios blaring. He parked in front of the house and noticed Douglas’ truck parked in the driveway behind Harrison’s CR-V.
“So, how was lunch?” Harrison greeted him from the living room.
“Fine,” Justus answered and closed the front door.
“That didn’t sound fine,” Douglas spoke up. He tilted his head back while he lay stretched out on the sofa.
Harrison paused the TV, freezing Shelly Winters underwater. “Come in here,” he said to Justus. “What happened?”
Justus walked over to the empty chair between the TV and sofa. He sat down.
“It’s really nothing. Marcus doesn’t think we’ll ever find Jack. I had the feeling he thinks Jack is dead.”
Harrison’s face registered shock. “Why?”
“He didn’t say exactly. It was merely a feeling.”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Douglas said. “People have been found months, even years, after they have disappeared. He could have had a breakdown due to too much stress. He could have wanted to get away.”
“You really think so?” Justus felt a flicker of hope inside.
“Why not?” Douglas answered. “Let the police do their job.”
Justus slumped. The flicker of hope disappeared. “A lot of good that is. I still haven’t heard from them.”
“Give them time,” Harrison said. “It’s only been a week since you filed the report.”
“But shouldn’t they have found something by now?”
“Not always, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t working on it.”
“I don’t know,” Justus said and stood up. “I think I’ll go to my room.”
“Okay.” Harrison nodded.
“Hey,” Douglas said and grabbed Justus’ wrist as he passed. Justus looked at him. “It’s going to be all right.” He winked.
Justus smiled. “Oh, if you weren’t Harry’s, I’d be all over you,” he teased.
Douglas let go of Justus and laughed.
“He’s not mine and we’re not gay,” Harrison said firmly.
“Just kidding,” Justus said while he headed up the stairs.
Chapter Six
Monday morning arrived. Justus pulled his green shirt and green and gold plaid vest out of his closet. He put on a pair of denim blue skinny jeans. Green jeans would be over doing it. Before leaving his bedroom, he grabbed his green top hat.
After Harrison stopped laughing and they had finished their cup of coffee, they headed off to work. The drive was quiet except for Justus’ nagging thoughts. He had been awakened in the middle of the night by an overwhelming feeling of fear. What if Dean had disappeared like Jack and Alexander? Justus looked out the passenger window at the passing scenery.
Harrison parked in the parking garage on SW 4th Avenue between Pine and Oak Streets instead of his usual garage. He told Justus it was so they could save some time and get home before the streets got crazy. Justus did not care. He would be part of that crazy when he came back into town for the party.
As luck had it, they had the elevator car to themselves. Justus watched the display above the buttons beside the door count off the floors.
“You’re awfully quiet this morning,” Harrison said while he leaned against the back wall. “Still worried about Dean?”
Justus looked at Harrison with a shocked expression. “How did you know?”
“Every Monday morning since you hooked up with him you’ve been on pins and needles when you’ve come to work.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t heard from him in a week. I think he finally got the message.”
“That’s great!” Harrison said and playfully slapped Justus on the back.
Justus forced a smile but inside he was still confused by what he felt. Part of him was relieved, but another part was worried. He did not want anything to do with Dean, but at the same time, he did not want any harm to come to him either.
The elevator stopped. The doors opened and they stepped out onto the twenty-eighth floor.
“See you later,” Harrison said when they reached the file room.
Justus watched him cross the floor to his office. He turned and looked at his desk in the middle of the file room. His heart sank a bit. His desk was exactly as he had left it on Friday, clear.
He took off his hat and set it on the corner of his desk. Sitting down, he opened the top drawer and flipped through a stack of CDs. Pulling out one, he popped it into his player and turned up the volume. The Weather Girls began singing their iconic gay anthem.
Justus picked up a stack of account files from his cart and began returning them to their proper cabinets. While the music played he felt his spirits lifting. He began dancing and singing along with the two women. When he filed the last account away, he grabbed his top hat and put it on. Throwing his head right and left, he sang and spun around with his hands over his head then came to an abrupt stop.
“Vicki!” he gasped and felt his face turning red. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough,” she answered with a laugh that jiggled her belly.
“Oh.”
“Relax,” she said with a wink, “I’m teasing. I just walked in.”
Even though she told him to relax he could not stop from blushing. He noticed the large bouquet of green carnations and baby’s breath in her hands. His breath caught.
“Are those for me?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered and set the vase down on his desk. “Your boyfriend caught me in the lobby again and gave them to me to give you. You’re sure lucky to have a man like him. What’s this, the third bouquet in less than a month?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Justus said in a terse tone that caused Vicki to step back.
“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding a bit surprised. “If a man sent me flowers as often as this guy does, I’d make him my boyfriend. There aren’t many like him out there.”
Listening to Vicki ramble on only made Justus’ anxiety worse. He was glad Dean had not disappeared like Jack and the other guy, but at the same time he remembered the look that had been in Dean’s eyes and his tight grip on his arm. It scared him.
“What’s wrong?” Vicki asked. “You look miles away.”
“Nothing,” Justus answered and shuddered.
“Do you want me to take them away?” Vicki asked.
“No, they’re fine.”
Justus could not help but see the disappointment in Vicki’s eyes as she turned away.
“On second thought, take them.”
Vicki turned back. “No, you should keep them. They go with your outfit.” She smiled. “I’ve got to get back to work. See ya’.” She left before Justus could insist she take the flowers. Now he felt sorry for her.
He looked at the bouquet again and noticed the card. He grabbed it and tore it open. Pulling out the card, he skipped the printed message and went straight to Dean’s inscription.
Happy St. Paddy’s Day. Sorry I wasn’t in touch last week. I had to go to Bend. I had some
personal issues I needed to deal with. Hope you didn’t miss me too much. Have a great day. Love, Dean.
Justus set the card on his desk and looked at the flowers again. No matter how nice the card and flowers were, there was still something about the man that left him confused. He grabbed his push cart and headed straight for Harrison’s office.
Harrison was on his telephone with his back toward the doorway. Justus left his cart outside and walked over to Harrison’s desk. He sat down on the corner and waited for Harrison to finish.
“I told you I have no idea where she went,” Harrison snapped at the phone. “Well, believe what you want. You always do anyway.”
While Justus listened, his thoughts about Dean faded away. Instead he wondered who Harrison could be talking to. Surely it wasn’t a client.
“I don’t care. You brought this on yourself.—What did you expect? Be thankful it was her because I would have stomped your miserable ass into the ground first!—Don’t even go there with me. I may be clear across the country but I’m not stupid.” Harrison’s voice began to rise which made Justus a bit nervous. He had never seen this side of Harrison. “This conversation is over. I’ve got work to do, and don’t call me at this number again!” Harrison spun his chair around and slammed the receiver down on the cradle so hard Justus thought he would break it. Harrison jumped and let out a yell when he saw Justus.
“What are you doing?” he snapped when he recovered from the shock.
“Waiting to talk to you,” Justus answered and tried to stifle his laughter.
“What about?” Harrison asked and rolled his chair up to his desk. “Get off,” he said and smacked Justus’ thigh lightly with the back of his hand.
Justus did not move.
“Who was that on the phone?” he asked.
“My stupid brother-in-law,” Harrison answered, sounding disgusted.
“Oh.”
“He insists I know where Dani and the boys are, but I don’t!” he said, raising his voice and directing his words at his telephone.
“So, what’s he going to do now?”
“I have no idea. He’s pretty angry.”
“You’ll have to warn Dani when she finally contacts you.”
“I know,” Harrison answered. “So, what do you want?” he asked and looked at Justus.