The General and the Horse-Lord

by Sarah Black

  “You want some coffee?”

  Gabriel slid his hands around John’s waist. He leaned down, nibbled his way along his jawline. “I want something.”

  “I just offered young Billy a berth with us. We may have to think about building an addition on to the house.”

  “I bought his masks for our bedroom.”

  “Yeah, he told me. He’s really psyched.”

  “I’m probably going to be late tonight. I’ve got some work to catch up with. Anyone calls you from the IG’s office, call me right away, okay?”

  “No worries there. I might drop dead from a heart attack.”

  Gabriel look at him a long moment. “Have you talked to Kim this morning?”

  “He staggered in here, then went off to puke.”

  “I think he’s got an idea we might consider. I’m going to leave it to you, but my vote is yes.” Gabriel kissed him before he could speak, grabbed his briefcase off the table, and was out the door.

  Kim was back a few minutes later, holding a file folder. He sat down at the kitchen table, rested his head on the tabletop. “That was an absolute frigging blowout! What did you think?”

  “I thought it was an absolute frigging blowout. I’m real proud of you, kiddo.”

  “One of the galleries downtown said they want to host the show. That is un-fucking-believable! My first curated show.”

  “Very cool.”

  “So I’ve been thinking about your issue with Mrs. Horse-Lord. And all that it entails regarding your future and your past.”

  “Not your problem, Kim.”

  “Just listen. You remember the picture I took of you and the Horse-Lord?” John nodded. Kim pulled a photograph out of the folder and showed it to him. They were laughing, their arms around each other, Gabriel looking dark and fierce and handsome in his flight suit. John’s gray eyes were lit with laughter. “Now look at this.”

  Kim pulled another photo out of the folder. It was a copy of the same picture, but it had been mocked up to resemble a magazine cover. At the very top was the word OUT, and along the bottom, the words: The General and the Horse-Lord. The Army Comes Out of the Closet. “I don’t know if you’ve ever read Out, but it’s the premiere magazine for the gay community. I want you to consider doing an interview with them about what it was like to be on active duty when it was illegal to be gay. How it affected your life, your choices. And what’s happening now, how those times are still being used against you.”

  John stared down at the photograph, imagined seeing that picture on the cover of a magazine sold all over the country. Maybe all over the world. Coming out to the world. Gabriel, saying his vote was yes.

  “What it would mean is you get to tell your side of things. No one can threaten you with something if you take ownership of it. And this will keep the inspector general from even thinking about proceeding against you. You’ve already been a hero, and now you’ll be a gay hero, risking it all for love. They can’t be seen to attack a hero.”

  “Kim, what makes you think this magazine would be interested in an interview like this?”

  “I already contacted them. I sent them a copy of the photo and gave the reporter a little brief. Who I was, who you are, who Gabriel is. I offered to write the story myself. They said they would send their own people, but they would use my photo. That’s a major coup for a young photographer such as myself. But now I’m thinking how much fun it is to stage art shows. Maybe I should be a gallery slave. But what would Ho Ho’s do without me?”

  “Kim? You already contacted them? Without speaking to me first?”

  “Uncle John, sometimes you’re a little slow on the uptake. You need a gentle push in the right direction.”

  “You think so?”

  “The Horse-Lord wants full disclosure. He wants to live in the light, openly and honestly, with you. You can see that, can’t you? But he would never push you. You could give him this gift. And if you do this, you remove a weapon from your enemy. Good strategy, right?”

  “It’s a tactic we could consider,” he said. “I’ll think about it. Now, on to another topic. Billy’s off talking to his dad about staying here for school. What’s your take?”

  “He’s still a little frail, but he’s a good artist, Uncle John. I really hope he gets his chance. He’s just so open, you know?” Kim was frowning. “He’s a little too open to people. He’ll go off with anybody. He says artists have to have a broad range of experiences. I mean, shit, Juan is more careful about strangers!”

  “I told him he could stay here with us. We could build another studio in the garage if you guys could share the bathroom.”

  Kim shook his head. “There’s plenty of room. We could share the garage as is without any problem. If you built another studio, we’d spend all our time tapping out messages on the walls between our spaces. Billy likes to talk, have you noticed that?”

  “No, really?”

  “Where I’ve got all my art supplies, we could clear that out and put in a bed and desk. We actually have access to studio space at the school. And that way I can keep an eye on him. But what about Juan?”

  “I was thinking about moving the office into the dining room. We hardly ever use that dining room, and we can eat in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. It’s big enough for me and Gabriel to have workspace. That would free up two bedrooms, so each of the kids could have their own. He was Macavity, the Mystery Cat?”

  “I can’t believe you knew that!”

  “Gabriel told me.”

  “You left before my soliloquy. Grizabella sings a really famous song. Want to hear?”

  “I’ve heard you sing before, kiddo. But yes, I want to hear your song. Always and forever.”

  JOHN was studying the dining room, trying to figure out where he could fit the desks, when George Fox called. “Hey, John. You left last night before the Kitty Cats did their Elvis medley!”

  “Oh. Sorry I missed that, George. How are things with you?”

  “Good. I just got a call from Charlie Lathrop’s assistant, asking me to take a drive up to Santa Fe and see him. How about them apples?”

  “If he’s got a brain in his head, he’ll be begging you to take over some potential disaster of a school. What do you think?”

  “I did have a friend at New Mexico Tech mention the vice president’s position down there is vacant. No one’s wanted it because the president has such a reputation. Stainless-steel balls and all that.”

  “I thought the president at New Mexico Tech was a woman?”

  “Yeah, she is. That’s the point.”

  “Ah. That might be a fun job, George. Maybe he’s giving you some experience before the next president’s job opens.”

  “Maybe. I’ll see what he says. But I’m going to remember your negotiating advice, John. I could always retire, spend the next few years travelling. My wife has mentioned how much she would like to do that very thing. Are you going to work on that book you were talking about with Charlie?”

  “Maybe. Seems I’ve got a lot of family things going on right now. I need for life to settle down a bit. Then I can get to work.”

  “I’ll give you a call when I hear anything. Oh, did you see that girl reporter last night? She was hot on the trail of a story, looking for a cover-up and political malfeasance. She’s a nice girl.” George sighed. “Her mother was one of my favorite students when I was still in the classroom. Seems like just yesterday.”

  “I did see her. She was wearing a trench coat and carrying a little memo pad?”

  “Yeah. I hear she’s got the front page byline of the student newspaper whenever she wants it.”

  “Interesting. Well, I’ll be looking forward to seeing what she comes up with. Good luck, George.”

  Cody Dial knocked on the door in time to help him move the dining room table out to the shed.

  “I had a feeling things were going this way when I saw how happy he was last night.”

  “He told you I said he could stay here?”

&
nbsp; Cody nodded. “I thought I would help you move some furniture.” They looked into the garage, and both shook their heads over the clothes scattered across the floor and dripping off the bed.

  “Kim said we could move those art supplies out, and put a bed and desk in that corner for Billy.”

  Cody nodded. “That would work. You tell Billy a fair price for rent, and make sure you collect. I don’t want him to get the idea he can sleep somewhere for free. He’s got scholarship money.” He looked around again. “I’ll run out, get a bed and a desk. Maybe a little dresser for his clothes. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “I’ll go with you if I can. I need to pick up a second desk for Gabriel. I’m going to set us up an office in the dining room.”

  “Gabriel has a couple of kids?”

  “Yeah. A girl, eight, and a son who’s fourteen. You met him last night.”

  “Boy’s got a big chip on his shoulder.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  They climbed into Cody’s pickup truck, and John saw a black sedan with dark windows turn the corner and drive slowly down his street as they were pulling out of the driveway. His heart seized up a bit, his stomach filling with ice. It looked like a government vehicle. Was the inspector general coming to read charges against him? He could be arrested, pending reinstatement on active duty and court-martial. John couldn’t believe this was actually a possibility. What was worse, he felt shaky and weak, like his foundations were crumbling. If he wasn’t General Mitchel, he didn’t know who he was. He thought about what Martha had said to him about burning his life to the ground. It felt like she might get her wish.

  Chapter 18

  CODY DIAL was as helpless as John was in a furniture store, or maybe more, if that was possible. They stared around at desks made out of glass and metal and old-fashioned cherry wood and antique look-alikes. John threw up his hands. “We’ve got Kim and Billy and we’re trying to decorate? Why don’t I give them a thousand bucks and let them go shopping?” He looked at a few more price tags. “Maybe fifteen hundred bucks.”

  “I can throw Billy some spending money.” Cody spotted the kid’s quilts and blankets, bought Billy a quilt covered with little horses and boots and cowboy hats. It looked like a bedspread for a five-year-old who had just decided he wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up. It came with a little rug shaped like a cowboy boot. “Trust me, he’ll love it. You haven’t seen his collection of boots. Billy looks at cowboys and sees style. I look at cowboys and see hard work that needs to be done.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on things if you need to get home.”

  Cody sighed. “I’m getting a bit itchy being in the city. Seems the city is full of people who talk before they think just to fill up the quiet.” He looked over at John. “Present company excepted. You and Gabriel come on up and ride, you get a notion to spend some time on a horse.”

  “Thank you, maybe we will. Gabriel would fly his little helicopter up to Cheyenne at the drop of a hat.”

  “What did he fly in the army?”

  “Apache attack helo. AH-64.”

  “That the one with the big rocket launcher?”

  “You bet.”

  “He looks like a man who would not hesitate to pull the trigger, he’s got an enemy lined up in his sights. I’m the same way myself.”

  Cody dropped the bedspread and rug in the garage, went off to find Billy and say good-bye. Kim was at Ho Ho’s doing the prep. They’d stayed late the night before, cleaning up from the show. The front windows looked cleaner than John had ever seen them. Kim brought him a pot of tea. “You want some soup, Uncle John?”

  He shook his head. “Could I talk you into buying furniture? Doing some decorating?”

  Kim’s dark eyes went big. “The first thing we throw out is that ratty old couch and get something in leather, maybe cream-colored leather!”

  “What’s wrong with the couch? The couch is fine. I was thinking about a couple of desks for me and Gabriel in the dining room, and furniture for Billy in the garage. We might have to make up rooms for the kids, like lavender walls for Martie? Or pink?”

  “So you were thinking about a couple of beautiful and functional rooms, and leave the rest of the house looking like a barracks?” Kim shrugged. “Okay, okay, whatever you want. What’s the budget?”

  “A thousand bucks?”

  Kim burst out laughing. “Are we shopping at Goodwill?” He was giggling when he went back behind the serving counter, clutching John’s Visa card. John made a note to call Navy Federal Credit Union and tell them he was going to be making some big purchases.

  John went out running, made a longer loop than usual, thinking about Gabriel. Gabriel voted yes, but he was leaving it up to him. Of course he was. He always had. But John understood clearly what he wanted. He thought maybe it was the first time Gabriel had ever asked him for anything, other than a shed to store his tools. And it felt like he was asking for the world.

  What did John value most? Loyalty. Privacy. The privacy felt critical to him, like it was essential for his life to stay on an even keel, to keeping his balance in an off-balance world. But even more than that, he’d valued the quiet, private times with Gabriel though the years. They’d made a secret garden, filled with peace, and time out of world, and love. It was those times that he could feel in his mind, their warmth and brightness, like they held some light the rest of his life did not.

  So there was no question what he was going to do. Gabriel had never asked him for anything, and it was inconceivable John would say no. But how? Did he need to be concerned about tactical advantage? One of the best lessons for the warrior-philosopher was to gather like-minded warriors to the cause so one was not fighting alone. George Fox was a warrior, though he was only now learning the difference between politics and leadership. Charlie Lathrop was still a question. Cody Dial? A warrior, no question, but he’d played his part and retired from the battle. The young student reporter? They would have to see what she did with the information she’d gathered. Kim and Billy? Beautiful, gentle souls. He thought of their art show, felt a warm bloom of affection for the kindness of their worldview.

  Now, on to his personal war, his and Gabriel’s. Gabriel could be at risk as well from an IG investigation, but they would never go after him without going after the general first. John didn’t have a feeling for the mood at the IG. Sometimes they wanted to be seen to be very supportive and caring about the concerns of military spouses. Other times they took a hard line and protected their service members. No one would confuse this gambit as anything but the bitterness of a soon to be ex-spouse. Gabriel was going to research the current members of the IG’s office to see if there was anyone they knew. The thought of pulling some strings to keep himself from a personal scandal caused his stomach to twist into an ugly little knot. Who knew Martha had such a vindictive heart? By the time she calmed down, and decided to regret playing for revenge, it would be too late. Gabriel wouldn’t forgive this. Maybe she wouldn’t, either.

  Out. What would it be like to talk to a reporter, to talk about being gay and in the military? It seemed to be a betrayal, but was it really? Would the old boys who had always supported him still have supported him if they had known? Was he a different person, a stranger, the gay general, or was he the person he’d always seemed to be? And Gabriel voted yes. Maybe what he needed to do was go talk to one of his mentors, to one of the old men who had depended on him to solve their thorniest problems. Now he had a problem of his own, and he wondered what their advice would be. Out or in?

  HE SENT Gabriel an email with one word: YES. He called Kim, who was with Billy in a furniture store downtown. “Yo, Uncle J, what’s the credit limit on this thing? Twelve thousand?”

  He was silent, waited him out.

  “Okay, okay, just kidding. You’re going to be amazed!”

  “I always am. Call your friend at Out and tell him I said yes.”

  “Holy shit!” Kim was breathing into the phone. “I can’t believe it
! I never thought you’d do it. Man, I owe Billy ten bucks!”

  “I may be late. Keep your Uncle Horse-Lord company, and I better not come home to find a new couch in the living room.”

  “So where are you going?”

  John hung up the phone. He gave Charlie Lathrop a call. “You and I need to go see Governor Martinez today.” He listened to Charlie breathe.

  “John, it’s more complicated than that. I can’t just demand she….”

  “I speak to her today, or I speak to a reporter. Today.”

  “Okay, John. I hear you. I’ve just been…. What’s your schedule look like?”

  “I’ll be in Santa Fe at three,” John said.

  “Did you hear? Prentiss Walker is down in Albuquerque. Seems he’s had to put Brian into the hospital for rehab. Word is alcohol, but it always is down there in cowboy country. My guess is he’s got some preacher in there praying over Brian so he’ll stop looking at boys.”

  “I hadn’t heard.” He thought a moment. He hated to leave town with Prentiss Walker near his boys. Well, Gabriel could look out for them if a problem cropped up. “Okay, I’ll see you at your office at three.”

  Governor Martinez was rushed, and had obviously carved some unplanned time out of her busy day to see them. She slowed down, though, when she started going through the updated report John slid across her desk. She read carefully, then looked up at Charlie. “Does the media have this?”

  “Not that I know.”

  “Maybe,” John said. They both looked at him. “A young student reporter attended the art show on Friday. She had some independent information about the two most recent assaults on students.” He paused. “I understand the student newspaper comes out tomorrow.”

  “Charlie, how could this go on for so long?” The governor’s jaw was getting tight.

  Charlie adjusted his suit coat. It looked to John like it was getting small across the shoulders. “We have no proof that would stand up in court, but the preponderance of evidence suggests that Simon Wainright was shielding Brian Walker from complaints made by these boys he was dating.”