by J. S. Finley
“No. Don’t you remember last year, when my boss died, and they put me in jail?”
“Fuck, yeah, that sucked. I still can’t believe you didn’t tell us.”
“I know, it was wrong. But I wasn’t a failure because of that, just like you’re not a failure because of this. Why don’t you move down here with me?”
“But that won’t solve the problem. I still have to—I don’t know. I have to end this well. I’ve never been fired from a job. In the Marines, I had a squeaky clean record. I can’t just walk away.”
Thomas was silent for a moment, and Clay wondered if he’d pushed back too hard. He wanted to be with Thomas, but he couldn’t stand the thought of his name being destroyed because someone at the department had an issue with him.
“Clay, I get it, and I know you’ve always been a good guy. Don’t for a moment think I didn’t think you were. You need to take care of what you need to take care of. I’ll be here for you always. And buddy, if you need help, you need to tell us. We can’t help if we don’t know.”
“I’m sorry. I’m in over my head. I thought I had life under control, and I don’t. I don’t know what to do. Would it be wrong to just ditch the department and not care what they think about me?”
Thomas blew out a breath. “Clay, I can’t tell you what to do. I can tell you that I love you, and I’m not going to be upset if you stay and try to fix this. Of course, I want you here now, but more than that, I want you to be happy.”
“Okay. I’ll go talk to them this morning. I’m sure there can be some sort of understanding reached.”
“I’m not working today, just doing odd jobs and cleaning up the boat.”
He nodded though Thomas couldn’t see him. He really wanted to be there with Thomas. “I’ll call you if I figure anything out.”
Clay hung up and dialed Alexis. She answered on the first ring.
“Alexis Sanders here. What can I do for you?”
“It’s Clay, I want to come in and talk to them.”
“Bad idea.”
“I need to get them to see that I did nothing wrong.”
“Nope, what you need to do is contact a lawyer. I’ve sent you a phone number.”
Clay wandered over to the window and pushed back the curtain. The same two guys were in a car sitting outside of his place. He’d never, not once in the year that he’d lived here, seen people sitting in their cars like this. Sure, some people would pull up, but they would get out fast. These guys were just sitting. One of the guys took a swig from a cup, probably coffee.
Holy fuck, they were doing a stakeout. A stakeout in his lot. How coincidental was that?
“Hey, Clay, are you there?” Alexis’ voice broke through.
“Yeah, there’s a stakeout at my apartment complex.”
“What do you mean?”
“Two guys sitting in their car. I’ve seen them multiple times. Well, I saw the car. A few times, I thought it was empty, maybe, but it’s been weird every single time I’ve seen it.”
“That’s odd.”
“Wait, they’re moving.”
“Shit. Have you looked for listening devices in your house?”
His muscles clenched as fear snaked through him. “No, why would I?”
“Because obviously, they are listening to you. Otherwise, they wouldn’t leave right now.”
“Dammit, I can’t see the plates.”
Once again, he wished he hadn’t come back. Spending the week in Florida with Thomas had been magical. Coming back to this was worse than walking a minefield in Afghanistan. He had no idea how he would get through this, and he felt like he was flying blind.
The car disappeared, and he turned, wondering where they’d placed the bugs. Anger drove him forward as he looked through his den for bugs, although he knew he needed a detector to really find anything. Alexis said something, and he paused.
“What?”
“I’m sending over a team.”
“Shit, I can’t trust any of the guys in the department.”
“Do you trust me?”
He nodded as emotions rolled through him. “Yeah, I trust you, Alexis.”
He closed his eyes and sighed, reaching up to rub his neck then his temples. This crap had his whole body in knots. Maybe he should just walk away and head to Thomas’ place, leaving this all behind.
14
Two hours passed before Alexis showed up on his doorstep with four other men.
“Who are these guys?” he asked.
“I went to school in the area. Lived in DC for a while. I’m friends with a lot of people. I’ve dated around, and I know some really good guys. A few of those guys are in the FBI.”
“Oh, so they’re involved now?” Clay glanced at the men standing next to Alexis. One of them lifted his brows but didn’t say anything. How had his life gotten this complicated?
Alexis stepped close and put her hand on his shoulder. “Once they heard you were a Marine, they wanted in. Soft spot for military I guess.”
“Oh.”
Alexis had brought out the big guns for him. In minutes, his apartment was crawling with her agent friends, searching for listening devices. They found one in his bathroom and another in his bedroom. His home had been invaded while he was in Florida. There was no way those had been there all along.
Crime scene techs came and took prints. He was pulled off to the side, and the questions started.
“I’m Agent Howard. I understand you were on vacation. How long were you gone, and where did you go?”
“I spent eight days in Florida with the guys I served with. There are six of us who were close; we vacation together now.” For some reason, he didn’t feel comfortable saying Thomas was his boyfriend, but maybe he should. However, this wasn’t about who he dated; it was about someone trying to frame him for something he didn’t do.”
“So we know your privacy has been invaded. Did you give anyone access to your house while you were in Florida?” Howard asked.
He shook his head. “No. I don’t have any pets, no plants, nothing, so no one would have needed to come in to check on my place.”
“Did you notice anything off when you arrived?”
He glanced around, thinking about what he’d done when he’d arrived home. “No, it was late. I left Daytona and flew through Atlanta. It took a while with the connection because of weather. It was near midnight. I fell into bed then woke in the morning to my alarm.” He shivered. “I hate that they saw me walking around in my house. I feel creeped out.”
“I can promise you this, Mr. Simmons, the cameras are gone. You’re safe here. No one can view you in your home.”
“Thank you.” He hated that they’d been watching him. It was a total violation of his privacy.
Howard checked his phone. “Just so you know, there are investigators at the police station. You should stay away from there. Actually, maybe it would be best if you had somewhere else to go.”
“I don’t know where I would go.”
“Maybe you could go stay with one of the guys you were with this last week.”
Howard’s suggestion made him think of Thomas, and he shivered. “He’s in Florida. And I’m…I’m under investigation here.”
“Listen, Mr. Simmons, Alexis told me what’s going on here. As far as we’re concerned, you’re not under investigation, or you won’t be after we finish with the department. Go to Florida while we sort this out. They aren’t going to follow you south, not with us in their business.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” Excitement buzzed through him. He could be with Thomas later today or tomorrow.
“Stay in contact with me. We’ll exchange information. And don’t worry; Alexis is great, and our guys know what they’re doing. We’ll help you get this sorted out.”
“Thank you.”
Clay stared around his place, knowing he would have to come back to pack his things eventually. He had two months on this apartment lease, so he had some time to clean it
out and take care of moving his things to Thomas’ house, but he was happy to go. Hell, maybe this wasn’t for good, but he kind of hoped it was. Perhaps he was making a mistake thinking he could live with Thomas, but he didn’t think so.
“There is another option, you could stay in a safe house if you’d rather stay in the area. You’re friends with Alexis, so we could work out a deal.”
He shook his head. No way would he give up time with Thomas. “No thank you. I would rather be with a friend.”
“I just want to make sure, you know. I’m going to run a few things by Alexis and the other guys. Hang tight and we’ll figure out when you can leave.”
Howard stepped away then turned back. “It might be wise to stay off social media. Maybe call your friends and tell them not to post any photos with you in the frame.”
Clay pulled out his phone and started a group message to the gang. He wasn’t sure where to begin.
Hey guys, I have a strange request. Please remove any social media post about this weekend. No pictures, no mention of my name. I know you all keep your profiles locked down, but I’ve had an issue.
He hit send and got three replies immediately. First was Mike.
What the hell, Simmons? Are you okay?
Then Lane replied.
Dude, do you need us to come down there?
Then Brent sent a note.
Clay, you’re scaring me. What’s up?
Clay started typing, wishing he could call them all right now. They would want to Skype, and he couldn’t yet.
I’m fine. I need to stay on the down-low. I’ll tell you all everything the next time we Skype.
Howard came back to him and took a seat. He pulled out a pad of paper and began writing. Then he glanced up and gave him a tight smile.
“Mr. Simmons, we’d like to keep an eye on your place. Alexis isn’t happy, and I have a soft spot for her. We’re keeping two men here, making sure those guys don’t come back to make any trouble. They’ll probably follow you out in the morning too.”
“I was thinking of leaving tonight.”
Howard checked the time on his phone. It was close to eleven. “You could, but we’d like to have a better handle on the situation before you take off.”
“Okay, I’ll spend the night then leave in the morning.”
“Good.”
Howard’s phone dinged, and he checked his messages. “Hmm, interesting.”
Clay waited, but Howard wasn’t talking. Alexis came over and lifted her brows at Howard before turning to Clay.
“There’ve been a few things happening in the last few hours.”
“What’s up?” Clay asked.
“The FBI had been looking into a few irregularities at the department, and Banks and Newman are in custody. There were a few other guys who were taken in,” Alexis said.
“Wow, you all work fast.”
Howard cleared his throat. “You’re not the first complaint we’ve heard from the department. We’ve been watching a few of the guys for a while, but it’s hard to make a move when you’re talking about police officers. Finding the bugs in your place gave us the evidence we needed. So you kind of broke this case wide open. Thank you.”
“Actually, thank you.”
His phone dinged, and Howard got up, moving across the room with Alexis following. Clay checked his messages and, seeing Thomas’ reply, opened his application and read.
Holy hell, do I need to hop on a plane right now? I’m driving up tonight. I’ll have Dave cover my shifts. I can’t believe this. Call me NOW
Clay smiled to himself and shook his head. Thomas was mad, and he understood his anger. He would be livid if Thomas was in danger and didn’t give him all the details. He dialed and waited about two seconds before Thomas answered.
“What is going on?” Thomas spit out.
“I’m fine, the FBI is with—”
“FBI? I’m coming up—”
“Wait.” Thomas stopped talking, but Clay could hear his heavy breathing. “I’m leaving here in the morning. I’ll be at your place sometime late in the evening.”
“I’m worried about you,” Thomas said.
“I’m okay—hold on for a sec.”
Howard held up his hand and smiled. “We’re getting some food. Would you like anything?”
Clay shook his head. He didn’t feel like eating. “No thank you. I’ll be fine.” His apartment was small and finding any privacy would be nearly impossible with the FBI in his space. He moved to the corner of the den and lowered his voice as he returned to his conversation with Thomas. “I’m fine. I…I miss you.”
“Are you safe?”
“I am. They said an agent would be here all night.”
He could hear Thomas doing something in the background, and he waited until the noise died down a little before speaking again.
“They broke into my house and set up video surveillance in my bathroom and bedroom.”
Thomas drew in a long breath. “I can’t imagine how violated you feel. I would be ballistic if someone broke into my house and recorded me.”
“It’s weird. My trust is broken. I did walk around naked, but I was too tired to jack off. So, they have me after the shower, me sleeping, and eating breakfast…I hate this.”
“I’m so sorry this is happening to you. That’s why you want us to remove photos. I’ll get the guys on the phone and make sure they remove everything. Honestly, I don’t think anyone has put up any pictures. I know I wasn’t going to until later this evening or maybe tomorrow.”
“Thank you. I’ll call you before I go to bed tonight.”
“Hey, Clay?”
“Yeah?”
“I—” Thomas blew out a breath. “I was really worried. You’re more than a guy I’m dating. I’ve known you for so long. Saying you’re like a brother sounds wrong now that I’m with you, but man, you’re the most important person in my life.”
“I love you too. And I know how you feel.”
“Come home. We’ll figure out something with your apartment. Stay safe and come home to me.”
Home felt real with Thomas. Here, this was just a place he slept. He had things, but mainly the photos of his buddies were what he thought mattered most. The other stuff, the furniture, it was worthless when compared to time with Thomas. “Thank you for taking me in.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll call the guys and tell them what’s going on. I’m here; call me later.”
“Bye.” Clay hung up, wishing he’d never left Daytona Beach. He belonged with Thomas not here with people who didn’t even like him. He wouldn’t try to find another job as an officer. Being a cop would be crazy after what had happened.
Howard came back and brought him over a burger and some fries, which he appreciated. He guessed the stress had masked his hunger. Now that he was sitting at his table, scarfing down food, he realized he was starving.
Agents came over to ask questions, a few of the guys left, and then Alexis showed up again. She and Howard sat at the table with him along with two other agents, Philips, and Dean. Howard did the talking for the group.
“Mr. Simmons, we found the arrest report for Mr. Stringer. It’s interesting.”
“How so?” Clay asked.
“Did you attach a photo?”
“Sure did.”
“Well, the original photo was removed from the arrest report. I could see the first set of staple marks. They didn’t do a good job of replacing the photo, and it was crooked.”
“I line everything up.”
“Well, that’s another clue that the doctored photo, the one Alexis said you saw when you went into IA, was a replacement. Anyway, since you had illegal surveillance in your place, a judge gave us a warrant, and we went digging. Guess what we found?”
“What?” Clay leaned forward. This just got interesting. They had a warrant and were really looking into corruption in the department.
“We found the original photo in the computer.
Funny, they didn’t actually erase the photo, but moved it to the trash. So we have them on doctoring the photo. We’re still trying to break down who put the cameras in your place.”
Clay nodded, unsure how his life had gotten so crazy so fast. “I’m ready to leave here and not look back.”
“I’m sure you are,” Howard leaned forward, his gaze steady on Clay. “This place in Florida, how secluded is it?”
“Fairly, it’s on an island. I’ve been friends with the guy for years; we served together in the Marines.”
The agents and Alexis nodded. They seemed to relax a little. Alexis placed her hand on his, which were folded on the table. Her gaze stayed steady on him as she spoke.
“We’re going to take care of this, Clay. Don’t worry; you’ll be safe. This is the worst example of department tampering I’ve ever seen.”
Howard cleared his throat. “I think we’ll have everyone rounded up and this sorted out in the next week. You can return home then.”
Clay nodded, knowing he wouldn’t return here other than to pack. This wasn’t home, not any more. Thomas had said it right when he asked him to come home. Thomas’s place was home, not this. He belonged in Thomas’ life, not here.
They wrapped up their meeting, and Alexis said she would be in contact with him later in the week. Howard said he would be outside, and when the new agents came to relieve him, he would knock and introduce them. Clay was now alone, but not really. Though the FBI had said they’d removed all the surveillance devices, Clay felt uncomfortable.
He started packing his items, knowing he could only take his clothes, a few electronics, and some paperwork. Thomas’ house wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t stuffed, so eventually, he could move some furniture there.
He hated taking off like this, but he didn’t think he had any other choice. Sure, he could stay here, but he didn’t know how the rest of the department would react. This was the type of thing you heard about in mystery novels. The cops weren’t supposed to try to harm their own. Maybe he was too idealistic, thinking everyone in the department wanted to protect officers.
He turned on the TV but couldn’t focus. After a few minutes, he shut it down and went back through his apartment, making sure he had everything he needed. There was a knock on his front door. He paused, fear having taken root. After another knock, he moved to check the peephole and saw agent Howard outside with two other guys.