by David Horne
“Do we know who the person was?” someone asked. Perry didn’t try to pinpoint the voice. There were fifteen employees in the whole place. Rick was the only absent member of the team.
“I haven’t heard anything.” Perry looked at the pale face of Alice. The girl was in front of the rest of the group. She had an unreadable expression. “If I hear something, I’ll let everyone else know.” He clapped his hands together. “What we need now is some coffee and sugar. I need someone to make a donut run. I think we should all get on the phones today and make some cold calls. We’ll help out the sales team to reach out to customers. We’ll get some internet traffic going.”
He gave a half-hearted smile. Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard Gordon’s voice. The confidence of the man made Perry feel alive. He wanted some of that magic to help him.
“First person that makes a sale today will get $100 from my pocket.” He opened his hands. “Anyone, not just the sales staff,” he said. “Who’s going for—”
“I brought the donuts,” Rick said as he appeared from the side door next to the finance offices. There was a round of applause. “All right, everyone get to work! Grab some donuts and let’s get some sales.”
Perry left the showroom floor and retreated to the office. He checked the leads on the internet. There were a few bites, and he sent texts to everyone in the building. They had the rest of the week to recover. It was slim but possible.
Rick appeared in the doorway to the office. “Donut?” he asked. There was one wrapped in a napkin in his hand. The other held a coffee.
“I wanted you there this morning.” Perry didn’t need Rick’s off-handed management. He needed a business partner willing to stand beside him when things got bad. It felt a little like their personal relationship.
“I went to the bank this morning. I was trying to squeeze a few more days out of them. I thought I’d play the sympathy card considering what happened was an act of God or something.”
“Did you get anywhere?”
Rick shook his head and took a bite of the donut. He chewed a little before talking with a mouthful, sprinkling the floor with confectionery sugar. “Maybe there was once upon a time when you could talk to someone at the bank, and it mattered. Nowadays, you get a stone face and no emotions. The guy listened but didn’t make any concessions for us.”
“I didn’t think it’d work anyway.”
“That’s kind of negative for you.”
Perry didn’t want to argue with Rick. He had a way of not looking at things with enough seriousness to help with the situation. He finished the donut and sat on the edge of the desk next to Perry’s shoulder. His thigh brushed Perry’s arm, and he moved away from Rick more. He didn’t ask him to move. Perry didn’t think he had to ask the man to stay out of his intimate space anymore.
“Are you okay?” Rick pressed.
Perry sat back, folding his arms. He looked up at the man. “I just needed you here this morning. They look up to you, and you have a way of getting through to them.”
“They look up to you too.” He narrowed his eyes. “I thought I was helping.”
“Maybe we should have gone to the bank together.”
Rick shook his head. “It wouldn’t have done any good. They’re not listening. No one cares. If the sky rained bodies tomorrow, they’d still want their money on time.”
He felt a flash of heat from frustration. He didn’t engage Rick.
“That lawyer is one sexy fellow.” Rick’s words felt more like a slap than a comment. If Perry had any lingering self-doubt, it spilled away as soon as Rick brought up Gordon. “He’s our lawyer?”
“No.” It was a stern word that went much further than Perry expected. The look on Rick’s face suggested the slap came back around again. “He represents the firm. There’s another lawyer assigned to the case.”
“That sounds different.” But Rick’s comment turned when he added, “I saw you took out the BMW last night. Did you have a hot date?”
“You came back to the office last night?”
“I wanted to have the loan papers when I went to the bank.”
There it was again. Rick had committed himself to the appointment long before he showed up to work. It was his nature to keep Perry out of the loop. He knew in advance. But his selfishness kept Rick from sharing tactful business ventures. Perry felt Rick’s hand rub his shoulder.
“Please don’t do that.”
Immediately the hand retreated. “What’s gotten into you?” The volume of Rick’s voice rose.
“Look,” Perry started. He needed a level head and didn’t want another argument to have them walking around the car lot ignoring each other for a few days. Everyone who worked for them knew their history. Everyone kept quiet about it. But it was impossible to ignore when the owners of the company were in the middle of post-lover quarrels over petty things. No one needed to walk on eggshells because Rick and Perry couldn’t see eye to eye on things. It was bad for business, it was unhealthy for Perry, and it didn’t look good when the owners were unable to communicate. “I need you to work with me.” It was an admission of pure honesty. “I know we don’t do business the same way. You’re the guy who has all the answers. I’m the hatchet man. But right now, for us to get through this, we need to show them we’re in this together.” He looked out at the employees. A few faces turned away from the fish-bowl view of the little office.
“I’m always on your side.” Rick’s words stung because Perry knew it wasn’t right. If it were the truth, they’d still be together. But Perry didn’t want Rick anymore. And he hadn’t had an attraction for the man for years. They had a business relationship and nothing more.
“Okay,” Perry said with a sigh. “Thank you.” It was easier than pointing out the obvious to Rick. He was self-centered and nothing more. The phone buzzed at Perry’s desk.
“What is it, Marianne?” he asked. But he looked to the reception desk and swallowed. “Call the lawyer’s office,” Perry told Rick before he stood and rushed by him.
Chapter Thirteen
It was impossible to feel right about something when trouble kept getting in the way. When Perry reached the showroom floor, one of the uniformed officers who accompanied the detective, had made his way toward the finance offices, he smiled at the police officer. Keeping up appearances, trying to show a face of indifference, Perry gave him an offer.
“There’s some fresh coffee in the waiting room. Help yourself.” It was easy to project a voice across space when there were no customers around. The cop nodded and went through the doors. Perry tried smiling at the detective. She didn’t look pleased. “What can I do for you, Detective Macdonald?”
“I’m not sure if you realize what’s going on around here but there’s a murder investigation going on, and I just wanted to make sure you knew that.” The delivery was condescending.
Perry played innocent. “We moved the rest of the cars away from the back lot. We even put up our own barriers.” He spent an hour blocking access to the crime scene, keeping away from the yellow tape. A few of the employees helped moved the cars to the front of the car lot. “We’ll make sure no one goes back there.”
“Who said you could open again?” she asked.
Perry didn’t answer immediately. He felt as if she had tried a joke. “Excuse me?”
“Well, I’m just trying to figure out who I should charge with obstruction of justice.”
“Why don’t you go get some coffee, Marianne?” Perry saw the color drain from the receptionist’s face. She was in the middle of something that was well beyond her youthful understanding. It was easier to get her away from the front end than allow her to simmer between a debate between professionals. “What are you talking about?” Perry asked the detective once the girl retreated.
“I want you to know we’re not finished with the investigation. You don’t have any right to open up without checking with me.”
“What does opening the store have anything to do
with something that happened in the back lot?” Perry felt as if her challenged authority wasn’t going to end well.
“We’re going to interview everyone in your store. We’re going to search your grounds.”
“Where’s your warrant?” Rick asked. He approached from behind Perry. The delivery tone was as sharp as a knife in Perry’s back. “You can talk to the employees if they want to talk to you. But you’re not searching the grounds or the business without a warrant.”
She didn’t speak immediately. Perry felt the palpable anger radiating from her. Conditions and procedures, police had to follow the rules to make a case stick.
Rick stood close to Perry’s shoulder. He slipped his hands in his pants pockets. “Our lawyer wants to see the warrants before you can interview the staff. And you didn’t come with enough officers to search the grounds or the business.”
“Are you trying to hide something, Mr. McFadden?” Detective Macdonald asked.
“I’m trying to figure out why you think screwing up our business is going to help further your career.”
“That sounds inflammatory.”
“It sounds accurate to me,” Rick responded. Unlike Perry, he had no filters. It was one thing to think about it. But Rick didn’t shy away from exposure. “You’re dragging your feet. You think you can just come in here and own the place. Your investigation stops at the edge of the police tape on the back lot. It doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on inside this business.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“No you won’t,” Rick told her. “You’re not a judge. You’re a collector of evidence. You give that evidence to prosecutors. They determine what’s relevant to the case. And you’re certainly no judge.”
Perry showed no emotion. But he felt his anus pucker and the prick of sweat on his forehead. Rick’s words had venom, and Detective Macdonald showed as if they had some effect on her demeanor.
“Come back with a warrant.” Rick’s words still stung as he walked away. He saw the police officer stroll from the finance office. “Coffee’s on the house,” Rick said his voice close to a shout.
“Is that your feelings as well, Mr. Conway?” she asked.
“We can’t wait.” Perry wanted her to know the truth. If she didn’t allow the business to continue to run, they’d lose everything. “We’re going to default on our loans if we stay closed. You should call our lawyers.”
He went to the main doors. Opening the door for the detective was the hardest and bravest thing Perry had ever done. “Please, if you can just call the lawyers before you show up again, I think it would be better for us.”
Detective Macdonald didn’t say anything before she left. The uniformed officer put down the coffee cup on the high counter at the reception desk before he followed his superior out the door.
***
When Perry returned to his office, he began to breathe again. After a text to Gordon, the smartphone rang.
“Holy shit,” Gordon said before Perry acknowledged the call. “Did Rick say that to her?”
“Are we in trouble?” he asked. He felt the trembling in his legs.
“No.” Gordon laughed. “I don’t think I could have said it better myself. That was pretty ballsy.”
“Rick’s got some big balls.”
“I don’t think I want to talk about your former lover’s balls if that’s okay with you.”
Perry felt a smile crack his fear.
“I’ll have the office make a few calls to the precinct. She knows better.” Gordon waited a moment before he added, “I don’t think the investigation is going well for Macdonald.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If she had anything, she’d be on top of it. Coming into the business unannounced is the act of a desperate person.”
“She didn’t seem that desperate to me.”
“It’s her job; thinking that she has to build a solid case around fragments. It’s not easy. And someone like me is going to burst her bubble when it gets to court because I’m going to poke holes in everything she hands into the DA office. I don’t envy her job.”
“You sound confident in your abilities.” It felt good to talk to Gordon. He had a healing effect on Perry that was a surprise. Talking to him, Perry felt his trepidation subside.
“You’ve never seen me in court. I’m a force to reckon with,” he added.
“I’d like to see that.”
“I’d like to show it to you.” And for the first time, Perry felt as if they weren’t talking about court.
Chapter Fourteen
The rest of the day took forever. Even as an adult, Perry was too eager for his day to end. As co-owner of the company, he had the responsibility to stay longer than the rest. And it was Rick who noticed Perry’s edgy behavior.
“You’re acting funny,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because you’re looking at the clock every couple hours,” Rick pointed out. “That’s not like you. You usually don’t notice anything until the sun goes down.” He gave Perry a scrutinizing look. “What’s going on with you?”
It was uncomfortable for Perry to open up about his feelings. It doubled when expressing anything to his former lover. “I’ve got plans tonight.”
“Really?” Rick’s eyebrows rose so high on his forehead. Perry thought they’d fly off.
“Is that so shocking?”
“You’re usually not one to make plans. And on a school night,” he added. “Why are you still here?”
It was after five. They didn’t make a sale. Going home before closing a deal felt wrong to Perry; he said, “I wanted to end on a high note.”
“See Alice,” Rick said and gestured to the young lady walking with a Latino couple. They had their eye on a showroom car. “Do you think I’m going to let them walk out of here without buying a car?” He shook his head slowly for emphasis. “Go, enjoy your night. I got this.”
Breaking away was hard. But Rick had just as much invested in the business as Perry. The fact he took some initiative was enough to prompt Perry out the door. He winked at Alice from across the space before he darted from the building.
***
They made tentative plans to meet at an Italian restaurant downtown. The trouble was, when Perry got there, he had no appetite for food. As it turned out, neither did Gordon.
“You’re distracted.” His words filtered through the miasma of the restaurant. They sat across from each other.
“I’m sorry.” It wasn’t like Perry to find himself so far away after he’d spent the whole day waiting for that moment to be close to Gordon’s side. He offered an excuse. “We’re in recovery mode.”
“I can imagine.”
“I left early.”
“That, I’m sure, was difficult for you.” Chin in the palm of his hand, Gordon blinked at Perry. “Can I suggest something?”
“Sure,” he replied with a smile. “Yes, please.”
“Let’s get out of here. I want you to come home with me.” He pointed the finger at Perry before he could respond. “And if you apologize or say ‘really?’ I’ll be a little upset.”
“I’d love to.” And they were off. Separate cars, a few traffic lights and very little congestion between where they started and where they ended up.
***
Gordon lived in a colonial two-story house. Three bedrooms, big yard, and no company, it was a beautiful single-family home and no one to share it with.
“I bought it with my husband,” he said, unlocking the door. Perry didn’t have to say anything. He understood, probably better than others, sometimes the things people get together stay longer than the relationship.
Once the door closed, Perry kissed Gordon. It was spontaneous and wonderful. A fresh and maddening thing that burst in his chest like a firework on a short fuse, he pushed his tongue into Gordon’s mouth. There was a frenzy of activity between them. It was impossible to tell whose hands pulled off what article of clothing. G
ordon’s sure-footed trek to the bedroom from the front door allowed them access through a dark house. Perry let go of his inhibitions. The hot flesh under his hands was foreign and firm. The textile contact between them was more potent than either anticipated. It was as if two parts of distant pieces finally drew together, like threads of mercury seeking out each other from vast distances. He felt alive, floating above the stress and the anxiety of the last few days.
It was impossible to consider that without one piece of the tragedy, they would never have met. Maybe in random events to come, their paths would have crossed. But the surety of the last week made Perry realize that he’d waited too long and needed Gordon too much to deny himself another moment without this wonderful and beautiful man at his side.
He felt himself falling backward. It was a slow-motion movement that he didn’t fear. Gordon’s arms were locked around him in a sweeping hold. The soft, clean sheets of the bed under Perry’s back made him shudder. Alone in the man’s room, they were locked in a tight and passionate embrace. Mouth to mouth, arms around Gordon’s naked back, Perry pressed his hips against Gordon, feeling the stressed material of lingering clothing between them.
Perry’s hands slipped around Gordon’s front. The man’s shirt off, his fingers quickly found the button of his pants. Once undone, the silky material of the expensive slacks fell off Gordon’s hips. Only the thin, taut material of the underwear separated Perry’s fingers from Gordon’s erect penis. Its shape pressed tight against his palm.
He breathed with ecstasy. Gordon pulled on Perry’s shirt, tugged at it. When it wouldn’t come free, he pulled harder, balling his fist around the shirt tail and hoisting it over Perry’s head. Their mouths broke the connection. It was as if Perry’s heartbeat suddenly lost its rhythm. The palpitation a result of a disruption in the kinetic energy they shared.
But Gordon managed to remove the shirt and heaved it away with a grunt. Perry undid the button on his slacks. Gordon climbed off him and pulled at the leg cuff, leaving his pants heaped on the floor next to the bed.