A Love Worth Saving

by David Horne

  Perry propped up on his elbows. Gordon lay next to him. His eyes were twinkling in the dark, he smiled. “You’re under a lot of stress.”

  “That’s an understatement.” He twisted and swung his legs over the edge of the bed to sit up. Gordon crawled over and enveloped him with strong arms.

  “Clearly you’re not going to sleep the rest of the night.” Gordon climbed off the bed on Perry’s side and pulled at his hand. He led Perry into the bathroom.

  There were nightlights scattered around the house. Gordon didn’t believe in turning on lights when he knew the way. The LED nightlights were markers in the hallways, bedroom, and there were two in the bathroom.

  He turned on the shower. It was a large standup shower with ceramic tiled walls. What made Gordon’s shower unique had to do with two showerheads that sprayed from opposite directions. It was a luxury that Perry never considered.

  But the hot water had variable settings that allowed ranges from jet streams to hot mist. There was a single overhead light in the shower that shown down in a warm spotlight. It was easy on the eyes when Gordon turned it on. Perry watched him strip and stood naked as he pulled Perry’s underwear down. Once off, Gordon gently moved Perry into the shower. The soft rain cascaded over him.

  There was a ceramic seat at the center of the shower. It was a warm place to sit while the water washed over him. Gordon found a new razor under the sink and the shaving cream. Once he collected the items, he climbed into the shower and closed the door.

  The shower setting had gentle rain quality. A summer sprinkle that felt good against the flesh. Gently, Gordon tilted Perry’s head to face him. He shook the can of shaving cream and sprayed it into the palm of his hand. After a good lather, Gordon covered Perry’s jaw, neck, chin, and a line under his nose.

  Perry closed his eyes. Leaning against the ceramic wall, Perry felt Gordon’s tender touch as he shaved Perry’s face. It was methodical and meditative. Perry began to relax. He had everything he needed in that one glorious moment. Gordon’s attention soothed him. He reached out with open palms and touched Gordon’s hips. The water bathed him in a soft, warm sheath.

  Perry opened his eyes to look at Gordon in front of him. The shaving complete, Gordon stood up, rinsed his hands and face. His soft cock inches from Perry’s face. He brushed his fingers over it. Then wrapped a hand around the shaft and held Gordon’s cock. The penis began to stiffen in his hand. A magical moment, the awaking of the flesh, he leaned forward and kissed around the lengthening shaft.

  Hands pressed around Gordon’s hips, easing him in a stance directly in front of Perry. He kept one grip on Gordon’s thigh, the other hand guided his thickening cock into his mouth. Soft, sweet skin, the taste of water and flesh, Perry cupped his mouth around Gordon’s cock and pulled him.

  A moan escaped Gordon’s mouth. His hands found Perry’s shoulders. He rocked his hips gently, pressing his cock deep inside Perry’s mouth and pulling completely out again. The gentle rain washed over them.

  Perry stood up. His mouth immediately found Gordon’s mouth. His hands cupped the man’s chin. Their kiss was perfect under the falling rain. More than anything else, Perry needed Gordon. The clarity of this man, a surprising addition to his life, Gordon was someone who Perry required more than the breath in his body.

  He turned around, arched his back and bent forward. Gordon behind him, he felt the man’s hands on his hips. Perry reached under his legs and pulled at Gordon, guiding the cock into him.

  They made love in the shower. Gordon embraced Perry. Their bodies entangled around each other. The shower ended. They moved from the bathroom to the bedroom and continued to keep each other close. The night was over. Lying in each other’s arms, they watched the sunrise through the bedroom window.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Deeper in the law firm than he’d been before, Perry felt they had a façade that allowed people to feel they were within a prosperous place, surrounded by affluent people. The conference room had a single large table that went on forever. A dark varnished wood table surrounded by high-back leather chairs designed for elegance and comfort.

  There was a steeping cup of tea in front of Perry as he sat at the table. Gordon sat next to him. He relaxed. Fingers laced together on the top of his head, he had a smile for Perry when the office manager showed Detective Macdonald into the conference room. By the look on her face, she had the same expression Perry wore when he arrived earlier that day.

  “We’ll supply you with a recording of our meeting today,” Gordon told the detective. She had a thick manila file in her hands. “We’ll start with Perry, and you can take your time.”

  She didn’t like having parameters. The scowl on her face was undeniable. “We’re going to look into arresting your client for obstruction of justice.”

  While Perry felt a flash of heat explode in his chest at the statement, Gordon went on unflinchingly. “Well, when you give us the charging documents, we’ll move forward.” Perry felt Gordon’s foot press against him under the table, out of sight of the detective. It was a reassuring sensation that Perry clung to without showing any admission to Macdonald.

  She hadn’t come alone. There was another detective with her. In a different, smaller, conference room, the detective questioned the other employees of the car lot. Two uniformed officers were waiting in the lobby of the firm. It was a militant show of intimidation, but none of the lawyers, law clerks, or paralegals paid any real attention to the police presence in the building.

  Detective Macdonald had photographic copies of items confiscated from Johnnie’s house. “Do you recognize any of these documents?” she asked.

  Perry took his time examining the pictures. There were handwritten receipts. Catalogs of VIN numbers and inflated dollar amounts that Perry was sure they never charged for cars on the lot.

  “I know those are Johnnie’s notes. I recognize his handwriting.” He looked at Gordon, then back at the detective. “But I don’t know what they are.”

  “We found several notes just like this.”

  “Did you find any incriminating evidence that suggested our client or Johnnie Pearson had anything to do with the break-in?” Gordon didn’t look at the photographs. He kept watching the detective. The copies were discovery, only when presented for the time of an arrest. So far, Perry was a witness and not a person of interest. Detective Macdonald’s original claim to make an arrest was a weak tactical statement to trip up Perry. The guilty often showed signs of faltering.

  “Did you recover the bullet from the showroom wall?” Gordon later told Perry that the impact was inches from where Perry stood the night of the robbery. Mistake or not, it wasn’t something he wanted to think about.

  “We’ll let you know when we’re done processing the bullet fragment.” It wasn’t meant as an admission but the detective had given away something that satisfied Gordon. “It’s likely the bullet will match the victim found in the trunk of the Ford.”

  “What about Johnnie?” Perry asked.

  “What about him?”

  “How did he die?”

  “Does that matter?” the detective quipped. The words stung Perry. He’d hired Johnnie. The young man had a future. He had class and intelligence. And it was impossible for Perry to think anything else except he was somehow responsible for the young man’s death.

  “It matters to me.”

  “He was bludgeoned. It was a single blow. But the injury was traumatic enough to cause cranial hemorrhaging.”

  Perry nodded. It didn’t change anything. But at least he knew now.

  “Look, Mr. Conway,” the detective started. There was frustration on her face. She didn’t try to hide the irritation. “We’re going to find out what’s going on with your company. It would be in your best interest to cooperate with us.”

  “I am cooperating.” The signal from Gordon’s foot reminded Perry to not give in to her pandering.

  “You must know now there’s a lot more going on here than just you
r average car sales.”

  “I considered that.” Before he could say anything else, Gordon leaned forward and put his hands on the tabletop.

  “Our client respectfully declines to make any statement under appropriate circumstances. He hereby invokes the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.”

  It came out in a stream of words that sounded practiced. It was the most frightening thing Perry had ever heard about himself from someone else. Recovering from Gordon’s direct legal jargon was hard. His throat felt tight. He needed a drink. The tea in front of him tasted bitter. Perry put down the cup and took a deep breath.

  “Mr. Conway, if anything is going on with your company that you know of, it would be a good idea to come clean about it.”

  She gathered the photographs. They were redundant copies, but the detective wasn’t giving away anything. If the attorneys wanted the documents, they had to request them formally. Perry wanted a better look at the receipts. Something was going on that he wanted to look into deeper. If he had more time with the receipts, he might find a link to Johnnie’s death and the burglary.

  “We’re done here,” Gordon said. He stood, and Perry followed. The detective remained in the conference room. Alice Hartman was next in to see the detective. There was another firm lawyer with the frightened girl.

  Perry saw Rick sitting in the lobby. He looked up from his smartphone and smiled as Gordon led Perry across the office space into his private office.

  “That went well,” he said when the door closed.

  “I’m not sure how you think that was okay.” Perry felt the sweat in his armpits and back of his neck.

  “Well, she’s pulling at thin air,” Gordon spoke with authority. While this was all new to Perry, his lover had experience with police interrogation. “They don’t have anything.”

  “Can I ask what that was about the Fifth?”

  Gordon smiled reassured. “It was a ploy to get her to shut up. You give a cop an inch, and they’ll try to take it around the world. As far as questioning witnesses, I got to say. It was the shortest interview I’ve been in.”

  “But you didn’t say that because I have something to hide, did you?”

  They were inside Gordon’s office. There were no interior windows. They were on the third floor of a business building downtown, overlooking the roof of a Chinese restaurant.

  “Do you have anything to hide, Perry?”

  It was delivered in a manner that felt like a slap. When Perry faced Gordon, he only saw a smile and the twinkle in his lover’s eyes. “You need to relax my friend. Whatever is going on around here, I am confident you’re not to blame.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was never discussed because Perry didn’t think it was a good idea to bring it up, but when he arrived at Rick’s apartment later that day, he saw the living room lights on inside. He waited a while, collecting his thoughts and managing his emotions.

  By the time he knocked on the door, Perry felt he was ready for anything. Rick answered with a worried look, squeezing the smartphone in his fist.

  “We need to talk.” Perry walked by Rick, deeper into the apartment. He’d been there so many times over the years, and Perry knew every inch of the place. Rick was predictable and rarely changed his behavior.

  “Did you see the copy of the receipts Johnnie had at his house?” Perry asked. He hadn’t told Gordon where he went after he left the man’s office that day.

  Perry drove by the car lot. There were police cruisers stationed at the building and property. There were news anchors doing sound bites, standing in the lawn at the edge of the property. Perry didn’t want the press to catch up to him. So far they hadn’t tracked him. It was only a matter of time.

  Waiting outside Rick’s house allowed Perry to see if the media found his business partner too. So far, they were both lucky.

  “I’m not sure what that was all about.” Rick dropped into the armchair. He cupped the smartphone between his hands. He divided his time watching the phone screen and Perry’s face.

  Perry sat down on the couch. He faced Rick. The recent events took a toll on his former lover. His hair disheveled, he hadn’t shaved. They were going to address bankruptcy. It was inevitable now. But at that moment, Perry needed to know something more important than their financial future.

  “I’m just going to ask you directly. I need you to tell me the truth. This is just us. There’s no one else here.” Perry took a deep breath. “Do you have anything to do with this?”

  And Rick’s eyebrows knotted together. It wasn’t a surprise. One of the two of them needed to ask the other what the hell was going on. There was a wedge between them, and the rift that started with murder had taken its toll on them. Perry felt he was a compassionate man. He made concessions that allowed Rick to take some chances with the business. It wasn’t anything illegal. But they sometimes didn’t collect paychecks based on poor decisions Rick made in the past.

  This was something different altogether. Whatever was going on had directly affected both of them. And based on prior experience, Perry needed to ask the question.

  He stood up. It wasn’t a guilty man standing in front of him. Perry saw a shell of Rick’s former self. He was just as hurt and bewildered as Perry. It came out of frustration and anger with the unknown.

  “I don’t know what’s going on.” Rick gave Perry a long, hard look. He moved from the living room to the kitchen, passing through the archway that separated the space. Perry watched him pour a gluttonous amount of alcohol into a large tumbler glass. “Did your boyfriend coach you to ask me that?”

  “Look, please don’t think Gordon has anything to do with me being here.” He stood up and walked to the kitchen. “I’d be here even if I didn’t know him. We’re in trouble here, Rick. Something is going on, and I don’t know how we’re going to get out of it.”

  “I don’t have anything to do with all this,” he said. His voice caught in his throat. A gulp of hard liquor burned the words before he let them out. “I want to sell off the inventory we have to see if we can keep something. But we’re not allowed back on the property until the cops are done with their investigation.”

  “Gordon says they’re going to take their time too.” It came out as an innocent statement. But Perry realized once he mentioned Gordon’s name, Rick felt the sting. “I’m going to the bank tomorrow. I need you to come with me.”

  “We can’t ask for any more extensions on the loans. We’re going to default, and maybe we can recover afterward.”

  “If we own up to it, at least it makes us look more responsible.”

  “Do you think banks give a shit about people anymore?” Rick finished off the tumbler of liquor and poured another one. “We’re just numbers. Our credit scores don’t have faces. We could be the nicest guys in the world. Without good credit, we’re not worth a damn.”

  He didn’t want a heated debate. They had a lot on their shoulders. They didn’t need to be at each other’s throats too. Rick was a good business partner. He made some poor decisions sometimes. But he always closed on great deals. Perry wanted his friend to know he stood by him; no matter what. Without words, he embraced Rick.

  After a second of tenseness, Rick succumbed and wrapped his arms around Perry. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Rick kissed Perry’s cheek. “We’ll get out of this. I know it.”

  “Me too,” he said and pulled away from Rick. “Just come to the bank with me in the morning. Maybe they have options we don’t know about.”

  Rick nodded. “Okay. I’ll meet you tomorrow at nine.”

  “Perfect.”

  Perry left the apartment. He drove by the business again on his way home. There were two police cruisers parked in the lot. The media left for the day. The building looked cold and lonely. The cars in the lot were dormant, waiting for customers to save them from a stagnant paved cage.

  Chapter Twenty

  When the phone rang at three in the morning, Perry felt his heart stop.
He fumbled with the smartphone, and the caller ID read ‘private number.’

  “Hello?”

  “Mr. Conway, this is Detective Macdonald. I need you to come to the police department within the hour. You can bring your lawyer.” She said it in a manner like it was a suggestion. Perry knew better than go anywhere without counsel present.

  “What’s going on?”

  “It’s better if you come within the hour. I’ll explain everything then. If you’re unable to drive, I’ll send an officer to bring you in.” Everything she said had negative connotations. It felt as if not only did he not have a choice in the matter, that with or without his permission, he was going to do as he was told.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Perry ended the call and immediately phoned Gordon. He explained as much as he could of the cryptic call from the detective. Gordon didn’t advise him at all. He just listened and waited for Perry to stop talking before he finally spoke.

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  ***

  The department didn’t have a conference room to have a polite conversation. The interrogation room was occupied. Detective Macdonald met Perry and Gordon at the security door. She escorted them through a tired office setting where desks were paired together, and people worked shoulder to shoulder in cramped spaces without privacy.

  They arrived at a small cubical that had two chairs, a small desk, and no door.

  “I’ll get right to the point.” She looked tired. There was a hint of cigarette smoke radiating from her wrinkled clothing. It was the first time Perry noticed the detective smoked. “The car lot burned to the ground tonight. There are fire investigators at the scene. We’ll find out what started the fire within a matter of hours. It would be a good idea to tell me where you were tonight.”

  Perry looked from the detective to Gordon. Both of them stared at him. “I was home.”

  “Was anyone with you?”