Change of Heart - 12. Chapter Twelve

By the time Joe and Raymond arrived, someone had laid a tarp over the body. The first thing Joe did was to pull Paul and Jeff into a massive bear hug. When he stepped back, Raymond greeted Jeff warmly then placed a firm grip on Paul's shoulders and searched his eyes. “I know you weren't shot, but I have been in a similar situation. If you get to where what happened here today is all you can think about, I want you to know you can call me anytime. I am not only your attorney, but you and Maria are family now.”

Paul swallowed hard to choke back the warm emotion he felt from both the big man’s concern.

Raymond stepped back and took on the mantle of Paul’s lawyer. He made it clear that he was representing both Paul and Dave until they could engage criminal defense attorneys. Neither man was to answer any questions if he was not present. He made them repeat, “I refuse to answer any questions unless my attorney is present”. They had to repeat it several times until he was satisfied. He explained that while to everyone present this was clearly a case of self-defense, the police might look for motives behind the shooting. “A policeman may not always be seeking justice. They are promoted based on their arrest record and not some intangible like ‘keeping the peace’.

“Your statements should be made based on the facts. Even if asked, offer no opinions, make no assumptions nor suppositions. Don't speculate on someone else's motivations. You can repeat what they said, but don't guess about anything. If you can keep yourself from expressing an opinion, you’ll be much better off. Remember, you are not a mind reader. You don't know that Morgan was high, except that he told you. You didn't know the man, those behaviors you ascribe to drug use may have been just the way he was. Let the coroner do his job. Believe me, every test they conduct we will have corroborated by an independent laboratory.

“Once you have given your statement the questioning begins. Just answer the question. Talk too much and you could talk yourself into a prison sentence for something that has nothing to do with the fire or the shooting.

“The fact that this involved a “gay love triangle” means it will receive a lot of press coverage. The Sheriff and the District Attorney are both elected officials. The right-wing, holy rollers and homophobes will all insist on bringing you two to trial, even if it's on trumped-up charges. So, don't ever be misled into thinking these elected officials are seeking justice. They are constantly seeking one thing and that is reelection. They may play nice. Just remember they don't care about you at all. They go home every night to the only people they care about and those people are housed, clothed and fed because they get re-elected. “So, what are you two going to say if the policeman or assistant DA gives you a nice cup of coffee and tells you they have no problems with gays? Maybe their cousin is gay, their neighbor is gay, hell, maybe their dog is gay… What is your response?”

As one, Paul and Dave responded, “I refuse to answer any questions unless my attorney is present”.

With a surprisingly good British accent, Raymond responded, “By Jove, I think you’ve got it.”

Raymond coached Dave before allowing him to place the 911 call. He coached him to give only the essential facts concerning his role as Paul's bodyguard, the “carjacking” and the subsequent shooting. Joe had made sure Dave could pass on the proper directions.

Paul called Mellie just to be reassured Maria was safe. The joy he felt after just hearing her sweet voice made his eyes tear up. He could tell from her level of excitement that she was already well on her way to satisfying her sweet tooth. It was reassuring to know that normal life still existed. He let Jeff know by the time their shopping spree was over Maria would likely be in a sugar-induced coma. He confessed that she came by it honestly. He was occasionally known to indulge in decadent desserts. Maria didn't know daddy had kept a stash of Snickers on top of the refrigerator. He would, occasionally, sneak one to take to work or indulge long after his Princess was fast asleep. He felt he was being only a little hypocritical since he carefully controlled Maria’s sugar intake.

Jeff realized Paul was talking so much to try and hide his nervousness. He did remind himself to keep Snickers on hand, from now on. That got him to thinking about chocolate and sex together. Something else he had never tried but could see them exploring together. He gritted his teeth, pissed at himself that he could think of sex at a time like this.

The sound of sirens in the distance heralded the arrival of two Sheriff’s cruisers, a Texas Highway Patrol car as well as an ambulance followed by a van and a couple of SUV’s of what Jeff most likely thought to be gawkers or the press. Seems a lot of folks monitored the police radio band. As soon as they turned off the highway all sirens were silenced except for the lead vehicle, a Sheriff’s patrol car. That car, as it turned out, was driven by the Sheriff himself. Paul thought the siren heralded the arrival of an enormous ego, too soon he was proven right.

When the Sheriff stepped out of his car he put on his Stetson and rested his right hand on the butt of the six gun holstered on his hip. Paul decided he was tall, dark, and handsome enough to star as some big screen lawman. He scanned the scene as if this had all been set up just for him. He didn't bother introducing himself. Instead, he walked up to the blue tarp and pulled it off with a flair, as a magician might reveal his just vanished assistant. Paul noticed he was approached by a rotund little man wearing latex gloves and carrying a rather large medical bag. The apparent coroner signaled to an assistant with a digital camera. They all conferred for a moment in subdued tones.

The Sheriff scanned the crowd and made a decision. He swaggered up to the group made up of Jeff, Paul, Joe, Raymond, Ilya, and Dave. He took his time sizing up each man. Paul felt a little uneasy with such blatant scrutiny. He wondered if the man behind the mirrored sunglasses could tell he wasn't wearing underwear.

Apparently satisfied the group posed no immediate threat, he demanded, “Which one of you called in the shooting?”

Dave, remembering Raymond's counsel said, “I did.”

The Sheriff waited.

Paul swore he could hear his own sweat trickling down his back in the silence that followed Dave’s cryptic response.

The Sheriff, clearly irritated that Dave didn't volunteer more information, stripped off his sunglasses. Paul decided he really was a handsome man, with his salt and pepper, mostly black hair and striking gray eyes. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties and in really good shape. Too bad he came across as a complete asshole. There would be no mistaking this prick as a friend! Free coffee or not.

“I am Rafford T. Johnson, Sheriff of this county. You will refer to me as “Sheriff”. You have a problem with that? Son.”

Raymond signaled for Joe not to interfere.

Dave had spent more than his fair share of time with egotistical assholes parading around as officers in the Corps. He thought this guy’s attitude was so stereotypical of a small town Sheriff, he half expected the “General Lee” to come flying over the dilapidated house with its horn blaring Dixie. He snapped to attention and in his best enlisted man’s voice shouted, “Sir yes Sir!” In the same breath he relaxed and in a near normal volume added, “Daddy.”

The blush and grimace were still noticeable under that strong, well-tanned jawline. “Ok, smartass. Keep that up and you’ll be spending the night in with our county's finest.”

“No thanks Sheriff. I have plans to spend the night in the arms of my boyfriend. He’s right over there. Wanta’ meet him, Rafe?” Looking “Rafe” up and down with an obviously lascivious leer, “ He’d enjoy meeting a fine looking Daddy like you.”

After seeing the disgust on the Sheriff’s face, Paul wanted to applaud Dave's smartass attitude. Rafe’s face twisted up like he had just witnessed a loud and rancid fart in church. Paul could almost see steam coming out of the man's ears. The Sheriff reached behind his back for what Paul thought was handcuffs. Instead, the man seemed to change his mind and took a deep breath.

He sneered his dismissal of Dave, then again scanned the group, and demanded, “Which one of you is the queer veterinarian?” Paul cringed. Jeff stepped forward. Raymond reached out a hand to hold him back and interjected, “Sheriff, if you expect to get any cooperation from these gentlemen you might want to change your approach. How might you know the sexual orientation of one of my clients? Have you had gay sex with him? If you did, who was butt fucking whom? Dave's boyfriend would certainly be interested in that?”

“I could have you all arrested for insulting and impeding a duly appointed officer of the law in the performance of his official duties.”

At that moment an even taller and broader State Trooper joined the Sheriff. From the smile on his face. It was obvious he had heard every word of the exchange.

Raymond had obviously dealt with “big fish in a little pond“ egos in the past. “Before you do, you might want to call the Texas State Attorney General. He and I play golf most every time he comes to Dallas. Teddy likes the courses at my country club. He’ll tell you about the high cost of false arrest and harassment of citizens by duly appointed officers of the law even in the execution of their official duties. He’ll advise you to make sure your personal liability insurance has very high limits or you might find yourself homeless AND unemployed. So go ahead illegally detain any or all of us and continue to harass us. Just make sure your liability and the county coffers are up to snuff.”

Producing a business card, “I am Raymond Cargill, the attorney representing any and all parties that were present when you arrived… excepting of course the deceased.” Raymond smiled what Paul could finally see resembled a Tom Selleck ‘ah shucks’ grin.

The Sheriff grudgingly accepted the card.

“Oh, and please remember me to Teddy and Margaret when you talk to him. What with the holidays, I’m sure he’s at home in Austin. I have that number if you need it.”

The Sheriff obviously had the wind taken out of his sails. He started to say something, then changed his mind. Paul noted that was the second time the Sheriff had hesitated. In his line of work that could get a man killed. Obviously, despite his bluster, this man didn't spend much time in actual law enforcement. The Sheriff walked away with the same false bravado he had when he first arrived. He spoke to his three deputies that had been patiently trying not to annoy the coroner while keeping the gawkers/press at bay. No doubt, he was glad none of his men heard the dressing down he had just received.

The State Trooper introduced himself with a smile, “Mornin’ gentlemen, I’m Sergeant Bill Wilson, with the Texas State Highway Patrol. I’ll be sharing investigative duties with the County Sheriff’s Department. I want you to know I heard the exchange and stand ready to repeat what I heard to anyone. The Sheriff and I are both professionals but we hold differing viewpoints on a number of social issues.”

Apparently, the Sheriff dispatched his deputies to collect statements. There were more than a couple of surreptitious smiles when Deputy Daniel Lovan led the other two deputies over and introduced himself and his colleagues. One Deputy was charged with bagging and tagging the weapons involved. Paul never mentioned nor offered to surrender his wallet holstered pistol.

Deputy Lovan and Sergeant Wilson, after cordially greeting each other by their first names, led Paul and Raymond to the State Trooper’s patrol car to take his initial statement. Bill Wilson thoroughly enjoyed relaying Dave and the Sheriff’s confrontation to Danny. They agreed they would have paid to see the Sheriff’s face when Danny called him “Daddy”. It was clear to all present that Sergeant Wilson was at least “gay-friendly” and definitely no fan of Sheriff Johnson.

Then it was Dave's turn.

In the meantime, Morgan's body was unceremoniously carried away in a nondescript van, with “Coroner” painted on the side. Paul grinned at the irony of that being the ride Morgan had predicted for himself and Dave.

At some point, Joe had the foresight to call his cook, Rosa, and asked her to prepare and send some sandwiches and coffee along with some bottled water. Even though the Sheriff agreed to dismiss those not directly involved in the shooting only the soldaty chose to leave. Ilya, Tink, Sam, Joe, Fred, and Jeff insisted they be allowed to hang around.

After hearing from the coroner and comparing Paul and Dave's statements, taken by Deputy Lovan and Trooper Wilson, the Sheriff grudgingly concurred there was no reason to hold anyone, at the present time. He insisted that both Paul and Dave be at his office at nine o’clock in the morning for further questioning.

He left without partaking of the offered refreshments. On the other hand, his deputies and Sergeant Wilson were most grateful and readily ate their fill and took more sandwiches and coffee to go.

Danny took Sergeant Wilson and Raymond aside and let them know that tomorrow, more than likely, someone from the D A’s office would be in attendance during the questioning. Raymond smiled and expressed his thanks for the heads up. He explained that come tomorrow Dave and Paul would be represented by very competent criminal defense attorneys out of Dallas. He had already made the call. Sergeant Wilson, before departing, made it a point to say he too would be there.

As the Trooper headed off to his car Raymond turned to Danny and said, “As of tomorrow morning I will no longer be Attorney of Record on this case. I will once again be Jeff and Paul's glorified accountant. Since there will no longer be a possible conflict of interest how about you be a good boy and have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

Danny suddenly found it very warm in his leather jacket. His heart started pounding in his chest. He wiped away beads of perspiration from his upper lip. His cock surged as it crawled down the leg of his boxers. He could feel the cooling trail of precum it left behind. He wanted to look down for any visible signs of seepage, but Raymond held his gaze. Those hypnotic emerald green eyes stared into his soul and laid all his secret needs bare.

Raymond dropped his focus to Danny's crotch. With a smirk that spoke volumes, “Well? Are you going to be my good boy and say yes? Or should I make you drop your pants and spank your bare ass, right here in front of god and everybody.” The smirk faltered as Raymond realized he had pushed Danny too hard.

Danny shook his head did a double take, trying to regain his composure. That encounter in the stall, all those years ago, had been like a wet dream come to life. His first wet dream had, in fact, involved the grown man that stood before him. To actually be held in his arms, well, dreams didn't get any better. It had felt like he had won every Gold Medal at the Summer Olympics. The rush was almost overwhelming. Long after that encounter, his jerk off fantasies swirled around what might have happened if they had not been interrupted and if he had not run away.

He couldn't wait to see Raymond again and made every excuse to visit his friend's ranch. Jeff was definitely the best friend he had ever had. If he could see his heart’s desire while visiting Jeff, well that was just icing on the cake. It had taken him almost two weeks to realize that Raymond didn't want to see him again. Certainly, the man went to great lengths to avoid being alone with him and totally ignored him when in his presence.

When it had finally sunk in that Raymond didn't return his feelings it was a crushing blow. For weeks on end, he felt numb, except for the aching void in his gut. Offering the flimsiest of excuses, he had refused to visit the ranch again until he knew Raymond was back in college.

As time passed he adjusted to the heartbreak. He cussed himself whenever that memory fueled his sexual fantasies or entered into his daydreams of the future. Eventually, he found it was almost easy to keep his cool when Raymond’s name came up in casual conversation. His eyes even quit following the man, on those rare occasions, when they were both in the same room. It had been some time since he had really thought about Raymond Cargill. Until the other night. Now, all these years later, at a crime scene no less, Raymond’s impact on Danny was, once again, debilitating.

He was furious with himself for reverting to that same hormone-driven adolescent. Yet, at the touch of Raymond’s hand or the sound of his voice, he was, once again, being backed into the corner of that stall. The sense of calm he felt wash over him was the same as when a firefight broke out during any of his Middle Eastern tours. His gut wrenched with that old familiar pain, while calm resolve hid his fear of being hurt again.

He stared into Raymond’s eyes, “Listen! I don't know who you think you are, coming onto me like I was still that worshipful, wide-eyed, walking talking teenage hardon that you molested in a horse stall. But, get one thing straight.

“I. Am. Not. Anybody's. Boy!

"So you can take your domineering attitude, your J.D. degree, your C.P.A. Certificate, your downtown Dallas, penthouse apartment and your $160,000.00 Tesla and shove them all, up your ass. Sideways! And if all this is somehow connected to that job offer the other night, you know where to stick that too.

“As far as eating with you! There was a time when I would have killed to be near you. Now, I’d sooner eat shit in an alley than share a steak with you at a five-star restaurant.

“The next time you approach me, it had better be in a strictly professional capacity. Cause on a personal level, I got nothing else to say to you. Mr. Cargill!” Deputy Daniel Lovan turned and walked away without waiting for a response. He left Raymond with a gaping mouth and a wide-eyed stare. He let Paul and David know they were free to go but reminded them of tomorrow’s meeting.

Ilya took his leave and left, taking Tink with him.

Joe walked over to collect Raymond. “You coming with me son? Or are you just gonna stand there gaping at his backside?”

Raymond snapped his jaw shut so fast it hurt his teeth. He was about to deny he had been watching Danny until he saw his Uncle's knowing smile. “Hell, I knew how taken you were with him, back when it was illegal. It appears as if things haven't changed much.

"How does he feel? I used to laugh at how the kid would slobber just watching you walk by. You ought to let him know how you feel. You're both good men, you would make a damn fine team."

“Uncle Joe, I never told you this, but back when he was a freshman in high school and I was in law school, I kissed Danny. I think it was his first kiss and he came in his jeans. Somebody interrupted us. Thank god. Who knows what I might have done to him. I kept my distance after that. It wouldn't look good for a future lawyer to have a charge of child molestation on his record.

"I knew he was hurt when I started ignoring him but I really didn't have a choice. I knew if I was alone with him, the next time, it wouldn't end with a single passionate kiss. In time, he got over it and we both moved on.

“Or so I thought until today. I asked him out to dinner and he went off on me like a Fourth of July fireworks display. I guess I hurt him more than I’d thought. He has definitely remembered that kiss… But then, so have I.”

Joe stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet. “Son, I don't think you need to thank god for interrupting you two. It was me come whistling through the barn. I saw you backing him into that corner like you was cutting out a calf from his momma. I saw that kiss. At first, I thought pretty harshly of you. A full-grown man, taking advantage of that boy. Then I heard him moan and watched him shudder with his climax. I left and come back through quick like a whistling. I was relieved to see y’all broke it up.

“I thought about reminding you of the age difference. I watched you deal with it over the next couple of weeks and decided it was a one-off kind of thing. I thought about Danny and remembered one time when I was younger than him, out mending fence with an older cowboy. Hell, I wouldn't trade that memory for nothing. It still gets my old hoss to prancing when I get to thinking about it.”

Together, each lost in his thoughts, they headed to Raymond's car.

Paul was relieved when he learned his Explorer was impounded as evidence. He was pretty sure he would never be able to drive it or ride in it again. He approached Danny about retrieving his equipment from the Explorer. Together, with Jeff, they walked up to the Explorer. They apparently surprised the Deputy still searching the vehicle. He had his right forearm under the front passenger seat. He jumped and yelped when Danny called his name.

"Damn you, Lovan. I pert near broke my arm trying to get to my sidearm. Don't go sneaking up on a fellow like that."

"Sorry. What have you found so far?"

The Deputy indicated several plastic bags on the backseat. "I have given it a thorough going over. I found traces of what appears to be crack cocaine and a glass pipe. This is my second time around, just trying to be careful not to overlook anything." Turning to Paul he asked, "You got a little girl?"

Paul nodded, wondering how he knew.

The Deputy grinned in understanding. "I got a six-year-old myself. You got everything here except the booster seat." Indicating a large plastic bag, "You got the lost toys and incriminating crumbs and wrappers. Just like the backseat of every parent I know."

Due to his profession, the Deputy allowed him to take most of his equipment. Paul was grateful for Danny's intercession on his behalf.

Jeff had been very attentive since arriving on the scene. It seemed to Paul as though he was in constant physical contact. If they weren't shoulder to shoulder, then he could feel Jeff's hand at the small of his back.

After stashing the last of the supplies and equipment into the Tahoe, Jeff pulled him into a possessive hug. “I know this has been a really rough day for you. I want you to know that if he hadn't been dead when I got here, I would have killed him myself. I was so afraid I would never see you or hold you again. I don't ever, ever want to go through that again. I’m glad! he's dead. Hell, I was tempted to put another bullet in him just to make sure. Now, I can relax knowing I don't have to be afraid that bastard is going to take you and Maria away from me. I know all this sounds selfish. I want to comfort you, to be whatever you need me to be right now. I just want you to know how important you and the Princess have become to me.”

Paul stared into Jeff's glistening eyes, “Let's go home cowboy, we’ve had a busy day and it's barely halfway over and I feel exhausted.”