Dead Fit - 27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

When I woke up on Sunday, it was seven in the morning. I had a tinge of a headache and was still wearing the street clothes I had on the night before. My wallet was thrown carelessly on the floor next to my shoes and socks. I must have passed out and Brian had to put me in bed. I hoped he wasn’t disgusted by my excessive drinking. My clothes smelled horrible, so I stripped and crawled into one of Brian's robes.

I found Brian sitting at his breakfast nook. He had already made a run to Starbucks and there was Venti Latte waiting for me. He handed me my drink, not bothering to take his eyes off of his laptop screen. Did I do something to make him mad when I was drunk?

I sat quietly, sipping my coffee, while he continued surfing on his computer. The silence made me uncomfortable, but I figured I should wait for Brian to say something first. When I finished my Latte, Brian stood up and said to me, “You owe me from last night.”

“For the drinks,” I asked. How unusual, Brian had never asked me for money for dinner or drinks. I must have really drank a lot if he wanted me to pay for my drinks.

“No, you passed out last night, baby. I didn't get any love from you.”

“I know, I'm sorry, I think I had one too many Pina Coladas.”

“Yes you did,” Brian said. Before I could respond, Brian grabbed my hands and pulled me up from the breakfast nook. He kissed me. While our tongues wrestled, Brian's hands untied the sash to the robe and the front opened. We stopped kissing just long enough for Brian to look at me, up and down. He slipped the robe from around my shoulders and let the robe fall to the ground. I was suddenly aware I was completely naked.

Since we started dating, Brian had never seen me completely naked, in broad daylight. Come to think of it, besides teammates in high school, no one had ever seen me in the buff. But the way Brian looked at me made me feel good, confident. It was one of those, I want you looks. And who was I to deny his request?

Brian pulled me to him and we embraced. I felt his lips kiss my neck and then my shoulders. His lips made his way to my chest and soon, he was on his knees nuzzling my stomach with his nose. Brian’s warm breath hit me in the right places and I was aroused.

Still on his knees, Brian looked up at me and asked, “Are you okay?”

I nodded. No turning back now.

I felt his warm mouth on me, moving rhythmically, slowly at first. As I made noises expressing my appreciation for his talents, he picked up the pace. The feeling was intense and I knew I wasn't going to last, so to delay the inevitable, I pulled Brian to his feet and helped him disrobe. Following his lead, I started by kissing his neck, then his chest, then his abdomen. I fell to my knees and let myself taste him. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing, but at least I was going to have fun trying to figure it out.

Eventually, Brian and I headed to his bedroom, where we continued to let our mouths explore each others’ bodies for what felt like an eternity. Finally, after we both peaked, I fell asleep in his arms.

When I woke, Brian was still next to me, talking on his mobile phone. He uttered a series of “uh huhs,” and “I sees,” and ended the conversation with, “I’ll be there in a little bit.”

Brian put his phone on the night stand and wrapped me in his arms. “Sorry, baby, one of my business tenants is having a plumbing problem. I have to go stand guard while the plumbers fix the leak. Can you stay with me one more night?”

“Let me think about it, Brian. I get a little homesick when I'm gone for more than a few days.”

The truth was, I wanted more than anything to stay another night with Brian. But given how quickly our physical relationship was moving, I knew if I spent another night with him, it would mean the end of my virginity. My willpower was waning. I wanted Brian and I wanted him badly.

Brian crawled out of bed and changed into his landlord attire. While he got ready, I remembered that I still needed to speak to Sister Ann Marie about Todd’s visit to the Thrift Shop the previous day. Since Brian was going to be gone, too, I could stop by St. Theresa’s between noon and two without disrupting our day together.

“Hey, what time will you back,” I asked him. “I have to run an errand for a little while this afternoon.”

“I should be back by seven. Why don’t I just leave you a spare set of keys in case you get here before I do, baby?”

Eek. Giving me a spare set of keys? We could be just steps away from cohabitation.

“Okay, that sounds fine. I’ll remember to return them to you, I promise.”

“It’s alright; I know where to find you.” When Brian was done getting ready, he kissed me on the forehead and said, “I hope you're here when I get back.”

After I heard his front door shut, I fell back to sleep for half an hour. When I woke, I showered in Brian’s bathroom, figuring our level of intimacy had reached a new level this morning. No sense in worrying about personal space after having just enjoyed every inch of each others’ bodies. His soap and shampoo were fancy salon brands, luxury my skin and hair weren't accustomed to experiencing.

On my way out the door, I grabbed the spare set of keys Brian had left for me on the coffee table in his living room. It was just past noon and I hoped Sister Ann Marie was well rested after her meditation. I had a lot of questions and needed accurate answers.

* * * * *

I walked into St. Theresa’s Thrift Shop. The place was empty, except for one customer making a purchase. I spotted Sister Ann Marie behind the register and when she finished with the customer, I eased my way over to her. “Hello, Sister, I don't know if you remember me, but I was in here last weekend. My mother sent me to find out if you needed help after the break in at the Thrift Shop.”

“Of course I remember you, child. What brings you back here so soon?”

“I know this is going to sound strange, but I was at a wedding here yesterday and I couldn't help noticing a man in a suit come into your store around 1:45 or so.”

“Oh yes, it was a nice Police Detective asking me a few more questions about last week’s break-in.”

“Police Detective? Oh no, Sister, you must be thinking about someone else. I’m referring to the man who came in yesterday, maybe 1:40 or so. He wasn’t in a Police uniform, just a regular suit.”

Sister Ann Marie laughed, “Dear, how many people in suits do you think come into this store? There was only one person that came in wearing a suit yesterday and that was the Police Detective.”

I guess we were talking about the same person. “How do you know he was a Police Detective?”

“Well, he told me he was and he showed me his badge. He was just here to ask some follow up questions.”

“Follow up questions? Like what, Sister?”

“I guess the Police had some kind of breakthrough in the case,” she said. “They managed to recover the box of items that was stolen. He needed me to try to remember what all was in the box. I couldn’t remember everything in it. And I wasn’t quite sure what everything was called, but at least I could describe the things I remembered seeing.”

“Did he say why he needed to know what you remembered seeing in the box,” I asked.

“No, but I think it was just his way of making sure the box they found really was the one stolen from the Thrift Store. It’s probably their way of verifying the box belongs to us. The Detective couldn’t tell me a lot because the investigation is still going on.” Sister Ann Marie stopped talking and stared at me. I kept my mouth shut in hopes that the silence would encourage her to say a little more.

Lucky for me it worked and she continued, “But he really seemed concerned about a cell phone that was supposed to have been in the box. He asked if I remembered seeing it. I told him I was pretty sure there was never a cell phone in the box. That’s one thing I would have remembered seeing. When I insisted that the cell phone was never in the box, he seemed like he didn't believe me. Probably thought I was old and senile. He even asked me to check in the back of the Shop, where we store new items that haven’t been properly marked, just in case it fell out. But it wasn’t there, either.”

Something about this whole story wasn’t adding up. “I’m a little confused, Sister. How did the Detective know there was a cell phone in the box? I mean, it was my friends who donated the items and I couldn’t even tell you for sure that there was a cell phone in there. Did he tell you how he knew it should have been in the box?”

She shrugged her shoulders and said, “No.”

Sister Ann Marie’s response sounded careless. For some reason, it stirred something in me and I got a little testy with her. “Didn’t you think it was weird that he knew this information? It’s not like he was the one who donated the stuff. How would he have known there was a cell phone in the box?”

Sister Ann Marie scrunched her face as she considered my point. “Well, now that you mention it, it does seem a little strange.”

“Why didn’t you ask him?” My question came out harshly.

She didn’t appreciate my accusatory tone and fired back, “He was a Police Officer, so I just answered his questions honestly. I wasn’t there to scrutinize his investigation. You sure do have a lot of questions about something that doesn’t involve you.”

It was time for me to back off. She wasn’t the criminal and there was no need for me to take it out on her, “I’m sorry, Sister, I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. I’m just upset this happened to you and the Police aren't able to offer any answers.”

Her face softened. “How sweet of you,” Sister Ann Marie said, her tone returning to normal. She put her hand on my shoulder and said, “I don't want you to worry about us anymore, dear. That’s exactly what I told the Detective, too. We've moved on. Praise the good Lord for sending us angels like you and that Police Detective.”

“Thank you, Sister,” I said, then quickly exited St. Theresa's. I was pretty sure neither the “detective” nor I were seen as angels in the Lord's eyes.

* * * * *

When I got back to Brian’s condo, it was just past two. He was still doing his landlord thing, so I made my way to his home office. During the next few hours, it was going to serve as the corporate office of Jaysen Marshall Detective Agency.

My adrenaline was pumping. For the first time since this all started, I had the upper hand on Todd. With my own two eyes, I watched Todd enter the Thrift Shop. Then I learned he was there pumping an innocent nun for information, all under the false pretense of being a Police Officer. Naughty, naughty. Impersonating a law enforcement official was a serious crime, one that no doubt carried a serious penalty. I now had solid proof he was a criminal. I didn't need to rely on Derek's word.

I still couldn’t figure out what illegal things Todd was doing as a financial advisor that put him in the spotlight of a police investigation. But that didn’t matter so much anymore. Like Trevor said to me earlier in the week, as long as I had one thing to go by, I could call Todd out on it. Turn the heat up. Let him know I was on to him.

I sat at Brian’s desk, feet up on his mahogany desk. I was the boss, feeling confident and in control. As my confidence grew, I let my mind wander on what to do next.

An idea brewed in my head. I could call Todd, tell him what I knew to be true, which was that he impersonated a police officer. I could let him know that I knew he was doing all of this to get his smartphone back. I could even layer on my suspicion that he broke into my house looking for the phone. And when I had him backed into the corner, I would offer him the smartphone in exchange for what I wanted – for Todd to stay out of Brian's life. Seemed like a fair trade to me.

One piece of the puzzle troubled me a little. The first time I met Sister Ann Marie, she told me the day before the break-in occurred, a man was in the Thrift Shop wanting to buy used electronic equipment, particular cell phones. If Todd really was that man, why didn’t Sister Ann Marie recognize him when he posed as a Police Detective? It could be that her memory wasn’t good. But it could also be that Todd had an accomplice – someone else he was working with.

No time for me to dwell on that thought. I needed to find Todd's phone number before I talked myself out of my idea. My eye landed on a caller id box attached to Brian's landline. Bingo. I scrolled through the list of recent callers. Sure enough, Todd's name and number popped up – his work, cell and home numbers. Given the frequency Todd’s numbers popped up under recent calls, these two were close friends – they spoke practically every day, sometimes several times a day.

My heart was pounding. I knew I needed to do this for my relationship with Brian, but still, it was nerve racking. I took several deep breaths, then picked up my phone and dialed Todd's cell number. He answered on the second ring, “Hello.”

“Hi Todd, this is Jaysen Marshall, Brian's friend.”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “Jaysen, I'm sorry, it took a second for me to realize who you were. I don't think we've ever spoken on the phone.” I couldn't tell if his pause was because he really was surprised I was calling, or if he was buying time trying to figure out why I was calling. “What can I do for you?”

“I've been meaning to call you. Last week, Brian mentioned that you were looking for a smartphone you had accidentally donated to my mother's volunteer project. I told Brian I didn't have the phone anymore, but I was mistaken. The other day, I was looking in my room and I realized that I still do have it. It must have accidentally fallen out of the box.”

“Oh great, I'm glad to hear it,” Todd said. “Are you at home? I can stop by your house and pick it up if you want.”

“Actually, before we get to that, there's something I wanna talk to you about.” I paused, giving myself a chance to take another breath before launching into my accusation.

Todd wasn't in the mood to wait for me and asked, “What do you want to discuss?”

“Some weird things have been happening ever since I inherited your phone. First, St. Theresa's Thrift Shop, which was where your phone was supposed to have been donated, was burglarized. And it's peculiar that the only thing stolen was the box of the stuff you and Brian's friends donated, the one that was supposed to have your smartphone.”

I could hear Todd starting to say something, so I cut him off not wanting to lose my momentum. “Then, I noticed that my house had been broken into, not once, but twice. Nothing was stolen, but it looked like whoever visited me, was looking for something in my house. Something specific.”

“I'm not sure what this has to do with me,” Todd said.

“Well, actually, there are a few things that point directly to your involvement in all of this,” I said. Really, there was only one thing that directly pointed to Todd; the other was just my suspicion. But no need for me to get into that much detail. “My neighbors saw the person who broke into my house. They thought it was a friend of mine, so they didn't call the cops. But the description they provided sounds an awful lot like you.”

I heard Todd breathing heavier on the other end of the line. He was getting nervous and it gave me courage to continue my attack, “And yesterday, I happened to be at a wedding at St. Theresa's Church. I saw you, clear as day, go into the Thrift Shop, impersonating a police officer.”

“Tell me what you want,” Todd barked.

“Nothing much, Todd. What I want is actually very simple. I know you want your smartphone back. I’m not sure why, but judging by the bold risks you've taken to try to retrieve it, it's gotta be pretty important. I'm guessing it has information that puts you in a spotlight you'd rather avoid. I'd happy to give the phone back to you, but in exchange, I want you to stay out of Brian's life.”

Todd laughed, “You're doing all of this for Brian? I thought you'd have at least tried to pump me for some money.”

I could hear the condescending tone in his voice and it set me off, “Some things are worth more than money, Todd. I care about Brian. A lot. And I don't think a jerk like you deserves to have a friend like him. I won't even pretend that I understand why the information on your phone is so important to you. What I do understand, though, is that you're a horrible person. What you do is your business. Just don't take Brian down with you.”

Todd was silent on the other end. It took all of my willpower not to fill the void with more words. I was mad and I wanted him to know it. But it was his turn in our negotiation. I made my offer; it was time for him to respond with his. Finally, he spoke, “Alright. Fair enough. Let's get this done tonight. I don't want this dragging on any longer. Bring me the phone and you have my word that I'll stay away from Brian.”

That's all he was offering me? My only assurance that Todd was going to stay out of Brian's life was his word? That didn't seem like a win for me. I didn't trust Todd. If I gave him the phone, I'd be giving him my only bargaining chip. What would guarantee that he would give me what I wanted?

I needed to protect my own interest. On the fly, I came up with a lie that managed to impress even me when it came out of my mouth. “I can't give it to you tonight, Todd. I'm having a friend make a backup copy of your smartphone. It's my safeguard that after I give you your smartphone, you'll do what you say and stay away from Brian. But just in case you don't, I can always share the contents of your phone with the police. Even if I don't understand why the information is so important to you, I'm sure they will.”

“You're copying the contents of phone,” Todd asked, with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Crap. Was he calling my bluff? I needed to sound more credible. The techie at Best Buy told me the information on the smartphone couldn't be retrieved because something was fried. What was that something? A motherload? An overload? A motherboard?

That was it. The techie said the motherboard was where information was stored.

“Yea, Todd, my buddy is making me a copy of the information on your phone's motherboard.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. It was the motherboard, right? Or did I mess up the terminology and now Todd knew I was lying?

After a few moments, Todd said, “You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You’re playing a dangerous game and you don’t even know the start of it. When you fuck with people the way you're doing now, you bring out the worst in them. A side comes out of people that you never knew existed. And when it comes out, you’ll wish you would have just left it alone. You’re doing it all because you think you’re in love. But what do you know about love? You’re just a kid and you're making a big mistake.”

Was it just me, or was Todd threatening me? Something in Todd’s voice told me that perhaps my phone call to him crossed a line, that I pushed him a little too far. But there was no turning back now. I was determined that my relationship with Brian was worth the risk.

Then, in a sudden change of tone, Todd said very cordially, “You got me, Jaysen. You outsmarted me. You win. Call me when you're done with work tomorrow and we can meet up. You have nothing to worry about, once I have that smartphone back, you won’t have to deal with me, ever again.”

I got off the phone with Todd and my skin was crawling. I should have been excited the plan I hatched was working; proud that, for once, I found something worth staying and fighting for. Thrilled that I was winning a competition I would have normally avoided.

But strangely, I wasn't feeling good. Todd said something that left me uneasy. He said that I didn't know who I was dealing with and that I was going to bring out the worst in someone if I kept pushing the issue. Why would anyone talk about himself like that, unless it was his way of threatening me?

I wondered if Todd was a psycho, someone who would snap in an instant if pushed too far. It wasn't hard to imagine. He was already under criminal investigation with the Long Beach Police. Maybe someone who was committing financial crimes, someone who didn't think twice about breaking and entering into a church or my house, would have no qualms about beating me to a bloody pulp. Or worse.

Before going through with my plan to meet him on Monday evening, I needed to find out of Todd had a history of violence. The only way I was going to find out that kind of information was by asking Brian. Brian and Todd were together for a while; surely if Todd was violent or erratic in behavior, it would have come out at least a few times while they dated. But how was I going to ask Brian without telling him why I was asking?

Another possibility crossed my mind. I could look in Brian's journal to see if he mentioned anything unusual about Todd. I hated to violate Brian's privacy, but I needed to know if I was putting my safety in jeopardy. I left the office and headed to his bedroom. I grabbed the journal out of his nightstand, careful not to shift the other items in the drawer too much.

I sat on his bed and thumbed through the journal, starting at the beginning. Brian wrote the journal entries in cursive, his writing meticulously neat, just like all other aspects of his life. Each entry was short and to the point, consisting of only a few sentences to capture his thoughts. He wrote about the highs and lows of his day, the successes he enjoyed and the failures that frustrated him. There was an occasional picture sketched next to an entry. Drawing was definitely not one of Brian's talents.

The entries in his journal started about the time Brian graduated from UCLA. Not unusual, I suspected. College graduation marked a new beginning, a time period full of changes resulting in experiences people probably wanted to capture for prosperity sake. If I was the sentimental type and I had the discipline and desire to maintain a journal, I probably would have started one after college graduation, too.

I skimmed through Brian's entries, searching for Todd's name to pop out. Based on the dates, Brian seemed to write in his journal consistently for several years.

I hated to admit it, but looking through his journal helped to fill in some blanks for me about Brian's life. The best part was getting the information in condensed form. It was like the Cliffs Notes version of his life.

Brian's first job right out of college was as a loan officer for a local credit union. He spent what appeared to be a pretty successful year there, getting promoted twice and receiving top monthly bonuses for originating the most small business loans. A year later, he left the credit union and went to work in the marketing department of a commercial real estate company. Once again, he was a hit and climbed up the corporate ladder.

At some point during his second year at the real estate company, which would have been two years after graduating from college, Brian met Todd. It was just like Kimberly described – those two seemed to have a great relationship in the beginning, based on exploration and discovery. Brian adored Todd and from what he wrote, I gathered Todd ate up the attention he was getting.

Reading his entries gave me an out-of-body experience. Much of what Brian wrote was a flashback of my recent weeks. Meeting a guy for the first time, anxiously trying to figure out if the interest was mutual. The excitement of a first kiss. Feeling jealous when an ex entered the picture. I felt my face flush with either embarrassment, for snooping through such personal journal entries, or jealousy, that someone else shared Brian the way I did.

About a year after Brian and Todd met, Brian decided to come out to his family. He didn't spell it out in his journal, but between the lines, I suspected Todd encouraged him to do it. In the days before Brian told his family, he was cautiously optimistic about how they would respond. He predicted his father would initially tolerate his announcement, and over time, come to accept it. I cringed as I continued reading, knowing the outcome wasn’t going to be as rosy as Brian thought.

Just like Brian had told me during our first date, his father reacted poorly to Brian coming out. What I didn't realize at the time, though, was how much his father's reaction hurt him. Brian's journal entry that night was only three short sentences.

I read his entry aloud to fully absorb his pain, “I came out to my family today. My father now thinks I’m less of a man. It would have hurt less had he disowned me.” I felt a little lump in my throat, empathizing with the pain Brian must have felt.

The day after he told his parents, Brian wrote the longest entry in his journal, taking a full two pages to work through his feelings. The first few paragraphs he wrote were full of self-pity. He was angry that his mother didn’t come to his defense. He was hurt that his father could forget all of his achievements. He wondered if they loved his sister more. But by the end of his entry, his perspective took a 180 degree turn. Not wanting to be a victim, Brian committed to proving his father wrong, that being gay wouldn't make him any less of a success.

I continued going through his journal, noticing that after coming out to his family, the frequency with which Brian wrote in his journal decreased. He would go days, sometimes weeks, without writing a single word. And when Brian did write, there was a distinct change in him. I was no longer skimming through the entries, but instead, reading them one-by-one, analyzing each word.

Brian had become obsessed with proving his father wrong. Instead of writing about the joys and frustrations of life experiences, Brian kept a running figure of how much money was in his accounts. In place of names of new friends, Brian jotted down business contacts, their influence in the community, and how they could benefit his career. His journal became more of a scorecard, charting gains that would bring him closer to his father's professional success.

From his writings, I inferred that Brian slowly lost interest in Todd. Brian stayed with him anyway, probably to learn about financial investments and make connections in the industry. I suddenly felt bad for Todd. Brian's journal entries lacked the bright-eyed, love-struck tenor that previously oozed all over the pages. Now, Todd's name was only mentioned when he did something to help advance Brian's career.

The last entry Brian made in his journal was a little over a year ago. His journal came to a sudden end when he and Todd officially called it quits. The entry was surprisingly void of any emotion, just a factual statement that their relationship was over.

I closed the journal and put it back in Brian’s nightstand, making sure everything in the drawer was returned to the correct place. I went back to Brian’s office, searched his bookshelves, and pulled out the photo album that I had found the night of his party. He had hundreds and hundreds of photos, spanning the majority of his life. The last pictures to make it in his album were of him and Todd. Up until now, I thought it was because his break up with Todd was painful and he was still recovering. Now I had a different perspective.

Brian's life came to a screeching halt when he came out to his parents. His journal and photo album became a nuisance. He probably found his life too painful or worthless to document with pictures and words. Maybe once Brian achieved a level of success worthy of his father’s acceptance and love, he would resume living again. At least I hoped.

As surprising as it was for me to read his journal, I had to admit, Brian had been truthful with me all along. The first time we had dinner together, he told me he wanted his father’s acceptance and would stop at nothing to get it. Boy, he wasn’t kidding.

Something just didn't seem healthy to me about how much energy Brian was investing in proving his father wrong. It reminded me of Trevor focusing so much on losing weight for his fiancée that he compromised his health trying to reach his goal. I wondered what Brian was compromising to reach his goal.

All of this information about Brian's past was good to know, but I'd have to roll it to the back of my head and analyze it later. Right now, I needed to focus on my Monday meeting with Todd. At least reading the journal accomplished what I needed to know – I had enough evidence to conclude Todd's threat that I was going to “bring out the worst in someone” probably had no substance. After reading the journal, Brian never mentioned Todd displaying any psychotic behavior. There was no reason for me to worry that he was going to hack me up. I laughed to myself. If anything, Brian was the one who seemed a little off, not Todd.

I looked at my watch. It was a quarter 'til six. Time really flies when you're snooping. In 24 hours, I was going to meet Todd to return his smartphone. It would be helpful if I could just dig up a little information on his past. Something concrete so he would take me seriously. That I meant business if he didn’t stay out of Brian’s life. Proof that I wasn't just a kid in love. I was an adult who could take care of myself and those who I love.

If the Long Beach Police was already on Todd’s tail, I was sure with a little effort, I could dig something else up, too. A phone call to Sandy may be worthwhile to see if she had ever crossed Todd's name during her time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. I avoided mentioning his name the first time I met with Sandy, just in case the two were friends. At this point, it didn't matter anymore. It was out in the open that I was on a mission to knock Todd off his high horse.

Maybe like Trevor suggested, forking over a few hundred dollars to one of those online background investigation companies would get me some information on Todd’s past.

My big night with Brian would have to wait until next weekend. This was more important to our relationship. Besides, once this was resolved, Brian and I could go on without the threat of Todd lingering. Personally, I didn’t care if Todd was under criminal investigation or not. Just as long as he stayed out of Brian’s life.

I packed my toiletries into my backpack, then took half an hour to make the bed, wipe down the bathroom, and straighten up his office. It was important to be a considerate guest if I ever wanted to be invited back.

On my way out, I left Brian a note on his coffee table, Sorry, my parents came back to town early and I need to help them unpack. I’ll call you on Monday. I returned his keys, using them as a paperweight to hold down the note.

I was bummed leaving Brian's condo. We had such a great weekend together. But it was comforting know that soon, Todd would be out of the picture and there'd be plenty more weekends to spend with Brian.

And hopefully, weekdays, too.