“Honey, you were spending a lot of time with your boyfriend. Everyone knew. Carl knew what you and Dimas were to each other. He didn’t like it, but he really couldn’t say anything could he? I mean really when you think about it, you went to a few tournaments only throughout year. That’s what? Four days or so for each tournament, like five or six times a year? How many times did you stay with Carl at the house?”
Hunter’s face flushed. He probably hadn’t stayed more than six times in the year at the house when Carl was there. He normally joined Carl on the road. He had wondered why Carl never questioned where he spent his time. Carl kept Hunter on a small allowance, and he never bugged Carl for money. Dimas, the generous boyfriend, and he lived a pretty simple life on endorsements and small tournament wins in Orlando, two hours, three hours tops from Ponte Vedra.
“So Carl knew all this time?”
“Yes. He never came out and said it, but every time Dimas’ name came up, he would make a face like he swallowed a prune. I don’t think he ever liked your boyfriend.”
“And here Dimas and I thought he never knew about us.” Hunter hesitated for a moment, and then decided there was not point in hiding it. He fished out the earring from his pocket. “Is this yours?”
Ida’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, that’s my grandmother’s earring. I was so mad when I found it missing. I asked Lenny if he had borrowed it.”
“He borrowed it?” Hunter’s throat tightened.
“When I came home from the hotel, that morning, after I ran into you getting what was it? Some kind of chai latte? I found a dress in the washer. He was actually washing clothes. And when I got to my bedroom that’s when I noticed my jewelry box was open. I don’t have a lot of jewelry, and this piece,” Ida held up the earring, “it’s a pretty large costume jewelry clip on. The only value is sentimental.”
“I found it on the rough. Near where Carl died.”
“Oh,” Ida said, her eyes downcast. “I was afraid of that.”
Chapter 7
Dimas swore. He’d almost caught up to the runner. Ten minutes into chasing someone he’d thought was Ida, he discovered Lenny, wearing a dress. Dimas would’ve still been in frazzled ignorance about the speed and agility of Ida, but for a lightning flash that illuminated the darkening late afternoon sky, and revealed Lenny’s face. Soon after Dimas found out who he was chasing, Lenny’s wig caught on a branch and he left it behind, afraid to be caught by Dimas.
Nightfall was approaching, and Dimas didn’t want to be running through pines, slipping on wet pine needles, dodging sharp thorny branches, or viny kudzu that had infiltrated this part of Florida too.
He sensed Lenny was tiring because Dimas was easily getting closer. As soon as Lenny broke free of the pine trees and ran through the field, Dimas was less than ten yards away. And gaining.
Lenny’s speed had definitely slowed. Still, Dimas had to hand it to Lenny who was probably no taller than five-feet-five inches to have been able to run like this the last twenty minutes or so. He guessed Lenny too suffered nicks and cuts from running in the small pine barrens.
Lenny made a beeline for his house on Maple, and Dimas neared, so close Lenny’s labored breathing was more pronounced. As soon as Lenny jumped on the porch and fumbled with the front door, Dimas grabbed him from behind and tackled him. Lenny tried to kick him, but Dimas easily put him in a choke hold and scissored Lenny’s legs.
Ida and Hunter stood in the doorway, their mouths open. Dimas dripped water onto the floorboard.
“Get me something to hold his hands and feet.”
“What happened?” Ida asked.
“I can’t hold him for long. I’ve been running, chasing him for thirty minutes. Dropped the knife in the woods chasing him too.”
Lenny struggled and tried to say something, but Dimas’ arm around his neck prevented him. The years of wrestling in school had paid off, he was able to contain and manage Lenny. For now. Ida stood there, her hand to her mouth in shock. She didn’t protest Dimas holding Lenny this way, in this chokehold of sorts. When Hunter showed up with duct tape he grabbed from somewhere behind the kitchen, he told Hunter what to do. He duct-taped Lenny’s legs. When Dimas changed his choke hold so Lenny’s face was now down on the floor, Hunter duct-taped Lenny’s hands together at the wrist and laid Lenny on his side.
“Someone needs to call the police,” Hunter said. “Ida just admitted to me that Lenny was there when Carl died.”
“Yes, but Lenny didn’t tell me why he was there. My grandmother’s earring proves he was there.”
“If you didn’t have anything to do with Carl’s death, Ida, you should call it in,” Hunter said.
Ida nodded, then ducked into the sitting room and called 911. Dimas, Lenny, and Hunter stood by as Ida waited to say something to the 911 operator. Lenny whimpered, “No, no, no.”
“Nine-one-one, you need to come to One Maple Drive. I think my husband killed Carl Mullins.”
Even though Dimas kept Lenny from moving, Lenny shook his head. “It was an accident. You have to believe me, it was an accident.”
Ida hung up the phone and approached Lenny. “What happened? Where were you that morning?”
“I told Carl I wanted to meet him early in the morning. He texted me he was leaving the hotel early to drop off his clubs, and to let him know when would be a good time. I couldn’t sleep that morning, so I decided to go for a run, but this time, I dressed up. You know. I had my wig, I put on some make up, I borrowed your earrings. You were asleep. I think you came back late from partying, or maybe you were with Carl.”
“Go ahead,” Hunter demanded. “Tell me what happened.” Hunter balled his fists, and if Dimas weren’t wet, dripping, holding and restraining Lenny, he would have let go to hug Hunter.
“I didn’t expect him to cut through the course to get home. But I guess I should’ve. He was looking down at the ground, carrying his golf clubs when I practically ran into him. He didn’t recognize me at first. Then he started laughing. He had no business to laugh. You know, Ida, we are in so much debt because he borrowed money from me, and some of it is your money! He ran up debts in Vegas, took out a second mortgage.”
Lenny stopped. He squeezed his forehead then started beating it.
“Go ahead, Lenny. It’s okay,” Ida said.
Lenny nodded his head. He closed his eyes for a moment and then when he opened them, he spoke some more. “He thought by partnering with me to flip homes he would make easy money, but he over extended himself. And here he was laughing at me. Not just laughing at me but making hateful derogatory comments. So I took a golf club from his bag and hit him. He fell because of the golf bag he was carrying made him lose his balance, and he hit a rock. The back of his head hit a rock. I bent down to see how he was and he just reached out and tried to pull me close. But he died right after that.”
Lenny started bawling. His make-up ran, and when he tried to wipe some tears, the more smudgy his face got. “I never meant to kill him. He just made me so mad. That’s how I lost your grandmother’s earrings. Somehow when I bent down, and when he reached me, it must have come off. I don’t know.” Lenny gulped for air between the tears. “I didn’t mean to kill him, you got to believe me.”
Lenny kept crying, and when the lights and sirens arrived, he sobbed even more.
Chapter 8
One year later
Hunter finished eating the breakfast sweet potato and screwed on tight the thermos full of coffee he had made for Dimas and himself. He stood by the window and gazed out into the cool, damp Lima morning. Already traffic started picking up, but on the sidewalks here and there men and women walked their dogs. Dimas had wanted to leave earlier to catch Valparaíso as the sun hit the water, but they woke up later than they had planned. They agreed to tour one of the poet Pablo Neruda’s house and stop at one of the wineries on their way to the coast.
“You ready to go, babe?” Dimas asked. His freshly showered hair glistened in the light. “Ready to see the other
sites of Peru?”
“Yes.” Hunter smiled as he kissed his fiancé. “Remind me to grab the small bag of food your mother made for us as we leave. She even baked the caramel biscuits you love so much, and put some in the brown bag.”
“Yum, I missed my mama’s alfajores”
Hunter broke off Dimas embrace. If they kept this up, they would be leaving later and he really wanted to see the coast. “I got an email from Ida earlier.”
“Yeah, what did she say?”
“The bank started foreclosure on our old house. And she sold hers. So she’s going to work for another realtor in town. She’s been writing Lenny in prison to keep his hopes and visiting.”
“How’s he doing?”
“I guess it could’ve been worse for him.” Hunter followed Dimas out of the room, downstairs, and next to the front door.
Dimas grabbed the brown bag left on the table, next to the door. Hunter then followed Dimas out of Dimas’ parent’s apartment. They both nodded to a passer-by, walking a golden retriever.
Hunter continued as they walked to the car. “I think the judge’s sentence was affected by our requests for leniency for him. They’ve got him segregated in prison. Ida says he is getting counseling on gender reassignment. Apparently, there’s a federal ruling that says that he can get hormones if he wants to transition. If that’s what he wants.”
“I didn’t know Lenny that well, but he’s lucky he has you. And Ida.”
“Dimas, you testified for leniency too.”
“I know.” Dimas hesitated. “And it was only because you asked me to. And well…I believed it was an accident.”
“Do you think we did the right thing? Turning him in?”
“Yes. He killed Carl. He didn’t mean to do it. But when Carl died, he tossed his clubs in the large pond, then tried to cover it up. You heard the judge at the sentencing. Sure, Lenny didn’t have any prior convictions, but his actions subsequent to what happened, the judge couldn’t ignore. But at least he got the lightest sentence possible, and in a few years, he’ll be out of prison.”
Hunter sighed. “Okay. I just feel bad. I don’t know why.”
“It’s because deep down inside, and you won’t admit it, Carl was an asshole. What Lenny did, was to react emotionally when he was confronted by Carl. We did what we could to make sure the judge took into account all of that.”
Hunter stepped inside the vehicle, while Dimas closed the door. He waited for Dimas to get inside the car before he continued. “I guess you’re right. There were no winners in this one.” Hunter put on his seatbelt.
“Well, at least I have good news!” Dimas smiled, lifting Hunter’s face so they could be almost eye-to-eye.
“What’s that?”
“There’s a condo for sale here in Lima. It’s in a nice area in Miraflores. It has a view of the Pacific. If you want to, we could live here part of the year like we’ve talked.”
“And live in Lake Nona the other parts?”
“Sure. Lake Nona is right by the Orlando airport. We’re about an hour away from the beach, and the Space Coast. Just minutes away from theme parks. Our neighbors, sort of, are Annika Sorenstam, and a few other pro golfers.”
“So part of the year in Peru, and the other, Orlando?”
“Yes, if that’s okay with you. I thought you liked the idea. Right? Or was that idle talk on the plane trip over?”
“Of course, I want to live here. I want to be with my husband.”
“And I want to be with the best caddy in the world.” Dimas laughed.
“Nice,” Hunter said, shaking his head. “Keep talking like that and you won’t get any later tonight.”
Dimas chortled some more. “You know I’m just joking.”
“About me being the best caddy in the world?”
“Oh boy, this is going to be long drive to the coast,” Dimas said.
“No, it won’t.” Hunter pecked Dimas’ cheek as Dimas started the car. “It’ll be a great day. With the man I love.”
“Same here. I love you Hunter Mullins.”
“I love you Dimas Kanashiro. Now, are we going to get there anytime soon? I’m already hungry. I’d hate to eat all these coconut-dusted caramel biscuits before we get there.”
“Babe, you’re always hungry.”
“I know,” Hunter said.
Dimas laughed. “When we get there, I want to read you some of the most romantic poems in the world written by Peru’s own, Pablo Neruda, and I want to read to you on the steps of his house, facing the Pacific.”
Hunter smiled. “You can read me anything. You can read me the menu from a diner and I’d never stop you.”
“That’s good to know.” Dimas chortled some more as he started the engine and then made their way down the street in the Renault.
Hunter sighed happily. They had their whole life ahead of them, and there was no rush to get to their destination. Hunter squeezed Dimas’ right hand after Dimas released the stick shift. “Do you remember the first time you called me your boyfriend?” Hunter asked.
“Yes. Why?”
Hunter leaned over and kissed Dimas on the cheek hard so that Dimas’ head almost hit the driver’s side window.
“Hey, I’m driving. We were late this morning because of you.”
“You’re not complaining about this morning are you?”
Dimas shook his head. “I would never complain making love on a foggy Lima morning. Never. Mi corazon.”
“Good, because I’ve got a lot more to give,” Hunter said as he peered out into the colorful streets of Lima.
In the past year, he had followed Dimas’ advice of following his heart more, and not overthinking things. And his heart was telling him that they would make many more beautiful memories here in the streets of Lima and Peru.
He felt it. He knew it. And Dimas knew it as well.
* * * *
ABOUT W.S. LONG
W.S. Long lives in Orlando, Florida, and is honored to be part of this anthology to help the victims of his adopted city. When not writing, Spencer frequents Orlando area theme parks and travels to romantic lands with his lovely husband. For more information, visit facebook.com/wslongauthor.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!
Just the Facts, Volume 1 Page 26
