by D J Monroe
“And what mystery is that?”
“The disappearance of Tammy Palmer,” Nate said. “She was my aunt.”
“That was never solved?” the doctor asked.
Nate and Creed exchanged glances.
“No, sir.”
“I thought they decided she was a runaway,” he said.
“That’s the official story but I don’t think it’s true,” Nate explained. “My family doesn’t believe it either.”
“Okay. What do you think happened?”
Creed picked up an unspoken challenge in the doctor’s voice.
“I think someone murdered her,” Nate said.
“And how would I know anything about that?”
“You may not know anything but she was babysitting for you that night and I just wanted to make sure I had all the information I needed from your point of view,” Nate said, sounding very diplomatic.
Creed made notes on his legal pad, very aware of the presence or spirit hovering right over his shoulder. Instead of skittering around wildly like it did sometimes, it seemed calm and settled.
“If I remember correctly, my wife and I attended a banquet that night,” the doctor said.
“Yes, and you received an award of some sort there,” Nate reminded him.
“That’s correct,” he said. “When we arrived at home, there were police cars everywhere and Tammy was missing,” he said.
“And your baby was safe upstairs,” Nate reminded him.
“Yes. Melanie has grown into a beautiful woman with a family of her own,” Dr. Petersen said, pride sneaking into his voice. “She is a celebrated pediatrician in her own right.”
“That’s wonderful,” Nate said.
Creed felt a little jolt from the presence and wondered if the reason Melanie was still alive was because of Tammy.
“Can you tell me a little bit about Tammy?” Nate asked.
“Let’s see,” Dr. Petersen said, drawing out the words. “You’re asking an old man to remember something that happened a long time ago. She was a pretty girl, always upbeat and happy.”
“Did she have lots of friends?” Nate looked at Creed and shrugged as if not sure where he was going with the questioning.
Creed nodded, trying to assure Nate that he was going in the right direction even though he wasn’t sure himself.
“Yes, but she was different than the other girls. She didn’t falsely accuse or gossip or anything like that,” he said.
“And the other girls did?” Nate asked.
“Yes. It was pretty sad the way they began pointing fingers after Tammy disappeared.”
Creed knew the doctor was referring to what they’d reported to the police about him.
“Do you have any thoughts about who might have harmed Tammy?” Nate asked.
“Not really,” Dr. Petersen said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really have a dinner engagement to keep.”
“That’s fine,” Nate said. “You’ve been a bit help. Thank you for your time.”
“You’re welcome,” Dr. Petersen said. “Oh, one last bit of advice from an old man. Leave this alone. You’re only going to uncover more heartbreak and pain for everyone involved.”
The line went dead and Nate and Creed sat there looking at the phone as if it held some sort of explanation for that last statement.
“Well, okay,” Nate said. “I know it wasn’t a threat but it sure sounded like-“
“A warning,” Creed finished.
“A warning,” Nate agreed.
After another half hour or so, they gathered up their things and headed inside. While Nate headed for the shower, Creed took off everything but his underwear and crawled into his sleeping bag. He lay there thinking about Nate, reliving the day and wondering how in the world he got so lucky as to hook up with him again.
The presence was quiet, floating nearby but quiet as if it was as tired as they were.
Nate entered their makeshift bedroom quietly, crawled into bed and turned out the lamp resting ono the floor nearby.
“Nate,” Creed said his name, almost a whisper.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Nate said.
Creed hesitated and then pushed ahead. “Could-would you kiss me goodnight?”
Nate didn’t answer right away. Instead Creed heard blankets rustling and saw the shadow of him sitting up. Nate scooted in his direction. Creed sat up as well, inching toward Nate. Their hands touched first, Nate guiding his to his lips. And then with a soft sound, Nate pulled him close and they found each other easily in the darkened room.
The kiss was as deep and long and Creed ran his fingers across Nate’s whiskered jawline, around his ears and through the hair at the nape of Nate’s neck. Nate moaned and plunged his tongue into Creed’s mouth, sending thrills all the way down to Creed’s toes. This kiss was even more exciting than the one they’d shared in the upstairs hall. Would each and every kiss they shared be like this, each one more thrilling than the one before?
One of Nate’s hands slid downward through the hairs on Creed’s chest, onto his belly. Creed moaned and sucked hungrily on Nate’s tongue. Their mouths parted but Nate worked his way across Creed’s jaw to his ear and then he kissed Creed’s neck, stopping at his collar bone where his tongue, hot and wet, circled lazily.
“Come over here,” Nate whispered, moving backwards to make room for Creed on the air mattress.
And Creed was tempted. So tempted. He knew what would happen. Knew they would not stop at kissing. Still, he held back, not sure why, except that he wanted to prolong this tender, getting to know you, part of their relationship longer.
“I think we should wait,” Creed said, his voice trembling.
“I want to make love to you,” Nate told him, tugging gently at Creed’s hand. He licked the palm, causing Creed’s resolve to waiver.
“And I want that,” Creed said. “But I feel like we need to wait-until we’re sure.”
“Sure of what?” Nate asked, his voice soft, coaxing.
“I don’t know,” Creed said. “I just know that for right now, your kisses will have to do.”
Nate was quiet for a while, continuing to stroke and fondle Creed’s hand. With every loving touch Creed knew that he’d made the right decision.
“I understand,” Nate said, at last. “But I’m warning you, there will be more kisses.”
“I hope so,” Creed said, easing out of Nate’s grasp and returning to the sleeping bag. “I hope so.
That night, Creed dreamed of making love with Nate. As they touched and stroked and fondled each other, Creed’s excitement rose until he thought he would explode with joy. Nate called out his name as Creed explored Nate’s body with his hands and mouth. The dreams were so vivid, so real that more than once he awoke with a start, expecting to find Nate in bed with him.
Instead, what he found was a dark room with Nate snoring softly on the air mattress nearby. He was tempted to crawl into bed with Nate, if only to feel their bodies close together. They were obviously sexually attracted to each other but what if that was all. Would Nate soon leave him behind feeling even more lonely than before?
Twenty-Five: Crazy Kenny
The next morning, Nate woke up earlier than usual. The first thought that came to mind was Creed’s words from the night before. The kiss they’d shared was incredible and he’d wanted more than anything to make love to Creed all night long. Was he falling for the guy? There was definitely something growing between them that had nothing to do with the house or their investigation of Tammy’s disappearance. The physical attraction was strong but maybe Creed was right to take it slow. Once the house was ready for market, Nate would go back to Charlotte and look for another job. There was really nothing for him in Lost Creek.
Creed would stay in Lost Creek and, hopefully, find a way to support himself.
Each would get on with their lonely lives. Separately.
In the meantime, though, how he wanted to get to know this man better, in every
sense of the word.
He looked across at Creed sleeping peacefully and thought about the dreams he’d had the night before. They’d been so real he almost expected to wake up and find Creed in his arms. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Creed’s eyes fluttered open and he smiled.
“Did you sleep well?” Nate asked, loving the way Creed stretched lazily like a big Tom cat.
“Dreams,” Creed muttered into his pillow.
“Me, too,” Nate said. He was tempted to bring one of those dreams to life but had already decided that if they took this beyond kissing, Creed was going to make the first move.
“Is that why you’re awake so early?” Creed asked.
“Something like that,” Nate said and grinned, hoping that Creed caught the meaning of his words.
“I’ll get the coffee going,” Creed said, getting to his feet.
Nate sat still, remaining under the blankets while Creed got to his feet and left the room. The boxers he wore were thin and it didn’t take much imagination for Nate to picture him naked.
“Get a grip,” he muttered to himself. “This is temporary.”
He waited until he heard Creed leave the bathroom and then he headed out into the hall. The aroma of coffee met his nose when he emerged from the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Creed was in the kitchen. He’d put on jeans as well but remained bare chested, his hair a tousled mass of curls.
“Bed head,” Nate said, when Creed handed him a steaming mug of coffee.
“I’m not surprised,” Creed said, running one hand through his hair. The curls sprang right back up as if he’d not touched them at all.
Nate laughed softly. “Didn’t help.”
Creed laughed as well and leaned against the counter sipping his own coffee.
They stared at each other for a few moments and it was all Nate could do to keep his thoughts and his hands to himself.
“So, we handled Dr. Petersen pretty well last night,” Creed said.
“We did.”
“Let’s use that technique on the others. I’ll look up the numbers. You make the call and I’ll take notes while you question them,” Creed said.
“I like it.”
“Okay. Do you have a preference of who you want to talk to first?”
Nate shrugged. “Not really. I guess we’ll just play it by ear.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Each man poured a second cup of coffee and then they went out to the front porch where the sun was streaking the horizon with pink and orange.
“Pretty morning,” Nate said.
“Indeed,” Creed agreed.
For a while, both men seemed content to enjoy their coffee and the peaceful beauty of the early morning.
“Last night,” Creed began.
“Yes, last night,” Nate echoed with a little shiver sliding down his spine.
“I hope you don’t think I’m being a tease or-“
“Never crossed my mind,” Nate said. “You have a right to be careful with your body and your heart. There’s no guarantee-“
“There’s no guarantee of anything,” Creed said, turning to face him.
“True,” Nate said, standing. On impulse, he leaned in close and kissed Creed tenderly, loving the way he tasted of coffee.
When he pulled away, he was saw the surprise in Creed’s eyes turn to desire that reflected his own. Creed licked his lips and reached for Nate, catching the front of his t-shirt. They kissed again and this time Creed didn’t seem at all surprised.
By ten o’clock they had gotten in touch with Kenny Roberts . He continued to insist that he didn’t hurt her but he stopped short of accusing anyone.
“I already told the cops that I saw who did it but they didn’t believe me. They thought I did it. So, mama said to just keep my mouth shut,” Kenny told them, his voice becoming more and more shrill by the minute.
But somehow Nate convinced him that they just wanted to talk and he finally relented agreeing to see them.
Butch Kender didn’t answer the phone but Nate left a message. They’d been unable to get in touch with Bill Adams but he lived right down the street so they both felt like they could catch up with him pretty easily.
“Let’s just walk over to Kenny’s,” Creed suggested. “It’s only a few streets over.”
“I like that idea,” Nate told him.
Nate let Creed take the lead when they reached Kenny’s house. Mostly because he figured Kenny would recognize Creed faster than him. And he was right. Kenny smiled nervously when he saw them at the door. Then, very slowly he opened the storm door just wide enough to get through and stepped out on the porch to greet them. Almost as if he was sneaking outside.
“Kenny, this is my friend, Nate Palmer,” Creed said. “Remember, you talked to him on the phone.”
Kenny nodded and his head continued to bob up and down slowly while he shook hands with Nate. He was a soft, pudgy balding man with watery blue eyes in a round face.
“You’re here to ask me questions about Miss Tammy,” Kenny said.
“If you don’t mind,” Nate said.
“It makes me sad,” Kenny said, sounding like a child.
“It made everyone sad,” Creed reminded him. “Remember.”
“Yes,” Kenny said, looking away from them.
“Can you tell us about that night?” Nate asked.
“Let’s sit down,” Kenny said, motioning to the wooden chairs scattered across the big porch.
Nate and Creed each pulled one closer to where Kenny sat but left some room. Kenny looked like a frightened animal and Nate didn’t want to do anything that might scare him off.
“So what do you remember about that night?” Creed asked.
“I remember that I saw Miss Tammy walk up to the street to the doctor’s house. She waved at me,” Kenny paused and waved as if demonstrating.
Nate smiled.
“I waved back and then watched her knock on their door and go inside,” Kenny said.
“What happened next?”
“Well, mama made me come inside and eat supper after that. While she was busy in the kitchen, I went back out on the porch just to see if Tammy’s friend, Miss Kathy would come. She did sometimes,” Kenny said.
“They were best friends,” Creed said.
Kenny leaned forward as if sharing a secret. “I think they were more than friends.”
“What makes you think that?” Nate asked.
Kenny hesitated and finally said, “I saw them kissing once. Through the window.”
Creed and Nate nodded and all Nate could think about was that their secret wasn’t such a secret after all.
“Did Kathy come over that night?”
Kenny shook his head. “Bill Adams did.”
“Bill Adams?”
“Yes. I’d know his car anywhere. It was a red Camaro, the only one in the neighborhood.”
“Why would he visit Tammy when she was babysitting?”
Kenny shrugged. “It was dark and all I could see was his shadow. I waved at him but he didn’t wave back.”
“What happened next?”
“He stayed at the front door a long time and then finally Tammy let him in.”
“Was he in there a long time?”
Kenny nodded and then giggled. “Maybe they were kissing, too.”
Nate and Creed kept quiet. This was a strange turn of events and Nate didn’t want to do anything to interrupt him.
“Anyway, he was there for maybe an hour or more and Tammy must have given him something because I saw him carry it outside and put it in the trunk of his car,” Kenny continued.
“What do you think it was?” Creed asked, gently.
Kenny shrugged, shoulders slumped.
“Did you tell all of this to the police?” Nate asked.
“I did but they didn’t believe me. ‘Cause you know I’m just Crazy Kenny,” he said. “And Bill said he was never over at the doctor’s house that night so-“
Nat
e had the feeling that Kenny wasn’t as crazy as everyone thought he was. Different, yes. But not crazy.
“The police thought I hurt Tammy but I didn’t,” Kenny said, eyes growing wide. “I swear, I didn’t.”
“We believe you,” Nate said.
“Why did they think you hurt her?” Creed asked quietly.
“Because of the pictures and because of what some of the other girls said,” Kenny answered. Leaning forward, elbows on his knees he looked at the toes of his shoes.
“What pictures?” Nate asked, even though he knew.
“I had lots of pictures of Tammy and other girls. I just like taking pictures of pretty girls,” Kenny explained. “I never meant no harm.”
“I understand,” Creed said, touching the camera that hung around his neck. “I like taking pictures, too.”
“Well, be careful. They’ll think you did something bad. Mama made me get rid of all of my pictures after that and took my camera away.”
“Did the other girls say something bad about you?” Nate asked.
“Not Tammy. She was always nice to me,” Kenny said.
“But the others?”
“They said I tried to give them candy to come into my house,” Kenny explained. He looked up from Creed to Nate and then back at his feet., “I just wanted them to be my friends. I wasn’t never going to hurt them.”
“We believe you,” Creed assured him.
“Mama made me quit doing that, too,” Kenny said softly. “After that, I didn’t have any friends except Charlie.”
“Charlie?”
Kenny nodded. “Charlie came by to see me, gave me money and stuff.”
“What is Charlie’s last name?” Nate asked.
“I haven’t seen him in a long, long time,” Kenny lamented. “He used to take me for rides in his car, you know, just to talk.”
“What did you talk about?” Creed asked.
Kenny shrugged. “Guy stuff. Cars. Sometimes girls. Charlie had lots of girlfriends. But Mama made me quit hanging out with him, too. She ruins everything. Well, she used to. She’s dead, you know. That means she’s not coming back here anymore.”
“I’ll bet you miss her,” Creed said.
“Sometimes,” he said, a far-away look coming into his eyes. “But Mrs. Perkins comes by every day. Makes sure I have food. Makes sure the house is clean.”
