The Rest of Forever

by Jerry Cole

  “I want to do it now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Eric wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to do it later. He nodded.

  “Get it out the way. Anything to get away from it all.”

  And if it meant having Kyron’s company for a little longer, Eric would take it. Now his cock really seemed to be taking charge right now. Always at the wrong moment.

  Chapter Three

  Eric had looked like he had seen a ghost. In a sense, he had. Kyron had been shocked to see his friend, who was normally so strong, look so frail. If he hadn’t been in the bed, Eric would have been struggling to stand. Even as he spoke coherently, there was a dazed look in his eyes.

  Whatever he was holding in was going to come out of the floodgates soon.

  Kyron tried to think objectively as he walked through the corridors of the hospital to Louise Lakin’s room. He needed to. Eric was an old friend, and this was his family. Kyron had to put that aside and see it as he would any other case. Normally, that would be easy; he had done it often enough in the navy and during his training. It was what had caught Raquel’s eye in the academy.

  But normally Kyron wasn’t dealing with the arousal that was building. Even with Eric in a hospital bed, just seeing him had sent a bolt of lust through Kyron’s body. It had caught him off-guard, and he didn’t know how to react to it. He found men attractive, that much Kyron could admit to himself, but he hadn’t taken it further than that.

  Then again, none of the men Kyron had found attractive had given him such an intense reaction as Eric had.

  Something was wrong with him if he was thinking about fucking a witness. Kyron had made himself sit as soon as possible, otherwise Eric would have seen how aroused Kyron was. That was possibly the most unprofessional reaction to their current situation.

  He had to keep his distance. Kyron knew that. But the thought of keeping Eric at arm’s length didn’t sit well with him. He wanted to keep Eric close. What if he was meant to have died as well? The home invasion spoke of something more personal than a simple robbery. And Kyron’s gut said Eric had escaped, and they were going to go after him next.

  Shit. Of all the people that could have been involved, why did it have to be Eric?

  Louise’s floor was two floors up, right on the other side. There was a good chance she was going to be asleep, considering it was four in the morning. The nurses were barely awake, as it was. Kyron doubted that Louise would be conscious.

  When he was finally allowed past the battleax of a staff nurse and went into her private room right by the nurse’s station, Louise was sitting up wide awake, pointing the remote at the television. She was muttering as she flicked through the channels, Kyron catching a few expletives as he stood in the doorway. He smiled.

  “I don’t think you’re going to get anything decent at this hour. Not with the few channels these TVs have.”

  Louise jumped with a gasp. She pressed her hand to her chest as she stared at him.

  “Fuck! Don’t scare me like that.”

  “Sorry, I thought you heard me.” Kyron stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “Miss Lakin, I’m Special Agent Horton, FBI. I need to ask you a few questions about what happened.”

  “Oh.” Louise gulped. “Okay.”

  Kyron approached the bed, taking a moment to size Louise up. She was a very pretty girl, jet-black hair that was too straight for it to be natural. Her frame was petite but athletic, making her look tiny in the bed. All of her features were tiny, reminding Kyron of a little China doll. Dark brown eyes, big and wide, stared up at him. He could see why Richard would find her attractive. Richard liked his women to be small. Maybe Richard was more like his father than Kyron realized.

  “How are you holding up?”

  Louise chewed at her lower lip.

  “I... I don’t know.” She put the remote on the tray over the bed. “Some moments I think I’m okay, and...and then I... I see Richard…”

  She whimpered and clamped her hands over her mouth, shutting her eyes tight. Kyron swallowed. He never knew what to say in these situations. Raquel was much better at this.

  “Listen, Miss Lakin,” He cleared his throat, “I know this is going to be difficult, but I do need to ask you what happened.”

  “I know.” Louise lowered her hands, opening her eyes. They were swimming with tears as she looked up at Kyron, never looking away. “I’ll do what I can. I can’t promise anything.”

  That was something. Kyron sat at the foot of the bed, bringing out his tablet from his pocket. He brought up the recording app.

  “I’m going to be recording this for now.” He said, glancing up at Louise. “We’ll do a more comprehensive interview later, but this is for my notes. Are you good with that?”

  “Okay.”

  “Right.” Kyron put the tablet on the counter and pressed record. “What time did you get to the Schoenauer’s house?”

  “Richard and I got there at about six-thirty.”

  “You two arrived together?”

  Louise nodded.

  “Speak for the record, Miss Lakin.”

  “Yes.” Louise licked her lips. “Judith said we were going to have dinner at eight-thirty so Eric could join us as he had to drive from Tallahassee. Adam was grumbling about it, saying that Eric needed to get a better job, and Richard started joining in after a while.”

  “Did he?” Kyron sat up. “I thought Richard and Eric were close. They are twins.”

  “They haven’t been close lately. Richard had started pulling away, and the things he was saying about Eric when it was just us were much like what Adam says about him.” Louise shook her head. “I kept telling him to stop being an idiot, but he just kept going.”

  That was interesting. Even with their differing opinions on how to deal with Adam and their different personalities, Eric and Richard were as strong as twins could be. Kyron could barely remember the two of them arguing.

  “Any reason for the sudden change toward his brother?” He asked.

  Louise shook her head.

  “No idea. I didn’t get it at the time and I still don’t. Eric’s a great guy. Really lovely.” Louise made a face. “At least he’s not mean.”

  “Richard’s mean?”

  “You sound surprised.”

  Kyron was surprised. Richard was one of the last people you would call mean.

  “I... I went to school with them. Richard didn’t have a mean bone in his body.”

  “He had a lot of them by the time he died.” Louise snorted. Then she winced. “I shouldn’t be speaking ill of the dead, should I?”

  “All I want you to do is tell me the truth. Even if it means speaking ill of your boyfriend.”

  Louise nodded. She still didn’t look happy about it.

  “I’ve been with Richard for a little over a year. And in the last six months he has changed. Nothing toward me, as such. But whenever Eric was mentioned or we were at a family gathering together, Richard would make snide remarks about Eric. Not the sort a brother would say to his twin. And he wasn’t happy that I got along with Eric. He yelled at me for spending time with Eric after the two of us sat on the end of the boat dock at his grandfather’s home, talking for two hours.”

  Kyron listened to this with confusion. This was not the Richard he knew at all. Something didn’t sit right with this.

  “Had you spoken to Richard about it?”

  “Yes, and he always told me to mind my own business, that it was family stuff. He said that as well last night.” Louise looked at her hands in her lap. “I pulled Richard into his room and told him that he needed to stop. Eric hadn’t warranted this unkindness. And Richard…” She shuddered. “Well, the things he said about his brother and about me made me feel very cold. That was when I told him we were done and I was leaving. I’d make my own way home. But Richard said I wasn’t leaving, and that Judith would be disappointed if I left before dinner.”

  “He refused to let you break up with hi
m?”

  “Yep.” Louise looked up. “I told him I couldn’t bring myself to eat dinner with a couple of detestable men. He left, and I stayed in his room. I thought if I could hide away until they were eating and sneak out. Either that or have Adam drag me downstairs and force me to sit down like a little girl.”

  Kyron grunted.

  “I can just see Adam Schoenauer doing that. He’s done it in the past.”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me, considering the horror stories I heard about him.” Louise adjusted the pillows behind her. “After a while, I heard shouting and sounds of a fight coming from downstairs.”

  Kyron sat up. Now they were getting somewhere.

  “Did you see what was going on?”

  “Just about. I was at the top of the stairs. There were two guys, dressed in black with ski masks on.” Kyron sagged. Damn. “They had everyone sitting on the couch and were demanding everyone hand over their phones and watches, and Judith and Ruth were to give them their jewelry. Adam refused to do as they said and…” Louise whimpered. “One of them shot him in the knee. That was when everyone else handed over their things. Judith was...she was crying.”

  Kyron felt a knot in his gut. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear this. Adam was a detestable man, Richard had started turning into his father, but Judith and Ruth were the sweetest things possible. Nobody would dare hurt them, and they had no reason to be hated. Were they collateral damage? Or was this an entire family hit?

  “I... I watched them drag everyone into the dining room. Moments later…” Louise shuddered and covered her eyes. “I can’t.”

  Kyron didn’t want her to, either. Hearing someone describe the murders of people he had once known was a little bit too far for him. He shook himself. He needed to stay objective.

  “It’s okay, I won’t ask you to for now.” Not him, but someone else would. Kyron didn’t want to take the detailed statement. “Just go on in your own time.”

  Louise was shaking, making noises that sounded close to sobs. She started taking deep breaths, her shakes starting to calm. Finally, she lowered her hands and reached for a box of tissues on the tray. Plucking one tissue out, Louise dabbed at her wet eyes.

  “I knew I had to get out, so I tried to run, but they caught me. Pinned me down in the kitchen. One of them said they were going to tie me up with the rest of the family, finish me off like the others. That was when we heard the doorbell. Next thing I know, I’m waking up in the ER.”

  That had to be when Eric arrived. If he had arrived a few minutes earlier...Kyron didn’t want to think about it. He tried to focus on his task. His mind couldn’t wander off into the could haves and could have nots.

  “Sounds like you were lucky.”

  “Not as lucky as Eric.” Louise shivered. “God, if he had come over when he was supposed to be there...is Eric okay? He’s not hurt?”

  “No, he’s not. He’s here as well.”

  “Oh.” Louise whimpered. “What did they do to him?”

  “Nothing. Silly man cracked his head open when he collapsed. The killers were long gone.”

  “At least there’s that.” Louise bit her lip. “Poor Eric. He didn’t deserve the treatment his father gave him. Eric was a decent person. Down-to-earth, successful in his own right, and everyone loves him. And yet Adam saw him as a failure.”

  That was because Eric refused to be molded by Adam. He had had high hopes for his children doing specific things in their lives, and he outright refused to fund their “eccentricities” as Adam called them. That was pretty much anything Adam didn’t like. He wanted carbon copies of himself.

  He was starting to succeed with Richard, but Eric was something else. Adam hated that. Kyron sighed.

  “We see people in different ways. Adam Schoenauer just saw everything...a little differently to everyone else.”

  “Was he like that when you were kids?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Shit. Imagine growing up with that man as your father.” Louise made a face. “I’m glad I didn’t have a father growing up.”

  That was when they were interrupted by one of the nurses coming in. She shooed Kyron out of the way and started to take Louise’s vitals, wrapping the blood pressure strap around her arm. Kyron pressed stop on the recording app and took the tablet with him, stepping out into the corridor. He didn’t think he was going to get much after that.

  ***

  “How’s Eric Schoenauer?” Raquel asked.

  Kyron sat back and stretched out his legs.

  “He’s shaken, suffering from a concussion, but he’s okay. I’ve got his statement, will just need to transcribe it.”

  “Good.”

  Shortly after Kyron left Louise Lakin’s room, Raquel had called him to say she had arrived. They were now sitting in the empty waiting room, watching the sun rise over the trees that surrounded the parking lot. Kyron didn’t like keeping hours like a vampire, but the sight of a sunrise made it worth it.

  Raquel took the bobble out of her hair, shaking it out so it fell about her shoulders.

  “What did he say about his family?”

  “Pretty much what everyone else is saying about them. Mom was lovely, wouldn’t hurt a fly, his sister was the same. Dad ruled the family with an iron grip, and Richard was starting to turn into his father. They had had fallings out over the last year due to Richard’s remarks. Everything was Adam’s way or the high way, and if you stood up to him things were worse for you.”

  Kyron could remember a time when Eric had argued with his father during their sophomore year when Kyron had visited Eric’s home. Adam had got angry that Eric had chosen a couple of subjects he had forbidden Eric from taking, but Eric had pointed out that it was his choice and they didn’t clash compared to Adam’s choices. He had been given a slap that had made Eric’s ears ring for a day afterward. Adam had no qualms about abusing his children in front of guests.

  Thank God he had been in the office most of the time, so their interactions during the school term were limited. Kyron didn’t think he would have coped if his parents’ abuse turned on him. Eric was stronger than Kyron could ever be.

  Raquel sat back across from Kyron, slouching down in her chair and she rolled her shoulders and neck.

  “Do you think Eric could have killed them?”

  Kyron was shaking his head before Raquel had finished.

  “Absolutely not. He’d never hurt his mother and siblings. As for his father, Eric just gritted his teeth when they had to interact and kept out of his way the rest of the time.”

  “Even though Adam Schoenauer had a few shares in his workplace and would make frequent visits there in the last eight months?”

  Kyron had heard about that, but Eric had briefly glossed over it. It was something he wasn’t keen on discussing.

  “Eric was vague on it, but he said his dad liked to get in the way. He thinks Adam was trying to persuade the company to get Eric fired so he could gain control of his son again.”

  “And did they?”

  “Of course not. Eric’s still there. Much as they appreciated Adam’s monetary input, he had no say over the staff.”

  That was what Tess Mackay had said to Kyron over the phone while he had been driving up to the hospital. Still sleepy from being woken, Tess had told Kyron that Adam had threatened to get her job taken away if she didn’t fire Eric, but Tess had stood firm. Eric was damn good at his job and she wasn’t about to bow down to a bully.

  Kyron liked her.

  “From some of the witnesses, they said that they suspected Adam of beating Eric.”

  “He did.” Kyron said grimly. “Adam put Eric into the hospital when we were in junior year.”

  “Any reason why?”

  Kyron yawned and rubbed his eyes. He really needed to get into drinking coffee.

  “Eric came out as gay a few months before. Just to a select few, me included. But he didn’t tell his family to start with. Then after being pestered about girlfriends at Thanksg
iving, Eric blurted it out.”

  “How was that taken?”

  “Everyone was surprised, but they accepted it. Nobody saw him any differently.”

  “Except his father.”

  Kyron snorted.

  “I don’t think Adam saw Eric as everyone else did before Eric came out, never mind after. He was furious. In his eyes, Eric was resisting the mold Adam was trying to shove him into. Eric needed to marry and have an heir and a spare to carry on the name, much like his father.”

  “Well, life doesn’t work the way we want, does it?”

  They were silent for a moment. Kyron could feel his eyes starting to close. It was then he remembered that he had been up for almost twenty-four hours, and things were starting to flag. He needed to get his head down soon or Kyron was going to topple over.

  If they stayed here any longer, he was going to fall asleep in the waiting room. Kyron had fallen asleep in worse places, but he wanted a decent bed. Just the small things in life made all the difference.

  “What was Adam Schoenauer’s reaction when Eric came out as gay?” Raquel asked.

  Kyron flinched. He could remember the phone call from the hospital and then finding Eric on his doorstep the day he had been discharged.

  “He flew into a rage. Not at the gathering as he kept getting scolded by other family members to stop being such a drama queen over something he couldn’t control. As soon as they got home, Adam beat Eric so badly that Eric ended up in hospital.”

  Raquel stared. Then she shook her head.

  “Shit, that’s intense.”

  “That’s an understatement.” Kyron grunted. “Eric turned eighteen the day after Thanksgiving, and as soon as he woke up, he told the doctors that he was taking charge of his treatment and his parents were not permitted to make any decisions on his records or how he was treated for his injuries. He put our guidance counselor as his next-of-kin. Adam was furious about it, but he couldn’t get around it. In response, Adam threw all of Eric’s things out into the garage and had Judith tell him that he was not permitted into the house once he leaves.”

  “Seriously?”

  Kyron nodded. Eric had called him as soon as he found out, and Kyron had gathered their friends together to collect Eric’s belongings. Judith had even let them into the house to strip his room of everything while Adam was at work. It was stored in Kyron’s home until Eric left. Eric staying with Kyron for a few days before he went to live with his maternal grandparents. That period of time had been incredibly tense, Eric becoming so depressed Kyron had been worried about him.