by xxxxxxxxxxxx
“You made it on time,” Hoyt said when Teague came to join him.
“I’m sort of a nut about punctuality,” Teague replied. “Most of the time anyway.”
Hoyt opened the door and stood aside to let Teague enter first. A hostess came over, greeting Hoyt with a quick hug before asking, “Just the two of you?” When Hoyt replied in the affirmative, telling her they’d like to be on the patio, she said it would be a few minutes before a table was ready and suggested they wait at the bar.
There were two vacant stools at the end, which the men took, both of them ordering beer when the bartender arrived.
“Girlfriend,” Teague asked, nodding toward the hostess. He wasn’t certain that he cared one way or the other but at least it was a way to get a conversation going.
“Nope. I’m just a regular customer here and Kelly’s the friendly type. To wit…” Hoyt thumbed toward the entryway and Teague saw her giving a man who had just entered with his female companion an enthusiastic hug before leading the couple to a table for four.
“I guess she is,” Teague agreed, taking a pull on the beer that had just been set down in front of him.
“Life in a small town, or medium-sized one, since we’ve got a population of about ten thousand,” Hoyt commented. “Everyone knows everyone else. At least those who are year around residents.”
“Ten thousand is small compared to where I come from,” Teague replied. “I think we come in at close to five hundred thou.”
Hoyt shook his head. “Way to big for me.”
“Have you always lived here?”
“Except when I went away to college. That was…damn…over twenty years ago. Got my degree in criminal justice and came straight back here. Joined the force and the rest is history. What about you?”
Teague didn’t get to answer that immediately as the hostess came over to tell them their table was ready. Taking their drinks with them, they followed her to the patio and were soon seated with menus in front of them.
“So? You were going to answer my question?” Hoyt said.
Realizing what he meant, Teague replied, “I grew up in a small town, but you knew that from what I’ve told you about Chris and me. A year after he disappeared I began attending college. Like you, I got my degree in criminal justice, but I decided to go into private investigation. I joined a firm, then ten years later moved to where I am now and opened my own agency.” He smiled. “And I’m doing pretty well with it, too, if I do say so myself.”
Hoyt nodded. “You know your license isn’t good here, or it won’t be in another nine months. Colorado will soon be requiring all state PIs to be licensed.”
“What about reciprocity? Not that I’m planning on still being here this time next year.”
“At the moment I have no idea. Not that it bothers me one way or the other when it comes to you. I might have a reputation for being real hardnosed, but there are times when I see the advantage to easing up a bit.”
Teague grinned. “Yeah, Slater warned me about that. He was surprised when I called him earlier to tell him you’d actually let loose with information on the Grimes case.”
“I bet. I gave him a hard time when he talked to me about it.”
“Which reminds me, I have some new questions, but not until after we’ve eaten.”
“Okay with me. I’d rather relax a bit before we get back to that.”
* * * *
They ordered dinner, herb-seared chicken breast for Teague and grilled fillet mignon for Hoyt. As they ate, Hoyt surreptitiously studied Teague. The man had a commonsense demeanor despite his obsession about catching the serial killer. He was also not bad looking, in Hoyt’s opinion. Blond hair, perhaps a bit too long, a trace of a beard and mustache as if he hadn’t shaved recently, and a nice smile—like he means it when he does. And why am I looking at him like he’s more than just a man on the hunt for a killer? If…when we find the bastard, Teague will head right back to where he came from without a backwards glance. Hoyt chuckled softly. Am I that hard up that I’m allowing my thoughts to even go in that direction? Yeah, maybe. Still, he must think I’m straight since he asked me about Kelly. Best that I don’t let him know otherwise.
“Telling yourself jokes?” Teague asked, glancing at Hoyt with a grin.
“Maybe?”
“Hardly a definitive reply.” Teague took another bite of chicken. “This has to be one of the best meals I’ve eaten in a long time.”
“You aren’t a very good cook? Or have you been on the road for too long?”
“Both. I mean I haven’t poisoned myself with my cooking, but then it’s hard to with meat and potatoes—and maybe a salad if I’m feeling really creative.”
“I’m lucky. I have a mom who loved to cook and she made certain I learned how.”
“You and all your siblings?”
“Nope, just me. I’m an only.”
“Likewise. When I was a kid I wanted brothers and sisters but it never happened.”
Hoyt grinned. “I was quite happy being an only child.”
“Ah ha. Pampered and spoiled?”
Hoyt shrugged. “Not really, though there were moments of course. More that I learned to stand on my own two feet and accept responsibility for my actions since there was no one else to blame them on.”
“There is that,” Teague agreed. “And if you’re lucky, and I was, your parents accept you for who you are, no matter what. They get that you’re an individual and don’t try to compare you to siblings because there aren’t any. ‘Why can’t you be more like Johnny?’ isn’t an option.”
“True enough. You’re implying they accepted that you’re gay.”
“Yep. They figured it wasn’t something I had any control over so why make an issue of it.”
Hoyt frowned, quickly wiping it away—he hoped before Teague saw it. Unlike my father. But since I was in college before he found out, all he did was try to convince me that I should try girls before I made up my mind. Yeah, Dad. Right. “You were lucky,” Hoyt said aloud. “I know there are kids who run to get away from parents who won’t accept them.”
“Like our murder victims, I suspect.”
Hoyt chuckled. “And now we get to why we’re here.”
“It was inevitable,” Teague agreed, pushing aside his empty plate. Their waitress appeared seconds later to take it and Hoyt’s as well, asking if they wanted another beer.
“Coffee for me, please,” Hoyt told her. Teague said the same and she left, coming back a moment later with cups that she filled from a carafe, leaving it on the table for them.
“All right, as I said, I have questions.” Teague sipped his coffee before continuing. “First, Grimes’ fingers. Did the coroner find any flesh under the nails, as if he’d tried to defend himself and they were broken when he did?”
“Nope. No trace evidence like that. Hell, no trace evidence at all worth worrying about. Our killer knew what he was doing. All he left behind was Grimes’ naked dead body and the rope he used to hang him. The area where it happened is a popular spot for guys—and girls if it’s a mixed couple—to get it on.”
“What about his clothes?”
“The only thing we found was Grimes’ wallet. I guess the killer wanted us to know who the vic was.”
Teague nodded. “The same for two of the three Grande County victims, according to the files I’ve read. For all the police know, he might have left Chris’s as well and some animal got ahold of it and carried it off.”
“So that pattern is holding true,” Hoyt said. “What else did you want to know?”
“Have you found anyone who saw Grimes hustling?”
“We showed his picture around. One guy who works at The Red Calf thought he recognized him as a kid loitering outside the place.”
“That’s the lounge that was listed on a website I was looking at.”
Hoyt chuckled. “Lounge it a bit fancy as a description, though the owners would like people to think it is. It’s more of a local hangou
t that doesn’t discriminate against gays, so they go there rather than some of the other bars in town.”
“No one else recognized Grimes?”
“Not that they’re admitting to.”
Teague tapped a finger on the rim of his cup, realized it was almost empty, and filled it from the carafe. “At least it’s a starting place. So is the park. Maybe…” He looked pensive.
“What are you thinking?”
“Just trying to come up with a plan to find the killer. I could hang out at the park, keeping an eye open for any transient kids looking to make some fast money. Or I could do the same at the lounge.”
“And what would that accomplish,” Hoyt asked, although he was certain he knew how Teague would answer.
“Depends how I play it. I could just watch and hope I’m in the right place at the right time to intercept the killer when he goes after another kid. And he will. I have no doubt about that.”
Hoyt nodded. “I agree, if he’s still in the area. What other…scheme—” Hoyt smiled slightly, “—do you have in mind if that doesn’t work? After all, it is a long shot.”
“This is off the wall I know, and I’m not certain how I’d manage it, but I could act as if I was trying to move in on the killer’s territory. Become a copycat.”
“That would be hard to do. First off you’d need a victim.”
“I know that.” Teague stared off into space for a long moment. “I might have just the person for that role. A young man who works for me. He’s one of those people who looks young for his age, much to his disgust.” He chuckled. “He bitches about getting carded when he goes to a club.”
“So you bring him in. Then what?”
“I kill him,” Teague replied without blinking an eye.
“You’re plum crazy,” Hoyt spat out before realizing Teague was pulling his leg.
“Plum crazy?” Teague laughed. “Are you a fan of Westerns?”
“Not even. It’s something my old man used to say and I guess I picked it up.” Hoyt frowned—the result, as always, of thinking about his father.
“It’s not that bad. You could have asked if I was loco, or crazy as a loon, or—”
Hoyt snorted, holding up his hand to stop Teague before he came up with more descriptions. “I get it. You were teasing about killing your guy.”
“Yep.” Teague cocked his head, looking at Hoyt. “That’s not what got you upset though. I mean once you figured it out. It had to do with your father. You always frown when you think about him.”
“What?”
“Now, and just a few minutes ago. Okay, that’s a guess I’ll admit, and you tried to hide it, but from the brief look on your face when I was talking about my family accepting me for what I am, I got the impression that your family doesn’t accept it, do they?”
Hoyt sighed. “Dad didn’t. He might have kicked me out, but that wasn’t an option because I’d already left home for college. You’d think after all these years it wouldn’t bother me, but it does.”
“No one wants the people they love to think badly of them,” Teague said quietly. “Does he still live here in Faircrest?”
“No. He died just over a year ago. A massive heart attack. Mom moved in with her sister in New Jersey about a month later. She said she couldn’t take being here with all the memories.” Hoyt shook his head disconsolately. “He never forgave me.”
“For God’s sake, what’s to forgive? I swear I don’t understand people sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Hoyt managed to smile. “How about ninety percent of the time. Anyway, back to what’s important right now, catching a killer. If he is still in town he might go after your employee. That is if the kid can pull it off that he’s transient and a hustler.”
“He can, and that, my friend, might be just what we want. In point of fact, it would be better than what I was thinking of doing. I’ll call Keir and get him out here ASAP.”
* * * *
Chapter 5
Keir Upton arrived early Monday afternoon, flying into the county airport and then renting a car to drive to Faircrest. As planned, he slipped unobtrusively into the motel and up to Teague’s room.
“You made it in record time,” Teague said by way of greeting.
“Yep. I parked the car in the lot of a motel at the other end of town.”
“That works. Unpack if you want while I call Detective Newman to let him know you’re here.”
“Naw. I’ll change when we get back and then hit the street.” At the moment Keir was dressed in a pair of decent jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt topped by a jean jacket. Not what he’d be wearing once he was undercover.
Teague nodded, calling Hoyt to ask where they should meet since bringing Keir to the police department wasn’t a good idea.
Hoyt went silent momentarily then said, “My place. It’s fairly isolated. Come around to the back door.” He gave Teague the address. “Walking or driving? If you drive, you can park at the Shop and Gas a quarter mile from me.”
“We’ll do that,” Teague replied.
After hanging up, Teague told Keir what they were doing. “I’ll leave by the front door.” Teague smiled slightly. “You, I presume, with get out of here the way you came in. My Trek is in the back lot.”
“Yep. Gotta love service entrances. I’ll meet you there.”
Fifteen minutes later Teague and Keir got out of Teague’s car at the convenience store and cautiously made it from there, via the trees that lined the rear of the properties, to Hoyt’s house.
The detective let them in through the back door and suggested they go into the living room after asking if they wanted coffee. Keir declined, Teague didn’t.
“He’s not bad looking, for an older guy,” Keir whispered once he and Teague were seated on the sofa.
“He’s close to my age,” Teague muttered.
Keir grinned. “Like I said, an older guy.”
Teague just rolled his eyes.
As soon as Hoyt came into the room, handing Teague his coffee, the detective examine Keir from head to toe. If the look on Hoyt’s face had anything to do with his feelings, he wasn’t impressed—in Teague’s considered opinion.
Hoyt settled in an overstuffed armchair opposite the sofa, leaned back and shook his head. “He’ll never—” he focused his attention on Keir, “You’ll never pass as a homeless teen.”
Keir smirked. “Try me.”
“What experience do you have?”
“I’ve been there, done that. Want to see my resume?”
“Keir,” Teague cautioned.
Hoyt shot Teague an irate glance. “You didn’t tell me he was a smartass.”
Keir replied before Teague could, “I’m not, actually. I meant it when I said I know what it takes when it comes to being on the street. I spent a year living hand-to-mouth before I realized that wasn’t getting me anywhere. So I got it together and reformed. I have a Certificate in Private Investigation from Cal State, Fullerton, as well as an associate degree in acting. Don’t laugh. It comes in handy.”
“Wasn’t planning on laughing,” Hoyt said seriously. “That’s quite a mix there. And you’re what? Maybe twenty and that’s pushing it.”
Teague chuckled. “Told you he looked younger than he is. He’s twenty-four.”
“It’s my damned boyish good looks that fool people,” Keir grumbled. “Emphasis on ‘boy’.” Then he grinned. “But it’ll work in this case, if I get lucky and the SOB comes after me.”
“That is what we’re hoping will happen,” Hoyt replied. “Where we set it up will make all the difference.”
“What are the options?” Keir asked, all business now.
“There’s a bar called The Red Calf. Lee Grimes was seen outside there, or I should say possibly seen. If it was him, the inference is he was hustling. Then there’s Smith Park. Grimes body was found at the outskirts.”
Keir nodded. “Is the park used as a cruising site?”
“Parts of it are.”
; “Detective,” Keir said pointedly, “there’s not such thing as parts of. If guys are there looking for fast sex, or to hook up and go home with someone, they use the whole area. Take it from one who knows.”
Hoyt put up his hands in acceptance. “I stand corrected and you’re right. After midnight it’s primarily men cruising. Not that it happens a lot since this is a small city, but when it does, it’s there, not in town. Not even by The Red Calf.” Hoyt chuckled mirthlessly. “Inside is a different story of course.”
“Is the park patrolled?”
“A deputy will do a drive-by on his rounds, but unless he sees something that catches his attention, that’s it. When Teague takes you to look at it you’ll see why.”
Teague started to say “Me?” Then he got it. And that brought up a point that unfortunately neither he nor Hoyt had thought of until now. “I’ve undoubtedly been seen with you, Hoyt. That could make it difficult for me to be Keir’s backup.”
Hoyt lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve never gone undercover?”
Momentarily flustered by the question, because he knew his comment had made him look somewhat unprofessional, Teague took a drink of his coffee then replied that he had.
“He’s damned good at it, too,” Keir added. “Almost as good as me.”
“Where are you staying, Keir?” Hoyt asked, returning his attention to the young man.
“With Teague. I’ll catch a couple hours of sleep there mid-day and spend the rest of my time out and about. Mostly at the park I think. I’ll find a spot there where I can bed down at night.”
“Sleeping rough?” Hoyt asked in surprise.
“I have to look like a homeless teen out for the main chance, so yeah, I will be,” Keir replied. “It’s for damned sure the guy we’re after will make certain I’m the real thing before he decides to grab me.”
“Okay,” Teague said after a moment’s thought. “If we’re going to make this work I should dump the motel room I’m using, leave town and then return as a new—” he made finger quotes, “—man. I’ll find a different motel and let you know where, Keir.”
