Brody

by Kathi S. Barton

  “That’s wonderful. And your mom, how is she taking having her husband around again?” Brody laughed when he thought of them together. “I take it he’s all right when her being with Howie.”

  “Oh, yes. Howie was always a good friend more than he was a butler. But he hung around after I left, and my parents sort of moved him from butler status to being welcome to the table.” Brody laughed again. “Mom and Dad fuss at each other just as they did when he was alive. And as for Howie, he’s so happy that Mom didn’t just sit around pining after Dad when he passed away.”

  Brody worked with Forrest on his personal things because Jake was working on his divorce. Forrest was also going to be representing Emmi and a lot of other women in the case against Fred Simmons. Brody had gone to see the man—he’d complained about a contusion that the police had given him. While he’d not found anything wrong with the man, he had formed an opinion. The man was cocky.

  In addition to the scholarship for Ms. Little and the aid for new homes, there was the paperwork that Brody filled out that gave Aaron authority to make medical and legal decisions about Jordan when necessary. Brody also put Aaron on his insurance plan, made him the second beneficiary to his life insurance, as well as changed the will to include him and exclude Rachel and her parents. They’d be divorced in the morning, he hoped, and he wasn’t going to take any chances with his new family.

  Forrest asked him about Fred when they were finishing up. Brody asked him what he was allowed to tell him. He’d been acting on the part of the police, not the man, so Forrest said that he could tell him what he wanted.

  “Have you ever met a person that you instantly didn’t like? They might not have spoken to you, or done a thing to you either. But there is something profound about them that you just don’t like.” Forrest said that he had. “That’s this guy to me. Not only is he cocky, but he’s arrogant as well. Like he knows a great deal more than anyone around him. And I also got the feeling, when the police were talking to him as I worked, that he doesn’t believe they have a thing on him. That he’s going to walk out of the courthouse a free man to do what he wishes. I do believe that if he does, there won’t be any stopping him in hurting the women.”

  “I’ve had twenty-three women come forward about having the same thing happen to them. One of them even said that she was sure that there was one more that he’d murdered.” Brody asked how she’d come to that. “She said that her friend that she worked with was having the same issue. Black outs. Her body being hurt. I guess at the beginning, he wasn’t so violent. Then this friend of hers just disappeared one night. No trace of her, her car was gone, and no one ever heard from her again.”

  “This is just me thinking outside the box, but why don’t you have Cam go and see what he can find out? I’ve seen him work. The man is amazingly gifted.” Forrest told him not to say that to Cam. “Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. I got a ten-minute lecture on how it’s ruined his life for the most part. He’s very intense, isn’t he? But not when he and Rick are together.”

  “That’s the way it should work with mates. Yes, I think you’re right. I will have Cam have a look at his head. Can’t hurt to get his feelings on this case. And if you’re right, and I have no doubt that you are—he is thinking we have nothing—that means we’ll have to work harder to find him guilty of all charges. But this woman, I’m looking into her death as well.”

  Brody was to go to the bank to pick up a credit card with Aaron’s name on it, as he’d done the same for him. Aaron had money too, so they’d decided that they’d be a one household bank account, and that had worked out well for them. Brody had never felt that comfortable with Rachel having credit cards, but this man made him feel like he could trust him with it all. But mostly having his son around him.

  Stopping by the deli to pick up two loaves of bread, he looked over the salad menu and decided to have some lunch. Brody had never been bothered by eating alone. Since he’d been single, even married, it had felt like that. Brody enjoyed the quiet of the hour he allotted himself. Now, he realized he missed the noises that Jordan made while eating. And Aaron filling him in on things that he was working on too.

  “You with anyone?” The man sat across from him and Brody looked around. “You must be the good doctor here in town. I was wondering if you had a moment to go over some things that are coming up on the market that I can get you for—”

  “No.” Brody looked at the shocked look on the man’s face. “I want you to pick up your things, get out of the chair, and leave me alone. When and if I need the newest piece of equipment, I will find it myself, after doing a very thorough research of it. Now, I’m having lunch alone for a reason.”

  He’d never done anything like that before. Usually when a salesperson would bother him, he’d just let them prattle on. But he felt empowered—by love, he realized. When the man hesitated just a little too long, Brody pointed at the police who were having lunch in the restaurant too. And the man, whoever he was, got up and moved on. Brody wanted to celebrate. He’d been no ruder than the man had been by sitting down. But when the second man sat down, Brody sat up straighter in his seat.

  Chapter 8

  Willy Henderson liked this young man. He reminded him of Cam a great deal. And after talking to his grandson about him, he’d decided to go and see him for a few things. He looked like a man with a head on his shoulders who knew just how to use it.

  “Mr. Henderson, what can I do for you? And I wanted to thank you for taking Jordan under your wing. He’s been thrilled to death to have you in his life, and Mrs. Jamison.”

  “Okay, first, I’m Willy. That two-faced bastard of a son of mine is Mr. Henderson. You heard about him?” Brody nodded and said that he was sorry. “No need for you to be sorry, young man. He was a pole cat that has finally gotten his just desserts. Damned boy. You’d think with me and his mom there, he might have turned out a bit better. I guess there is no accounting for good genes. And that boy of yours, he’s a good one. You know, it took damned near a week for him to stop calling me Mr. whatever. You gonna give me trouble?”

  “No, sir. I don’t think I will.” They both laughed. “Did you want something to eat? I just sat down, and since it’s only a salad, I don’t mind waiting on you to talk to you.”

  Willy got up and got him some lunch. He wasn’t a big man, tall but not fat. But he ate like he was never going to get another meal most times. Today wasn’t any different. When he was brought his food on a tray, he handed Brody some of the cookies he’d gotten, as well as a sandwich. He’d gotten them both a more hearty meal.

  Neither said much as they ate the food, then when Brody pushed his plate away, he leaned back in the chair. Willy watched him look him over, and hoped that he’d not find him lacking. He didn’t have any idea why, but he wanted to be someone this kid could be friends with.

  “Now, how about you tell me why you fed me enough to fatten me up, and I’ll tell you the answer the best way I know how. However, Willy, you should know that I don’t pull punches with family.” Willy smiled at him. Just what he wanted to hear. “Also, I’d really enjoy it if you and Ann would join us for dinner tonight. Aaron is still out of town.”

  “He’s a good man too, you know.” Brody nodded. “Anyway. I was just over at Forrest’s offices, and I heard about your setting up some kind of scholarship programs or something.”

  “Yes. A woman that I knew in my practice—she was a cantankerous thing—told me that she had no one left to be with. I’d been caring for her for ten years or so, and when I told her that I was getting a divorce, I’ll not say what she called my wife, but she said that would make her happy. She died that afternoon, leaving me everything.” Willy asked how much it was. “Just under nine million. And as I’ve done well with my own money and have invested well, I didn’t really need it. So, I thought it would be of better use to those that needed it much more than I did.”

  “Now, t
hat’s what I’m talking about. See there—if my son had done something like that, even one time, I might have had a better opinion of him.” Willy thought about it. “Nah, he was an asshole, and I didn’t care for the way he treated my grandchildren. I would like to help out with that.”

  “You mean distribute it?” Willy explained. “Oh, add to it. Sure, that would be great. At this point Forrest is putting it together to make it work. But sure, that would be wonderful. I was calling it the Mabel Little Scholarship, but if you’d prefer something different, then we can work with that too.”

  “No, that’s a perfect name for it. She was elderly then?” Brody told him that she was one hundred and four. “I’m an immortal. I’m still trying to come to terms with that. But if I can be around family all the time, you all, then I think it’ll make it easier on my old mind. You—you and your family—you’re gonna be around for a while too, I’m assuming.”

  “I didn’t know about it until my guy at the gate told me that I was like him. Immortal. I have been meaning to ask someone about it, but with my soon to be ex wandering around, I’ve been distracted.” Willy told him what he knew. “Never ill either, huh? That’s great. But I don’t want to never grow old while my son does. For that matter, I don’t want him to stay a child either, I guess.”

  “That’s not how that part works. You see, Jordan, he’ll not die either. But as he grows older and hits a certain age—I think they told me about twenty-five—he’ll remain that age. I guess you being older now, you’ll be what you are now. No going backwards.” Willy laughed as he continued. “Sure would be nice some days if I could. Just to roll back time so that I can do the things a younger man does.”

  “I’m sure that once you set your mind to something, Willy, you do it.” They both laughed, and one of the staff came over and took away their used plates. “Willy, we’ve been all over the place here, money to age. Why don’t you tell me why you’re really here?”

  “Smart man. I knew you were.” He looked around, then leaned in to speak quietly to Brody. “I’m a man in his nineties. I have a good ticker, and I’m not going to keel over if I have sex at my age. Always scared me, I have to tell you. I’d like to know if you can help me out with something to help me...you know...I need help in the sex department.”

  It only took the man a second or two until he understood. Brody didn’t smile at him, never snickered, nor did he ask him if he was sure. All he did was ask him if he knew the side effects. Or did he want to come into his office for some samples to see if it helped him before having to buy them.

  Willy wanted to cry. A grown man, and he could feel his eyes just about to spill out some fat tears. And that kid across from him never said nary a word, never made fun of him or even teased him about the situation, nor that he was crying about how relieved he was. As he sat there, holding onto himself, Brody told him that some people his age didn’t like the side effects, and he’d very much like to take his blood pressure just once to be sure.

  “Yes, I can do that.” Brody didn’t say anything more as Willy continued to look out the window. “I’d like for you to do something else for me, young man. If you don’t mind. I know you don’t have anyone left in the grandparent department, and if you don’t mind, I’d truly like it if you got around to calling me Grandda. It sure would make my heart just about sing with happiness if you’d do that.”

  “It would be my honor, Grandda.”

  Willy got up. But before he left the table, he noticed that Brody had put a twenty under the tea glass that had been his. No need to tip here, but he’d done it all the same. Willy had to leave now or he was going to be begging the man to let him adopt him.

  On his way to Brody’s office, he thought about the scholarships that had been set up by him. There wasn’t any reason for him to do it, Willy thought, other than he could. That’s what he’d like to do. Get something set up so that kids, or even adults, could go to college, or even just to get their high school education.

  That’s it, he nearly screamed. He was going to talk to Forrest or Jake about setting up a program to help out older adults to get their education. Or even to take a few classes that they’d like to see if they enjoyed. He had done it three or four times in his later years—gone to college to look into things. He knew how to throw a pot now, develop film, and even to fix a television should he have a desire to. Yes, that was it, he was going to make a difference.

  Pulling into the office, he noticed that there wasn’t much in the way of parking in the area. Hell, he thought, there was little to nothing other than his office in this area. There was a defunct pizza place, and another shop that had been a candy shop. Also, and this one saddened him a great deal, the florist was gone. He remembered when he was here before his wife had passed away, getting her flowers.

  Brody was there a few minutes later. They talked about the area, and he told him about the job that he’d been offered. It sounded to Willy like it was a done deal in him taking it, but Brody was very cautious to keep saying he’d not decided yet. The boy was as good as hired, Willy thought.

  “Now, let’s see what we have here.” It only took a few seconds for Brody to gather up what he needed. Brody put the meds, as he called them, in a plain white bag so that no one would notice. And as he was standing there, squeezing the life out of his arm, Willy noticed that Brody was happy. It nearly blinded a man if he knew what to look for.

  There were no more lines around his eyes. His mouth wasn’t tensed up like it had been. Ann had remarked to him just the other day how she felt sorry for Brody, what with this divorce going on. He asked Brody, when he was done, when the court date was. He didn’t answer him until after he’d listened to his heart and checked his eyes and ears.

  “In the morning.” He told him that his pressure was great and that he was more confident of him enjoying life. “Also, your heart sounds good. You have no cataracts and nothing that I can see from here that would cause you any trouble with what we discussed. But, just for safety’s sake, I’d only take about half a dose and work up to it. I put you a pill cutter in there as well.”

  “Should I come see you after I take one?” Brody told him only if he thought it was necessary, but that he could stop by anytime. “I don’t have any trouble having sex, you see. It’s the staying power that I’m sort of lacking in.”

  Willy felt better talking about this thing in the office. Brody was a doctor and this was his office. Somehow he felt less embarrassed. Brody seemed to understand and sat down on the stool across from him.

  “Grandda, the fact that you’re having sex at all is astounding to me.” They both laughed, and Willy knew he’d be all right. “As I said, watch out for the side effects, and make sure you follow the directions correctly. If Ann were to touch them, there could be reactions for her too. And not in a good way. Since we’re both immortal, I don’t have a problem with you having some fun, but just do it in moderation.”

  “You knew it was Ann.” Brody said that he was sorry if he was wrong. “You’re not. Ann and I have been together for some time now. And I teased my son about banging her—not a nice term, but he pissed me off—and then having us a kid. I know we neither one can, but you know how kids can be.”

  “I do. I sometimes think that Jordan does it to see how far he can push me. Which is fine. Boundaries for kids are how they learn rules. Jordan is a good kid, but there are times when he’s not.” Willy said he knew that for sure. “Cam is going to do something for me today. I’m slightly worried what he’ll find once he does his little dance thing through Rachel’s head. I’m worried what sort of monstrosity he’ll find once he’s there.”

  “I hear that he is going to look though that other man’s head too. The guy who hurt our Emmi. If I had gotten to him first, they’d sure be looking for the next terrible man. I don’t cotton to hurting women, especially if they’re smaller and got babies. There might be some out there that need it, but so
far, I’ve not encountered any.” Brody said that they were out there. And were just as bad if not worse than men. “Sad state of affairs that people can’t just be kind to each other. Work things out with words and not fists.”

  After leaving the office with the meds and a good bill of health, he made his way to his home he was sharing with Ann. It was just a rental, but he decided that he wanted to be here for a while. The two of them had been traveling for a long time, not putting any roots down. Willy wanted to stick around and see kids being born, or in some cases, being brought into the family.

  He knew that the men were all homosexuals. And thirty years ago, or even less, he might have had a problem with them living like they were. But times had changed, and so had his opinion about them. First, he thought that it wasn’t any of his business what others did behind their own doors. And secondly, he wasn’t anyone to pass judgement on anyone else. What they did, they did, so long as no harm came to him or those that he loved. And Willy loved every damned one of them. He was going to talk to Ann as soon as she got back from her meeting. Maybe, Willy thought, he’d fix it up so he’d have a few meetings of his own that he needed to go to.

  Work, that’s what he needed. And involvement. If he had those, he’d not be looking for trouble all the time. And he had been—just waiting for something he could get into and not care what the consequences were.

  Thinking about things, he was making a list when his Ann came home.

  “Ann dear, I have me something I think you’re going to enjoy. I know I sure will.” He picked her up and swung her around. “I want you to marry me, if you have a mind, and us buy us a house. Whatcha say?”

  Her giggling was the best thing he’d heard. Yes, Willy was going to get to work living.