Richard stood. Jeff offered his hand, but Richard pulled him into a bear hug. “It’s so good to see you, kid.”
She suspected Jeff always cringed when he heard the familiar nickname, but then, Richard allowed no one to call him “Rich” except his younger brother.
Jeff pulled back. “Brenda,” he said by way of greeting, and brushed a perfunctory kiss against her cheek.
She was awash in a sense of sadness. His, no doubt. After what he must’ve been through....
“Did you order already?” Jeff asked, taking his seat between them.
“We just got here,” Richard said.
Jeff nodded.
Okay. Now how could they get over the awkwardness of the situation?
More silence.
“Let’s get the crap out of the way,” Jeff said. “Shelley’s dead, and the marriage was over six months before that happened. I’m fine. I’ve got a great job and I’m getting over all this.”
God, he’s a terrible liar, Brenda thought, studying his face. His mouth was tense, his eyes troubled. Everything about him screamed HELP ME, but from what Richard had told her and what she’d observed herself, Jeff would never allow himself to ask for that help.
One day it would all come to a head. One day he’d need his brother ... and, of course, Richard would be there. But … in the meantime....
“How’re things with you guys? Still enjoying the California sun?”
“For the time being,” Richard said. “Our funding’s been cut again. We’ve got another year, maybe two, then I don’t know what’ll happen.”
“Does it matter? I don’t know why you just don’t call it quits and fly to Tahiti.”
“I’m afraid of melanoma,” Richard said with a straight face.
“Buy a pharmaceutical company that makes sunscreen,” Jeff said, with just the hint of a smile.
He was referring, of course, to Richard’s millions. Brenda knew Jeff wasn’t envious of his half-brother’s extensive wealth, but he didn’t mind teasing Richard about it, either.
Siblings.
She felt a pang of regret, thinking about her two surviving sisters. It had been five years since she’d seen them. She was only a hundred or so miles from them now, and yet they may as well be on the Moon. She could well identify with Richard’s dissatisfaction at his relationship—or lack thereof—with his only brother.
The waiter finally arrived. They ordered a round a drinks and silence settled once again. This didn’t bode well. Jeff and Richard were as different as night and day, with virtually nothing in common. Jeff tolerated Richard, and Richard longed to be more than a signature on a Christmas card to his younger brother. Years ago, Jeff had erected a stone wall around himself that no one could penetrate. No one except Shelley, and now even she was gone. And she had a feeling Shelley had really screwed the poor bastard before she’d been killed. She’d screwed Richard out of ten grand, too. But that was something Jeff would never know. Richard wasn’t going to tell him about it, and neither would she. But it still grated on her nevertheless.
The drinks arrived and the waiter departed.
“To happier times,” Richard toasted.
They lifted their glasses, clinking them.
Jeff took a sip of his beer, then set the glass down. He looked thin; he wasn’t eating well. And there were dark circles under his eyes that hadn’t been there the last time she’d met him. But then he’d been happy. For the first time in his life, Richard said. He’d been with Shelley. When he looked at her, his dark eyes had shined. He’d been alive. How had he dealt with her betrayal? Maybe he hadn’t. That would explain the dead look in his eyes.
And things would only get worse. He wouldn’t believe her if she told him that. He was the type who only believed in what he saw. But maybe even that would change one day. She had hunches ... and lots of times those hunches were proved right. At least she had Richard convinced of it.
Small talk dominated the meal. Jeff hardly touched his sole. Richard ordered a round of after-dinner drinks. Jeff sipped his Grand Marnier and listened to Richard jabber about work. He offered no opinions, initiated none of the conversation. Just sat there with those dead eyes.
Finally, he pushed himself away from the table. “I’m sorry to be such a wet blanket, but I have to catch a plane for a business meeting in Denver tomorrow. My flight’s before the crack of dawn.”
He stood, and Richard followed suit. “Don’t be a stranger,” he said. Jeff nodded, embarrassed, and Richard hugged him again. “I love you, kid,” he added.
Jeff pulled away, nodded a good night to Brenda, then headed across the restaurant, never looking back.
Richard watched him and didn’t take his seat until Jeff was gone.
Brenda studied her lover’s long face, knowing this evening would leave him feeling somber for weeks. “Shall we have another drink?” she suggested.
Richard shrugged. “Why not.” He signaled the waiter and asked for refills.
They gazed out at the darkened scenery. Richard was lost in melancholy thoughts. He had a tendency to fall into depression over events he had no control over.
The waiter arrived, setting down new cocktail napkins and delivering the fresh drinks, taking the old glasses with him.
“Do you want to know what I think?” Brenda asked.
Richard looked up and managed a wan smile. “I always want to know what you think.”
Brenda gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile in return. “I have a feeling that one day you and Jeffy will be close friends; something you wanted for a long time.”
Richard raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Bullshit.”
“No, I’m serious. Have you ever known me to be wrong?” she asked.
He stared at her as though suddenly intrigued. “No. Tell me more.”
Brenda shrugged. “I don’t know any more. I just have a gut feeling.”
Richard picked up his glass. “Then let’s drink to that.”
Brenda lifted her glass. “To you and Jeffy.”
“To Jeff and me,” Richard repeated, and they clinked glasses and drank.
Of course, it wasn’t going to be an easy road. Something awful had to happen to force the brothers to come together, and it wasn’t the consequences of Shelley’s death. But ultimately they would be reunited. Brenda believed it, but had no inkling how—or when—that would happen.
She sipped her sherry and gazed into her lover’s eyes, and hoped with all her heart she was right.
WHAT HAPPENED IN BETWEEN?
The stories included in this collection don’t include everything I know about Jeff and Richard. There are many facts concerning their lives I know about but didn’t warrant separate stories.
Like the fact Richard has battled depression several times in his adult life. The first time was after Cathy left him and then soon after Jeff left, too. It took him several lonely years to get over that. His next battle with depression came after yet another woman left him. (Esca Borgstrom (Bound By Suggestion). It was then that Brenda, his assistant, became central to his life and, in essence, saved him. But then when he lost his job of eighteen years, depression hit again. The move back to Buffalo wasn’t working out, either (Murder on the Mind) until Jeff reentered his life, and even then they were still on rocky ground. But ultimately, Richard’s life has improved.
Meanwhile, as a consequence of the mugging, Jeff isn’t truly sure that the memories he has are true to the actual events. That’s why some of the “facts” in these short stories might be a tad off from what transpired in the mysteries. Because of the brain damage Jeff received, he will never be sure that what he remembers actually happened in exactly the way or sequence of events. For the most part, his memories are true.
Jeff and Richard have not always been honest with each other. In Bound By Suggestion, after Maggie has confessed her infidelity, Jeff states that Richard has never been dumped, and Richard does not deny it. That lie of omission haunts him later when he thinks about
Esca. Richard had an opportunity to say, “Hey, I feel your pain,” but he didn’t. He was too proud to admit it.
Brenda and Maggie also have baggage, but the crux of the stories, for me, has always been the trust issues between Jeff and Richard. And they will continue to test that ground in the future. If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my own life journey, it’s that sibling relationships are always in flux. And conflict, both internal (Jeff’s struggles within himself) and external (with Richard and the world at large) are the heart of the stories.
So will future stories reveal more of Jeff’s inner conflicts?
You’ll just have to keep reading to find out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorraine Bartlett’s pen name Lorna Barrett on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent—whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett—that keeps her there. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square Mystery series, and now the Tales of Telenia fantasy saga, and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s). Check out the links to all her works here: http://www.lorrainebartlett.com
You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
If you enjoyed Evolution, please consider leaving a review on your favorite review site. Thank you.
Other Books by L.L. Bartlett
The Jeff Resnick Mysteries
Writing as L.L. Bartlett
The Jeff Resnick Mysteries
Murder On The Mind
Dead In Red
Room At The Inn
Cheated By Death
Bound By Suggestion
Dark Waters
Short Stories:
Evolution: Jeff Resnick’s Backstory
When The Spirit Moves You (A Jeff Resnick Mystery)
Bah! Humbug (A Jeff Resnick Mystery)
Cold Case (A Jeff Resnick Mystery-the inspiration for Bound By Suggestion)
Abused: A Daughter’s Story
Other works by the author:
Lorraine Bartlett
Tales of Telenia (Adventure-Fantasy)
THRESHOLD
JOURNEY
TRECHERY (2014)
The Victoria Square Mysteries
A Crafty Killing
The Walled Flower
One Hot Murder
Recipes to Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook
Short Stories:
Love & Murder: A Collection of Stories
Blue Christmas
An Unconditional Love
Prisoner of Love
Love Heals
We’re So Sorry, Uncle Albert
Writing as Lorna Barrett
The Booktown Mysteries
Murder Is Binding
Bookmarked For Death
Bookplate Special
Chapter & Hearse
Sentenced To Death
Murder On The Half Shelf
Not the Killing Type
Book Clubbed (2014)
Evolution Page 14
