by Gerald Lopez
“I’ve been cancer free for a year now,” Lisa said, seeming to know what Bart was thinking. “I was thin even before I got it, only I did have more hair. I’ve seen the look you gave me from other people as well; so, I decided to go ahead and mention the reason I look the way I do.”
“I’m glad to hear you’ve been free of the cancer for a year,” Bart said.
“You always did know how to bring down a good party, Lisa,” Rachel said from the side of the bar. She’d just entered holding a glass in one hand. “Nobody wants to hear your pathetic cancer story one more time.”
“Shut it, and show some respect,” a stocky, gray-haired man in the back of the room said, before he turned to address Bart. “Don’t mind the little brat; she’s already started drinking—as you can see. I, for one, am glad to have you back, Jer. You were a lot more useful to me than most people I know.” He held his drink in the air. “Here’s to you, Jeremy Kent.”
“Hear, hear!” a few voices said in unison.
“By the way,” the gray-haired man said. “I’m the brat’s father, Marcus Kristoff.”
An attractive brunette woman walked in with her arm around an equally attractive, raven-haired man. The woman was wearing a nude color sheath which clung to her slender body. The man had on a tight T-shirt in a similar color to the sheath, and was wearing tight jeans with flip-flops.
“So sorry, we’re late,” the woman said, before looking at Bart. “My God, Jeremy, is that you?”
“In the flesh,” Bart said. “And you are?”
“I’m absolutely stunned, is what I am,” the woman said.
“Her name is Julia Jansen, and I’m Reese Healey, one of the resort’s lifeguards,” the attractive man said.
“Nice to meet you both,” Bart said. “And what do you do, Julia?”
“I own and manage the on premise beauty salon and spa,” Julia said. “That’s a fab new hairstyle you’ve got, Jeremy. And after all the times I tried to get you to let me style your hair differently—I should be mad at you for letting someone else do it. Oh well. God, you do look good, though—doesn’t he, Rachel?”
“We all have eyes, Julia,” Rachel said. “I think everyone can agree that the new and improved Jeremy is now highly screwable.”
“Rachel!” Marcus said. “Try and remember who you are.”
A tall man with very short, curly blond hair walked up to Lisa with a set of keys in his hand. Lisa turned to Bart and made the introductions. “Jeremy, this is James Emmet, acting manager of this resort until we can get you ready to run things. He’s on leave from my island resort, which he manages.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” James said in a British accent. “As you can hear, I’m British. This is actually the first time we’ve met, Jeremy.”
“I love the accent… and it’s nice to meet you too,” Bart said.
“James was kind enough to bring me your house keys,” Lisa said. “Would you like to take a moment and go there?”
“Yes, if everyone doesn’t mind,” Bart said.
After excusing themselves, Bart, Lisa, James, Rachel, and Jenna walked to Jeremy’s quarters. They walked past the courtyard and to the left, until getting to the parking lot, which they crossed in order to get to a small complex that housed the employee quarters.
“It’s not typical to provide housing for your employees, is it?” Bart said to Lisa and James.
“Not usually,” James said. “But Lisa believes in providing for our guests 24/7. If someone wants to work out with a trainer at one in the morning, we want to have one available, as a perk. Our goal is to provide anything our guests desire at any time.”
“Jeremy,” Lisa said, “I had your quarters locked and made sure no one went inside.”
“You were that sure I’d be back, huh?” Bart said.
“I had hope that you would,” Lisa said.
“Good Lord,” Rachel said, “she even had them padlock the door; that’s why James had to bring a whole key ring with him. I don’t know why Lisa was so concerned about the place.”
“It was just the decent thing to do while we waited to see how Jeremy was doing,” Lisa said.
“Why’d you decide to come along with us, anyway?” Jenna said. “I’m surprised you’d want to leave the party.”
“How in the hell could I enjoy myself there with Daddy keeping watch over me?” Rachel said.
James punched in a code by the entry gate to the employee complex, and the gate slowly opened. Once inside, the group walked into a small two-story apartment complex surrounding a courtyard with a pool and Jacuzzi.
“Very nice,” Bart said.
“Lisa has always been generous with her employees,” James said, as he led the group upstairs.
“I expect a lot from my employees, but I give them a lot in return,” Lisa said.
They walked down the open upstairs walkway until James stopped at a door with a padlock on it. Lisa took the keys James had given her out of her pocket, and used one to open the padlock, which she then handed to James.
“Welcome home, Jeremy,” Lisa said, then gave Jeremy the keys. There’s a light switch to the right of the door.
Bart opened the door, flipped on the light, and walked inside… followed by the others. There was a spacious living room in front of them, which led into the open kitchen.
“Oooh, I wonder if my artwork is still here,” Rachel said, walking to the refrigerator. “It is! It is—but who did this!”
Chapter 5
All Queers Must Diet
“WHAT’S WRONG?” Bart said to Rachel, as he walked into the kitchen.
“Just look at this!” Rachel said, pointing to a piece of paper being held to the front of the refrigerator with magnets.
While Bart looked at the paper, everyone else entered the kitchen; and Rachel continued her rant. “Just look at what someone did to the pretty little poster I made for Jeremy. The poster was a friendly reminder for him to stick to his diet.”
“It’s just the phrase ‘All Queers Must Diet’ repeated all the way down the paper,” Bart said, holding the poster up for all to see.
“It’s not ‘just’ anything,” Rachel said. I used a different color marker for each phrase to represent the colors of the gay rainbow flag thingy that you people use.”
“That was mighty considerate of you,” Jenna said, sarcastically.
“It was, and it looked pretty too, until someone wrote ‘All Queers Must Die’ across the center of it,” Rachel said. “The nerve of some people.”
“That’s some statement coming from you,” Jenna said.
“Look, Jeremy is the one who said he wanted to lose weight,” Rachel said. “And I told him that was a good idea, since fat queers are third class citizens in the gay world. The gays are worse about fatties than the straight folks—and that’s a fact. You must know what I’m talking about with your thinning hair, James. It’s not like you’d win any queer beauty contests. Gay people are a real pain in the butt, all they care about is perfect looking men like Reese and Simon.”
“But who would’ve written something like ‘All Queers Must Die’,” Bart said.
“Who knows?” Rachel said. “Most of the guys working here are gay, or at least gay for pay. I’d ask you if you had an angry lover snooping around, but you wouldn’t remember, anyway.”
“I think maybe we’d better give Jeremy some time alone,” Lisa said.
“That’s a good idea,” James said. “Don’t forget to come back to your party, though, Jeremy.”
“I won’t,” Bart said. “I just need ten minutes or so here.”
“I’ll stay to make sure he finds his way back,” Jenna said.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Lisa said. “Frank Connors said to say hello… he’s running late, because he’s checking some faulty security cameras. But he will be at the party to see you.”
“Thanks… for everything,” Bart said.
“I’d offer to make you a new diet poster, but it’s not
like you need it anymore,” Rachel said, before leaving with James and Lisa.
After a few minutes, Bart handed Jenna the diet poster. “‘All queers must die’—now there’s a nice sentiment,” Bart said, sarcastically.
“I’m willing to bet it’s a clue, but not one we can use,” Jenna said. “Even if we could get it checked for fingerprints, it wouldn’t mean much. It’d just tell us someone touched the paper.”
Bart looked around the surprisingly roomy kitchen, then walked to the living room—there was a sofa, large coffee table, two comfortable-looking chairs, and an area rug over tiled floors. He went down the hallway and peeked into a bathroom on the left and a guest bedroom to the right, before making his way to the master bedroom. Jenna walked up behind him and put her arm around him, as they both looked into the room. There was a large bed in front of a window, a dresser against the wall in front of the bed, and a wall of closets.
After walking up to the bed, Bart bent down and smelled the sheets. “They still have the faint smell of Jeremy… of me.”
“Frank’s done a lot of work on the computers in this place, and he now has full control of the security cameras—he’s done a good job—and all while getting a tan,” Jenna said, then she gave Bart a warm hug.
Bart securely locked the apartment, and he and Jenna headed downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, they nearly ran into a short, skinny young man.
“Welcome back, boss Jeremy,” the man said to Bart.
“Thank you, but how did you know it was me?” Bart said.
“You’re with Jenna, and she said you’d be coming back today,” the man said. “I’m Alstair, without an ‘I’ after the ‘L’. I fill in wherever I’m needed on the premises.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Alstair.”
“Sorry, Alstair, but we’re expected elsewhere,” Jenna said. “You have a good night.” She grabbed Bart’s arm and dragged him away.
“What’s all the rush?” Bart said, once they were out of earshot, and sight of Alstair.
“I just don’t trust that guy,” Jenna said. “He’s always watching and listening to everything that’s going on around here. The man is definitely up to something; or at the very least, working for someone.”
“Maybe he’s working on the side for James, helping him keep an eye on things,” Bart said. “I did detect he had a slight island, and he’s definitely of mixed race—black and white.”
“Yes—his father is a native from the islands, and his mother was from England—and very pale complexioned. He’s on the short side, but attractive enough. So, you’ve met the major players now—at least, the ones we know about.”
“Hopefully, they can lead us to the ones we don’t know about, then we can set our plan in motion,” Bart said.
Chapter 6
Plans Within Plans
RACHEL GOT so drunk at Bart’s party she could barely stand, so her father took her to his house. The rest of the partygoers finally dispersed, leaving the three old friends—Bart, Jenna, and Frank on their own. They decided to walk barefoot on the beach, far from prying ears or eyes.
“I still can’t believe you got a crew cut, Frank—and the beard’s gone too,” Bart said, looking over at Frank, who had his arm around Jenna.
“It was just too damn hot for all that hair,” Frank said.
“Don’t tell me it’s hot because you and Jenna have finally gotten together while you’ve been here,” Bart said to Frank, then pointed to his arm around Jenna’s shoulder.
“The arm goes no lower… the lower areas are reserved for boyfriends,” Jenna said. “Besides, this isn’t exactly the time for romance, is it?”
“Hey, there’s always time for romance—or at least a little good loving,” Frank said, then laughed.
Bart chuckled, then remembered why they were there, and got serious. “Have you two found out anything significant while you’ve been here, or have you just been enjoying yourselves on the beach?”
“Screw you, Bart,” Frank said in a joking manner. “Seriously, though, most of my time has been spent working with the security equipment around here, including the cameras. They’re all up, working, and under my control now. When we have need of them, they’ll be at our disposal.”
“Jenna told me about that—good job,” Bart said. “Thanks, Frank. And how about you, Jenna?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have as much to report,” Jenna said. “Doing the exercise classes and tennis lessons keeps me pretty busy.”
“It also places you in an ideal position to hear all the good gossip,” Bart said.
“I know my place in our plans,” Jenna said. “Catching up on the gossip was just one tiny part of what I’m supposed to do in town. I’m happy to report that our friend Tara is now temporarily working for the local police department.”
“That went smoother than I expected,” Bart said. “She got on with them pretty quickly.”
“Judge Haymond put in a good word for her, and the department needed somebody who could start immediately; since their current coroner just got married, and is on a three-week honeymoon,” Frank said. “Some guys have all the luck—three-week vacation—geez!”
‘When we’re done in Maynard Shores, you have my permission to take a vacation, Frank,” Jenna said. “You also have my permission to sit in on my aerobics classes any time you want.”
Frank lifted his shirt and patted his flat stomach. “I’m still at least a few weeks from turning to fat.”
Jenna turned back to Bart. “My medical skills will come in handy, once you do your job, Bart.”
“Whatever you say, Dr. Jenna Chase,” Bart said. “My mom—shoot, I have to watch that even when it’s just us talking! Dr. Farrow says you’re missed back at the hospital.”
“How come you didn’t take the coroner’s position, Jenna?” Frank said. “You worked part-time as a coroner’s assistant while going to medical school.”
“She also worked as a fitness instructor,” Bart said. “And we needed another inside person in the resort with us. I just want to say again, how much I appreciate both of you coming down here a month early to set our plans into motion.”
“Our plans within plans,” Frank said. “Well, we’ve done all we could—now it’s time for you to play your part.”
“Bart, I’ve kept close watch on the people here,” Jenna said. “None of them are worth a good damn, as far as I’m concerned. But they are major players in this town—”
“And by ‘players,’ she means in every sense of the word,” Frank said. “There are some really shady goings-on in this place… a lot of them sexual in nature.”
“We can probably use some of that information to our advantage, if need be,” Jenna said. “Rachel and Julia are definitely the queens of the party scene here, and they’re our best chance at finding who we’re looking for… which means—”
“Which means, it’s time for me to use my subtle charms and dynamic personality to join their evil little social set,” Bart said.
“Precisely,” Jenna said. “It’s not like the girls and I are all that chummy. I guess I don’t have your sparkling personality.”
“You’ve got sparkle aplenty,” Frank said. “That, as they say, is the problem. Add in your great body and good looks to that sparkle; and is there any wonder that other women would want to steer clear of you? You’re too much of a threat to them on the social scene, that’s where a good-looking, gay best friend comes in handy.”
“Sounds like me,” Bart said. “Anything else I should know?”
“One of the regulars here is an older gentleman by the name of Hank Orion, who likes to bring his grandsons with him on vacation,” Jenna said.
“What’s wrong with that?” Bart said.
“To begin with, from what I’ve heard amongst the workers, the grandsons never seem to age,” Jenna said. “Which isn’t hard to understand, since the boys he brings are constantly changing—he never brings the same two boys twice. They’re always young
, and often blond. When I first arrived, he was on his last day of vacation with two very young, blond boys.”
“And nobody sees fit to do anything about Mr. Orion’s activities?” Bart said. “Hell! Why don’t they just throw him out of the resort?”
“Because he’s untouchable for some reason,” Jenna said.
“He has friends who are high up in the community, I assume,” Bart said.
“You know what they say about assumptions,” Frank said, as a wave came up and brushed against his feet.
“There’s something else going on with him,” Jenna said. “I didn’t see Mr. Orion with any friends his age while he was here before—he tends to keep to himself, and his grandsons.”
“Is Mr. Orion staying at the resort right now?” Bart said.
“No, but he arrives in the morning,” Jenna said.
“I’ll make sure our cameras catch at least some of his activities on film,” Frank said. “If we can’t find a reason to use them as leverage against Mr. Orion, then we can see that the evidence finds its way into the right hands.”
“Keep your eyes on the prize, boys,” Jenna said. “We don’t have time to go after any ‘citizen of the year’ awards.”
“I know that, Jenna,” Frank said.
“So, do I,” Bart said. “We’re here to get a job done as quickly and thoroughly as possible… and God help anyone who gets in our way.”
Chapter 7
Heat Wave
BART LAY in bed looking up at the ceiling and thinking of Jeremy. It was almost as if he could feel his presence in the room, and Bart wanted to reach out to him; instead he closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep. He was still in bed when there was a knock on the door. Startled, he jumped naked from his bed and headed to the door, banging his toe against the wall in the hall.
“Damn!” he said out loud. “Damn, damn, damn! Oww!
He heard the front door open, and looked up from where he was bent over peering at his toe.
