The family that preys together…- 19

Two days after his foray into Minneapolis, Gerard was sitting in the breakfast room reading the newspaper obituary column and smiling. His prey had died of a massive, if unexpected heart attack.

When Crispin strolled in, stopping to pour himself a cup of coffee, Gerard asked where Bryant was.

Crispin shrugged. “As I’m not his keeper I really have no idea.”

“Did he even come home last night?”

“Not by the time I went to bed. He’s probably off with one of his lady friends.”

“His cheap pickups you mean,” Gerard said with a derisive snort. 

Sitting, reaching for a sweet roll and buttering it, Crispin replied, “Either/or. At least it keeps him busy and out of trouble.”

“And you?”

“Me what? Do I play around? You know I don’t father.”

“Crispin…” Gerard shook his head. “You are thirty-six and, as far as I can tell virtually celibate. That’s almost unnatural.”

Crispin smiled ruefully. “First off I haven’t met anyone that remotely interests me. Secondly I can sublimate my urges by playing the game.”

“And in between times?”

“To put it crassly, I have a good right hand, father.”

Gerard chuckled. “I suppose that works, and at least with you I don’t have to worry. Every time Bryant vanishes for an evening I get a cold knot in my stomach wondering if somehow someone had caught on to what we do and he’d been arrested.”

“He’s too clever to let that happen, father. He’ll show up any moment now, ready to regale us with stories about his latest conquest.”