I could a tale unfold - 20

"Next question," Ross said, getting back to business. "Did either of your families know that the two of you were gay?"

After tapping his own chest and nodding, Otis pointed to Ross and shook his head.

"You're certain?" Ross asked. Otis nodded. "Okay and what about the people who worked in the company? Did any of them know, and maybe object to you because you were gay? I know that was rarely accepted back then, if at all."

Otis paused, obviously thinking, then began to write. Ross watched, mouthing to Kirk after a couple on minutes, "He's writing a novel I think". When Otis was finished, he handed the pad to Ross, who immediately went to stand beside Kirk so that they could read it together.

"No better or worse that I would have expected for back then," Kirk muttered unhappily when he was finished. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Otis. Someone should have castrated and then shot him. I can see that telling anyone what he was doing to you would have cost you dearly, but damn, Otis, there have to have been other theaters that would have hired you."

"But he would have had to go without Charles, since it was Charles' father who owned the theater," Ross pointed out, tapping a line in what Otis had written.

"Ahh, right. Which brings up another question, Otis, why did his father even hire you since he hated your family?"

Otis smiled craftily, miming, "He didn't know."

"That you were the son of the man he detested? How come?"

Taking the pad back, Otis wrote, "Different name. I was a good actor too. Dyed hair." He shrugged, adding, "Stayed out of his way. Was only money to him, money and power. He was not there much at all."

Kirk frowned in surprise. "He didn't even come to the shows?"

Otis shook his head.

"Weird. All right. So," Kirk continued, "that bastard actor who forced himself on you knew about you and Charles, since he used that as leverage. And a couple of other people knew you were gay, but not that Charles was, you said. Knowing theater people though, I'd be willing to bet the word got around. That could be why the assistant director started making your life miserable."

"This gives us at least a small list of suspects, that actor, the AD, probably Charlie's father if someone dropped a word in his ear about who you really were," Ross said. "I'd bet my bottom dollar you spent time in the costume shop with Charles, more than would be warranted for just another actor at the theater. People notice things like that, even if you thought they wouldn't."

Otis stared down at his feet, nodding slowly, looking so sad that Ross was tempted to give him a hug.