Every House Has a Secret – 11

 

 

Brady and Rand were dressed in coveralls and at the house early Sunday morning to begin their renovations.

 

"Start with the hard things and work up, or down I guess, from there?" Rand asked.

 

"Sounds good to me."

 

They collected the tools they'd need to turn the two bedroom closets into one, putting them into two large plastic trash bins, and went upstairs. After donning masks, they each took a bin into a closet and set to work on the wall separating them. It only took a few blows from his sledge hammer for Rand to realize they should have bought earplugs because the noise was deafening is such a small space.

 

Brady must have had the same idea. He stopped pounding and a moment later came into Rand's closet to suggest they had large enough holes in the plaster that they could physically pull off pieces until they were down to the two studs.

 

It worked, much to Rand's relief. Once the plaster was gone, they sawed the studs free, setting them in the bedroom to be disposed of later. The next part of the project was making one central doorway, after which they would remove the framework on the old ones and fill the empty spaces with drywall.

 

"I say we use one of the door frames on the new doorway," Brady said.

 

Rand nodded. "A good idea, since we didn't buy what we'd need to make a new one. Besides, that way it'll match the rest of the woodwork in here perfectly."

 

After taking a break for lunch, they hauled up one piece of drywall and set to work. What they didn't need to fill the existing holes, they cut into pieces to fill the gaps inside the closet where the interior wall abutted the front and back ones. It took them most of the afternoon, with a lot of swearing and sweating, but by the end of the day they had the drywall installed, taped, and mudded, and a frame around the new doorway.

 

"I'm about ready to fall on my face," Rand said as he dragged one of the trash bins to the top of the stairs.

 

"You and me both," Brady replied. "But we got it done. Now we have to put in the clothes bars—"

 

"Tomorrow night," Rand stated firmly. "It's not like we have to do it all today."

 

Brand hugged him. "I know, I know. I was just planning ahead."

 

"Uh-huh. I know you. You want it done as fast as possible."

 

"Well…"

 

Rand laughed tiredly. "Right now, we get this crap—" he tapped the trash bins, "—out to the alley, along with the studs, and then go home. Got it?"

 

"Got it."

'A Cure for Boredom' is out today!

 A Cure for Boredom

A 'Wrong Side of the Law' story

https://www.jms-books.com/edward-kendrick-c-224_229/a-cure-for-boredom-p-3865.html

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095Y46RGD

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-cure-for-boredom-edward-kendrick/1139584846?ean=9781646567454

 

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-cure-for-boredom

 

GENRE: Gay Mystery Erotic Romance
LENGTH: 49,820 words
RATING:

Sequel to Wrong Side of the Law

Bored with the repetitiveness of his job as an actor, Dante Hathaway comes up with what he thinks is the perfect solution. He and his lover, Kade Benton, should rob a jewelry store. After all, with his theatrical training and Kade's makeup proficiency, they ought to be able to carry it off with no problems. They do, and elated by their success, they decide to hit up a gallery next.

They are stopped in the nick of time by Dirk Steele and Maverick, who point out that they know a good deal less than they think about what it takes to pull off a successful caper. That might have been the end of their criminal careers if Dirk and Maverick hadn't decided their theatrical skills could be useful to their team of topnotch thieves.

When they're offered a place on the team, Dante and Kade accept, and soon discover that boredom might have been the least of their worries.

EXCERPT:

"You might want to reconsider what you're doing, Mr. Benton," a man said in a voice barely above a whisper. "There's more security than you think."

Kade swallowed hard as he turned to look at the man. He was about Kade's height, give or take an inch, with dark hair and a nose that had been broken at some point. "I don't know what you're talking about," he whispered in reply.

The man smiled. "I think you do. You and your ... boyfriend?" he phrased it as a question, "-- did a good job at the jewelry store, but this place? No, you'll be caught before you make it to the back door with what you intend on stealing. Trust me on that. I know what I'm talking about. So does my friend." He glanced toward the front of the gallery.

Kade took a panicked look and saw a good-looking blond man deep in conversation with Dante as they stood by the front door. Whatever the man was saying, Dante seemed to take in stride, but then he was an actor and knew how to school his expression.

"Are you a cop?"

"Nope. Not even close. I don't work for the gallery's security company, either." He released Kade's shoulder with the suggestion that they join Dante and the other man, who were just leaving the gallery.

With no choice for the moment, Kade agreed.

When the four men were on the sidewalk, the blond said, "Why don't we go to the park down the street. I'm sure we can find a quiet spot there to talk."

"What if we don't want to?" Dante replied defiantly.

"Then you'll miss out on an offer that might interest you, all things considered," the dark-haired man told him.

Dante looked at Kade. "What do you think?"

"Hell if I know. Right now, we're can't do what we planned, so let's hear them out, I guess."

"Smart man," the blond commented as he began walking toward the park.

Kade moved to Dante's side as they followed, with the dark-haired man right behind them. "They know my name," Kade said.

"Mine, too, which doesn't make me happy. Blondie said they aren't cops but how do we know for sure."

"I guess because, if they were, they'd have waited until after the gallery closed and we'd taken the raku, then they'd have arrested us."

"He's right," the dark-haired man said as they veered right to walk into the park. "Why don't we go over there?" He pointed to a vacant picnic table standing a few yards away.

When they got there, Dante and Kade hesitantly sat on one of the benches while the other men took the one across the table from them.

"Now, down to business," the dark-haired man said. "My name is Dirk. My friend here is Maverick. We know who you are, Dante Hathaway -- " he nodded toward Dante, " -- and Kade Benton. You work at one of the theaters in Portland, and live together. I'm presuming, although I may be wrong, that you're more than roommates."

"We are," Dante replied. "Are those your real names?"

Maverick chuckled. "Let's say they're the names we're known by and leave it at that for now. Is Dante your real name, or a stage name?"

"Real as they come, thanks to my father. He was a great admirer of Dante Alighieri's works."

"More power to him, I guess. Not my choice when I'm reading but hey."

"What do you read?"

"Guys," Dirk broke in. "Can we hold off on the literary discussion for another time. We have other things to talk about."

"Like why you knew what we were planning today," Kade said dryly.

"Yes. The first time we saw you, you were casing the jewelry store you robbed. It was obvious to us what you were doing, which piqued our interest, so when you drove away I took some shots of your car, Kade. That gave me the license plate number which I used to find out who you were, and your address. When we heard about the robbery on the news ..." He went on to explain what happened after that.

"Hang on, you had someone watching our place?" Dante said. "Why didn't we see them?"

"Because they're good at it," Dirk replied. "Just like they're good at everything we do. Anyway, when they followed you the first time you came here, they were pretty certain what you were doing and let us know. Maverick and I came down to replace them and followed you when you went back to find out what the gallery had in the way of security."

Dante frowned. "We didn't see you there."

"Of course not. The place was busy, which made it easy for us to stay on the down low while we kept an eye on you. Oh, by the way, you did see one of our team the first time you were there. The young woman who came over when you were looking at the raku."

"You have a woman on this team, as you call it? Not that there's any reason you shouldn't of course." Dante added quickly. Then, he looked hard at Dirk and Maverick. "Would I be wrong in presuming this team deals in various kinds of theft?"

Maverick smiled slowly, saying to Dirk, "He's pretty perceptive, for an amateur."

 

Every House Has a Secret - 10

 

 

"I hope you're going to do something about your front porch," Carol said.

 

"We are, or Nick, the contractor we hired is," Brady replied. "We decided we had enough to do inside."

 

"We did a trade off with Nick for Brady's services," Rand explained. He laughed. "Don't take that the way it sounded. He's going to install more security at Nick's place of business."

 

"You do that, too?" Carol said when they all finished chuckling.

 

"Yes," Brady replied, then explained why.

 

"I've never met a PI before," she said. "Read a lot of stories about them. You don't fit my image of one."

 

"Because I'm not wearing a trench coat and a fedora?" Brady asked with a grin.

 

She laughed. "That, and you don't look hard-bitten. Do you carry a gun?"

 

"Rarely," Brady replied.

 

"Thank God," Rand said under his breath. "When he has to, he doesn't tell me until afterward."

 

"Because I don't want you to worry."

 

"I can understand that," Carol said. "I'm glad Ken's an ordinary, everyday accountant."

 

"Ordinary? I'll have you know I'm the best in the city," Ken replied, winking at Rand and Brady.

 

"Of course you are, dear." She patted his leg.

 

They continued chatting, with Ken and Carol telling Rand and Brady a bit about the neighborhood. The sun started to go down, casting lengthening shadows across the yard, at which point Brady said is was time for him and Rand to head home, "To collapse, so we can start bright and early in the morning."

 

"He means by ten," Rand said.

 

"Eight," Brand replied, eliciting a groan from his husband and laughter from the others.

 

They thanked Ken again for his help, and both him and Carol for their hospitality, and took off, making certain they'd locked the house first.

 

"I hope all the neighbors are as nice as them," Rand said as they drove back to the apartment.

 

"From what they told us, I suspect they are." Brand squeezed Rand's thigh. "We got lucky. Pretty soon we'll be moving into a great house, in a nice neighborhood, and who knows, maybe we'll expand our circle of friends."

 

"I see a housewarming party in our future."

 

"Bite your tongue."

 

"If I do, will you kiss it better?"

 

"Rand, honestly…" Brady laughed. "Let's get home, eat, and then we'll see."

 

"Can’t ask for anything more."

 

Every House Has a Secret - 9

 

 

"What do you do that you've got an office," Ken asked Brady.

 

"I'm a private investigator."

 

"No kidding? Like Mike Hammer or Lew Archer?" 

 

"Not quite that exciting," Brady replied. "Most of the time it's pretty boring."

 

"How about you?" Ken asked Rand.

 

"I'm a reporter for the Weekly Register."

 

"Good paper. A bit opinionated, but there's nothing wrong with that. You have a regular column?"

 

"I do. 'City Beat'."

 

"Damn, that's you? I should have recognized your name."

 

"Not really," Rand replied. "My byline is Randolph Turner, since that's what it was before Brady and I got married."

 

"Ah. Okay." Ken glanced out the kitchen window and said, "I think your drywall is here."

 

"That was fast." Rand hurried out to open the garage door again so the delivery men could put it inside.

 

"If you two want, I've got some cold beer," Ken told Brady.

 

"Sounds good, but we don't want to impose. You've done enough for us already."

 

"No imposition. Carol and I usually sit out in back about this time of day to have one."

 

"Then, sure. Thank you."

 

They picked up Rand, who was locking the garage door as the delivery truck pulled away, and went into Ken's yard.

 

"This is nice," Rand commented, looking at the flagstone patio.

 

"Don't get any ideas," Brady cautioned with a smile. "We've got enough on our plate as it is."

 

"Well, damn." Rand feigned a pout just as a woman came out of the house.

 

"Carol, these are our new neighbors," Ken told her. "Or they will be once they finish fixing up their place." He introduced them before going inside, returning moments later with four bottles of beer.

 

By then, Carol had told Rand and Brady to "sit and relax", which they did. Ken handed the beers around then joined his wife on the glider.

 

Every House Has a Secret - 8

 

"Did you buy out the home improvement store?" Ken asked when he saw what was still in the van.

 

"Sure felt like it," Brady replied. Everyone took an armload to carry inside.

 

"You got your work cut out for you," Ken said, peeking into the living room.

 

"Don't we know it," Rand agreed. "When we're finished, though, it'll be a beauty."

 

"Great. I hate to say it but at the moment the house is an eyesore. Why they just took off and left it vacant is beyond me. Not that it was a beauty when I moved into the neighborhood, but…"

 

"How long ago was that?" Brady asked as they returned to the van for the last load.

 

"About seven years ago. It was already beginning to show its age despite the previous owners, or because of them. They were only around on the weekends as far as we could tell."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yep. Two guys. We figured they were either fixing it up, the way you two are, or using it as a weekend getaway—until they stopped showing up and a 'For Sale' sign appeared in the front yard for a while. It's really gone downhill since they left. I'm glad it finally sold, although whatever possessed you to buy it." Ken shook his head. "Several other people looked at it, but didn't bite."

 

"The price, to be honest," Rand told him. "The basics are good, according to the inspector. It just needs a lot of work."

 

"You taking off your jobs to do it?"

 

"No. That's what evenings and weekends are for," Brady replied. "We promise we'll try to keep the noise level down at night."

 

"What are you doing first? Sorry, I'm a nosy old coot."

 

Rand laughed as he set the carton of dust masks on one of the kitchen counters, while Brady and Ken did the same with what they were carrying. "You're what, fifty if that?"

 

"Fifty-five. My wife, who's out shopping at the moment, is a year younger. You'll like her."

 

"I'm sure we will," Brady replied. "To answer your question, we're turning the two small closets in the big bedroom into a larger walk-in one."

 

"That's what the sledgehammer and pry bars are for," Ken said. "I should have guessed. Is that the only demolition you're doing?"

 

"Yes. Well, other than getting rid of those." Brady pointed to the kitchen cabinets. "Hopefully that won't be noisy."

 

"When are you starting?"

 

"Tomorrow, on the bedroom. The drywall's being delivered later today."

 

Ken nodded. "You really know what you're doing?"

 

"We built a wall in his office to make it two rooms, so yeah, we know the basics."