The family that preys together…- 37

Gerard rarely left the house except on business. But when it was for pleasure, such as tonight when he was joining a very old friend for dinner, he expected things to go well and be as pleasant as was humanly possible.

So when the restaurant door swung open again and a woman walked in, only good manners kept Gerard from growling angrily. It wasn’t that he knew her because he didn’t. It was the almost visible cloud of perfume that surrounded her, wafting none to subtly through the room, that enraged him. And when, as he watched, a man at a table close to her began to wheeze and then gasp for breath Gerard wanted nothing more than to get up and forcefully escort the woman from the restaurant.

He noticed several other patrons were also being affected by the woman’s overpowering scent, though none as badly as the one man who was now using an asthma inhaler. The manager of the restaurant was not unaware of what was happening. He quickly crossed the room and, with obviously forced politeness asked the woman to leave. When she protested somewhat vehemently, he pointed to man with the inhaler and said something Gerard couldn’t hear. The woman shrugged, apparently unconcerned, but did turn and leave.

Moments later Gerard excused himself, telling his friend he needed to use the restroom. Moving rapidly in that direction and then down the hall leading to the restaurant’s back door, he stepped out into the fresh air of the parking lot. It took only a moment for him to locate the whereabouts of the woman by her perfume.

He approached her and very graciously introduced himself, then commiserated with her about her being forced to leave, lying through his teeth when he told her he thought her perfume was quite wonderful. She ate up his words and they talked for a few moments during which he learned her name and that she also lived in St. Cloud. Then they parted ways, he to return to his dinner companion, she, she told him, to find another more congenial restaurant where she could dine in leisure without being hassled.

Three hours later, after a very pleasant meal with his friend, Gerard returned home. He changed clothes and then opened a locked cabinet behind a panel in his bedroom closet. After a moment’s consideration he took out what he needed and then went hunting.

The family that preys together…- 36

“How do you think we should approach this,” Bryant asked late that afternoon.

Crispin had returned home to find both his father and brother trying not to look as if they’d been waiting purposely to quiz him about the last twenty-four hours. He had shaken his head in amusement, telling them he’d be down in a while after he shaved and changed clothes.

When he arrived in the study he was immediately bombarded with questions, terse ones from his father who had been worried about him, which he pooh-poohed; and slightly salacious ones from Bryant, most of which he waved off with a laugh or a ‘none of your business’. Finally he managed to give them the gist of his evening including the information, or lack there of, that he’d gotten from the cops. He conveniently forgot to mention that he and Kent had a date the following Saturday.

Now he and Bryant were trying to decide how to pick their next target.

“We can’t use either of our cars; it would be too risky,” Crispin said in reply to his brother’s question.

“Agreed. We could always ‘borrow’ one of course.”

“No, again too risky, especially if the owner realized it was gone and reported it stolen.”

“True.” Bryant tapped his lips. “So we just have to find a decent vantage point and stakeout the area.”

“One of the overpasses should work, like 394 over 94.”

Bryant went to the computer and brought up Google maps. A few clicks later and they had a visual of the area. “We’ll need construction hats and gear to give us legitimacy since there are no walkways.”

“That we can find, and the camera we have. Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of. We’ll spend Saturday and Sunday on the stakeout to get the best cross-section and go from there.” Bryant intentionally ignored the look on his brother’s face because Crispin knew damned good and well this came before anything else. Besides chances were it wouldn’t take as long as Bryant had said and if it did, well that was life---and death.

The family that preys together…- 35

Crispin woke wondering for a moment where he was because he definitely wasn’t in his own bedroom. Then he remembered and wondered what in the world had prompted him to accept Kent’s invitation. But he had and it was too late to do anything about it. A fast check of the time told him he had a couple of hours before he had to be to work, and then he realized it was Saturday.

“Now what,” he muttered to himself as he threw back the covers and sat up, looking for the bathroom. “Damn, it’s an apartment so it’s probably down the hall.” A quick check and he saw his clothes neatly folded on a chair. Getting up he pulled on his slacks and cautiously opened the bedroom door.

“You’re awake,” Kent called cheerfully from the kitchen doorway. “I’ve got coffee going. If you want a shower it’s down the hall. I put out clean towels for you.”

Scrubbing a hand through his hair, Crispin nodded his thanks before heading in the indicated direction. Fifteen minutes later he returned down the hall feeling marginally more awake. Kent saw him and immediately came over, handing him a cup of coffee.

“I’ve got sugar, sweetener and half-and-half if you need it.”

“No, this is fine thanks.”

“Ah, a man’s man who takes it straight.”

Crispin chuckled. “It’s coffee, Kent, not whiskey.”

“Good point.”

There was a long pause while the two men wondered what to say to each other now. Crispin sipped his coffee; Kent nervously bounced on the balls of his feet.

“Do you have to..?” “I really should…” they said at the same time, and then laughed.

“I guess I should finish dressing and head out, let you have your place to yourself,” Crispin said first.

“It’s Saturday, you don’t have to work do you?” When Crispin shook his head Kent went on. “There’s a new movie playing down the street. They have an eleven o’clock show we could catch.”

Kent looked so hopeful Crispin felt almost guilty when he said he really should head back home, so he told him, “Perhaps next weekend.”

“Great! I mean, sure that would work.”

“Then we have…a date.”

“We do.” Impulsively Kent hugged him, stepping back quickly. “Go get dressed.”

“Going, going.” Crispin looked at him for a long moment before returning to the bedroom. As he dressed he wondered about his reaction to the hug because much to his surprise he’d liked it, even as quick as it had been, and deep down inside he wished he’d had the nerve to return it.

The family that preys together…- 34

“Presuming he gave the correct information to the people at the health club when he joined Mr. Kent Tyler is twenty-five, single, lives in Minneapolis proper and works for a moving firm.”

“Get on the computer and check that out, all of it,” Gerard practically ordered.

Bryant nodded sharply. “I’m no hacker but I can probably confirm the basics.”

“Where’s your brother when we need him. And, speaking of which, where’s your brother period?”

“Still at that party I suspect. And I somehow doubt if he was here that he’d be willing to dig into whether Mr. Tyler is legit or not, all things considered.”

“One would hope,” Gerard said somewhat acidly, “that he would be more than willing to make certain this young man doesn’t have some ulterior motive.”

Bryant spent the next twenty minutes doing what he could to substantiate the information he’d gotten from the health club. When he finished he turned to his father, who was standing at the window looking out over the moon-bathed lawn of the side yard.

“So far, so good. He does work where he said and his address checks out. He’s a native Minnesotan, born up-state and has an associates degree from MBC in accounting.”

“Then why’s he working as a mover?”

“He’s not; he’s an accountant there.”

“How did you find all this out?” Gerard wanted to know.

Bryant snorted. “His Facebook page. It’s a great starting place if you want personal info because most people tell way too much about themselves for the whole world to see.”

“I’d presume neither you nor Crispin has one of those.”

“I do, but the only thing legit on it is my first name. I’m smarter than the average bear.”

“You had better be,” Gerard muttered, causing Bryant to roll his eyes although his father couldn’t see him.

The family that preys together…- 33

Leaning his head back against the car window Kent studied Crispin’s profile as the man concentrated on the highway ahead of them. Finally, becoming aware of Kent’s scrutiny Crispin asked, “Just what are you doing?”

“Thinking, enjoying the view, wondering what’s going through your mind.”

“That I’m bushed and still have an hour’s drive home,” Crispin replied with a small smile. “And that I actually enjoyed myself this evening.”

“That surprises you?”

Crispin shrugged. “I’m not a social person as I think I’ve mentioned before, so yes it does.”

“Well you certainly fooled me and I think everyone else there.” Reaching across the console dividing them Kent stroked Crispin’s arm. “So see, when you relax and go with the flow you do just fine.”

Crisping looked down for a second, eyeing Kent’s hand warily, but didn’t move his arm. Kent, being nobody’s fool, did nothing more than leave his hand where it was for a few beats before removing it. He was encouraged but just minimally by that and single slightly possessive touch from Crispin earlier in the evening at the party. He knew the latter could just have been Crispin’s way of getting him moving but he was one to live on hope and he definitely hoped that there was something more happening between them. Of course, he had to acknowledge to himself, it was more than possible that on a conscious, mental level Crispin wasn’t even aware of it.

“Now where’s your mind going?” Crispin asked, breaking into Kent’s thoughts. When Kent hesitated Crispin said, “Turn about’s fair play and you did as me the same question."

With a laugh Kent replied, fudging the truth, “I was more spacing out than anything else but it did occur to me that if you don’t want to make that drive home I have a spare bedroom. Well not spare because it is Rick’s but last seen he was heading off with that really cute woman he works with. They have an on again, off again relationship and it looks like it’s on tonight.”

Crispin remained quiet for so long Kent began to wonder if he’d even heard him. Then he said, glancing hesitantly at Kent, “If you’re sure. I am dead on my feet almost. I’m not used to late hours like this to be quite honest.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”

“Then thank you, yes.”