Foxe Hunt (18 page)

He didn’t say anything, but secretly, he decided he wasn’t going to stay away from Keith. The only way to be sure of him was to get to know the guy, right?

“But what about Jeff Dwyer? Are you guys still investigating that? Sidney said that there was someone else’s DNA under Evan’s fingernails.” But Skyler couldn’t help picturing Jeff standing outside his own house in the dead of night, watching Evan, thinking, planning.

Mike gave an accusatory look at Sidney. “You really do tell him everything. Ever consider that a civilian shouldn’t have that info?”

“Shove it, Mike. I never told him that.
You
just did.”

Skyler repressed a smile of triumph. But as soon as he thought about what they were discussing the smile faded fast.

“I’ll see what more I can find out from Jeff,” said Skyler, moving down the hall again.

Sidney nabbed him by the collar and dragged him back. He sputtered. “You’re choking me!”

“I’ll do more than that if I catch you doing any investigating.

Stay out of it, Skyler. I mean it.”

“That’s what you said last time and
I
cracked the case.”

“You did not crack the case. What the hell do you think this is,
Murder She Wrote
? This isn’t a game, Skyler. People get hurt. Look Foxe hunt
141

at Julia back there—” and she waved a hand vaguely back down the hall toward Julia’s hospital room. “Someone wanted to silence her. Maybe you should think about that.”

“These guys were my friends. My ex-lovers. And no one gives a damn about them. I do.”

“We do give a damn,” said Mike kindly. “It’s really great that you want to stand up for your friends, but you have to let Sid and me do our jobs. It only makes it harder when you get in the way.

Because then we have to protect you, too.”

Oh my God, he thought. They were doing good cop, bad cop.

He wondered if they even realized it.

“I can protect myself,” he said in a small voice.

“Like when that guy took a pot shot at you?” Sidney asked.

Skyler still remembered the sound of the bullet smacking the wood on his front stoop while he and Jamie had been outside talking in the dark. Wes Sherman’s killer had tried to stop Skyler that night and it
had
scared the shit out of him. But it also gave him a renewed sense of justice. This did, too. Evan and Jeff had served their country. Something terrible had happened to Evan in the course of that service, leaving him disfigured and disheartened. And then homophobic COs drummed them out of the only life they had ever wanted, effectively ruining their careers and any chance of a decent job. And
then
someone killed him, and his partner was perhaps set up to take the fall. That was all just bullshit, plain and simple.

Sidney and Mike talked quietly together and Skyler, feeling like a third wheel, moved away from them. Now more than ever he was determined to do what he could for Jeff and Evan. Screw Sidney and screw Mike. He didn’t want to even contemplate the possibility of Jeff being guilty. He had to talk to someone who knew them, someone with an Army connection.

He suddenly thought of that VA guy that came to Jeff ’s house—what was his name? He reached into his pocket for his wallet and opened it up. Pulling out the VA card he looked at the name again. James Fischer. He needed to talk to him himself.

When he got home, Keith was sitting on the bottom steps to his stairwell again. He held up two Styrofoam containers. “I brought your dinner. And mine, too. I thought we could still have dinner together.”

Jeez, that was really sweet. Would a bad guy be really sweet?

He nodded and led the way up the stairs, unlocking his door.

Inside, he checked the fridge to see if there was any beer.

“I’ve got Corona. Want some?”

“Perfect.”

The Styrofoam containers were set on the table and Skyler brought out two glasses and two forks. They began eating quietly, only glancing up at one another from time to time.

Finally Keith spoke. “Do you think we’ll ever manage to spend an entire evening with your friends?”

Skyler chuckled. “Eventually. There’s just a lot of stuff going on right now.”

“How’s Julia Meyers?”

He chewed and looked up at the man. God, he was gorgeous.

Could anyone with those gentle eyes really be a…a…well, go ahead and say
it, Skyler. A killer?
He’d had some amazing sex with this man and he wanted more amazing sex with him. And maybe something else too, he had to admit. He really did want to get to know Keith and not just to see if he was hiding something.

“She’s okay. I mean, for someone who’d been in a coma for a few weeks.”

“Did she say who attacked her?”

“No. She said she couldn’t remember the attack at all. I understand that isn’t unusual. To not remember the thing that put you in a coma.”

144 Haley Walsh

“Wow. That’s too bad. How will they ever catch the person who did it then?”

“Oh they’ll catch them. My Sidney’s a great cop.”

Keith stuffed more rice into his mouth without commenting.

It was funny—or was he just being paranoid—but every time he mentioned Sidney, Keith always clammed up.

He decided on a different tack, trying to gather as much information on Keith as he could. “Hey, do you remember when we met up at Beat, that defunct dance club in San Bernardino?”

“You mean when I stopped that bartender from pummeling you?”

“Ha…yeah. You said you were there with some friends.”

“Oh.” He took a swig of his beer. He hadn’t used his glass.

“Yeah, they’re my best friends. Went to school in Boulder with me. They’re girlfriends.”

“Y-you’re old girlfriends?” There was an unpleasant jealous feeling welling up inside that Skyler tried hard to tamp down.

He chuckled. “No, you idiot. Girlfriends with each other.

Ever heard of ‘lesbians’ in your male-centric world?”

“Hey, I’m not male-centric. Sidney is my best friend. She’s not male or a lesbian. She’s porking her male partner, as a matter of fact.”

The beer was halfway to Keith’s lips before it stopped. “Her detective partner?”

Skyler cringed. “Oops. Wasn’t supposed to tell. Pretend you never heard that.”

“Agreed. Well, anyway, they’re my best friends, Keisha and Sheryl. But they live in San Diego and I don’t see them often.”

“That’s quite a drive from here.”

“Yes. But I’m dying for you to meet them.” He grinned. It was a very affectionate expression and Skyler couldn’t help himself but be entranced by it.

Keith gazed at him a few moments more before sighing and Foxe hunt
145

getting to his feet. “It’s a school night and I’d better get going.”

“What? Aren’t you going to stay?” That sounded a bit too whiney to his ear but Keith didn’t point it out. He merely walked to the door and Skyler trailed after.

“I’d love to. Believe me.” He adjusted his jeans. “But I think it might be a good idea for us to slow things down. Get to know each other. That way we can work through our trust issues.” He looked at Skyler pointedly.

“Oh. Well, I guess you’re right. If you really feel like you have to go.”

“I really do.” He leaned over, took Skyler’s chin in his hand, and bestowed a gentle kiss to his lips. “But don’t expect such a grandiose gesture next time,” he said quietly, lips still feathering on Skyler’s.

Skyler inhaled his scent one last time before the man escaped out the door. He leaned out of the doorway and watched him thump down the stairs, turn once at the bottom to wave up at Skyler, and disappear into the night.

Skyler rested against the shut door. “Well, shit.” Did bad guys act like
that
?

§ § §

The next day at lunchtime, Skyler GPSed the Veteran’s Affairs Center and drove there. It was across town from the school and he hoped he wouldn’t be late getting back. He pulled into a parking space in front of a meter with some time left on it and got out.

He held the business card in his hand, read it, and then looked up at the building on the busy street. It was probably built around the late forties, with curved walls and small windows that looked like they belonged on a Packard. Pocketing the card he walked up the steps and went inside. A wide counter of laminated wood stretched before him with a young man wearing a polo shirt and a name tag that said “Brian” sitting behind it. “Hello.”

“Hello,” said Brian, raising his head.

“I wonder if you can help me. I’d like to talk to James Fischer.”

146 Haley Walsh

“I’ll see if he’s in. A lot of our personnel are currently out for lunch. May I ask who you are, sir?”

“Skyler Foxe. I’m a friend of…of Evan Fargo.”

The man made no expression of recognition at the name so Skyler waited as he hit a button on the phone and then talked into it.

“You can go in, sir. Right through those doors and to the right.”

“Thank you.”

Skyler pushed through the double doors and saw the name “Fischer” on the first door he came to. He knocked and heard the answering, “Come.”

Fischer was wearing a suit. He got up from behind his desk and stretched out his hand to Skyler. They shook and he sat back down. “I remember you from the house,” he said in greeting.

“Yes,” said Skyler, trying to get comfortable on the old metal and vinyl chair. “I just wanted to ask you some things. Uh…you sort of left abruptly the other day.”

“Yes. I apologize for that. There just didn’t seem to be anything more to say and it was rather upsetting business.”

“I agree. You know, I was just talking to Jeff Dwyer, Evan’s partner—”

“His gay lover, you mean?”

There was no change to his expression or even any emphasis or inflexion in the words, but there was something in the tone that made Skyler immediately bristle. “Uh…yes. His
partner
,” Skyler emphasized, just so Fischer knew exactly where he stood. “And he was telling me quite a different story about your interaction with them.”

Fischer sat back, toying with a pen. “Yes, I rather imagine he would. You see, Skyler—may I call you Skyler? You see, Skyler, Lt. Dwyer and Lt. Fargo were fully aware of the government’s policy regarding Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. I explained to them that there was little to be done from here. Lt. Dwyer was insistent on Foxe hunt
147

changing his dishonorable discharge. We could advise but there was little else we could do. I told them to contact their local GLBT

center for lawyers and, of course, gave them information on their congressman. Naturally they were upset over the quandary they found themselves.”

“Pardon me, Mr. Fischer, but ‘quandary’ doesn’t really quite cover it. But be that as it may. Jeff Dwyer—Lt. Dwyer—indicated that your presence particularly upset Evan—Lt. Fargo. And that you had wanted him to do something he was reluctant to do.

Lt. Dwyer didn’t know the nature of what it might have been to upset Lt. Fargo, so what I’d like to know is—”

“Excuse me.” He leaned forward. “Are you a lawyer, Mr.

Foxe?” So it was “Mr. Foxe” again.

“No.”

“Are you legally authorized in any other way to represent Lt.

Dwyer?”

“Well, no. I’m just his friend.”

“Then I really don’t think we have anything else to discuss, do you?”

“As a matter of fact I do think there is more to discuss.”

“Mr. Foxe, while it was true that Lt. Fargo was honorably discharged, he was an injured veteran and entitled to those benefits, which he received. That was certainly not in question.

But Lt. Dwyer was
dis
honorably discharged. He had three appeals in Iraq and none of them stood. I wasn’t his counselor but I am the team leader here, and I told him over and over that there was nothing left for me to do. He had the option to contact his Congressman.”

“And I know all that. But there were some awfully suspicious circumstances surrounding Lt. Fargo’s murder and you were there at the house where you didn’t belong and weren’t exactly welcome…”

“Just wait a minute. What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that it’s awfully suspicious you’re hanging around
148 Haley Walsh

there. And what I’d like to know is—”

Fischer shot to his feet. “Who the fuck are you to accuse me of shit like that?”

Skyler got out of his chair and edged behind it. It did no good because Fischer came barreling around his desk. “What do we have here?” he said, looking Skyler up and down. “‘Friend’ of Dwyer’s you say?” He made air quotes around “friend.” “Aren’t you just another
faggot
friend of these guys? God, I’ve had it up to here with whiney homosexuals. They knew the consequences.

It’s too late to cry about it now.”

Skyler aimed an index finger at the man’s chest but it was trembling with anger tinged with fear. “You know, they fought for this country. The man lost a goddamned leg in the service of this country. What the hell difference does it make who he slept with?”

“What the hell difference? It matters to God, that’s who.

‘Thou shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination!’”

“You are a fucking disgrace to the Army and to this country.”

He got right up into Skyler’s face. “What did you say to me?”

“You heard me. You’re not fit to counsel people here or anywhere else. You’re not fit to even represent this country—”

Pain! Stars. When Skyler was cognizant again for the half second it all took to happen, he realized that the bastard had hit him and he was on the floor.

“Get the hell out of my office!”

Scrambling to his feet, Skyler was too incensed, too shocked to say anything further. He stomped out of the office and through the lobby. He got into his car and sat, clutching the steering wheel with whitening fists, adrenaline-dazed. His face hurt like a sonofabitch.

He hit me! He actually hit me! The fucking bastard
. People just don’t
hit
people. It was only then that Skyler glanced in his rearview mirror and saw the shiner forming at his eye. “Holy shit!”