Page 17 of Artifacts

Sean hid a laugh. Amusement at crime scenes was a no-no. “It’s real easy to see you don’t have achica. If you did, you’d catch at least some of these Rich Housewives of Where The Fuck Ever programs.”

“And?”

“And if you did, you’d know the pool house is where the rich go for their quick fucks with their side pieces when their other half’s out.”

“But which other half?” A marriage was two people. Either Buck or Randa could have made use of the casita. “But would that have anything to do with the vandalism?”

“What you thinking? One of the help’s trying to mess with her?” Sean asked.

“Could be.” The vandalism, although costly, felt half-assed to Darrell. “But whatever, she seems keen on getting those boxes, the puzzles, back. I’m wondering… She said they were Japanese, right?” He reread his notes. “What if they, or one or more, were valuable? Like, jade or ivory or something? Some priceless antique she sold cheap and now wants back?”

It clicked then. Hit him, rather, making him want to stagger, like Aldric had done. “Fuck, Sean, she sold them to Intrinsic Value! That antique store where the employee got hit from behind when he was leaving with a box of stuff from—”

“The estate sale!” Sean was right there with him. “But the guy, and the boss, said the box was full of worthless stuff, cheap crap that they wouldn’t sell in the store, right?”

“Theysaid, yeah, but…” Darrell let his shrug say neither he nor Sean were experts in appraising antiques. He flipped through his notebook. “Elliot Douglas gave Aldric Beamer some valueless items.”

He liked saying Aldric’s full name and was glad to have an excuse to think about Aldric. His tangle of dark hair, his dark brown eyes peeping shyly at the world from behind his round glasses, then flashing with determination. He was contradictory.Intriguing.Darrell had been fascinated from that first glimpse.

That interest had propelled him to the hospital, where he’d acted on impulse in offering Darrell a ride home.And offered to stay with him, hoping for a different kind of ride.The little voice, half devil on his shoulder, half conscience, was back.Not like he wasn’t willing.The idea of being the first to give the timid yet hot Aldric his first ass-fuck had Darrell weak at the knees. He’d make it good. Prep Aldric well first. And after… Images of him tending to the now-initiated Aldric, taking care of him, caressing him, flickered in his mind’s eye. Darrell being the big spoon to him all night.The fuck?He wasn’t about that kind of thing. Atall.

They were both silent for half the drive back to central San Antonio, Darrell at the wheel this time.

“You know, no one saw anyone attack that assistant with the nerd name. No one saw anyone in the alley or heard the stuff getting destroyed.” Sean didn’t look at Darrell as he spoke.

“So you think it could be a ghost? Like Buck Buckman’s stuff is cursed? Oh. Maybe we should stop off at a church, get a man of the cloth’s opinion? Even take him on as a consultant for the case?” Darrell kept up the act for a few more seconds before sniggering. “Sean, fuck’s sake!” He’d needed that light relief. “Guess I’ll pay the store a visit. Let them know Randa the widow will probably be burning up the phone lines, trying to buy back the items she sold them.”

“Hey, with advance warning, they can tell her they got another buyer interested, jack up the re-sale prices. And if they do, they should cut you in for a piece.”

“And me cut you in, yeah?” Darrell couldn’t not laugh, partnering Sean. They had an easy relationship—mainly, Darrell thought, because they kept it easy. What would happen if he ever wanted to discuss anything more…difficult, with Sean? Darrell had the feeling he might not like the answer to that question.

* * * *

It was late morning before he could get to the store. He could have called, of course, but chose to go in person instead. He should apologize to Aldric.Again.The thought, the memory of what he needed to say sorry for, made him scowl. Why not call? Save himself the crap? It wasn’t like he needed to gather more info or to corroborate anything to do with the case, and if he did, that could be obtained via the phone.

He caught a glimpse of Aldric through the glass window. Just a flash of dark hair and a twist of his slim body, and Darrell’s hand was pushing open the door before his brain caught up with it.Shit.Well, he could and fucking well would be professional about this. The tinkling of the bells on the inside of the handle almost startled him.

“D-Darrell!” Aldric flushed a deep pink, and his eyes widened. He took a step back, knocking into a knee-high metal screen, then cast a quick look around. “Patrol Officer Williams, I mean. I didn’t expect— What are you doing here?”

Aldric’s rosy pink flush fascinated Darrell.How far does it spread on his soft skin?It dropped him into the middle of the pictures he’d been imagining, in which his actions, the delicious things he was doing to Aldric, caused Aldric’s tan skin to take on that rose-pink color. It also confused him so much that he replied, “I had to see you.”

Chapter Eight

“Oh, you did?” Aldric had rehearsed half a dozen things to say to Patrol Officer Darrell Williams if he ever crossed paths with him again, all of them as biting and savage as he could manage, and he hated that his lame comeback wasn’t one of them.

He fought the heat that being in Darrell’s presence again was kindling in him and that would be making his cheeks blush pink as a giveaway. He also forced himself not to move, rather than risk stumbling into anything. “Funny, when you couldn’t hightail it out of my apartment quick enough the other night!”

Darrell didn’t reply, and Aldric was petty enough to feel pleased that he’d silenced him. “What do you mean,hadto see me?” he asked, because for sure the handsome cop hadn’t been thinking about Aldric the way Aldric had been thinking abouthim. Aldric had been stoking and fanning the flames of indignation to combat the feelings of shame and inadequacy threatening to engulf him. As coping mechanisms went, it was lousy.

“I mean that I wanted to see you. To speak to you.”

Footsteps behind Aldric told him Elliot was approaching. He hadn’t told his boss or his co-worker what had happened after he’d left the hospital, of course, merely saying that Darrell had stayed until Aldric’s cousin had arrived.

“Could we speak privately?” Darrell requested, addressing not only Aldric but Elliot now, sounding more like a cop and less like someone who’d told Aldric he wanted him and who had taken him.

“Yes, of course.” Elliot sounded a little flustered by the blunt request. “Is there some news about what happened to Aldric?”

“Not here, please.”

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