Page 91 of Torch Songs

“Apparently, they bonded the night I was in the canyon.” Tad shrugged. “He attracts girls. It’s his thing.”

Chris sent him a puzzled glance. “Is it a gay thing or a Guthrie thing—I’m just curious. You seem to attract neither more nor less females than the average unavailable guy.”

“It’s definitely a Guthrie thing,” Tad said, shaking his head in disgust. “Witness my own damned sister, who would rather trade me in for Guthrie as a big brother on any day of the week. Ask her. She won’t even deny it.”

Chris gave a cracked laugh. “That’s cute. You’re adorable. But you’re dodging the question. What’s going on with this otherwise perfect guy you pretty much moved into your apartment? Where is he?”

Tad let out a breath, suddenly done with this game too. “His father is dying,” he said finally, his voice raw. “His uncle asked him to go back to his tiny hometown that he hates like poison and walk his father, whom he hatesworsethan poison, into the grave. Guthrie said yes because Guthrie doesn’t let people down.He told me he’d make it to Colton. According to April, he told his uncle he’d make it if he had to leave Satan vomiting blood behind him, which is a….” He flailed.

“A particularly Guthrie way of stating things,” Chris said, nodding appreciatively. “But it also doesn’t say much for theeasewith which he will leave.”

“Yeah,” Tad muttered in frustration. “That. That’s… on my mind.”

“You been texting him?” Chris asked, apparently forgetting for a minute that texting was not a thing.

“Trying,” Tad said. He smiled a little. “He sends me audio files with songs on them. It’s nice. I think he’s found a… you know, place where the signal doesn’t suck. I get pictures of the sunset or the wildlife from there. There’s a stream nearby. Pretty spot, really.” He didn’t want to talk about the other things he’d noticed in the picture: Guthrie’s obvious bed in the back of the truck, or the remnants of dinner he’d seen in a couple of pictures. Apple cores, orange peels, and McDonald’s wrappers had been neatly gathered in the corner of the back of the truck, ready to toss away. Most disturbing of all, a baby monitor with a red light on to indicate it was being used had been stashed near the pillow. Guthrie was apparently on for nursing activity even if he was sleeping in his truck.

It was all Tad could do not to go pull him out by the ear.

Chris grunted. “Kid, do you think I’m stupid? I mean, we’ve worked together for nearly a year and a half now. I like to think you don’t think I’m stupid.”

“No, I don’t think you’re stupid,” Tad told him, stung. In fact, Chris was possibly the best work wife a boy could have!

“Then why are you trying to gaslight me on how well your boy is doing?”

Oh. Tad swallowed. “’Cause Guthrie’s pride is catching?” he said hesitantly. “I uhm… I don’t want you to think badly of him, you know? So far, you’ve seen him—”

“Beating the system like a champion to try to find you in the middle of the wilderness,” Chris reminded him.

“Well, yeah, but also—”

“Beat the fuck up after a mugging and telling my wife she should go home so he didn’t inconvenience her too much. He’d be fine.”

“I wasn’t there for that,” Tad said with dignity.

“And then there was a conversation we had at IHOP that he probably didn’t tell you about,” Chris told him. “When he told me that all he wanted was for you to love him.”

Tad had to set his coffee down because his hands were suddenly shaking. “I’m sorry?”

“Yup. There I was, being all, ‘How serious are you about my boy?’ when he blurts out that all he wants is for you to love him. And suddenly I’m like, ‘Oh no. Ohno! Tad, brother, you’d better not fuck this kid up!’”

“I wouldnot!” Tad protested.

“I know that,” Chris said. “But imagine how vulnerable he must seem to make me switch loyalties like that. And people are vulnerable when they’re hurt. And according to you, your boy just went back to the gauntlet that hurt him in the first place. So I’m going to ask you again, this time knowing that I only have yours and Guthrie’s best interests at heart, how do you think he’s doing?”

Tad tried not to whimper. “I think he’s sleeping in his truck with a baby monitor so he can make sure his dad’s okay while the fucker still won’t let him sleep in the house.”

“Augh!” Chris was taking deep breaths, like he was trying to control himself.

“Too much honesty?” Tad asked, dripping with bitterness.

“Why is that kid allowed out on his own?” Chris asked, sounding cranky. “I don’t carehowold he is—he needs somebody making sure he eats and sleeps and does all the things.Why haven’t you dragged him back yet?”

Tad grunted. “Because he said he had to do this so he could be as good a man as I am.” Spears to the heart had nothing on Guthrie when he was paying a compliment.

Chris made a sound like somebody who’d walked into a post. “What an asshole,” he muttered.

“I’m saying.” Tad let out a breath. “So, talk to me. We’re going in to do paperwork. I’ve been catching up on a lot of it at home. Any chance we’ll catch a case? Or even be pulled in on the assist? I get I’m all computer work right now, limited desk duty, but I wouldloveto play cop again.”

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