Page 29 of Heart Me Up
I slumped in relief. “Oh, thank god.”
Driscoll shook his head then ran his hand over his mouth. “Yeah, um. What I was trying to say was, I need someone to take a case that came in today.” We were both red in the face as he passed a folder over.
“Should I go get Amy?”
“No, not necessary. Um, I think you’re the person we need on this. I’m hoping you can verify the facts and put it to bed in a few hours.” I hoped he hadn’t clocked my wince at his unintended pun.
A little apprehensive, I opened the folder. Marcus Hawthorne had been brought in today for domestic violence against his husband, Nico Hawthorne. The neighbors had called it in because they’d heard screams coming from the Hawthornes’ apartment. Responding officers had found Nico with bleeding welts all over him as well as scars from previous injuries. Multiple “whip-type implements” were found at the scene. Both men were insisting the injuries were consensual.
“Captain, are you thinking I’m some sort of BDSM expert? Because I—”
Driscoll held up a hand. “Like I said before, I don’t need to know anything about your personal life. I need someone who has an open mind to interview these men.” He pulled a face. “Marcus Hawthorne is a large African-American man. Nico Hawthorne is a much smaller white man.” Uh oh. I could see where this was going. “The officers who responded to the call took one look at the alleged perpetrator and victim and decided to make the arrest.”
He leaned forward. “I don’t have time to take a survey of the other detectives to find out their viewpoints on kinky sex. I have a strong indication,” he gestured at his notebook, “You wouldn’t decide the outcome of the case before talking to them and doing some investigating. That’s all I need from you.”
Okay then. At least he didn’t expect me to know all the ins and outs of BDSM—shit, now I was doing it—to talk to the Hawthornes.
“I can do that, Captain.”
I was a little dazed as I left his office. Somehow I’d just gotten myself designated as the kink expert for the Bent Oak PD.
* * *
Once she stopped laughing at my description of Helen Plimstone’s call to the captain, Amy was understanding about my working the Hawthorne case alone. She said she’d file our reports and follow up with the coroner on the dead body from the warehouse.
I spent a moment in the restroom wiping as much of the leftover warehouse dust off myself as I could before I headed to the interview rooms to speak to the Hawthornes. Before I got there, my phone buzzed with a text. Amy had messaged our game night group.
Amy: Emergency game night tonight at Foster’s house. 7pm. Foster’s got an announcement to make. The captain put him in charge of a special task force!
I was going to kill my partner.
I paused in the hallway, watching the responses come in.
Artie: He did? What task force? I haven’t seen an announcement. Can I get on the task force too?
Mike: Amy told me. [crying laughing emoji]
Silvia: I have a meeting tonight at the church, but I’ll come by after. Congratulations, Foster. I can’t wait to hear about it!
Artie: Foster, how come you tell Amy this stuff and not us? I want to get on a task force
Carlos: Callahan and I are bringing dessert
Me: Fuck you very much, Amy! Artie, there’s no task force, sorry.
I turned off my phone.
Marcus and Nico Hawthorne had been put into separate interview rooms. I decided to talk to Marcus first. As Driscoll had mentioned, he was a large guy. He was sitting, but I estimated his height at well over six feet. The file said he was 34 years old, and he had the build of someone who’d played football in high school and maybe college. These days he made his living as an IT system administrator. His broad body dwarfed his chair.
I sat down across from him and introduced myself. “Look, Detective,” he said. “We’ve been here for hours. I’m worried about my husband and the only reason I haven’t called a lawyer yet is that would cause yet another delay.”
“I understand, Mr. Hawthorne,” I told him. “Let me ask you a few questions and talk to your husband, and we’ll see where we are.” Captain Driscoll obviously thought the charges were likely bullshit, and I was leaning that way too. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long, like the captain had hoped.
Hawthorne explained he and his husband had been doing a scene. “Nico’s into pain play, and he likes a little blood.” I kept my face impassive, though I couldn’t imagine deliberately inflicting wounds on someone, even if they wanted me to.
I asked him about the screaming the neighbors had heard and he grimaced. “Yeah, we moved in a few weeks ago. I’m guessing it was the Nichols in 202 who called you guys, right?” He must have seen something in my face because he waved his hand. “Right, you probably can’t say. But those two always look at us like we’re contagious or something. I don’t know if it’s that we’re gay or that I’m black and he’s white, but they do not want us living next to them.”
He sighed and slid down in the chair. “Nico loves what we do together, I promise you. He has a safeword, and he didn’t use it this morning. But he does tend to be noisy. We usually go to a club, but it’s not open until the evening, and we both had the day off work, so.…” He shrugged. “I guess we’ve learned our lesson.”
