Belovèd
by
Don Hanratty
My Belovèd is mine, and I am his.
Song of Songs 2:16
CHAPTER 67
It was the Friday after Thanksgiving. The
adults staying with Cam, Kevin and Carl over the Thanksgiving holiday
had all gone over to the
Millers' pool with Casey to enjoy the sunshine, the water and a little
quiet conversation. Left to their own devices, the young guys
were scattered here and there back at Cam and Kevin's house--a
few
talking, several playing cards and Xbox and competing at Wii, and
William and Jeff Miller and Berto were working out
with Kevin
in the little gym. Kevin and William were criticizing each
other's
performance in the gym in a good natured way.
Carl Emrick and Andy Helder were sitting in the study on the big
leather couch, holding hands, not talking much, just enjoying each
other's company as the time for Andy to go back to San Rafael on Monday
drew closer.
Andy leaned over and kissed Carl on the side of his partner's head.
"Let's go for a walk," he suggested.
Carl nodded, and they stood up and made their way out to the
beach.
They only walked as far up the beach as the Millers' front deck, and
sat down on the steps. Andy took Carl's hand again and held
it as they looked out at the bay and a cloudless sky.
"It won't be long before I'll be moving down here," Andy said.
"That makes me happy, man, 'cause I miss you all the fucking
time. Just texting and talking to you on the phone doesn't do it
for me. There's a hole in my life when I'm not with you."
"Same here," Carl agreed emotionally, swallowing hard. "I can't
wait for you to get down here
permanently." He put an arm around Andy's muscular frame.
"Don't laugh at me, but
every time I touch you, it's like a little 'love bomb' goes off inside
me. I wanna feel that every day for the rest of my life."
Andy couldn't help smiling. "Me, too, dude." The wind
wasn't blowing, and Andy could detect the clean smell of his partner's
body. He turned his head and looked Carl in the face. "When
I go to bed at night and close my eyes," he said, "I get a picture of
you in my mind that stays with me until I fall asleep. I'm
surrounded by friends all day at school, and I spend a lot of time at
Catherine's house with the guys, but I'm still lonely without you."
"I know the feeling. Have you had any more feedback from your mom
and dad about
transferring down here for school?" Carl asked.
"Not a lot. But what I have gotten has been positive. They
say they'll miss me, but they're been clear from the beginning that
they support our relationship and understand why we want to be
together. They're going to continue
giving me money for school. I'm going to
work hard before I move here to make
sure they don't feel
I've abandoned them and don't care about them."
"That's good. I really appreciate everything they've done to make
me
feel welcome in your family. As soon as you get down here and get
settled, let's invite them to Malibu. I want to get to know them
better."
That pleased Andy, and he turned his face and rubbed noses with
Carl. "That would be great!" he said.
Carl leaned into Andy's body.
"Y'know, we need to think about how we're gonna get your stuff down
here
from
San Rafael."
"Yeah. Any ideas?" Andy asked,
turning his head again and searching his partner's face. He liked
looking at Carl. A lot. Andy could feel his cock start to
thicken in his shorts, and he spread his legs a little.
"I guess it all depends on whether you want to bring any of your
bedroom furniture with you or just limit yourself to your personal
stuff," Carl said.
"Your bedroom here--er, our bedroom, is great just as it is," Andy
said. "I might
wanna
bring my computer desk down here from San Rafael with me, though.
I love my
tablet, but I
still
like using a notebook for school papers and stuff. You think
Kevin
and Cam would be all right with another piece of furniture in the
house?"
"Not a problem," Carl assured him. "What we may want to do is
rent a U-Haul or a truck up north so we have room for all your clothes
and
anything
else you
want to
bring."
"How would we pull a U-Haul?"
"I think we'd have to get a car up north. I wouldn't want
to
drive the Highlander up there and then drive it back down here pulling
a trailer.
It would put a strain on the hybrid engine from shifting back and forth
to the gas engine, doncha think?"
"Yeah," Andy said. "But where could we get a car up there?"
"Well, Dan and I still own the Cadillac dealership in Monterey," Carl
said. "I'm sure Ian would help us get a new or good used car from
Emrick Motors to pull a trailer back down here." Carl
paused. "I suppose we could get an Escalade--it wouldn't hurt to
have another car down here, I guess. On the other hand, I don't
think we want to
have
a
big Escalade sitting in our driveway all the time, either. The
Highlander is plenty big enough for the family."
"I think you're right. Why don't we see if Ian has any thoughts
about this?"
"Good idea," Carl agreed. Then a light bulb went off in his head.
"Hey," he said, "I just had an idea."
Andy laughed. "You had a what?"
Carl elbowed him in the side. "Don't make me hurtcha."
"I'm all ears."
"Father Mason will be moving down here before long. Why don't we
see if we can move you and him down here at the same time? We
could rent a truck in San Rafael or San Francisco."
Andy looked at Carl, and then pulled his head over for a smooch.
"Y'know," he said, "that's actually a great idea. Let's talk to
him."
They continued to look at each other just as a bunch of girls walked
past them down the beach close to the
water. The girls all turned their heads to scope out the two
handsome, well-built,
muscular
guys sitting on the Millers' front steps. The girls waved and
smiled, and Carl and Andy waved back. Carl's body was still in
good shape from wrestling in high school, and Andy's from still doing
martial arts in the San Francisco area. Running every day
hadn't hurt either one of them, either, and both of them watched what
they ate. And Maria made sure Carl, Cam, Kevin and Art Smith ate
a
healthy diet.
Once the girls had passed
by, the guys turned their heads and kissed each other on the lips, Carl
pulling
Andy's face to his own and holding it there as their tongues wrestled
with each other.
"Lord, I love you, man!!" Andy sighed once they had ended their lip
lock. "You're fucking makin' me hard," he said. "How could
I be so lucky to find a great guy like you who likes dick as much
as I do?"
Carl looked down between his own legs, where a big bulge testified to
the same condition Andy was in. He reached over and
cupped Andy's package, squeezing the bulge in his boy's shorts.
"Oh, yeah!" Andy sighed, bringing his legs together, trapping Carl's
hand in place. "I wish there was someplace we could and go and
make love."
"There is. I'm pretty sure Cam and Kevin have been using the
downstairs bathroom
for sex since you guys all got down here. Let's go over there,"
Carl
said, smiling in anticipation at the thought.
"How do you know they've been using that bathroom?"
"I've seen them come back to their room in the middle of the
night. With all of us bunking together, that bathroom is the best
bet for a little privacy."
Andy grinned. "Love always finds a way."
Carl nodded in agreement, and they sat there for a minute or so to let
their
erections
subside
before standing up and heading back next door, holding hands.
Once in the house, they strolled along the downstairs corridor heading
for the bathroom where they could be alone. His body covered with
sweat, William eyed them
when they passed the gym doorway, and a smirk passed across his
face. He was pretty sure he knew where the guys were headed.
Andy and Carl went through the bathroom door, flicked on the lights,
and shut and locked the door behind them. For a long moment they
stood in the middle of the room, holding each other in a long,
passionate kiss before they toed off their Skechers, eased
off each other's T-shirt, pulled down each other's cargo shorts and
boxers, and moving
with all deliberate speed, hit the floor. Naked, they held each
other again for several minutes, hugging one another with
their
growing erections trapped between their bodies. They stroked each
other's leaking dicks before breaking to
spread
towels
on the carpet and throw rugs for
a bed
and getting horizontal again.
First they sixty-nined, breathing deeply of the musk from
each other's crotch. Well endowed and hard, they began to lick
and suck one another's cock until a serious amount of pre-cum began to
leak into their mouths. Each of their tongues probed his
partner's piss slit as deeply as possible as the volume of
sweet-tasting
pre-cum increased.
Several minutes later and already close to the edge, Andy pulled away
and
shifted around face to face Carl.
"Sweet!" Carl told his partner. "And sweet tasting. You
taste so freakin' good!"
"You, too," Andy said. "Dude, after I move to Malibu, I can't
wait to
suck your dick and taste your juice every night before we fuck and
go to
sleep. I think about that every time I jack off." He
chuckled. "And lots of times when I'm not jacking off."
Carl covered his partner's lips with his own, and then pulled back to
look into Andy's eyes. "So you've been jerkin' it
between your visits to LA, is that right?" Carl demanded, simulating
outrage. "You've never asked me for permission to shoot
a load when I'm not there to help you get off."
"I didn't know I was supposed to do that," Andy said
unapologetically.
"What about you?"
"I never get off without your mouth or hand making it happen. I
walk around here hard all the time."
Andy began laughing. "You're such a liar! A
provocateur!"
"No, I'm not. I've learned everything I know about
sex from you,"
Carl insisted, "so naturally I stay sexually frustrated between your
visits
because I've always thought you'd be in the same condition whenever
we're
apart."
"I think I heard Satan turn up the fires of hell when you lied just
then," Andy kidded Carl. "You need to go to confession--not for
cranking one out now and then, but for lying to your partner about
being celibate when I'm not around. Anyway, haven't we talked
about this before?"
"Shut up!" Carl said. He raised up from the floor and opened the
lower drawer of the
sink. "Let's see what Cam and Kevin have left behind to promote a
good fuck."
And there it was at the very back of the drawer--a partly used tube of
lube. Carl showed it to Andy.
"Outstanding!" Andy said. "Who's going to top?"
"Rock, paper, scissors?" Carl suggested.
"Yep," Andy agreed.
"One, two, three," Carl said, and they flashed their choice.
Carl--rock. Andy--scissors.
"Oh," Carl said with a grin. "Too bad, man."
"Well, that's just the thing," Andy demurred. "When it comes to
sex with you, there's no 'too bad.' There's no loser no matter
who's doing what."
"Back atcha!" Carl said. He took off the cap of the tube and
squeezed a healthy dollop of lube on to his
middle finger. Andy was lying flat on the floor, and pulled his
legs
back. Carl found Andy's
hole. He used his tongue to taste Andy first, and then had his
partner
slicked up with lube in no time and ready to go. Carl's middle
finger entered his boy, and found and rubbed Andy's prostate with the
tip of his
long middle finger.
"Oh, yeah!" Andy breathed quickly in and out as Carl soon added a
second
finger. "Oh, fuck yes!"
Carl let his fingers do the walking for several minutes before
eventually introducing his hard, leaking dick to Andy's hole,
working it in until his pubes were tight against Andy's ass.
"Oh yeah!" Andy hissed again with pleasure.
At first Carl remained unmoving after he lowered his body on
to
Andy's abs and stomach, and then in a few moments he put his tongue
into Andy's
mouth and explored it. But it wasn't long before Carl began to
pump into
Andy as they
continued
kissing,
his long, thick cock rubbing Andy's prostate and making his partner
groan with
pleasure. Andy
pulled Carl tight to his body, his own penis now getting a good massage
from the smooth skin of Carl's muscular abs sliding over it, lubricated
by
Andy's pre-cum and
their mutual sweat. Carl
gradually increased his speed and pumped away with love and enthusiasm.
Andy reached a long arm down Carl's sweating back to the boy's ass and
into his crack. Finding Carl's hole and rubbing it, Andy worked a
middle finger into him. Carl groaned in pleasure when Andy found
his prostate.
"Oh, fuck," Carl rasped as he moved inexorably toward ejaculation, but
fought the urge to just let go. Andy raised his legs to encircle
his partner's waist and ass, and clasped Carl even tighter to
himself. Carl liked
that a lot.
Perhaps fifteen minutes later, although Carl had manfully tried to slow
the pace
they
had set so he wouldn't lose his edge, both guys groaned deeply and
repeatedly
as they almost simultaneously ejaculated. Andy was deluged with
Carl's cream
internally, as well as up and down his abs and stomach with his own cum.
Andy slowly lowered his legs to the floor, and the two of them lay
there, Carl
still on top of Andy, both of them
breathing deeply
and gasping and then dozing
until Carl eventually slipped out and off of Andy and lay beside his
boy,
holding him now in a relaxed mental and emotional haze.
Eventually they began to regain full consciousness and move their
limbs
a bit. Andy turned his head and studied Carl, whose blue eyes
were
open and looking at him.
"Well," Andy said quietly, "celibate or not, you sure haven't forgotten
how to
do it!"
"Thanks," Carl whispered and nuzzled Andy's face. "When
your mind and your heart and your dick work together the way ours do,
amazing things
happen. I love you to death, man."
"Y'know, you sound like a poet more than a business major," Andy said,
smiling. "I don't know how getting fucked could feel
any better, and I've never heard
anybody describe great sex better than you just did! Not
bad at all for an accountant!"
Andy rolled
toward Carl, and after licking some of his own cum off Carl's torso,
plunged his
tongue into Carl's mouth. Then they continued to kiss deeply
until they conked out again for several
more minutes, still clasped tightly together.
They finally awakened for good, jumped into the shower and enjoyed
scrubbing each other,
using hands and fingers to wash and probe and massage every part one
another's body, finishing up with soapy wash cloths.
Turning off the water, they got dressed,
and cleaned up the bathroom. They dumped the soiled towels
and wash cloths into the
downstairs washing machine before finding and mingling with the other
guys. Maybe it was Carl's imagination, but he thought he got some
knowing looks from the others, especially William. He wondered
in passing whether William was getting any action since he and his
squeeze Alicia McCaskill had been
outed to Ian by Alicia's father.
Ah,
so fucking what! Carl thought to himself about the guys'
speculation about his and Andy's sexual activities. Andy
and I aren't the only ones thinking about sex all the
time. The difference is, we get to do something about it.
It's better to do it than just think about it. He
laughed, imagining a little devil in a red suit on his shoulder,
laughing and jumping
up and down for joy.
After supper that night, everybody in the house went to the movies along with Sean and Susan Miller to
see Whiplash, and they all
had a great time. Even straight William agreed that Miles Teller,
playing the young drummer in the film, was handsome as hell.
Cam looked over at William as they all walked out of the theater to
their cars.
"William, I don't want you fantasizing about Miles tonight after we
sack
out."
Before Cam could dodge retaliation, William grabbed him around the
neck and gave him hard nuggies on his scalp. Cam yelped and
managed to escape.
"Miles Teller isn't a problem for me," William said. "But make
sure to take your own advice."
"Thanks," Cam said. "But with Kevin around, who needs fantasy."
* * *
Cam and Kevin got up early on Saturday morning, leaving the rest of the
guys snoring away in the master bedroom. Maria served the two of
them eggs and pancakes which the two guys downed in short order.
After breakfast, they went into the study and tried to come to a final
decision about
what they wanted their engagement rings to look like. They
finally agreed on Cam's suggestion that the major
stone be a flat cut ruby for the engagement rings, with two small
emerald stones to each side of
the ruby. As they had discussed with Ralph
Albernathy at the jewelry store, the engagement rings would interlock
with plain gold, filigreed wedding rings which would be blessed by
Father
Mason at their wedding.
The decision made, they went back to the kitchen and told Maria what
they had decided. They asked her what she thought about the
stones they had
selected, and she
said she liked what they had agreed upon.
"You're just saying that," Kevin kidded her.
"Come here, you," Maria said, laughing and reaching out and pulling
Kevin into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Have I ever lied
to you?"
"Never," Kevin admitted. "Just checking. Speaking about
checking, are Juan, Jr., and Roberto still having a good time
with the guys here?" Maria's boys had just continued to stay with
the family
since the Romero family had come over for Thanksgiving.
"They're having the best time ever!" Maria said. "I can't thank
you guys enough for including them in all the fun things you've been
doing. Everybody's been so nice to them."
"They're great kids," Cam said. "Just know that they're welcome
here anytime. And so is Juan, Sr. Nobody needs to wait for
a
special invitation."
"Well, I can't tell you how much Juan and I appreciate all you've done
for our
family."
After the two of them talked with Maria, they went back to the study
and got on
landline
extensions to Mr. Abernathy and filled him in on their decision about
the rings.
The jeweler shared his favorable opinion about their choices. "A
fiery, polished ruby makes the principal statement about your feelings
for each other," Abernathy said, "and the emeralds are the parentheses
to that statement. Good decisions, gentlemen. I can't wait
to see these two rings myself when they're finished. They'll be
beautiful and wearable without being overpowering. Not overly
flashy,
but making a clear statement."
"That's what we were going for!" Kevin said enthusiastically.
He and Cam gave the jeweler permission to begin crafting the rings.
The two of them had been sitting on a leather couch beside each other
while
they talked with the jeweler, and after they hung up the phones, Cam
pushed
Kevin flat on the couch and lay down on top of him and looked into his
face.
"Now that we've decided on the rings, getting married is
really, really starting to
hit me," Cam said, kissing his partner.
"Me, too," Kevin agreed when they broke their kiss. "Have you
given any thought to who you want for your best man?" he asked.
"Yeah," Cam responded. "I want Carl to be my guy."
"All right," Kevin said. "I'm going to ask Berto."
"Good choice. What are we going to give William to do? I
don't want him to be pissed off when he doesn't get to be best man for
one of us."
"I know it. What about making him head usher?" Kevin suggested.
"Good idea. Either that, or ask Father Mason to train him after
the family goes home to San Rafael to be
Master of Ceremonies at the wedding and the Mass. That's
pretty
high profile."
"You're so smart," Kevin said, pulling Cam's head down and kissing him
again. "Offering William some options is a great idea!"
"You always inspire me to come up with some new shit," Cam said.
"It's a gift," Kevin said.
Cam laughed. "Always stay as humble as you are," he said.
"You have my word on that. Listen, since we didn't run this
morning, why don't we see if the guys want to do that before it gets
any hotter outside."
"Good idea. You're looking kind of chubby lately. And I can
lick the sweat off your body when we get back."
"If I didn't love you so much, I'd hurtcha real bad right now," Kevin
said, holding his partner's head and kissing him on his nose.
"Let me up and I'll go see if the guys want to run."
"I might let you up, and I might not."
Kevin laughed as he grabbed Cam's body and lifted him straight up,
holding his boy's lanky body
suspended directly over himself.
"Show-off!" Cam said.
Kevin lowered his partner back down on to himself, and then began to
tickle Cam's midsection.
Cam began to laugh. "Ow, ow, you're hurting me! Domestic
violence!"
Just then William came into the study.
"Kinky!" he said.
Kevin stopped tickling his boy, and looked at William. "I know
it's a little later than usual, but are you interested in going for a
run?"
"I'm always looking for an opportunity to show up you pseudo-jocks,"
William said.
"Good," Cam said. "You have to run naked because you're such a
wise ass."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" William said with a smirk.
"Where are the rest of the guys?" Kevin asked.
"They're just getting up," William said. "Catherine and my mom
and dad already took Casey and went over to the Millers' pool for some
morning sun."
"Why don't you go upstairs and kick some ass to get the guys to run,"
Kevin
suggested, "and I'll go next door and do the same thing with the
grown-ups at the pool. Only in a more genteel fashion, it goes
without
saying."
"You? Genteel? Give me a break," William said. "When
were you ever genteel? I must have missed it," he said as he
turned and headed for the stairs.
Twenty minutes later, the extended family were doing their warm-ups on
the front deck and preparing to hit the beach while Maria took charge
of Casey. The border collies, Alice and Samantha, were pleased,
as usual, about the impending run.
* * *
The family all went to church together at St.
Dunstan's on Sunday. Father Mason served as Deacon of the Mass,
reading the Gospel selection for the day as perfectly as he always
carried out liturgical functions. During the announcements,
Father Ryan announced that the clergy staff at St. Dunstan's would be
expanded soon when Mason would be returning to the
parish, where he would be concentrating on parish publications,
liturgical training, and youth work.
Many in the congregation remembered Father Mason as a
newly ordained deacon at St. Dunstan's, six months before being
ordained a priest and being called
to St. Andrew's parish in San Rafael to work for Father
Blackburn. Father Ryan spoke warmly of then-deacon Mason's work
in the parish, pointing out that it was Father Mason's planning that
helped lay the foundation for the remarkable growth the parish had
sustained
in recent years.
The congregation broke into smiles and spontaneous applause upon
hearing the good news, and Father Ryan went on to say how much he was
looking forward to working again with a dear friend in continuing to
serve and grow the parish. He called Mason down from the altar
where he was preparing the elements of bread and wine for consecration
to greet the people close-up.
After they arrived back at the house after Mass, the family spent the
rest of the
day swimming, and playing
volleyball and football on the beach. Father Ryan, Lisa and their
three kids had joined them in Malibu along with Juan Romero, Sr., after
church.
Ian Carson and Sean Miller took charge of cooking spareribs and
potatoes on the grills on Cam and Kevin's deck in mid-afternoon, while
Maria and her sister Juanita tossed big bowls of salad in the kitchen.
Cam asked Father Mason to offer thanks as the lines formed to serve the
food.
The priest opened his arms wide, saying, "The Lord be with you."
"And also with you," the crowd said.
"Let us pray...
"Heavenly Father, we offer you grateful hearts for this food You have
provided us, and also for the love and companionship which we enjoy
with one another. As when our Lord Jesus fed his disciples during
His
time on earth, so we thank you for Your bounty in feeding us today and
holding us in Your hand during our journey through life. Bless
this food to our use, and us to your service, and make us always
mindful of the needs of others, through the same Christ our Lord."
"Amen," the family said,
making the sign of the cross.
William grinned and high-fived Father Mason. "Good job, Father,"
he said. "We're sure gonna to miss you in San Rafael when you
move down here."
"Back atcha on that, William," Mason said. "But I know I'm going
to continue to see you down here a lot."
"Count on it," William said. He impulsively embraced the priest,
and to his own surprise, kissed Mason on the cheek before joining
the line filing past the grills and the tables with salad. Cam
was behind William in the line, and told him quietly, "See, when ya
show affection like that, that's why
I love ya, even when you're a jerk sometimes."
William grinned. "Thanks, I guess."
Carl and Andy sat near Ian and Father Mason, and they worked out Andy's
and Father Mason's move from San Rafael to L.A. by the first part of
December. They agreed that renting a truck would best accommodate
moving both of them south. Carl would fly to San Francisco so he
and Andy could drive the truck.
"If we tow my car, I could trade off with you guys in driving the
truck," Mason said.
"Sounds like a plan," Andy said.
"Andy, how much furniture are you going to have?" Ian asked.
"Just a computer desk," Andy said. "That and my clothes will be
about it."
"Father, how about you?"
"A bed, two dressers, couch, three easy chairs, a bookcase and books, a
dining
room table and chairs, pots and pans, and clothes. That'll be
it," the priest said.
"Well, when you settle on a date for the move, I'll make sure we have
plenty of 'boy-power' to load the truck," Ian said. "Are you
going to put your furniture in storage down here until you find an
apartment?"
"Yes. Cam and Kevin have invited me to stay here at the house
until I find a place of my own," Mason said.
"Give me a firm date for the move after we get back to San Rafael, and
I'll reserve a medium sized moving van for you and Andy," Ian promised.
* * *
The family gathered in the driveway on Monday morning after they
showered and packed following a last run
on the beach. Saying goodbye was bitter-sweet, as always, with
the family milling about saying their farewells as the two border
collies watched
everybody. Tears in her eyes, Catherine held Casey as long as she
could before
passing the little boy to Kevin. Carl and
Andy Helder only reluctantly let go of one another
as Andy stepped into the bus.
Kevin, Cam and Carl
accepted the thanks of the San Rafael contingent as they all boarded
the bus.
"Stay in touch," Ian told Cam, Kevin and Carl, giving each of them a
hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You, too, Juan," he told Juan
Romero, Sr., as he shook hands with the man. "Let me know when
you
hear from Magnum Studios about doing some work for them."
"Will do," Juan said. "Thanks again for the positive
recommendation."
"De nada," Ian said with a
grin.
"Saying goodbye doesn't get any easier," Kevin commented as the driver
closed the doors of the little Mercedes bus, fired up the engine, and
the
vehicle
pulled away.
"No kidding," Cam admitted. "It makes my stomach hurt every time
they leave."
* * *
Juan Romero, Sr., was inspecting one of the building sites that a team
of his
workers was finishing up in LA on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving when
his
cell phone rang. Pulling it off his belt, he glanced at the
caller ID before answering. The phone said "Magnum Studios," and
his
heart started beating faster.
"Romero," he said into the phone.
"Mr. Romero," a well modulated female voice said. "Mr. Eisner at
Magnum Studios
is calling. Are you available to speak with him?"
"Yes, m'am," Juan said.
"One moment, please."
The line went dead for a few seconds, and then a deep male voice came
out of the speaker, getting right down to business.
"Mr. Romero? This is George Eisner, chairman at Magnum
Studios. Ian Carson, our attorney for special projects, gave me
your name and number, and highly recommended I contact you concerning
some construction we're planning on our movie lots here in LA.
Would you be available to take a lunch meeting with me and our Vice
President of Facilities, Rick Lazlo, sometime in the near future?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. We've checked out your company, and know you do good
work. We'd like to explore doing business with you."
"I'd be delighted to talk with you, sir."
"Excellent. Let me put you on with my secretary for a date that's
good for all of us, and let's get together soon. The sooner, the
better."
"I'll look forward to it," Juan said.
The phone again went dead for a moment, and then the female voice was
back. They set a date for lunch for one o'clock at the studios
for Tuesday of the
following week.
Juan felt a little weak in the knees at the speed with which George
Eisner had
responded to Ian Carson's recommendation. The latter had been as
good as his word given to Juan at Thanksgiving dinner that he would
contact the
studio on his behalf.
Carson
must have some heavy clout with the powers-that-be, Juan thought
to himself. He was pumped about the potential for some new
business.
* * *
It was midmorning on Thursday after Thanksgiving when Maria answered
the
call for Cam on the landline. She was in the kitchen washing and
waxing the floor
after the previous week's heavy visitor traffic when she picked up the
phone and
glanced at the caller ID. LA
District Attorney, it read.
"MacKenzie--Stoltz--Emrick residence," she said.
"Cam MacKenzie, please," the voice stated.
"Mr. MacKenzie isn't at home," Maria said. "May I ask who's
calling?"
"This is Allan Petrie at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's
office."
"Cam is in class at UCLA this morning, Mr. Petrie," Maria said.
"May I take a message?"
"Is there any way I can reach him?"
"No, sir, I don't think so at present. As I say, he's in class,
and he doesn't take any calls at school."
"Will you give me his cell phone number, please?"
"I'm not at liberty to do that, Mr. Petrie. But if you'll give me
your telephone number, I'll contact him as soon as possible and ask him
to call you."
Petrie wasn't in a very good mood, having just emerged from a rather
unpleasant conference with his supervisor about moving his cases along
at a faster pace. He decided to try to get Cam's number by
bullying the help.
"M'am, I want Cam's cell phone number, and I want it now."
'Perhaps I wasn't clear with you, sir. I'm not giving you Mr.
MacKenzie's cell phone number without his permission. Please let
me have your phone number, and I know he'll want to get back to you as
soon as possible."
"I'll have your job for this, lady! What's your name?"
Maria barely stifled a laugh.
"You're welcome to try that, sir. My name is 'Maria.'"
"Maria what?"
"Just Maria. I can put
you in touch with Mr. MacKenzie's attorney, Mr. Ian Carson, in San
Francisco if you like. Mr. Carson has Mr. MacKenzie's cell phone
number, and perhaps you can get it from him."
Oh, shit, Petrie thought to
himself. All I have to do is
get in trouble with the President of the California Bar
Association, and naturally a personal friend of the DA.
"Never mind," Petrie said, the anger now drained out of his
voice. "Here's my number." He gave Maria his phone
number. "Ask Cam to call me ASAP, please."
He hung up with a bang.
Maria hung up the landline with a smile, and opened a drawer with her
purse in it. Taking out her cell phone, she brought up Cam's name
on the contact list and texted him:
Cam, you just had a call from Mr. Allan
Petrie of the LA District Attorney's office. Please call him at
213-xxx-xxxx when you get a chance.
Just a heads up: he
threatened my job because I wouldn't give him your cell phone
number. Maria
When Cam left his class on computer generated imagery fifteen minutes
later, he pulled out his cell phone, turned it on, and read Maria's
text.
"Son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath--for two reasons.
One, the call probably meant that the Clymer-Murtha-Lomer trial was
coming up
fast, with Rory Lomer hopefully having pled out. Shit, he thought to himself--the
trial might well be before Christmas. Secondly, Petrie had
threatened
Maria with the loss of her job, and that pissed him off. Really pissed him off.
He dialed the number for Petrie that Maria had sent him. It rang.
"Petrie," a voice answered.
"This is Cam MacKenzie," Cam said, his voice icy cold. "What the fuck!" he said.
"What's the matter?" Petrie asked, having a pretty good
idea exactly what was the matter.
"What the fuck do you mean calling my house and threatening my
employee
Maria with the loss of her job because she followed my instructions not
to give out my cell phone number? She doesn't take fucking orders
from you."
"I was wrong to do that," Petrie admitted sheepishly. "I
apologize."
"Don't apologize to me," Cam said. "You call Maria back and
apologize to her!"
Petrie's face flamed red. How had he put himself in the
position of taking orders from a wet-behind-the-ears college
student? Unfortunately, Cam MacKenzie was a wet-behind-the-ears
college student with important connections.
"I will."
"I'll check with Maria when I get home to make sure you did," Cam
warned. "Now, why
was it so imperative for you reach me?"
"The Clymer-Murtha-Lomer trial is back on the docket for a week from
Monday.
Rory Lomer will plead out and testify against his buddies. But
would showing up on that Monday be a problem for you?"
"No, But do I really have to be there?"
"Probably not," Petrie said. "The only possible glitch would be
if Lomer had a last minute change of heart and decided not to take a
plea. I don't think that's going to happen, but if it did, we'd
have to ask for a continuance to get you on deck, and this judge would
hate that. Lomer's had a
rough time of it in jail, if you know what I mean. He was raped
repeatedly before he went into solitary for his own protection, and
didn't like any of it. But
if he didn't take a plea, you'd have to be in the courtroom to
testify against all three of them."
"I almost feel sorry for Lomer. Almost. At any rate, I can
be in the courtroom that Monday, just in case. What time?"
"Ten a.m. Downtown courthouse."
"I'll be there."
"Good," Petrie said.
"Anything else?"
"Nope."
"Don't forget about Maria," Cam told Petrie, still hardass before
thumbing the Disconnect button on his phone.
"Motherfucker!" Petrie grumbled to himself as he looked up Cam's
landline number
in Malibu again and started punching buttons on the phone.
* * *
Cam went to one more class before meeting Kevin, along with Carl and
Art Smith, in
the student union at lunchtime.
"Let's go off campus for lunch," Cam suggested when they all
arrived. "I have some info for you about the trial, so let's go
somewhere quiet."
"You got it," Kevin said as they headed for the parking lot.
"You drivin'?" Carl asked Kevin. "I wanna ride in the 'Stang."
"Everybody wants to ride in the
'Stang," Kevin said. "It's a quality ride, and you all know it."
"It's no Camaro, though, that's for sure," Cam responded. "For
one example, the
Camaro
has ports that close and cover the headlights when you turn the lights
off."
"So what?" Kevin said.
"So when some car throws up a stone on the road when the ports are
closed, it won't break a headlight," Cam said smugly. "No such
luck with the 'Stang."
Kevin couldn't deny that, and could only say, "Big fucking deal."
"I call
shotgun," Cam said as they approached the car.
"You're so selfish," Carl observed to Cam as he climbed into
the back
seat. "You're lucky I don't tell Casey about how possessive you
are about shit like riding shotgun all the time."
"If you wanted the death seat, you should have called it," Cam
said. "I can't read your mind. I just like to sit beside my
boy Kevin."
Art got in the back seat with Carl, and laughed to himself as his
three housemates continued to verbally abuse one another as they drove
to an In and
Out Burger not far from campus.
They ordered at the drive-in, pulled ahead, and when their food was up,
Kevin headed for a quiet corner of the parking lot.
Cam said a quick grace, and they chowed down right in the car.
"Don't spill anything on this rich Corinthian leather," Kevin warned
his
passengers about spilling anything on the seats.
"Now, now, after all the juice you spilled on this 'rich Corinthian
leather' in
your horny high school days with Heather Butler, this would be the
least of your problems,"
Cam
said. "I can still smell your juice on the seats."
"Yeah, I'm positive you know what it smells like," Kevin
laughed. "But don't bring up Heather Butler's name again."
"Sorry," Cam said, pretending to be be contrite.
"If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that only Chryslers had
'rich
Corinthian leather,'" Carl interjected. "It was mentioned in
their
ads. That was before our time, of
course."
"Why
don't you all stop running your mouths so we can get the trial news?"
Kevin told the guys.
"All right," Cam said between bites of a big, thick burger.
"Petrie called me from the DA's office. The trial starts a week
from
Monday at 10 a.m."
Kevin looked over at Cam to see if he was upset. "You OK with
that?"
"Yep," Cam said. "It's been a long time coming. I wanna get
it over with."
"I'll go with you," Kevin offered.
"That's why I love you," Cam said appreciatively. "It would be
great
to have some company just in case I have to testify."
"Anything else?" Carl probed.
"It still looks like Rory Lomer is gonna roll on Clymer and Murtha,"
Cam added.
"If Lomer is gonna do his thing, why do you have to be in court?" Kevin
asked.
"In case he has a last minute change of heart," Cam said. "Petrie
doesn't think that's going to happen, but you never know."
"And. . .?" Carl asked.
"That's it on the trial," Cam said. "But Petrie threatened Maria
on the phone with losing her job."
"What?!!" Kevin said, looking over at Cam with big brown eyes, dark
with anger.
"Yeah," Cam said. "He wanted my cell phone number so he could
call me at school, and she wouldn't give it to him. So he told
her
she could lose her job for that."
"What a dick!!" Art Smith said. "What the fuck?!!" Art really had
really bonded with Maria since he had moved in, and was outraged.
"Yeah," Cam said. "My sentiments exactly. After Petrie hung
up, Maria texted me
that I should call him ASAP, and also mentioned his threat about her
job
in the text. So I called him right away after class, and
yelled at him
for what he'd said to Maria. He apologized to me, and I told him
he better call Maria and apologize to her.
He said he would. When we get home, he'd better have called her
and
said he was sorry, or he and I are going to have a big problem."
"What a prick," Carl said about Petrie. "The world's full of 'em,
unfortunately!"
"Amen to that!" Art said. "Just when I think I've met 'em all,
another one shows up."
They continued to eat their meal and talk, and Cam changed
the subject to talk about his film class, explaining to the guys some
of the finer
points about
computer generated imagery (CGI) that he'd been learning.
When they finished eating, Kevin collected the refuse and dumped it in
a nearby receptacle.
"You may have your faults, Stoltz, but you do keep your vehicle clean,"
Carl said. "I have to give you that."
"You're right," Kevin responded. "You should keep your body as
clean as this car, Carl. We'd all appreciate it. Especially
Andy."
Cam and Art laughed as Kevin fired up the Mustang and they headed back
to school.
When Cam arrived home after school that day, the first thing he did was
look for Maria. Kevin, Carl and Art followed him into the kitchen.
"Did Mr. Petrie get back to you today?" Cam asked her.
"Yes, he did," Maria said. "How did you know?"
"Lucky guess. What did he say to you?"
"He apologized to me for saying that I might lose my job for refusing
to give him your cell phone number."
Cam nodded in satisfaction.
"Mr. Petrie never should have said that to you," he said. "You're
part of this family, and nobody gets to talk to you like that.
Ever. Period. End of story."
"Well. . ." Maria started to say when Cam embraced her and kissed her
on the cheek.
Kevin hugged her in turn, and pointing at Cam, told her, "What he
said!"
Art and Carl embraced her as well, and as always, Maria was moved by
the affection these four boys had for her.
"Now, where's the little guy?" Kevin asked.
"He should be in the study, just waking up from his afternoon nap,"
Maria said.
"Was he a good boy today?" Cam asked.
"Always."
All four of the guys trooped into the study to find Casey standing up,
gripping the side of his playpen and still looking a little
sleepy. The little boy raised his arms to be picked up, and Kevin
passed Cam his backpack and obliged the baby.
"Mr. Casey," Kevin said, kissing the little guy on top of his
head.
"What have you been doing today?"
"Playing, Daddy," Casey said. "I wanna play now."
"Me, too," Kevin agreed, sitting down with him on the floor near a pile
of toys. Cam joined his partner and the little boy on the
floor. Kevin and Cam played roll-the-ball with Casey as Carl and
Art watched for a while. Carl and Art eventually excused
themselves to go
upstairs to start on some
homework.
"Let me know when it's my turn for some playtime," Art instructed
before he left the room. He'd grown very fond of the baby since
he'd become part of the family.
"Will do," Kevin said, always appreciative that Art and Carl were so
unselfish in wanting to spend time with Casey.
When Kevin and Cam had sufficiently worn Casey out, they took him
upstairs, changed his diaper, and put him in his crib for some quiet
time before supper while the guys cracked their books for the next
day's classes. Before supper Art spent some one-on-one time
with the little guy.
* * *
It seemed as if the following week went by in a flash. Monday's
trial date was upon them when Kevin woke up early that day, snuggled up
to Cam in their big bed. Even though they really missed the guys
from San Rafael, they were glad to have reclaimed their bedroom so they
could resume their frequent private times together. They had
spent a good hour making love to each other the previous evening after
Casey was down for the night, and no matter what they did to and for
each other sexually, it had never gotten old for them. The
excitement and fulfilment they provided one another had never abated.
Kevin moved closer to Cam that morning, and lowered his head to
gently kiss his boy's beautiful, smooth, muscular chest, and inhale
the
smell of him. Cam's smell never failed to arouse him.
Cam finally stirred, opened his green eyes, and looked at his partner.
"Last night was so good. . ." he whispered to his partner.
"Bud, it's always so good
with you,"
Kevin said.
"Do we have time for an encore?" Cam asked, reaching over and making a
fist around Kevin's usual, early morning hard-on. Cam had a huge
paw, but he could never quite close it completely around
Kevin's girth when his partner was fully aroused.
Kevin groaned and looked over at the clock on the bedside table.
It was 6:30 a.m.
"Not if we want to be on time at the courthouse. You know what
the freeway going downtown is like in the morning."
"Damn!" Cam said, disappointed. He bent himself double and kissed
Kevin's cock,
putting the head of it in his mouth, releasing it only after tonguing
it thoroughly. "I'll take care of this bad boy later," he
promised as
he unfolded himself.
"Let's just cuddle for a couple minutes," Kevin suggested, quickly
checking the clock again. "I love you so much, Cameron. I'm
thankful to have you for my partner. And happy to have you share
Casey with me."
Cam was moved. He knew Kevin loved him, but he wasn't usually
that verbal about it.
"Oh, Kev..."
Cam didn't say anything else. They just clung together for a few
minutes, and
finally shared a soul kiss before jumping out of
bed, both of them still
hard, and heading for the bathroom. After brushing their teeth,
they hit the shower to wash one another and then towel each other
dry. Back in the bedroom, they put on dark suits, dress shirts,
ties and highly polished black shoes, and then went downstairs for a
quick
breakfast.
Maria had already brought Casey downstairs, and he was perky and
sitting in his highchair eating baby food and a little cereal.
The guys
kissed the baby on his head before sitting down at the table.
"You guys clean up so well," Maria told Cam and Kevin. "Those are
beautiful
suits."
"Thanks," Kevin said. "Maybe we'll get some points with the
important people for
looking nice."
Maria busied herself at the stove, and served them up scrambled eggs,
salsa on the side, with oatmeal toast, accompanied by mocha coffee.
Kevin said grace.
"Yum," Cam said after tasting the eggs and toast with a forkful of
salsa, and taking a swig of coffee. "Thanks, Maria."
"You're welcome."
"Good stuff," Kevin agreed with a grin.
"Do you boys know when you'll be home today?" Maria asked.
"Not exactly," Cam said. "If we can make it to any classes right
after court, we'll probably get here at the usual time."
"All right," Maria said. "Just wondering." She looked at
Cam. "Do you think you'll have to testify?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Cam said.
"I know you'll be all right whether you testify or not," Maria
reassured the boy, patting him on the shoulder and kissing his cheek.
Both unshowered at that point, Carl and Art came downstairs and into
the kitchen right then, patting Casey on the head as they went by him.
"Cam, I--we--just want to wish you well today," Carl said.
"Everything will come out great, I just know it. I'm looking
forward to hearing some good news tonight."
Cam stood up from the table and hugged his two friends. "Thanks,
guys," he said. "If you have time, say a prayer for me in case I
have to testify," he said, speaking a little shyly about his request.
"No problem. You got it!" Art said as he and Carl went back
upstairs to get ready for their run.
Cam sat down again, and he and Kevin finished up their breakfast and
then said good-bye to Maria and Casey. They went out to the
driveway.
"You want to drive?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah," Cam said. "It'll keep my mind off what may happen in
court," he added.
They shed their suitcoats, laying them carefully on the back seat, and
stepped
into the Camaro. Cam pulled his cell phone out of his dress
pants, turned it on, and put it into a receiver which was plugged into
the dashboard. Cam fired up his car, and the phone beeped to
indicate it was ready to
receive calls.
By the time they
were
out of Malibu and eventually hit the freeway around Santa Monica about
7:30, the traffic
heading downtown was its usual
nightmare. The guys talked and listened to music, and Cam was
surprised about how calm he felt about whatever lay ahead of him in
court.
His phone rang, and Cam punched a button on it to receive the call
without having to put the phone to his ear. It was Ian Carson.
"Are you on your way downtown?" Ian asked.
"Hey, Ian," Cam said. "Yes. Kevin and I are on the
freeway. We'll be at the courthouse in plenty of time for a brief
meeting with Allan Petrie. Hopefully, Rory Lomer is going to
plead guilty and testify against Clymer and Murtha, and I won't have
to testify."
"I know," Ian said. "I talked to DA Jim Nolan himself first thing
this morning, and according to him, Lomer really is going to roll on
his buddies."
"Thank goodness," Cam said. "Thanks for confirming that.
I'm relieved."
"Well, I wanted you to know that. And that the family is thinking
about you and praying for you. We love you, and we're behind you
one-hundred percent."
Cam choked up. "I don't know what to say."
"I'll call you later today, okay? You're going to be fine,
Cam. Leave your phone on when you can, and I'll be in touch to
get the good news."
"Thank you, Ian. It's means the world to me that you'd call."
"You're welcome, buddy. Talk to you later, Cam. And you
take care, Kevin."
"'Will do. Bye, Ian," Kevin said.
Cam punched a button to end the call, and looked over at his
partner. "That was nice of Ian to call."
"That's the kind of person he is," Kevin observed. "I'd have been
surprised if he hadn't
called."
They continued driving, and once downtown, found a parking garage in
the vicinity of the courthouse. They parked in a vacant,
out-of-the-way spot on an upper floor.
Putting on their
suitcoats and pulling up their ties, they strolled over to the
courthouse. After dumping their keys, wallets, and other contents
of their pockets into plastic baskets, they successfully went through
screening and
headed
toward an information kiosk. They asked for directions to the
onsite offices for ADAs involved in daily trials, and made their way
through
crowded corridors to find Allan Petrie up on the second floor.
A receptionist at the DA's front desk called the Assistant DA, and he
came
out to the desk, unsure of how Cam would greet him given the words
they'd had over the Maria debacle. Petrie and Cam shook hands
without betraying any bad attitude, and Petrie shook hands with Kevin,
and he escorted them back to a cubbyhole with a desk against one wall
and three chairs. They sat down, crowded together.
"Ian Carson called this morning after talking to your boss, and gave me
the
word on Lomer," Cam said immediately. "Nothing's changed, I hope."
"No. He's taking a plea, and will testify against Clymer and
Murtha," Petrie
said. "That's the last word I had from his lawyer about
an hour ago."
It might be old news by now, but Cam heaved a sigh of relief, and Kevin
could see his partner's face relax.
"I'm glad to hear that," Cam said. "Do you want me in the
courtroom, then?"
"No. We'll put you and Kevin in a vacant conference room across
the
hall from the courtroom. We put a TV monitor in it, and you'll
have a perfect view of everything that goes on as the trial gets
started. The charges will be read after the judge calls the
proceedings to order, and the defense will most likely waive the
complete reading of the charges. When the judge asks the lawyers
to enter
a plea, Clymer and Murtha will plead 'not guilty' and Lomer will plead
'guilty' to a reduced charge. At that point, the judge will most
probably sever Lomer's
case from that of Clymer and Murtha, and will accept their 'not guilty'
pleas for the record. In Lomer's case, the judge will most likely
ask for a sentencing recommendation from my office and from social
services, and put Lomer's sentencing on the docket for later.
"Once Lomer's attorney enters his client's guilty plea," Petrie
continued, "you and Kevin are free to go. Or you can stick
around. It's up to you."
"Ok," Cam said. "We might watch the proceedings for awhile."
"You might want to. I think the judge is going to publicly
castigate the scandal-mongering rag passing for newspapers that first
published
your name rather than keeping your identity secret. The
publication didn't break any laws, but news outlets here in town have
an agreement with one another another and with law enforcement not to
identify minors who are
victims of sex crimes. They broke with that understanding.
You may want to talk to Ian Carson about whether you have grounds for a
civil suit against those papers."
"I never even thought about that," Cam said. "But I think I'd
rather not open myself up to more publicity."
"Understandable," Petrie said. "Well, unless you have any
questions, let's go downstairs." They stood up and began to walk
out of the large common room when Petrie stopped at the receptionist's
desk.
"Margaret, give me the key to Conference Room 2, please," he said.
The lady smiled and reached into a desk drawer, handing Petrie a key on
a large plastic fob as she simultaneously answered her phone. The
three of them walked down some stairs rather than waiting for an
elevator, and walked to a closed and locked door on the first floor
corridor. Petrie used the
key he'd been given, and the three of them went to a table with a
large TV monitor on it. Petrie turned the monitor on, and a clear
picture of a courtroom was displayed. Cam immediately spotted LA
Sheriff's Detectives Simon Roker and Emilio Suarez, who had so
vigorously investigated what had happened to Cam and presented the
evidence to the DA's office for charges, sitting toward the front
of the courtroom.
The bench was still empty, as the judge had not
yet entered the room, and the courtroom was only sparsely populated
because Cam, the victim, was a minor, and the trail was not to be open
to the
public.
The ADA moved toward the conference room door to leave for the
courtroom. "This conference room door automatically locks when
you go
out, so if you leave the room to use the restroom at any point, one of
you needs to stay here to open the door when your partner returns," the
ADA told them.
"Got it," Cameron said.
Cam and Kevin sat down at the table in front of the monitor, and
watched as Clymer, Murtha and Lomer, dressed in suits, were escorted
into the courtroom by Sheriff's police. Handcuffs were
removed. Cam noted that none of
the three defendants exhibited the same cocky attitude that he
remembered so vividly, but his hands began to tremble when he saw the
men who had assaulted him for the first time since that awful evening
down the beach. Kevin reached over put his hand over Cam's, and
the trembling stopped.
Two minutes later, the bailiff stepped in front of the bench and
bawled, "All
rise! Part A of the Superior Court of the
County of Los Angeles is now in session," he
said, "the Honorable
Robert Hugh MacClaine, Presiding."
The judge took his seat, and the bailiff
instructed the spectators to be seated.
"The Bailiff will seat the jury," Judge MacLaine ordered. The
bailiff opened a door to the back hall, and seven men and five women
walked into the courtroom and went into the jury box.
The judge told the
bailiff to publish the case.
"The State of
California vs. Eric Clymer, Peter Murtha and Rory Lomer for kidnapping,
attempted
murder in the first degree, and aggravated sexual assault of a minor in
the first
degree."
"Read the charges," Judge MacClaine ordered.
The three defense attorneys stood up, and one of them said, "Defendants
Clymer and Murtha waive a complete reading of the charges, your honor."
"Defendant Rory Lomer also waives a complete reading of the charges,
your honor," Lomer's attorney stated.
"Very well," the judge said. "How do you plead?" he asked the
defendants.
"Eric Clymer pleads 'Not guilty,' your honor," Clymer's lawyer said.
"Peter Murtha pleads 'Not guilty,' your honor," Murtha's attorney said.
"Rory Lomer pleads 'Guilty' to a reduced charge of sexual assault in
the second degree, your Honor," Lomer's attorney said, "persuant to a
pre-trial amendment of charges by the office of the District Attorney,
Los Angeles County."
Allan Petrie stood up. "Your honor, the State stipulates to the
reduced charges for Rory Lomer, and at this time the State
requests that the case of Rory Lomer be severed from the cases of Eric
Clymer and Peter Murtha," he said.
"Granted," Judge MacClaine said. "The court recognizes and
approves the reduced charges against Defendant Lomer, and severs his
case from those of Defendants Clymer and Murtha. Bailiff, please
remove Mr. Lomer from
the courtroom until recalled."
"Thank you, your honor," the ADA said.
Deputies led Romer out of a door on the back wall of the courtroom.
"Mr. Petrie, is the State ready to proceed to trial?" the judge asked.
"Yes, your honor."
The judge looked at the defense table.
"Is the defense ready to proceed to trial?" he asked.
The defense attorneys for Clymer and Murtha stood up, Lomer's attorney
having left the courtroom.
"Yes, your honor."
The judge looked at the few people in the courtroom.
"Before we begin, I would just like the take judicial notice of the
fact that
the L.A. Gazette Express and other news outlets abrogated and broke the
agreement among area
publications not to publish the names of victims of sex
crimes who are minors. Although such lapses by publications are
not explicitly
against California statutes, I hereby direct the District Attorney and
his staff to investigate whether there are any actionable breaches of
policy and procedure which need to be reviewed by the District
Attorney's Office."
"Thank you, your honor," Petrie said, standing up. "I will bring
your order to the attention of the District Attorney."
The judge nodded. "Mr. Petrie, you may offer your opening
statement in this case."
Petrie walked over to the jury box and greeted the jury, and then began.
"Ladies
and gentlemen of the jury, it is my duty to recount to you a set of
some of the most egregious criminal sexual acts our office has ever
encountered, in which a young man, a minor, was abducted from a beach
in Malibu, taken to a vacant house on the beach, and repeatedly beaten,
tortured and
sexually
assaulted by the defendants. At the conclusion of their
protracted activities, the defendants left the victim bound and
unconscious on the floor of the house to
die. He would indeed have expired had the victim's housemates,
led by their dogs, not
tracked him down the beach and found him at the scene of the crime,
unconscious and helpless, and telephoned the sheriff's police and
paramedics. . ."
Cam reached over and snapped off the monitor and looked at Kevin.
"I can't listen to this," he said.
"Let's go to school, Cam," Kevin said, throwing an arm around his
partner,
kissing his cheek, and moving him toward the door.
Cam called Ian Carson on the way to the campus, and brought him up to
date on what has transpired thus far in the trial.
©2015 Don Hanratty
Sorry about the long hiatus between chapters. Hope you enjoy this
one.
Remember to contribute to Nifty if you are able.
dhanr1@msn.com