Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 07:56:41 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Borden <tombor99@yahoo.com>
Subject: "My Father, My Son"  74th Installment

This is Chapter 74, a continuation of "My Father, My Son."  All the
conditions, warnings, and disclaimers listed at the beginning of the early
chapters of this series apply.  All comments are welcome, constructive or
destructive.


Send to:   Tom Borden,   tombor99@yahool.com


My Father, My Son
Chapter 74

The next day after Adriano moved in with Josiah and Brian, they all went
over to Adriano's apartment to salvage what they could.  The claims
adjuster from his insurance company was there to meet them and appraise the
damage to his contents.  They had rented a truck and loaded on all the
things that were not damaged for storage in a locker they had leased.  The
wooden furniture could be saved, but would need to be repaired and
refinished, all covered by Adriano's insurance.  The three of them spent
two days taking out and transporting what could be salvaged.

When they returned home, they found a message on the answering machine from
Terry Murdock.  He asked Adriano to call him at the Inn when it was
convenient.

When Adriano called back, Terry said, "Adriano, I've been so worried about
you."

"I'm so glad to hear from you Terry," said Adriano.  "And thank you so much
for your beautiful card.  I have to admit to you that I cried when I read
it."

"Oh, Adriano," said Terry, "I cried when I wrote it!  I've thought of you
constantly since I heard about the fire.  Are you doing alright now?"

"I'm doing fine now.  I'm tired, though.  My two friends here and I have
been working to salvage and haul all my stuff out of the apartment.  And it
looks as though I'm going to get a pretty good settlement from the
insurance company."

"Lovely!" said Terry.

"Terry, you said you might come up and see me when you had a day off.  Can
you still do that?"

"Absolutely!  I've managed to get two days off, next Monday and Tuesday.
Would it be convenient for me to come up then?"

"Anytime would be convenient for me.  I do teach classes on those days, but
maybe you could come in and sit in on my lectures.  Then we'll have Monday
evening free."

"I would love it," said Terry.  I'll drive up early on Monday morning and
should be in Austin before lunch.  I'll stop and get a motel room before I
see you."

"No, please.  My friends, Josiah and Brian, have insisted to me that you
stay here with us if you would be here over night."

"But do you have room for one more?"

"Terry, we'll make room!"

"Alright then.  I will see you then."

Brian said they would set up a cot for Terry.  But Adriano said, "Please
don't, guys!  I'm counting on his being happy to sleep with me in my bed,
if you don't mind."

"Of course we don't mind, Adriano!  I'm really anxious to meet this
gorgeous hunk you've been so excited about.

Terry arrived shortly before lunch time on Monday.  When Adriano answered
the door, Brian and Josiah stood back and waited expectantly to be
introduced.  When they saw him, Josiah nudged Brian and whispered, "Oh, my
God!  Look at that!"

Adriano introduced Terry to Josiah and Brian.  Terry said, "I'm delighted
to meet you both.  How kind of you to take Adriano in after the terrible
time he had."

Brian stammered, "Adriano's our friend.  It's no trouble at all."

When Adriano took Terry into his room to put down his bag, Brian said,
"Leave it to Adriano to find one of the Earth's beauties for himself.  I
feel weak!"

"Yeah," sighed Josiah.  "And he found him in a restaurant down in Goliad,
of all places."

When Terry put down his bag, Adriano held out his arms and said, "Come
here, Terry.  Let me greet you properly."

They literally flew into each other's arms and kissed long and deeply.
Adriano said, "Even with the fire and all that, you've been on my mind so
much since I met you at Caleb's place.  I knew I had to see you again.  And
then when I got your card, I was so happy."

Terry held Adriano so tightly in his arms that Adriano almost felt that he
was being squeezed breathless.  But he didn't want to Terry to let go.  He
wanted to give himself completely to this beautiful man.

Terry whispered, "I've thought of little else but you, myself.  And when I
heard about the fire, I almost went mad."

Josiah peeked into the room and said, "We have lunch ready, you two.  Or
would you rather skip lunch?"

Terry said, "Oh, how lovely!  Shall we, Adriano?"

Josiah said, "Well it's not much, I'm afraid.  We're just having grilled
cheese sandwiches and a fruit salad.  Certainly nothing gourmet."

When lunch was finished, Terry said, "That was delightful!  I will have to
admit that, when the dining room down at the Inn closes, Cook and I go back
and make ourselves a hamburger or a grilled cheese often.  I love the food
we serve, but one just can't have a steady diet of it without craving
something a little more substantial now and then."

Adriano got up and said, "Well, I'm due for my class at two.  I'd love it
if you would come with me and sit there while I give my usual dull lecture.
I don't trust leaving you with these two horny animals while I'm gone."

Brian laughed and said, "And you're very right not to trust us, Adriano!
We're likely to lose our heads completely and not be responsible for what
we might do with this handsome gentleman!"

As Adriano lectured to his class, he found it enormously difficult not to
keep his eyes on Terry, who sat in the rear of the hall with an adoring
smile on his face.  When the lecture was over, Adriano deemed his lecture
that day to be a total failure.  He couldn't even hardly remember what he
talked about.

When they were back in Adriano's car in the parking lot, Adriano looked at
Terry and lay his hand gently on Terry's cheek.  He said, "I shouldn't say
this, but you have one of the most handsome faces I have ever seen on a
man."  Adriano leaned in close and very gently kissed his lips and cheeks
and nose and chin.  "To touch my lips and fingers to your skin and to
breathe in the smell of your skin makes me so hot."

Even though there were others walking through the parking lot, Terry
suddenly took Adriano in his arms and kissed him passionately.  He
whispered, "I wish that I had gotten a motel room so we could go there
right now."

"We have our room back at the apartment.  We can go there.  The guys'll
understand.  In fact, they expect us to spend a lot of time there."

When Adriano and Terry returned to the apartment, they found a note from
Brian saying that he and Josiah were in class themselves on campus and
would not be back until supper time.  Adriano and Terry raced into the
bedroom and literally tore each other's clothes off and threw themselves
onto the bed.  Adriano watched as Terry's sensuous body emerged from
beneath his clothes.  His penis felt so gorged and hard, it felt almost as
though it was going to explode.  They lay in the bed, frantically running
their hands over the skin of each other's body, trying to kiss and suck on
every inch of their bodies.  They had both sunk into a sexual frenzy, and
neither felt they could get enough of each other's bodies.

As they writhed around on the bed, their bodies intertwined, they suddenly
found themselves in a 69 position and took each other's hot, dripping
penises into their mouths.  Only seconds later, they each went into
orgasmic convulsions and blew their hot, thick loads of cum into each
other's mouth.  Keeping the hot sperm in their mouths, they kissed deeply,
allowing the mixture to slowly seep down their throats.  They lay there
looking deeply into each other's eyes.  What they saw there was nothing but
love and longing.

When Brian and Josiah returned home, Adriano and Terry Murdock were dressed
and sitting in the living room talking.  Brian said, "What would you say if
I made reservations for dinner tonight for the four of us downtown at
Francois's.  I know it's a high-end restaurant, but people all over the
country come to eat there.  Very elegant, with the best French cuisine you
could find anywhere.  Or would the two of you rather be alone.

Terry and Adriano looked at each other, and nodded agreement.  Terry said,
"That would be absolutely lovely!  But only under one condition.  You must
allow me to treat you all.  After all, I'm the elder in this group, and
besides, I am feeling particularly celebratory!"  Everyone feigned
reluctance, but agreed.

After they were seated at Francois's, the waiter delivered the wine list,
and Terry was most impressed with it.  He ordered a glass of wine, while
the others ordered regular cocktails.  The meal was superb and the service
was impeccable.  Following the meal, they all had coffee.

Adriano asked, "Is this very much like the Inn where you work in Goliad?"

"Oh my, no.  The d^Ācor and the ambiance for one thing is so much finer
here.  I would say that the food and the service is excellent and very much
on a par with the Inn on that score."

"Would you like to work here?" asked Josiah."

"Oh, my goodness, yes!  Everything is very much as we had it in England and
at the Victorian Room in Chicago."

Adriano said, "You know what I would like to see, Terry?  I'd like to see
you right here.  I'd like to see you right here at Francois's as the head
waiter."

"Terry laughed.  "Really?"

"Sure.  Why not," said Josiah.  "We'd like to have you living right here in
Austin.  It's a beautiful city.  And look around.  This place has a very
high-end clientele.  It would be perfect for you."

Terry looked around and said, "I wouldn't want to take any job here, and I
doubt the Head Waiter's position is open."

Adriano said, "Well, you'll never know until you make an inquiry.  Why not
let's come over here tomorrow before you leave and see what's what here?"

"Well, I suppose there'll be no harm in asking," Terry said, thoughtfully.
"My, it would be nice working here, though.  The place seems so well
managed, and the food and service is as fine as I've ever known it
anywhere."

Terry knew the implications of securing a job in Austin.  It would surely
mean that he and Adriano would be able to see each other frequently, or
perhaps even live together as partners.  He looked at Adriano, who was
looking at him with such love and tenderness in his eyes.  He thought, "My
God, I think I'd take a job as dishwasher just to be here in Austin with
Adriano."

It was quite late when they returned to the apartment.  Adriano and Terry
sat down in the living room, while Josiah and Brian went into the kitchen
to prepare some more coffee.  Josiah said, "Brian, I'd give anything to see
Terry without his clothes.  When we were walking behind him on the way to
the car, I looked at that absolutely perfect figure of his . . . those wide
shoulders and tiny little hips, with those two firm and round little buns.
I'm really good at mentally undressing a guy, and what I saw in front of me
was nothing short of spectacular."

Brian said, "I was looking, too, and the sight of that body wasn't lost on
me, either.  I'll tell you what.  Why don't we go and get out of our
clothes and go back into the living room with just our briefs on?  And we
can tell them that, when we're home, we always strip down like this so we
can be comfortable.  And we can encourage Adriano and Terry to do the same
while we're sitting around drinking our coffee before we go to bed.  In
that way, we can get a real good look at Terry's bod without having to
imagine what it's like."

"Great idea!" responded Josiah.

Soon, Brian and Josiah entered the living room carrying the cups and a pot
of coffee, and dressed only in their briefs.  They could see the surprised
look on the faces of both Adriano and Terry.

Brian said, "I hope you'll excuse us, you guys.  But when Josiah and I are
sitting around at home, we always like to be as comfortable as possible and
we get out of those cumbersome clothes."

Terry smiled and, with a nod, said, "You know, Barker and I always did the
same thing when we were home."

Josiah said, "Well, you don't want to make us self-conscious here, do you.
You might as well get out of those clothes yourself and make yourselves
comfortable."

Without any hesitation, Terry pulled off his boots and said, "Come on
Adriano, get your duds off."

Josiah and Brian stood transfixed as in a trance while they watched Terry
remove his shirt and pants, folding them neatly and hanging them over the
arm of the sofa.  As his nearly naked body was slowly revealed, Josiah
whispered to Brian, "Close your mouth.  You're drooling."

Once he was down to only his briefs, Terry sat down again and took a sip of
his coffee.  All four sat silently for a few minutes staring at one
another.  As though it had been orchestrated, all four bulges began to
increase in size.

Brian couldn't contain himself and said, "Terry, you've got a hot body!"

Terry laughed and said, "It's been a long time since I've been in the
company of three gorgeous bodies like I'm looking at right now.  Maybe
never.  This is nice."

The sexual tension in the room was heavy.  Everyone suddenly began to feel
very awkward, not knowing exactly what to say.  Both Brian and Josiah were
gripped with an overwhelming desire to have this beautiful specimen of a
man, but they knew he was Adriano's, and it was killing them.  Adriano
could sense that Brian's and Josiah's hormones were oozing out of every
pore, but was determined that nothing would happen other than his having
Terry only to himself that night.  Adriano, sitting on the sofa next to
Terry, pushed himself up close and took Terry in his arms and kissed him
deeply.  And with one hand, he reached down inside of Terry's briefs and
took hold of his penis.  He wanted this to be a signal to Brian and Josiah
that Terry was his and his alone.

Brian and Josiah made no secret of how aroused they were, and they were
both now rubbing their own penises vigorously as they watched Adriano and
Terry kissing and moving their hands through each other's crotches.

Soon, Adriano said, "I wonder if you guys would excuse us.  I think Terry
and I would like to go to bed now."

Brian could feel and hear himself screaming inside with desire.  He had the
overpowering feeling that he wanted to lunge at Terry and rape him and
totally ravage him sexually.  He had never felt such arousal before.
Josiah was enormously attracted to Terry, but not to the point that Brian
obviously was.  Josiah suddenly became very concerned over Brian's
reaction.  He took hold of Brian's shoulders and could feel Brian's body
shaking.  Brian's face was flushed and beads of sweat were forming on his
forehead.

As Adriano and Terry left the room for their bedroom, Josiah gently pushed
Brian into a chair.  "Brian, please.  What the matter?"

"Nothing!" Brian blurted out as he covered his face with his hands.

Adriano sat on the floor in front of Brian and began to run his hands
gently over Brian's legs.  Without a word, Brian abruptly stood up and went
into their bedroom.  Josiah got up and followed him.  Brian threw himself
on the bed and buried his face in the pillow.  Josiah lay down next to him
and put his hands on Brian's shoulders.

Josiah said, "Brian, don't you feel well?  Are you sick?

"No!," came the abrupt muffled answer as Brian kept his face in the pillow.
"Just leave me alone!" he said as he wiggled his shoulders as though to
throw off Josiah's hands.

Josiah didn't know what to say.  Finally, he whispered, "I can't help you
if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I don't want your help!" said Brian.  "And you don't need to talk to me!"

Josiah rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling.  Brian had never
turned away from him like this before.  He knew that Brian had been
awe-struck by the sensuous beauty of Terry.  But they had seen plenty of
guys around who could pass for Gods.  And never before did Brian seem to
seriously want to act on his sexual attraction to them.  Josiah lay still
for a long time and soon could hear the sound of steady heavy breathing
that Brian always made when he was asleep.  Josiah got up and went into the
bathroom to wash his face and hands and brush his teeth.  Then, returning
to the bedside, he felt he couldn't lie there next to Brian any longer, and
not be able to touch him or talk to him.  But he needed someone to talk
with.  He was hurt and dismayed over Brian's behavior.

Josiah had a sudden urge to go out on their balcony.  As he walked down the
hall past Adriano's and Terry's closed door, he stopped momentarily,
listening.  He could hear no sound, but could imagine what might be going
on in there.

Josiah sat down and, leaning his head back, he enjoyed the unseasonably
cool breeze that blew across his body.  He had no answer to what was going
on with Brian and wished now that the dark figure would appear to him
again.  But whoever that person or thing was told him last time that he
would not be back.  That had been his last visit.  He needed someone to
talk with.  He thought a little about calling Jeff and Paul, but it was far
too late to be making phone calls.  Josiah opened his eyes and peered into
the darkness at the other end of the balcony.  He said to himself, half
aloud, "I wish you were there.  Maybe you could help me."

With the cool air blowing on him, Josiah began to feel very sleepy.  He
didn't want to be caught asleep in the morning in only his underwear by all
the busy traffic below.  He got up and, as he headed for the door, he
heard:

"Josiah?  I go through all the trouble of coming here for you, and now
you're leaving?"

"It's you!" said Josiah, returning to the chair.  "You told me you weren't
ever coming back."

"I know.  But I couldn't help it.  You're one of my favorites, you know."

"Favorites?  Favorite what?" asked Josiah.

"One of my favorite special people!  What else?"

"There are more like me?

"Of course!" said the dark figure.  There are thousands of special people."

"Like who?"

"Well . . . Eartha Kitt, for example."

"Eartha Kitt!  Why is she so special?"

"Well, she has powers like you do?"

Josiah said, "She seems like a strange example.  Isn't the president a
special person with powers, or the Prime Minister of Great Britain."

The dark figure laughed.  "My dear Josiah, no one who is destined for a
political life is special.  Special powers are never granted to those
humans who live by their own selfish ways, those who think of nothing but
their own imagined power, those whose every move in their life is designed
to perpetuate that imagined power and prestige for themselves.  There are
selfless people like yourself who are given the powers.  You don't have to
imagine them.  You have them!"

"You think I'm selfless?" said Josiah.

"Of course you are, Josiah!  Jumping in the path of a speeding bullet to
save someone else's life.  Wouldn't you call that selfless?"

"I guess so."

"Josiah, we've been over all that before.  These tiresome and constant
reassurances I'm always having to give you must stop!"

"Okay."

The dark figure said, "Now you go back in there and tell Brian that you
love him.  Why do I always have to tell you this?  You have the powers.
You know what to do."

"But what good will that do?  He already knows I love him."

"Josiah," the dark figure finally said impatiently, "Do I have to go over
and over with you the power of love?  Your love for Brian is very strong.
And as long as it stays that way . . . and I mean in a selfless way
. . . not a selfish love . . . you'll never lose him.  It doesn't matter
how he's feeling right now.  Your special powers will take care of
everything.  Lie next to him and tell him softly in his ear that you love
him, over and over again.  Oh my!  Do I have to tell you how to do
everything!  Just trust in your powers, my boy.  Must be going now.
Ta-ta!"

Josiah got up and walked slowly back to his room.  He found Brian up and
looking out of the window, his handsome figure silhouetted against the
light from outside, with his broad shoulders and strong arms.  Josiah went
up behind him and, putting his hands on his shoulders, he whispered in his
ear, "Brian, I love . . . ."

Brian suddenly shrugged him off and said, "Maybe we should split up, Josiah
. . . for awhile maybe."

Josiah backed up and sat on the edge of the bed.  He could hardly believe
what he'd just heard.  His so-called 'powers' weren't even given a chance.
With his voice shaking, he said, "Brian, is this something you've been
thinking about?  Have you been thinking about it for awhile?"

"I don't know," said Brian.

Josiah said gently and softly, "That's not much of an answer."

Brian stayed at the window and Josiah sat on the edge of the bed for a long
time without saying anything.

Josiah could feel the tickle of a few tears as they ran down his cheek.  He
thought to himself that this was no time for tears.  He told himself to
stop.  It would only make matters worse.  Brian was obviously troubled
about something, and tears were not going to help either of them.  He lay
flat on the bed.  Maybe if he could go to sleep, he would wake up in the
morning and find that it was just a bad dream.  But he couldn't sleep.

After a long while, Brian lay down without a word, turning his back to
Josiah.  Josiah again remembered what he was told and rolled in close to
Brian.  He whispered in Brian's ear, "I love you, Brian.  I love you.  I
Love you."

Brian had gone to sleep again, but Josiah never stopped.  He whispered, "I
love you.  I love you, over and over again.  He once again lay back and,
this time, felt himself drifting off.

When Josiah awoke, the sun was beaming in on him.  Looking over, he saw
that Brian was already up, and he could hear the shower running in the
bathroom.  Josiah lay there quietly, wondering what Brian would be like, or
what he would say when he came back into the room.

When Brian returned, he looked down at Josiah.  Josiah looked back, but
said nothing.  Brian came over and sat on the side of the bed looking down
at Josiah for a long time.  He didn't smile.  He finally said, "Josiah, I
don't deserve you.  You could do better with someone else."

Still lying there without moving, Josiah said, "What are you talking about,
Brian.  Please tell me what this is all about."

Brian continued to look into Josiah's eyes.  "You're a saint, Josiah.  Your
love is the purest love I have ever known.  Mine isn't pure, Josiah.
You're the only one I love and the only one I have ever loved.  But unlike
yours, my love is ragged and messy.  It's all entangled with lust and
yearning that doesn't always involve you."

Josiah said, "Have you ever . . . ."

"No, Josiah, I've never been with another guy.  That isn't what I mean.
But I sometimes have so much lust in my heart for . . .  you know
. . . others, that it tears me apart to think I have the nerve to go on
accepting and soaking up all that pure love you have to give me.  I see how
you look at me sometimes, with love written all over that dear, sweet face
of yours, and I feel so wretched that I'm harboring these thoughts and
desires secretly inside of me.  Josiah.  You don't deserve that."

For the first time, Josiah saw tears begin to brim up in Brian's eyes.  He
reached up and pulled Brian down onto him and held him tightly.  He
whispered in Brian's ear, "It was Terry, wasn't it?  Do you think I wasn't
attracted to him, also?  You don't have to beat yourself up over the way
your hormones reacted to him.  Who wouldn't react that way with him?"

"It wasn't just him, Josiah.  I go through this all the time.  Every good
looking guy I see, I want.  I would never do it, but the lust and desire
builds up in me and beats on me.  I can't help it.  You're the kind that
can be attracted to someone else, but you don't let it tear you apart.  You
know, Josiah, when Karl was going through all the problem he had, I kept
thinking I'm the same way."

"But you never acted on those desires, Brian.  He did.  And he did it
recklessly without regard for Michael's feelings.  I don't believe it's in
you to do that.  You've obviously been feeling badly about those feelings
of yours, but Karl never did."

"Oh, Josiah, I wanted to admit all this to you so many times, but I knew I
would lose you if I did.  It's true that being with Terry last night sent
me over the edge this time.  I'll always love you, Josiah.  But I don't
expect you to put up with my crazy head.  You don't deserve any of that."

Josiah said softly in Brian's ear, "I love you, Brian.  I love you.  I love
you."

Brian raised his head suddenly and said, "Say that again, Josiah."

"I love you, Brian."

Brian looked at Josiah curiously.  "Those words didn't sound like they came
from your mouth.  They sounded . . . I don't know . . . like they were
spoken with a different voice, like they just came out of the air
somewhere."

"No, they came from me.  They came from my heart, in fact."

Brian just stared at Josiah as though he were looking at a vision, someone
hallowed, saintly, almost God-like.  "What have you done?" Brian said
slowly.  "I know this sounds silly, but I feel almost like some holy person
has just blessed me with his love.  It's crazy."

Brian continued to stare into Josiah's eyes, eyes that sparkled and
glittered in the sunlight.  Kissing Josiah on the lips, he whispered
simply, "You're a Saint, Josiah, and I'll always be yours."


As Josiah and Brian lay in each other's arms, they could hear that Adriano
and Terry were already up and moving around.  Josiah went to the door and
stood there in all his glorious nakedness.  Adriano and Terry, now fully
dressed, were just passing down the hall toward the living room.

"Hi, you guys," Josiah said.  "I hope you had a good sleep.  Or rather
. . . you know what I mean."

As Adriano beamed, Terry said, "Oh, yes, we had a delightful sleep
. . . all half hour of it!"

Still naked, Josiah said, "I'm on my way to the kitchen to get the waffle
iron heating up.  We're going to have waffles this morning.  And we're
going to have some real, honest to goodness maple syrup from New England.
Steve gave me a bottle of it that he has shipped down to him from there
from time to time from some farmer who makes his own."

Adriano and Terry both licked their lips in obvious approval.  As Josiah
walked naked down the hall, Adriano said, "Look at that sweet little ass!
I'd love to take a bite out of each of those little cheeks!"

Terry said, "Well, you chewed on my ass cheeks so much last night, I don't
know if I'm going to be able to sit down this morning!  I twisted around
and looked at them in the mirror this morning, and they're as red as
apples!"

"And they tasted like sweet apples, too!" said Adriano.

Everyone ate heartily, each having two waffles.  Terry said, "Well, I'm not
surprised that Steve has a connection to the best maple syrup in the
country.  He is an absolutely superb cook.  And he's going to make a real
go of that wine and cheese shop of his.  He'd also make a first rate chef
at some fine restaurant.  But I suspect he would rather prepare his meals
for small parties than the operations that go on in restaurants.  You know,
speaking of Steve, he and Caleb seem to be perfect partners.  They are
completely devoted to each other.  They're just different enough to keep
life together from getting boring.  Barker and I were like that to some
extent.  We were often at odds with each other over something or other.
But in spite of that . . . or maybe because of that . . . our love never
faded.  It just kept getting stronger and stronger."

Terry had talked frequently about Barker while he was with Adriano.
Adriano wondered if he could ever hope to measure up.  He wondered if
perhaps he was just being used as a cheap substitute for Barker.  But the
way Terry made love that night, his passion for Adriano seemed sincere.

After everyone said their thank yous and goodbyes, Terry and Adriano drove
over to Francois's to inquire if there might be a position open.  The
restaurant was owned and operated by Francois himself
. . . Francois-Maurice du Maurier.  The restaurant was still closed, but
they could see several waiters inside busily setting tables.  Adriano
knocked on the door, and one of the waiters came to tell them they would
not be open until 4:00 p.m.

Terry straightened up and, speaking with his finest French accent, "I am
here to see Monsieur du Maurier."

"Do you have an appointment, Sir?"

"Why, yes.  I believe I do," came the reply.

"If you care to step in, Sir, and have a seat, I'll go and tell him you're
here."

"Here is my card," said Terry producing a finely printed simple business
card.

Adriano was impressed with Terry's commanding performance.  In a few
moments, a tall, handsome gentleman came out into the dining room, heading
directly toward Terry.  He was all smiles with his hand extended.
"Monsieur Murdock!  It is a pleasure to meet you at last," du Maurier
bubbled in his rather thick French accent.  I am quite familiar with the
Goliad Inn.  In fact, we lost one of our very best chefs to you.  I feel
very fortunate that we are not located close to the Goliad Inn because we
would indeed be competing fiercely with each other.  Won't you please
follow me.  We can talk in my office."

Terry introduced Adriano as a friend of his, a professor at the University.
Adriano immediately excused himself, saying that he had some business to
take care of, but would check back later.

As du Maurier showed Terry to a seat, he said, "May I offer you a coffee?"

"Oui.  Merci!"

"Ah!  You speak French?"

"Oh, yes," replied Terry with assurance.

"Good!" said du Maurier.  "What can I do for you, Monsieur?"

"I'm thinking of relocating to Austin, and I've been making inquiries as to
positions available."

"Have you secured a position yet?"

"Uh . . . no, not yet."

"And you're interested possibly in a position at Francois's?"

"Yes, I would consider a position here, if it were suitable to my
experience."

"Monsieur Murdock, you should not be surprised that there is a very good
reputation connected with your name.  Most of us in this business have
heard of you.  You are known by many as the gentleman who put the Goliad
Inn on the map, so to speak.  Tell me about your background."

Terry Murdock told du Maurier the whole history of his work life.  Then he
said, "If we find ourselves mutually interested in my services, I will be
glad to provide you with my references."

"I don't think that would be necessary," purred du Maurier.  "I will tell
you that we do not have at the moment a head waiter.  The person that
filled that position was terminated about a month ago.  He had become,
shall we say, bothersome to me.  We also lost our sommelier.  He died of
what one might call a case of over-enthusiastic wine tasting.  Poor fellow.
He did know his wines, but a little too well, I'm afraid.  I'm glad to know
that you have worked as an experienced sommelier."

Francois went on to tell Terry about his restaurant, its clientele, the
qualifications of and the training given to its waiters and other
employees, and his expectation concerning the deportment and service
provided by his people.  Then he said, "Would you be interested in the Head
Waiter's position, Monsieur Murdock?  I'm afraid the position would also
involve being the wine steward, the sommelier.  Of course, your
compensation would be appropriate.  My wife and my four sons also work in
the restaurant, but I'm afraid that none of my sons have yet gained the
knowledge and sophistication required for head waiter.  But they're coming
along."

Francois wrote the figure on a piece of paper and shoved it over for Terry
to see.  Terry had to guard against losing his composure as he looked at
it.  "Yes," said Terry.  "That would appear to be appropriate and
satisfactory."

"Well?" said Francois expectantly.

Terry did his best not to appear overly eager and said, "I need to get back
to the Inn this evening.  If you would allow me a day or two to think about
it, I will get back with by phone promptly with my decision.  And of
course, you understand that if the decision is in the affirmative, I will
need to give several weeks notice of my resignation at the Inn."

Francois stood up and extended his hand.  "Of course, Monsieur Murdock!
This meeting has surely been serendipitous.  I hope you will give the offer
serious consideration!"

"You have my word that I will, Monsieur du Maurier.  Good day"

As Terry returned to the sidewalk, he found Adriano leaning against the
outside wall, assessing all the young male passersby.  "Well?"  asked
Adriano eagerly.

"I have the job, Adriano!" said Terry excitedly.  "Not only head waiter,
but also sommelier!  And the salary is almost four times what I'm making in
Goliad!  I'll go back there and call Francois in a couple of days to tell
him I will accept the offer.  Then I'll put in my resignation at the Inn."

"Didn't you tell him you'd accept the job?" asked Adriano.

"Oh, no.  Never let a prospective employer think you're desperate,
especially if you know you are well qualified for the position.  It helps
to raise the ante that way.  I'd better get back now.  Let me drive you
back to Josiah and Brian's place.  I know you have a busy day of classes
and so forth."

As they pulled up to the apartment building, Terry said, "You have made
this one of the happiest two days I have spent.  I'll be in touch with you,
and I hope you will call me, too.  There is something you and I haven't
discussed.  Do you think, when I do move to Austin, that you and I can find
an apartment together.  I mean . . . ."

Adriano leaned over and kissed Terry.  He said, "Terry, that's the whole
point of you coming up here.  It's so we can be together.  And I mean live
together.  I thought you understood that."

"Well, love, I had hoped that to be the case, but we never really said that
in so many words.  I haven't said this to you yet, Adriano.  But I love you
very much.  You've suddenly become everything to me.  Francois talked about
serendipity.  Our meeting at Caleb and Steve's house was also
serendipitous."

Before Adriano left the car, Terry took him in his arms and, as they
hugged, they kissed deeply and passionately.


When the alarm went off, Corky awoke to find Mark sitting up in bed.  "You
look like you've been awake for awhile, Mark.  Why the serious look on your
face?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking about the Joe Thomas case.  Mona Thomas doesn't know
anything, and naturally, we won't get anything out of Jacob.  We need to
talk to more people.  I think we need to go and talk to Joe's teacher.  He
or she might have something useful to say.  Let's head back to Crawford
this morning.  Okay?"

When they arrived at Crawford's elementary school, the clerk in the
Principal's office said, "Joe's teacher was a Mr. Adams.  Classes are just
letting out for morning recess.  You might be able to catch him in his
classroom.  It's Room 118 down at the end of that hall."

When Mark and Corky entered Room 118, they found Mr. Adams seated at his
desk marking papers.

"Mr. Adams?" asked Mark.

"Yes."

"My name is Mark McLeod.  I understand you once had a boy in your class
named Joe Thomas."

Mr. Adams said, "Please, Mr. McLeod, have a seat.  Do you know something
about Joe?"

As Mark squeezed himself into one of the small children's chairs, he said,
"Well, Joe has been missing and no one knows his whereabouts, including his
parents."  Mark announced that he was a private investigator.

"He hasn't shown up for school now for some months," said Mr. Adams, as he
joined Mark and Corky in one of the small chairs.  "We've called his home,
but no one ever answers the phone."

"What can you tell us about Joe?" asked Mark

Mr. Adams said, "Joe was always such a sad little boy.  And he was very
small for his age.  I noticed on many occasions that he had bruises on his
arms and neck.  One day he had a very large swelling on one side of his
face and, on another day, he had a very angry looking black eye.  Once I
noticed that he wanted to stand at the back of the room and wouldn't sit
down, even when I asked him to.  That was the day, Mr. McLeod, when I took
him into the boys' room.  I suspected the worst and asked him to take down
his pants.  I saw that there was blood on his underwear, which was, by the
way very dirty.  It looked as thought he hadn't had clean underwear in
weeks.  And then I saw his little cheeks bruised and red as a beet and
covered with welts.  I asked him how this happened and he started to cry.
I just instinctively knew it had happened at home.  I had seen other
children who had been abused at home."

Mark said, "Did you report what you found?"

"Indeed I did," said Mr. Adams.  "Both the Principal and I reported it to
the juvenile authorities, several times, in fact.  But of course, they did
nothing.  Those people are useless.  Then Joe stopped coming to school.
After several days, I asked the mother of another of my students if she
knew something about Joe.  They live in a small house across the road from
the Thomas's.  She told me that Mrs. Thomas had said that Joe had moved
away to live with another relative.  But she was suspicious that something
else was going on."

"What were her suspicions?" asked Corky.

"She didn't say anything more.  I thing that you probably should talk with
her yourself.  Her name is Mrs. Schroeder, and her son's name is Otto.
Otto's a smart little boy, and very well behaved.  And his mother comes
around here frequently to see how things are going, as a good mother
should.  She's a widow and has very little money.  They live very simply in
a very small house.  You know, that area is pretty run-down.  Here, I'll
write down their address for you.  She's a very good seamstress and does
alterations in her home.  So she is surely to be home when you call on her.

"Thank you, Mr. Adams," said Mark, as he got up to leave.

"Oh, Mr. McLeod," said Mr. Adams.  "Joe was such a sweet little boy.  My
heart ached for him every day.  I wish I could have done more for him.
Would you mind keeping in touch with me if you find out something?"


When Mark and Corky got back in the car, they smiled at each other.  Corky
said, "Did you recognize him?"

Mark said, "I sure did.  On the few occasions we've gone into the El
Jardine , he was tending bar.  It was only on Saturday nights, though.  You
know, those elementary school teachers don't make much money, and he was
probably just supplementing his income by going to San Antonio and working
in a gay bar.  He seemed like a nice and caring sort of person."

"And he was really good looking, too," said Corky.  "He had a very gentle
look about him."

When Mark and Corky arrived at Mrs. Schroeder's house, they found her
tending a very small garden of Marigolds around the front steps.  When they
introduced themselves and asked if they could talk with her about the
Thomases and their son, Joe, she laid down her trowel and invited them
inside.

After Mark told her the purpose of their visit, Mrs. Schroeder said, "I am
so glad to be able to talk to someone about this.  That family is a
terrible family.  Their oldest son, Daryl, left home some time ago.  I have
no idea what happened to him.  I often asked little Joe in for cookies and
milk with my son, Otto.  But he would never do it because he said he wasn't
allowed to go out of his yard.  He was always so bruised and battered, I
knew there was something going on in that house.  But the father was so big
and cruel looking, I was afraid to interfere.  I had visions of his coming
over here and hurting Otto or burning our house down or something."

"Did you see anything else," asked Mark.  "Do you remember the last day you
saw Joe?"

"Yes.  Vividly.  One evening, I saw Jacob dragging poor Joe out of the
house and into the shed on the side.  Joe was screaming.  They were there
for a little while, and then I saw him carrying Joe and putting him in the
cab of the pick-up truck.  And then they drove away.  It was almost
midnight when I heard that truck roar back into the yard.  When I looked
out the window, Jacob was alone when he went into the house."

"Was Joe still screaming when he was carried out to the truck?"

"Well, no, I think he was quiet.  It was getting dark and it was hard for
me see everything really clearly, but I'm pretty sure it was Joe he was
carrying.  That's the last time I ever saw Joe.  I have been so fearful
that something terrible has happened to him."

"Do you ever talk to Mona Thomas?"

"No.  She never seems to be alone when she's home.  There are all these
strange men going in and out."  She shook her head and said, "It's a
terrible family."

Mark said, "Well, Mrs. Schroeder, I can give you one piece of good news.
The older boy, Daryl, is now living with someone who cares for him in a
good home."

"Oh, thank the good Lord for that!" Mrs. Schroeder exclaimed as she clasped
her hands together.

As they got up to leave, Mark said, "Mrs. Schroeder, you've been very kind
. . . and very helpful.  We're going to get to the bottom of this.  And
we'll keep you informed.  Also, if you see or hear anything else that you
think would be helpful to us, please call me.  Here is my card."


As soon as they left, Mark assumed that no one was home in the Thomas house
since there were no cars or trucks parked there.  He drove the car over
into the Thomas's yard.  He and Corky walked over to the shed and saw that
it was padlocked.  Mark took a small tool out of his pocket and easily
picked the lock.

As they entered, Mark said, "Now don't touch anything in here, Corky.  We
just want to look around."

A large automobile engine, partially dismantled, sat up on blocks.  The
workbench along one wall was strewn in a disorderly way with tools of every
kind.  In one corner stood a large fifty-five gallon drum, which was filled
with trash.  Peering into it, Mark saw several dirty rags, but one of them
caught his attention.  A piece of a terrycloth towel had been crammed down
along the side, but enough of it was visible where Mark could see what
appeared to be blood on it.  Taking a flashlight that he found on the
workbench, he took a closer look.  There was no mistake.  The cloth was
soaked through with dried blood.  It had turned dark and brown, indicating
that it had been there for some time.  As he made notes in his pocket
notebook, Corky continued to look around.  Several tire irons lay on the
floor, and a large machete lay on the workbench, along with other assorted
hunting knives.

"I think we have what we need here, Corky," said Mark.  "Let's get over to
the police and see if a search warrant can be issued.  I think it's time
that the police get involved.  They can get in here and impound some of
these things and do some lab work.  You know, fingerprints and blood
analysis."

As they stepped outside and carefully refastened the padlock, Jacob Thomas
suddenly appeared from around the corner of the shed.  Standing there with
his feet apart, he said, "Can I help you, McLeod?"

"Mr. Thomas," said Mark, "I might as well tell you that we are
investigating the disappearance of your son, Joe."

Very calmly and with an uncharacteristic look of innocence on his face,
Jacob said, "I think I told you once, McLeod, that my son is now living
with other relatives.  They move around a lot, and I really have no idea
where they are now, but I'm sure everything is fine.  I think you're
wasting your time on searching for someone who isn't lost at all."

"You may be right, Mr. Thomas," said Mark, relieved that this unexpected
confrontation was not a violent one.  "We just have a few more things we'd
like to check out to be sure.  I hope you won't mind our checking back with
you again, Mr. Thomas."

Jacob continued to wear his innocent expression and said, "Why of course,
McLeod.  Whatever I can do to help clear this up, just let me know."

As Mark and Corky were getting into the car, Mark looked back and found
that Jacob's expression had changed to one of violent rage.


Comments?  Please write me!

Tom Borden
Tombor99@yahoo.com