Crash and Burn
Chapter 22 – Deliver Us from Evil
Bicky frowned as he neared the main school gates and recognised the tall blond outside, leaning against a dark green Buick. "Ryo?" he said, the frown seeping into his voice, "What are you doing here and whose is that car?"
Ryo held his hands up to halt Bicky's questioning. "I haven't got time to explain. I have to go and see Principal Riley…."
Bicky cut him off before he could finish. "Look, if this is to do with that fight this morning then he's got it all wrong! I didn't start it, I was just defending myself!"
"No, it wasn't about that but thanks for telling me," Ryo replied, glaring at the boy he was constantly trying to keep on the straight and narrow. "Just get in the car and I'll be back in a minute."
Bicky looked past Ryo and into the car, seeing Dee in the passenger seat and a large holdall in the back. "Are we going somewhere, Ryo?" he asked, a look of uncertainty replacing his usual expression of teenage defiance.
"Bicky. The car." Ryo said, gesturing to the vehicle impatiently before he softened slightly. "You're not in trouble, honestly."
Seemingly satisfied with this reassurance, Bicky did as he was told before Ryo headed off towards the school for his meeting with the principal.
Having phoned earlier, the man in question was waiting for him as Ryo was shown into his office. Principal Riley was a short moustached man, with steely eyes hidden behind small metal-framed spectacles. His hair, long turned grey, was cut into a sharp style reminiscent of a military buzz-cut and Ryo suspected from his firm handshake and no nonsense attitude that he was indeed ex-army. Certainly, what the man lacked in height, he made up for in physical presence.
"Please, have a seat," the older man said, gesturing to the free chair across the desk from his own. Once he was seated, he tented his fingers and looked over at Ryo. "Now Mr McLain, what can I do for you?"
"I appreciate you seeing me at such short notice," Ryo said, placing his hands in his lap, "but I'm afraid it's a matter of extreme urgency. Unfortunately I'm going to have to take Bicky out of school for the next two weeks at least."
Principal Riley arched one bushy eyebrow, completing his frown. "May I ask why?" he said indicating that he would not agree to such a request without a damn good reason.
Ryo nodded, knowing the other man's interest was not unreasonable. He'd enrolled Bicky in the school because of Principal Riley's reputation as being a firm but fair educator who insisted on the highest standards from his staff, students and their parents, and taking Bicky out of school for two weeks mid-term would certainly be frowned upon.
"My partner is involved in a court case where there is a serious threat of witness intimidation. We've been told to accept police protection until the trial is over and that will involve being moved to a secret location. I know it's highly disruptive to Bicky's schooling and I'm prepared to take any work he has and ensure he does it, but this is an issue of serious personal safety and I'm not prepared to put my family at risk."
Ryo watched as Principal Riley weighed this up for a moment before he sighed wearily. "I don't think I have any choice but to agree to your request, but I must say Mr McLain, that your lifestyle in general concerns me. Bicky is a… well, a difficult young man who needs a stable home life if he is to overcome the adverse lessons of his early years."
He didn't say any more; he didn't need to. The message was there, loud and clear. Once Ryo would have blushed profusely at anyone alluding to his sexual orientation but now he just felt incensed.
"With all due respect Principal, Bicky is part of a loving, stable home life, irrespective of the fact that my partner is male. Bicky was consulted before Dee moved in with us; in fact it was he that suggested that I ask him in the first place. Dee also understands Bicky much better than I do; he was also an orphan who lived a similar life to Bicky and I think that kind of empathy is invaluable." He paused and fixed the older man with a hard stare. "I'm well aware of the concerns surrounding same sex parenting but I can assure you, I would have never embarked on any relationship, be it hetero or homosexual that would have been detrimental to my son. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can find a different school…"
"Now that's not necessary," Principal Riley replied, holding up his hands in a gesture of placation. "And I apologise if I offended you, but Bicky does continue to be a source of disruption in class. I'm led to believe he was involved in a fight just this morning, which he started because he thought the other boy had 'looked at him wrong'."
"I'm aware of that," Ryo said, "And I can assure you Bicky will be punished accordingly for his part in it."
Principal Riley nodded, sensing Ryo's similar sense of discipline. "Good, now if you'll excuse me, I'll just contact the faculty lounge to see if any of Bicky's teachers can provide him with some work."
"Thank you," Ryo said, relieved that the older man had not agreed that he should find another school. "I'd appreciate that."
A mere five minutes after Principal Riley had made the call there was a knock at the door. "Come in," he instructed to the teacher he could see through the pane of frosted glass. The female educator smiled at Ryo as she entered the room with an armful of books and papers.
"Here's some work from the teachers that hadn't left already," she said to the principal. "There are written instructions for each of the assignments."
"Thank you Miss Collins; that will be all."
Once the teacher had gone, Principal Riley informed Ryo that he would explain Bicky's prolonged absence by sickness. Grateful for the grudging support, Ryo thanked the older man and left, collecting up Bicky's books before heading out to the car.
As he reached their rental car, Ryo could see Bicky hanging out of the window, his eyes bulging. "Ryooooooo!" he hollered, as Dee sat in the front, smoking a cigarette and pointedly ignoring the boy in the back. "Is lunkhead telling the truth? Are we really going away for two weeks?"
Ryo glared at him as he opened the trunk and dropped the books in amongst the possessions he and Dee had hurriedly packed after the investigators had left. Climbing into the driver's seat, he offered Dee a quick smile before he turned his attention to his adopted son in the back. "You're grounded, Bicky. How many times have I told you about fighting?"
"Whaaaa?" the boy protested. "You said I wasn't in trouble!"
"I know, you weren't but you are now."
As Ryo turned to put his seatbelt on, Bicky thrust his head between the seats. "Dee! Come on, reason with him! You said you'd have hit the guy too!"
Ryo looked at Dee who feigned a look of innocence as he flicked his cigarette butt out the window. "I think you must have misheard me, lunkhead," he said to the boy who growled in frustration before flopping back into his seat in a huge show of petulance.
"Okay," Ryo said, putting the key in the ignition and glancing across at Dee. "You've got the directions?"
"Uh huh," the other man replied, duly waving a piece of paper, hastily collected from the precinct before they'd come to collect Bicky. Drake had agreed to act as their conduit; being the only person who knew their location, both inside work and out. Ryo had rung his aunt and Dee had rung Penguin to let them know they would be away but neither man disclosed their destination, as per the rules of the witness protection programme. Dee had also contacted Polly, to inform her that their therapy sessions would have to cease temporarily. The psychiatrist had been concerned, but had understood that they were acting for reasons of personal safety. She'd implored Dee to contact her any time, day or night, if he needed to talk and he'd thanked her before promising that he would do just that if he felt he wasn't coping.
After the necessary phone calls had been made, Ryo had gone and hired a car before returning for Dee and loading their belongings into the vehicle, registered of course in a false name. With Bicky's schooling sorted out, they were ready to leave; to journey to the safe house located at least four hour's drive from New York City. Drake had deliberately chosen a rural location, knowing the two men would probably value the peace away from the madness of the city. He also figured there'd be less chance of them being recognised, and compromising their safety as a result.
They drove non-stop until they reached their destination; a small sparsely populated town called Clearwater. They had felt it best to do the journey in one go, to minimise the risk of being seen and so when they finally reached the police-owned mountain lodge, Ryo was desperately in need of sleep and Bicky was complaining loudly about needing the bathroom.
The secluded dwelling was set half way up a mountain trail, with the nearest neighbours being almost half a mile away. Tall evergreen trees surrounded the timber building and sheer serenity of the area was the stuff of picture postcards. Eager to cease the boy's grumbling, Ryo let him into the house, turning off the intruder alarm before Bicky raced past him to find the toilet. As Ryo went back outside, Dee was climbing from the car, leaning on his crutches as he studied his home for the next couple of weeks.
"What d'you think?" Ryo asked, coming up behind his lover and encircling his slim waist.
"It's nice," Dee replied, although Ryo couldn't help but notice that he sounded slightly dubious. "Very… rustic."
Ryo had to laugh, knowing that Dee's response came from him being a city boy at heart. He leaned his chin on Dee's shoulder as they studied the view from their magnificent hillside position, watching as birds darted in and out of the trees, calling to each other as if engaged in an airborne game of chase. There were other animals sounds too, not readily identified by the two city dwellers, and whilst Dee looked edgy at living so close to nature, Ryo was determined to embrace the peace and solitude for all it was worth.
"So beautiful," the blond murmured, transfixed by how fiery the sun looked as it descended to the west.
"Why thank you," Dee replied, grinning as he turned his head so that he could see his lover out of the corner of his eye. "I guess moisturising every day pays off."
Ryo chuckled as he reached down and gave Dee's ass a playful squeeze. The dark haired man squirmed but couldn't escape with Ryo's other arm still wrapped around his waist and he only succeeded in twisting around so that he was facing his smiling lover. The natural conclusion to them standing nose to nose was to kiss, and they did just that; lips meeting gently at first before passion and desire egged them on.
"Mmmmmm," Dee murmured as Ryo went to work on the sensitive flesh of his neck as he leaned against the side of the car. "I reckon we could have the bonnet of this Buick polished in no time."
Ryo stopped nibbling and looked up at him, his dark eyes wide. "Out here?" he said in disbelief, despite the rather attractive image it created in his mind.
Dee offered him a deeply sexy smile as his hand ghosted across the growing bulge in Ryo's trousers. "I'm sure all the critters wouldn't mind," he said, adopting the husky tones that Ryo found irresistible.
Still pressed up against Dee's body, Ryo opened his mouth to respond before the door creaked open behind him.
"Knock it off you two!" Bicky complained, stepping out onto the porch and eyeing the two men before he rolled his eyes in disgust. "You're scaring the wildlife."
Ryo blushed as Dee scowled; each reacting to the unwelcome reminder that they were not alone. "Oh God, Bicky," Ryo muttered; crimson-cheeked as the boy disappeared back inside the house. When he heard Dee chuckle he turned back round to face the other man. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"You," Dee replied, "You were really gonna have sex with me then, weren't you? You'd forgotten your own son was here too!"
Ryo blushed even harder at Dee's perceptiveness. "Don't be so ridiculous," he huffed as he pulled away from Dee and went to open the trunk to remove their belongings. He grabbed the two largest bags and set off towards the house with Dee's laughter still ringing in his ears.
The cabin-style house was built on one storey with large open plan rooms and two double bedrooms. The centrepiece of the main living area was a huge stone fireplace, which rose imposingly into the beamed ceiling in the corner of the room. Set off by a sumptuous fur rug, it was the perfect setting for a fortnight's worth of cosy nights in had Bicky not been present, Dee thought darkly as he followed his lover inside the well-maintained property.
As Ryo set the bags down, Dee limped past him to check out the bedrooms. In one, Bicky was already sprawled on the double bed, his eyes closed as he listened to the music piped directly into his ears via his headphones. Dee shook his head at the din emanating from the earpieces before he turned and moved across the hallway into the other room. The second bedroom was slightly larger than the first with a king size bed that faced out onto an awe-inspiring view of their mountainside location. Drake had deliberately picked this safe house in the hope that the tranquillity of the place would aid his colleague's recovery, and Dee was reminded again how lucky he and Ryo were to have friends like Drake and Ted, that were so concerned for his welfare.
He drew himself from his reverie as he heard someone approaching and turned to see Ryo entering the room with their bags. The blond detective smiled at Dee, then studied the room appreciatively before he unzipped the first holdall and started to pull out the clothes and take them over to the dresser.
"Leave it," Dee said seeing Ryo's tired face, having just driven for four hours solid. "What's a few creased clothes? Let's get something to eat and get to bed. We can do all that tomorrow."
Ryo lowered the sweatshirt he was about to fold and nodded. "Sure," he replied, "I guess it can wait." He suddenly looked at his watch and frowned. "You should have eaten about an hour ago," he said, looking at Dee.
He expected his lover to protest but Dee nodded silently, also anxious not to get out of his new routine. Although he hadn't said anything to Ryo, he'd been a little worried about being so far away from the hospital and Dr Stephens, his specialist. His condition was still pretty new to him and he'd yet to experience an attack of either hyper or hypo glycaemia when his blood sugar level was either too high or too low. Both he and Ryo knew the symptoms but the thought of having to deal with such a situation with no professionals on hand was quite a daunting prospect.
"Fine," Dee said, heading back towards the door. "Food, then bed it is."
They ate a light meal with the supplies Ryo had packed from home. In the morning, Ryo announced that he would go shopping, to pick up provisions to last them as long as possible to reduce the number of trips he had to make away from the house. Drake had provided them with details of shopping facilities when he had given Ryo the map to the safe house. There was a small store in the town of Clearwater itself but Ryo intended to make the slightly longer journey to the out of town, big name food store to avoid having to answer any inquisitive store clerk's questions about what had brought them to the isolated town. Once Ryo had recorded Dee and Bicky's requests on his groceries list and they had debated how they would spend the following day, they retired to bed to recharge their batteries.
Despite the slow pace of life at the house in Clearwater, the days elapsed with surprising speed, until an entire week had passed. With very little to do in the isolated cabin, the two men and the teenager spent their days watching television and reading. There had been an item on the news not long after they'd first arrived, stating that Henry Goldsmith had been taken in for questioning, relating to the allegations made against him by the two suspects.
Several days after that, Drake contacted them with the chilling news that their apartment had been broken into and ransacked. The information came as a huge blow to the recovering detective, especially when Ryo had felt Dee seemed to be coping well with the sudden upheaval of being moved to a safe house. For the first time since they had arrived, Dee had called Polly, spending almost an hour talking to her whilst shut away in their bedroom. He had emerged, still very subdued and his enduring low mood had worried Ryo for a good twenty four hours until they received word that some of the guys from the precinct had pulled together on their day off to put the apartment back in order for when they returned. This touching show of goodwill seemed to reaffirm Dee's faith in humanity and he slowly returned to a better frame of mind as the days passed.
With so much time for reflection, Ryo had started to keep a diary, having seen the small spiral bound notebook when he had gone to buy provisions. He'd kept a diary for many years as a teenager; this habit ceasing very abruptly when his parents had been murdered and he'd no longer felt able to put words to his shattered feelings. Somehow, it felt right to start one again and he wrote in it daily, finding the experience deeply cathartic.
Bicky had also proved to be surprisingly good for Dee. The boy seemed uncannily responsive to the dark haired man's feelings; knowing when Dee could be pulled from his brooding and when it was best to leave him alone. Sometimes Ryo mused, as he watched his lover and his son playing basketball in the secure back yard, Bicky seemed better at dealing with Dee in his unsettled state than he was.
Almost the full fortnight had passed when Drake called to say that the trial would officially be starting the day after next. Ryo had immediately been prepared to pack up and come back but the other detective persuaded him to stay away for a couple of days longer, until Dee was actually needed in court. The media frenzy had started up afresh and the remaining days before Dee had to testify were likely to be the most dangerous if Goldsmith was to try anything. Seeing the logic in Drake's words, Ryo agreed to stay put for the time being.
The day before they were due to leave, the better weather they'd been having suddenly changed, with the rain lashing down from the moment they awoke. Their supplies were virtually non-existent since they'd been expecting to leave two days earlier and Ryo was forced to brave the downpour to provide Dee with the well balanced meals he needed to maintain his blood sugar levels. Dee had grumbled about him going in such atrocious weather but Ryo had firmly reminded him it was a necessity, leaving Bicky to distract the other man with endless videogames until he returned.
When there was a slight break in the deluge, Ryo took his chance and set off in the hired Buick, promising the two at the house that he wouldn't be long. The sodden mountain trail was lethal as he navigated some of the sharper bends and the grim faced detective hoped that the rain would cease before they had to leave the day after. Deciding that he didn't want to drive too far with such poor visibility, Ryo opted for the small store in Clearwater to pick up their last lot of provisions. He figured as they were leaving tomorrow, it wouldn't matter if the clerk asked too many questions.
As he rounded a particularly tight corner not far from their cabin, he had to swerve sharply as a large four wheel drive vehicle came around the bend on his side of the road. It was travelling far too fast for the current weather conditions and Ryo swore as he fought to regain control of his own vehicle as the black jeep sped off around the next bend.
"Damn locals," he growled, attributing the other driver's stupid speed to someone who thought they knew the roads well enough. He was glad therefore when twenty minutes later, he finally reached the store, shutting off the engine and saying a mental thank you to whatever higher being had allowed him to reach the town in one piece. He ran the short distance from the car, still managing to get extremely wet before he entered the store; his arrival heralded by the tinkling of a bell positioned above the door. Like one of Pavlov's dogs, the store clerk appeared at once, his expression immediately brightening on seeing that his customer was a new face.
"Well hi there, young fella," he said, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "You picked a helluva day to do a bit of shoppin'!"
Ryo smiled at the genial old man, inwardly chuckling at this stereotypical image of small town life as he glanced around, trying to decide what to buy. "Yeah, it really is coming down," he agreed, frowning at the sight of the rain bouncing high off the dirt track road.
"You stayin' up in the hills?" the old guy asked, lowering himself into his chair behind the cash register as he continued to watch Ryo intently.
"Yeah," Ryo replied as he grabbed some tins and a carton of milk and brought them over to the counter. He set off back for more provisions as the store clerk lit up a hand rolled cigarette.
"You here for a holiday?" he asked, his tone still light and conversational.
Ryo returned to the counter with the last of his goods. "Something like that," he replied vaguely. He looked up to see the clerk's bushy eyebrows knit together into a frown.
"Say, you're not staying with another guy and a young boy are ya?" the man said, as he started to key the prices into the battered looking cash register.
He caught the look on Ryo's face as the other man froze. "It's just some guy was in a little earlier. Said he was a friend of yours and he wasn't sure whereabouts you were staying and he needed to get an urgent message to you. Since most of those cabins belong to regular townsfolk, I think I probably sent him to the right place."
"What did he look like?" Ryo asked numbly, hoping beyond hope that the old man would provide a perfect description of Drake, since he was the only one who knew their location.
The clerk scratched his ragged beard again. "Tall, black hair, kind of a crooked nose. Looked like he could have been a boxer if you know what I mean."
Ryo nodded, frantically scanning his brain for someone, friend of course, who looked like that but coming up blank. "Sir?" he asked, trying to remain calm "Where is the nearest police department?"
The man thumbed further down the mountain. "'Bout another twenty minutes drive away but the Sheriff lives over on the next street. I can give you his address."
"Thank you," Ryo said gratefully as he paid for the items he'd bought and started to shove them in whatever pockets he could find free, his heart pounding as his instincts told him something was very, very wrong.
TBC…