Tyler Calloway Investigates: Volume I

[arogersb]

Tyler Calloway Investigates
VOLUME I

Murder, Sex and Mystery in High School


Author’s Note:​

The Tyler Calloway trilogy will consist of three volumes (duh!), each following roughly a year in the life of the title character. The volumes will each have a self-contained mystery, with Tyler’s love life being the thread connecting them. For this volume, the story is narrated in the third person, with the exception of Tyler’s italicized “voiceovers”. Each chapter will begin with a flashback, while its second part is set in the present.

My debt of gratitude to the detective genre, in particular (but not limited to) the American television series “Veronica Mars”, the first season of which has greatly inspired this volume.

Disclaimers: The characters and settings in this story are completely fictional, and any resemblance to real persons or locales is purely coincidental. Being a detective series, it goes without saying that there will be a certain degree of violence. And being a gay detective series, there will of course be sex, always involving characters aged 18 and above. Do not read further if you are not of legal age to do so, or if you are offended by gay elements. The author retains the copyright to this work.

~ Chapter 1 ~​

'If there was ever a moment that defined bliss, this was it,' thought Tyler Calloway. He giggled as he felt his lover’s tongue dive in between his legs.

“Stop that! You’re going to make me cum,” he scolded.

Roman Monroe looked up from his ministrations, a dark eyebrow cocked in amusement. “And that would be a bad thing because …?”

Tyler leaned forward and whispered, “Because I don’t want to just yet.” He gently brushed his lips against his boyfriend’s.

With a wicked grin, Roman replied, “Unfortunately, I claim superiority of age over youth to decide whether you get to cum or not.”

“Bastard,” muttered Tyler, good-humoredly. The age difference between them was just eight months. He sunk back into the pillows with a sigh of contentment as Roman’s warm mouth enveloped his throbbing erection. Roman’s right hand reached with practiced ease for the bedside drawer and found what it was looking for.

Tyler was lost in the incredible sensations on his cock when a cold, lube-coated finger prodded his asshole. He came out of his daze with a gasp. Roman moved his finger about with seeming laziness, but each move was really calculated to bring Tyler even closer to the edge. Tyler moaned and grabbed fistfuls of Roman’s wavy black hair as his lover added another finger to his ass.

Needless to say, Roman’s skilled attentions soon had their desired effect. Tyler’s whole body shuddered as he reached orgasm. Though he had been prepared for the climax, Roman’s eyes nevertheless widened in surprise at the volume of cum Tyler managed to produce. Despite his best efforts to swallow it all, some of it escaped him and dribbled down his chin.

“Whew!” Roman flopped down on his back next to Tyler, who was also struggling to catch his breath. “How the fuck did you shoot so much? Anybody would’ve thought you hadn’t cum in ages.”

“Ah,” said Tyler with a wicked glint in his eye, “but that’s the advantage –”

Roman, having a good idea where this was heading, warned, “Don’t you dare complete that sentence.”

“Youth has over age!” Tyler yelled, attempting his getaway a moment too late. His boyfriend pounced on him and they tumbled to the bed in a tangle of sweaty, flailing limbs.

Tyler’s compact build was no match for Roman’s athletic six-foot-three frame. He soon found himself pinned under his lover, his face pressed sideways against a pillow.

“Alright, I give up,” he panted.

“Admit it,” ordered Roman, poking him in the small of his back with his knee.

“Age always has superiority over youth,” croaked Tyler.

“Hmm. And do you surrender as forfeit your ass?” Tyler wouldn’t have had much choice in the matter, given the position he was in, but Roman liked playing the gentleman. Especially when he knew Tyler wasn’t going to disagree with the “forfeit” he had to pay.

“Yes” was the mumbled reply. Roman needed no further encouragement. He tore open a condom wrapper with his teeth and pulled the latex over his cock, which was already hard from their playful wrestle. With that done, he positioned himself behind Tyler and prepared to thrust into him.

Tyler arched his back at the pain of the initial penetration, but Roman quickly wrapped his arms around Tyler’s torso and pulled him close. Tyler immediately relaxed and began to get into the rhythm of their fuck, bucking his hips to meet Roman’s thrusts.

* * * * *​

Some time later, when they were both spent, Tyler snuggled up to Roman. The day’s sexual escapades had worked their toll on him, and he mumbled, “I’m so sleepy.” He closed his eyes.

Roman turned over on his side to look at him. “Hey, you can’t go to sleep now. Your mom’s going to wonder where you’ve gotten to.”

“Just a short nap, I promise,” said Tyler drowsily.

Roman sighed and shook his head indulgently. “Alright, I’ll wake you in a bit.” He gently stroked Tyler’s hair. Tyler closed the gap between them, enjoying the warmth of the older boy’s body.

“I love you, Romey,” he mumbled.

Roman started, his hand hovering over Tyler’s blond head. He stared at the sleeping boy with an unreadable expression on his face. Then, very quietly, he replied, “I love you too, Ty.”

Tyler stirred in his sleep but didn’t wake. Roman carefully drew the blanket over his naked body before getting himself settled comfortably against the headboard. He didn’t take his eyes off the clock, although his mind was a million miles away as he pondered the words he had just uttered to his sleeping boyfriend, and how much truth there was in them.


Whoever said life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope was right. In the all-too-brief time I dated Roman Monroe I experienced the entire spectrum of emotions – the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. When I was with him I was on cloud nine. And when our relationship came to an end – and in that brutal way – I didn’t think I could sink any further into the depths of despair, from which I imagined I’d never recover. But it’s always amazing how life throws you for a loop when you least expect it, and that’s exactly what happened one fall day, when Fate came knocking on my closed door.


“Hi, do you mind if I sit here?”

Tyler looked up to see the smiling face of a guy he didn’t recognize. Black hair framed an angular face with somewhat mischievous green eyes. The stranger’s pale complexion, untouched by the California sun, hinted at a recent move to the Golden State, a fact further confirmed by his Boston accent. If the megawatt smile hadn’t pissed him off, Tyler might have considered the stranger handsome.

“Actually, I do mind.”

The stranger’s smile faltered at the vehemence of Tyler’s reply. Hesitantly he said, “There isn’t anywhere else –”

Tyler didn’t have to look around to know that the other tables were full, and his was the only one with a single occupant. “Do I look like I care? Sit on the floor if you have to.”

The other guy’s smile flickered and died. There was a definite lack of warmth in his tone as he retorted, “You know what, I don’t need your permission to sit here. I was just being polite.” He set his tray firmly down on the table opposite Tyler.

Tyler groaned under his breath. “Look, you’re obviously new around here. Or you’d know that sitting here is social suicide.”

The stranger blinked, coldness giving way to confusion. “Wha– why?”

Tyler sighed in frustration. “It just is. Now will you go before you get yourself – and me – into trouble?”

“But –” The stranger didn’t get to finish his sentence. A hand clamped down on Tyler’s left shoulder, hard. Tyler winced at the crushing strength of the grip as he thought to himself, ‘Too late’.

“Tyler, it’s nice to see you making friends.” The tall, dark-haired boy with his hand on Tyler’s shoulder had a booming voice which made all chatter at the surrounding tables cease. He turned his falsely cheery smile towards Tyler’s companion. “I don’t think we’ve met?” he said, extending his free hand.

The other boy shook it cautiously. He might have been new, but the recent arrival’s obvious clout did not escape his notice. Two lackeys stood on either side of him. “Stephen O’Connor. I just moved here from Boston.”

“Stephen, I’m Curtis Monroe. Because you’re new here, you probably didn't know any better, and I bet Tyler here didn’t warn you about sitting with him.”

Stephen looked confused and wary. “But why shouldn’t I sit with him?”

Curtis gave a short bark of laughter and turned to his silent minions. “Did you hear that guys? He wants to know why he shouldn’t sit with Tyler Calloway.” He turned back and jerked Tyler’s head up by the hair. “Do you want to tell him, Tyler?”

Stephen stared in shock. At Tyler’s lack of response Curtis sneered, “I thought not. So I’ll tell you, Stephen. This bastard here’s the reason my brother is dead. Isn’t that the truth?” He jerked harder on Tyler’s hair.

“Yes,” said Tyler in barely a whisper. Stephen was speechless. Curtis let go of his head and brushed off his hands disgustedly before facing Stephen again.

“So Stephen, if you still want to hang out with Tyler here, well … that’s up to you. But I wouldn’t advise it.” He turned to go, then paused and picked up Tyler’s glass of apple juice. “Oh, and by the way, were you planning on having this, Tyler?”

Without taking his eyes off the tray Tyler nodded.

“You can have it then,” said Curtis, and turned the glass upside down over Tyler’s head. Tyler sputtered as the juice ran through his hair and down his face.

“Jesus Christ!” Stephen, looking outraged, tried to get to his feet. One of Curtis’s minions forcefully pushed him back down.

Curtis seemed amused. “Don’t waste your energy defending this piece of shit. You’ll find he isn’t worth it.” With a final smack to the back of Tyler’s head, he walked off with his lackeys in tow.

“Jesus,” said Stephen in disbelief, watching them go. He turned to Tyler. “Why’d you let him do that to you, man?”

Tyler didn't reply and continued instead dabbing furiously at his face with a sodden napkin. Stephen silently handed him the dry one from his tray.

“Thanks,” mumbled Tyler. Then he looked up. “Why are you still here?”

“Because … that guy just …” Words failed Stephen.

“Look, you aren’t used to it but that’s kind of the way things are around here. Or at least the way they’ve been since …” Tyler’s voice trailed off and he swallowed. “But all you need to do to stay on Curtis’s good side is to keep away from me.” He mustered a smile. “That shouldn’t be so hard, right?”

Stephen exploded. “He shouldn’t be allowed to treat you that way. Why’d you just take it?”

Tyler sighed. “Because it was a lot better than what he can do. I don’t want to spend a week in hospital now, do I?”

“Jesus Christ,” breathed Stephen.

“Will you stop saying that?”

Stephen ignored him. “Haven’t you told the principal or someone about this?”

Tyler grinned humorlessly. “Didn’t you hear his introduction? It’s in his surname. Monroe, as in Monroe Industries. His dad pretty much employs the town.”

Pieces of the puzzle clicked in Stephen’s mind. “His brother, the one he said it was your fault …”

Tyler’s face completely lost all emotion. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He started gathering his things.

“Hey, wait up –” Stephen grabbed Tyler’s hand. Tyler swung around to look down at it, and then shrugged off Stephen’s grip.

He gave a small smile and said, “It was nice of you to try and stand up for me, but really, next time, you shouldn’t. In fact, it’s probably better if we never talked again.”

With that he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked away, leaving a confused Stephen standing alone in the schoolyard.

To be continued …​

Okay that’s it for the first installment. I know it’s kind of short and not much revealed but I was basically just trying to set the scene for the story to come. I’m going to try my best to make this “interactive”, i.e. giving the reader a chance to figure out the culprit, but bear in mind this is my first attempt and I probably won’t be any good at it. A quick note here, unlike the “heroes” of my previous stories, Tyler has a bit of a dark side to him, which you’ll discover as the series progresses. As always, do let me know what you think – compliments and criticism both welcomed – since feedback is the most important resource for an author. Thank you!

P.S. I probably won’t be updating this story as regularly as I did for my previous stories. I am on vacation at the moment but I’ve got to use most of the time to prepare for my exams (they count substantially towards my degree!) so this will only be a spare-time hobby.

 

[hardreader]

A quick note here, unlike the “heroes” of my previous stories, Tyler has a bit of a dark side to him, which you’ll discover as the series progresses.

This story looks like it could be quite interesting. Being a mystery, and therefore something I'll be trying to unravel as I read, I hope the chapters aren't too far apart. We don't want you flunking out of school, but . . .

And one last thing: You don't need to tell us tidbits like Tyler will show a darker side. We'll discover it and enjoy the discovery all the more for having found it ourselves. I'm sure there will be much else to discover as well and I for one am looking forward to it.

 

[Craiger]

I am so please to see you back and starting another story. And I won't agree with you on your " I probably won’t be any good at it" statement. You have always done well and I am sure you will again.

This promises to be quite an interesting endeavor and I certainly look forward to reading more.

Craiger

 

[shaff2525]

another great story you have me hooked like all your other stories. you are a very good writer!

 

[smile86]

i've been looking foward to this it sounds like Tyler is a very interesting guy and just from your first chapter you've already got us thinking.

 

[harry113]

Thanks Justin, interesting first chapter.
Awaiting more!
Harry

 

[charmedones_p3]

i really enjoyed this story i can not wait for more. On a side note i love Veronica Mars.

 

[arogersb]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I’m not quite into the swing of writing this story yet, hence the short length of the chapters. Also, I haven’t been able to fit in flashbacks to this chapter (it seemed very out of place) so what we have is happening completely in the present. More details of the case are presented here, so get your detective notebooks out and start making that list of suspects

~ Chapter 2 ~​

“So do you usually find trouble, or does trouble find you?”

Stephen jumped at the sound of the voice behind him. As he whirled around, he found himself face-to-face with a fellow student, something that didn’t happen very often because Stephen tended to tower over everyone else. “Jesus Christ! You startled me, Rick.”

Richard Webb peered at him through rimless glasses, his brown hair sticking out at odd angles like it had never seen a comb before. He said with a grin, “Good Catholic boys shouldn’t use the Lord’s name in vain,” he said.

Stephen glared at him. “Very funny.” Rick was one of the very first people Stephen had met upon starting at Salmon Chase High. “I’m surprised to see you out of your natural habitat,” he retorted, referring to the school’s computer lab, where Rick was usually to be found. 'The Webbmater' was a well-earned nickname.

Rick ignored him and nodded instead in the direction of the blond-haired boy who was disappearing around a corner of the school building. “Do you usually find trouble, or does it always find you?” he repeated.

“What, Tyler? He seems nice enough,” began Stephen, but he wasn’t given the chance to finish.

“Oh, he’s nice alright, and darned cute to boot. But I was referring to the situation you got yourselves into with Curt Monroe.” Rick shook his head solemnly. “Not a good idea to piss him off.”

“I didn’t piss him off!” Stephen protested hotly. “He just came over and started laying into Tyler, which is when I saw red. If he hadn’t had those two goons with him –”

Rick laughed. “Very chivalrous of you, but I’m sure Tyler told you he didn’t want your gallant help.”

Stephen stared at Rick. “Yes, but how did you –”

“Tyler does that to everyone,” explained Rick. “Get close enough, and he’ll run a mile. Been like that ever since the Roman incident.”

For a brief moment Stephen was perplexed, wondering what had happened in Rome, until he recalled that the murdered Monroe heir had been named Roman. He asked, “So how exactly did Tyler know Roman Monroe?”

Rick raised his eyebrows and stated, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world, “They were dating, of course.”

Stephen’s eyes fairly popped out of his head. He’d had a vague suspicion that Tyler might be gay – the pretty blond look probably had something to do with that – but it was the other half of what the statement implied that surprised him. “Roman was gay?”

Rick shrugged and corrected Stephen. “He was bisexual. Not that you’d know, reading the news reports about the crime.” He started walking towards the school building, and Stephen followed at the same pace. “The Monroes were pretty intent on keeping that fact out of the papers. And when that family wants something to happen in this town, it usually does.”

Stephen looked puzzled. “But why?”

Rick let out a sigh. “Roman was the golden child, everyone’s it boy. Class president, led the basketball team to victory in the regional finals, won a scholarship to Yale – not that he needed one, mind you – you name it, Roman did it. His decision to, er, switch teams, was like a slap in the face, not only for his family, but the whole school. And with Tyler Calloway …” Rick’s voice trailed off and he shook his head.

“What’s wrong with Tyler?”

“Nothing’s wrong with him. It’s just … well, Tyler comes from a single-parent home. His dad died when he was little, and his mom works 24/7 at the University Hospital to make ends meet. Compare that to Roman’s family: his dad’s a billionaire industrialist and his mom’s an heiress to the Anderson fortune. And to top it all off, guess who Roman used to date before Tyler?”

“Who?” asked Stephen obligingly, because Rick was clearly playing for his audience.

“Sophie Wainwright,” answered Rick. Stephen sucked in his breath. He might have been new to the school, but even he had noticed Sophie who was easily the prettiest and most popular girl in Salmon Chase High.

Rick continued, ignoring the sharp intake of breath. “The Wainwrights might not make the Forbes Rich list like Warren Monroe does, but they’re pretty well off. They live just down the road from the Monroes on Miracosta Drive,” he said, naming the city’s wealthiest and most idyllic suburb.

“Hold on, I live on that drive!” interjected Stephen, surprised to learn that the Monroes and Wainwrights might be his neighbors.

“I know,” said Rick calmly, not at all surprised by this piece of information. “I processed your admissions form, remember?” In fact, that had been how they’d first met. Rick’s IT skills were very much in demand, even by the principal’s office, where one of his extra-curricular activities was maintaining the school’s electronic database.

Making a mental note that any private information stored on the school database wasn’t safe from Rick, Stephen said, “I bet Sophie didn’t take the breakup well. I assume they did break up before he stared dating Tyler?”

“Oh yes, they did break up,” confirmed Rick, “but it was only a couple of days before Roman put the moves on Ty. He claimed to be fulfilling long-buried desires.” Stephen sensed sarcasm in that comment. “But Sophie didn’t seem particularly angry at the breakup, or indeed the subsequent hookup between Roman and Tyler. In fact, she seemed quite resigned. Her brother, on the other hand, was nothing short of furious at the way Roman had treated her.”

“Her brother?” interrupted Stephen.

“Yes, her twin. Sam certainly made up for the lack of anger on Sophie’s part. He and Roman almost came to blows over the whole affair.” Rick came to a stop outside the computer lab door. Leaning against it, he said, “This is me. You got a class now?”

Stephen nodded. “Yeah, my first Geography lesson with –” He quickly checked the timetable on the back of the folder in his hands. “With Mr. Sinclair. Okay, what is it?” he asked, noticing that Rick had screwed up his face.

“Trouble, that’s what. With a capital T. T also standing for Tyler. You’ve really got a penchant for it. He’s in Sinclair’s class too. And so is Curt Monroe.”

Stephen was amazed. “Do you, like, have their timetables memorized or something?”

Rick rolled his eyes. “No, ‘course not. It’s just that, back when we used to speak way more than we do now, Tyler was always singing Ralph Sinclair’s praises, so I heard a lot about his classes. Mind you, that could’ve been because he was Roman’s favorite teacher too. Anything Roman liked, Ty liked too.” Rick sighed and paused, his hand on the doorknob. “I’ll see you around then?”

Stephen grinned. “You bet. We gay guys got to stick together, after all. Are we like the only ones in this whole damned school?”

“Out of the closet, it’s just you, me and Tyler –that makes three of us. Well, used to be four.”

Stephen realized Rick was alluding to Roman and then thought of his killer, who’d never been caught. He felt a shiver run down his spine. Trying to lighten the mood he joked, “I hope there isn’t someone out there who’s thinking, one down, three to go.”

Rick groaned. “Was that supposed to be funny? ‘Cause it wasn’t.”

“No, I guess not,” admitted Stephen. “I’d better rush to class now, or I’ll be late. Not a good first impression to give the purportedly amazing Mr. Sinclair!” He gave a quick goodbye wave to Rick, who replied in kind, and departed in search of the Geography classroom – and the cute but mysterious Tyler Calloway.

* * *​

Some time later that afternoon, Tyler collapsed, with a loud sigh of relief, onto the couch in the living room of the two-bedroom apartment on Pinehurst Avenue where he lived with his mother. Another school day was over; only a hundred and forty-odd to go. He wondered how on earth he was supposed to last until then.

Reaching up, he pushed back the fringe of blond hair that had flopped onto his forehead. It was still damp from the shower. He thought of the incident at lunchtime that had necessitated the shower, and the strange new boy he had met in its course. A tad pushy perhaps, but quite handsome. Tyler was surprised he’d even noticed that. In the aftermath of Roman’s murder, he hadn’t thought it possible for him to look at another guy in that sense.

He’d seen the same boy – Stephen, he’d said his name was – in his Geography lesson later that day. Mercifully – perhaps aware of Curtis’ presence in the same classroom – Stephen had wisely chosen not to try and talk to him at any point during the class. Worrying about whether Stephen would approach him, Tyler had barely noticed Mr. Sinclair looking down at him with an expression of concern on his face. “Tyler, is everything alright?”

“Sorry, sir, I didn’t hear your question. Yes. Yes it is,” Tyler had lied, glad that he’d worn a crimson t-shirt hid the orange juice stain and hoping Mr. Sinclair wouldn’t notice the faint citrus scent that still hung about him. He didn’t, although he didn’t seem quite convinced by Tyler’s reply. But he moved on and continued lecturing the class on the climate of the East African savannahs, as Tyler endeavored to pay more attention to the remainder of the lesson.

At the end of the lesson, Tyler had noticed Stephen approaching from the corner of his eye and quickly made a beeline for the exit, knocking into Curtis in his haste. He’d muttered an apology and dashed down the corridor before Stephen could follow. No doubt he’d pay for the infraction later, but that was a problem for another day. What in the world did Stephen want with him? He’d made it perfectly clear he didn’t want to – or rather, couldn’t – be friends with him. And why in blue blazes did his own mind keep wandering back to the boy?

Sighing, Tyler got up from his comfortable position sprawled on the couch and went over to the apartment’s kitchenette, where he busied himself making dinner. His mother was working the evening shift at the hospital and wouldn’t be back in time to prepare dinner.

He’d just finished throwing together a simple salad to accompany the spaghetti with meatballs when he heard the sound of keys in the lock of the front door.

“Something smells good,” observed his mother as she put down her bag on the table. She noticed the meal laid out on the breakfast bar. “Spaghetti?” she asked.

Tyler nodded. “With meatballs.”

“You didn’t have to, Ty. We could’ve ordered takeout.”

Tyler shook his head. “It was no problem, Mom. I didn’t have anything else to do anyway.”

Celia sat down opposite Tyler and dished out the salad onto two plates. “How was school?”

“Great,” lied Tyler. He thought ruefully that he was starting to get better at it. “How was work?”

Mother and son had a pleasant conversation over dinner. Tyler was careful to leave out the less agreeable aspects of his school life, not wanting to worry Celia. She already had a lot on her plate as it was.

When dinner was finished and the crockery cleared away, Tyler said, “I didn’t make any dessert but there’s half a tub of ice-cream in the freezer.”

“That would be fine,” replied his mother. “Just a little. I’ll see what’s on the television. That is, unless you want to watch something?”

Tyler shook his head and went about scooping the ice-cream into a couple of bowls. He stayed on his barstool, lost in his thoughts while his ice-cream melted into a puddle of creamy liquid, uneaten. It was almost an hour later that he snapped out of his reverie when there was a loud noise from the television.

“Mom?” he called. Getting no reply he went round the couch and found her fast asleep, empty bowl perched precariously on the edge of the coffee table. He smiled and decided against waking her. She must have been tired after working two straight shifts at the hospital. He switched off the television and removed the empty bowl. Then, going into her bedroom, he took the blanket to cover her and, that done, kissed her gently on the cheek without waking her.

Finally Tyler was free to retire to his own, small bedroom and perform his nightly ritual. It was not that which most teenaged boys indulged in. For Tyler, his nightly ritual consisted of staring for hours on end at a rather dog-eared photograph. Roman’s tanned, handsome face stared back at him from the Polaroid. His brown eyes were so warm, so full of life … yet he was dead, cold in the Monroe family mausoleum.

Tyler thought of the happy times; Roman’s strong arms encircling him, the illicit encounters by the infinity pool on the Monroe estate, their ‘private’ grove in Aldridge Woods, the same grove where – no, he mustn’t think of that.

But the images came unbidden to his mind’s eye. After all, he had been the one to discover Roman’s lifeless body in the grove on that fateful August day. It had been an almost unreal scene, like a tableau from another world. His boyfriend, lying on the woodland floor, dead …

Tyler clutched the photo to his chest as the tears welled in his eyes, their gray-blue depths mirroring his despair. Never letting go of the Polaroid, he cried himself to sleep, as he had on so many other nights since Roman had died.

To be continued …​

And finally, some information about the next two volumes in this series (yeah, I know, it's a bit early considering we're only two chapters into the first one):

Volume II: A College Caper (tentative title)
Tyler is approached by a collegemate to solve the disappearance of her brother.

Volume III: Conflicts of Interest
Tyler's internship at City Hall goes awry when the mayor plummets to his death from the top floor. The police are convinced it's suicide, but Tyler isn't so sure ...


As always, feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[hardreader]

I'm enjoying your mystery as it warms up. I was starting to think I might like to "spend a little time" with Tyler. But now that I see your ambitious plans include two more stories, the death and chaos that follow Tyler wherever he goes may cause me to rethink how involved I want to get with him. Jesus Christ, I could end up dead, too!

Keep it coming. I had to go back and reread a bit of the first chapter before tackling this one. Three weeks was a long time to go without. Not that I've actually ever gone three weeks without.

 

[Craiger]

Truly happy to see another chapter of your story. I think it is unfolding very well and the mystery is still hanging heavy. The anticipation of the next chapter is building day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute...lol Keep it coming whether by short or long chapters. This mystery must be solved.

Craiger

 

[harry113]

Thanks Justin
Building nicely, sounds like a lot of troubles in the future!
More please
Harry