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Chapter 12
My heart leaped into my throat and for one panic stricken moment I didn't know what to do or say. Then I realized that the remote control was out of sight in my lap. That meant that he didn't know what I had discovered just yet, only that I was behind his desk. My mind raced as I tried to decide what to do. Should I bluff him and wait to tell Novak later or confront him with the evidence? I decided to take a risk and go with my gut.
I held up the remote and watched the color drain from his face. Novak gave me a questioning look.
"He wired the rooms with hidden cameras," I explained.
Zaranski looked wildly around the room as if seeking an escape route. Novak quickly clamped a hand around his arm, ending his thoughts of a hasty exit.
"I do believe that's illegal, Mr. Zaranski," he commented lightly.
"It wasn't me," Zaranski bleated, "I don't even know what he's talking about. Ira must have done it."
"You don't lie very well, Phil. Can I call you Phil? You know the next logical step would be to fingerprint those cameras. Whose prints will we find? My guess is yours. Am I right?"
Zaranski gulped. "Look it was just for security, right? Things kept disappearing out of the rooms."
Novak laughed. "Who'd want to steal anything from this dump? Your batting average just keeps getting worse and worse. Soon I'm not going to believe anything you say. Here's how it's going to work. You're going to have a seat." He gave him a gentle push in the direction of the recliner. Zaranski collapsed into it almost gratefully. "Then I'm going to pitch you a couple questions. You'd better hit a home run or you're going to be out of the game. Now why were you and Ira squabbling? I'm betting it had something to do with those cameras. You can tell me if I'm right. If you're a very good boy and tell us what we need to know, then maybe, just maybe, we'll forget what we've seen here."
"Squabbling, who was squabbling? Me and Ira got on famously. Like brothers we were."
"Yeah, sure. We understand Ira was a real peach." Novak pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open.
"Who're you calling?" Zaranski asked in a panicked voice.
"Well, you see, Phil, you just struck out. I'll give you three guesses as to who I'm calling and the first two don't count. Here's a hint, if you guess the police you'd be right."
"Wait! Wait! No, look, ok, ok. I'll talk. Just hang up."
"You'll tell us the truth this time? No more stories?" Novak asked, the phone still open in his hand.
"Yes, I'll tell you."
Novak flipped the phone close and dropped it back in his pocket. "Start talking. What were you fighting about?"
"We weren't exactly fighting."
Novak reached back into his pocket.
"No, really, we weren't! Ira found the remote, just like the kid did. There wasn't any fight, not like you're thinking. He just started blackmailing me. Said if I didn't pay up he'd turn me into the police. The son of a bitch was bleeding me dry, and it's not like I have a lot to start with, you know? I wouldn't be working here if I did."
"How long was this going on?"
"The blackmail? A couple months I guess. It started out kinda small but he just kept asking for more and more."
"And this made you mad?"
"Hell yeah! Wouldn't you be mad?"
"Mad enough to take an ax to him to stop the blackmail?"
"What?" he screeched, his eyes bulging in a most unattractive manner, "Is that what you're trying to do? Pin this thing on me? No way, Jose! I'm a lot of things, but I'm no murderer. I didn't kill nobody!"
"Can you prove that?"
"Huh? How?"
"Where were you the night of the murder?"
"Well if Ira was home then I was here. It was only the two of us that worked nights."
"And that'll check out?"
"Sure it will. You can ask the people that checked in that night."
"You can rest assured we will be asking them, and it better be just like you've said."
"It is. I swear."
"Too bad that doesn't carry more weight, Mr. Zaranski. Come on, Killian, let's go."
I dropped the remote into my pocket and took a final glance at the monitors before following Novak out. The couple must have finished their business because the man was getting dressed and the woman was counting through a handful of crumpled bills. Yes, folks, romance is alive and well at the Ease Inn.
The office door had barely closed, cutting off the obnoxious buzzing sound, before Novak had his cell phone out.
"Yeah, I need to speak to Sgt. Kaplan," he said into it. He paused a moment then continued. "Hank, it's Shane Novak. Get a couple of your boys and head over to the Ease Inn, and you might want to be quick about it."
He quickly filled him in on the high points of what we had just discovered. I pulled out the remote and waved it in front of him.
"Good work, kid," he said taking it from me. "We've got the remote; I'll wait here for the first officer on the scene and leave it with him."
As soon as he had ended the conversation I said, "You told him you wouldn't call the police if he told us what happened."
"I said maybe," he said with a shrug.
We waited until the first patrol car rolled in, Novak gave him the remote and we left. We went back to office and he gave me a stern warning not to molest the copier any more. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully as I dealt with mundane paperwork from Novak's official case.
Just before I was about to leave a phone call came in from Sgt. Kaplan asking to speak to Novak. I waited around for him to get off the phone to see what he had to say.
"The man's a moron," Novak said after he hung up.
"Sgt. Kaplan?" I asked in bewilderment.
"No, Zaranski. He kept videos of his little peeping tom operation, I guess he was saving them for slow nights. They found a whole cache of them under the bed. I'd imagine there are a few bigwigs sweating it out right now about the contents of those tapes."
"Did his story hold up?"
"That's the downside. Yeah, they did. They managed to get in touch with a couple who was checking in at the time of the murder. They confirmed that it was Zaranski who was at the desk."
"So we're back to square one?" I was surprised to find I was more than a little disappointed.
"I never figured him for the job anyway," Novak said with a shrug, "He doesn't have the guts to commit a crime like that. He's more of a slimy secretive type."
He looked me over, taking in my glum expression.
"Cheer up, kid. This is what it's all about. It's a matter of elimination. Now we can cross Zaranski off the list and we got a scumbag off the streets to boot. You did good work."
"We have a list? I didn't even know we had a list. Who else is on it?"
"Well, it's more of a hypothetical list."
"So who's on it?"
"Nobody."
"Nobody?"
"Maybe that Nadine woman. And I guess the kid is still the number one suspect. But my point is we add to the list as we investigate."
"And what if we don't?"
"Then it's a good chance one of those two did it. I can tell you one thing for sure; whoever did this will turn out to be someone close to Cohen. This isn't the type of thing a stranger does. Now, get going. We've had a full day. We'll take a look at things tomorrow and decide where to go from here."
I was almost to my car when Novak came rushing out of the building.
"Your dad just called," he panted.
It took a moment for me to realize he meant Adam and not my real father. I was going to have to get used to people calling Adam my dad.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No he just wanted you to stop off at the store on the way home and pick up a gallon of milk."
"Milk?" That wasn't like Adam. He was a careful shopper and never forgot or ran out of anything.
"That's what he said."
"Ok," I said absently, my mind already a million miles away.
I thought about the situation with Adam and Steve all the way to the store and home. It didn't seem possible that they could break up. They'd been together for as long as I'd known them. They represented a continuity and solidity in relationships that I hoped for, proof that a gay relationship could last. Steve had always been there for Adam; when Seth died, when he took me in, through the custody battle for Kane. As strange as it seemed, Adam forgetting to buy milk was what really shook me the most. It seemed to me that it meant that things might be worse than I realized for it to be interfering with his daily life.
I opened the front door and called out, "Adam?"
"I'm in the living room," he answered.
I skipped the kitchen and lugged the milk down the hall to the living room.
"Surprise!"
As soon as I stepped into the doorway a huge cheer rose up to greet me. I had completely forgotten that tomorrow was my birthday. Apparently Adam hadn't. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I looked around the sea of smiling faces. Everyone who meant anything to me was there: Adam and Steve, not standing together but both there, Kane, Will, Laura, Gabe, Ilana, Lysander, Bryant, Calvin, Judy, Jake, Novak, even Asher. The only person missing was my mom.
"I can't believe this," I said, trying my hardest not to cry. "You knew about this?" I asked Novak.
"I was in on it," he confirmed.
"I knew you wouldn't forget milk," I blurted out and everyone laughed.
"It's going to be a night of surprises," Adam said with a broad grin, "this is just the beginning." He pulled a walkie-talkie off his belt and spoke into it, "Ready."
"What's going on?" I asked.
A car horn sounded from in front of the house in answer to my question.
"I believe that's for you," Adam said.
"Is it...?"
"Go see."
I took off in a full out run for the front door, the rest of the crowd close behind me. I threw open the front door and vaulted over the railing. There, sitting on the hood of a car in the driveway, was Mom. The tears I had been holding back burst out as I scooped her up in a big hug. It had only been a month since I'd seen her last at my graduation but it meant so much for her to be here.
"You didn't think I'd miss my baby's 18th birthday, did you?" she asked.
"I'm not a baby," I sniffled.
"No, I guess you're not. I'm sorry I couldn't wrap your present."
"Like I care," I said, "I'm just glad you're here."
Mom glanced over at Adam. "He seems a little thick. Is it just me or has he been like this for long?"
"Ever since he graduated," Adam quipped, "He got out of school and his brain went on vacation."
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Should we tell him?" Mom teased.
"Tell me what?"
"You tell him Meg," Adam suggested.
"No, why don't you tell him. It was your idea after all."
"You're his mother, you should tell him."
"Somebody tell me!"
"Ok, let's tell him together. One, two, three..."
"The car is yours!"
My mouth fell open as I took in the car for the first time really. It was a brand new Mustang; black and sleek, with chrome hubcaps and personalized plates that read KILLIAN.
"You're kidding," I said numbly.
"Nope, it's all yours," Mom said. She jangled the keys in front of my nose and took them reverently.
"Oh my God," I whispered.
"A step up from your bug, huh, Kill?" Kane called from the porch, "Can I borrow it tomorrow night for a date?"
Everyone laughed.
"Can I take it for a test drive?" I asked.
"Can you save it for later?" Adam suggested. "I realize this probably stole the show, but you do have other gifts waiting inside."
I tore my gaze away from the car and threw my arms around Mom, picking her up and swirling her around. I dropped her giggling back onto her feet and grabbed Adam. He proved to be a bit heavier so I didn't pull off the twirling trick, but he returned my hug with enthusiasm.
"Thank you both so much," I said a bit shakily.
"Ok, let's go back inside before this turns into a sob fest," Adam said.
We all filed back into the living room where they sat me in a chair they had decorated with streamers. Someone stuck a goofy plastic crown on my head where it promptly slid down over one eye. Someone else snapped a picture before I could take it off and I knew I would live to regret that photo.
Then they started handing me presents to unwrap. The first one was from Laura and Gabe. It was several boxes inside of each other, graduated in size like the Russian nesting boxes. Inside the last one was a book of coupons from the local movie theater.
Next was a US savings bond from Ilana and Lysander, practical as always. Calvin and Bryant gave me a year's subscription to XY magazine. Kane gave me a box of condoms, causing me to blush furiously, much to his delight, and a club shirt to replace the one he'd ruined a few months ago.
Judy and Jake had gone together and bought me a stack of CD's. "To listen to in the car," they explained.
Asher's gift was a delicate silver necklace with a small charm hanging from it in the shape of a question mark.
"Because you're always trying to answer questions," he said softly.
"Me next," Steve said. He pointed to an enormous box sitting in the center of the room. I opened it to find a brand new computer. "I thought you might need one of your own," he said.
"I get the old one, right?" Kane said quickly.
Will gave me an envelope. Inside was a slip of paper he'd printed out on his computer to look like a coupon. It read, "This entitles the bearer to one painting of his choice by the artist Will Keegan."
"You're going to paint again?" I asked him with excitement.
"Yeah, I've decided it's time," he said simply.
"Is that everyone?" Adam asked.
"No, here's mine," Novak said as he handed me a small box wrapped in plain brown paper. "I'm not much of fancy wrapper," he apologized.
"It's what's inside that counts," I told him. The box was full of business cards. I looked up at him in confusion.
"Take one out," he said.
I pulled one out and read it as a grin spread across my face. They were printed with my name and under that the words Investigative Assistant, Novak Investigations.
"Oh wow," I breathed, "I've never had my own business cards." Everyone wanted one so I handed them around.
"Ok, last one," Adam said, "It's from me."
"But you and Mom already gave me the car," I protested as he gave me a small flat box.
"Just open it."
I lifted the lid and pushed aside the tissue paper. Nestled in a bed of cotton was an antique silver magnifying glass. I looked up at Adam, a blank look on my face.
"If you're going to run around pretending to be Sherlock Holmes you should at least have the right equipment," he said with a slightly crooked smile.
And then I understood. It was his way of saying he was accepting my decision to be a private investigator. Out of all the incredible gifts I had received that evening, I think that was the most meaningful.
Everyone stayed for a huge dinner. Steve cooked his famous chicken wings on the barbecue grill using his secret sauce. In addition we had two bushels of steamed crabs, corn on the cob, potato salad, and of course, birthday cake.
After dinner, as the sun set and the bugs came out in full force, citronella torches were lit and a few people began to leave. Will was the first, saying he wanted to get home to Darin, followed closely by Ilana and Lysander and Calvin and Bryant.
The evening began to take on a more intimate feel as the group grew smaller. The music was changed to a smooth jazz that set the tone for quiet conversation. Kane and Jake disappeared into the house, probably to play video games. Novak and Judy were deep in conversation and Mom and Asher were chatting. I noticed Adam and Steve slip off in the direction of the beach, their heads bent in towards one another as if they were talking seriously.
I was still watching them when Mom sat down beside me.
"You really cleaned up tonight, kiddo," she said.
"I can't believe you and Adam bought me a car."
"Believe it. I can show you the payments if you need more proof. I was surprised that Steve bought you a computer, that's not a cheap gift."
"He has a lot of money," I said.
"So I gathered. So, you're set in being a detective, huh?"
"Yeah, it's what I really want to do." We'd only had one other discussion about this on the phone and she hadn't been very happy about it then so I was expecting a bit of an argument.
She sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, not after what happened after Seth," she said in a resigned voice. "I can't say it's exactly what I would have chosen for you if I'd been given a choice in the matter, but it's not my decision to make. You're an adult now. My baby's all grown up. I'm very proud of you, Killian. If you 're sure this is what you want to do then I'll support you 100% percent."
"That means a lot," I managed to say after I had struggled with my emotions for a few seconds.
She patted me on the leg. "Just don't go and get yourself killed, ok?"
I nodded as Novak came across the patio. Mom excused herself and went over to talk to Judy.
"Well, kid, it's a hell of a nice family you've got here, but I have to get going. I'll see you in the morning."
"Thanks for coming," I told him.
"My pleasure."
I looked around and saw Asher sitting cross-legged on the sand, looking lost and alone. I went over and sat down next to him.
"Thanks for coming tonight, Ash," I said softly.
"It's your birthday," he said, as if that said it all.
"The necklace is beautiful," I told him.
He stared out over the ocean for awhile without saying a word, then finally said, "I had planned on giving you a ring tonight, before everything happened."
"A ring? I...oh." I didn't know what to say.
"What happened with us?" he asked the ocean.
"I don't know," I said truthfully. "I've been thinking about that a lot lately."
"I miss you," his voice was almost a whisper.
"I miss you too."
We sat quietly for a few seconds then I said, "What do we do now?"
"Do?" He shrugged. "What is there to do?"
"Do we try again?"
"What would be the point? Nothing has changed. I don't want things to just be like they were before. Obviously something was wrong. I think we'd better figure out what that was before we try anything again."
"How do we figure it out? Maybe it was just me. Tell me what I need to change and I'll change."
"It was both of us, Killian. Maybe we shouldn't try again at all."
"Asher, I love you."
"Maybe that isn't enough." He jumped to his feet. "I should go."
"Asher, wait!"
"I need more time, Killian," he said desperately, "I'm just not ready for this." He turned and ran around the corner of the house.
I flopped back onto the ground and squeezed my eyes shut as hot tears spilled down my cheeks. I hoped Adam and Steve's talk was going better than mine had.