Death in a Small Town
Okay first of all I don't think any of the people named in this story are real, and if they are they aren't gay, or like I portrayed them. I made them up out of whole cloth, but I do think there might be a town like I wrote about. Oh yes there are gay people in the story, but NO SEX.
I said NO SEX
Death in a Small Town
It was late at night, and Jim was getting ready to sign off the web for the night when a message flashed on his screen. It was all capitals which most people on the web thought of as yelling. "OH MY GOD JIM HELP ME." Jim answered at once. What's wrong KID1010? "MY BROTHER IS DEAD THE COPS SAY HE KILLED HIMSELF. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO." "Okay KID1010 how can I help you?" "I'm afraid dad will find out we are both queer." "Relax Kid1010. Did he leave a note saying you guys are gay?" "I don't know Jim, but you have talked to him, and know we are both gay."
Jim typed for a long time getting as much out of the boy as he can, and at last asked him if he knows how to clean up the brothers computer? "No what do you mean?" "Well first of all you need to check for any TXT, or WPS files. Read them, and see if he has spoke of being gay. Then you need to clean up the temp, and cookies files. Look I will send you an E-mail with a list of items to do. You well have to clear out any pictures, and stories as well. Oh yes do your own computer as well. Then clean up both of your rooms of any junk that says your gay. I will send you a list of places to look, and you can work from it. Oh yes be sure to clean out the trash on the computer as well. That would be the first place the cops look for any of the junk you dump. Jim set down to write out what was needed, and fired it off to the boy at once. He told the boy he would stay up, and stay on line till he notified him the computers were clean. When he saw the boy back on line he sighed as he was told the computer was clean. "Okay now to cover your tracks, reset the time to last night, and run a few places on line that are clean, and maybe a few straight places that he might have visited. Now dump some stuff in the trash that can be spared. It well look like he did it before he died. Okay reset the clock, and leave the computer run on it's own. It well not show a shutoff time that way. Your own computer you can trash up with a lot of use while you are talking to me.
Jim asked the young man how he felt now that he had cleaned up his brother's life? He wanted to know if he felt safer now. The boy thanked him, and the two spoke for hours as the night passed by. Jim was tired, and told the boy to get some sleep as he know he had a hard time ahead of him with his brother being dead.
Jim was ready to go to bed when he started to think. "Hell I know his brother better then that. I never thought, but he would never kill himself that way. He had to have help. He has spoke often about his fear of height. I bet he would never pick that way to die. A gun, a car, or a rope maybe, but not jumping off a roof. What's going on here?"
The man almost turned on the computer, but instead picked up the phone, "hello when can I get a ticket to Indiana Pa? "What do you mean there is no airfield there?" "What nothing but a small peddle hopper airfield." Jim swore, and then asked for the closest place, and booked it. He asked about how to get to the small coalmining town? He crossed his eyes as he heard about the long bus ride. "Okay set it up for me all the way." He set back in the chair as he wondered how a town could survive so far from the world. At last he started packing for the trip. The last item was a portable computer he had just received the week before. It was a new one with a new satellite connection, and was being tested for his company.
Jim was not any small time employer of the company. He owned it, and had so much money he had no need to ever earn anymore. Jim often packed up, and headed off with out a word to his people where he was going, but always had his computer to talk to them if he was needed. Jim had decided to offer his help to the young brother with what he saw as his older brother being killed.
The trip was slow, and Jim was still shaking his head as he landed in Pittsburgh Pa, He was told he had to take a taxi downtown, and then a bus to the small town of Indiana Pa, from there. He had never seen a more fucked up way to run a transportation system. Jim swore more after he found out the one, and only bus had left an hour before he landed. The next one was due the next day about the same time. Jim called around, and found out a small single engine Piper Cub could fly him into the Jimmy Stewart Airfield near the town he was going to. He headed back to the airport as he still was shaking his head. "Now why didn't the travel outfit think to tell me about this before I hopped the taxi for the downtown area?"
Jim never received an answer, but he made a note to take care of them later. He used a card to pay for the small plane, and set watching as it flew over the green hills of Western Pa. The landing was soon made at the Jimmy Stewart Airfield. Yes it was named after the movie star. He was born in this little jerkwater town. Jim was thinking it was smart of the man to get out of town as fast as he could.
The man flying the plane took pity on Jim when he found out there was no taxi service in the town. He drove him to the hotel on the main street of Indiana. NOTE the word THE hotel not A hotel. Jim found out it was the only place to stay. It must have been there almost as long as the town itself. Calls were made, and Jim had a map of the small city in hand, and X's marking the places he needed to go. the first place was the bus station. He know his web buddy worked for his father at the bus station, and was going to drop in to talk to him.
Jim didn't have the boy's real name, but didn't think it would be hard to find the boy as he had often spoke of his work hours, and Jim was sure he had just the thing to get him to speak to him. He carried his back pack into the bus stop, and set down to the soda fountain to get a small meal. As he set down he opened his pack up to bring out his new lap top computer. Jim hit the on button, and called up the internet at once. He signed on with his Hotmail account, and opened his mail. He watched as the young man took his order, and looked over the lap top as he wrote down the order. He saw the name tag, and noted the name. When the order was served up Jim turned the lap top so the boy could see the screen as he dug into the meal. He saw the boy's eyes get big, and then get hooded as he looked around to see if anyone was watching them. Jim softly spoke, "Robert did you catch my web name?" "Yes sir I did, but why are you here?" "Your brother never jumped off that roof. I bet he would never even get up there on his own. Robert looked down as he whispered, "I wondered about that myself. He was so scared of looking out of a window. I wondered how he could get up on that roof."
Jim nodded as he looked at the menu as he was speaking to the boy. Jim asked if the boy can meet him after work, and they can speak then? Okay lets see if you can get me one of those hot chocolate Sundays." The boy jumped to the job, and they only spoke a few words before Jim paid, and left the room. He saw the boy's father behind the cash register as he paid his bill. "Mr. Hess that is one fine waiter you have there. He was right Johnny on the spot." "He is my son, and thanks for the kind words sir." "Oh really that is good that he helps out in the place. I am in town for a while, and really need some one to guide me around. I wonder if he could do the job when he is not working. I would be glad to pay him if he would do that for me." "Who are you sir, and what do you need?" "Oh sorry, my card. I'm in town looking for a place to build a factory. Don't spread that around as this is real early in our hunt." A few more words were spoke, and Jim spoke of his room in the hotel. He wanted to have a transparent reason for the boy to be seen with him, and thought this would be as good as any. He could really open a place if he had to, and push the city into the twentieth century.
Jim walked the street, and looked up at the high roof the boy had fall, or been pushed off of. He shook his head as he walked along. "That boy never climbed up there on his own."
Later that evening Jim got a call from Robert saying his father was going to let him guide him around the next day, and do you want to see the roof where his brother had died? "Can you get me up there?" "Sure I can I know the night baker who works in the same building. He can get us in there." Jim made a date with the boy, and they met in the back alley behind the building. Robert tapped on a window, and his buddy opened the door for them. "Okay let me get some pies out of the oven in about four minutes, and I will show you the way to the roof."
A few minutes later the young man led the way up some stairs, and propped open a door so they can get back into the banquet room on the second floor. He led them up the stairs to the roof, and showed them how easy it was to get there without anyone seeing them. There were people living on the two floors, but no one ever paid any attention to anyone in the hallway. The young man pointed out that the fire escape was open to anyone who wanted to get to the roof, and the inside was open most of the time as well. Jim nodded as he looked around. He didn't really see anything that the cops might of missed, but seeing the place made him sure the boy was murdered.
Robert thanked the young baker, and when he had left them on the roof he asked, "are you thinking he was killed Jim?" "Yes, but who did it? I wonder if you might have any idea?" "Lord I don't know. He was a big football hero. I can't think of any reason." "How about his being gay?" "Oh shit do you think that is it?" "It has happened before. Are there any real nasty people around here?" "Yes there are. We have a nasty reverent, you know one of those off beat churches. He came into town a few years ago, and has been preaching hate ever since." "Okay give me his name, and any facts you can think of. How about any of the schoolmates that might be in his flock?" "Well I don't know... Oh yes I do there are two guys on the football team that my brother spoke of who have been screaming about not being able to pray in the huddle. I think he said they were talking about the rev." "Okay there names, and facts as well. We need to have a team that can help us find out some shit."
The two looked over the roof, and walked down the stairs to the bakery. They set talking to the young baker about what he might of seen the night the boy died. John handed them some hot donuts, and a coke as they talked. He spoke of the bakery being so out of the way that nothing could be seen, or heard most of the time. Jim asked about the church at end of the alley he had seen as he walked to the back door? "Oh them I hear all the time. I called the cops on them the other day. I could not hear the Pirates game on my radio." "They making noise the night his brother died?" "No they weren't. That's strange. They always are screaming all their shit, and I never thought about them being silent that night. I wonder what happened that night?" The young man saw Jim, and Robert looking at each other, and asked, "oh no you don't think they pushed him off the roof do you?" "Not really, but it is strange they were not there." "Oh there were some of them there. I saw that red pickup there, and the jeep, that one with the green fire stripes down the side. I saw both of them there when I went out to catch some fresh air once. I wonder outside about four times a night." Robert spoke two names out loud, and when Jim looked at him he said, "the cars belong to the football players I spoke of. I guess we need to check on them real close."
Jim nodded his head, and asked if he can make a collect call on the phone. He asked one of his security men to put together a spy kit for him, and send it to the hotel for him. "Oh by the way send a booklet on how to set them up." "I can come along, and do the job boss." "I don't think so Jens, this is a small town, and having a stranger doing the job could be rough." "Okay, but I can come along, and show the locals how to do the job. A booklet won't do the job." "Okay Jens, get a private plane, and come along as my assistant. We are going to ask some of Jim's buddies to do the work."
The two shook hands, and walked down the street as the baker left them out the street door. Jim asked where his brother might of been the night he died? "Well as you can see the bus station is right there, and our house is down that way about three blocks. The church is over there, and he had said he was going home." "Okay lets start thinking where we need to bug. First on the list both their cars, and their homes. The church is next, and the Rev's home as well. How about the school?" "I can't see any need for that Jim." "Okay, but I think we should think about it."
The next few days Jim was all over town looking at land, and buildings for his factory. Robert was pointing out places, and giggled as he asked, "you really think this jerk water town could handle a high profile computer outfit?" "Sure it could, but we would have to do some wild pushing to get it into this Century." Jim was shaking hands with many a young gay person, and some not so young as Robert introduced them. Most had spoke to Jim on the web. They wanted to know if they could help them? All spoke of doing anything they can. Robert pointed out the ones who can get into places they had decided to bug, and Jim asked them to join the group in his hotel room for training. Jens set down with them with his bag of tricks, and showed them how to plant the little spy machines.
It took a few hours for them to learn the job, and Jens told them he was going to have his ears on when they were doing the job. If shit hits the fan just say oh shit, and I will be on my way to get them safe. Jens had bought a van, and set it up near any place the boys were working to bug the town. He worked with each set of boys as they planted the bugs. Jim stayed out of this part of the job, and wondered the town with Robert hiding in plain sight as he told the young man. They visited the government offices as Jim asked questions about his plans to open a plant in the area. He wanted to see if they had any objections to the plans. A question about using the small airfield to move the items being made almost caused the politicians to lose it. They were ready to say no way till they heard a bit of money being spoke of. Jim spoke of improving the size of the landing field, and also about some land shipping being needed as well. Robert always seemed to be grinning as he watched the man at work. He really wanted to laugh out loud, but held it inside. Jim himself was giggling as they drove back to the hotel. He slapped hands with a high five as they both broke down in laughter.
Jens set down to put on some earphones. He worked hard at his job for days, and had a pile of tapes setting on the desk in his room by the end of the week. Jim got a call from him to come hear some of what he had recorded. "That first one is the two football players talking in the red pickup truck. They are worried about the church outing them as the killers. The rev is back peddling from some of his stands, and they fear he is ready to kick them out in the cold." Jim played the tapes, and asked, "any of the preacher?" "Yep he was clear up to his ass-hole. He even was there when the two boys hauled the kid in to the church, and kicked his ass. They were yelling about him being queer, and the rev let them kill him. Now he is worried that it well come home to roost in his church." Jim nodded as he wondered if any of it can be proved? "Yep all three of them are on tape, and if we drop this on the cops they well have to do something. I bet they well have to dig up the kid, but they well find some evidence he was beat up before he took the last big step off the roof." "Okay do we need anything more?" "Yep lets feed the cops one of the boys, and let the other run to the church to talk to the rev. We can let the cops hear that little meeting in person. That should wrap it all up." "What about the rest of the church?" "They are some sick puppies boss, but I don't think they are ready for murder." "Okay, can we bug them all, and let them hang themselves? I think the town could be a good place to build, but we don't need a batch of nuts running around the place. We either clear them of being nuts, or get them out of the way. Force them to get out of town, or jail them. I don't really care which we do, just clean up the town." Jen grinned as he reached for his phone. "I will have a team here in a few hours boss. I have them on standby."
Jim called for Robert to come by the hotel. He met him in the lobby. "Come on guy lets head out for a day in the country. I hear there is a nice lake down the road." A quick trip to the lake, and Jim rented a boat. He steered it to the middle of the lake, and shut it off. "Okay kid you wanted to know what happened to your brother. I now have it all, well most of the facts we need to put some people away. The two boys did it to him, and the church was the reason. They spoke about the rev preaching, and they took him at his word. The man was in on the killing, and the boys are going to be denied by the rev. He is going to be scrambling to clean his skirts. He won't be able to do that with what we have, so they all go down." A crying boy wanted to know if his brother was going to be outed? "Yes in a way he well be accused, but there is no proof of the facts. What it well look like is a batch of killers trying to dirty up the person they killed. We can hope it well blow over with out hurting him." The day on the lake left the boy get his act together, and by evening he was stoic.
The next day the police had a visitor. The man asked to see the chief, and dropped a tape on his desk. A boys name was spoke, and when the tape was played the man asked how he had got the tape. "Oh I was doing some checking on the use of some equipment, and picked this up. I heard these kids talking about killing a kid, and just happened to tape it all. My boss is planning to build a plant here, and wanted to be sure our radios would not have any bleed over from any local radios. I was doing a sweep, and picked this up." He shrugged his shoulders as he said, "I don't even know if there is a real kid that they were speaking about." "There sure is. I didn't really think the Hess kid did the high dive all on his own, but there was no proof that could prove it. This will open it up again. You didn't get the other kids name did you?" "No, but I found a batch of other broadcasts that seem to fall into the same type as this one. I can give you the frequencies so you can check them out." Jens left the cop shop, and headed back to the hotel. He reported to Jim, and they set back to watch the rats run as Jim called it.
Jim set up when he heard the start of a speech, "you have the right to a lawyer, and to not speak..... Jim grinned as he heard the boy trying to say he didn't do anything, and call the cop a Nazis. "Oh that was a mistake. A big one." Jens grinned as well. "Oh well it well just make the eager to get his buddy. Okay his follow rat should be running soon. They took him down at the school, and there were a batch of kids saw the arrest. There he goes boss his car just started. I can pump the sound to the cops as soon as he gets to the rev." Jim set back watching his man work. He steepled his fingers as he waited for the sound to come on. "Are the cops on the line yet?" "Yep I planted a mike in their radio room while I was tuning them into the bug at the rev's place. They have been monitoring them all. They heard the car start, and are going nuts trying to track it down."
Jim leaned forward as he heard the car screech to a stop at the church. The next sound was the boy yelling at the preacher about his buddy being picked up by the fucking cops. "You have to get him out. Mike well be put away forever if we don't get him out." The preacher tried to tell him they can't do a thing. "He is on his own, and I'm getting out of town." "Like hell you are you damn preacher. You set this all in motion, and are going down with both of us. Mike well name you as being up on that damn roof with us when we pushed him off the edge. Your going down with us fool." The boy used his name as he swore at him, and Jim heard the police yell to get to the church. It was only two blocks away. Heck it seemed the whole town was only two blocks away. One cop didn't even use a car, and he beat the ones that did use their cars. There was a smile on Jim's face as he heard that old story, "You have the right.... Gee we have all heard it so often on the cop shows.
Jens shut down the radios, and called for the boys to recover as many of the bugs as they can. He watched Jim as he worked. "You happy boss?" "Nope not really. A kid is dead, two others on their way to jail, and a nutcase is off the street. it is a waste, a damn waste." I hate this world, and think I'm going to clean up this town. Gay sex well be at the top of my list for being excepted."
Jim opened his laptop, and started sending e-mails out. Most of them said the same thing, "get your ass down here, and to the state capital as well. I want this backwoods state brought into the real world. Get the laws changed, and get control of the fools in charge. If you have to buy the whole state do it. Fire every fool that has any hate in his soul for the gays." Jim set back at last, and saw Jens grin as he asked, "can I help boss?" Jim looked up as he nodded his head. "Yes get on saving the Hess kid from being outed. Get the court to hide that little fact even if the small fish get less then they deserve." Jens saluted his boss, and run out of the room. He drove to a lawyers office, and walked into the office. He set waiting for Ms Hover to see him. Jens dropped a hundred dollar on her desk, and asked, "you except the fee?" "Yes, but what is your problem?" "Okay Your my lawyer, and I am hiring you to do one job. The dead Hess kid is about to be outed." "Outed as in being gay?" "Yes his killers are now in jail, and I want them to pay, but not if the kid gets dragged thru the dirt. He needs someone to watch out for him. You have any amount of money that is needed to save his name." A head went into a set of hands as the lady thought hard. "You have a problem with him being gay?" "No, Lord no it is not a problem to me. What I'm thinking about is how to accomplish this job. You don't want to be seen I guess." "Right." "Okay give me your phone number, and name, and get out of here." "I'm gone."
Ms Hover walked across the street to the court house. She set down with the judge to have a talk. Okay we don't need to set in on a small town talk. It is enough to say that by the time the trial came up the three people being charged with killing the young man understood that they were going to get a break, but only if some words were never spoke in court, or out. They were not going to die, and there was a upper limit on how long they would go to jail. The preacher was livid with rage as he had already been murmuring under his breath about queers, and found out he had to shut up. The judge pointed a finger at the man, and said, "keep it up, and you die. I will pull the switch myself. I'm not going to say you're guilty, just that when the twelve people say you are guilty you well die."
Jim set in the court house with Robert at his side. He held the boy as he cried, and watched the tapes being played to convict the three. He grinned as he saw the way the lawyers all kept away from any reason they boy was killed. Robert's father wondered what was going on with the way the trial was going, and wondered why they had killed his son. Jim whispered, "we have to tell him about you two boys Robert." "Yes sir."
That night Jim knocked on the Hess door, and when he was showed into the parlor, Robert stood up to ask his father, "do you want to know why they killed my brother?" "Yes, do you know?" "Yes sir I do, but do you really, really want to know dad?" "Yes son, but why is this man here?" "Well dad I called out to him on my computer when my brother was killed. I was afraid you would find out my brother was gay dad, and I am too. Jim here came here to find out who killed him, and help me." There was a gasp, and a head started to drop as the man acted like he was kicked. "Mr. Hess you have a son here that needs you, get your shit together." The man looked at Robert, and held out his arms to hold the son in his arms. Son were you thinking I would not love you?" Robert was crying on his father, and just nodded as he said in a whisper, "I was sure you would kick us both out of the house. I'm sorry dad. I should have trusted you." Jim softly said, "yes you should, but no boy ever trusts an older person to have a heart. Sir it has been arranged that not one word will be spoke of your son's sex life. I can say for a fact he died a virgin. Both your sons have not ever had sex. They were looking for that one person, and had not found him yet." "How can you know all this?" "There is a lot that comes up when your on the web. Your boys both asked for an old man to help them with their lives. I did my best, and the first item we spoke of was safe sex which in their case was none till they were in love."
The man held his son as he cried now. "Thank you sir you have done my job for me. Can I ask you to continue to help me?" "Yes, but you well be in the loop now. I expect Robert to speak to you often from now on. There are more gays in town, and over time I would expect you to meet them. Don't be judging them." A nod of the head, and Jim stood to leave. He patted the boy on the shoulder, and shook the man's hand as he left himself out the door. Jim wondered if the town would ever except gays as he headed home.
The End
Story Ideas
Below is what this story started out to do.
I'm really surprised most of it came out like I planned it.
Ideas for story:
Boy on net to web friend.
my brother committed Suicide
God my father is going to find out I'm queer
Calm down (NAME) did he leave a note?
not that I KNOW about
okay get in his room, and look for one, and his computer has to be cleaned out too.
you know how to clean out his cookies, temp files, download, and any stories, or pictures? No! Okay let me send you a e-mail with the steps, and if you can't do the job just format the whole thing. That is the last step if it is needed. Okay what about his buddies, and you better clean out your own computer files as well?
the story happens in a small town in Western Pa, called Indiana. the father runs the local bus stop, and soda shop. The two boys have met with some of the other boys in the small town over the web, and some in person. The story is about how they work together to cover up why the older boy has killed himself, and an adult from the web who comes to town to help them with the problem that has caused the death.
Johnwillc@worldnet.att.net
The above is my E-MALE, and it is there in case one of you wishes to say,
(GOOD STORY) Or (IT SUCKED)
Yours
Jack
or Jack off as I am prone to say.