This story contains graphic sexual scenes between males. If material of this nature offends you then you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age in most states you are not allowed to read this story by law.
This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to person's living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely coincidental.
The author claims all copyrights to this story and no duplication or publication of this story is allowed, except by the web sites to which it has been posted, without the consent of the author.
Mark Stevens Jetdesk2@yahoo.com
Nurse and the Patient, Part 12
When Jonathan returned to Lance's house he greeted his patient and lover with a kiss. He smiled and asked, "How are you doing?"
"More importantly, how did your second trip to my old man's house go?"
Jonathan shrugged his shoulders and said, "Not much. Let me change clothes and check into dinner. We'll talk while we eat."
Lance had a puzzled look, but he didn't say anything. He watched as Jonathan left the room. He remained in the den.
Jonathan hurried down the hall to his room and quickly changed into shorts and a tank top. He soon reappeared and went to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal.
They were about half way through the meal when Lance spoke. "Okay, what happened while you were at Dad's?"
Jonathan pushed his plate back. "Actually I didn't discover anything at all." He went on to tell Lance about the box he thought was missing.
"Are you serious?"
Jon nodded. "As a heart attack," he said.
"Something important must have been stored in that box."
"I agree. Damn, I wish I had taken the time to search it the first time. Why did I pick that particular box to stop with?"
"Sounds to me as if you were pretty close to something," Lance agreed.
"I'm going back first thing in the morning," Jonathan told him. "That is, if you can spare me that early," he added.
"Makes you wonder if that's the only thing missing; if there isn't anything left to discover."
"I tend to agree with you; still, I will go back. If nothing else, I need to keep up my image."
They spent a quiet evening just the two of them. Jonathan called Tony and told him about the missing box, and then they headed for the hot tub.
Half an hour later they were out of the water and back inside the house. The warm water had zapped Lance of his energy, and he was ready to take a bath and fall into bed.
Jonathan helped him get into the tub of water. He heard the telephone ring, and he walked into Lance's bedroom and answered it.
It was Tony Miller.
"Jonathan, Tony Miller. Do you have a moment?"
"Hi, Tony, what's on your mind?"
"I just received a phone call from Lance's father."
Jonathan's heart did a flip flop. He said, "Really?" For some reason he was not surprised to hear this news.
"Seems as if someone couldn't wait to get the news to Sam about the internal audit that was going on with his company," Tony told him.
"I can guess who the informant is," Jonathan said.
"Agnes?"
"Most likely," Jon agreed. "And I think Sarah is keeping her informed with everything that goes on at the house," he added.
"Oh, I agree."
"So, what did you tell Sam?"
"Well, for now he is satisfied. I told him basically the same thing I told both Agnes and Sarah. I think we'll be all right until he comes home. By then I am sure he will get in touch with the right people, and he will know it's not a true audit."
"Then what will we do?"
Tony was silent for a moment. The he said, "Something tells me we had better find whatever we can before he returns from his trip. It may not be so pleasant once he is back in town."
"What about you, Tony? Will you lose your job?"
"I don't think so. I think I can get by with telling Sam that I received a telephone call telling me about this audit thing. The most I think he will say is that I should have followed it through and not allowed anything to happen until everything had been verified with the real audit company."
"Agnes and Sarah will tell him I've been around," Jonathan reminded him.
"They will, but they don't know you are actually Lance's nurse. You will just have to be extra cautious and make sure they don't see you in that capacity."
"So, I should be back at Sam's house in the morning?"
"Yes, you do. Time is running out, and we've got to work quickly. In fact, I think I will work with you in the morning. When I see Agnes, I'm going to tell her you want me to spend some time with you, that you have some questions. Perhaps if the both of us are searching through files, and if there is something still to be found, together, we'll discover it a little sooner."
After a few more words Jonathan ended his conversation with Tony and rejoined Lance in the bathroom.
"How are things going in here?" he greeted.
"Who was on the phone?" Lance asked.
"Are you finished bathing?"
At Lance's nod, Jonathan reached for a towel. "Let's get you out of here and into bed, and I'll tell you."
Jonathan helped his patient to dry off. After Lance was in bed, he said,
"That was Tony on the phone."
Jonathan went on to explain the reason for Tony's call. As he talked, Lance lay there listening, a scowl beginning to form on his face.
"I don't like this," Lance said when Jonathan had finished.
"I don't either, but we're in it way too deep to stop now," Jonathan pointed out.
"Maybe we should let this drop," Lance said a few moments later. "After all, it's not as if I have no money," he added.
"This was your mother's company," Jonathan reminded. "Are you willing to let him steal it all from you? If that's what he's doing, that is."
"Well, when you put it that way, hell no."
"I'm glad you feel that way."
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Jonathan rolled over and looked at the clock on the table beside the bed. It was six a.m. He had slept very little. Thoughts had run rampant all night long through his brain, keeping him from relaxing and falling asleep. He saw that Lance was sleeping peacefully beside him, and he quietly crawled out of the bed.
He went out to the kitchen and put his coffee on, and then hurried down the hall to the room where he kept his clothes. Lance had told him to move his things into his room, but Jonathan had never gotten around to doing that.
He went into the bathroom that connected with his room and jumped into the shower. His body ached from the rough night he'd had, and the needles that pierced his body helped to relax him and make his skin stop feeling as if it were going to crawl off his body.
He finished with his shower, and after shaving, he dressed for his day. When he returned to the kitchen, he was no longer Jonathan Davis, Nurse. Rather, he was dressed and looked the part of Terry Watkins, lowest partner of Barnes, Taylor & Watkins.
As he sat at the table sipping coffee from a cup, he was joined by Lance.
Lance made his way to the table aided by the recently acquired walker. He leaned over and gave Jonathan a kiss. "Morning," he greeted.
"Good morning, Lance. "Sleep well?"
"Much better than you, I fear," Lance answered.
"I was afraid I was disturbing you. I should have gone to my room."
"Nonsense, my room is your room."
Jonathan brought Lance a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him. "Just the same, you need your rest."
"And you don't?" Lance gave him a grin and then changed the subject. "What's on your agenda for today?"
Jonathan was thoughtful for a moment. Finally he said, "I think I'm going to pay Edith Baxter a visit this morning."
Surprise shown on Lance's face, and he asked, "Why the hell would you do that?"
Jonathan shook his head. He said, "I'm not positive, but I have wondered if she might be able to shed some light on some things. After all, wasn't she an employee of Smyth Oil forever?"
"As long as I can remember," Lance said. "My grandfather hired her."
"I wonder why your father let her go. I'm sure she was a very good employee. Other wise she wouldn't have lasted all those years."
"I always liked her. When I was a kid growing up, every time I came to the office she was always so kind to me. She always had some kind of candy at her desk to give me."
"I meant to get her address from Tony last night, and I forgot."
"I think I have it," Lance said thoughtfully. "If you don't mind, go look in my desk. It should be in the right hand top drawer. It's a green covered book."
Jonathan hurried down the hall to the small room that was Lance's office. He hurried inside and sat down at the desk. He pulled out the drawer and immediately found what he was looking for.
He opened the book and found Edith Baxter's name. He quickly wrote her address and telephone number on a pad on Lance's desk. Then he hurried out of the room and joined Lance.
"Find it?" Lance asked.
Jonathan held out his piece of paper. "Got it," he said.
"Good."
"Is there anything I should know about Edith before I speak with her?"
"Not that I know of," Lance answered. "I'm sure she must have worked for my family a good twenty years or better. I would think she would be able to tell you anything that happened business wise during that time."
"Good." Jonathan seemed lost in thought for a second. Then he said, "I think I'll have Tony give her a call. She does know him, doesn't she?"
"I think so, although probably not personally. I think my father let her go before he hired Tony."
"I'm hoping so. It should pave the way for me to see her."
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Jonathan reached the Thompson home before Tony. He rang the bell and stepped back to wait.
The door swung back.
"Good morning, Mr. Watkins," Sarah greeted.
As he walked inside, she closed the door behind him.
"You're early," she said.
"I'm hoping to finish up either today or tomorrow," he told her.
"That will be good."
She turned her back on him and disappeared through a door to his right.
"She's probably heading to a telephone so she can keep Agnes informed of what I'm doing," Jonathan thought as he walked down the hall.
He didn't even pretend to go into Sam Thompson's office. Instead, he reached for the key ring that would allow him admittance to the floor below. He quickly locked the door behind him and hurried down the flight of stairs that ended with the second locked door.
He unlocked the last door, and stepping inside, he flipped a switch causing the room to be flooded with a bright light. He quickly locked the door. He really didn't think anything else could be found here, but he was going to "put in an appearance" until Tony arrived.
He didn't have to wait long. While he was searching the contents of the last box he heard the key in the door. He watched as the door opened and Tony Miller walked inside the room.
"Morning," Tony greeted.
"Tony."
"Still searching, are you?"
"This is the last one," Jonathan said.
"Seeing that Jonathan was almost finished with it, he said, "Am I to assume you found nothing there either?"
"Yep, looks that way."
Jonathan mentioned Edith Baxter. "I think I'm going to pay her a visit this morning. If she is home," he added.
When he asked if Tony would mind giving her a call, Tony said he would.
"There's not much of a signal down here this morning. Let's go out to the car, and I'll give her a call."
Leaning against Jonathan's car, Tony placed his call to Edith Baxter. He explained who he was and that because of an audit; he was wondering if they could ask her some questions.
She asked Tony if he were coming to her house.
"I can if you like, Mrs. Baxter."
"Miss," she corrected him rather sharply.
"If you would feel more comfortable with me there, Miss Baxter, then I can come along with Mr. Watkins."
She was silent on her end of the line for a time. Finally she said, "That won't be necessary, Mr. Miller."
Edith Baxter and Tony agreed on a certain time. When their conversation was over, he looked at Jonathan and smiled. "She'll see you in half an hour. Do you know her address?"
Jonathan padded the left side of his chest. "I have both her address and telephone number."
"Well, then I guess you're all set. Good luck, Mr. Watkins."
Tony started for his car. Before he got inside, he turned and said, "Oh, I've been thinking about something. Maybe you should avoid coming to the office from now on. It might be safer if Agnes doesn't lay eyes on you again."
Jonathan agreed, and the two said their goodbyes and went separate ways.
Jonathan was familiar with the part of town where Edith lived, and he had no trouble finding her house. He parked in front of her home and hurried up to the door.
He discovered an old fashion doorbell ringer to the right of the screened door, and he gave it a twist. He heard the sound of an ancient bell ring somewhere inside the house.
The heavy wooden door opened, and he suddenly found himself being greeted by two very sharp eyes. It was a moment before the woman spoke, and in that time, Jonathan felt as if he was being penetrated by the strongest X ray vision possible.
"Mr. Watkins, I take it?"
"That's right, Terry Watkins. Are you Miss Baxter?"
"I am."
She studied him a bit longer, and finally she unlocked the screened door and pushed it backward forcing Jonathan to take a step backward.
"You may come in," she invited.
Forcing himself to relax and take a breath in, Jonathan followed her into a very old fashion living room. As he entered the room, the furnishings, he discovered, were definitely of another time.
Edith Baxter told him to have a seat on the couch.
Jonathan did as he was told. He said, "This is a lovely room, Miss Baxter. Have you lived here long?"
"All my life, Mr. Watkins," she answered. "I was born and raised in this house," she added.
That explained why everything was old, Jonathan thought.
"Mr. Watkins, I am sure you are not here to take in my home. Just what is it you want from me?"
"May I call you Edith?"
"You may call me Miss Baxter," she informed him. As she spoke the words that sharp penetrating look reappeared in her eyes, on her face once more.
"Very well, Miss Baxter it is. Did Mr. Miller explain to you the reason for my visit?"
"Something about an audit with Smyth Oil is what he told me."
"That's right. My company is working with Cox and Wade in this. Are you familiar with them?"
She nodded. "Yes, I worked with them the entire time I worked for the Smyth Company."
"Just how long did you work for Sam Thompson, Miss Baxter?"
"I worked for the Smyth Company for over twenty-five years. I worked for Sam Thompson three months." The last of what she said came out in a bitter tone.
"Did you decide to retire after all those years?"
"Retire? Retire?" she repeated. "I did NOT retire, Mr. Watkins. I was told the company had changed and that I had not changed with it. I was told that I was no longer an asset for Smyth Oil Company."
"Let me venture a guess. Did Sam Thompson tell you that?"
"Damn tooting' he did."
"Was he right? Had times changed and you couldn't survive the change?"
"How dare you, Mr. Watkins! I'll have you know that the last day I worked for Smyth Oil Company I still had the company's best interest in mind. How dare you, young man!"
Jonathan felt his face soften and a smile formed on his lips. "Miss Baxter, I have no doubt of that. I have talked with Lance Thompson, and he sings your praises to the moon. He has nothing but good to say about you."
Edith Baxter's face suddenly broke into a smile. "How is Lance?" she asked.
Jonathan didn't reveal much about Lance, but he did tell her that he was recovering from two broken legs.
"The poor boy," she sighed. "Things were always piled against him."
Jonathan studied the woman that was sitting across from him. "Tell me, Miss Baxter, what was Lance's mother like?"
The sharp look appeared on Edith Baxter's face once more. "And that has to do with your audit how?"
Jonathan thought his words over carefully before he spoke. He said, "To be honest, Miss Baxter, I'm not really sure. I'm just trying to decide if something funny is going on at Smyth Oil."
"What do you mean funny?"
"I'm not at liberty to say just yet. All I can tell you is that Tony Miller has discovered some things that might mean everything is not all in the best of interest both to the company, as well as for Lance Thompson."
The old woman was quiet for a moment or two. Something seemed to be on her mind, and it was evident she wasn't sure she should say anything or not.
"Miss Baxter, are you all right?"
Jonathan asked the question when she sat there and didn't speak.
"I'm fine," she answered. "How can I be of assistance to you?"
"Other than not `changing with the times' as you were told, why do you think Sam Thompson let you go?"
"Because he wanted to hire Agnes Doughty," she answered crisply.
"Why was that?"
"Because he was having an affair with her," Edith answered with out hesitating a second.
Jonathan was stunned. "Are you certain about that?"
She nodded her head. "No doubt in my mind," she answered.
Was Kathleen Thompson alive at that time?"
"She was."
"Do you think she had any idea her husband was seeing Agnes Doughty?"
Edith shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? She's dead now, and you can't ask her."
"Do you think Lance Thompson knew about his father's affair?"
"I think his mother tried to shield him from such things. She was a good mother. About Agnes, I have not a clue."
Edith offered to make a cup of tea for Jonathan.
"Thanks, no, I'm fine."
"Mr. Watkins, are you certain Lance could be in trouble?"
"You really liked him, didn't you, Miss. Baxter?"
"You may call me Edith now," she told him.
"You really liked Lance, didn't you, Edith?"
"I did. Still do," she corrected herself. "He just had no much against him."
"You said that earlier. Just what all did he have against him, as you put it?"
"Lots of things, Mr. Watkins," she said. "When you have money, sometimes it's more trouble that not."
"I've met Lance Thompson. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders considering he's `money'."
"There are things I could tell you, Mr. Watkins."
"Please call me `Terry'," he said when she didn't continue.
"There are things I could tell you, Terry," she repeated.
"I'm listening," he said when she seemed to hesitate once again.
She looked up at him suddenly. "Have you by any chance been to the court house, Terry?"
Jonathan was surprised. "The court house?" he asked. "Why should I go there?"
"You might check out some public records there," she suggested.
"Any in particular I should research?"
She was thoughtful for a moment. "You might investigate the Thompson family, as well as the Smyth's."
"I suppose you could tell me and won't?"
"Just go to the court house." She stood to her feet indicating he was being dismissed.
Jonathan stood to his feet. "May I come back if need be?"
"I have enjoyed our visit, Mr. Watkins. You may return anytime you like."
"Thank you for your time, Miss Baxter."
Back in his car, Jonathan reached for his cell and punched in a number.
"Tony", he said, it's me. I'm heading for the courthouse."
Answering Tony's question, Jonathan said, "No, I have no clue what I'm suppose to be looking for. All Edith Baxter say was that I should check out anything registered to both the Thompson and Smyth families. So, I am heading there to see what, if anything, I can turn up. Later."
Ending his call, Jonathan drove out into the street. He would take Edith's advice and search the records at the courthouse. Just what he was looking for, he had no idea.
End Part 12.
Mark Stevens