Psychic Detective

Psychic Detective 3 A Staff Meeting in the Sheriff's Office By: Jake Preston

This is a work of erotic gay fiction, intended for readers who enjoy a murder mystery in which fully developed characters interact sexually and in other ways. Their sexual encounters are sometimes romantic, sometimes recreational, and almost always described explicitly. My attention is equally divided between narrative, character development, and sex scenes. If you don't care for this combination, there are many other excellent "nifty" stories to choose from. And remember that while nifty stories are free, maintaining a website is not. Please think about donating at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

Writing is usually a solitary avocation, but not necessarily so on nifty.org, where a longer story appears in installments. If my characters and my story grabs your attention, you can always intervene with suggestions for improvements. All sincere comments will get a response!

Jake, at jemtling@gmail.com

• • • • • • Chapter 3 Dmitri and David in the Lodge

Dmitri and David offered to go upstairs to get dressed, but Tom tossed them bath towels and ushered them into his private apartment. He started a fire in the fireplace and poured brandy for three. He told them to sit together in the love seat in front of the fire. He lit his tobacco pipe and said, "Now, boys, we've done everything that can be done for this evening. Sheriff Ron Matthews is sending two of his men up here from Duluth. They'll be here in a couple hours. You can raid the refrigerator if you get hungry, but for now, a bit of brandy on an empty stomach is the thing. You've both had a shock, or I should say two shocks, and I daresay one of you has had three shocks. Which one, I wonder? Once you've gotten over your juvenile shyness, you can take those towels off and tell me everything. Naked truth from naked boys!"

"Must we tell you everything, Boss?" David asked.

"We're speaking as friends," Tom said. "I'm trying to do what my nephew Jake would do if he were here. Jake would invite Mrs. Ravitch, too."

"You want us to sit in the nude with Mrs. Ravitch?" Dmitri asked.

"The world's most famous painter of male nudes," Tom said, "and why not? Do you think you've got something that would scandalize her? But let me explain, boys. We need to go over your story and advise you what details you should tell the cops, and what details should be reserved for the ears of Sheriff Matthews alone."

David and Dmitri looked at each other. "It's your call, Dmitri," David said. "You're my protector."

"Maybe so, but you're the boss, David, so it's your call," Dmitri said.

There's more to these boys than meets the eye, Tom thought.

"I say we can trust Mrs. Ravitch," David said.

Tom got Mrs. Ravitch on the phone. Five minutes later, she was seated with them in a rocker by the fireplace. She had a sketch-book with her. "You boys keep the conversation going while I sketch," she said. "Some old ladies in rocking chairs take to knitting. I take to sketching. You won't hear from me unless I have something to add."

David started the narrative: "When we got to No Name Island, we found an island on the north side. We put up the boat and took a walk in the woods. There we made love."

"First time," Tom said to Mrs. Ravitch. She nodded and continued her drawing.

"The truth of the matter is that David deflowered me," Dmitri said. Then he added: "Twice. I mean, err, he deflowered me and then he made love to me a second time."

"A recrudescence," Tom said.

"I'm not surprised, Dmitri. You're quite a catch," Mrs. Ravitch said.

Dmitri smiled broadly. He let his bath towel fall to his feet. "We went back to the boat for a swim. When we returned, our clothes were gone," he said.

"What happened to the lube and the condoms?" Tom asked.

"Oh my God!" David said. "We must have left them behind when we ran back to the boat."

"So there are two condoms with your DNA in them?" Tom asked.

"Not exactly," Dmitri said. "David used a condom at first, but it was too painful for me, so I made him take it off. I think I just tossed it aside. The second condom is unopened, and still in the baggie."

"We could go back for these things, early in the morning," Tom said.

"There was someone on the island, maybe a serial killer. I think it's too dangerous to go there," Dmitri said.

"Besides, it might look like we were interfering with a crime scene," David said.

Mrs. Ravitch looked up, and nodded her approval.

"So what do we tell them, when they find this stuff?" Dmitri asked. They looked to Mrs. Ravitch for advice.

"It's probable that the detectives will find the baggie," she said. "When they see the lube tube, they'll assume it signifies gay sex. Naturally they'll conclude it was Dmitri and David, their only witnesses. No matter what the detectives have to say about it, just remember that you haven't done anything wrong or illegal. You were following your nature, so you haven't done anything unnatural, either. Just tell them that you're lovers. If they demand to know more, tell them that you won't speak to anyone but Sheriff Matthews."

"Why Sheriff Matthews?" David asked. "Oh!" he exclaimed when Mrs. Ravitch smiled.

"Our first time together and we're already busted!" Dmitri exclaimed, ruefully. He tugged at David's towel.

"That's all right, Dmitri, I'm in no hurry," Mrs. Ravitch said.

"All right, already," David said, and flung the bath towel aside. Mrs. Ravitch scarcely seemed to notice. She continued her work on the sketch-pad.

"Just remember, boys, if the cops try to shame you, we've seen worse. We've stared them down in the past. You haven't done anything to be ashamed of. In fact, you should be proud of each other," Mrs. Ravitch said, and added, "as I am proud of you. We'll be here to give you support. Because you're no longer minors, they can keep us away if they want to, but they can't keep you away from an attorney. If they isolate you from us, or if they start bullying you with aggressive questions, ask for an attorney at once, and after that, keep silent."

Anna Ravitch put finishing touches on her sketch. She held it up. It depicted Dmitri and David sitting nude on the love seat. It captured their essence in startling ways. At first glance they looked like twins, but when you looked closely, their anatomical differences stood out.

Tom took a cellphone call from Detective Sergeant Göran Svenson, who said he was on the road, driving north to Ashawa. "We're in luck," Tom said when the call was over. "I haven't seen Göran since he went off to college, but I remember him well. He was one of the gang that used to skate at Jake's place in winter. Now he's in charge of the investigation. What interested him most was the fact that you boys couldn't get the boat motor started. He said that your island- intruder must have put water in the gas tank. He told me to cover the motor with a canvas tarp, and don't let anyone near it. There might be fingerprints." Tom left the lodge, to carry out his errand.

"I think we've said all there is to say for now," Mrs. Ravitch said. "I wonder, Dmitri, could you help an old lady home to her cabin?" David offered to go with, but Mrs. Ravitch said "no, I'm not so decrepit as to need two escorts." The boys hustled upstairs to their rooms and got dressed. When they returned, Dmitri escorted Mrs. Ravitch to her cabin.

"More brandy? Or tea?" Mrs. Ravitch asked when they got to the cabin.

"Brandy, I think," Dmitri said.

"Good choice. We'll need to keep our wits alert for the next few days, so this is the last call for alcohol," Mrs. Ravitch said. She invited Dmitri to look at the paintings on the walls of her cabin: two from her "Swimming Hole" series, three showing men making love, and two winter scenes, showing young people skating on the lake. "This figure here is Göran Svenson," she pointed out. "He's the Detective who will be arriving at the Lodge this evening. Would it surprise you, Dmitri, if I told you that you'd make an excellent subject for a painting, or maybe a series of paintings? You have an expressive face, a countenance that tells the truth about what you're feeling; and, of course, a body that captures your essence as a son of Demeter, the goddess of grain and agricultural fertility. Don't give me an answer now, but think about it, Dmitri. I have a Trust that allows me to pay my male models."

"My people are fishermen, not farmers," Dmitri said. "My father and grandfather are fishermen on Peugeot Sound. Two older brothers, too; I'm the first person in my family to go to college instead. Peugeot College gave me an athletic scholarship for wrestling. That's the only reason I got to go. In Fall Semester, I'm supposed to start taking courses in Business, but I'm not sure that's the right thing for me. My heart's not in it."

"If David went back to Peugeot College with you, would you be welcome as a gay couple?" Mrs. Ravitch asked.

"I don't know," Dmitri said. "I'd probably lose my wrestling scholarship, and I'd be disowned by my father and brothers. All the guys I wrestled with in high school and college would probably puke."

"You deserve happiness in your life, Dmitri," Mrs. Ravitch said. "Maybe you'll find it with David. With young love, who can tell? One thing I know for sure. You won't be happy if your most important decisions are made to avoid sadness. Happiness is not the avoidance of sadness. Pleasure is not the avoidance of pain. If you already know that Business is drudgery, don't major in it. If you love David, don't let him go. Maybe you could transfer to David's college, what is it?-Eastern North Carolina, in Wilmington, on the coast, a beautiful college town. Or both of you could transfer to Bemidji State, or to one of the colleges in Duluth. For a young man your age, there are many possibilities. Look at Göran Svenson. He grew up as the son of a poor Swedish farmer, and now he's a Detective in Duluth. Look at Red Hawk. He grew up in poverty in Crane Lake, and now he's the official Anthropologist for the Ojibwe Nation. He doesn't make a lot of money, but he has a richer life than almost anyone in the Lake Country."

"I've never met Red Hawk, but I know who he is. He stops by the Lodge to see Tom, sometimes," Dmitri said.

"Your lives will intersect soon. You boys need a close encounter with the Ojibwe, to broaden your perspective on life," Mrs. Ravitch said. "And you can count of help from your friends. Let me tell you who your friends are: Tom, Red Hawk, Sergeant Göran Svenson, Dark Eagle, Ben Hasek, Sam Black Bear, and the Ojibwe friends of Red Hawk and Black Bear. These are the people you can trust. It's important to remember that, Dmitri, because tomorrow, you and David are going to get 'outed'. When it happens, remember three things: you deserve happiness in your life, you've done nothing wrong, and you're not without friends."

"What about David? Shouldn't you be having this talk with him, too?" Dmitri asked.

"All in good time," Mrs. Ravitch said. "David is strong. He's a natural-born survivor. You're a man of character, too, Dmitri, honest and good, but the things that make you good also make you vulnerable and impressionable. I don't mean to hurt your feelings, Dmitri, but I want you to be aware that when your situation seems dark, when you think you're in a dark place, you must reach out to your friends."

"Did I do the right thing, giving myself to David the way I did?" Dmitri asked.

"Of course you did, Dmitri. You acted according to nature. Surely you know that."

"How do you mean?"

Mrs. Ravitch sensed that Dmitri wanted to talk about his sexual relations with David. He needed a confidante. He brought out her maternal instincts. "I know more about sex between men than most gay men do," she said. "You're physically stronger than David, a college wrestler, an athletic stud, would you agree?"

Dmitri's reply was a crimson blush.

"When David was crawling over you, humping your body, giving you pain, it made you feel strong. He made you feel fulfilled in your strength. He made you feel God's pleasure. You could have overpowered him if you wanted to, but you didn't. If you had done so, if you had turned him away, that's when you would have felt ashamed."

"I guess you're right about that, Mrs. Ravitch," Dmitri said, blushing again at Mrs. Ravitch's explicit language.

"And now let's think about David. He's no weakling, but he's not athletic like you. When David was growing up, he was the only Jewish kid in his school. At least one of the local preachers would have called him a Jesus-killer. He was a studious nerd. Other students thought he was a 'mama's boy' and a weakling. Maybe they thought he was gay. I'm sure he was bullied in school. That's in the past, but we carry the past with us. He took a summer job in the North Country so he could make a break from that past. Then he makes friends with a sensational buddy who gives him love. How could he not fall in love with you, Dmitri? And when it comes to sex, playing the dominant role is another way of breaking away from his past."

"You're giving me reasons to be David's sub," Dmitri said.

"Always remembering that the sub controls the relationship," Mrs. Ravitch said. "You boys are a refutation of Jacques Lacan, as many gay couples are. When you make love, the literal phallus is David's, but David depends on Dmitri for stability. This is normal. It's what you should expect from each other."

That night the boys slept in Dmitri's bed and took comfort in their newfound romance. They tasted each other on Route 69, and mingled their jizz in passionate kisses, tender but intense. Dmitri lay atop David. When his cock hardened, Dmitri backed into it. "That went in easy," David said. Dmitri kept control of the action. David felt the urge to mission him, and tried

to flip him, but Dmitri's strength prevailed.

"Think of my pussy as manna dropped from heaven," Dmitri panted. He tightened his anal canal round David's dick and pleasured it in sensual rotation. David arched in sometimes upward thrusts, but Dmitri stayed in control. He squeezed and smiled wickedly when David moaned and shot jizz. He sidled behind David, clefted cock throbbing, and absorbing his lover's contentment in après-sexe. David reached back and fondled the cock. "Rest, David, and sleep," Dmitri said. "I'll see you in your dreams. I'm satisfied to feel the seed you've planted in my... pussy."

"Hmmm," David replied. "You first said 'pussy' in the throes of passion, and again in the light of reason."

"It is a gift," Dmitri said. "It signifies my choice to be your bottom, if your desire complements mine."

"It does," David said. That night, David and Dmitri pledged their love for each other, and promised not to part. They would not go their separate ways at the end of summer. They would find a way to stay together.

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