Domestic Bliss

Unraveling

"Where did you find this, Gus?" Justin asked as he took the wooden box from the little boy.

"Over there," Gus said pointing to one of the bookcases.

"Show me," Justin requested.

He followed Gus over to one wall covered with bookshelves. Down near the bottom a panel was sticking out. It was hinged and somehow Gus must have opened it.

"How did you find this, Gus?" Justin asked.

"Nate wanted to measure some wood, so he told me to sit away from the saw. I wasn't sposta go near the saw," Gus said seriously. "And I didn't." The way everyone was looking at him made him think that he might be in trouble.

"It's all right. I'm sure you didn't touch the saw," Justin said in a reassuring voice. He didn't want to frighten the boy. "How did you find this panel?"

"I don't know," Gus said softly. "I just sat down here and there was that spot." Gus pointed to a little groove in the edge of the panel. "I stuck my finger in there and the wood started to move when I tried to pull out my finger."

Nate squatted down and closed the panel. "I doubt we would have ever found this … unless of course, we had painted all the shelves … like someone wanted." Nate stuck his finger in the little notch and managed to get the panel to swing out again. There was a compartment behind that wasn't much bigger than the box. It was empty now. "Nice craftsmanship," Nate said. "Someone knew what they were doing when they constructed this to house that box. It's a wonder anybody ever found it."

"What's in the fucking box?" Debbie demanded. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

Everyone crowded around as Justin lifted the hinged lid of the box. He raised it slowly almost afraid of what he might find inside. He gingerly pulled out an envelope, a pocket watch and a picture of a woman, a man and a little girl.

"That must be Baggley, his wife and his daughter, Clarissa," Justin explained.

"Cute little girl. The wife looks pretty formidable," Ted said staring over Justin's shoulder.

Necks craned to get a look at the picture and the watch.

"What's in the envelope?" Vic asked.

Justin lifted up the flap of the envelope. "Looks like a letter."

"Read it!" Debbie demanded.

Justin looked flustered and opened his mouth to say something.

"This is Justin's mystery," Brian said decisively. "Why don't you all go home now? It's been a long day. Justin will read whatever's in the envelope. He needs to take his time and make sure he understands whatever's in there. Right, Justin?"

Justin nodded his head in agreement. He didn't think he would be able to read aloud anything about Algernon and Baggley, if indeed that was what was in the envelope. He needed to do that in private.

"So," Brian said, "head on home and thanks again for all your help."

"Let us fucking know what's in that envelope," Debbie griped, but she headed for the door. The others followed her.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" Nate asked Brian as he packed up his tools.

"No, I have a very important meeting tomorrow," Brian replied.

"Remsen," Justin whispered. He was staring at the envelope in his hand. He wondered if it might contain the answers to Algernon's death. He prayed that it did, but he also was very afraid that it might not. He wasn't at all sure that he would be able to open and read the pages inside.

"Justin," Gus said pulling at the leg of Justin's jeans.

"Yes, Gus," Justin replied looking down at the little boy.

"Did I do good finding the box?"

"You did very good. Thanks, buddy."

Gus smiled.

"Gus," Brian said, "why did you take the box to Justin and not to me?"

"I'm sorry, Dada."

"Don't be sorry. It's all right. I just wondered why you brought it to Justin."

"I don't know why. I … just felt like I should." Gus sighed.

"You did exactly what you were supposed to do, Gus." Justin smiled and bent over to kiss Gus' cheek.

"See you next weekend, Gus. Love you," Brian said as he kissed his son and shooed him out the door to his mothers.

"Let's go home," Brian said to Justin as he put his arm around Justin's shoulder.

"Yeah," Justin replied.

*****

Justin sat on the sofa in the family room. He still held the wooden box on his lap. It was open and the envelope, pocket watch and picture stared back at him. He was almost afraid to touch them.

"Set that on the end table," Brian ordered, "and eat."

"I don't know if I can," Justin admitted. "I seem to have this lump in my throat."

"Justin, if it's going to be like this, I'll throw that fucking box in the garbage."

"No!" Justin said quickly. He complied with Brian's order to move the box. He reached over the arm of the sofa and set the box on the end table. He gently closed the lid, hoping that not being able to see the contents might ease his mind for a while. He took the plate that Brian handed him.

They had stopped for takeout at their favorite Chinese restaurant. The food looked good, but Justin wasn't sure he could eat it. He poked at it with his chopsticks.

"You should eat that, not torture it," Brian said with a smirk as he sat down beside Justin with his own plate of food.

"What if the murderer is named in that letter?" Justin asked.

"Then we turn it over to the police."

"We do? Do you think they would do anything about it?"

"They'll mark the case closed. The murderer is probably long dead," Brian said with a sigh.

"That would be a good thing though, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose, but who gains from it? The fucking police who let you do all the work, that's who."

Justin smiled. He liked to hear Brian defend him. "Maybe it would put Algernon's ghost to rest."

"Yeah," Brian snorted. "If the fucking ghost actually is Algernon. Why do you think no accidents happened at the mansion today?" Brian asked with a frown. He had been wondering that all weekend.

"Maybe Algernon knows we're on his side," Justin said with a little grin.

"Ya think?"

"I do."

"Then maybe it's time you read that letter and we can see where it takes us," Brian said setting down his plate and lifting Justin's largely untouched plate out of his hands.

Justin picked up the box warily. "I'm … kinda scared," he said hesitantly.

Brian set down Justin's plate beside his own. He scrunched over to the end of the sofa. "Come here, Sunshine," he said gently.

Justin slid in between Brian's legs with his back against Brian's chest. It was one of the positions where he always felt safe. Justin set the box on his thighs and lifted the lid. He pulled out the picture and looked at it for a moment.

"I wish we had a picture of Algernon. It's nice to put a face to the past. Baggley's kind of handsome in an old fashioned way."

"His wife is very formidable looking as Ted said," Brian observed.

"Yeah, but their daughter is very sweet. She must have lived a lonely life in that house all those years by herself."

Justin pulled out the pocket watch and ran his thumb over the engraved surface of the back.

"That's an expensive watch," Brian said. "Looks like gold, high carat."

"Must have been Joseph Baggley's."

"Probably." Brian turned the watch and looked at the carving on the back. "Great workmanship." His finger traced the edge. He felt a little bump on one side. Looking closer he could see that there was a little notch in one side. He inserted his thumbnail and the back popped open swinging out to reveal some engraving.

"What is it?"

Brian picked up his glasses and looked at the fine print. "It's 18K gold with a twenty-five year guarantee," Brian read. "Nice."

Justin smiled. Brian was such a label 'ho. "Which company made it?"

"Tiffany, of course. Oh, look at this," Brian said as he turned the watch. On the back of the watch itself, not on the piece that had swung open, were engraved the letters J/A.

"Oh my God!" Justin blurted out. "Joseph and Algernon! Joseph must have given this to Algernon."

"Don't jump to conclusions," Brian said hastily.

"What else could it be?" Justin asked.

Brian shrugged. "J slash B could have been for you and me." Brian waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Justin smiled softly. He liked the sound of that. "JB would have been Baggley's initials, but it's J slash A. It has to be Joseph and Algernon."

"Maybe," Brian conceded. "Read the letter and let's see what old Joseph Baggley has to say for himself. Maybe it will say something about the watch." Brian snapped the watch closed but he held it in his hand rubbing it gently with his thumb.

"Here goes," Justin breathed as he lifted the flap of the envelope and pulled out the two pages of writing paper that were inside. "It's not very long."

"Not like the diary. Read, already!"

Justin grinned. Brian was as excited as he was, even though he didn't want to admit it. Justin could feel Brian's heart beating rapidly against his back. His own heart was doing the same. Justin began to read:

To whom it may concern:

I feel the need to set pen to paper and record some things that have long weighed on my mind. No one knows how long they will be in this weary world. Like my poor Algernon who was taken from me much too soon.

I have devoted myself to my family ever since the tragic events of that night now ten years behind us. My lovely little girl, Clarissa, is the light of my life. My wife only lived a couple of years after that fateful night. She lived a life separate from mine during that time, living alone in her room. I have done my best in very difficult circumstances.

The purpose of this letter is to reveal the events of that night so long ago when our butler, Algernon Blackwell, was murdered. It is with a heavy heart that I write these words. I wish I did not have to make this account, but I want the world to know what happened to that good man. Algernon was our butler, a fine young man, and my lover for far too short a time. Yes, Algernon and I engaged in homosexual relations. I loved him, even though my actions have shamed me in that regard. But I hope this will help to put things to right, at least a little bit.

If you are reading this, it means that someone has found my hiding place for these small tributes to Algernon and his brief life. Please pass this information on to the pertinent authorities. I hope the revelations will not impact my daughter as she had no part in any of these happenings.

The day Algernon died I had just purchased the enclosed pocket watch for my lover, Algernon. Yes, he was my lover. I admit it now, and am eternally sorry for not being able to admit it back then. I loved him even though our joining started as lust, pure and simple. I got to know him as time went on and our love grew. The watch was to be my token to him of that love.

Unfortunately that was also the day my wife found the watch in my desk. She said she found it by accident, but I know in my heart that she was suspicious of us and had gone looking for proof. I was returning home from my office late that evening with the intention of visiting Algernon in his room and giving him the watch. I had told him I could never leave my family, but I wanted him to know that I loved him.

As I approached the house something didn't seem right. It was more a feeling than anything else. I had started up the stairs when I heard a gunshot. I ran as fast as I could to check on Clarissa and Blanche. Clarissa was asleep and Blanche was not in her room. With fear in my heart I started up to the top floor of the house. Blanche was standing inside the doorway of Algernon's room. Her hand holding the gun hung limply at her side. I screamed at her wanting to know what she had done. Then I saw Algernon laying on his bed with blood all over his chest. I ran to his side and he looked at me once before he died in my arms.

I never got to give him the pocket watch. I discovered that Blanche had it clutched in her hand, the one that did not hold the gun. When I realized that Algernon was dead, I laid him gently down and turned to Blanche. She stared blankly back at me, and I knew her mind had snapped. She never really recovered from that night.

I managed to cover up Blanche's role in the tragic event. I felt it was the least I could do for her after all I had put her through. She retired to her room and we rarely spoke after that night. She stayed alone in her bedroom until her death a couple of years later. She kind of faded away, rarely spoke, didn't even have much contact with Clarissa. It was very sad for my daughter and for me.

I have decided to write these facts down so that when this is found some time in the future, the truth may be known. I pray that Algernon will forgive me and we may be together when I slip this worldly coil.

I hope Clarissa may lead a normal life as time goes on. I do not want my family to suffer for the mistakes, no, not mistakes, choices that I made in my life.

May God forgive me!

Joseph Baggley.


"Wow!" Justin said.

"So the wife killed him," Brian said softly.

"Joseph's love for Algernon ruined all their lives, even poor Clarissa's," Justin said sadly.

"Or you could say that the universe unfolded as it should, and Joseph got to have the love he was supposed to have against all odds."

Justin felt Brian's arms tighten around him. He turned his head to look into Brian's eyes. "You really are a romantic, aren't you?"

"Me! Fuck no!" Brian declared.

"It's okay, big guy, I know the truth and I'll never tell." Justin shifted around so that he could kiss Brian, a tender and warm kiss that lingered on the lips and penetrated into their souls. They both savored it before finally drawing apart.

"What are you going to do now?" Brian asked

"About what?" Justin said as he planted another kiss on Brian's lips.

"About the letter, twat."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I have to do something."

"Like report it to the police."

"I will…"

"Okay, what's the 'but' at the end of that statement?" Brian asked with a smirk. He knew his partner so well.

"I … I just want some time to myself to think about it first."

"Is that all?"

"Brian, the Algernon/Joseph thing, it cost them both so much."

"I'd say Algernon got the worst of it. I'm still surprised that it wasn't the male Baggley that killed Algernon. Joseph was so in denial."

"Not in that letter he wasn't?" Justin said defending Joseph Baggley.

"A lot of good that did Algernon. A lot of good it did either of them," Brian said shaking his head. "Algernon was dead and the Baggley family unraveled. Some story!"

"I just think the whole thing is so sad. Those were different times. I don't know that Joseph could have done things much differently."

"He could have turned his fucking wife in. Algernon deserved better," Brian declared.

Justin smiled at Brian, a warm, loving smile. "You do care about what happened to Algernon."

"Well … he was one of us."

"Yeah, he was."

"Make love to me, Brian, in memory of Algernon."

"Any time, Sunshine, any time."