The Next Day.

Surprisingly, Brian had experience breaking into places.  As a teenager he had often broken into the school early in order to escape his toxic home life.  It was one of the reasons he was able to maintain such good grades.  He’d come in early and wouldn’t leave until they kicked him out late in the efvening.

So, he wasn’t completely helpless as he approached the apartment across the street.  In his hands he held a small set of tools that he’d borrowed from an acquaintance and he glanced up and down the hallway to make sure it was clear.  He then knelt down in front of the handle and went to work. 

He knew that breaking in wasn’t the best idea, but he believed Justin and needed to get evidence for the police to take them seriously.  How else was he supposed to do that without going to the scene of the crime?  He took out his set of tools, slipped them into the keyhole, and began working the picks around.  It had been a long time since he’d put this skill to use, so it took him some time to get the feel for it again.

He cast another worried glance up and down the hallway before bending his head to continue.  He finally heard the lock click into place after toying with it for nearly five minutes.  He then pushed the door open and stood back up to his feet.  He slid inside carefully, hugging his back to the wall, and then shut the door behind him. 

Brian looked around the apartment in an almost surreal sense.  He’d been peering in here for a few weeks now, but it felt like an entirely new place now that he was actually inside.  He walked over to the window and looked across the street to the loft where he could see Justin anxiously looking out the window at him.  He offered the boy a wave to let him know he was alright, and waited until he waved back before turning to face the apartment again.

Brian moved towards the kitchen and began looking around.  Almost all of the furniture was gone but a table and some chairs remained, as well as some plates and dishes.  They didn’t look like they were worth much so that must have been why they were left behind.  He opened up some cupboards, looking for anything that might give him some hints, even their names.

After coming up empty handed in the kitchen he walked back across the open living room to the bedroom.  There was still a bed in there, but it was bare of sheets or pillows.  It was merely a mattress lying on a poor set of metal frames. 

He bent down and looked under the bed, but he couldn’t find anything underneath.  Absolutely nothing…which was odd.  There wasn’t even dust.  He ran his hand underneath the wood floor and pulled it back to see his fingers were clean.  They must have meticulously cleaned it. 

He stood back up and rubbed his fingers against his pants to get rid of the imaginary dust.  He then looked in the closet but couldn’t find anything in there either.  No dust to be seen.  Brian opened the bathrooms and the spare room, but could find absolutely nothing.  He shook his head slowly and frowned.  He was going to go back to the kitchen but felt his phone buzzing in his pocket.

He languidly pulled it out, not surprised to see it was Justin who was calling.  “I haven’t found anythi-.”

“They’re coming up!  They’re coming up to the apartment!”  Justin exclaimed on the other side and Brian’s heart stopped beating.

“Fuck!”  He exclaimed before snapping the phone shut and moving swiftly for the door.  He turned the lock on the handle and shut the door behind him.  He then tried to walk as calmly as possible but he could hear people moving towards him and it made him start to panic.  He kept his face blank and purposefully kept his stride slow and even.

He passed them as he walked down the stairs.  They didn’t even acknowledge him, but Brian felt his entire body tense knowing he was walking by two men who had just killed somebody.  He kept walking as calmly as he could until there was an entire flight of stairs between them, and then he ran out of the building and back across the street.

He didn’t stop until he was back up the four flights of stairs and in the loft.  He slid the door shut behind him and quickly locked it up.  Not a second later Justin collided into him and clung onto him so tightly his chest ached.  “Hey…hey hey…I’m alright.”  He said, holding onto Justin securely and rubbing his back.

“I saw them coming up and I thought they’d kill you and-.”

“Shhh…”  Brian urged, sensing Justin was near hysteria.  He put his hand over his head and ran his fingers through Justin’s hair.  “I’m alright.  They didn’t even look at me.”  He assured and could feel Justin quivering in his arms. 

“Can’t lose you…Can’t lose you…”  Justin murmured over and over into his shirt.  Brian pulled back a few inches and then bent a bit so he was even with Justin and look into his eyes.  He cupped Justin’s face in his hands and looked at him very seriously.

“You need to calm down.”  He said very evenly, hoping his calm rubbed off on Justin to stop him from hyperventilating.  Justin’s breaths were jerky, but he started to slow down so Brian knew he was getting through to him.  Brian took in deep breaths as well to help him get into a rhythm and then smiled once he seemed to settle for good.  “There you go.”  He said softly and kissed his forehead.  “You good?”  He asked and Justin nodded again, offering a shaky smile.

“Good.  I’m going to head out again.  They cleaned everything, Sunshine.  Every inch of that apartment was scrubbed clean and that’s just not normal.”  Brian said, moving back to the desk to pick up some more of the copies he’d made of Justin’s sketches.

“You mean like…covering it up?”  Justin asked slowly as he moved over as well, as if he was nervous being only a few feet from him.

Brian nodded quickly as he folded up a copy and stuck it in his jacket pocket.  “I’m going to go find some more hustlers.  Someone has to know who this kid is.”

Justin nodded slowly and then bit his bottom lip.  “Be careful, okay?”  He asked softly and Brian flashed him a smile.

“You know me, Sunshine.  I can take care of myself.”  He assured before bending to capture Justin’s lips in his own.  When he broke away Justin seemed much better so he pecked him on the tip of his nose and turned to leave.  “Call me if you need something.  I’ll be back soon.”  He promised and then turned and left; determined more than ever to make those two men pay for what they’d done.

Carl Horvath let out a small burp as he shifted in his chair and flipped through the next page in the report he was writing up.  He was frowning; his office was too hot, and he couldn’t seem to get comfortable in the chair that might possibly be older than he was.  He burped again, regretting eating the tomato-pesto sandwich he’d had for lunch as it was giving him heartburn and left a stain on his shirt.

The only good thing was that the paperwork was light.  He was merely writing his report from the fake call he received from that kid.  He wondered what was wrong with him, but was still annoyed that he had to go out in the middle of the night for a false alarm.  He couldn’t help but remember the look of desperation in the boy’s eyes – the fear.

They were haunting.

He took a break from the short report to lean back in his chair and think about the call some more.  Logically, it seemed fake – just a mentally unstable person thinking they were seeing something that wasn’t really there.  He’d been on the force long enough to have seen all kinds of crazy; but the boy – Justin – didn’t seem like others.  His instinct told him there was something more going on here.

But what could he do?  He had no body, no missing person, and only the word of a person whose own therapist doesn’t believe him.

Carl ran a hand through his slightly sweaty hair and shook his head.  He was getting worked up over nothing. He looked back down at the report again and picked up his pen to get back to work before he heard a round of clapping and exclamations from outside his office. Curious, he stood up, walked over to the door and peeked it open to see all of the officers and detectives standing near the chief’s office.

He moved forward and walked over, nudging one of the uniformed officers nearby. “What’s going on?” He asked, seeing the chief and his partner getting pats on the back.

“Stockwell and Reichert are retiring.” The officer answered, still clapping in congratulations.

Carl raised his eyes brows in shock, but then nodded and turned back to the office. Their retirement was coming out of nowhere, but both men had been on the force for decades – they’d earned it. Besides, there were rumors Stockwell was planning on running for mayor soon, apparently sooner than he thought.  He shut his door once more, wanting to concentrate on the reports he was writing. However, he made a note to congratulate both men later, when he had the time.

He grunted as he sat back in his chair. He picked up the pen and got back to work.

Brian sighed as he slid into a booth and immediately leaned his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. The diner wasn’t very busy – it was between the lunch and dinner rush. He slid the copy of the drawing onto the table and wondered what he was going to do to figure out who these guys were.  He didn’t really have a plan, but he didn’t want to go back to the loft empty-handed.

“What’s that?” Debbie asked, grabbing the paper and sliding it over so she could look at it. “Hey, did Sunshine draw this?” She asked, excitedly slapping his shoulder. “This is pretty good. It’s not like his old stuff but if he can still-.”

“Before, this would have taken him all of five minutes. He spent over an hour working on this with his left hand because he still refuses to do his PT.” Brian muttered, rubbing his eyes before straightening up and looking at her. “Coffee, please.” Brian said and Debbie nodded, but took the paper with her as she went to get a pot for him.

Brian leaned back on the booth and exhaled heavily. He had spent several more hours pounding the streets hoping to find some hustlers who recognized the boy, but no one had. He reached over to flip over the menu out of habit, even though he’d had everything at the diner memorized for a decade now. He scanned down at the items and thought about what Justin might want so he could take some food home for him.

“You sure you know that kid?”

Debbie’s voice was loud and obnoxious, easily heard in the diner even when it was full and busy. Brian turned swiftly and looked to see her pointing at the copy to someone sitting at the counter. Brian stood abruptly and walked over to look at who she was talking to. A young boy, in his teens and probably a hustler. “You know him?” He asked, leaning over the counter.

The kid nodded. “Yeah. He was pretty new. Only around for a few weeks.” He pulled the paper closer to him and pointed to the hustler in the drawing. “Didn’t know his name, though. Hunter might. They hung out quite a bit.” He said, greedily biting into the burger on his plate.

“Hunter? Who’s Hunter?” Brian asked, glancing to Debbie who gave a shrug of her shoulders.

“He works in the Industrial district. Or did. I haven’t seen him around for a few days.” He explained through a mouth full of food. As he swallowed he reached for the glass of soda and gulped it down.

“Well do you know where he went?” He asked and the kid shook his head.

“Nope. I think he skipped down after this guy went missing.” He added, pushing the paper closer to him.

“Hmm…” Brian murmured, picking up the copy. He looked down at the drawing and shrugged. At least he had a name to go on. “Thanks.” He said and pulled out his wallet. He slapped down enough money to pay for the kid’s lunch and then kissed Debbie on the cheek. “Later, Ma.”

“Hey wait!” She called, grabbing his arm. “What’s all this with a missing person?” She asked but Brian waved her off.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Brian said swiftly and continued to leave.

“Be careful! And tell Justin ‘hi’ for me!” She waved and Brian nodded as he left the diner with a jingle of the bell. He walked to his jeep and then began driving home. At least he finally had good news to give to Justin.

It didn’t take him long to get back home, even after he stopped at a fast food joint and got some food for them. He found Justin nervously pacing in the living room. “Hey.” He said, holding up the bag. “I brought food.” He proclaimed and set it on the counter.

Justin rushed over to him again but spared him from crushing his ribs. “How did it go? Did you find anything?” He asked, his eyes wide and begging for information. Before answering he watched Justin dig into the bag and pulled out the burger and fries that he’d bought.

“I got a name. Not his but I got a name.” Brian said, pulling the copy out. “Apparently, another hustler named Hunter knows him. So now I just have to find him.” He said, trying to sound optimistic.

Justin nodded as he took a big bite, looking every bit like the hustler at the diner. It rubbed Brian the wrong way and he shook the thought from his head swiftly. “Anyways, I’ll look around for this Hunter kid. I’m sure now that I have a name it’ll be easy. Then, once I find him, we’ll get to the bottom of this. Okay?”

Justin nodded, and finished chewing before looking up at him. “Hunter, huh?”

“Yup.”  Brian answered simply, digging into the bag to find the plastic bowl of salad he had ordered for himself. 

“I wonder where he is.”

Even though he was still technically a high schooler, Hunter blended in with the college students extremely well.  He was able to get a lot of free stuff on the campus that way.  He’d find events or parties and just show up.  People would give him things.  It worked out really well.  He was also able to find some clients.  And the boost in free food and gifts he’d received helped supplement the less money he made.  And it was still summer; he knew things would only get better once the school got back on a regular schedule.

Currently, he was sitting at on a bench in a courtyard at the university, munching on a sandwich he was given from a booth seeking new members for their Mock Trial club.  He’d never understood those pointless clubs, and he’d never had an opportunity to join one either.  He doubted he would want to, even given the chance.

He licked his fingers as some of the mayonnaise slid out of the bread and smiled at the guilty pleasure he got from eating it.  He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wooden bench. 

Things weren’t as bad here as he thought they’d be.  He wiped at his chin and took the last bite with a bit of regret.  He wanted to enjoy it longer, but was glad to have a full stomach with no cost to himself.  He wiped his hands on his jeans and then looked around.  It was beginning to get dark, and most of the students had gone home for the night.  There were still some darting around the campus, but their numbers were few and far between.  Hunter knew he’d have to get a move on himself soon, or else someone might suspect something.

He stood, hooked his backpack onto his shoulder, and began walking out of the park.  He would wander around for a short time, try to find someone to pick up, and then return to the small shack he’d been calling home for the past few days.

It wasn’t much, far less than the abandoned warehouse he had lived in before.  It was just the supply shack for the gardeners.  There were some fertilizer and seed sacks that he pushed together for a bed.  Being summer, it was warm and he didn’t need more than his jacket to keep away the night chill.  He was naturally an early riser, it prevented other hustlers from stealing his things, so he was always gone by the time the gardeners came.

As the sun set Hunter stopped by a coffee shop where he had had some luck picking up some students.  He slid inside and figured if nothing else, he might be able to convince someone to buy him a coffee.  He scanned the room and his eyes fell upon the jackpot; a professor.  A pretty hot one too. 

Hunter smirked and walked sexily over to him as he sat on a table in the corner, typing with fervor on a laptop.  He pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, instantly reaching over to stroke his arm.  “Hey.  Want to get out of here?”  He asked with a wink.

He’d never been answered with laughter before.  He didn’t like the way it felt.

The man shook his head and pulled his arm back.  “Thanks, but I’m busy grading.”  He said, motioning to a stack of papers.  Hunter watched him chuckle to himself and then duck his head back down to work, but he didn’t like taking no for an answer, so he leaned over again.

“Come on.  Only fifty extra for bare-backing.”  He said and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The professor gave him a long, hard, serious look that unnerved him.  The man was silent for a long time before shaking his head sadly.  “There’s no price that should make that acceptable.”  He murmured and then once more looked down at his papers.

Hunter wrinkled his brow in offense.  “Well excuse fucking me for trying to make a living, dude.  Whatever…”  He grumbled, mostly disappointed that he’d miss out on a good client.  He pushed away from the table and began to walk away, but his arm was grabbed.  Thinking he’d made him change his mind, he turned and cocked a hip to one side.  “Come on.  Take me to your office.  Have your way with me.”

“It isn’t a good idea to hustle around the university.  There are police on grounds all the time.”  The professor said instead. 

Hunter sighed and rolled his eyes.  He pulled free and shook his head.  “I can handle myself, okay?”  He muttered.

“Here.  Take this.  If you need something, call me.”  The professor said and reached into his wallet to pull out a business card.  Hunter took it, more out of habit than anything.  He looked down and read the name.

‘Ben Bruckner.’  He thought, and then slid it into his pocket.  “Fine.  Whatever.  See ya.”  He said and turned again.  This time he wasn’t stopped.  He had no intention of calling him if he didn’t want to pay up.