CHAPTER 26: DUN, DUN, DUH, DUNG, DUMBBBB…

SCHICKLE RESIDENCE

Nathan Mathers was never the type who enjoyed being ‘summoned’, but there were just certain invitations one didn’t refuse. This was one of them. He’d received a call from a person he hadn’t heard from in years just moments after the call from George Schickle had come through, otherwise he would have been happy to meet Leda instead. They had never really gotten along, but he had an awesome amount of respect for her aunt and uncle. So the fact that she stated she had some important news to impart not only peaked his interest, but made him itch to get to the bottom of a number of urgent phone calls he’d received earlier that day.

Arriving at the enormous estate he couldn’t help but feel just the slightest bit jealous. Regardless of the fact he was a judge like his father before him, his inheritance from the man in no way compared to the sprawling grounds laid before him. To know that it was going to be inherited by a woman- the woman he was supposed to be marrying- rankled, since she turned him down before the proposal to join their fortunes together was even presented. Francesca Schickle was a prize for any man- beauty and brains all rolled into one. She would have made him a more-than-suitable wife and mother to his future heirs. If only she hadn’t met the man she considered the love of her life, all the promises Virginia Hammond made to him would have been assured. But that wasn’t how things played out. Even doing a thorough investigation into her father and her fiance hadn’t yielded the results that would have forced her hand to his in marriage. So with no other recourse left to him, he had to let the matter go. It made his reason for being there even more of a mystery.

As he entered the doors after being let in by the butler, Nathan was shown into the parlor where a number of people were already gathered. He wasn’t expecting that, and although he didn’t know many of them, he did recognize two of the blonde women, a brunette, Ron Peterson, and of course, George and Francesca. Watching them all mingle with familiarity he couldn’t help but wonder what this impromptu meeting was all about. Clearing his throat, he said, “Apologies for interrupting, but I’m here as you requested, George.”

The white-haired gentleman turned in his direction. “So you are. Everyone, this is Judge Nathan Mathers. Nathan, this is everyone. You already know Frankie, Ron, Jennifer, and Lynette, but the others here are…” George continued to make the introductions and then stated, “We’re just waiting on Leda to arrive and then we can begin.”

Nathan nodded. “Imagine my surprise when she called just after I’d finished the call with you. Any idea what she wanted?”

“I have an idea, but I think it would have more of an effect if she was present to answer your questions directly. I know from our collective perspective that this distasteful subject is something we all want to discuss only once.”

“That bad, huh?”

“More than you could possibly know.”

They were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell again. George checked his watch, noting the time. It was just a smidge too soon for Leda to have made it to the estate, so it could only mean that Ronald’s guest had arrived. He was right, and in the company of another man as well. Ronald stepped forward, and made the introduction. “Hanks, it’s good to see you again, even if the reason is less than pleasant. I’d like you to stick around after I share this information in case anyone has any questions.”

“No problem, Mr. Peterson,” Hanks said, as he handed over the thick packet. “In addition to the report into the origin of Melanie Marcus and Brian Kinney, there is also the report on a young man named Justin Taylor, in addition to their financial reports.”

Rod nodded as he looked through the thorough investigative reports. As he came upon the financial aspects of the packet, he spread them out onto the coffee table before him. “I can understand why she would want these ledgers on Mel and Brian, but why Justin?”

Jennifer came to sit beside him, and picked up one of several concerning her son. She flipped through page after page, the oldest dating back to when Justin was just fourteen years old. Narrowing her eyes, she noted that not only had Craig siphoned from Justin’s trust fund, but had somehow learned that the younger man had checking and savings accounts set up under her mother’s name. The report showed the numerous times Craig had tried to get them out of her mother Genevieve Alwin’s name and put into his, citing that he was Justin’s legal guardian. “There is over a million dollars between these accounts beyond what my mother left Justin in her will, which was substantial in and of itself. She’d wanted Justin to have access to it immediately upon her passing. But the other amounts had come from the freelance work Justin had been doing throughout the years, including the work he’d done for Brian. My best guess is that Nancy wanted this information to help my ex-husband in some way. But why?”

“I think I can answer that, Jennifer,” Lynette responds, picking up the sheets with the most recent deposits on them. “See, if you look here, the last deposit was made just before Brian and Melanie signed the paper to have joint custody of Gus. That can only mean that she was trying to also make Justin responsible in some way for his care alongside Brian and Mel. And honestly, this has Lindsay written all over it. The only trouble I’m having is trying to figure out just what either of them thought they had to hang over Justin’s head to make him comply with their plans.”

“Blackmail?” Ron asks.

“Possibly,” Jennifer answers, but then shakes her head. “However, since Justin has lived his life openly, that doesn’t make much sense either.”

They all fell silent, trying to still figure out the implications of having the report on Justin, and what exactly Lindsay and Nancy would have had to gain by having it. Cynthia smiles before she proclaims, “Ah-ha! I think I have it. Ron, can I see the actual report on Justin?”

“Sure, but I can’t see what you’ll find that I haven’t seen yet.”

Cynthia flips through the pages, hurriedly, looking for the exact information that would support her theory. “Here it is! Kip Thomas…”

“That’s a name that keeps coming up,” George says, darkly.

“And with good reason,” she answers. “It was already established that he was hired by Ryder to trip Brian up, but the reason why was only marginally touched upon in the courtroom. As Lynette said, this has Lindsay written all over it, and if I’m reading this right, this was not only a ploy to get Justin away from Brian, but to fund her life through blackmail. Only they weren’t expecting that Justin would have me as an ally in saving Brian’s job from that bogus sexual harassment lawsuit, and that I would have had the information to keep him out of trouble should the need have arisen. As for why they needed to check into the financial status of Justin, they needed to make sure he could pay them if he wanted to stay out of jail.”

George then turns to Nathan. “You don’t seem surprised by any of these revelations, Nathan. Is there something you want to add to this conversation?”

The red-faced judge cleared his throat again before thinking. “I didn’t know that he was the young man Nancy had asked me about. She wanted to know how to prove the blackmail, apparently of this Kip Thomas, happened when there was no physical evidence stating that fact. I told her there wasn’t, but…”

“But?”

“I did advise her that the first thing she would want to do if she was going to put the idea out there would be to look into the person’s history to see if there was a pattern to support such an accusation. It may not have made bringing charges against the person possible, but it would destroy their credibility should there be any other legal cases connected to him.”

“So basically, you’re talking about the situation with Hobbs, but that would have required foreknowledge of what Hobbs had planned, wouldn’t it?” George asks.

“It would stand to reason that Nancy, and therefore Lindsay, knew something about what was going to happen beforehand, considering the information in this report,” Jennifer said, darkly.

“Jennifer…”

“No, Uncle George. Just no. If they knew, or worse, helped plan this, I’ll kill them both. And besides, look who Nancy’s bosom buddy is. It’s Clara fucking Hobbs!”

“You have to let this information ride, dear girl,” George advised. “Besides, making an overt move against them now will negate everything we’re doing on behalf of Justin and Brian. We’ve already taken the key wind out of their sails, which is their endless finances. With the call that Frankie put in to Junior, that’s going to anger them, but they won’t be able to regroup and recover from the blow. Sometimes you have to fight without personally sullying your hands, Jenn; this is one of those times.”

“He’s right, Jennifer,” Cynthia said. “If there was ever a time to take a page out of Brian Kinney’s book, it’s now. Actions are going to speak a whole lot louder than words, or even fists in this case, and they’re not ready for what they’ll say.”

“But what they did to my son…”

“I know it hurts, and that you’re angry. You have every right to be. But the best revenge is to live well, and fucking look well doing it. Imagine how much more pissed off they will be while Justin’s star continues to rise even as their collective influence crashes and burns. We’re throwing punches at them left and right without physically doing so, and the knockout is going to be worth the price of admission to see. And I  for one, want tickets.”

“And I’d be right there with you, Cynthia,” Ronald informs her. “But what I can’t figure out is what Howard Bellwether has to do with any of this.”

“Aside from the fact that he has a long-standing grudge against Brian, he’s also Kip Thomas’ uncle.”

“The man who tried to sue Brian for sexual harassment?”

“One and the same, and also the one who Justin got to back off from that bogus bullshit,” Cynthia answers.

“Bet that didn’t sit too well.”

“Definitely not, but more than that, we have a way to deal with good ol’ Howie,” George says. “It turns out that he’s not as morally conscious or as upstanding as he purports to be in public. He’s not anywhere near ready for the hell his revenge and jealousy is about to rain down upon his head. And honestly, it couldn’t have happened to a better asshole.”

“I thought Ted Tyson already did that,” Jennifer responds.

George and Emmett chuckle with her. “True. My Teddy sure knows how to use anything he has on hand to right a wrong,” Emmett tells her, and places a kiss on his best friend’s cheek.

“So what do you have planned, Uncle George?” Jennifer asks him.

“You’ll see,” he says caustically, just as the doorbell goes off again. “That should be Leda. Ron, I think your investigator should stay and hear what else he doesn’t know about Nancy. It could only help in your divorce proceedings.”

“I think that would be a very good idea, considering that I was going to ask him to relay all of this to my attorney, along with taking him a copy of the packet he acquired.”

“Why would he need a copy of the packet?” Jennifer asked him.

“Because I’m going to make sure Brian, Justin, and Melanie are well compensated for this clear invasion of privacy.”

“They wouldn’t hold you responsible for this, Ron, since you weren’t the one who ordered the investigation.”

“Be that as it may, I still feel that they ought to be compensated. In fact, I think I have another idea. I want them to take over my accounts posthaste. Currently, my firm is being represented by Vanguard. Due to the current circumstances, I don’t want Lindsay, and therefore Nancy, to be privy to any of the inner-workings of my business. That especially rings true for the advertising. Once Lindsay finds out what I’ve done to HER mother, she’ll be out for a bit of revenge herself. Because Nancy’s been cut off, Lindsay no longer has a  cash cow of any kind. It’s going to piss her off.”

Leda breezes in and says hello to those she knows, lingering extra long at Emmett, who she developed a relationship with through the drag queen, Godiva. “I hear congrats are in order. You’re finally going to do something with your degrees.”

“I knew I would get around to it one day, but with Brian and Justin it just happened sooner than my five-year plan. Let me introduce you to my business partner. This is Vic Grassi, the true genius behind HoneyGrass Elegant Creations.”

“Oh, Em, you give me too much credit. Leda, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I can see why Melanie fell so hard for you.”

“You know about me and Mel?” Leda asked, surprised.

“Yes, I do. But I will keep those conversations private. Suffice it to say that she misses the opportunity to just be that you gave her.”

“She did the same for me,” Leda responded wistfully, before shaking herself out of her momentary melancholy. “I suppose you are all wondering why I am here and why I called Nathan.”

George stepped forward. “Ironically, we had decided to reach out to Nathan just before you’d spoken to him. It’s time that he’s told the truth about his lover in full. So far we’ve imparted some other information about Nancy and Lindsay that he needed to know, but you get to do the honors about this particular revelation.”

Leda smiled deviously. It was no secret that she and Nathan Mathers had a contentious relationship down through the years. Their definitions of right and wrong didn’t always see eye-to-eye. He was always one to enjoy the pomp and pomposity of their vaunted world, whereas she only adhered to the ever-changing rules and regulations when they suited her own ends; much like Justin Taylor. What rankled him the most was that Leda’s family was in a higher circle of society than his own, and Leda never let him forget it. To her, his continued arrogance was unwarranted, especially since the most elite of the elite didn’t act as though people were beneath them. George Schickle, Jennifer Alwin-Taylor, and her children, were prime examples of that.

Looking directly at Nathan, Leda said, “I will make this short, bitter, and to the point. Nancy was your father’s mistress before she became yours, and Lindsay is their daughter.”

“You mean…” Nathan sputtered, looking a little green around the gills at her pronouncement.

“That’s right. Lindsay is your half-sister, and you’ve been doing the woman who might have been your stepmother if your father had been so inclined. I mean, he did have a child with her after all.” Leda mock-shivered at the imagery invading her mind. “Consider yourself lucky that you escaped that hell, but if you’re not careful, you’ll enter a new one.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

Lynette interjected, “What she means is that we know for a fact that my idiot sister was planning to accost you to take certain measures to get her son back from his father, and her ex-lover.”

“His father?”

“Brian Kinney is Gus’ father. His twin sister just so happens to be Lindsay’s ex-lover…”

“Wait a minute,” Leda stopped Lynette’s explanation. “Brian is Melanie’s twin brother? You people must have been smoking the good stuff without me.”

“Not at all, but it might have made all of this mess a little bit more fun, or at the very least, tolerable,” Lynette answered her, chuckling. She took the investigative report from Ronald’s hand and handed it over to Leda. “Read this and tell me if you think we’re still high.”

Leda flipped through the pages, with Nathan leaning over her shoulder so he could read it, too. After a time, she looked up and asked, “This is all true?”

“It is,” Ronald confirmed. “And they have both just found out. In fact, they’re down in Florida now, visiting with Mel’s adoptive father, who is said to be very ill.”

“Mel must be beside herself. Regardless of what this report says, she loves Mendel.”

“As she should. He raised her to be the strong woman she is, despite their earlier difficulties during her college years. She and Brian are going to have a time reconciling the facts to their past history.”

“Well this explains so much,” Leda laughs.

“What do you mean?” Nathan asked, once he recovered his voice from reading the report. He couldn’t imagine the position Brian Kinney must be in right now. To basically go through life with a mixed up identity must have shaken the entire core of who he thought he was.

Emmett chimed in then. “Oh, that Lindsay is attracted to a certain type. After all, Brian and Melanie couldn’t stand each other, but the theory has always been that their animosity was because they were way too much alike. They could be saying the exact same thing, but because the other was saying it, they would end up arguing just on principle while Lindsay got to play peaceful lesbian in the middle. It didn’t help that prior to meeting Melanie, Lindsay and Brian had a bit of too much pot and Wild Turkey, which of course led to some Midsummer Madness, as Brian is wont to call it.”

“You mean they…”

“Yeah, Brian screwed her scruples loose, well what little she’s ever had, which left him running for the nearest man afterwards. No doubt Lindsay would have been infuriated, but if she wanted to keep Brian’s friendship, there’s no doubt that she would have had to pretend it didn’t happen at all,” Lynette informed them.

“So as a result of her bruised ego, she’s taken to playing Mel and Brian against one another, especially from the moment Michael let it slip to Mel that Brian and Lindsay had a one-night stand. Constantly taking their disagreements as them fighting over her, feeds into that over-inflated opinion of herself she has when in all honesty, it’s really never about Lindsay as a person, but more that she’s a situation that one or both of them needs the other to control. In short, Lindsay’s a major shitstirrer, and thrives on the chaos she creates. Unfortunately though, Brian and Melanie have never been able to catch the glimpses of glee in Lindsay’s eyes that Teddy and I have seen as we’re trying to break up the almost-violent arguments. A few times, we were actually fearful they were going to come to blows, as little Miss Spider Thong just sat there serenely watching how her web of subterfuge and suggestions caused those particular scenes. But honey, once Mel and Brian get started, they are like bulls in a china shop who are most determined to lock horns at every opportunity, so to speak,” Emmett said.

Lynette nodded in agreement, having witnessed countless similar scenes of Peterson Women Lesson 102 in action many times: When in danger of losing control of a situation, cause chaos, smile or cry, look innocent, and be sure to make the appropriate noises to subtly keep the confusion going. Nancy Peterson sure taught Lindsay well, she thought. “But this news will act as a pin to deflate that overblown ego, Emmett.”

“How so?” Nathan asked, reluctantly fascinated by all the history of the major players in this drama.

.

“The thing you need to know about Lindsay is that she’s bisexual, and only indulges those particular urges when there’s a benefit to her. In this case, it would be to get you to make sure Melanie no longer has access to Gus.”

“Not Brian?”

“No. She wants Brian to have unlimited access. If I know my sister- and I do- she’ll want Brian to realize how much he needs her to care for Gus, which will once again become her only bargaining chip. Then she’ll make some ridiculous demand to ensure that he’s completely dependent on her, even if it means that Gus either stays with her or she moves in with Brian. Which honestly, I’m more inclined to believe is her main goal since she’s always had champagne wishes and caviar dreams with Carnation milk money. It’s the reason she pushed so hard to have the little boy in the first place,” Lynette said.

“So you think she’s going to come to me to write the order in the manner she wants?”

Connie told him, “The fact that CPS has the case and is well-aware of her neglect is one thing. She left Gus in a locked car with the window up, while she was in the bank trying to remove access to his accounts, as well as those she shared with Melanie. However, Brian and Melanie beat her to the punch. The real problem is that she was released from a holding cell without going before a judge last night. Her accomplice greased a greedy palm within the Pittsburgh P.D. in order to make that happen. So there’s no record of the arrest, except the evidence that CPS and the hospital have, which are two systems the police don’t automatically have access to.”

“Wait a minute? She was arrested, and yet, she still believes her plan would work? That’s preposterous!” Nathan explodes.

“No. That’s classic Lindsay, with the help of some high-powered money. Gardner Vance is the man who got her out, at Nancy’s behest I’m sure, since they all share a common goal. And you would do well to remember that these are the types of lessons she learned at our mother’s knee,” Lynette advised.

“To Lindsay’s mind, if she got you to do the same type of bidding, but for what’s to be considered a just cause, you wouldn’t have gotten caught. She forgets that Russo and Stockwell are already under investigation for circumventing the law, and the acting District Attorney is scrutinizing all of the evidence, including what the department did under Stockwell’s watch. There’s going to be numerous charges of bribery being handed down in the coming weeks,” Leda also warned him, to let him know to keep his nose clean in terms of his own affairs. She may not have liked him, but he’s always applied the law equally when a case came before him, unlike his father.

Nathan nodded his understanding of what both ladies were telling him, before addressing both George and Jennifer directly. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about what young Taylor endured because of a bogus ruling in Russo’s courtroom. I never would have done that.”

“We know that, which is why we’re giving you a chance to save yourself in advance,” George answered the apology for both himself and Jennifer, before Ron interjected.

“When Nancy comes to you, we’ll leave it up to you to disclose what you want to her, but when it comes to Lindsay, flat out tell her no. Gus is in the best possible place he could be, which is with Brian and Melanie, in the company of Justin Taylor. In fact, I know that they have already hired a nanny to help with Gus’ care along with that of Brian’s nephews, who he also has in his custody. So they are collectively taking his care into the utmost consideration. Lindsay’s goals in all of this have absolutely nothing to do with the baby, except making the father pay for her life. It’s a fucking shame,” Ronald tells him, angry at the games Lindsay and Nancy continue to play.

“And stay away from Clara Hobbs, and my ex-wife, too,” George advised. “If Nancy can’t get to you personally, they will try to do her dirty work. That trilogy of twatery is to be avoided at all costs. And if you add Lindsay into the mix, you have a circle of cunt-ery”

“Trilogy of twatery? Circle of cunt-ery?” Leda snickers.

“Yes, indeed. We call all thank Justin for those gems.”

“Well, as Brian would say, Baby is a genius,” Emmett adds, laughing. “And I’m so stealing!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~SOWK

PILLBOX LANE

Joan woke up feeling completely out of sorts, and with a devil of a headache. Her first inclination was to fall back into bed, but that wasn’t going to work. She had things to do in order to set her world back into order. Because of Claire’s immense mess, she now had the task of seeing to John and Peter. Looking after the two rambunctious boys was not a welcome task. After all, she’d done her tour of duty with the upbringing of Claire and Brian, and the Lord knew she’d had to beat the devil out of them on more occasions than not.

Thinking about Brian’s disrespect yesterday, it was evident to her that he needed to be reminded of his place, and quickly! Then she would deal with that boy and his nosy mother. The nerve of that Taylor woman- trying to stick her opinion into HER private family concerns! Brian was HER son, and it was his job to obey- NOT question her orders. Regardless of his age, he still owed HER his respect and loyalty. She would make sure to drive the point home with him the next time she saw him. As it was, he had a lot of explaining to do! How dare he keep the knowledge that she had another grandson away from her! Just thinking about it, set her blood boiling again.

With his deviant lifestyle, it was going to be up to her to save that child from her son. Only the Lord knew what kind of perversion that poor child had already been exposed to, having that lunatic for a mother and a father more interested in sleeping with boys than raising his son in the way of the Lord. So yes, it was going to fall to her to keep her grandsons from all manner of wickedness! She knew exactly where she’d gone wrong with Claire and Brian; she wouldn’t make the same mistakes with John, Peter, and little Gus. From an early age, they would learn to follow the Church, and to respect her, or they would feel the rod to teach them that not following the rules led to a harsh road. It was the only way to correct their wayward parents’ DNA coursing through the veins of those sin-filled children.

Moving the empty bottle of bourbon over to look at the clock, her relief was palpable as she noticed the time. She needed to get to Mass, to pray for guidance about this situation. Having come to some conclusions regarding her grandsons, the one thing she knew was that she needed to start as she meant to go on. That meant she needed to take care of her morning ablutions, and then talk to the boys about their mother before dragging them to church. She would tell them to pray for their mother and that the Lord’s will be done concerning her, and that He would make her road easy to obtain little Gus from the evil clutches of his pedophile father and his lover. So grabbing the Visine as she always did first thing in the morning, she put two drops in each eye to clear the redness she knew would be there before going across the hall to the bathroom to take care of herself. And if John and Peter even thought to disobey, or voice a thought that she didn’t agree with, they would both receive a smack to the mouth- one because of the backtalk, and the other to teach them not to do it at all.

Had Joan really looked at the clock beside her bed- or even opened the curtains- it might have registered that it was almost five o’clock in the evening and she’d actually slept over half the day away. It might have also dawned on her that she hadn’t seen or spoken to her grandsons in well over twenty-four hours... but she was too busy making plans and being almost gleeful about getting the do-over she had prayed for many times over the years. She would NOT make the same mistakes she’d made with Brian and Claire. Heaven and those boys souls were depending on her!  

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES

PITTSBURGH, PA

“What do you mean Lindsay Peterson’s not still in jail?” Trevor asked, as he sat behind his desk and stared at the two people in front of him.

“She got sprung, off the books, by Gardner Vance. We’re still trying to figure out which officer let her out,” Carl told him, calmly. He could understand the man’s frustration, since he was all about justice himself. That a baby was left in the car unattended was just unjustifiable to him, which he suspected was exactly what Lindsay Peterson had tried to do.

The thing that was most troubling was that the arrest report was also missing. The way the department was supposed to run was that there was not only a handwritten account, but also a computerized version of the same. The fact that both were missing was deeply troubling, since the officer would have also needed to have access to the computer system in order to erase an electronic arrest record. Only detectives, not beat cops, had that kind of access, other than the higher-ups like the Captain, the Chief, the Commissioner, and those who worked in Internal Affairs. So that left out a multitude of people, but it would also make Carl’s job a lot harder since once again, he would be going after a cop with stature within the department.

“Mr. Brown, if possible, could we have a copy of your report on young Augustus Marcus-Peterson so that we can start our own investigation into this,” Shavonne asked.

“Sure, but what’s going to happen going forward? Without that arrest record to substantiate the claim of neglect, we would have no choice but to officially close the case and return the child back to his mother’s care since she’s the primary parent on record. Based on what happened yesterday, I can’t see that being in the child’s best interest,” He said as he pulled up the computerized copy of the CPS report and sent it to the printer.

“That’s what we are trying to determine,” Shavonne answered. “Off the record, meaning this stays between the three of us within this office, and you can only discuss it with your immediate supervisor should the need arise, the department in this district is already being investigated on bribery charges. Chief Stockwell, along with Judge Roy Russo, are already under investigation, and are sure to be indicted on bribery, as well as other charges. So by the action of letting Peterson out without a formal arraignment hearing tells us that whomever has done this is sympathetic to Stockwell’s initial cause in mishandling the Justin Taylor case. You are aware of who Justin Taylor is, aren’t you?”

“The man who signed for the boys as Mr. Kinney’s partner,” Trevor answered matter-of-factly.

“Yes, but he’s also the young man who was bashed at his prom some months ago, and also Lindsay Peterson’s motive for doing anything,” Shavonne answered.

“I’m not sure I’m following.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” Carl said to Trevor, amid Shavonne’s snickering. “Brian Kinney continues to rebuff Lindsay’s innuendos and manipulations, especially with Justin’s help. From what I understand, Justin was the one who tried to talk Brian out of signing his parental rights over to Melanie Marcus. Then, as of yesterday, Brian’s rights have been restored, against Ms. Peterson’s knowledge. So yes, I would imagine that Ms. Peterson would do just about anything to make Brian return to the role she’s always meant for him to play within her life.”

“The role of personal piggy bank, and faux-husband?” Trevor asks, while remembering that Lindsay was arrested trying to move money from two accounts, which also had Melanie’s name on them, into her personal account,  while also trying to change the codes on an account with Brian Kinney’s name on it.

“That, and to make him suffer for his insolence in thinking that he has the right to live his life as he sees fit instead of living as she deems acceptable. But since she can’t make a move on Brian directly anymore without it being immediately countered, getting rid of his biggest supporter would be tantamount to her reestablishing the supposed power she had over Brian.”

“Justin Taylor?” Trevor shook his head again. “He seems so young though…”

Shavonne answered for both herself and Carl, while filling in a little bit of the young man’s history that Carl knew, but Trevor did not. “He is, but he also has what my grandmother called an old soul. That young man is light years ahead of where the rest of us were at his age. I suppose that after all he’s had to endure, just in this past almost two years alone, has matured him in unimaginable ways. Between the Country Club sect, the familial expectations, then being summarily kicked out and injured because he wouldn’t kowtow to the masses for their collective peace of mind… well, it took a lot of gumption for him to be who he is in the face of all that adversity, don’t you think?”

“Having met the young man last night, I can’t disagree with you. Out of the three of them, he seemed to have more confidence than the older two. It was quite funny when Brian had him sign the co-guardian papers, first for Brian’s nephews and then for little Gus.” Trevor chuckled. “Speaking of the Townsend boys, what’s going to happen with their mother? I understand that she’s currently sitting in jail.”

“She is,” Carl answered. “And based on the evidence alone, she won’t be getting off easy, that’s for sure. I understand that a neighbor brought them here after they were caught trying to steal food from the local market?”

“Yes, those boys were starving.”

“Did you happen to send representatives to Joan Kinney’s residence last evening to inform her where they were?”

Trevor nodded. “We tried; in the company of an officer so that she would know we were official. When we arrived at the house a bit after nine o’clock, Mrs. Kinney still was not at home. So we obtained a temporary custody order signed by Judge Pfluke, so that Mr. Kinney and company could take the children with them to Florida without incident. What are the odds that Joan Kinney will come looking for them?”

Shavonne sighed. “From what I already know of the woman, not much of a chance. She was at the courthouse yesterday, in the company of Ms. Townsend, saying all kinds of crap about Brian. Then when they showed up at the police station last night, Claire Townsend was shortly arrested while she and her mother were trying to have Brian arrested for neglect and child endangerment since Gus was clearly in the hands of an incompetent mother. Amazing that she forgets that when you point the finger at someone, you also have three pointing guiltily back at yourself, too. Such sanctimonious bitches!”

“I agree with you,” Trevor said, nodding. “The problem is that although Joan Kinney’s technically the person whose house the boys were left at, she’s not legally responsible for them. So you can’t arrest her for the same thing she tried to get Brian for. But…”

Carl smiled. “I can arrest her for filing a false report, since Gus certainly wasn’t in danger by his father’s hand, but I’d like to hold off on that.”

“Why?” Shavonne asked, clearly puzzled.

“For two reasons, really. The first is that her daughter has been very talkative within the precinct, even without an attorney present. We’ve tried to shut her up plenty of times and advised that she wait until a court-appointed attorney is with her, but she seems determined to get her story out there. Honestly, I think she is banking on someone overhearing her and calling Brian on her behalf.”

“After what she tried to do to him? That’s some unmitigated gall!” Trevor interjected.

“That’s typical Joan and Claire Kinney, for you. According to sources, they are just the type to denigrate him, and then turn right around and demand that he financially take care of their issues," Carl advised.

"Sounds just like what I've heard Lindsay does to him... and also Michael Novotny." Shavonne stated.

Carl nodded before continuing. "I've heard that same thing from the woman I'm involved with, and at times, have noticed the same browbeating tactics. But back to the Kinney women for a moment... In the past, Brian has given into them just to keep them as far away from him as possible. Based on their tumultous history, I would imagine it was done more as a safety measure so that he didn't end up doing something he would regret later. However, once what they tried to do to him last night becomes known, I doubt he’ll even be willing to buy them an ice cube to cool them off in Hell, let alone secure a lawyer for them. They can call him all they want, he’s not going to answer.”

“Let’s hope that whatever evidence you’re trying to get a handle on, Detective, that it sticks and sticks HARD. If Claire Townsend is an example of the kind of mothering Brian received at Joan Kinney’s hands, then that woman shouldn’t have been able to raise an eyebrow, let alone another human being.” Trevor shook his head. “I’ll be checking in with them in a little while, so I’ll fill him in on happenings here and give you all an update, if that’s okay?”

“Thanks, Trevor, that would be most appreciated. I’m especially interested in hearing how Mendel is doing,” Shavonne answered.

“Mendel?” Carl asked, as they turned to leave the office.

“Mel’s father. In a way, he’s been a father to Leda and me, too. Once he came around to the fact that we are all gay, he became more family to all of us than some of the members of those we were born into. It will hurt us all to lose him.”

“Well, if it means anything, I hope this was a false alarm for all of you. Understand that in my line of work, I get that death is imminent and that it’s never easy. But all of these situations occurring at the same time can be really hard on a person. I can’t imagine that Melanie can take much more before she reaches her breaking point.”

“I think that’s why Brian and Justin elected to go with her. If anyone can help deal with the stress of it all, considering what those two have been through lately, they can.”

SOWK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLASSE NOT PASSE MOVING, STORAGE and WAREHOUSE

SEWICKLEY

Lindsay couldn’t believe the foolishness she had endured for the over the last twenty-four hours. On the advice of her mother, she had only meant to re-establish herself as the head of the household she shared with Melanie, and secure Brian in the process. Instead of her plan to do so working as it ought to, she was arrested on a completely bogus charge of Child Endangerment, released from jail due to an unexpected ally, and then advised that the last ten years of her life with Melanie has now resulted in abandonment. Melanie has got a lot of fucking explaining to do! she thought as she continued to fume at her current set of circumstances. It didn’t help that she was currently in possession of a useless cell phone thanks to Mel’s vindictiveness. She couldn’t even call anyone other than a 911 operator to yell or complain about this latest round of injustice.

After arriving at her former address with the express purpose of seeing Melanie grovel in gratitude for Lindsay’s willingness to return to her and resume their lives the way she had been designing it, until Brian finally produced a wedding ring, she was shocked beyond belief to find that Melanie had sold their home… and to both of her ratty ass former girlfriends. Although she’d only known of Shavonne Fuller’s existence, meeting the woman was an experience that Lindsay would have loved to be able to forget. Having the outspoken black woman denigrate her in front of the courthouse on the last day of Justin’s civil trials was just a small step above the humiliation she was currently feeling as a result of being told that she was now homeless by both her and Leda.

Leda- Louisa Jane DeWitt. Now that was another major pain in her ass! It had taken Lindsay awhile to remember that the woman was the same one she and her mother had an altercation of sorts with many years ago while Lindsay was still a permanent fixture within the country club set; back when Leda was much more apt to use her given name, not the nickname she adopted before she’d left for parts unknown… or should she say parts that Lindsay had known all too well. It rankled that Melanie had been intimately involved with the ONE woman that Lindsay, in her youth, was both attracted to and repulsed by, although she had kept the former of that information to herself. It was already enough drama that only a few years after her and Louisa’s very public falling out, her relationship with Rebecca Tucci was often mentioned in her presence. Considering the fact that Nancy’s part in their breakup was well-known, and that Rebecca and her lover were still together was almost too much to bear for Lindsay. So she didn’t need the secret lust she’d felt for Leda becoming fodder for the masses in polite society, especially since she knew she would be soundly rebuffed!

She sighed again, looking down at her cell phone and noting the time. It was almost five and she wondered if they would ever make it to the storage unit on time. The last thing she needed was to have to buy back all of her possessions during tomorrow’s auction. As it was, Lindsay only had about three thousand dollars left of the money she’d been hoarding away into her bank account whenever she would ask Brian for some extra cash. She wondered if, while Melanie was cleaning out the basement, she’d happened to look in the cellar where she had been adding slowly to her wedding trousseau. She’d been buying and storing away the high-end furnishings and fashions for years, even before they had conceived Gus, in the hopes that Brian would finally get a clue and do right by the only woman he’d ever fucked… no, made love to. But to no avail!

And now that the sale of Taylor Electronics had been disclosed, Justin was even more well-off than Brian, so there was absolutely no reason for him to leave the man she loved. If anything, having over twelve million dollars was going to cause Justin to draw even closer to Brian. After all, who better to guide Justin than Brian, who had a natural affinity for business and investments? She really needed to reach out to her parents to find out what her options were in reference to finding ways to get Mel and Brian to pay for their insolence, while finding a way to separate Brian and Justin. She wasn’t sure just how much help her father would be, but she could always depend upon Nancy to find the answers.

Perhaps after she secured a van to have her belongings removed from this place, she would go over to their place. At the very least, she could persuade them to let her stay in her old room for a few days. She knew she couldn’t stay there indefinitely, but maybe just long enough to talk with their attorney. There had to be something she could do to avenge herself on the machinations of Brian, Melanie, and Justin.

YES, Justin, too! If he would just have accepted the original verdict as he ought to have done, everything would have remained as it should have been. Brian would still be supporting her… erm, Gus; Melanie would still be cowed enough to do her bidding without a second thought, and Justin would be back at Jennifer’s house where he belonged. Hmmm, perhaps an Alienation of Affection lawsuit should be filed against Justin, since Melanie and Brian wouldn’t have taken into their heads that they didn’t have to support me if it wasn’t for him. It was an idea she would certainly have to consider further. After all, that lovely money that Brian had won against Craig Taylor, the fees in which both Brian and Justin will undoubtedly be paying Melanie for representing them, and all the funds that Brian had spent on Justin prior to his new windfall, would have been put to much better use if it was spent on her, as it always should have been. But now that Melanie and Brian had locked her out of all the accounts with Mel’s name attached, well, Justin should have to pay for that since she was sure it was all his idea!

“Ma’am, we’re here. That will be two-hundred and seventy dollars,” the cab driver advised.

“Two-hundred and seventy dollars? I think your meter must be broken or something!” Lindsay huffed, making a move to alight from the car.

The cabbie had seen the action and pressed the button to prevent her from leaving before she paid him. He’d been driving cabs for more than twenty years; he knew the type that would try to skip out prematurely. “No my meter isn’t broken. In case you haven’t noticed, we are forty-five minutes outside of where I picked you up from on Liberty Avenue. Six dollars times forty-five miles equals two-hundred and seventy.”

“That’s ridiculous! I won’t pay it!” Lindsay sat back in her seat, folding her arms with narrowed eyes.

“Fine, then we can call the police and have them settle this dispute by carting you off to court. Either now or later, I will be paid.”

As his words registered, she could feel the panic rising up in her at the thought of returning to a holding cell. She looked at her cell phone again, and then at the determined look on the cabbie’s face. Getting an evil gleam in her eyes as she looked back at him staring at her in the rearview mirror, she sneered, “Either you let me out right now, or I’m calling the police.”

“Either you pay me right now, or you’re not getting out until the police arrive. It’s your choice, lady.”

Lindsay decided to call his bluff by raising her phone in order to dial. She was tired of dealing with arrogant and insolent people this week, beginning with that little fucking blond puppy, Justin Taylor. Well, this man was about to reap the benefits of her temper, since she couldn’t find the little fuck to take it out on him.

Seeing the malice in the brown eyes of the harridan in his backseat, the cabbie decided to take the decision of what to do into his own hands. Picking up the receiver that dialed into the Dispatcher’s office of the cab company, he said, “Ah, hey Jana, it’s Jeff. Are you there?”

“Yes, Jeff. Go ahead.” Lindsay gasped as she realized what was about to happen.

“Is this really necessary?” she half-screamed, half-pleaded.

“I gave you a choice, lady. Either pay me the two-hundred and seventy dollar fare, or we have the courts settle the dispute,” the cab driver repeated, while deliberately keeping his thumb on the receiver so that his dispatcher would hear the entire conversation. There was no way he was going to get railroaded and lose his job because of some entitled, flighty chick!

“Look, I already told you that the fare is too much! Besides, I have to use the cash I have on me to get my belongings that my vicious ex had sent here!”

“That’s not my problem, Ma’am. However, your lack of paying me is.”

“Oh come on! Don’t you have any compassion? My husband has thrown me out of our home and sent my clothes here.”

“Husband? I had you pegged for a confused lesbian, but not a hetero,” he snickered.

“That’s insulting! In fact, I am married to Brian Kinney, and when he finds out how you are treating me, he’ll be sure to sue this company!”

“Not likely!”

“And what makes you so sure? HUH?” Lindsay yelled that last, clearly pissed off that she wasn’t going to get out of paying the cab fare. She only had five-hundred dollars on her, and had not expected that the cost of the ride would be over half of the money she had in her possession.

“First, I know that you are delusional and a liar. Brian Kinney is probably the most HO-HO-HOMO on the face of the Earth, let alone in the Pittsburgh area. Secondly, he is involved with a blond man, who even I have to admit is much prettier than you, and yes, this is coming from a straight man. Thirdly, I picked you up from the area of Liberty Avenue known as the Pussy Willows district, which is known as Bi and Lezzy-ville. I mean Magnolia Trail and Lavender Meadows Drive are basically occupied by the heteronormative lesbians who have families. Nothing wrong with that in my book; just an observation from a long time cabbie. So please understand that no one is buying your story. Just pay up so that you can go about your business, and I can return to mine!”

Lindsay was both appalled and angered at the man’s attitude to her plight. The fact that he was right had little to nothing to do with his assessment. It was that he was supposed to be in the service industry and he was completely out of line to speak to her that way. “I want to speak with your manager,” she sneered.

“Jeff, I’m calling the police department in Sewickley right now. Don’t even bother arguing with that woman any longer. I’m sure the police will be more than happy to settle the dispute.”

“Wait!” Lindsay yelled in an effort to stop that from happening. She wasn’t even aware that the man had her on speaker as she was arguing with him. “I’ll… I’ll pay you. Just please, don’t call the police!”

“Too late, Ma’am,” Jana’s unsympathetic voice came over the line. “They should be there momentarily. Jeff, leave me on speaker while they’re there. I have the whole conversation recorded, including her refusal to pay for whatever reason.”

Hearing the sirens in the distance, Lindsay sunk back into the leather upholstery, and closed her eyes, feeling the tears prickling behind her eyelids. Nothing was going her way this week! And it was all the fault of that blond, husband-stealing bastard named Justin Taylor!

SOWK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PEARSALL, TEXAS (about 50 miles outside of San Antonio)

FRED

My little niece is such a diabolical genius! Even I couldn’t have thought up this completely appropriate, but highly offensive punishment for the man I loathe more than just about anything in the world. When Molly told me the true nature of Craig’s machinations, I wondered why on earth he was able to produce live, active sperm while mine seemed to lie dormant. By all accounts, Justin was the type of son any man would have been proud to have. So what if Justin wasn’t into sports the way Craig thought he should be; many sons aren’t keen on having to live up to anyone else’s expectations, even their pater.

But Justin is, and has always been, highly intelligent, driven, an overachiever by nature, and creative, which are some of the most important hallmarks of a successful man in life, and most especially, in business. Yes, Craig was a fool to push his son so hard, and then ultimately drive him away. I suspect that Craig is already cursing himself for his continued stupidity.

“Why aren’t I staying in the main house?” Craig asked as I showed him where he would be staying.

“My home is for family and guests- neither of which I consider you to be. You are here to work.”

“But that’s preposterous!” He exploded. “Your personal assistant, Jeremiah, works for you, yet he has his own private quarters within the house. Unless there’s another reason that he’s allowed to stay there…”

“Finish that innuendo, Craig, and I’ll take great pleasure in rescinding my generous support, including ALL of the money I just spent to get you released until your final sentencing.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Oh, believe you me, I would happily send your complaining, entitled, high-falutin, ignorant ass back on the Greyhound bus to Pittsburgh with a couple of my bully boys for company. The ONLY reason I didn’t drop your ass out of the plane on the way here is that I am doing a favor your daughter.”

‘Molly? What does she have to do with this?” Craig gasped, hope shining in his eyes that she may have realized the supposed error of her ways and would allow him back into her good graces.

“Plenty, but me dealing with you is going to be considered payment for a very large service to me rendered.”

“So you’re forcing me to work for you as one of your stable hands?”

“Let’s not consider this a matter of force, Craig. I merely provided a means to an end for you. Thinking of how you always over prepared for every eventuality- the loss of Taylor Electronics notwithstanding- I would think you working here on the ranch is going to give you, at least, a way to stay in shape. You never know just what things might bump you deep into the night. I’ll leave you to get settled in. Jasper will come for you at four a.m. sharp; I would advise you not to be late. He doesn’t take well to slackers.” I turn on my heel, laughing hard at his look of shock at my reveal of his true job function here. The entire way here, he was gloating- almost boastful- about all of the service he could offer me. Considering his own failed attempts at being a respected businessman, I am happy to pass. I didn’t get to be the self-made man I am by being guided by obnoxious fools, and I’m not about to start now. “Oh, before I forget, I left you the Times in case you wanted to do a little reading before lights out. I thought you would find some of the latest developments in the world of business interesting.”

As I was leaving the groundkeepers’ quarters at the far end of my lands, I laughed long and hard as the loud expletives erupted from the man on the second floor. Although he knew that Justin had sold the business formerly known as the Taylor Electronics franchise, the details of the deal weren’t disclosed publicly until today. The astronomical sum of twelve million plus owning shares within the company, while Craig will receive absolutely nothing must be chapping his ass as if he just got kicked with the spurs on my boots. But I think what rankles the most is that Justin sold the business to his ex-mistresses and their husbands, proving that Justin is more than capable of separating personal matters from business. So all that business acumen Craig thought had to be beaten into Justin and then burned into his veins through attending Dartmouth College turned out to be the biggest lie Craig had ever told himself. Well that, and that he was EVER more intelligent than his son. I would pity the fool, but… nah, my feelings just aren’t set up that way!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~SOWK

57th PRECINCT

PITTSBURGH

“Mr. Novotny...!”

“...And I want my phone call! No one has even bothered to explain to me what the hell I’m being charged with! I…”

“WILL SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!” The court-appointed attorney, Wade Fuchs yelled back at his annoying client. God, why did I have to draw the short straw today?! As he looked at the pouting man, who was growing more increasingly annoyed at not being able to fold his arms, he sighed. “The first thing you need to know, Mr. Novotny, is that your screeching and whining…”

“I don’t whine!”

“Don’t interrupt!!” Wade said sternly, before waiting for a few moments to make sure Michael wasn’t going to open his mouth again. “Now again, all of your screeching, and WHINING isn’t going to win you any points with the arraignment judge who will hear your case in a little while. You are already being charged with Disturbing the Peace. Can you explain to me what made you yell inside the Cuppa Cafe so loudly that several near-accidents happened within the building?”

“I don’t remember,” Michael muttered.

“So you basically started screaming in an establishment full of patrons for no apparent reason?”

“I didn’t say that! I just don’t remember the reason that I did right now. I would never simply scream for no reason!”

“You just did…,” Wade responded and rolled his eyes. “But that’s beside the point. The fact of the matter is that unless you can explain it, you will face a hefty fine, and that’s in addition to your bail. What was the last thing you remembered?”

“I had been following my friend, Emmett, around since he left his apartment this morning…”

“You were stalking him?”

“I wasn’t stalking him! I’ve been calling him, and because of a slight misunderstanding, he hasn’t been answering. I thought I would wait until he got somewhere that he couldn’t avoid me. But he didn’t go to the Diner, where my Ma would have made him talk to me.”

“What was the misunderstanding?”

“I merely told the truth about him and my friends to Howard Bellwether, but I suspect it was my comments about the twink that wouldn’t go away that has them all mad at me.”

“The twink who wouldn’t go away? To whom were you referring exactly?”

“Justin Taylor, the blond bastard that has seemed to permanently attach himself to my best friend!”

It all started to make sense to Wade right then. The big news around the office all day had been the winning of several court cases that both Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor were involved in. For many months, the Legal Aid office was trying to figure out a way to make the decision right for the young man in question. Although they worked with- and ultimately for- the former District Attorney Clarence Peters, none of them had agreed with what he’d done regarding the initial case against Chris Hobbs. He knew that there were some severe penalties coming down the pipe beginning with Chief James Stockwell, and ending with Judge Roy Russo.

Everyone else involved was also going to get caught up in the crossfire. But there was also the matter of two of Mr. Kinney’s friends, who were at the courthouse intending to cause trouble for the younger man at the heart of the civil litigations. And it was now more than apparent that his client was one of those friends.

Sighing, he asked, “So basically you’re being avoided because you disclosed private information about your friends and their lifestyle. Was it that you didn’t agree with the way they lived their lives?”

“I told the truth; that’s all that should matter! They just didn’t like what I had to say,” Michael answered belligerently.

“Well, be that as it may, they are exercising their collective right not to want anything else to do with you. If you want some advice, I’m going to suggest that you leave them alone and let them come to you when and if they’re ready. If you don’t, you’re going to find yourself in the middle of several court cases involving stalking…”

“I AM NOT A STALKER!”

“According to what you just told me, YOU ARE!” Wade took a calming breath before continuing. “So Mr. Novotny, according to the many witnesses, you yelled in Mr. Honeycutt’s direction while he was engaged in conversation with two other patrons, and then you fainted before you hit your head. The police had the EMTs check you out, and although you have a slight concussion, you have been deemed to be okay. So that brings us up to your arraignment hearing. You need to plead guilty, and pay the fine.”

“But… I don’t have any money! I need to call Brian.”

“Mr. Kinney’s attorney has already filed for a temporary restraining order, so no, you won’t be calling him unless you want to have actual jail time for violating the order.”

“HE DID WHAT?! YOU MEAN THAT SHIT WAS TRUE?! YOU’RE LYING! BRIAN WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ME! THERE HAS TO BE SOME MISTAKE!!!”

“Mr. Novotny, please lower your voice! And yes, he did. Based on your behavior today, I can see why he would feel the need to do so.”

“Fucking Justin Taylor! He’s so damn jealous of my relationship with Brian that he would do just about anything to separate us, including encouraging Brian to file this bogus order!” Michael began to wail.

“Mr. Novotny, let’s can the hysterics, shall we? The fact is that you and a Ms. Peterson broke into the loft at one time with the intent of removing Mr. Taylor from the residence he shares with Mr. Kinney…”

“How do you know about that?”

“It’s my job to know everything about you in terms of why a restraining order was issued in the first place. Furthermore, I suspect that based on your current actions- meaning those since you had relocated to Portland, Oregon for a time up until present- I believe that the restraining order is mainly for your protection from them. This way you can’t go near them, and they can’t go near you. But somehow, I think you are the one who will violate the order before either of them ever do.”

Michael sat there with his arms tensed, pouting while processing what his legal aid attorney had to say. He still couldn’t help but feel that everything that was happening to him was all Justin’s fault. If it wasn’t for him, the guys would have forgiven him by now. That was the way it had always been; the way it should always be! But now, since Justin is at the center of Brian’s life, everyone is forgetting what a great friend Michael had been to them.

It didn’t help that if he wasn’t out of jail by seven a.m. tomorrow morning, Michael would have to look for a new job because Andrew had been writing him up for every little thing. The Store Manager, himself, had told Michael that if he had one more infraction, he would be fired. Although it wasn’t exactly his fault that he was in jail, since Emmett wouldn’t talk to him, he still couldn’t afford to call in absent or be late for work. His attendance issue was the main source of issues that Michael had been having being trapped in the cycle of the Crap Emporium. What’s worse is that even if he did have someone to call, he wasn’t sure that anyone would come here and rescue him- not even his Ma, who had already told him that if his mouth wrote another check his ass couldn’t cash, not to call her for bail money. He didn’t understand the riddle, but understood how ironic it was for her to use the exact terminology of bail money.

Closing his eyes, and turning on the puppy dog look for good measure, Michael addressed his attorney. “Please, just do what you can to get me out of here. If you don’t, I may not have a job tomorrow. I need my job, Mr. Fuchs.”

Wade nodded. “That is probably the most mature thing you’ve said since I’ve been in here with you. I can’t promise anything, Mr. Novotny, but I will try. It really depends on the judge you get, but that’s the way things work. So we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. Oh and a word of advice...”

“Yes?”

“The puppy dog thing… yeah, you’re too old for that to work anymore,” Wade said as he moved to the exit door. “I’ll see you in a bit for the arraignment hearing.”

FUCKER! Michael thought as he scowled, first at the retreating figure, and then the sound of the loud clang which echoed around the empty room he was sitting in.