Page 52 of Rising Storm

“We’ll never know. Can you live with that?”

“I’ll have to.”

Helix leaned in and pressed his lips to Gareth’s.

Gareth smiled at him, surprise darkening his eyes. “What was that for?”

“You’re way too good for me.”

“No, I’m not. You’re a good man, too, Helix. We just have to get you to believe that.” He stood. “I’m going to call Isaac. You check on Sayer.”

Helix just nodded and left the hotel room, his heart heavy.

* * *

Gareth walkedinto the LGBTQ house with the bag in his hand on Monday, anticipation thrumming through his veins. Larry, who was talking to a teen girl, saw him immediately and walked to him.

“Can we talk in your office?” Gareth asked.

“Sure.” Larry frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“More than. You’ll be happy, believe me.”

“Then let’s go.” Larry led him into his office and took one of the two chairs in front of the desk like he had the last time.

Gareth walked to his desk and carefully set the bag down. Sunlight streamed in through the uncovered window, a beam falling on the bag. “I have something for you.” He opened the bag and pulled out the towel-wrapped statuette, then unwrapped it.

“Oh my God.” Larry jumped out of the chair and walked to the Monteague, his hand hesitating in the air as if he didn’t believe it was really there. “You got it back for me.”

“I did.”

“But where was it? Why didn’t the police contact me?”

“Because the police had nothing to do with me getting this. As for where it was, you don’t want to know. It never went very far.”

“Is this why you’re in town?”

Gareth nodded. “It never sat right with me that I didn’t find this for you.”

Larry hugged him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Larry turned to the Monteague and picked it up. He was silent a long time and when he spoke, he had tears on his cheeks. “Did I ever tell you that I bought this for a partner I had for twenty years?”

“No, you didn’t. He’s the one in the photograph, right?”

Larry nodded. “He died before I started this place. But he loved this statuette and it was the one frivolous thing I ever spent that much money on. When it was stolen it was like losing the last part of him and it nearly killed me. So this thing means more to me than just some expensive knickknack.”

“Then I’m glad I found it for you.”

“Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.”

“You’ll need to keep that under lock and key. I doubt it gets stolen again, but the person I got it from knew you had it the first time. I don’t think he’ll be a problem for long, though.” Isaac was already working on sending up more red flags on Barnette Kavaugh. If he had anything to say about it, Kavaugh would find himself in jail soon enough.

He stayed and chatted with Larry for another hour before leaving and driving back to the motel. He knocked on Helix’s door and Sayer answered.

“He’s not here. He walked somewhere—I’m not sure where.”

“You doing okay, Sayer?”

Sayer nodded, his arm now in a cast. He opened the door wider and invited Gareth in.

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