Page 51 of Finding Basil
“Well, if it’s going and talking to him or moping around here, go now. I don’t take kindly to mopey people.”
He smiled at that. “I promise not to be overly mopey unless he breaks it off with me. Then, I cannot promise anything.”
“Well, there is some hope. Fifty/fifty chance I will want to throttle you by the time you leave.”
He went to his house and went up to the attic again. Looking around, reading the…well, it was an altar to Basil, was what it was. All about their first date, their first kiss, Steve’s wishes and dreams for them.
It was beautiful, in a run-on sort of way. Basil deserved every line, every compliment. Just reading it, however, he knew Steve was not in his right mind. Even his handwriting went from bad to worse, as if his mind was speeding up the more he wrote.
He’d known people with bipolar disorder, but they were all medicated. He’d never been close to someone who was manic. Shit, in LA, most of the people he knew were highly medicated on one form of anti-depressant or another.
He sat on the floor, flicking an empty Dr. Pepper can with his thumb and middle finger as he called Basil.
The longer the ringing went on, the heavier his chest became, like he lived in Salem during the witch trials and was having rocks piled on him like Giles Corey. That was exactly how it felt, and Steve was placing each one.
The phone call went to voicemail, but he didn’t leave a message. His heart hurt too much.
When he got back to Lila’s, she saw his face and knew. “He’s not home.”
“He’s not answering his phone.”
“I didn’t know that, but Michelle called me and asked if Basil was with you. I gave her your number, so she’ll be calling, I suppose, but I told her what you saw last night. She’s very worried.”
“You don’t think he would hurt Basil, do you?”
“My thoughts of Steve are a mixture, for sure.” She went to the window and sighed as she looked out at the gathering clouds. “He’s a mess. He won’t do what is needed for him to live a nice life, and that’s on him. I won’t make excuses for people who won’t do what’s best for them, especially if they have the means to get whatever it is. And he does. But…he never had love, not the kind a boy needs. And that’s on his folks. I just…I know that being mentally disabled isn’t naturally violent, but things happen in people’s minds, even people without mental disorders. Something snaps.”
His fear made him short of breath, and he stood and pled, “Lila, I have to know if Basil is okay. If something happened to him, and I could have stopped it…”
“You didn’t know.”
“But I saw them. I was close. I could have called out or ran over and I was too busy thinking he was stealing from me or something.”
Lila grew angry. “Stop beating on yourself and feeling sorry for yourself. Go find him and make sure he’s okay. In fact, I’ll call the sheriff. I think it’s time the law was brought in, Steve’s jailing or not.”
As much as he didn’t want to hurt Basil by reporting Steve, he also had to make sure Basil was okay. He could live with Basil being alive, healthy and angry than anything else.
He drove to Basil’s house, meeting the sheriff there. When he arrived, he saw the sheriff just exiting his patrol car. Herb hurried over to shake the man’s hand. “I’m Herb Buffet, one of the people who called about Basil.”
“Sheriff Clay West,” said the man, who was built hard, muscles showing through the loose sheriff’s uniform.
He was handsome as hell and had a deep tan, telling Herb he was a guy who loved being outside. Big hands, eyes cornflower blue, and if Herb wasn’t in the middle of a breakdown from missing his boyfriend, he might notice how absolutely attractive the guy was.
“Sheriff, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry it was under these circumstances, but it is what it is.”
“Let’s go inside and talk to the family. I’ve known them for years, Basil too, and he’s not one to pull something like this here. I’m not even supposed to look until at least twenty-four hours are up, but…Mrs. Jimenez, the senior Mrs., well…”
“I know. She’s tough.”
“Tougher than most I know, men or women.”
They walked to the door together, and sure enough, Basil’s grandmother was the one to throw the door open and demand, “Where have you been, Clay? Lollygagging at the station with your yahoo buddies?”
He was terrified. “N-no, Mrs. Jimenez, I…I came right over as soon as I got the call, I swear!”
Herb loved Abuela more in that moment than he loved anyone else in the world. “Get your ass in here and then get out there and find Basil!”
The entire family was there, and Sabrina rushed over to hug Herb and whisper, “I’m so sorry about this. Steve…he is a lost man, and Basil can’t stop himself from helping anyone.”
