Page 74 of Holding On to a Hero
Excerpt from transcript of interview with Darius Thompson, college boyfriend of William Graham:
Agent Wainwright: I’d like you to tell me about your relationship with William Graham.
Thompson: Who?
Agent Wainwright: William Graham. He told us you dated for a semester in college.
Thompson: Umm.
Agent Wainwright: This would have been right before you transferred to community college.
Thompson: White guy? Blondish hair? Not too tall?
Agent Wainwright: That fits his description.
Thompson: Yeah, man. We went out. But like, I was doing a lot of um, drinking? I mean I don’t remember a lot around that time. My grades were trashed. I had to change schools. But it was the kick in the ass I needed, you know?
Agent Wainwright: Thanks for your time.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Will
Apparently orgasms did help my back feel better; I was extremely enthusiastic about this new treatment plan. I still hadn’t had enough sleep, the temperature outside the car was below freezing and dawn was hours away, but nothing could ruin my mood. Especially after Jason found a drive-through to get coffee and breakfast.
Dave the cat, however, was not in a good mood. He’d been deeply offended about having to go back into his travel box, and he was letting us know by periodically screaming. Fortunately he refrained while we were in the drive-through lane, but I’d had to reassure Cole several times that Dave would calm down once we got onto the highway.
“Jason, Cole told me he didn’t have any pets growing up. Did you?”
“Sure. We had a dog when I was small. Rufus. He was some sort of lab mix. He was a great dog, but when he died we didn’t get another one. Mom said she was too heartbroken over Rufus, but I think she just didn’t want to have to take care of a dog by herself after Brian and I went off to college.”
“So, neither of you have ever really been around many animals?”
“No.” Cole sounded defensive. Shit. “Arturo grew up on a ranch. He’s our expert.”
“That’s great!” I might have been slightly overenthusiastic to make up for my earlier skepticism. “Sounds like you thought it through.”
“Will,” Jason sounded amused. “Do you think you’d be interested in helping out with the rescue ranch once we get it up and running?”
Cole leapt on the suggestion. “That’s a great idea! At this stage you could really have your pick of jobs!” He twisted around in his seat so he could see me. Apparently I looked a little hesitant. “I mean, we wouldn’t want you to stop doing your wildlife photography or anything. You could still do that of course. It would just be more fun if we were all involved—”
“Stop!” I laughed so he knew I wasn’t upset. Wow, did the three of us need to spend more time getting to know each other. “Cole, I’d love to help out. I mean, if it won’t be weird, and if we, uh, keep seeing each other.” I paused to finish my coffee. “I do want to keep doing wildlife photography but with my back even more screwed up than before I’m going to be pretty limited as to what kind of terrain I can handle, or how long I can sit on a folding stool.”
Cole looked horrified. “Oh. I hadn’t realized…you…wow. That really sucks.”
Jason reached his arm back and patted my leg. “You’re still an amazing photographer, Will. If there’s a shot you want to get or a place you want to go, Cole and I will do our best to help you get there.”
Dammit, now I was tearing up. “Thanks, Jason,” I choked out. I stared at the snow-covered fields beside the highway for a few moments to collect myself, then I cleared my throat. “Anyway, I’d love to help with the rescue ranch. However I can be of best use.”
“Good. Now we just have to catch this shooter.” Cole spun around in his seat again. “Did I tell you my plan?”
“Uh, no. You have a plan?” I checked Jason’s expression in the rearview mirror. His face was unhappy but he was nodding. Okay, then. “Well, let’s hear it.”
Cole excitedly told me his plan, punctuated by hand gestures and ad-libbed dialogue. When he was done I sat back in my seat and stuck my fingers through the air holes in Dave’s box, contemplating the plan.
“Well? What do you think?”
I met his gaze. “I’m petrified for multiple reasons, but I think it could work.”
