Page 3 of Gentleman Sadist

"I'm done here as well." Robert pulled a card from the inside pocket of his leather jacket and went in search of Will. He found the man two exhibits away, in the mixed media section, talking to one of the employees. As the person walked away, Robert approached Will. "We're finished, for now, I believe."

“So soon?”

“Investigations on TV aren’t anything like they are in real life. We do more work in the office than in the field sometimes.” He held out his card. “If you can think of anything else that could help us, give me a call.”

Will put his glasses back on and ran his finger over the raised font. “Robert huh? Fits you.”

“I like to think so.” He turned from the man and started for the exit.

“Agent Famosa,” Will called out. “Stop back anytime when you’re not working. I think you might enjoy a day at the museum.”

He lifted his hand in acknowledgment. The museum wasn't what he wanted to see. It'd been the man who'd captured his attention. As he stepped out into the mid-day, early fall sun, he glanced around. It was a long shot, but before they left, he'd stop by each business to see if they had any camera footage from the night before. At least, maybe then, they'd have something more to go on.

“Agent Famosa,” the lead investigator from the Tampa Bay’s police department, called out.

Instead of heading to his bike, as he’d intended, Robert joined the investigator. “What can I do for you, Investigator?”

“Do you have a specific email or fax number I can send over the preliminary evidence and incident file to?”

Robert pulled another card from his pocket. “All of my information is there. When you have it together, send it on.”

“Thanks,” the man said. “One more thing. Can I bend you ear for a second?”

“Sure.” Wasn’t like he had anywhere particular to be on a Saturday morning. “What are you thinking?”

“It’s a copycat,” the investigator said.

Robert tilted his head. “Oh? What gave you that impression?”

“The scenes are identical to be sure, but something is off. I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Well, the evidence will tell us what happened here. If it’s a copycat, we’ll be able to catch them. If not...” Robert didn’t even want to contemplate it. “Anyway, thanks for the tip. I’ll start going through the evidence when I get back to the office. Hopefully, we’ll find a lead.”

Will puthis key into the lock on his condo door and turned it. It’d been a long ass day and all he wanted to do was get out of his suit and into something comfortable. Tristan, his live-in boyfriend of two years, wouldn’t be home for another hour—since he’d been working out of town delivering artwork for Da Vinci Couriers, he wouldn’t tell Will which piece or where it was going but that wasn’t here nor there. Anyway, it gave him plenty of time to unwind before Tristan wound him back up. As he pushed open the door, he noticed Dio, his rescue German Shepard, was out of his crate. Will knew he’d put the puppers into his crate before leaving for work. Did that mean Tristan had already been home and stepped out again?

Dio jumped on him, licking his cheeks while trying to climb into Will’s arms. The beast of a dog put on almost thirty pounds since he’d rescued the skinny canine. He’d also grown so attached to Will, the only way to keep him from injuring himself while Will was at work, had been to crate train Dio—which brought him back to why his dog was out.

“Hey, boy. How’d you get out? Did you break out?” He went to the back bedroom he’d transformed into a playroom for Dio and found the crate still intact. “Houdini.” Will scrubbed the pup’s head while he started for the bedroom he shared with Tristan and stopped. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The eerie sensation of someone being there unnerved him. He should have grabbed Dio by the collar and backed out while calling the police. The absurd thought made him chuckle a little because obviously, they were alone.

Dio whined and licked Will’s hand, drawing his attention back to his canine companion. Something was wrong. He might not be able to put his finger on it immediately, but in the time he’d had Dio, the dog had never had as strong of a reaction to anything except for when Will left him alone.

Will flipped on the light in his room as he stepped into the space. He didn't see anything out of place, but the energy was off. His heartbeat kicked up a notch. If it'd been one of those stupid horror movies Kristen and Angie enjoyed, the killer would pop out at him at any second. "So stupid. There's nothing to be afraid of." Will jerked at his words. The sensation crawling through himwasfear, of what, he didn’t understand, however as he stood there it mixed with the thread of anxiety already churning in his gut due to the events at the museum. “Stop being so silly. Nothing is wrong. It’s all because you had a bad day at work.”

The little pep talk spurred him into action. He went to the closet first, opening it with a shove, determined to prove he'd been acting like a fool for no reason. Instead, he gasped. All of Tristan's things were gone. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Sure, they'd been distant the last couple of days—a week at most, still, Tristan had led Will to believe it was due to the stress of work and they were fine. Now, he stared at the empty side of the closet and realized, maybe they'd been anything but fine. He glanced down at the small safe he kept all of his important documents and some cash in, in case of an emergency, and feared the worst even though Tristan never gave him a reason to feel as he did. Until that moment, he'd thought they were perfect together and he was the 'one,' for Will.

Now...

He replayed all the small doubts he’d had over the last two years, reminding himself how many times he’d made an excuse or three for Tristan’s absences and wondered how blind he could have been.Love makes you do stupid things.His hands trembled as he went to his knees. No one but him had the code. It was irrational to believe Tristan had robbed him, yet, his now ex, also left him without an explanation of why. Add in the kind of day he had at the museum, and he wouldn’t put anything past anyone, including his ex-boyfriend.

Paranoia is a bitch sometimes...

Will punched in the code for his safe, kicking himself as Ian and Devon’s words filtered through his mind.Put that shit in a safety deposit box. Them safes are shit for reliability.He closed his eyes, opening the door, afraid of what he’d find while also pleading to whatever higher being would heed his call, for it all to be some wild joke or a dream he’d wake up from.

He was going to be sick.

Cracking open his eyes one at a time, Will peered into the safe.No.A sob escaped him. Bile bit at the back of his throat as dread pooled in his stomach. Everything was gone, even his passport. Dio whined again, pushing his face against Will’s throat and chin trying to comfort him.I’ve been violated.The words whispered through his mind while he continued to stare at the empty safe. Though Will didn’t want to believe what he saw, Tristan left him and took everything with him in the process. But, why?

What had Will done to deserve this? Hadn’t be been attentive? Loving? Understanding? There were weeks Tristan would disappear on courier business and Will never questioned it. He’d been around his friends long enough to understand sometimes things happened. Not even in the last few weeks had Tristan hinted he wasn’t happy anymore.Or you’re too oblivious. Sitting there, he doubted everything about his relationship.Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

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