The Detective’s Apprentice Read online

  “I’m not a kid,” Joe grumbled.

  “Nope, but you don’t look nineteen, either. Are you sure you are?” Derek kidded.

  “Yeah. The one thing I managed to escape with, other than the clothes on my back, was my wallet. Not that it had anything in it but my learner’s permit. They stole my money. I was supposed to take my driving test to get my driver’s license, but I got stupid before that happened.”

  “You got conned by an expert, Joe. It wasn’t your fault. By the way, and maybe you don’t know, did the men running the trafficking ring ever get arrested?”

  “They did. It was the one bright spot in my life back then. I was dumpster-diving and found an old newspaper with a story about it. Well, I guess it was the same ring. It must have been because I recognized the name of one of the men who was arrested.” He shook his head. “That, I’ll never forget. Brock Weldon.”

  “Good to know,” Derek replied as he hooked the leash to Sherwat’s collar and opened the front door. “This could be interesting,” he said as he surveyed the steps down to the sidewalk. “We’ll let dog here blaze the trail. From the look of it, a few cars have made it down the street so we’ll walk in the ruts instead of plowing through close to two feet of the stuff on the sidewalk.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much snow,” Joe said as he trailed behind Derek and the dog.

  “In all your nineteen years,” Derek teased.

  “Hey, you’re not that much older than me,” Joe replied. “If I figured right when you were telling me how you became a detective, you’re only twenty-six.”

  “True. Good memory.”

  “It was only a few hours ago. Jeez.”

  Derek chuckled as they made it out to the street, where walking was easier as long as they stayed in the middle. When they got to the alley between a row of houses, they waited while Sherwat took care of business. Being a good dog owner, Derek picked up after him. He started for the curb, knowing there was a dumpster where he could leave the plastic bag behind the first house. That wasn’t happening he realized. No one had driven down the alley, meaning the snow was almost calf high, and deeper where it had formed drifts. He tied the bag around the dog’s leash to dispose of when they got home, and they kept walking.

  Pretty soon even Sherwat was ready to head home from the way his tail was flagging. They made it back, going inside through the door from the garage to the house, after they did their best to brush the snow off themselves and the dog.

  “Go take a hot shower,” Derek suggested. “You don’t want to catch your death of pneumonia.”

  Joe huffed. “I’ve spent the last two months being cold, or at least not warm. I don’t think…”

  “Don’t argue,” Derek said. “I know I’m going to stand under the hot water until my face thaws out.”

  “It does have a slightly blue cast.”

  “So does yours, so go,” Derek told him, pointing to the bedroom door.

  With a mocking salute, Joe did.

  Chapter 3

  Derek went into his office again after lunch, which had been sandwiches and soup, leaving Joe feeling at loose ends. Well, not loose ends exactly, he decided. It was the fact that he was used to being busy, whether it was watching out for trouble from cops or punks, or trying to make a few dollars for a halfway-decent meal—either with day work or panhandling—or digging through dumpsters or the piles of clothing at drop-in spots for something that would come close to fitting and keep him warm.

  He picked up the book he’d been reading, set it down because he couldn’t concentrate on it, and wandered through the first floor. He straightened a crooked picture on the dining room wall, aligned the row of spices sitting on one of the kitchen counters, and then returned to the living room to stare bleakly out the front window. The only signs of life were a car inching its way down the street and two kids in a yard across the street trying to build a snowman.

  Finally, he went to the office doorway and asked, “Is there something I can do to help out around here?”

  Derek turned to look at him. “Bored?”

  “Sort of. Besides, I owe you for letting me stay here so if there’s laundry or, I don’t know, vacuuming and dusting, or something…”

  “You don’t owe me, Joe.” Derek tapped a finger to his lips. “Tell you what. How would you like a crash course on what’s involved in doing background checks?”

  “Seriously? Sure.”

  “Then pull up a chair.”

  Joe did, as Derek closed out what he’d been working on to go online.

  “Okay, we’ll make this easy and use you as the subject. To begin with, what’s your full name and date of birth?”

  “Joseph Mark…umm…” Joe chewed his lip.

  Derek shot him a look. “This won’t work if you don’t tell me your last name. I promise it goes no further than this.”

  “Okay, I guess. Lawson. I was born December second, 1999.”

  “All right.” Derek opened a website and entered the information. “The first step is seeing if you’ve got a criminal record.”

  “Is that one of those people search sites?” Joe asked.

  “No. As far as I’m concerned most of them are iffy at best, and costly. I go right to the source. This is one of several national databases. You didn’t make their list, which is good. Now, where did you grow up?” Joe told him and Derek went into the county records. “Not even a traffic violation.”

  “I told you I only had my learner’s permit.”

  Derek nodded, and went into the records for the city. “You’re clear here, too.”

  Joe smirked. “I’ve lived an exemplary life, other than…” He sobered, staring at the screen rather than looking at Derek.

  Derek put his hand on Joe’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “That was not your fault. When will you start believing it?”

  “I know, but if I hadn’t been so naïve.” He scowled. “I’m not anymore, am I?”

  “Sexually, no. Otherwise, probably not, considering how you’ve been living. A personal question, which you don’t have to answer. Did you have a girlfriend and did you and she have sex?”

  Looking dead at Derek, now, Joe replied, “No girlfriend, despite my parents pushing me to have one. There was a guy, though we never did anything other than play touchy-feely in his bedroom a couple of times.”

  “Well, that answers that,” Derek replied with a small smile. “All right. Next question. What’s your social security number?”

  Surprised, and relieved, at how easily Derek had taken his revelation, it took Joe a moment to reply. “I haven’t a clue. It’s not like it’s something people have at the tip of their tongue.”

  Derek chuckled, rattling off his. “Surprisingly, a lot of people do. At least when they get older and need it for jobs and what have you.”

  He went to another site which made Joe’s gut clench because it was the sex offender registry website. Derek must have caught his dismay because he told him it only listed people who had been convicted of assault on a child or were violent sexual predators. “And unsurprisingly, you didn’t make the list.”

  “That’s it?” Joe asked.

  “Nope.” Derek showed him how to check credit and military records, and the national terrorism watch list.

  The last one made Joe laugh. “I’m really a secret agent sent here to take out your esteemed president.”

  Derek snorted. “Lots of luck, unfortunately. Okay, one more thing and this has nothing to do with checking your records. What was the name of the man who abducted you?”

  “I told you. Brock Weldon,” Joe replied angrily.

  Derek input it into a search engine. Several items came up, all related to the police and feds closing down a sex trafficking ring. Weldon was named as one of the men who had been arrested. “He and his cohorts are now serving forty-eight years in prison with no chance of parole since most of the ring’s victims were minors.”

  “It should be life,” Joe spat out.
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  “I agree. Unfortunately the law and the courts don’t.” Derek closed his search before saying, “You now know most of what you need to, to do a decent background check.”

  “Great!” Joe grinned. “So hire me to do them. It’ll clear up some of your time so you can do more important things like catching shoplifters and…you said you set up store security, too. Right? Why didn’t you do that for Mr. Edwards, rather than hanging around behind his store to take pictures of those guys stealing his stuff?”

  “I suggested it. He wasn’t willing to spring for the cost. Now, maybe, he will.”

  “Like my dad used to say, locking the barn door after the horse is stolen.”

  “Exactly.”

  * * * *

  Derek didn’t reply to Joe’s kidding suggestion that he hire him. Sure, he’s got a clean record, and he seems pretty smart. But I can’t afford an employee, even if he really is interested.

  He checked the time and then shut down the computer. “What do you want for supper?”

  “Food?” Joe replied, his expression very serious—until he grinned.

  “Wiseass. Let’s go see what I’ve got to work with. It has to be something with chicken, since I took a pack of breasts out of the freezer this morning.”

  No big surprise, Sherwat was prancing by the door to the garage so Derek let him out. Then he got out the chicken breasts, deeming them defrosted enough to work with. “Do you like Parmesan cheese?”

  “I guess? Is that the one that stinks like smelly feet?”

  “It is stinky, but not that bad,” Derek said as he got what he needed to make Italian baked chicken. He dipped the chicken breasts in the mix of mayonnaise, grated cheese, and garlic powder, and had Joe coat them with Italian breadcrumbs. Then he set them in a pan and put it into the oven to cook. “Twenty minutes and we eat,” he told Joe.

  “I’ll set the table.”

  He did, while Derek let Sherwat back inside, dried him off, and filled his food dishes. Then he put torn spinach and sliced tomatoes in a bowl, dousing them in Italian dressing. He checked the chicken, decided it was ready, and put the breasts on a serving plate which Joe took into the dining room.

  “This is pretty good,” Joe said several minutes later after devouring one piece of chicken and taking a second one. “I’ll have to remember it, if I ever get a job that lasts long enough that I can rent a place to live.” He looked at Derek under lowered lashes as he said that.

  Hinting, again? If I could afford it, I might take him up on it. He is right. It would free me up to take on a few more clients. It occurred to him that if he did, the new clients would help cover the cost of paying Joe.

  They finished supper, then without being asked Joe cleared the table and did the dishes.

  He’s definitely willing to do his fair share of the work, although who knows how long that will last? Hard to tell. After all, he’s been here less than a day and with luck the snow has to melt sometime soon. When it does, we’ll go back to our normal lives. Not something Derek was happy about when it came to Joe. In his opinion, the younger man deserved better.

  He continued thinking about possible solutions to get Joe off the streets while they watched a couple of movies on Netflix with Sherwat lying between them on the sofa. When the second one ended, Joe said he was going to shower and go bed. “I do need my beauty rest,” he kidded. Sherwat jumped off the sofa to follow him.

  “Traitor,” Derek grumbled. Not that it bothered him. If the previous night was any indication, having the dog there beside him would help Joe sleep peacefully. Something, Derek was certain, that had rarely happened over the last couple of years.

  While he got ready for bed, Derek replayed the few ideas he’d had when it came to helping Joe. Only one was truly viable and he knew it. All he had to do was figure out the details.

  * * * *

  Thursday arrived, bringing bright sunlight with it. The weather forecaster on the morning news predicted that the temperature would finally get above freezing and remain in the high thirties to low forties for the next few days.

  “Meaning sloppy streets when the snow starts melting,” Derek commented as they finished breakfast.

  Joe agreed, although he didn’t say so. All he could think about was the fact that he’d have to leave soon. Probably tomorrow if Derek goes into work. He’ll want to drop me off downtown and be rid of me. He didn’t think that was true…the getting rid of part. Derek wasn’t a man who would think in those terms as far as Joe could tell.

  After he’d done the dishes, Joe went looking for Derek, who had left the kitchen saying he had some things to take care of. He found him in his office.

  “Have a seat,” Derek suggested, nodding to the chair still sitting beside his desk.

  Joe took it, asking, “Are you going to show me more about how to do background checks?”

  “No,” Derek replied. “I think we covered the basics well enough yesterday.” He pressed his fingertips together, looking a Joe. “I have a proposition for you.”

  Joe was on his feet seconds later, heading to the doorway. “You’re just like everyone else,” he cried out angrily. “Dangle the carrot and then…and then…I’m out of here and don’t try to stop me!” He stormed through the living room to the guest bedroom, slamming the door after him.

  * * * *

  “Damn it,” Derek said under his breath as he followed Joe. He turned the handle and found out Joe had locked the door.

  Going back to the office, he went into the bathroom and across to the other door, hoping it hadn’t occurred to Joe to lock it from his side. He hadn’t, and Derek opened it, but didn’t go into the room. He saw Joe face down on the bed, his shoulders shaking, and knew he was crying.

  Softly, Derek said, “I didn’t mean that the way you took it.”

  Joe turned his head to look at him. Wiping one hand across his eyes, he said, “Bet me. You’re not even gay, but that never stopped guys like you from wanting your cock sucked and you don’t care who does it.”

  Derek leaned against the doorframe, because he knew if he stepped into the room Joe would undoubtedly make a run out the other door. “You’re wrong on two counts. First off, I wasn’t propositioning you. That was the wrong word to use and I’m sorry. Second, I am gay. Not that it matters.”

  Easing up to sit on the bed, his arms wrapped around his legs, Joe replied, “You are?”

  “Yes.”

  “I…okay. But you still could have been suggesting that I had to pay you back with sex for letting me stay here.”

  “Hell, no! The day I have to bribe someone into sleeping with me is the day I give it up for Lent.”

  “For Lent?” Joe smiled a bit.

  Derek shrugged. “Whatever works. Now, will you give me a chance to explain what I was going to say?”

  Joe gave a brief nod. “I guess.”

  Derek moved into the room. Taking the lone chair, he swung it around, sitting with his arms crossed over the back. “All right. We both know that how you’re living isn’t good. Yeah, stating the obvious but still the truth. From what you’ve said, you pick up day work when you can but that’s hardly going to help you change things. So I’m going to make you an offer which you can accept or not. I’m willing to take you on as my apprentice. I can’t afford to pay you much at first, but if it works out and gives me time to take on new clients, I’ll give you a raise.”

  Joe sucked in a breath, his eyes widening in shock. “Are you serious?”

  “Very serious. With a little more training I think you can handle doing background checks. In general, they’re fairly easy, and—” he grinned, “—very boring. If you run into something that doesn’t seem right, you’ll have to let me know immediately so I can dig deeper.”

  “Wow. Yes! You’re on.” After a long moment during which he was obvious thinking about something, Joe frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” Derek asked.

  “I don’t exactly have good clothes, and I’ll have to find a rea
lly, really cheap place to stay because I don’t think you’d want me showing up to work looking like I’ve slept rough.”

  Derek nodded. “There is one solution to that problem but you’ll have to trust me.”

  “I do,” Joe stated emphatically.

  “Really? It sure didn’t sound like it, a couple of minutes ago.”

  Joe ducked his head. “I know,” he whispered. “I’m…after what happened, and then what you said, all I could think of was…” His words tapered off as he stared down at the bedspread.

  “I get that,” Derek replied. “That’s why I need to know you’ll trust me, now.”

  Joe nodded, lifting his gaze to Derek’s face.

  “I see no reason why you can’t keep using this bedroom until you can save enough to find a cheap, but decent, apartment. Probably a studio to begin with.” Derek chuckled. “And if you say, ‘Are you serious?’.”

  “I won’t. I know you are or you wouldn’t have offered.”

  “Very true. If we ever get out of here, the first thing I’ll do is take you shopping at a near-new shop I like. It’s run by a local church and I’m sure you can find a couple of decent pairs of jeans and some shirts. That’s the most I can afford right now. Don’t argue,” he added, holding up his hand.

  Joe didn’t. Hopping off the bed, he went to the window, staring out.

  “Trying to decide if you’ll work for me?” Derek asked.

  Turning, Joe grinned. “Nope. Trying to wish the snow away right this minute.”

  Derek laughed. “Lots of luck with that.”

  Chapter 4

  By late Thursday afternoon the city plows had made it down the street in front of Derek’s house. Of course, as always happened, the snow they removed from the street wound up piled high along the curb and in front of his driveway. With Joe’s help and Sherwat’s dubious assistance, they got it moved so that Derek could get the car out the following morning.

  After supper, Derek checked his business email again.

  “Looks like you’ll get to try out your out your background check skills tomorrow,” he told Joe. “Mr. Moore, one of my regular clients, wants to hire another person for his restaurant and has three applicants for the job.”