The Detective’s Apprentice Page 5

  “Yeah. Now I’ve got to convince him to let me take him home.”

  “Good luck.”

  As they approached, Sam looked in their direction and scowled, saying something to the others. Joe heard the tail end of it. “…gonna try to drag me home.”

  Apparently Derek heard him, too, because he said, “I’m not dragging you anywhere, Sam, but I do need to talk to you.” He looked at the other kids. “Alone.”

  One of them replied, “Not happening. He’s our friend. We stick together.”

  Sam sighed. “It’s okay. I sorta know him.”

  With obvious reluctance, the kids got up. As they walked away, the one who’d spoken up looked at Derek, saying, “We’ll be watching you.”

  Joe bit back a laugh as he and Derek sat. The kid was probably all of fourteen and thin as a rail.

  Resting his elbows on the table, Derek asked, “Why did you run this time, Sam?”

  “Why do I always run? They smother me, Mr. Clarke. It’s like they think if they don’t know where I am every second of the day something’s going to happen to me.” Sam shook his head. “You’d think I was two. ‘Don’t talk to strangers’, ‘Don’t go off with someone you don’t know’. Damn it, I’m not stupid. Who does that at my age?”

  “I did,” Joe replied quietly. “I trusted…okay, I believed someone I shouldn’t have and he forced me into making sex films. It took a long time before I got away.”

  “Fuck,” Sam said, looking horrified. Then he added almost sadly, “Like someone would want me for that.”

  “Traffickers don’t discriminate,” Derek told him. “Especially if they can get their hands on kids who are underage. There’s a big market for child porn.”

  “You should be glad your parents care enough to want you safe,” Joe said.

  “Yours didn’t?”

  Joe shrugged. “They did, but I was stupid. I didn’t listen to them.”

  “If they’d only loosen up,” Sam said. “I’ve never done anything to make them think I can’t take care of myself.”

  “Oh, really?” Derek said. “This is your third time running away.”

  “Yeah, and I’ve been just fine,” Sam protested. “Nothing happened to me because I was careful, and I got to be me for a little while without them hovering over my shoulder.”

  “Have you told them how you feel?” Joe asked.

  “I tried. They won’t listen. I wish…I wish they’d had ten kids. Then, maybe, they’d be less controlling. Being an only sucks.”

  “Try again,” Derek said. “Tell them what you’ve been telling us. Promise them you won’t run again if they loosen the leash a little. Show them you can make smart decisions without their input. It will take time, but if you can prove you’re not their baby boy anymore, but a kid who’s almost an adult, your life will get better.”

  Sam didn’t reply for several moments, although it was obvious from his expression he was thinking about Derek’s words. Finally, he said, “Take me home, I guess.” He chuckled. “If nothing else, the food will be better. Not that I need it.” He looked down, shaking his head. “I’d go on a diet if Mom didn’t make such a big thing about my eating everything on my plate. She’s Italian. She loves to cook.”

  “Maybe your first step to independence would be joining a gym,” Joe suggested.

  “At my age?”

  “I don’t think there’s an age limit, as long as one of your folks signs you up,” Derek said. “Talk to your dad about it.”

  “I’ll try. No, I will, damn it.”

  “Good. Now let’s get you home so you can start living your new life.”

  * * * *

  It was well after seven when Joe and Derek got back to the house. Sherwat was more than happy to see them.

  “If dogs could cross their legs to keep from peeing, he’d be doing it,” Joe said with a laugh when Sherwat dashed past them the second Derek opened the door to the kitchen, pushing through the dog-door into the back yard.

  They changed into comfortable clothes and then worked together to make supper. Derek found that he liked the camaraderie between them as they chopped vegetables and sliced beef for stir-fry. He wasn’t used to sharing chores like that. Hell, I’m not used to sharing chores, period. Not since I left home. Yeah, I’m back in the house again, but of course it’s not the same. It’s my house, now, not Mom and Dad’s. Or it will be if I ever decide to buy it, instead of renting it from them.

  That was something he’d considered and rejected because he plowed most of the money he made back into the agency. Now, he was finally beginning to feel secure in the fact that it was stable and beginning to grow as he picked up more clients. With Joe working for me, if he sticks around, maybe I’ll be bringing in enough money to finally buy this place.

  “Do you think Sam will stop running away, now?” Joe asked, bringing Derek back to what they were doing.

  “Yes, if he does sit down and talk to his folks and they listen. If he can convince his father to let him join a gym, that’ll be the first step.”

  “Will that happen?”

  Derek spread his hands. “Not tomorrow, but soon, I suspect. One thing Mr. Oliver said when he was talking to me this afternoon was that he wished Sam had more confidence in himself. Of course I didn’t point out to him that it was his and his wife’s fault that Sam didn’t. I’m not a family counselor.”

  “Maybe not, but you did a pretty good job of listening to Sam and making suggestions.”

  “I wanted to help him. I wasn’t too good about that the first two times I found him. I just took him home, dropped him off, and made sure he went inside.”

  “He probably gets that you’ve got his back, now,” Joe replied, “so with luck he’ll finally have a normal life.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  Chapter 5

  “It’s Saturday, so guess what we’ll be doing,” Derek said when he and Joe had finished breakfast and were doing the dishes.

  “Hmm, going to the movies? Taking a hike around the park? Is there a park anywhere close?”

  Derek chuckled. “There is, but we’re not going there. We’re cleaning house and doing laundry.”

  “Figured as much,” Joe admitted. “I can clean the kitchen, if you want.”

  “Go for it. I’ll get started on vacuuming.” Derek got the vacuum from the closet in the small hallway at the bottom of the stairs to the second floor. The moment he did, Sherwat raced up the stairs. “He hates the noise,” Derek explained when Joe looked at him in question.

  “He’s not the only one,” Joe said under his breath when Derek went into the dining room and plugged it in. Getting what he needed from under the sink, he set to work scrubbing the stove and the counters. When he finished with that, he checked, found a mop and bucket in the closet, and dealt with the floor.

  “Looking good,” Derek said as he started up the stairs to vacuum the second floor. Seconds later Sherwat appeared, making a beeline for the living room.

  Joe laughed and went into his bathroom to work on it. He scoured the tub and sink, cleaned the mirror, and made a pass over the floor with the mop.

  Going to the bottom of the stairs, he called up, “Do you want me to clean your bathroom?”

  “Hell, yes,” Derek replied. “That’s one chore I loathe.”

  Putting the cleaning supplies in the bucket, Joe hauled it upstairs. It was the first time he’d been up there, so he paused to look around. There was a short hallway with three doors off it. The one at the end was open, since Derek was in there. Joe could see the foot of a bed and a window that he figured looked out over the front yard. To the right of Derek’s bedroom was another open door, revealing the bathroom. The third door was closed. He guessed it was to another bedroom although he didn’t ask, going into the bathroom instead.

  Fifteen minutes later he was finished, and so was Derek, he thought, since the vacuum wasn’t running. Leaving the bucket in the hallway, he cautiously peered into Derek’s bedroom.

 
“You can come in,” Derek said, swiping a dust cloth over his dresser.

  “This is nice. I bet it used to be your parents’ and the other one was yours.”

  “You’re half right. This was my folks’. Mine was the one you’re using.”

  “Then who…” Joe started to ask before remembering that Derek had mentioned his brother the night they met. He didn’t want to talk about him, so I’d better drop it before I piss him off. Quickly he said, “I’ll start dusting downstairs but you gotta help when you’re done up here.”

  “Of course,” Derek replied. His gaze went to the closed door and his expression darkened. “Then, the dreaded laundry,” he added with a smile that seemed forced. “So collect what you need washed, including the sheets.”

  Joe saluted, grabbed the bucket, and hurried downstairs. Something happened to his brother. Something bad, I think. Maybe someday he’ll trust me enough to tell me.

  They stopped to eat lunch before tackling the laundry. Not that Joe did much other than fold his clothes since Derek had everything well in hand. The final chore was making his bed after putting away his underwear and T-shirts.

  “Hospital corners,” Derek said from the doorway, startling Joe.

  “Huh?”

  “I was teasing. Tell me you know what they are.”

  “Yeah. Tucking the corners of the top sheet in so you can’t kick it free. Do I have to?”

  “No.” Derek laughed. “It’s your bed; you can make it the way you want.”

  Joe liked him calling it his bed. His bed. His room. It made him feel as if he belonged there.

  “Now that we’ve slaved most of the day, we should take Sherwat for a walk and get some fresh air,” Derek said when Joe was finished. The words were barely out of his mouth when the dog raced to the front door.

  “Do we have a choice?” Joe replied, grinning.

  They got their jackets and boots—well, Joe got the ones Derek had loaned him since he didn’t have any decent winter gear of his own—and they set out.

  “A big difference from a couple of days ago,” Derek said, meaning they could use the sidewalks instead of the middle of the street.

  “And it’ll get better, until the next storm hits.”

  “Think positive.”

  Joe snorted. “It’s only February. You know there’ll be more.” He stopped to make a snowball, throwing it at Sherwat. The dog caught it in midair, so Joe tossed another one—which the dog also caught. “He’s good.”

  “Practice,” Derek replied, patting Sherwat’s head.

  They continued walking with the dog prancing ahead of them. As they did, Joe felt a sense of peace that was very foreign to him, and he said as much to Derek. “It’s like, for the first time in forever I can believe that I have a future. Something to look forward to other than where I can scrounge my next meal or find a safe place to crash. You made it happen.” Impulsively he gave Derek a fast hug before pulling back.

  Derek stopped where he was, catching Joe’s hand to keep him from moving on. “We both did, so don’t lay it all on my shoulders. I offered, but if you hadn’t trusted me enough to accept, you’d still be on the streets.”

  “You’ve offered a lot. A place to stay, a job, and the most important thing, you trusted me, too. For all you knew I could have been a punk who took off the next day with anything of value at the house.”

  Derek shook his head. “I’m pretty good at reading people, so I knew that wouldn’t happen. Yeah, you might have left, but you wouldn’t have stolen anything. I don’t think you’ve got it in you.”

  Embarrassed by Derek’s words, Joe said, “I’m no saint so don’t make me out as one.”

  “Neither am I, but you’re doing a good job of making it seem as if I am.” He smiled, squeezing Joe’s hand before letting go. “We’re a couple of guys who are doing our best to make the world a bit better. That sounds sort of pretentious, but it’s true, I think.”

  Joe nodded. “We did a good job with Sam. Or at least I hope we did. It’s up to him whether he listened and will follow through.”

  Derek chuckled as he started walking again. “I guess we’ll find out when Mr. Oliver doesn’t show up in a week or a month to tell me Sam’s on the run again.”

  * * * *

  Sunday, Joe and Derek spent the morning reading the paper, and then solving the crossword puzzles together while the TV played, muted, in the background. They’d glance at it occasionally to see if there was anything that interested them, which there wasn’t.

  “What we need to do,” Derek eventually said, “is get out of the house and go to a movie.”

  “If you say so.”

  Derek grinned. “I do.” He went to the entertainment pages of the paper, folding it to the list of theaters and what was playing. “Action, comedy, drama?”

  “Yes.”

  “Joe…” Derek shook his head.

  “What? Do you know how long it’s been since I went to a movie? The last one was Deadpool. That was damned good. If there’s anything like it playing today…”

  “I wish. There’s a couple of thrillers and an action-revenge one.” Derek showed him which ones he meant, and then brought them up on his phone so they could read the synopses.

  Joe leaned against Derek’s shoulder so he could see, and then said, “That one. He’s a good director, or he was, anyway.”

  “Okay. It starts at two-fifteen, which gives us time to eat before we have to leave.”

  * * * *

  “Damn, it’s crowded,” Joe said under his breath as they stood at the concession stand.

  “It’s a Sunday matinee, of course it is,” Derek replied. “At least we were able to get tickets. I was afraid for a while there that they’d sell out before we got to the counter. Do you want to share some popcorn or are you a candy man?”

  “I hope you mean do I prefer candy.” When Derek looked at him in question, Joe said, “Haven’t you seen that movie? It’s old, way older than me, and scary as hell.”

  “I think I’ve heard of it, now that you mention it, but I was asking…”

  “If I want candy, instead. Nope. Popcorn is fine.”

  Derek got them a large bucket and then they went into the theater. As Joe had said, it was crowded, but they did find two seats together halfway up just as the lights began to dim.

  “I love trailers,” Joe said as the third one started, “but I’d really like to see the movie.”

  Chuckling, Derek replied, “I’m with you on that.”

  Eventually, after two more trailers, the movie started. About halfway through, Joe leaned close enough to Derek to whisper, “I sure didn’t expect that.” His breath tickled Derek’s ear, sparking his libido. He immediately tamped it down but it gave him pause. I’m not interested in him that way, am I? It was a physical reaction because I’m sensitive there.

  He turned to look at Joe, whose concentration had returned to the movie. The last thing he needs or would want is my making a move on him. Not with what he’s been through. Not that I’d do it anyway. He’s a nice guy but not my type. When he thought about it, Derek wasn’t certain what his type was. His sex life a slim to none, by choice. All his energy went into keeping the agency afloat. At the end of the day all he wanted to do was go home and relax. Even that didn’t happen sometimes, when he had to do a stakeout for a client. He could have done things on the weekends—going to a club or bar to meet someone—but between a shortage of disposable income and his abhorrence of liquor and the people who indulged, that didn’t happen.

  “You’re supposed to be watching the movie,” Joe whispered, although thankfully he didn’t do it directly into Derek’s ear this time.

  “I am,” Derek murmured, looking at the screen again.

  Joe grinned. “If you say so.” Moments later he sucked in a breath. “Damn, I hope I never run into a guy like him.”

  “Somehow I don’t think it’s possible, since this is sci-fi.”

  “Superhero,” Joe countered.

>   “Both?”

  “Shush,” a woman said from behind them. “Some of us want to watch the movie.”

  “Guess she told us,” Joe said under his breath, winking at Derek. “And yeah, both.”

  * * * *

  “I don’t believe we ate all the popcorn,” Joe said when he fished out the last kernel. He quickly turned to the woman who’d admonished them, saying, “Sorry.”

  If she heard his apology she ignored it so he shrugged, setting the empty bucket under his seat.

  A glance at Derek let him know his friend was concentrating on the movie again.

  I guess we’re friends. We’d better be since I’m living with him right now. Who’d have figured, a week ago, that I’d have a safe place to stay and a job? Not me, for sure. He knew it would end in time. Not the friendship or the job, but staying with Derek. I promised I’d find my own place when I could afford it. The idea both excited and dismayed him. He’d never had a place of his own so it would be a whole new experience. But it could be lonely, too. No one to talk to, or fix meals with, or watch TV or hang out with. I like being around him that way. Not that anything will happen. I don’t want it to. Friends is fine, but that’s it because the idea of…of sex…He shuddered.

  “Are you okay,” Derek asked softly, putting his hand on Joe’s leg. He quickly moved it when Joe frowned.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Joe replied. “What he just did…” He pointed to the screen.

  “Got it.” Derek smiled. “Not nice.”

  “Not even,” Joe said. They watched the last few minutes in silence before putting on their coats and leaving the theater.

  “Feel like stopping for something to eat?” Derek asked when they got to the car.

  “You shouldn’t be spending money like that when there’s food at home,” Joe replied. Once again he got a thrill at the thought it was home…for now at least.

  Derek laughed. “Okay, Mr. Practical, home it is.”

  * * * *

  Joe dreamed that night. It was what he called his ‘wishing dream’ where he’d never met the bastard who had abducted him. Instead, he went to college where he joined the theater department. After he graduated, he became a well-known actor. His family came to every show, showering him with praise. He met a man. The man. The one who made his life complete.