Murder Times Four Box Set

Murder on Rainbow Lane Chapter 1 “There was a young man who lived in a shoe.” “I think it’s an old lady who lived in a shoe, with too many kids,” my next door neighbor, Brent, said as he joined me. I crossed my arms on the roof of my car. It was wet, because I’d been washing it, and I grimaced momentarily. That earned me a laugh from Brent. Looking across the street, I said, “That’s a shoebox house. Right?” The house looked like one—one level, rectangular, with a flat roof. “And our new neighbor is male.” That was obvious when the man in question came around from the side of the house, wearing cut-offs and a tank top, pushing a lawnmower. “Ergo…” “Okay.” Brent grinned. “You win. Do we know who he is?” “You mean you haven’t dropped in with a plate of cookies so you could find out?” “Adam…” Brent shook his head with amusement. “That’s more Eliot or Frank’s thing, and you know it.” He was right. Eliot and Frank were definitely homebodies. Eliot owned a restaurant and Frank had a home remodeling business. They lived in one of the eleven houses around Rainbow Lane cul de sac—where I owned one of the corner houses. ‘I’ being Adam Moore. There were four couples on the Lane—Eliot and Frank, David and Luke, who were married, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, and Mr. and Mrs. Dunn. The Dunn’s son, Neil, lived with them in the largest house on the Lane—when he wasn’t away at school. The rest of us were single, and unattached, males. The Nelsons and the Dunns were the first residents, back when a developer bought up the property, built a variety of homes on the newly created cul de sac, and put them up for sale. Then I bought the house on the corner and told Brent about the place. He jumped on the chance to own his own home. Soon, the word got out, and now, with the newest guy on the block having moved in a week ago, every home had an owner. Back to what Brent and I were talking about—the cute guy in the shoebox house. “How old would you say he is?” Brent asked, eyeing the guy’s athletic build, which the tank showed off to his advantage. “Hmm. Maybe your age or a bit younger?” Brent was twenty-eight to my thirty-one. Brent nodded. “I’d say so. Single?” I shrugged. “Hard to say. I haven’t seen anyone stopping by his place, but then I don’t watch it twenty-four-seven.” “That doesn’t mean anything. I don’t have visitors, either, but I’m hardly celibate.” “True,” I agreed with a laugh. In general, most of the men living here were very circumspect about their love lives, unless they were already a couple sharing one of the homes. I suspect that’s in deference to the two straight couples who live on the Lane. Not that they care, I’m sure, but still—flaunting the fact the rest of us are gay isn’t necessary. Everyone knows and we leave it at that. “So…” Brent looked at me. “Let’s go introduce ourselves.” I put on my T-shirt, which I’d taken off before washing my car, and we crossed the street. The young man rested his arm on the handle of the push-mower, looking speculatively at us, unsmiling. For a moment we seemed to be at an impasse. Then I held out my hand. “Welcome to the neighborhood. I’m Adam Moore.” He shook it quickly. “I’m Reed Fleming.” “Brent Lewis,” Brent said. “I live next door to Adam.” “I know. Well, I mean, I’ve seen you both coming and going, so…” Brent laughed. “You logically deduced we’re neighbors.” “Yes.” After a moment’s hesitation, Reed asked, “Would you like something to drink. It’s kind of warm today. I have iced tea, or beer.” “Tea sounds good,” I replied. We followed him around to the patio at the back of his house. He waved us to the lawn chairs, went inside, and soon returned with a tray holding a pitcher of tea and three glasses of ice. Setting the tray on the small table next to the chairs, he poured each of us a glass of tea, and then sat. “How do you like the neighborhood, Reed?” I asked after taking a drink. “So far, I love it. It’s quiet. Peaceful. Not a lot of kids running around all the time.” “Were there, where you used to live?” Brent asked. “Oh, yeah. I had an apartment in Brentfield. You know where that is?” “Yep. Across town. A nice enough area but definitely full of families with children. Right, Adam?” I chuckled. “Since I grew up there, with three other siblings, I have to agree. Kids rule the streets. No wonder you wanted out.” “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like kids, one-on-one. But…” Reed shook his head. “You’re safe here,” Brent told him. “The youngest person is Neil Dunn. He’s twenty-two and lives over there with his parents.” He pointed to the house two doors down with the fenced backyard. “Is he…?” Reed started to say, before quickly taking a drink of his tea. “Gay?” I replied. “We haven’t figured that out, yet. Don’t worry. If he isn’t, we won’t hold it against him.” Looking at Reed, I lifted an eyebrow in question. He didn’t answer my unspoken query, saying instead, “So almost everyone here—” Reed swept an arm around, “—is?” “For sure I am,” Tyler said, coming into view across the grass separating his house from Reed’s. “Hi. I’m Tyler Sanders. I keep seeing you, but I haven’t had a chance to come over since you moved in.” “Reed Fleming,” Reed replied. “Would you like some iced tea?” “Sure.” Tyler grabbed the last chair while Reed went in to get another glass of ice. “So what’s he like?” Tyler asked quietly. “Seems nice enough. Not sure he’s gay, but…” I shrugged. “I am,” Reed said, obviously overhearing me as he came back onto the patio. Brent grinned. “So we outnumber the others eleven to five. Or twelve to four, depending on Neil.” “How can you not know if he’s gay?” Reed asked. “Because, my dear boy,” Tyler replied, “the only time we see him is when he comes home during semester breaks from college, or over the summer when he’s not…wherever he spends his free time.” “He doesn’t socialize?” Reed frowned. “Does anyone around here?” “Socialize? You bet,” Brent said. “For one, we have barbecues in the park on the far side of the turnaround circle. Every holiday and whenever someone wants to celebrate something, like a birthday.” “Even in winter?” Reed asked in surprise. I nodded. “Nothing like a warm fire and hot food to make the day special. Now, if it’s snowing like crazy, we will pass and do it at someone’s house. Usually David and Luke’s since they have the largest house other than the Dunns.” Reed thought a moment. “So the eleven to four means there’s at least two guys who are couples. Well, four if you want to get technical.” “Yep,” I said. “David and Luke are married. Eliot and Frank are shacking up together.” “They live—where?” “Dave and Luke are just to the right of the park, as you face it. Eliot and Frank are two doors down from them on the same side.” “CC in next to me,” Brent said. “CC?” “Chase Clark. Ergo, CC, when we’re in the mood to tease him,” Brent explained. “Nice man. About our age. Well, mine anyway. Adam here’s old.” I snorted. “Thirty-one is not old.” “Younger than me,” Tyler pointed out. “So definitely not. For your information, Reed, I’m thirty-two. And Jake, who lives between our two gay couples, is thirty-three, so Adam’s really a youngster.” “Mick and Ginger Nelson live to the left of the park. They’re in their forties. Owen is twenty-six. The youngest if you don’t count Neil.” I glanced at the others. “Have I missed anyone?” “Nope,” Brent replied. Reed said worriedly, “I’m never going to remember all the names.” “Give it time. Once you get to know them, you will,” I told him. “As a matter of fact, the Fourth is coming up a week from Monday which means…” “Party time,” Brent and Tyler said in unison. “One-track minds,” I grumbled, getting laughs from all three men. “It’s for everyone?” Reed asked. “Yep,” I told him. “If you live here, you’re invited.” “Invited, hell,” Brent said. “It’s mandatory.” Reed seemed puzzled. “If it is, then why don’t you know if, umm, Neil? Right? If he’s gay?” Brent shrugged. “I was overstating the mandatory part. Of course no one has to attend—and he doesn’t. His folks may be old timers, but like Tyler said, Neil goes away to college. And when he is here, he doesn’t stick around. He undoubtedly has friends his own age he hangs out with.” “Okay. That makes sense.” After that, the conversation got more general. Brent asked Reed what he did for a living. When Reed said he worked for a brokerage firm, they started talking about stocks and bonds, since Brent is a financial planner. Tyler started to tell me about his newest role at the Playhouse, where he’s one of the principal actors. He wanted to know if the TV station I work for was planning on doing a story on the theater’s upcoming production. Since I’m only a cameraman, I had no clue. Then, when he was certain the others were engrossed in their conversation, he told me he’d see me the next evening. That’s sounds like an assignation, I know. But it wasn’t. We both moonlight at a local film company, making porn films. Me as a cameraman. Him as one of the actors. We were due to start shooting two new ones tomorrow night. Hey, what we do helps pay our mortgages—which works for us. No one who knows seems to care, but we don’t go around bragging about it. “Okay, everyone,” Tyler said, getting up. “I hate to break up the party, but I have things to do. Like clean house, since it’s Saturday. It was nice to meet you in person, Reed.” “I should do the same thing,” Brent grumbled, standing as well. “Thanks for the tea, Reed.” “You’re welcome,” Reed replied. “Are you going too?” he asked me. “‘Fraid so. I have to finish washing my car before heading to work.” “On a Saturday?” “Yes.” I explained about being a cameraman at KQBD. The BD stands for Brookdell, the name of the city where we all live and work. The Q? That’s anyone’s guess. Probably just to follow FCC rules that all stations have to have four call letters. “Then I guess I’ll see all of you at the party on the Fourth. Should I bring something?” “Yep.” I stopped the others before they vanished. “What do we normally need and forget?’ “More beer?” Brent replied with a grin. Shaking my head, I looked at Tyler. He asked Reed, “What are you good at?” “I make a mean barbecued pulled pork. Or at least so I’ve been told.” “You’re on!” We all agreed, told him people started gathering at the park around eleven, then took off.