Dead and Hating It

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

“What’s wrong?” Sage asked when he came into the living room after doing the dishes Sunday evening and found Mike shaking his head.

“That.” Mike pointed to the TV which was tuned to the six-o-clock news.

“Oh, hell.” Sage dropped down beside him on the sofa to watch the end of the story. “They have to be kidding,” he said when it over. “Kurt would never kill himself, and if he did, for sure he wouldn’t have done it that way.”

Not that Sage knew it for certain. He’d only met Kurt twice, and that had been a couple of years ago, soon after he and Mike had made the decision to live together. Kurt had been the photographer for a story the newspaper was doing about how the detectives in Mike’s precinct had banded together to buy Christmas trees and gifts for three needy families.

“He seemed so enthusiastic about what he was doing,” Sage continued. “I think he loved being able to take the best possible photos he could, and they were good.”

“I agree. Of course you never know what’s going on behind the façade, but I ran into him recently and he was still just as happy-go-lucky. In fact, he told me he’d met what he called the man of his dreams and he was hoping they’d move in together sometime in the future.”

“I suppose, if they broke up after you talked with him…”

“He still wouldn’t have killed himself, I don’t think,” Mike replied, frowning.

“Maybe it was accidental. The reporter said the police think he drowned late at night, although how they figured that out…” Sage shrugged.

Mike chuckled. “We do have an expert coroner and forensics team.”

“You should ask them if they’re certain it was suicide and not an accidental drowning. Or maybe the boyfriend killed him. Do you know who he was?”

“It’s not my case, obviously, so no, I don’t. Kurt said the guy’s name was George, which is no help. There must be hundreds of them in the city.”

“Hundreds of what?” Brody asked as he and Jon appeared in the living room.

“Guys named George,” Sage replied.

Mike grinned. “I take it the ghostie boys are here.”

“In the flesh,” Brody replied. “Or more, in the ectoplasm.”

“They are,” Sage told Mike, not bothering to relay what Brody said.

“Why are you looking for someone named George?” Jon asked, and Sage repeated to Mike.

“A man we know, or sort of knew, drowned a few days ago and his body finally surfaced last night. The news is calling it a suicide,” Mike replied. “Last time I talked with him, he told me he had met a guy named George and they were in a relationship. He seemed very happy about it.”

“We saw the story online,” Brody said. “Sad, if it’s true. They showed some of the photos he took for the newspaper. He was pretty good.” He looked at Sage, since he was the only one who could hear them. “Is Mike going to check it out to make sure that’s what happened?”

Sage repeated what Brody had said, including his question.

“Probably not,” Mike replied. “As I told Sage, our coroner is excellent. If he thinks it was suicide, or maybe an accidental drowning, then it undoubtedly was.”

“Yeah, like Tonio ‘accidentally’ fell off the bridge at the theater,” Brody replied dryly. “Until he told you differently.”

After Sage told Mike what Brody had said, Mike nodded. “How is our third favorite ghost these days? Sage says he hasn’t been around recently to get in touch with David.”

“That’s because David and Vern are more than friends and have been for a while now,” Jon said. “Tonio’s still trying to take it in stride but it’s hard on him.”

“Damn. He knew that was going to happen,” Sage replied, then told Mike what Jon had told him. “Not that it makes it any easier on him.”

“Is he going to stick around?” Mike asked.

“I think so,” Brody said. “He did promise David he would, no matter what.” He glanced at Sage. “Maybe you should have a talk with David?”

Sage snorted. “And tell him what? That Tonio’s jealous?” Then he explained to Mike why he’d said that.

“No, of course not. Just try to find out if David still wants him in his life, too.” Brody chuckled. “A sort of ménage à trios, without the sex.”

“Damn, Brody.” Sage laughed, and relayed Brody’s words to Mike. “Okay, maybe I’ll give David a call. Knowing him, I’m sure he’ll want Tonio to stay. He did, hell I know he still does love him in his own way. It’s as hard on him as it is for Tonio to show it, though, since they need me to play the middle man so they can communicate. And now with Vern definitely in the picture, too…” Sage sighed. “The things I do for friends.”

“And very well, from what Tonio’s said. Okay, back to your other friend. The one who didn’t kill himself,” Brody said.”

After Sage told Mike what Brody had said, Mike replied, “Who maybe didn’t, and that’s based on what little I knew of him. If I could find out who this George is and talk with him it would help. Although I’d think whoever’s handling the case would have done so already.”

“Find out,” Brody said, almost ordered. Sage smiled at his tone of voice and copied it exactly when he repeated what Brody had said.

“Yes, boss man,” Mike replied, shaking his head. “Right now, though, unless you had a reason for dropping in, why don’t the two of you vanish? Sage and I have plans.”

Brody glanced at Jon, whispering, “It’s too early for them to go to bed.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “This is Mike and Sage we’re talking about.”

“You two have dirty minds,” Sage said. “We’re going to a movie. I suppose, if you insist, you can come along.”

“Naw, we’re good. We have plans, too.”

“We do?” Jon said.

“Yes. We’re going to find Tonio and keep him company.”

“Like finding him will be hard, since he lives next door to us,” Jon replied.

“If he’s home. Let’s go see.” With that, Brody and Jon vanished.

“Are you going to look into why, or how, Kurt drowned?” Sage asked when they were gone.

“Yeah, I think so,” Mike replied. “At least to find out who this George guy is and if he and Kurt did break up. It certainly could be a reason for Kurt to kill himself, if he cared about him as much as it sounded like he did.”

“It’s a hell of a way to commit suicide, when you think about it. If I were that depressed I’d, I don’t know, slit my wrists or take an overdose of pills. I wouldn’t go down to the river and throw myself in. Among other things, it’s too uncertain.”

“You have a point there, although if he’d jumped off a bridge it might have worked. Another thing to find out. If there are any near where his body was found. And where are his clothes? The story said he was naked when they discovered his body.”

“Which is weird, isn’t it?”

“Not necessarily, if he swam to the middle of the river, although even then I’d think he’d have left on his underwear. I know I would have, if it was me, but who knows what he was thinking. For damned sure he’d have kept them on if he was going for a midnight swim. He could have worn himself out so much he couldn’t make it back to shore.”

“Or, someone murdered him and tried to make it look like that’s what happened,” Sage said.

“Who? The boyfriend?”

“You’re asking me? You’re the detective.” Sage tapped his lip, then asked, “What are the chances you can get me into the morgue to see his body?”

“You think he might be hanging around?”

“If he was murdered, he has to be somewhere until his killer is caught. You know that, after dealing with Brody and Jon, and Tonio.”

“True. Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Right now, though, if we don’t get moving we’ll miss the start of the movie.”