Double Coverage

Chapter 6: I’m Not a d**k

Chapter 6: I’m Not a Dick

I offered him a bottle of water, but he declined. We sat in the sun, next to the pool. The lounge chairs were comfy and warmed by the summertime sun. He didn’t wear sunglasses and he squinted. There was a bulge between his legs, which entailed a titanic-size package that was hidden beneath his workout shorts. His chest looked like flesh-covered steel, smooth and reflective.

“What do you want to ask me, Mr. McDestin?”

“I’d prefer if you called me Matthew. Do you have a problem with that?”

I didn’t, and told him such.

He was sweating. Droplets of perspiration covered his shoulders and face. He took the back of his right arm and wiped it across his forehead, removing some of the sweat. Then he said, “You were the photographer at the crime scene last night, correct?”

“Tad Dossner’s?”

He nodded. “Yes, of course.” He blinked a few times, wiped his forehead again. “Let me start at the beginning, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all, because right now I’m a little confused.” Honestly, I didn’t care how long he stayed because he was nice to look at and melted me where I sat. There was something about a redheaded man who made me feel dizzy with lust and enamored.

“I wasn’t Tad’s lover, but he wanted me as one.”

That sounded familiar to me. Beckley Roarke would have died for me to be his bed partner, although I had no interest in the man. I guessed that was how relationships sometimes worked in the world.

Matthew continued, “We were close, but not that close. He considered us friends and nothing more.”

“Are you from Vanmer?”

He shook his head. “Meaderville.”

I knew of Meaderville. It was thirteen miles south of Vanmer, middleclass small, and had raised a few handsome cowboys, two of which I had dated in my past but didn’t fall in love with, although the s*x with the pair (at the same time) was definitely pornographic and perfect.

Matthew said, “I own a gym in Meaderville. It’s called McMuscles. Tad worked out there.”

I was also familiar with McMuscles. A lot of Vipers used the place since it was upscale, close to Vanmer, and private. Club membership was in the thousands of dollars to keep the riffraff out.

“Let me cut to the chase, Mr. Knight.”

“Johnny,” I corrected him. “You can call me Johnny.”

He nodded in approval. “If I were murdered the way Tad was, I would hope someone would find who did me in the way he was.”

“The Vanmer Police Department is working the case.” I knew that for sure. Officer Jim Tanner and Reed Soldier were two detectives that worked for the city. Jim had always called me to crime scenes to take pictures, boosting my career as a photojournalist. Truth was the guy had a severe crush on me, wanting in my heart and skinny jeans. But similar to my feelings for Beckley, I wasn’t interested in him.

Matthew pulled out a check from his workout trunk and passed it to me. It was made out to me for four thousand dollars. He cleared his throat, rubbed his chin in nervousness, and said, “I want you to find out who killed my friend, Johnny.”

“I’m not a private d**k,” I said, passing the check back to him.

He didn’t take the check, shaking his head. “Listen to me, Johnny. You’re not unfamiliar with crime because of the paper you work for. You’ve seen your share of thieves, adulterers, rapists, child molesters, and killers. I’m paying you to be discreet and professional. If anyone can solve a crime, it’s you. Who would believe that a photojournalist has Hercule Poroit-like skills?”

“But I don’t have those kind of skills,” I implored, cutting him off.

He laughed, humiliating me a bit. “If you put your mind to this, you will. Anyone can solve a crime if they put their head in the game.”

“Why don’t you solve it?” I asked, getting to the point.

“There are a few reasons why I want you to do this, Johnny. One, I live in Meaderville, not Vanmer. You are the eyes and ears of this town because of your job. You can be sneaky and learn what you need to learn in your investigation without raising anyone’s eyebrows. Two, I don’t want to be placed in the wrong place at the wrong time for fear of being blamed for Tad’s murder when I’m an innocent man. The police are always looking for someone to take the heat, and I could easily become that target if caught prying. Three, you hang with a few Vipers, such as Beckley Roarke, Rod Peterson, and Steven Reider. If anyone can prove that there’s crime in the ESFL it’s you. You’re the man who can do this. And four, you’d make a damn cute detective.”

I grinned and joked, “The latter is obvious.”

He stood, ending our meeting by the pool. On his way out, leaving me with the check, he said, “I’ll keep in touch with you.”

I smiled, wishing he would just touch me. “See you soon,” I said, and watched him vanish from my backyard.