Sinister Motives

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1Morning sunshine had broken through early clouds, a stark contrast given the ominous sirens that filled the air. A fresh day was brewing, its tone set by an unknown emergency. But in truth, neither weather nor crime could steal Noah Sanders’ focus, not when faced with the man before him. It all seemed unreal. Not just his presence, but his very name, echoing like a hollow drum inside him. Stefan Hatcher. Had his mother gotten the name wrong? Read the birth certificate too quickly? Was he staring at himself, or specifically, at who he was supposed to have been?

“I…I shouldn’t have come. Excuse me, I’ll just leave…”

The man struggled to speak, his motions childlike. “But who are you? Why are you here?”

“I’m not sure.” The answer applied to both questions asked.

“Are you my friend?”

“Your friend?”

“I don’t have any, not really. Would you like to be mine?”

They were odd words coming from a grown man, except they were spoken with such an innocent, waiflike voice, Noah couldn’t be assured of the man’s age. Hard to tell, in his wheelchair, dressed in pajamas and burgundy robe, his face pale, devoid of any facial stubble. He could have been a teenager, a pre-teen, or the same age as Noah. Like the man was trapped in his own nexus, his age meaningless. Perhaps, so, too, his life.

And now this man was asking him, a stranger, to be his friend.

How should he escape this situation? Why had he even come here? On impulse, leaving Demetri under the boardwalk confused by his actions. Rushing off as he had, he knew how strange his behavior had been, especially after the blissful night of passion the two of them had shared. A connection made, one so easily broken. Was that what was happening here?

“You never said your name,” Stefan said. “Don’t you want to be my friend?”

Noah didn’t respond. Instead, he gazed about the front entrance and half-expected that their exchange would be interrupted by the arrival of Ginette, or Emerson, perhaps both. Each of them wondering why their new employee was coming to their house unannounced so early on a Sunday morning. He realized he had no legitimate excuse for being here. So far he was free from discovery. It was only himself, and Stefan.

“Is anyone else home?” Noah asked.

“Yes. My parents. They sleep in on Sundays. It’s early. Why are you here?”

“I made a mistake, I think I got the wrong address,” Noah said, hoping he sounded believable.

“No you didn’t. You came to see me,” Stefan said.

He spoke with such authority. He might be physically incapacitated, but his mind wasn’t.

“My name is Noah. But can my visit be a secret?”

This made Stefan smile. “I like that. No one will know. Will you visit me again?”

“If you like,” Noah said. “But won’t your parents know?”

“You seem nice. I don’t have any friends. Except Mr. Taustine.”

That was an unusual name. Was it made up? Imaginary? “Who is that?”

“He takes care of me because I need help. Getting dressed, bathing, eating, every day stuff. He works for my family. My parents are always busy. Why have I never seen you before?”

Instead of answering, he asked his own. “Where is Mr. Taustine now?”

“He’s sleeping, too. Sometimes I wake up early. The light in my room wakes me up. It’s never off. I like it on.”

That light. The one he could see from his room no matter the hour; always lit. He’d been distracted by its glow most nights while sitting on his deck at the Ocean’s Breeze, where he had an ideal view of the Hatcher mansion. At least he had confirmation about the light. One mystery was solved. So many others opened. He wished he could make a quick exit, fearing discovery.

“Stefan,” he said, the name unfamiliar on his lips. Especially since his mother had said the boy’s name was Stephen. That his name was Stephen.

“Stefan, I have to leave now. But I’ll come back. Would that be okay?”

He smiled, nodded. “I would like that. But don’t tell them,” he said, his eyes darting toward the interior of the house.

“Mr. Taustine?”

He shook his head vehemently. “Parents. They keep me sheltered. I can do things.”

“I see that. You’re very capable.”

Then he winked. “And smart. Smarter than them. Mr. Taustine will help us. He will come see you to make a plan.”

A plan. That sounded so secretive. Almost wrong. “I don’t know about that. I’ll just…come back.”

“He’ll arrange it. Where do you live?”

“The Ocean’s Breeze,” Noah said, “for now. That might change.”

“I like you, Noah. You are nice to me.”

Noah felt his heart ache. He was confused by this entire exchange, but he was inspired, too, by this man’s inner spirit. He found himself bending down at the door’s entrance, coming face to face with Stefan, hoping he wasn’t making the man feel uncomfortable, or worse, threatened.

“I’d like to talk to you, Stefan. I’d like to know about your life.”

“I’ll tell Mr. Taustine. You’ll come back. He’ll visit you.”

Just then Stefan’s arms reached out, and Noah did the same. Four hands newly entwined, a connection established. A friendship based on secrecy. Their eyes locked on each other, Noah staring into irises that held so much emotion. Need, loss, loneliness. Were those mirrors of what lived in his eyes? He smiled, received one in return. He felt the warmth spread throughout his body from the contact he’d made with this man. This man who might have been him. He, who probably would have been him. It was all too much to absorb. As always, too many questions and not enough answers. The two men held hands for another minute, neither saying a word. A sound from inside the house broke them from their private moment.

“Stefan, where are you? Why am I feeling a draft?”

Noah recognized the voice. It was Ginette Hatcher’s. The last person he wanted to discover him. The panic must have been evident in Noah’s eyes.

“Go, now, please,” Stefan said, pushing the toggle on the arm of his wheelchair. He spun around, it’s whir echoing in the high-ceilinged foyer. “Come back, at the right time. Mr. Taustine will help. You and me, we can be secret friends.”

For the past month, Noah had sought information, even as he’d avoided telling anyone his true motive for moving to Cane’s Inlet. Trying to unearth truth on the sly and not tip his hand. But he knew he’d eventually need an insider if he was going to discover what happened when he was born, and now he’d found an ally, and an unlikely one at that. An insider within the family in question, one who might provide the clue to what had happened twenty-eight years ago at Cane’s Medical Center. A truth that no one wished to revisit: not Nurse Cassie, not Clara Montgomery, certainly not Donna Eldreth, who had been permanently silenced. Noah then thought back to that siren he’d heard when first arriving at the Hatcher mansion.

What was the emergency vehicle responding to?

That wasn’t Noah’s immediate concern. Nor was Stefan Hatcher. His thoughts returned to Demetri.

Noah said goodbye to Stefan, promising to return. The eagerness written on the man’s face only fueled Noah into wanting to come back, and soon. So much of this mystery could be addressed if he asked the right questions. Assuming, of course, Stefan knew anything himself. But that would all have to wait. Noah left the Hatcher mansion, backtracking down the wooden staircase pitched along the steep, rocky bluff. The rising sun nearly blinded him as he made his way back down to the beach. He wondered if Demetri was still where he’d left him. He felt awful for his abrupt departure, and while he walked back along the sand to the boardwalk, he tried to come up with a plausible explanation. Nothing he came up with would do the trick.

Not even the truth. Especially the truth.

But it turned out, he’d worried over nothing.

He closed in on Atlantic Amusements and the spot where he and Demetri had jumped off the boardwalk only hours earlier, where he’d been surprised by a pre-arranged picnic directly beneath it. A premediated seduction that Noah had been more than willing to give himself to. Champagne and fruit had been their first course, energetic love-making their delicious entrée. Stolen kisses a sweet dessert. What remained now was just empty calories. There was no more blanket, no wicker basket. No imprints of their entwined bodies in the sand, not even their footprints. He didn’t even see the cork from the champagne bottle that Demetri had let fly. And worst of all, there was no sign of the man himself. Demetri was gone.

Like the waves had claimed their night, washed it out to sea, their memories now sandy entrails.

* * * *

The first thing he did was call Demetri but it went straight to voicemail without ringing. He didn’t want to leave a message—what would he say?—and contemplated sending a text. But how could he explain away ditching him so unexpectedly in shorthand? OMG and LOL just wouldn’t work. He doubted an emoji existed. Best course of action would be coming face-to-face, but given that this was a Sunday morning, Noah knew his apology would have to wait. Demetri would be busy with brunch over at the Shore Thing. Noah knew from experience. Had it only been a week since Noah had been manning the grill while Demetri lingered, falsely, in jail? Him feeding the hungry residents of Cane’s Inlet. Food was what they paid for, local gossip what they’d come for. All of them satiated on both fronts, given recent events in town.

It was nine o’clock when Noah arrived back at the Ocean’s Breeze, entering the lobby and just seeking the security of his room. Wanting privacy, and well-earned sleep.

That wasn’t going to happen, at least not right away. A large presence, more shadow than human, was dusting table tops in the dimly lit common room. She turned at the sound of the front door opening.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

“Morning, Cilla,” Noah said.

Cilla Cane, dressed in another of her outrageous multi-colored housecoats, her graying hair unkempt and wild, waddled over behind the desk to grab his key from within one of the wooden slots. She dangled it in front of him, not quite ready to hand it over. “I assume you’re wanting this. It’s gone unused all night.”

Noah had remained strong in not telling Cilla much, despite her continual probing. “And that’s your business why?” he asked.

“Ooh, you’re a testy one this morning. You’d think a night out would ease your tension.”

“I’m not the tense one, Cilla.”

She frowned at him. “I thought you’d be more fun, Noah Sanders.”

“You mean you thought I’d tell you everything about me. Fun for you, not for me.”

“We could be friends.”

His second offer this morning. “You made your position quite clear the other night. Pick you, or the Hatchers.”

She dropped the key onto the counter purposely, the clack filling the silence between them. He reached over and took hold of it. He wasn’t going to take the bait. Her chilliness aside, he was still annoyed with her that she’d tried to keep he and Demetri apart with a lie, and as evidenced by last night, clearly her efforts had gone for naught. A shame, as her attempt at keeping them apart wasn’t based on any homophobia; by all accounts she appeared to be gay friendly. Her frustration was based on the fact Noah wasn’t being forthcoming with his reason for moving to Cane’s Inlet. She also didn’t like that he was going to work for the Hatchers. Sworn enemies of the Cane family.

Noah started off when she said, “Have a good day.”.

“Thanks. Last night was a good one, today shows some promise.”

He reached the stairs, but after that tease he knew she wasn’t done with him. He was right.

“When do you start?”

He turned around. “At Hatchers?”

“Yes.”

“Tomorrow. First day, orientation. We’re a couple weeks away from the grand opening of the new club.”