The Dead Don't Lie

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2With a mountain of paperwork and several hours on his shift left to go, Adam took a quick break to grab a coffee. He pushed the button for the elevator and waited. His mind drifted to Allison’s face, her disappointment. He’d give her a few days to cool off before reaching out to her. Maybe they’d be able to fix this. Perhaps he’d find the will in him to want to fix it.

The door opened, and Adam stepped in, unaware of someone else in the elevator. He stared into the cup he held, lost in dark thoughts when a man interrupted.

“Long day?”

Adam startled, turned to the other occupant standing across from him. Their gazes met and held a beat past comfortable. To be honest, this wasn’t someone who’d have escaped his attention on a typical day. He towered over Adam, a dark revelation in black. Only thirty-five, give or take, but he had the posture of someone older. There were faint worry lines around his sensual mouth and hooded eyes. An expensive leather coat and matching gloves completed the ensemble.

“Yeah, something like that,” Adam managed, struggling to swallow around the lump forming, his throat too dry.

“Well, that’s too bad,” the stranger murmured, making a deliberate sweep over his body. Once, twice, before settling on his face.

Adam shivered, the heat of the penetrating stare warming him from head to toe. The man’s entire aura screamed, “warning, warning” for no particular reason Adam was able to discern. He tried edging away, even though he’d done nothing threatening.

The elevator dinged open, saving Adam from another response. They held each other’s eye for a fraction longer, as if waiting to see who’d make the next move.

The stranger chuckled before stepping past him toward the elevator doors. He paused as if considering before turning, addressing Adam over his shoulder.

“Have a good night, doctor,” he called as the doors closed shut.

Adam fought the chill that’d crept up his spine, releasing the shaky breath he’d been holding. His hands trembled as he sipped his coffee.

* * * *

Ian stood outside the closed elevator doors. Smirking, he shook his head, chiding himself for indulging in even that too brief try at seduction. Who could blame him? For sure, the guy in the elevator was one of the more appealing men he’d come across in his recent travels, a touch too soft for his usual tastes, with wide, thick lashed eyes, and ridiculously pretty mouth. However, it was more than his face that captured Ian’s interest. He had a keen look of intelligence coupled with inner confidence; a fire Ian admired instantly. He thought back to his quizzical expression and quirked a tiny grin in memory. Eyebrows raised in a pointed triangle, brow furrowed and wrinkled. And Ian wondered if he made a similar face when he came.

An image flashed in his mind, intense enough for Ian to bite back a groan. Jesus, it had been a while since he’d gotten laid, and it showed. Only a cursory glance (even in those shapeless blue scrubs), and the man had caught even Ian’s discernible eye. Any other time and he’d have seen where their conversation led. But tonight, he had a job to do. Business before pleasure, as they say. Resigned to letting him get away, Ian continued with his assignment.

* * * *

The next hour passed with Adam making a few rounds and filling out paperwork. He’d been doing his best not to dwell on Allison, her ring in his locker, not wanting to hold on to it for the evening. A too real reminder of Allison’s sincere decision to leave. Adam had figured out months ago she wasn’t content in their relationship. But instead of taking the time to work on the problem, he kept pushing her further away. Until now, at last, he’d pushed her away for good. They’d been together for several years now, and within a month of their meeting, she’d become the most profound relationship of his life. He’d had little experience before their meeting, only a steady girlfriend in high school and Edmund, his freshman year roommate.

His first year of college had been a period of changes and realizations. As far back as puberty, Adam was well aware of his attraction to both men and women.

Away from his adoptive parent’s watchful and disapproving eye, he had a modicum of safety.

And a desire to act on the parts of himself he’d kept hidden. In high school, he never dared. Instead, he shoved those thoughts into the dark of himself and tried to forget. Safer that way. Besides, there was always a plethora of girls to catch his eye, several of which captured his interest with brief but enthusiastic crushes.

His mother, Evelyn a widow before his birth, would’ve accepted nothing less—a kindhearted woman, affectionate to near suffocation. She remained steadfast in her ways, strict and single-minded in her beliefs. She extolled the virtues of both religion and education, pushing Adam to succeed. Ridden with guilt, he grew up desperate to please her.

In the meantime, he was earning himself a full ride to the college of his choice. By the time he started his studies, their relationship had grown tense. And even though he worried for her, alone without him, he’d never been so glad to have his freedom, running, kicking, and screaming from their tiny New England town.

When he met Edmund, life went from black and white to Technicolor. Edmund, a brilliant, blinding light. He was dazzling with his curly brown hair, black frame glasses, and his infectious grin made Adam weak. They became fast friends at once. Adam, a loner by nature, had always found it difficult to relate to his peers. But his friendship with Edmund blossomed immediately, and soon they were inseparable.

The first year of college had been a whirlwind of activity. Throughout Adam’s first year, he and Edmund hooked up with increasing regularity. More often than not, when intoxicated, though they’d never progressed beyond handjobs and the occasional bit of sloppy head. Over time their encounters grew more intimate, often ending with them waking up entwined in each other’s arms, bashful and unsure. All of it came to a head one night in May. Drunk and emotional, Edmund admitted he was in love with him.

Adam panicked.

“You—you have it all wrong,” he tried protesting, watching as the hope in Edmund’s eyes died right in front of him. His face crumbled at his dismissal.

“What are you saying?” Edmund pleaded, his voice teary and heartbroken.

“I’m—I’m not gay,” Adam mumbled, overwhelmed with the urge to run away.

Edmund saved him the trouble, snatching a blanket and pillow from his bed, slid on his shoes. “f**k you, Adam.” His crestfallen expression, a mix of resentment and shame.

“Wait, where are you going?” Adam asked, following him.

“Why do you care?” Edmund slammed the door shut behind him.

How helpless Adam had been to stop him from leaving. Especially, when in truth, he cared for Edmund every bit as much. Even now, he remembered the butterflies, fear, or anticipation, both. He’d been so ashamed. In one evening, he’d ruined not only their romantic relationship but their friendship. Forever. And because of Adam’s cowardice, his inability to accept himself.

But most of all, the courage to face what his mother might think of him if she learned his secret. The entire situation, its aftermath to this day, he regretted. By his sophomore year, Edmund was well out of his life. The school assigned him a new roommate, and he met Allison. Allison, whose incredible confidence and drive appealed to him. He loved her, though maybe not with the all consuming passion she deserved.

Nevertheless, he’d been confident they’d marry and build a life together, quiet and safe. But his idea of love wasn’t enough for her. How could he blame her for seeking more when a genuine part of himself wanted something more too?

“Adam?”

Adam jumped, knocking over his empty coffee cup. He hadn’t noticed Dr. Chase come in. The hospital chief of surgery and the guy who could make or break Adam’s career. To Adam’s embarrassment, he stood in front of him, a troubled expression on his face.

Adam coughed and shifted, doing his best to appear as if he hadn’t been a million miles away. “Yes, hello, Dr. Chase. Sorry, do you need something?” He tried to act casual, but the words tripped over his tongue.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, of course,” Adam assured, a touch too enthusiastic. “Long hours. I’m fine, though—”

“I don’t know, kid. To be fair, you look wrecked. When are you off?”

“Only a few hours to go. I’m all right,” Adam insisted. “Is there something I can help with?”

Dr. Chase frowned as he slid a manila folder across the counter between them. “I need to ask you for a favor. Can you please bring these upstairs to Mr. Gleeson’s room? I’d do it, but something’s come up.”

Adam had been the attendant at Mr. Gleeson’s heart transplant earlier in the week. One of the few aware of Mr. Gleeson’s actual name, so it made sense for Dr. Chase to single him out for the task. Still, he wasn’t thrilled with having to visit their notorious patient, though it did provide an excuse to get away from an endless stack of folders and his unsettled thoughts.

“Sure,” Adam agreed, taking the envelope. “I’ll go now.”

“That’d be great. I appreciate it.”

He turned back to address Adam over his shoulder. “Don’t worry so much. You’re young. You don’t need the stress.”

“Right,” Adam agreed as Allison’s indignant tear-stained face sprang to mind. He shook away the image, unnerved. “Thanks, Dr. Chase.”

Dr. Chase didn’t reply as he headed toward the elevators, leaving Adam alone with a sinking sensation in his gut, one he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

* * * *

Ian kept a quiet presence, tucked aside in a waiting area, a tiny alcove consisting of several seats and a table covered in battered magazines. He pretended to read through a few, head lowered, avoiding eye contact. He took his time, lingering for the ideal opportunity to strike. He busied himself in the meantime, making a note of the goings on around the nurses’ station. Most of his attention, though, remained fixated on the target’s room, its entrance minded by a matched set of bored looking security guards. He watched the two exchange a few words before the heavier set one headed off toward the elevators. He was patient, waiting until the lone guard finally ventured from his post to peek out the window at the end of the hall.

Ian leaped to his feet, noting both nurses had left the desk before acting on his plan. While distracted, Mallory’s hired gun turned, eyes wide to find Ian so close, and a gun jammed into his ribcage.

“Say nothing,” Ian hissed as he reversed their positions, keeping one eye on him and the other on the nurses’ station in case someone returned to their post. “Open the door. Now.”

With one hand, the guard opened the door for him. Ian shoved him inside and nudged it shut with his boot. The guy protested, hands raised in surrender, but Ian didn’t leave witnesses. He fired one bullet to the head, dropping him to the floor. From his sickbed, Mallory met his gaze, eyes in a wild panic. A once deadly mobster with a fearsome reputation now reduced to a frail, pitiful mess when faced with his immediate demise. He scrambled for the call button, trying to shout for help. Ian shot him once, twice, the suppressor muffling any noise as he fell back dead where he lay. His unseeing eyes wide open and peering lifeless toward the ceiling.

Assignment completed, Ian glanced down at his coat, noticing a few questionable stains even black couldn’t hide. Sighing, he stepped into the adjacent bathroom for a quick wash. He was cleaning off the excess blood splatter when he heard the door open. He stopped and listened as a curious voice called out, “Hello?”

Ian reached for his handgun, quiet as he slid it into his hand. He edged forward, waiting for his visitor to discover Mr. Mallory was no longer among the living. Ian didn’t have long to wait.