Chapter 9

FILLIAN HAD stayed through the movie, and once the kids said good night and Gregory put them to bed, the two of them talked about the state of things—what they both wanted and hoped for. Not just in a relationship, but what they really dreamed of. Gregory hoped that someday he’d be able to grow his business into a major electrical contracting firm. It seemed Gregory wanted to be in charge of major projects, which Fillian thought was ambitiously awesome. “I want to be able to send the kids to college and give them a real start in life.”

Fillian had shared the fact that he wanted to make captain and be in charge of one of the state police posts or even head of the department. “But there’s so much politics at that level.”

“Politics is everywhere,” Gregory told him. “Don’t let that stop you from dreaming.” Eventually Gregory had put on another movie—one for them—and they sat together, just the two of them. They still paused the movie a few times to talk a little, but talking to Gregory felt right, and part of Fillian wondered just what he’d been so worried about.

The following morning, Fillian rode out to where he believed Lawrence was living. Once he arrived at the scene of the fire, he noticed a number of changes. The area around the house had been cleaned up considerably, with a lot of the debris cleared away and parts of the old structure knocked down, likely for safety reasons.

He parked and cautiously made his way along the path back to where he’d found the camp a few days earlier. But it had been cleared out. The tent and sleeping bags were gone, along with the rest of the gear. All that remained were a few bits of trash and a lot of flattened grass.

“Dammit,” he swore under his breath. His last few shifts he had been run off his feet and hadn’t been able to get out here, but it seemed he was too late and Lawrence had moved from the one spot Fillian had hoped he’d find him. Fillian checked around the area just to make sure Lawrence hadn’t merely moved his camp before leaving the area.

“Can I help you, Officer?” a man asked as Fillian stepped out of the woods. “Mason Carpenter,” he added as an introduction. “I take it you’re looking for my camping tenant.” He scowled as he turned to what was left of the house.

“Yes. He’s been causing some issues.” Fillian purposely kept his answer vague. “I found the camp last week and was hoping he might come back to it. When was the last time he was here, Mr. Carpenter?”

“Thursday.” So three days ago. “The men I hired to shore up the place reported where he was camping. They ran him off and told him that they were going to need to clear his area, and if he didn’t want everything flattened…. The men said he gathered his stuff and was gone fast. I don’t know where he is, but good riddance.” There was clearly no love lost between the two of them.

“Were you aware of the condition of the house?”

“Yes. That’s why I was in the process of evicting him. His mother was the original tenant, and she’d been here for years. Nice lady. He moved in with her to take care of her, and I guess he intended to stay after she passed. I didn’t think anything about it until two weeks ago, when I came out because he said there was a problem with the electrics. I saw the mess and knew I needed to get him out. I started eviction proceedings and called an electrician….” Fillian knew the rest. “Then, when I have the place cleaned up, I find him camping on the property.”

Fillian nodded. “Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”

Mr. Carpenter shrugged. “No idea. The men said he took off. By the time I got here, the camp had been cleared out. I’m trying to secure the place as best I can and make sure no one gets hurt until the insurance company is done with their investigations. Then I can clear the land and figure out what I’m going to do next.”

“Has there been a determination as to what caused the fire?” Fillian had looked up the fire marshal’s report, but it was still ongoing.

“He had tanks of propane in here, and he was using them to cook. Since he never threw anything out, the old tanks were in there too, apparently. We were all lucky everyone was out of the house when it went up. Lots of people are looking for him. The insurance company wants to talk to him, and I want some answers too.”

“I bet you do.” Fillian couldn’t blame Mr. Carpenter for being upset with Lawrence. The guy wasn’t exactly one of Fillian’s favorite people either. “If you see him again, please give me a call.” He handed him one of his cards. “I’d like to speak to him as well.”

“I will,” he agreed, and Fillian went back to his cruiser. At least there was some explanation as to why he hadn’t been around. But deep down, Fillian had a pretty good idea that Lawrence would be back, and his gut told him that he wasn’t going to be content to simply watch for much longer.

“WHAT HAS you so worked up?” Wyatt asked as they met on the median of the freeway. They were both on duty to control speed on highway eighty-one.

“I thought I had a lead on the guy who has been giving Gregory a bad time. I’d found his camp, but not him. Now the camp is gone.”

Wyatt nodded. “Look, for now, let this go. If he hasn’t been hanging around, then maybe he figured out that his bail was in jeopardy and he had a chance to cool down. You said he hadn’t been seen in a while.”

“I know. But I want to make sure Gregory and the kids are safe. I hate the thought—”

Wyatt cut him off. “This is personal for you, but you can’t let it get that way. It’s easy to take things too far, which is what you’re on the verge of right now. Unless there is a report of him breaking bail and we have solid evidence, it will be seen as you overextending yourself, especially with Reynolds. The captain is a stickler for procedure, and going out on a limb for personal reasons isn’t going to endear you to him. You’ve been with us just a few years, and in his eyes that still makes you a rookie.”

“Yeah. But the guy didn’t have permission to live on the property, and before the explosion, he was being evicted from the house. Is that enough of a parole violation?”

Wyatt sighed. “Possibly. But there would be questions about your motive for checking on him in the first place. There hasn’t been a formal report, has there? Gregory told you he hasn’t called it in, so that makes a difference as well. Like I said, the best thing to do is to back off on this one until there is something more for you to go on.”

Fillian knew Wyatt was right, but that didn’t make it any easier.

“If the guy is violating his bail, then wait until we get a formal report and look into it closely. You already have information to go on, so track it down then. And if Gregory is concerned, then he can make a formal report. That would mean you were covered.”

“I suppose you’re right.” As much as he hated to admit it. “Fine. I’ll back away.” Hopefully Lawrence would decide to keep a low profile.

Wyatt received a call, so he rolled up his window and pulled out into traffic, heading back toward town with his lights on. Fillian expected he’d receive one as well, and seconds later he was right behind him, the two of them heading toward Shippensburg to an accident that threatened to shut down the entire freeway. Traffic was already backed up for two miles by the time they wove their way through the stopped cars and trucks to reach the scene of destruction that involved two cars, a tipped-over semi, and a camper in pieces covering both southbound lanes.

It was a mess. First fire trucks were called to ensure that the semi, which had ended up on its side, didn’t burst into flames with the diesel all over the highway. Then ambulances arrived to help the wounded, followed by interviews and evidence-gathering to try to piece together what happened. Traffic had to be diverted off the highway and onto country roads around the scene. And that was only the beginning. Once the mess was cleared up and the freeway opened again, there would be a mountain of paperwork and reports to write and submit. Finishing all that work took Fillian until just before the end of his shift.

To say he was tired was an understatement. During the day he had received a few messages from Gregory that he had answered briefly to let him know that he was at an accident scene. The messages had stopped, but he knew Gregory was probably at home with the kids, so he stopped at the diner along the way home and picked up some soup and sandwiches for all of them before stopping by the apartment.

Fillian climbed the stairs. Raised voices reached his ears as he approached the door. Fillian knocked loudly, and the voices hushed. Heavy footsteps approached the door, and it opened. Gregory stood there, his shoulders slumped. He opened the door farther so Fillian could see his mother, fire coming from her eyes, hands on her hips, one hand in the air like she had been lecturing Gregory.

“What is he doing here? You and I need to finish talking about these kids,” she snapped.

“Where are they?” Fillian asked Gregory.

“With the neighbor. They’re playing with her son for a little while,” Gregory explained.

“That’s none of his business,” Gregory’s mother snarked as she drew forward. “Gregory and I have things that we need to get straight, so whatever you want, I’m sure it can wait until later.”

Damn, she was an even bigger piece of work that Fillian had thought. “I thought you and the kids might want to join me for dinner, so I stopped by the diner and got soup and sandwiches.” He went over to the counter. “You can have them later when you’re ready.” He didn’t think it was his place to get in the middle of things.

“No. My mother is under the illusion that she is the mother of all mothers and that she gets to decide how Weston and Marnie are raised and who they get to see.” Gregory turned back to her while Fillian got a glass of water in the kitchen area. “At best you were an absent mother for me and Arthur. At worst, if someone had called Child Services, we would have been put into care for parental neglect. Nannies are one thing, but you were never around. And you have the nerve to come in here to lecture me about what Weston and Marnie are doing? I was granted full custody in the will and ultimately by the court.”

“We’ll see if that lasts,” she snapped back.

Fillian set down his glass and stood next to Gregory. “You really want to go there?” he asked. “These are your grandchildren, and going down this road is only going to end up with you never seeing them again. The kids are already growing scared of you, and I’ve seen the way you act around them… and how you treat your son.”

“And you think any court is going to listen to someone like you?” The sneer was inescapable. Was she stuck in the sixties or something?

Gregory shook his head. “The court isn’t going to listen to you any more than anyone else, and you have to have a valid, legal reason to challenge the will. Furthermore, you’ve threatened to call Child Services, but again, you have to have a reason for that call… and you don’t. So your choices are to live within the rules that I set as Marnie and Weston’s parent, or not see your grandchildren. They will not be staying at your house overnight, and they will not visit unattended. Those are my rules.”

Fillian thought both of them were good ideas. Who knew what she would try to do if given the chance?

“And as for whatever else you have to say, I think it’s best we end this conversation before we both say something we’ll regret.” Gregory was remarkably controlled, which Fillian found sexy. He returned to the kitchen so Gregory could see his mother out and he could get thoughts of how hot he found Gregory at that moment out of his head. Arguing with one’s mother was not supposed to be a turn-on for anyone. Maybe there was something wrong with him.

“You can’t just push me aside like this. I won’t have it. These kids can’t continue living in this small apartment with homeless people sitting out on the sidewalk eyeing the building like they’re about to move in and take over.”

Fillian paused to parse what she had said. He went to the window and peered out the front. Sure enough, the “homeless” guy Gregory’s mother described watching the building was Lawrence. He was leaning against one of the buildings across the street, surrounded by a small pile of belongings. Fucking great. Fillian was just close enough to see the way Lawrence smiled and then flipped Fillian a single-finger salute before picking up his things and slowly moving on down the sidewalk. Great, just great. Lawrence was getting bolder and now wanted them to know he was there. Fillian let the curtains fall back into place.

One of the frustrating things about his job was that no matter what he thought he knew, he had to be able to prove any accusation he made, especially in this particular situation. Fillian wanted to charge down there, pull Lawrence aside, and find out exactly what he hoped to gain by all this. But Gregory and his mother were still in a heated battle over the kids, and Gregory needed his support at the moment.

“Gregory, I will not have this. Your brother wanted more for his kids than living in a place like this!” The disdain rolled off her tongue with such ease it made Fillian even angrier.

“What Arthur wanted was someone to raise his kids with love and as much care as possible. He knew I would do my very best for both of them, and he knew I’d love them and put them first in my life. Can you honestly say you’d do that?” The way he looked at his mother, daring her to argue, sent a shiver through Fillian, and he turned away because this was so not the time. But Gregory’s strength was attractive, there was no doubt about that.

“How dare you!” The anger rolling off her was palpable. Fillian cleared his throat, fearing she would slap Gregory, and he wanted to remind her that he was there.

Gregory shrugged and walked to the door. “Good night, Mother. The kids need to eat dinner, and you need to go home and cool down. I’m tired of your demands. I know you thought you were some kind of mother of the year, but you never were. You were mostly absent, off in your own little social-climbing world.” He shook his head, and she at least had the sense to leave.

“This isn’t over,” she said as a parting shot.

“What are you now, some kind of supervillain?” Gregory asked before closing the door. “Sometimes that woman drives me absolutely crazy. She came in here and told me that she was going to take the kids for two weeks. She and my stepfather want to go to Florida this winter, and they were going to take Marnie and Weston with them. There is no way I’m letting her take them anywhere. She used to take Arthur and me to Disney once a year, and she would leave us with a sitter so she and my father could do what they wanted. I literally could see into the parks while we sat in the hotel room. I won’t have her doing that sort of thing to them.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I wouldn’t let her take them either. What if she decides that she’s going to take them to Florida and then doesn’t come back? Or worse? Your permission for them to go leaves built-in delays before people take action. Besides, if you ask me, this has nothing to do with the kids and everything to do with control and who will make the decisions.”

“Of course that’s it. Mom was always about being the one to make the decisions and controlling what everyone did and how we all looked. I had to join the right clubs and meet the right kids. She signed me up for lacrosse one year because one of the kids of some lady she wanted to impress played. I was terrible at it, but I was stuck. To top it off, I didn’t become friends with the person she wanted, and that only added more pressure from her.” Gregory checked outside the door. “I need to get the kids.”

“Then I’ll heat up the soup and get the food out,” Fillian said. He went to the kitchen and warmed the soup in the microwave while he got out sandwiches.

“Did you and Grandma fight?” Marnie asked as she came into the apartment. “I heard yelling.”

“Your grandmother and I had a disagreement. But it isn’t something you need to worry about,” Gregory explained. “And Fillian brought us some soup for dinner.”

“There’s sandwiches too. I got chicken with noodles and beef with rice,” Fillian said. He asked them each what they wanted and made up bowls. “Did you have a good time with your friend?”

Weston went off talking about all the things they did. Apparently Mickey had a ton of army men and they played some kind of battle game. Marnie played Barbies with Bernice. Both kids seemed happy.

“Are we going to have movies and popcorn?” Weston asked. “’Cause I wanna watch something.”

“ Mulan ,” Marnie said.

“Actually, I got something new for you. I don’t think you’ve seen it, and we can all watch.” Gregory caught his gaze, and Fillian nodded. “It’s Encanto . It’s supposed to be very good.”

“I saw it at Marsha’s house once. I liked it, but not as much as Mulan .” Apparently Marnie had a one-track mind when it came to her movies. Still, Fillian was grateful for something else to watch.

“Is Grandma going to be mad at us?” Weston asked. “We saw her when she left. I was looking out the window, and she looked mad. Like that lady who wanted to wear dogs in the Dalmatian movie.”

“Cruella de Vil,” Marnie supplied.

“Yeah, her. She looked mean and mad.” His gaze fell to the floor, and he shifted his weight like he was nervous. “Did we do something?”

“No,” Gregory said. “If Grandma was angry, it had nothing to do with either of you. I promise.” He gathered them both in a hug and held them tightly.

Fillian left the three of them to have their moment while he took the bowls to the table and placed the sandwiches on plates.

“I love both of you, and I would never let anything happen to you.”

By the time Fillian had everything at the table and had poured glasses of ice water, they were all seated.

“After dinner, you need to take baths and get ready for bed. Then we can all watch the movie and have popcorn.” Gregory’s gaze met his, and Fillian could tell he had questions. Fillian nodded to mean that they would talk once the kids were out of earshot. Until then, Fillian ate his soup as seriousness seemed descended over all of them. The kids ate quietly, and he and Gregory had this eye conversation going on that told him absolutely nothing.

Weston sneezed, sending soup flying all over him. While Gregory helped him clean up, Fillian turned away to keep himself from laughing. He could tell Gregory was doing the same, but thankfully the dark mood had shattered. Once he was cleaned up, Weston began asking about the movie, Marnie talked about one of her dolls, and even Gregory’s shoulders seemed to lose some of their rigidity.

“ARE YOU both done?” Gregory asked when the kids started to fidget. “If so, take your dishes to the sink, and then you need to get your baths. Who goes first?”

“Me,” Marnie called and hurried to the sink with her dishes before running to her room.

Weston pooched out his lower lip and sighed.

“It’s okay. You’ll get your turn,” Gregory told him.

Weston sighed. “But she takes forever.”

“Go put your dishes in the sink, and I’ll make sure she doesn’t take forever.”

He nodded and carefully took his bowl and then his plate to the sink. “You won’t start the movie without me, right?”

“I promise,” Gregory told him, and Weston hurried to his room. “I need to run bath water and stuff. Are you going to stay, or do you have things you need to do?”

“I’ll watch TV if that’s okay.” Fillian took care of his dishes and let Gregory handle what he needed to. Fillian checked out the front window to make sure Lawrence hadn’t returned before settling on the sofa with a rerun of Young Sheldon . He loved that show, but he’d already seen the episode, so he half listened to the television and the sounds of the family as he calmed down from his hectic day.

“Are you sleeping?” Weston asked as he climbed onto the sofa next to him in Sponge Bob pajamas. Marnie joined them in a Mulan nightgown. Gregory made popcorn and turned out the lights before starting the movie.

Fillian didn’t remember much of what happened. He pretty much fell asleep less than half an hour in, closing his eyes as fatigue took over.

“Okay, munchkins, it’s time for you to go to bed.”

Fillian sat up, blinking a few times, wondering where the time went. He said good night to both kids and got a hug from each of them. Gregory put them to bed and rejoined Fillian a while later.

“Weston had a ton of questions, and Marnie wanted yet another story.” He sighed. “But they’re in bed and I hope asleep.”

“Good.” He turned away from the side of the window, careful not to move the curtains. “I hate to bring bad news, but our friend was outside watching the building. He continued on, but he wants us to know he’s there. The guy isn’t hiding any longer.”

“Which means…?”

“I don’t know. He isn’t afraid, and we’re no closer to knowing what it is that he wants. But I think you need to make a formal complaint.”

“And say what? That he’s watching us? That we see him on the sidewalk?”

Fillian turned to look at Gregory straight on. “He’s out on bail, and you were hurt by him. If nothing else, then his behavior is being put on the record. We had hoped he would stop, but apparently he isn’t.” He was afraid Lawrence’s behavior would escalate. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of your mother, but she noticed him on her way in.”

“I see.” Gregory grew paler through the conversation. “What do I do? I want the kids to be safe.”

“So do I.”

“Okay. I’ll call tomorrow and report him to the local police and let them know what’s been happening. You’d think the guy was already in enough trouble, but no, he has to decide to harass me because I wasn’t interested in him.” He shook his head. “What is it with me? I didn’t do anything when I was in that house with him. All I was trying to do was get my work done so I could get out of there.” He shivered.

Fillian slid closer and put his arms around him. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and you deserve to feel safe on the job and in your own home.” Just like he deserved a mother who wasn’t completely self-absorbed and more concerned with her own wants than supporting her son. But he kept that to himself because he didn’t want to bring up the argument between Gregory and his mother. She was a real piece of work, and Fillian wondered if she wasn’t escalating in her own way as well.

“Maybe I shouldn’t let my mother in, then.” Gregory snickered.

“I’m glad you can make jokes about her.”

Gregory shrugged. “What am I going to do? She’s always been this way. When she doesn’t get what she wants, she fights and bickers until most people just give up because it’s easier than fighting with her. I won’t do that. Marnie and Weston are too important for that.”

Fillian nodded. “You know her better than I do, but do you think she’ll make good on some of her threats?”

“I don’t know what she’ll do or how much she thinks she’ll get away with.” He quivered in Fillian’s arms. “But I will fight her with everything I have. This is all selfishness on her part.”

“I get that.” Fillian was already trying to think a few steps ahead.

“When Arthur and Stephanie were killed, I was in a much smaller place. I managed to find this apartment in a short time, and because of the adoption and stuff, Social Services was involved. They inspected the place and everything. My mother was all up in arms then because it wasn’t a house and because it was too small… or their rooms weren’t big enough. She actually tried to ingratiate herself with the social worker, though it didn’t work then and it isn’t likely to work now. But Mom could cause trouble, I’m sure.”

Fillian sat up. “I’m not sure what I can do to help. Do you know who you worked with during the transition?”

Gregory got up and went to his room. He returned with a small box, sat down, and began going through it. “I know I have his business card in here somewhere.” He continued rifling through it. “Here it is.” Gregory handed it to him.

“I know Donald. He’s a good guy, and his husband is a police officer in town. Carter Schunk. I worked with him once on a cooperative effort between departments last year. It was some thefts in the area that crossed jurisdictions….” He stopped himself. “You don’t need to know the details.” He held the card, his mind flowing quickly. “Do you mind if I make a phone call and see if I can get some help on both fronts?”

Gregory shrugged. “I don’t want to bother anyone.”

“I won’t if you don’t want me to. That’s why I asked.” This had to be Gregory’s decision.

“Do you think they can help?”

“For now, it will be a friendly call,” Fillian said and pulled out his phone. He looked up Carter’s number, checked the time, and made the call.

“Fillian,” Carter said brightly. “What’s up?”

“Sorry if it’s too late, but I have a little bit of a problem, and I need some assistance. This isn’t official or anything.”

“I told you if you needed something to call, and I meant it. What’s going on?”

“Well, I have a friend who’s having some trouble. He was at the house that blew up a few weeks ago between Carlisle and Newville. He was my neighbor growing up, and he’s having some issues.”

“Is this about the suspect on bail who might be harassing his victim?” Fillian should have known Carter would be up to date on everything. “Is he still doing it?”

“Yeah. I saw him outside his building tonight. He knew I saw him too, and he doesn’t seem to care. The thing is, it’s victim harassment, but it’s hard to prove anything.” Fillian turned away and lowered his voice. “The guy was assaulted and managed to get away before the house blew up. And now he’s being harassed. It stinks.”

“I agree. Tell your friend to get a picture of him if possible, preferably from the apartment. Note down dates when he’s been seen and where, stuff like that. Give me something solid, and I’ll take it to the court here immediately. It’s best if you let us do it, because that way you aren’t involved and it will make the case stronger.”

“Thanks.” He sighed. “We’ll have something to you as soon as we can get it.” He cleared his throat and then told Carter about the issues Gregory was having with his mother. “Donald handled the original placement.”

“Hold on,” Carter said, and Fillian figured he was talking to his husband. “Okay. Donald said he can stop by first thing in the morning on his way to the office to talk to you.” He thanked them and said goodbye, then set the phone down on the table.

Gregory looked around. “Do you think the place looks good enough?”

“It’s clean, each of the kids has a room of their own, they’re well fed, happy, and loved. It’s all that Donald—or anyone except your mother—could possibly wish for,” Fillian told him, slipping an arm around Gregory’s shoulders, drawing him closer. “And if your mother should register a complaint, then Donald is going to have a sterling visit report on file with the department.” He could already see some of the worry slip from Gregory’s posture. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“I hope so,” Gregory said.

Fillian leaned in and kissed him gently. “I’ve wanted to do that ever since I got here.”

Gregory sighed, leaning against him. “One thing is for sure, the kids are definite blockers, if you know what I mean.”

Fillian leaned even closer until their foreheads touched. “If I just wanted sex, there are plenty of places that I could go to get that. I’m here for so much more. You make me happy, and the kids… well, as long as they’re in my life, I think it’s going to be exciting, and I know it will never be dull. Just thinking about you when I’m at work is enough to make me smile.”

“But you know it’s a lot to take on.”

Fillian pulled back. “If that’s your way of saying that you aren’t interested….”

Gregory shook his head. “No. It’s just that….”

“I know what it means. Bath nights instead of evenings in bed. It means getting up to make breakfast before sending the kids to school instead of lying in bed that extra half hour. It also means vacations to Orlando instead of a couple’s retreat to Club Med. I’m well aware of what it means. But I also know that I’d have a family of my own, and my mother would be over the moon to have grandchildren. It means doing things as a family for the next twelve to twenty years. I’m well aware of all of it. So don’t use that as an excuse. If you aren’t ready or don’t want a relationship, then that’s one thing, but don’t use them as an excuse. That isn’t fair to the kids, me, or yourself.”

“Maybe you’re right.” He looked toward the closed bedroom doors. “I worry about them, you know. What if I mess things up? What if I leave them with some sort of complex?”

“And what if you show them that love and care can come in many different packages and that it doesn’t matter who the people are or what they look like?” Fillian said gently. “That’s what counts. That they’re loved and that they know it, no matter what. The rest will come out in the wash.”

“How do you know? Look at the role model I had. What if I become exactly like her?”

“Just asking that question means you won’t. Now, go check on the kids, and I’ll put on something we can watch for a while before we go to bed.”