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“I can’t divulge that, I’m afraid. Right now I need whatever information you can give me about him.”
There was silence for a moment. When Christian finally spoke, his voice cracked a little. “He was such a lost soul, you know? Losing his parents like that….”
“You said in your statement that you tried to stop him taking drugs.”
More beats of silence.
“Mr. Davis, please. This could be important.” He needed to keep Christian talking for as long as he could. Anything to formulate a clearer picture of the guy.
Is he the kind of man who could kill to avenge a lover’s death?
Finally, Christian sighed. “We had an open relationship, because that was what Paul wanted, and I… I didn’t want to lose him. So I ignored the hookups. After all, they left, but I was still there, right?”
Gary caught a tremor in his voice. “You loved him very much.” When Christian didn’t respond, he continued. “You were okay with him being a sex worker?”
“Yes, because that was work. To him, it was another way to earn a dollar. Not that he got a lot of business. Why pay for sex when your phone tells you there’s a guy feet away from you who’s looking for a good time?”
And maybe you weren’t as comfortable with his work as you make out.
“What about the drugs?”
Christian sighed. “That was… difficult. He started using during sex. Not with me, however. I wasn’t into that. So he hooked up with guys who were happy to use with him. I did try to get him to stop. I just didn’t get very far.” He paused. “I kept hoping. I thought I could turn him around. But he relied on it. I swear, sometimes he took drugs simply to get a boner. And then he wanted… harder stuff.” His voice quavered. “I guess he found it in the end.” Gary caught a stifled sob. “I know why he used. Why he went with so many guys. He was trying to numb the pain, that was all.”
“The pain of losing his parents in the shooting?”
“Oh God, that was only the start of it. He could’ve come through that, I know he could, but he felt so abandoned.”
“What do you mean?”
“The one person he needed wasn’t there for him—his brother, Christopher. I did my best to support Paul, to be there for him, but I guess I wasn’t the one he needed. I laid into Christopher at the funeral, I can tell you. He was so busy with school, he had no time for Paul. And Paul fuckingneededhim. Christ, the number of texts Paul sent, and Christopher hardly ever replied.” He made a strangled noise. “I hope his guilt fuckingchokeshim.”
Guilt….
Gary stared at the board where Guilt stood out, its black letters stark against the white. Dan, you nailed it. Gary trusted his gut instincts, and right then they were telling him Christian Davis wasn’t their man. His heartbeat raced, and he quivered with the effort of controlling his emotions. “Do you know what his brother was studying?”
“Sure. He worked in some hospital where he had a job collecting blood after surgery. He’d clean it up, and it would go back into the patient. I never even knew that was a thing. But then he started training to be a physician’s assistant. I think he’d just finished when Paul died.” Another pause. “Is any of this gonna help you in whatever you’re doing? Because you’ve gone and opened up a wound I’d thought was healed.” His voice cracked.
Gary could have told him that some wounds never really healed.
“You’ve been a great help, really. Thank you. And I’m sorry to have caused you so much pain.” He said goodbye and disconnected. No sooner had he put his phone down than it vibrated. He glanced at the screen. It was a text from Dan.
Don’t be mad, but I had to get out of here. I’ve got us a table tonight at the Noodle Barn. And I hope it’s okay, but I’m on my way to make us an appointment for a test. The clinic isn’t open on weekends, so I’ll try for the latest appointment I can get before then. You can tell Travers you’re going to the dentist. I thought we could go together. Tell you all about it later.
Gary smiled to himself.He doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet, does he?
Lewis came into the room. “My calls paid off. All the victims attended the same sexual health clinic.”
Gary couldn’t contain his grin. “I call that a result.”
“The doc got a little snotty with me at first—client confidentiality, right?—but when I said all these guys were dead and she’d be helping with a murder inquiry, she changed her tune.”
“Which clinic? And where is it?”
“It’s in Dorchester.” Lewis snorted. “Wait till you hear the name of this place. It’s on Dix Street, a stone’s throw from Dorchester Avenue, and they called it… the Dix Center. Kinda appropriate, don’t you think? And about as subtle as a train wreck.” His eyes sparkled. “Wanna bet our guy met up with all his victims while they were waiting to pee in a cup? Great place to meet guys, right?”
Riley walked in with the coffee as Gary grabbed his coat. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Yup. We’re going to a sexual health clinic to take a look at their clients. Because maybe one of them is our man. And on the way, I’ll tell you what I learned from Christian Davis.”
