Chapter Two

“Hello? Anne Campbell here.” Her upper-class English-accented voice made Bryan smile. He’d met her at some charity do a few months ago, and she had so reminded him of Hyacinth Bucket that he’d spent a good half-hour entertaining Tyler with his fair impersonation of her. Keeping Up Appearances and Golden Girls re-runs were two of Tyler’s favorite shows.

“Good morning, Mrs. Campbell, this is Bryan Colby. I’m an agent for Sonia Barclay and she asked me to call you with regard to a listing appointment. I understand you are moving back to the UK?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Thank goodness. I’ve finally persuaded my husband that England is the place for us to retire. I suppose you’ll need his signature too. You’d better come at four this afternoon. He’ll be home by then.”

“Very good, Mrs. Campbell, four it is. I look forward to it. Bye for now.”

“Mmm? Oh yes, bye.”

No sooner had he hung up than his phone rang. “Bryan Colby, Barclay Real Estate. How may I help you?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m calling about the vacant property on Yarmouth Road. I see your name as the listing agent. Can I see it this morning?”

“Certainly, sir. May I have your name?”

“Jack Forbes, and I’m in a bit of a hurry. How soon can you be out here?”

“In about ten minutes or so. Sooner, if the traffic’s light.”

“All right. I’ll wait.”

Bryan checked his briefcase to make sure he had the requisite forms in case the man wanted to make an offer. He picked up his keys and made for the door. Sonia was on the phone so he waved briefly on his way out. She would have been glad to hear he was showing the house on Yarmouth. It was a bit of fixer and so far there hadn’t been any viable offers.

When he pulled his Mercedes over to the curb outside the listed property, he spotted a tall man standing by the driveway. Mr. Forbes, I presume… As he got out of the car, he also noticed that the man had no vehicle.

“Good morning, Mr. Forbes. Did you walk all the way over here?”

“No. I had someone drop me off. Maybe you can give me a lift back to town.”

“Yes, of course.”

The man’s appearance was rough and he had a shifty manner Bryan did not care for. He faltered for a moment. There had been two or three cases of real estate agents being attacked in vacant properties recently. Bryan felt fairly sure he was a match for the man if he tried anything. He did work out regularly, after all. But maybe he was being silly.

“You like the property’s location?” he asked as he led the way to the front door.

“Yeah, it’s all right. Front yard needs work, and there’s broken windows in back.”

“Yes, it is a bit of a fixer. Are you a handyman?”

“I manage.”

Bryan unlocked the door and stepped aside for Forbes to enter first. If he was going to try anything, Bryan didn’t want him standing behind him if possible. Stop being so suspic—

He felt rather than heard the man who closed in on him from out of nowhere. The blow to the back of his head shocked him. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees. Forbes grabbed him and pulled him farther into the house.

“What the hell?” Another blow to his skull and he saw stars, then darkness.

 

* * * *

 

Bryan opened his eyes, the stained popcorn ceiling above him at first blurry. His head ached like a son of a bitch and when he put a hand to his head it came away bloody. Shit… He tried to sit up, but the pain knocked him back onto the dirty carpet under him. So, Forbes hadn’t been alone. Damn, he should have thought of that. But he’d shown vacant properties before with no problem. Maybe his gut instincts were stronger than he thought. He managed to get his hand inside his jacket pocket, vaguely surprised to find his cell phone was there. At least they didn’t take that. I should probably call nine-one-one. He wasn’t sure if he needed medical attention, but he should at least report the assault. The time on his cell told him he’d been lying there for a couple of hours. Christ, they must’ve hit me hard. He wondered if he might have a concussion. He did feel tired, but he knew from reading somewhere that he mustn’t fall asleep. Or did that matter, as he’d been unconscious for a couple of hours anyway? He dialed nine-one-one and told the operator where he was and what had happened.

“We’ll have the medics there soon as we can, sir. Try not to move about until they’ve checked your vital signs.”

“Okay.” He wasn’t crazy about lying on this dirty carpet, but at that precise moment he didn’t think he could get up off it. He thought he should call Sonia or Tyler, but he kept drifting in and out until he heard the front door being pushed open and several people rushing inside.

Hooray, the cavalry’s here.

The next thing he was aware of he was lying in the back of an ambulance, a young lady paramedic checking his pulse. A policeman sat opposite him, studying his face intently. Bryan studied him back and couldn’t help but think he was very nice looking for a cop. Bryan hadn’t had a lot of interaction with the police apart from a couple of times he’d been stopped for exceeding the speed limit. Both times, the cop had been big, overweight and gruff to the point of rudeness. This guy was handsome in a rugged sort of way. Fairly young, maybe a few years older than Bryan.

“How d’you feel, Mr. Colby?” the cop asked

“Better now you’re here, officer.” Shit, did I really say that? Nothing like giving the game away in the first moment of consciousness.

The female paramedic giggled and the cop’s eyes grew wide…and he blushed. “Uh, good, that’s good. Um, are you able to tell me what happened?”

“Yeah, it’s still a bit hazy, but someone hit me from behind. There were two of them, I think. I didn’t see the one who hit me, but the other guy…” Oh shit, all this talking is rattling my brain, sending little daggers into my skull. “Oh, wow…” He looked at the medic. “Are you giving me something for the pain?”

“Yes, sir. We’ve got you hooked up to a painkiller. I can up the dosage a little.”

“Please. My head hurts like someone took a piledriver to it.”

“You have a nasty cut and some extensive bruising,” she said. “Once we get you to the hospital, they’ll be able to take care of it. Right now, you have a temporary dressing and bandage.”

“Oh, I bet I look cute. White was never my color. Something to do with skin tone…” Bryan knew he was babbling and the cop was staring at him with an expression, as near as Bryan could tell, of ‘what the fuck is wrong with this guy?’

“Sorry, officer. My brain isn’t working too well right now. You think I might have a concussion?”

“Well, sir…” He shifted his gaze from Bryan to the medic. “What d’you think, Pam?”

“I don’t think so. You’re just pretty shook up. No surprise there. Being attacked like that is enough to shock anyone.”

“Can’t understand what they wanted. The house is empty. Oh, my car!” Oh, my head…

“Well…uh…” The cop hesitated then said, “A neighbor who witnessed the men leaving the house told us they drove off in your Mercedes.”

“What?”

“Yes, sir. This is their M.O. They get a realtor over to show them a property then mug them and take their car. You guys all seem to have really nice cars. Makes you a target.”

“And I fell for it. But I knew something was off.”

The cop nodded. “Will you be able to give us a description of the man you met at the house?”

“Oh, yeah. Tall, kind of rough-looking.”

“That’s it?” He paused with his pencil over his notepad, and frowned. “Hair color, what he was wearing, ethnicity? Any of that?”

Before Bryan could reply, Pam said, “We’re here. Wait till the doctors have examined him, then you can ask him some more stuff.”

Bryan had been trying to focus on the cop’s name badge but couldn’t quite make it out. “Okay, see you later, uh, Officer…?”

“Collins, Mr. Colby. I’ll check in with you later. See if you can remember anything else.”

Bryan had a crazy notion to reach out and take the cop’s hand. Where the hell did that come from? How needy had he become?

“Okay,” he muttered. “See you later.”

 

* * * *

 

Bryan wondered if there was an earthquake going on. Whatever bed he was lying on was shaking. No, someone was shaking him. “Wake up, Mr. Colby. You can’t fall asleep until we’re certain you don’t have a concussion.”

He opened his eyes and gazed into the face of a young man in a white coat. “I’m Dr. Hess, Mr. Colby, your attending physician while you’re here. How do you feel?” He removed his hand from Bryan’s shoulder and straightened.

“Like someone was just shaking me.”

Dr. Hess frowned. “I told the nurse not to let you sleep. Fortunately I was only gone from the room for a few minutes.” He shone a small light into each of Bryan’s eyes. “How’s the head?”

“Horrible. But that’s to be expected, right?”

Hess nodded. “You had two severe blows to the cranium. Fortunately, there are no fractures or hemorrhages. We’ll keep you here overnight for observation, but all being well, tomorrow you can probably go home. Take it easy for a few days, you should be fine.”

“Overnight? But I have an appointment at four this afternoon.”

“Sorry, you’ll have to cancel that, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, my God, Sonia will be pissed.”

“Your wife?”

Bryan snorted. “No, my boss. What time is it?”

“A little after one.”

“Then I can still make it.” He groaned. “Oh, but the bastards took my car.”

The doctor shook his head. “Car or no car, you cannot have a four o’clock appointment, Mr. Colby. Oh, and by the way, there’s a police officer waiting outside to talk with you.”

Oh yeah, hottie Officer Collins. I remember him all right. “Can you please call my office and tell Sonia Barclay what happened to me? She’ll have to arrange for someone to take my place.”

“I’ll take care of it.” He pulled a cell phone from his coat. “What’s the number?”

Bryan told him and the doctor punched it in. “Sonia Barclay, please. This is Dr. Hess from S.B. National Hospital. Thank you.” He glanced at Bryan. “They’re putting me through. Is it Mrs. or Miss?”

“Mrs.”

“Oh hello, Mrs. Barclay, Doctor Hess here from S.B. National. I have an employee of yours here. Bryan Colby. He was assaulted earlier today.”

Bryan heard Sonia’s squawk of surprise at the news.

“Yes, I’m afraid so. Two blows to the back of the head. He will be all right, but we’re keeping him here overnight. He is concerned about an appointment at four o’clock. Yes, you may talk to him, but not for too long, please.”

He handed Bryan his cell. “Hi, Sonia, sorry about this. I can’t make that appointment with the Campbells.”

“Don’t be silly, Bryan,” Sonia snapped. “I’ll take care of it. Oh, my God you could’ve been killed. Are you in a lot of pain?”

“They’ve got me fairly well doped up, so it’s not bad right now. It happened at the vacant house on Yarmouth. Probably should alert everyone in the office to be careful. They took my car, Sonia, the creeps.”

“Oh, you poor darling. Don’t worry, your insurance rider will get you a new one, and in the meantime, we can rent one for you. When you’re okay to drive, that is.”

“A few days, the doc says. Anyway, I better give him his phone back, and there’s a cop waiting to give me the third degree. Ha. Just kidding. He wants to ask me a few questions.”

“All right. I’ll call Tyler and let him know. Bye for now, Bryan.”

“Bye.” He handed the phone back to Dr. Hess. “Thanks, doctor. I guess I better see the cop now.”

Hess pocketed his phone. “If you’re up to it.”

“Oh yeah. Best get it over with. Can I sleep after he goes?”

Hess nodded. “Yes, I think it’s safe to say there’s no concussion. Be glad you have a hard head.”

“So I’ve been told. Bone-headed, I think a friend called me.”

Hess chuckled and opened the door. “You can come in now, officer.” He looked back at Bryan. “I’ll check on you later.”

Officer Collins entered the room, notepad in hand. “How are you, Mr. Colby?”

“I could say better now you’re here, but I think I embarrassed you enough in the ambulance.”

Collins smiled and sat on the chair by the bed. “You were probably a bit loopy. Don’t know what your excuse might be now, though.”

Oh, I like you… “Bad manners, my mother would have said. Anyway, thanks for being cool about it. What’s your first name, by the way? I can only see an initial, B. B for Bob, maybe?”

“B for Bennet. Ben for short.”

“Nice name. Can I call you Ben?”

After a slight hesitation, he said, “Sure.”

Bryan held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ben. I’m Bryan.”

Ben took his hand in a warm, firm grip. “Nice to meet you, Bryan. Although the circumstances aren’t the best.” They gazed at each other for a few moments and Bryan had time to take in the details of Ben’s face. All he remembered from their ride in the ambulance was a pleasant rugged appearance, but now, under the too-bright fluorescent ceiling light, Bryan admired the deep blue eyes under strong dark eyebrows, the full lower lip and the firm jaw with a faint five-o’clock shadow. Totally my kind of guy…

Ben looked down at his notepad and cleared his throat. “So, uh, have you remembered anything more about the man, Jack Forbes?”

“Well, he was Caucasian, grayish hair, beady eyes, couldn’t tell you the color as he never really looked at me. Really shifty demeanor and he was wearing a black coat like it was wintertime.”

“That’s good, uh, Bryan.” He grinned. “A lot better than just tall and rough-looking.”

“Well, I was suffering from severe knocks to the head, if you recall.”

Ben nodded. “I do recall, and you were pretty stalwart about it.”

“You calling me pretty, officer?” Bryan teased.

Ben shook his head. “You are a case all right.” He stood and slipped his notepad into his pocket.

“Wait…you have to go?”

“Yes, I have to go and make a report. That’s what I do, Bryan. And you…” He touched the back of Bryan’s hand with his fingertips. “You have to rest.”

“Will you…uh, will you come see me again?”

“Maybe, if I have more questions for you.”

“Or even if you don’t?”

Ben laughed. “Man, you are one pushy guy. The doctor said they’ll probably release you tomorrow, but I have your phone number if I need to reach you.”

Bryan closed his eyes, suddenly very tired. “Okay…and thanks, Ben, for being so nice. Not like a cop at all.”

Ben sighed. “Bye, Bryan. Be well.” He walked to the door and opened it, taking one last glance at Bryan before he left, closing the door quietly behind him. Bryan had been watching him through half-closed eyes and he smiled before drifting off to sleep.

When he woke again, Tyler was sitting by his bed, a worried expression on his face. “Bryan, thank goodness you’re awake. I’ve been sitting here for ages.”

“Sorry to inconvenience you,” Bryan said tartly.

“No, idiot, not that. I’ve been worried to death about you. When Sonia called me, I couldn’t believe it at first. You were attacked!”

“I know.”

“But why?”

“They’re thieves. They took my car and most likely anything I had in my briefcase. Shit, I didn’t even think to ask Ben about that.”

“Who’s Ben?”

“The cop who came to the scene and rode with me to the hospital.”

“You’re on first-name terms with a cop?”

“You know me…smooth operator.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “When are you being released?”

“Tomorrow, I think. They just want to observe me or something, tonight.”

“Does it hurt?” Tyler took his hand.

“It hurt like fuck when I came to on the floor of the house I was showing those bastards. There’s enough painkiller in me right now to numb a horse. How’re you?”

“Okay.” Tyler squeezed Bryan’s hand. “Will you be able to make the party?”

“Probably. Would it kill you if I didn’t go?”

“No, but it’d be more fun if you did. You’re my best bud.” His eyes glistened. “God, I got such a scare when I heard what happened to you.”

“Hey, I’m okay. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

“That’s what I mean.” A tear trickled down Tyler’s cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything really bad happened to you.”

“C’mere, BFF.” Bryan opened his arms and Tyler slid in, brushing his wet cheek over Bryan’s. “I feel the same way about you, so we just have to take care of ourselves…and each other. Right?”

“Right,” Tyler whispered and kissed Bryan’s cheek. “I should go. Daniel wanted to come too, but he had a last-minute conference call about the convention he’s going to tomorrow.”

“Tell him I said hi, and to keep safe while he’s gone.”

“Will do.” He bent to kiss Bryan’s cheek again. “I’ll see you tomorrow. If you need a ride from here, let me know.”

“I will. Bye, Tyler.”

“Bye.”