Steal My Heart

Chapter 11

THE FOLLOWING evening, Hilliard checked himself in the mirror for the third time and turned away. He looked fine and was acting like a nervous teenager hoping to lose his virginity on prom night simply because he didn’t want to mess this up. He closed the closet door and went downstairs. He and Brian were having a proper date, which meant he was picking Brian up and they were going to the Ledford House for dinner rather than eating in town at the pub… again. He checked the time, grabbed the flowers he’d gotten that afternoon, hurried outside to the Mustang, and lowered the top.

He drove slowly through town, waving to people he knew. It was so strange, but this tiny place on the edge of the Pacific was quickly beginning to feel like home. He had memories here, and it was a chance for him to start over. Yes, Cleveland had been his home for most of his life, and he had intended to build something he could be proud of there, but all that had changed. Almost everything in his life had changed over the past few months, and maybe that was a good thing.

The lights were on at Beverly’s. It wasn’t that late, but the marine layer had moved in, casting the town in a moody pall that always made Hilliard wonder if something was about to happen. He got out, strode up to the door, and knocked softly, the dogs barking on the other side.

Brian opened the door, keeping the dogs back as Hilliard stepped inside. “You look nice,” Hilliard told Brian. He expected a smile, but what he got was fear. Hilliard glanced to Beverly, whose expression was stormy. “What happened?” He handed the small bouquet to Beverly.

“I better show you,” Brian said before leading Hilliard through the house and up the stairs. “I worked all day, and when I got home, I came up here to change clothes. When I opened my sock drawer….” He went to his room and pulled the top drawer of the dresser back. Sitting in the corner was a silver wing, part of something, poking out from next to a pair of rolled-up gray socks. “What do I do?”

“Have Gran call Grant right now.” Hilliard had been afraid of something like this. They were casting doubt on the status quo, and that had made someone pretty scared.

“She already did. He’s on his way over.”

“Then touch nothing. I’m assuming that you were in here this morning and there was no little silver angel thing in the drawer at that time.” He already knew the answer. “Go sit with your grandmother and let me have a look around. Just leave the drawer open and come with me.” He was pissed as all hell. Hilliard went to the front door as Brian sat with Beverly in the living room. He checked to see if it had been jimmied but found no sign of that. He was heading to the back when he heard a knock out front and let Grant inside.

“What happened?” Grant asked, dressed in his uniform.

“Our little evidence planter is at it again. Brian found it when he was getting dressed. Go on up—we left the drawer open.” Hilliard followed him up and showed him what turned out to be an angel-decorated silver napkin ring, obviously part of Violet’s missing set. “It wasn’t here this morning when Brian dressed, so it must have been planted sometime today.” He was going to insert the version of the story that he wanted to keep at the forefront in Grant’s mind.

“Okay….” Grant turned skeptically.

Hilliard rolled his eyes. “Please. I saw the report, and so did you. The police executed a search warrant on this house at the time he was arrested. Are you saying they didn’t look in his sock drawer? And like he was going to move evidence to incriminate himself just when we have the proof that he never perpetrated the burglary in the first place.” He put his hands on his hips.

“I believe you,” Grant said, making a placating gesture. “This is a frame-up if ever I saw one.” He pulled on a pair of gloves and put the silver bauble into an evidence bag.

“Don’t be surprised if you find a print on it. That seems to be their MO.” Hilliard didn’t like this at all.

“I know.” Grant took a few photographs and left the room. He checked the front door and then the back, smiling when he found a few wood scrapings. “This is how they got in. Used a small screwdriver to jimmy the lock. You can see the scrapings if you look closely enough.” He made notes before going in to speak with Beverly and Brian. He went over where Brian was all day and got a detailed account.

Beverly said, “I went to the church for a few hours this afternoon for a meeting. My ladies’ group is working on school sets for needy children for the fall, and I was there helping to fill backpacks. It’s something we do every year.”

“Which explains when they got in,” Hilliard said. “But not who is doing this.” He could tell that Brian was as anxious as anything. “Brian and I were supposed to go out tonight,” he explained when he noticed how Grant kept looking at each of them. He doubted that Brian would be up for it and excused himself to call the restaurant to let them know that something had come up. When he returned, Grant was still speaking with Brian. “What else do you need?”

“Nothing, actually.” Grant headed for the front door and paused. “Actually, something just occurred to me.”

Hilliard snorted. “The Columbo routine doesn’t look good on you.”

Grant grinned. “Why now?”

“That’s easy. We went to see Violet yesterday, and I think she understands that Brian isn’t the thief. We were asking her who might have known where some of the items were located, since none of it had been on public display since the house tour. And her jewelry would take someone time to find.”

“You think this was an inside job.”

“Aren’t most of them? Burglars aren’t going to break into a house that doesn’t have anything easy to steal, and if they do, they take televisions and electronics. They certainly aren’t going to go rummaging through drawers and stuff to find things, and if they do, they are going to leave a mess. According to Violet, there was no mess. Something else the police missed originally.” Hilliard was glad the original investigator was no longer on the case, though an idea tickled the back of his mind. Something was just too far off. Yes, the police made mistakes, but he doubted that anyone was this stupid. There had to be more to it.

“All right. I have to say for the record that I’m not in favor of what you’re doing.” Grant’s eyes were hard.

“These boys are shaking the trees, and the fruit is falling,” Beverly replied.

“All we’re doing is talking to people.” And someone’s name just moved up on the list, but that could wait until the current drama had passed. “If there’s no more questions?’ Hilliard said, letting Grant out and closing the door.

“Well, that was not the evening I was expecting. But Grant is convinced that someone broke in and planted evidence while you were at your church meeting. Why they kept the pieces all this time I have no idea. And whoever they are, they’re getting more and more jumpy.”

“So we back off and let things die down?” Brian said hopefully.

Hilliard shook his head and opened his mouth, but Beverly beat him to it. “We shake the trees harder and scare the ever- loving crap out of them,” she said with a grin, taking Brian’s hand. “We need to bring this to a close and let you get your life back.”

“We’re close, I can feel it. Just a few more facts and the picture should become clear. Then we can give what we have to Grant and let him bring this to an end.” Hilliard sat down and tugged Brian onto the chintz sofa next to him. “Right now, you need to relax. This is progress, and more evidence than we had before. The only person we spoke with was Violet, and that was yesterday.”

“True, but she could have spoken to half the town by now.”

“No, she couldn’t. Violet came down with the flu. She has been sick since right after you spoke with her and wasn’t at church today.”

Hilliard nodded and tugged Brian against him, listening as he sighed softly. “There will be time to figure this whole thing out.” Right now, he needed to make Brian feel better, and he knew just how to do it. “Will you be okay here for a few hours?” he asked Beverly softly.

“Of course,” she whispered, and Hilliard took Brian by the hand and led him outside. He waited while Brian locked the door and then got him in the car and made the return drive home. This hadn’t been how he had seen the evening going, but he intended to make sure Brian got what he needed.

“WHAT ARE we doing?” Brian asked once Hilliard had fed them each a microwave dinner. Maybe in the future he could see if Brian’s grandmother would be willing to cook for him and he could put meals in the freezer or something.

Hilliard finished stacking the dishes in the sink. “I had planned on taking you out for a nice dinner and then back here to watch a movie. I thought we could ignore whatever we were watching and make out like teenagers, but things have changed.” He rinsed the dishes a bit before turning off the water. “I need to get some things.” Hilliard approached Brian and stood behind his chair, slipping his arms over his shoulders, then running his hands down his chest. “Go on upstairs and get undressed, then lie down on my bed. I’ll be up in just a few minutes.” He kissed the top of Brian’s head.

Brian hesitated and then stood to walk into the front room and up the stairs, his shoulders carrying so much tension that Hilliard was afraid Brian’s muscles might explode. He went into the downstairs bathroom and rummaged in a box he’d stashed under the sink. He’d meant to unpack it but had just left it there and… yes… just what he was looking for.

Hilliard grabbed what he needed. He checked that the doors were locked and headed upstairs, turning out the lights as he went. When he approached his bedroom, he stepped in and stopped. Brian lay on his belly, naked, the sight stopping Hilliard for a few seconds. The man was stunning, wide shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, and an ass that could crack walnuts. Hilliard swallowed hard before setting the bottle beside the bed and then slipping out of his clothes.

Slowly, he climbed onto the bed, grabbed the small bottle of lightly scented oil, rubbed some in his hands, and touched Brian’s shoulders before beginning a slow, gentle massage.

Brian’s skin was smooth and hot under his hands as he ran them over his back, the oil slicking the way. “Is this helping?” he asked, and received a deep, long groan before settling his weight across Brian’s legs. He continued stroking slowly, shifting his weight with each long movement, up over his shoulders, down his back, and then up across his firm bubble butt. He didn’t make any sort of sexual advance. This time right now was just to try to help Brian let go of some of his tension. The rest could wait for a while.

“Where did you learn to do this?” Brian asked, his voice deep and rumbly.

“My undergrad roommate was working on physical therapy, and he needed to practice. So I was a willing subject on a lot of evenings when the tension became almost unbearable.” He ran his hands along Brian’s sides and down to the tops of his legs before continuing upward once more. This time he concentrated on his shoulders, keeping his touch light. He wasn’t qualified for deep tissue massage, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Brian. But he knew there was something almost magical in someone else’s touch. “Is that helping?”

“Yeah,” Brian whispered as Hilliard felt some of the anxiety slip away. Brian didn’t move, his breathing becoming deeper and more regular. That was a good sign. Hilliard didn’t need him to talk, just lie there and let Hilliard try to help him.

“Then just relax.”

“I’m trying, but not all of me is cooperating.”

Hilliard smiled. “Just ignore that part, close your eyes, and breathe deeply.” He continued his slow massage before scooting down and having Brian roll over. “I see. That’s pretty unignorable.” Hilliard left Brian’s cock alone and worked on his chest and arms. “All you need to do is breathe.” He knew he was reminding him over and over, but with each exhalation, Brian grew more and more pliant. “That’s it.” He continued downward, massaging Brian’s legs and feet until he closed his eyes. All tension seemed to have left him, which was exactly what Hilliard was trying for. There was only so much anxiety a person could take, and letting go of it was often hard.

“Is that it?” Brian asked, half mumbling, like he was partially asleep.

“Yes. Just relax. There’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Brian opened his eyes. “There’s plenty to worry about, but not tonight.”

Hilliard leaned closer. “Remember that you aren’t alone. Not like last time. There are people who believe in you and who will ensure that the truth comes out. But for now, that can all wait.” He lay down next to him. “Keep your eyes closed and breathe as deeply as you can. There is nothing to worry about here. There’s only me and you.” He kissed him gently, letting Brian know that it was that simple.

“Okay,” he breathed, and kept his eyes closed. Hilliard lay still, his head on Brian’s chest, and listened to the beat of his heart.

HILLIARD YAWNED and slipped under the covers as the air chilled around them.

“Do you always keep the window open?” Brian asked.

“Uh-huh,” Hilliard hummed. “This time of year it is stiflingly hot in Cleveland, sometimes near a hundred degrees. I like the fact that the evenings are cool here and that I can sleep at night.” He pulled the covers up over both of them. “I don’t need air-conditioning.”

“I know. It’s the height of summer, and ten miles inland it’s in the nineties right now. But here it’s cool.” He snuggled closer, and Hilliard wrapped his arms around Brian, drawing him in. Their lips met in the darkness, and the sea air blowing in through the window couldn’t stop the building heat between them. “You feel so good.”

Hilliard ran his hands down Brian’s strong back and over his ass, cupping his cheeks, pressing the two of them together. “This day was so different from what I expected.”

“I’m sorry,” Brian whispered.

“Don’t be. I wanted to take you to dinner and then bring you back here. Have a nice evening and then bring you up here to bed. Things took a different turn, but I’m right here with you, where I want to be.” He smiled, even though it was dark. “We just had a slight bump in the road.” He rolled Brian back on the bed and pressed him into the mattress.

“Yeah, but what happens when the bump turns into a pothole big enough to lose a car in?” Brian sighed. “It’s happened before.”

“I know.” Hilliard kissed him and then held Brian as he rolled onto his side. It didn’t seem like things were going to work out the way he thought, and that was fine. A lot had happened, and maybe sex right now wasn’t the best idea. Being together and supporting Brian, that was what mattered at the moment. “Try to go to sleep and we’ll deal with everything in the morning.” He hoped both of them got some rest.

A KNOCKING woke him at… Hilliard glanced at the clock next to the bed. He pushed back the covers and got out as the sound came again. He climbed out of bed, pulled on his robe, and went downstairs to find Grant and another uniformed officer standing on his porch. “What’s going on?”

“We had the silver tested, and we found Brian’s fingerprints on it.”

Hilliard shrugged. “So what?” He leaned against the doorframe. “You’ve seen the video, and that means that Brian didn’t actually commit the burglary.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “So I’ll ask again, why are you here?”

“To make an arrest, of course,” one of the officers said from behind Grant. Babycakes looked like he was barely old enough to shave.

Hilliard shook his head. “You can’t. Brian was arrested and convicted of a burglary he didn’t commit. He also did his time.” He grinned as he glared at the officer. “Double jeopardy. You can’t arrest and convict him for that same crime twice. That doesn’t work.” He turned back to Grant. “So why are you really here? I know you aren’t that stupid.” He left the implication hanging as he glanced at the other officer.

“But there’s new evidence,” the officer said. The guy looked like he should be wearing diapers rather than a uniform. Hilliard wanted to tell Babycakes to keep quiet, but he decided to instruct him instead.

“Of a crime that Brian has already been convicted of, and you can’t try someone for the same crime twice.” Hilliard was getting miffed with the rookie. “Grant, I suggest you talk now.”

“We wanted to speak with Brian about what we found,” he said.

Hilliard shrugged. “I’ll see if he wants to speak with you.” He debated about letting them inside and decided against it. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’m here,” Brian said, wearing the same clothes he had last night as he stepped outside. “What is it you needed? I know no more than I did when I called you last night once I found the silver thing in my drawer. I didn’t put it there, and like Hilliard said, it wouldn’t matter if I did.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly nervous. “I didn’t commit that burglary in the first place.”

“Yes, I know that,” Grant said. “It’s becoming clear that someone wanted to shift eyes back to you.”

“You believe this guy?” Babycakes said.

“Yes, I do. I’ve seen the evidence, and he wasn’t here when the burglary took place. He was out with his grandfather.” Based on the look Grant gave him, Hilliard guessed that Babycakes would need a pacifier after the chewing-out he was going to get. “There’s video proof, so put your own hasty conclusions aside and listen. You might learn something.”

Babycakes snapped his mouth shut.

“Then what do you need?” Brian asked softly. Hilliard stood next to him and placed a hand gently at the base of his back. There was no way Hilliard was going to let Brian think he was in this alone. Besides, just the fact that Brian was going through this at all made him angry. He wanted to stand in front of him to protect him from everything the world had to throw his way.

“This seems very personal to me, and I’m trying to figure out who might have been able to do this,” Grant said, and Hilliard rolled his eyes. “I know you think it’s the original thief, but they would be much better off to simply keep their head down and wait for this whole thing to pass.”

Hilliard cleared his throat. “Look, I think your logic is off. For most crimes, you would look in that direction, but not this one. Have you been able to confirm that this was one of the items stolen?” Grant nodded. “Good. Then there is hope that Violet will get more of her things back. But this also tells us that the thief is close to Violet. She’s been ill and isn’t going out of the house. That’s what Beverly tells me. So someone close enough to her, who might visit when she’s ill, could be the one we’re after. We have a talk with her and explain what we have that will prove that Brian didn’t commit the burglary, and suddenly something that had been stolen shows up in his drawer? Then Babycakes here is off on a tirade to arrest someone he can’t. You’re all looking the wrong way again, spinning your wheels, and the thief gets away with it once more.” He was getting more than a little pissed off.

“Grant, everything I know I told you last night,” Brian said gently. “I don’t have any sudden insights, but I have to admit that I keep wondering who could hate me so much that they would do this to me.” He sighed softly. “I never stole from anyone, and yet the police, the courts, all of them decided that I did, and I paid for that. My lawyer sucked, and I had no idea then. I did what he told me to do, and I spent time behind bars for a crime I didn’t commit. So Hilliard and I are going to keep shaking the trees.”

“You should leave police work to the professionals,” Babycakes chimed in.

Brian scowled. “Right, because you’re a real rocket scientist.” Damn, Brian had a real set of claws. “I did that last time and look what happened.” The tension between them was as thick as the fog outside.

“That’s enough. Go sit on the car,” Grant told Babycakes, and he stalked away.

“Where did they find him?” Brian snapped.

Grant rolled his eyes. “It’s my job to train him and keep him out of trouble. I think he’s going to be the reason I retire.”

Hilliard shook his head. “Let me guess: Babycakes there is the sheriff’s nephew?” He couldn’t help smiling.

Grant hummed. “Sheriff’s wife’s nephew. I know it sounds like a bad sitcom, but in this case, life is stranger than fiction, and he’s all mine.” He turned to leave. “We’ll keep on this.”

“Thanks. So will we,” Hilliard said. “We’ll let you know if we find out anything concrete. Right now, I have a whole bunch of hunches but nothing to back any of them up.”

Grant nodded. “Me too. Pick the most likely, test the waters, and see if it pans out. If not, move on to the next one. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and there are a couple of things I’ve learned. Sometimes hunches are right, but above all, follow the evidence… and the money. I’ve been trying to figure out who might have stood to gain from this theft, and that has left me stumped. No one seems to have come into extra cash, and the goods haven’t hit the market as far as we can tell. Though I have to admit that with San Francisco and Los Angeles just hours way, goods come and go, disappearing into the city.”

“True, and yet they end up in Brian’s possession, which means that some of them are still around,” Hilliard said. “Thank you for stopping by. If we find anything, we’ll keep you informed.” He saw him to the door.

Grant stepped out and began laughing. “Babycakes. I can’t wait for that to get around the department.” He continued laughing until Hilliard closed the door.

“That was weird.” Hilliard was still trying to see the reason for the visit in the first place.

“Why? When it comes to this burglary and me, I’ve pretty much concluded that nothing is weird.”

Hilliard sat down in the chair nearest the door. “No matter what happens, you can’t be arrested or charged with a burglary that you’ve already been tried for. Grant knows that.”

“Then why even come here with such a flimsy excuse?” Brian asked. “To harass me?” He sighed.

“Maybe to give the sheriff’s nephew a lesson in keeping his mouth shut,” Hilliard said. “Babycakes seems hotheaded, and obviously Grant knew there was nothing the police could do right now. But Babycakes had his undies in a twist, and now he’s going back to the station with a new nickname he is going to spend years trying to live down.” That was worth the morning visit alone. “What do you have to do today?”

“Thankfully, I’m busy. I have two stops to make for estimates. It seems that word really is getting around, and people are believing it.”

Hilliard drew Brian close, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Do you have any idea how much you’ve changed my life? I was trying to figure out how I was going to make anything happen. Now things are really turning around.”

“That’s good. But we need to put this entire issue to bed, though that is going to have to wait a few days. I need to get some of my own work done so I can pass this exam and gain admittance to the bar.” Hilliard felt a yawn trying to emerge and did his best to stifle it, resting his head against Brian’s flat belly instead. “I know you should head home so you can change and get ready for work. I need to shower and then get my books so I can prepare. But how about we meet this weekend and maybe we can pay a few visits? There are people we need to talk to and take the measure of.”

“Do you think Violet might help us?” Brian asked. “We’re going to need it if we’re to talk to the people I’m thinking of.”

“We can try. But I have a few ideas of my own.” He closed his eyes, loving the feel of Brian against him. “We’ll have to think on it a little.” He sighed. “Will you come back after work?”

“Once I check on Gran and make sure she has dinner and stuff….” Brian seemed happy, and Hilliard found he was the same. But he had no illusions that there weren’t going to be plenty of bumps in the road still to come.