by J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13
LINK TO PART ONE
~
Adam folded his arms across his chest and stared down at David, who was crouched by the door to Stephen’s flat. David had tried his old key on the off hand chance that it still worked, but someone had thought to change the lock. Now he was fiddling with various pins, attempting to pick it.
David had been right about the waistcoats and cravats, Adam reflected. No one raised an eyebrow when two well-dressed men entered the building and proceeded to one of the upstairs apartments.
“How’s it going?” Adam asked quietly.
“I almost have it—there we are.”
The lock clicked and David opened the door. Then he stood aside and favored Adam with a bow, allowing him to precede him.
Adam stepped inside and glanced around. Stephen’s flat was spacious and comfortable—no doubt it commanded a high rent in this part of San Francisco. The furnishings were tasteful but also quite expensive. Most of it had probably been shipped from back east.
There were paintings as well. Nothing famous—Stephen seemed to prefer local artists. Most were mediocre, but one caught Adam’s eye. It was the image of a young woman casting a seductive glance over her shoulder. The artist had given the woman an extraordinary pair of expressive eyes, making her come to life.
Adam narrowed his eyes at the picture. There was something familiar about it—as if he’d seen the painting before. Or perhaps he’d seen something else by the same artist. He peered at the signature, but it was a mere scrawl. The name began with an ‘M,’ but that’s all he could make out.
He tore his eyes off of the picture and walked over to the mahogany desk. Someone had scoured it clean, but the remnants of dark stains were still evident. Blood, no doubt—but that would be impossible to prove.
He looked up at David, whose face had gone pale. He seemed to be remembering the last time he had seen this room—when Stephen was slumped over the desk after blowing his brains out.
Adam knew that David had never loved the kid—Stephen had just been an enjoyable interlude for him and someone he could use to advance his career. But that didn’t mean that he hadn’t cared for the boy. And it didn’t mean that he wasn’t torn up and wracked with guilt over the boy’s death.
”Are you all right?” Adam asked softly.
David shook himself and then nodded. “Yes,” he managed. “I just checked the bookshelves and other surfaces. There’s no dust—someone must come in and clean periodically. We’d best be quick.”
Adam nodded. “Let’s start with the desk.”
They began a systematic search of the flat that lasted about an hour. They found nothing of interest, however, except for bank statements.
“Look at this,” Adam said as he read over the statement. “Stephen withdrew five hundred dollars from his account one week before he confronted his father. Then he withdrew another five hundred two days before he confronted his father.”
David sighed. “Well, that supports our theory that someone was blackmailing him. When the demands got too high, he might have decided to confess to his father and get himself off the hook with the blackmailer.”
Adam nodded. “But that doesn’t explain why he told me that the two of you had a falling out—or why Niles' assistant, Gregory Miller, told you that I had forced the kid to confess.”
“I know,” David said as he tapped his fingers against the rim of a chair. “We’re going to have to confront Miller sooner or later—but I would love a look at his bank account first. I’d like to make sure that there are no five hundred dollar deposits.”
Adam raised his eyebrows at that and then peered at his friend intently. “That’s not a bad idea,” he said at length.
David cocked his head at Adam and then grinned. “Well, I’m more than willing, if you have a scheme in mind.”
“Yes, I’ve got a scheme in mind,” he owned. “We’ll have to be careful though—I did promise Abby to look after you.”
“What are you thinking?”
Adam returned his grin. ”You did say that you’re a decent actor, didn’t you?”
LINK TO PART EIGHTEEN
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