Showing posts with label Gay killings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gay killings. Show all posts

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Cute as a Bug’s Ear (Part Two of Two Parts)

 Markwildyr.com, Post #208

 Image Courtesy of freeimages.com:

 


In part one, we learned of the murders of five individuals in various cities of the United States. The murders had several things in common: The victims were all handsome men involved in the jewelry trade in some manner, and they had all been involved in gay sex at the time of their deaths… apparently acting as “bottoms.” Additionally, they had all been strangled to death.

 

Last time, Chuck had just pointed out that anyone in the big Hardwig salesroom might be the killer. Ran had not reacted to that revelation well at all. Let’s see what happens next.

 * * * * *

            CUTE AS A BUG’S EAR

Three days later, Chuck turned down another invitation from Ran for dinner and drinks. There wasn’t any reason for it; he wasn’t tied up that night, but it seemed safer to decline.

Despite turning his friend down, Chuck had one of his rare urges. He tried calling Athena, but got her answering service. So he threw on a jacket and took a bus to a popular bar across town. The place was active, but “cute” wasn’t doing it tonight. Either that or else, he was just too particular about a companion. He left and tried another bar down the street, one Ran liked to patronize. If he ran into the guy, he’d come up with some excuse.

He walked the block to the bar and stepped inside, but changed his mind and went to a nearby bus stop. It was deserted. The night had turned rainy and cold. He checked his watch. Crap. He’d missed the last bus. As he dithered over whether to call a taxi or start hiking, a dark car pulled to a stop in front of him. A Chevy of some sort.

“Miss your bus?” the driver asked.

Chuck bent down to look into the lowered window, but the light was too poor to make out anything but the silhouette of a man. “Yeah, but I’m going back to the bar and get a buddy to give me a lift.”

“No need. I’ll take you wherever you want to go. To the moon and back, if you want.” A leer hid somewhere in that voice.

“No thanks.” Chuck turned and walked down the street in the opposite direction from the way the man’s vehicle was headed. The bar was back down the street, but the predator’s car was still sitting at the bus stop, so Chuck kept walking. After a half a block, he thought he heard a noise behind him… a shout, maybe. He turned and saw the shadow of a man thrown by a streetlamp. A shiver ran down his back. Was someone following him?

He lengthened his steps and headed straight for the Belvedere three blocks down the street. At least there would be people there. Trying to keep from breaking out into a run, he made for the hotel. But the guy was gaining on him. Now he could hear footsteps on the pavement behind him.

By the time he reached the revolving door to the hotel, they were close. He pushed through the heavy door and snatched a look. The man, he couldn’t see who, was entering the hotel, as well. Instead of going to the bar as his shadow would expect, he made for the elevator bank.

The doors opened, and Chuck made it into the car as he caught a glimpse of someone running for the elevator. He punched a random button and the doors closed. The elevator began moving. As it ascended, he considered his situation. He had no room key, once he exited the elevator, he’d have no place to go. Didn’t matter. All his pursuer—if that’s what it actually was—could do was watch to see what floor he exited. By the time the man followed him up, he could be halfway back to the lobby via the stairwell.

The car stopped at the fifth floor. Damn, he should have gone higher. Nonetheless he stepped out. Then he took too long trying to decide on whether or not to call up another elevator or actually run down the stairs. Maybe he should have simply stayed in the car and punched a button to a higher floor.

As he hesitated, the elevator to the right of where he stood pinged, signaling the arrival of another car. Hurriedly, he took off down the deserted corridor. Spotting the door to a broom closet, he opened it and dashed inside. Closing the door softly, he shrank back in the darkness, praying whoever exited that arriving elevator hadn’t seen him. Barely daring to breathe, he heard muffled footsteps in the hallway. They paused in front of the closet and then went on down the corridor. In moments, they returned and paused. The door handle rattled as someone grasped it. The door opened, and a male figure stood silhouetted against the light from the corridor.

“Chuck, is that you?”

Ran! Ran Billows.

“I’ve been trying to catch up with you for blocks, man. Saw someone stop for you at the bus stop. Guess that spooked you, otherwise, why would you be holed up in a broom closet at the Belvedere?”

Chuck gave an audible sigh. “Yeah, that guy spooked me good. He was looking for a pick-up. And when I saw somebody behind me, I reacted to the moment and panicked.”

“Hell, I yelled at you, but you just kept on going.”

“Sorry, the murders have me on edge.”

“Yeah. Everybody. Thought you were tied up tonight.”

“Was,” Chuck lied, “but I finished early. Stopped at the bar, but didn’t see you.”

“I was there. Saw you come in and leave. That’s when the chase started.”

Chuck laughed. “And we ended up in a hotel broom closet in the dark.”

“There oughta be a light in here somewhere.”

He heard Ran fumbling for a switch. A minute later, a bulb flooded the small space with light.

“And you found it.”

“Yeah, but I dunno why we didn’t just open the door and get outa here.”

Chuck drew a breath. “Give me a minute to recover. My heart’s still pounding.” He drew a flask from his jacket. “Maybe this will help.” He unscrewed the cap and tilted the flask. A moment later, he swiped his mouth. “You need a bracer?”

Ran grinned. “I guess this proves you can drink in a broom closet as readily as you can drink in a bar.” He upended the flask and took a healthy drink. “Wow, what was that?” he gasped. “It has a kick.”

“Special brew I concocted. Have another slug.”

Obediently, Ran took another healthy draw.

Chuck took off his jacket and hung it on a peg on the wall before unbuttoning his shirt.

“What… what the hell… you doing?” Ran staggered against the wall.

“You’re feeling it, aren’t you? Why don’t you take off your shirt and get comfortable?”

“Wha’s happenin’?”

“What’s happening is I’m going to do what that predator offered to do for me. I’m going to send you to the moon.”

Ran tried to talk but had difficulty. Finally, he squeezed words from his voice box. “Y-you, Chuck? You’re the one? You….” He slid down the wall to the floor.

Chuck calmly worked the buttons to Ran’s shirt, feeling the soft flesh covering the firm muscles of the man’s torso. Ran stared at him helplessly. Awake and aware… but helpless.

Chuck took his time, enjoying himself. For three long years he’d eyed Ran, admiring his handsome features and sculpted body. He’d often gazed at Ran’s full basket and fantasized over what it would look like… feel like. The man’s zipper gave way, and now he knew. As full and exciting as he’d dreamed.

He pushed Ran flat on the floor and tugged his britches down. Fantastic. He grew breathless as he entered his unwilling lover. Ran made strangled noises when Chuck went to work completing the fantasy he’d built in his mind for so long. Ran made an effort to talk, but Chuck shushed him.

“I’ll… uh, answer your questions. I didn’t take a drink, just faked it, so I’m not going to pass out.” He hunched hard. “Unless it’s from ecstasy from making love to you. Oh, man, you have a great ass!” He paused to pay attention to his building pleasure. “I’ve… uh, oh … I’ve been thinking of this from the first time I laid eyes on you. You were my dream, Ran. But unapproachable. I knew that from the beginning.”

He paused to thrust deeper. “Took me years to figure out how… oh! How to achieve my dream. Tried it out on five other guys to make sure… sure…. Wow, that was a sweet spot! Make sure it worked. Then the problem was to get you alone without anyone knowing we were together. But you gave me a hand when you followed me.:

Chuck’s voice died as the greatest orgasm of his life claimed him. He bucked as it went on and on for an extraordinary length of time. Finally, he dropped against Ran’s naked back, enjoying he warmth and intimacy. After a long period of simply lying body to body while he recovered, he sighed and withdrew.

“Now comes the part I don’t like,” he said with an apologetic tone in his voice. “But there’s no way around it. After all, I not only made mad, passionate love to you, but I confessed everything. Oh, I know what you’re thinking. They’ll catch me because I’m leaving DNA behind. But don’t worry. Nobody has my DNA. And DNA’s no good unless you have someone to compare it to. Anyway, that’s the way it’s been in the past.” He pulled Ran’s belt from his trousers. “Sorry, guy But I want you to know you were the best. I mean it. That’s not just talk, that’s truth, man.

He snaked the leather belt around Ran’s head and began pulling.

* * * *

Well, was the ending a surprise or not? Since we were in Chuck’s head, I tried not to give him thoughts or reactions that were inappropriate, but which wouldn’t give away the ending. When he started at something he heard or a chill ran down his back, that was appropriate because he knew the truth and certain thoughts or actions would make him react.

 So tell me, dear readers, did I accomplish my task? Let me know.

Please friend this site. Apparently, that matters in the internet world.

 JMS Books advises that The Victor and the Vanquished has now been published as a print book. The same is true of all the books in the Cut Hand series (5 of them) and Charlie Blackbear.

 My contact information is provided below in case anyone wants to drop me a line:

Website and blog: markwildyr.com

Email: markwildyr@aol.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mark.wildyr

Twitter: @markwildyr

Now my mantra: Keep on reading. Keep on writing. You have something to say, so say it!

See you later.

 

 Mark

 New posts the first and third Thursday of the month at 6:00 a.m., US Mountain time.

Thursday, January 6, 2022

Cute as a Bug’s Ear (Part One of Two Parts)

Markwildyr.com, Post #207

Image Courtesy of freeimages.com:


Hope everyone had a great holiday season and is now ready to get back into the groove… or the rut, whichever applies.

Let’s try a two-part story today.

* * * * *

            CUTE AS A BUG’S EAR


Cute as a bug’s ear. He’d heard that all his life. Not handsome, but cute as a bug’s ear. That description bothered him as a teenager, but now he’d come to terms with it. Possibly because “cute” got him about as many sexual partners as he could handle. Of course, he didn’t have a very active libido, so perhaps he was giving the “cute” thing too much credit. But when he did feel the urge, he always went on the hunt. Athena, his boss’s secretary had been his last conquest… until today. He closed the hotel door firmly behind him and headed for the elevator, feeling himself almost purr. The experience had been spectacular. His loins tickled at the recollection.

Once out on the street, he caught a bus and headed straight for his office downtown, where he sat at his desk in the bullpen and wrote up his orders. It had been a good day all round. In fact, his life could be described that way.  He signed off on his last order and sat back to contemplate that thought.

Charles Rigsby Lewison—Chuck to his coworkers and friends, and Chucky to certain others—was twenty-five, happily single, and a three-year employee of the Hardwig Wholesale Jewelry Company, recently transferred from accounting to a sales desk. He grinned wryly. Maybe that “cute thing” was a blessing in more ways than one. Overly handsome salesmen often seemed a threat to customers, whereas cute ones were tolerated and even sought out. Pleasant enough to be around without seeming to be a threat. Or that was his assessment, anyway.

“Hey, Chuck,” have a good day?”

He turned at the sound of his closest neighbor, Ranson Billows. Ran had the desk in the corner nearest Chuck’s own.

“Decent.” He downplayed things. Ran was one of those pretty boys Chuck figured sparked caution with customers. “You?”

“Not bad. You wanna have a bite to eat and hit the bar later?”

“Sorry. Have a date.”

“She have a sister?”

“Yeah, older and married. But I could ask….”

“No, thanks,” Ran said. “Another time.”

Actually, Chuck was wishing he could find a way out of this evening’s engagement with Athena. She was a good lay, but nothing compared to this afternoon’s experience. He’d already had his ashes hauled today… spectacularly so. He didn’t need another session. But he was caught.

****

The next morning, Chuck arrived at the office a little worse for the wear. He’d been unable to get out of last night’s date, and Athena had been her usual demanding self. A cup of the office’s strong coffee perked him up enough to catch the gist of conversations going on around him. They were all similar.

Ran came over to his desk. “Did you hear?”

Yeah, he’d heard it ever since he stepped in the room, but he played dumb to let Ran think he was telling it to one of the uninformed.

“Murder last night at the Bright Star.”

The Bright Star was one of the city’s better hotels. The one where he’d had his assignation yesterday, as a matter of fact. Chuck shrugged. “So? This town has its share of killings.”

“But this one hits close to home. One of our customers. Tilletson from Philadelphia. In town yesterday to do some buying.”

Chuck frowned. “I know him.”

“We all do. You remember three months ago when that California buyer got himself killed downtown?”

“Yeah. Was that at the Star?”

Ran shook his head. “No, the Riverview. But he was in the business and died the same way.”

“How was that?”

“Strangled. From behind.”

Chuck shook his head. “Tilletson was a pretty muscular fellow. Be hard to strangle him, I’d guess.”

Ran frowned. “Yeah. That’s true. He wouldn’t just lie there and let somebody choke him to death. Something’s missing. But he was naked and apparently having sex. Weird kind of sex, or so I hear.”

Before they could pursue the matter further, their boss stepped out of his office and called for attention. Athena stood beside him looking a great deal perkier than Chuck felt.

“Fellas,” Bill Bley started. He called all of them “fellas,” even though there were a couple of women salespersons among them. “We all heard the news about Mr. Tilletson’s murder last night. I’ve just spoken with a friend of mine down at police headquarters, and he reminded me that a jeweler from Fresno was similarly killed three months back. We all knew this, but what we didn’t know was that their have been two other killings of a similar manner, one in Chicago, and the other in Atlanta.”

Bill glanced around the room. “That’s not enough for the police to reach any firm conclusions, but it is for me. Someone’s preying on people in our trade. And that means every one of you is at risk. When you go out on your calls, be super aware of what’s going on around you. Report anything suspicious.”

“Other than them being in the jewelry business, what ties the killings together?” someone asked from across the room.

“Were all of them men,” one of the saleswomen asked.

Bill managed to look embarrassed. “Well, other than being in the jewelry business and being murdered, they were all in indelicate situations.”

“Meaning?” Ran asked.

“Well… ah, meaning they were all naked and had been engaged in sexual acts. Unnatural sexual acts. They’d been acting as… well, as bottoms, I think the expression is in gay circles. And to answer your question, Louann, yes. All the victims were male.”

Ran spoke up. “I knew Tilletson, we all did. He wasn’t gay!”

Murmurs ran around the room. The opinion on that wasn’t unanimous. Chuck figured there was some of that prejudice going on. Tilletson had been one of those handsome guys. And these days, who knew what about whom? Chuck remembered the time the butchest guy in college had tried to corner him in the boy’s rest room.

****

Over the next week, an air of tension settled over the salespeople at Hardwig. The anxiety heightened with the report of a fifth victim dying under similar circumstances in Denver.

Ran put it best. “Damn, Chuck, I feel like a killer’s dogging my footsteps. I’ve been to everyone of those cities. So have you. So have most of us.”

“Yeah, but at least, none of us were in Denver recently.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. I understand that killing took place last May.”

A chill ran down Chuck’s back. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

“What?”

“Someone in this room could be the killer.”

“Jeez… don’t say that, man.”

“Why not? It’s true.”

Chuck wished he’d kept his mouth shut. Ran retreated deeper into gloom and apparently told others, because the atmosphere in the big room went south.

* * * *

Murder, so foul’s afoot. Will it reach out and touch Chuck and Ran and the Hardwig crew? We’ll see in next week’s conclusion.

 Please friend this site. Apparently, that matters in the internet world.

 JMS Books advises that The Victor and the Vanquished has now been published as a print book. The same is true of all the books in the Cut Hand series (5 of them) and Charlie Blackbear.

 My contact information is provided below in case anyone wants to drop me a line:

Website and blog: markwildyr.com

Email: markwildyr@aol.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mark.wildyr

Twitter: @markwildyr

Now my mantra: Keep on reading. Keep on writing. You have something to say, so say it!

See you later.

 

 Mark

 New posts the first and third Thursday of the month at 6:00 a.m., US Mountain time.