The officer shook his head. “Circumstantial at best. The perp in this case might’ve had a thing for black jocks. But we can add it to the list of items that are missing. If we find some DNA evidence, it might be enough to get charges filed. I’ll add your suspicions to my report.”
Leo rolled his eyes as he held out a bag to Aud. Aud piled clothes in it, and they worked to clean things up. In the end, Aud also realized some of his workout clothes, a bottle of lube, and a couple of porn DVDs were missing. The items went on Benet’s list. Aud had paused in the sorting to call Heather and ask her to find him an emergency handyman who could come and put a board over the window until his insurance could get it fixed. By the time they’d sorted through the bedroom and Benet was satisfied he could take the officers and go, the handymen arrived.
The neighborhood was quiet while the handyman, a big, burly man in his fifties, and his younger, trimmer son nailed two sheets of plywood across the broken window. Leo leaned against the railing on the porch and watched the men put their tools in their truck after Aud paid the older of the two. With a light breeze blowing, it was almost chilly, but the house was nearly as cold as the porch. Aud strolled up the steps.
“So now what?” Leo asked.
Aud shrugged. “I don’t know. The house will warm up, but I don’t know if I want to sleep here. I’d suggest going over to your place, but Felix is there and I don’t want to disturb him.”
Leo walked over to Aud and gave him a big hug. “Yeah. I don’t think Felix is ready to listen to us having a good time after what he’s been through.”
“We could go to a hotel for the night. Even though it’s the weekend, my insurance will be out tomorrow to give an estimate of the damage and get the ball rolling on making repairs. I guess Heather will have to man the gallery after all if I’m going to be handling this. I think I’ll wait until then to do all the laundry too. Actually, there’s a laundry place near the gallery, just a couple blocks from here. I can take it there and drop it off in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. That would be easier and faster.” He paused. “Sorry, I’m babbling. You probably don’t care about my laundry plans.”
Leo kissed him. It was short but meaningful. “I care about you. If you need to babble right now, that’s perfectly understandable.”
A warm smile, the first in several hours, spread across Aud’s features. “Thank you for being here for me tonight. You made everything easier.”
“Hey.” Leo shrugged. “All I did was hold bags for you while you piled stuff in them.”
“I know. But you just being here and lending support helped me out a lot.” Aud tapped his chest. “In here.”
It made Leo feel good to know that he was able to help; that was more than he felt he was doing for Felix. “I’m glad.”
“So, let’s go get some ice cream.” Aud moved around Leo far enough to reach the door and click the lock. “I think the place downtown is still open. Then we can figure out what’s going on from there.”
“Sounds good.” Leo hugged Aud again and kissed him. It felt wonderful to be able to do that too.
22
AUD GLANCED around the hotel room. It was a new hotel a few blocks west of the gallery, and the smell of fresh paint still lingered. “It’s not much, but I guess it will do until the house is secure again.” He hated being driven out of his home, but the feeling his stalker could show up at any time and violate his sanctuary again worried him.
Leo shook his head and dropped Aud’s overnight bag on the nearest of the two queen beds. “I really can’t believe all this crap is happening. Felix, you…. What’s going on in our world when we can’t feel safe in our own homes?”
“If anybody can give a definitive answer to that, they will be declared the smartest person in the world,” Aud replied. His limbs felt heavy as he walked over to the far bed and sat.
“You’ve got a point there.” Leo settled next to him and put an arm across his shoulders.
The warm, caring vibe that had emanated from Leo the entire evening helped Aud get through it all. He’d never thought he actually needed someone around to lean on, but now having Leo there for him made all the difference. He didn’t feel like he was on the edge of cracking. The tired sensation was all that dominated his body and mind.
Aud hugged Leo and kissed the hollow of his neck. “Thank you.”
Leo kissed Aud’s forehead. “For what?”
“For being here for me. It means a lot. I know Felix needs you right now, probably more than I do.”
Pushing his finger against Aud’s lips, Leo silenced him. “Don’t worry about that. You were there when I talked to Felix and Julie. She’s going to stay with him tonight. He still doesn’t want to be alone, but it’s no big deal.”
Aud slipped one of Leo’s fingers into his mouth and sucked on it suggestively before kissing them. “Good. But having you here with me tonight is a big thing for me. I’m not sure I can express the level of my appreciation.”