Trab's 'There He Sat' Parts I - XIII

[DesDownunder]

And yet again, Des manages to get a zinger in there. Getting head indeed.

Of course, his poor, long-suffering and under-appreciated partner is being saddled with all this. I hope the saddle is comfortable.

Tell me, which bothers him most, putting up with your witticisms, or you incessant horniness?

Or is it none of my business?

C<g>

The saddle is a special one for down-under-appreciating.

Of course he realises if our current drought breaks then he will have to put up with me zinging in the rain.

That was sad wasn't it?

[Trab]

That was sad wasn't it?

I think it's too early for SAD. Isn't it just your autumn? I don't think Seasonal Affective Disorder hits people until full winter.

[Camy]

Hmm. I wonder if there is a thread anywhere on the board that doesn't get hijacked? Probably not. Anyway ....

Maybe one chapter per week, or at most, two in a week. It takes the pressure off a bit. After all, it's got to be fun.

I agree. Perhaps we should go for Saturday and Wednesday postings (like the main site) until the story ends. Which reminds me! Any idea where it's going ... at all?

So far, I'm amazed that I haven't ground to a halt, and am still getting some inspiration.

Ha! Considering you said not too long ago:

... no, I cannot write a piece. My stories are personal experiences, modified slightly, and I really don't have the ability to just make things up. I'm more like a reporter than a story teller.

I'm overjoyed at the 'chapters' you've penned, Trab. Just goes to show, eh?!

A list of authors who'd like to write a chapter would be nice. There must be others apart from Trab, Cole, Bruin and me, who would like a turn?

Camy

[Trab]

I would have thought so too, but nobody's stepped forward to offer any future chapter. For all I know, this is a JO circle and nobody else wants in.

[DesDownunder]

Accept it guys. You are all doing so well at this story that the rest of us feel we would couldn't reach your quality.

As for the JO, well I can help out there if needed.

[Camy]

Accept it guys. You are all doing so well at this story that the rest of us feel we would couldn't reach your quality.

Balls! So ... you want in, Des?

As for the JO, well I can help out there if needed.

Doesn't surprise me at all! (nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more!)

[Camy]

Chapter XIII

by Camy

"Damn!"

"What?!" Eric looked up at me from where he was checking the grey haired man's carotid pulse.

"I cut my thumb," I mumbled, sucking on the gash. "How is he?"

"You care?" Eric stood up, then sat on the bed and looked out of the window. "It's all gone wrong, and it's getting weirder by the minute." The man moaned.

"Alive then." I said, wishing my thumb would stop bleeding.

"Well, duh!"

"No need to get snarky, Eric. He had a rifle pointed at you, would you have preferred that he...?"

"Alright! Alright, I'm sorry. It's just that ...."

"Yeah ... Petey. I know." There was an overly pregnant pause while we glared at each other. "Enough of this hostility, Eric. Would you see if he's got a wallet? Then maybe we can find out who he is."

"Why don't you?"

"'cause I'm bleeding!" I snapped, finally fed up with the whole mess. Eric sighed, knelt next to the man, rolled him over, pulled a fat leather pocket book out of his back pocket, and offered it to me. I shook my head. "You look. I'm gonna get a plaster."

I walked down the corridor into the bathroom and found a medicine box in the cupboard over the basin. After rinsing the cut and disinfecting it, I put a sticking plaster on, and as an afterthought took a couple of aspirin as a preventative for the headache I felt creeping up. I was walking back to the bedroom when Eric wailed: a guttural, heartfelt, keening sound. I ran the last few steps and skidded on a throw rug, my shoulder colliding with the door frame.

"Fuck!" We cried in unison; me with pain, and Eric looking glassy eyed at a card he held in his hand.

"What?" I said, clenching my fists.

"Him!" Eric pointed at the grey haired man. "H ? him!"

"Him? Yes? Him what?" I said, now grinding my teeth.

"He?s Petey's dad."

?Oh.? I almost chuckled, then thought better of it. This was getting to be one huge comedy of errors. A mess, that even my brilliant PA would have difficulty sorting out.

As I reached for my cell phone, Eric bent down and picked up the rifle I?d kicked over by the dresser; when the grey haired man had dropped it. He stood thinking, then, and without so much as a by-your-leave, he checked the breech, and pointed it at me: the black round hole looking more than menacing.

?You hit Petey?s dad over the head.? He said dully, a small tick evident under his right eye. ?You hit Petey?s dad over the head and you killed him!?

?Eric!? I spoke sharply, trying to snap him out of whatever fugue he was settling into.

"Hmm?" He blinked slowly, though the gun didn?t waver.

?Eric! He?s not dead!? I was more than aware I was beginning to sound hysterical, but I really, really wasn?t happy. ?ERIC!? I gulped as my heart started doing a wacky breakneck rhythm, sweat merrily seeping from every pore. "ERIC!" I repeated, ?HE IS NOT DEAD!

Eric blinked again.

?But he could be ?.?

----------

[Trab]

OMG. How, HOW, could you do this to us? Talk about a complication. Now Petey seemingly has TWO dads. Aaarrrgggghhhhhh.

[Camy]

OMG. How, HOW, could you do this to us? Talk about a complication. Now Petey seemingly has TWO dads. Aaarrrgggghhhhhh.

Hmm. That's not how I read it. My take is that it's the same 'grey haired' dad from the hospital .... Or ...?

[Trab]

Oh no. The action is simultaneous. Don't tell me this was an accident? LOL. Well, this should be interesting.

[Camy]

Oh no. The action is simultaneous. Don't tell me this was an accident? LOL. Well, this should be interesting.

Oops.

Glad I'm not penning the next one, then.

[Trab]

I'll do it. I don't know if I'm just nuts, or feeling overconfident, but I'll try it.

[Bruin Fisher]

Glad you're doing it, Trab - I was beginning to sweat!

I reckon Ricky's got two Dads - a real one and a step-one. And we all know that step-parents are evil...

Bruin

[Trab]

Okay Bruin. I'm NOT going to give Eric (Ricky) two dads as well. It would become a farce, what with having to justify two dads for Petey.

[Trab]

Well, I'm done. I'm not going to post Chapter 14 till Wednesday though, and by that, I mean at a reasonable LOCAL time, not 12:01 in Australia.

[Camy]

Well, I'm done.

Wow! Vous et un speedy Trabant!

I'm not going to post Chapter 14 till Wednesday though, and by that, I mean at a reasonable LOCAL time, not 12:01 in Australia.

Good call, Trab. That way it coincides with the main site update.

So [drum roll] ... how has Trab managed to sort out the Petey 2 dads debacle? ... Who's next? ... Will Eric finally get to rent a DVD?

Tune in on Wednesday to find out!

Camy

P.S.'scuse the appalling French.

[Trab]

Chapter 14

By Trab

“Look, Eric. For God’s sake LOOK at him. He’s alive. He came here with a gun. He came here to KILL you. Why the Hell would you be upset that he could have been killed, even if he IS Petey’s dad?” I shuddered and shook as adrenaline coursed through my body. I could barely control my voice, but I had to. I just had to calm Eric down. “Eric, I’m going to sit down on the floor. I’m shaking, I’ve been hurt several times now, and I’m in no shape to fight you. I have to sit down. Okay?”

Eric looked at me, saw how battered I was, and nodded, “Okay, John. You’re right. Sit down.” Thankfully, Eric also lowered the gun.

“Have you ever met Petey’s father before this? Was he at the sentencing before, when, you know, you were caught with Petey and charged?”

“No, I never saw him, that’s why I didn’t recognize him when he came here as a cop. And because the case involved a minor, only the court staff and the lawyers were there, to protect his identity.”

“Uh, Eric? I don’t mean to be thick, or question your judgment, but…how do you know that’s Petey’s father?”

“His drivers license…”

“Eric? Those things don’t say, ‘Pete’s dad’ on them. They just show people’s names and addresses. What makes you think he’s Petey’s dad, Eric? What did it say?”

“Well, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? ‘Peter Lachmanetz, Sr.’ That’s the same name as Petey. Only difference is, Petey’s is ‘Peter Lachmanetz, Jr.’”

I couldn’t believe it. Why would Pete’s dad first dress up as a cop, a fake cop, then show up with murderous intent? It made no sense. I had to check into this further. “Eric, would you mind awfully much throwing Mr. Lachmanetz’s wallet to me? You know I’m FBI, and I really need to take a closer look at it, and the license.”

“I guess.” And with that, Eric kicked it over to me, close enough for me to grab it without getting up again.

“Thanks. Now, let’s see. Ah, here we go. Eric, what’s Petey’s address?”

“Why?”

“Just checking. You do know where he lives, right?”

“Of course. We love each other. Just because I was convicted doesn’t mean I don’t love him.”

“Well, you never told me where.”

“Sorry. 454 Mulberry Boulevard, Parksdale.”

“Wow,” I almost shouted. “Eric, this guy’s address is in South Orchard. It’s not Petey’s address, and not even the same town.” Holy shit. I was rocked, and I could see by the look on Eric’s face, he wasn’t in much better shape.

“What the hell? You’re shittin’ me, dude. Throw me that damned license. I don’t believe you.”

I threw it back at him, and with one glance, he could see I’d been telling him the truth. Who Peter Sr. might be was a mystery we needed to resolve, but he was most certainly NOT Petey’s father. The wheels in my head started to get some traction again, after spinning uselessly for a while now.

“Eric? Do you remember when this guy was here before, as a cop?”

“Yeah. He was pretty aggressive, but didn’t seem violent or anything. Why?’

“Why do you think he was here? He wanted to take you away, but why was he here, right then, at that time?”

“I don’t know. No idea. You have some idea?”

“Well, assuming he’s related to Petey, somehow, he must want revenge or something. Nothing else makes much sense. I know for a fact that he’s not a cop.”

Eric suddenly blanched. In fact, he slowly, almost gracefully, sagged to the floor. “John. Did you say he’s from South Orchard?”

“Yes. That’s what it says there, on his license.”

“Oh my God. I know who it is. That’s Petey’s uncle. Pete mentioned him once, long ago. When we first came out to each other, and were just talking about what it might mean in our lives, he mentioned that he couldn’t tell his family. When I asked why, he said, ‘My family is 100% homophobic, and my asshole uncle runs this gay rehab center in South Orchard.’”

“What? What’s a gay rehab center? Some place to kick a drug habit for gays?

“No. Much worse. It’s where families of gay kids send them to have them rehabilitated so they’re no longer gay.”

“That’s crazy!” I couldn’t believe my ears. I thought everyone knew orientation wasn’t a choice, and you don’t change. “You think that’s what this is all about?”

“I think so. I’ll bet Pete’s family called up the uncle, and he’s trying to round up the ‘guilty party’ in the subversion of his nephew. My God. What if he’s also after Petey?”

With the situation changing fast, I went for my cell phone, and dialed again, for the second time during this adventuresome night.

~Control.~

“This is Special Agent John Trubshaw, Id #19496329 again. I’ve learned that the video store in Parksdale was not attacked, but that there was an incident there. It seems that may have been some kind of accident. Please check the current reports about anything involving a Peter Lachmanetz, Jr., of 454 Mulberry Boulevard. I’ll hold.”

~Yes, sir. I’ll be a moment.~

While I was holding, it looked like Mr. Lachmanetz, Sr. was starting to come to. With slow, careful movements, I eased in behind him, and pulled out a plastic zap strap that I always carried in the hollow section of my belt. It could flex with the belt, and nobody ever spotted it, as only the tiny little black head ever showed, and not very well, against the thick black leather. I might not have a gun on me, but I was always able to confine a suspect. I grabbed his wrists, and pulled the strap tight, but not quite tight enough to ensure a lawsuit later.

~Sir?~

“Yes, control.”

~There is a report of your person of inquiry being transported to the local hospital, accompanied by his father. It seems that the subject collapsed, but there was no crime involved. He is currently at the hospital and not expected to be released till later this morning.~

“Thank you, control.”

~Is there anything else, sir?~

“Actually, yes. I have a suspect in custody, and he’s unconscious and not been read his rights. I’ll need transport and security for him. There will be several charges, including attempted kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, and impersonating a police officer.”

~Yes, sir. And the address?~

I proceeded to give control the address, and was amazed that it only seemed to be mere minutes before I could hear sirens approaching. However, within a short time, Mr. Lachmanetz, Sr. had been carted away, and an attendant was ministering to my own wounds. Although I protested, she insisted that I return with them, and be checked out at the hospital. Eric, fearful of being alone, asked for, and received permission, to accompany me.

Not too much later, we arrived at the hospital, and I was helped in, to ambulatory emergency care. Not far away, I could see officers, a doctor, and some nurses working with the still unconscious Peter, Sr. They hadn’t even bothered to draw those ubiquitous white curtains. I was seated on a chair, to await my turn. The room was nearly empty, but not quite. Eric sat next to me.

“No, Maggy. No. He’s fine. Melony is with him right now. Really, dear. He’s fine. Our Petey is okay. He’s agreed to have those test done, finally…Yes, dear…Yes, I know. He’s been so depressed that he hasn’t cared about his health at all, but for some reason, tonight, he’s finally changed his mind…Yes, I’m so happy too…Okay, Mags, you should come down at visitation time…No, I don’t know when that is. Hold on…”

The older gentleman looked over, and addressed Eric, “Young man, do you know…” He stopped in mid-sentence, got this shocked look on his face, dropped the phone, and stuttered, “Yyyyou…”

Characters at the end of Chapter 14:

John Trubshaw, FBI agent, only one in story to be first person POV.

Alveric “Eric” Hofstraat, saw bf in video store, sex offender from Romeo and Julliet charge

Peter “Petey” Lochmanetz, Jr., bf of Eric, allergic collapse, minor at the time of R/J charge, hates needles

Peter Lochmanetz, Sr., bad ass uncle of Petey, runs gay reform organization, impersonated a cop

Melony, loves Petey, no relationship yet defined

Maggy “Mags” Lochmanetz, mother to Petey

Mr. Lochmanetz, no first name yet, father to Petey

Control, mystery voice at the far end of Special Agent Trubshaw’s cell phone

Mrs. Hofstraat, Eric’s mother, drives Harley, lawyer

Locations at the end of Chapter 14

Video store, occupied by Petey and his dad, watched by Eric and Trubshaw

Eric’s house in the forest, normally occupied by Eric, mother, lawyer, and father, forest warden

Hospital in Parksdale, currently occupied by Petey, his dad, Melony, Trubshaw, Eric, and Peter Sr.

I AM ASKING FOR THIS STORY TO BE ‘WRAPPED’ WITHIN THE NEXT CHAPTER OR TWO, PLEASE.

TO BE CONTINUED

[Camy]

Masterful, Trab! You dug the plot out a potential mine-field, beautifully.

As to wrapping it up, I think you're right. I also think you should be the one to do the deed ... and you could, in the next chapter.

Camy

[DesDownunder]

Wow! Masterful is right.

What a story this has turned out to be.

Trab that was terrific.

[Bruin Fisher]

A great chapter, Trab. The story was beginning to get too confusing and I wasn't sure it could be pulled back into shape - but you've done it magnificently.

So who's doing the next chapter? Trab?

Bruin

[Trab]

Thank-you, all. You are too kind.

[Cole Parker]

I think Trab's got an ending all figured out at this point and it would be a shame not to let him go forth.

I vote Trab.

C

[Trab]

I have been too busy to write anything, and it looks like it may be Monday before I get the chance, as it is going to be a super busy weekend for me. My apologies.

[Cole Parker]

I for one can wait two days for excellence. But this was only my suggestion. I don't want to put words in anyone else's mouth.

C

[Camy]

I for one can wait two days for excellence.

Me, too. Or even three or four.