Adulting

Scotty’s story

I hadn’t heard from Brad since he gave me the key to his place…well our place I guess… and we said goodbye at the airport in Vegas yesterday. He hasn’t responded to any of my texts or returned my calls. I thought maybe his phone died or something, but when I found out he didn’t show up for work I got scared. Something’s wrong. Kev sent his neighbor Marc, the cop, over to Brad’s condo to investigate and I was waiting for him to call me back. I was so fucking anxious and felt completely helpless. I should have been doing something. I should’ve been on the streets looking for him, calling the hospitals, something! But Kevin told me to hold tight until Marc could check things out. I looked up flights to Phoenix, I needed to be there. I didn’t know what I could do but I couldn’t just fucking sit here while Brad was missing, probably hurt, maybe even dead. My mind was conjuring up all kinds of insane scenarios, none of them good.

Kev, Randy, and Chip all did their best to keep me calm but they all failed miserably. I was keeping my composure on the outside, but there was no calming me down on the inside as long as Brad was still missing. I was a fucking mess! I couldn’t eat, I was shaking, and there was no way I was going to sleep until we found him. WHERE THE HELL WAS HE?!!

My phone rang, it was Kev. I put him on speaker so Chip could hear, he hadn’t left my side since Brad went missing. “Hey Scotty, I’m going to put you on speaker so Marc can tell you what’s going on.”

“Okay” I said with a crackling in my voice, I feared the worst.

Marc’s deep voice took over “Hi Scott, my partner and I went over to Brad’s building and talked to the guy at the desk. He checked the records. Brad used his keycard to enter the garage last night a little after 6:00PM, however, he didn’t use his code to enter the building. The desk clerk took me out to the garage and we found Brad’s car in his parking space.” Then he paused “Um, his trunk was popped open, his bag was still there and…” he took another pause “I found his keys on the ground next to the driver’s door” He paused as if he was waiting for me to respond. I didn’t. I couldn’t. “The property manager met us at the building and let us into Brad’s condo. There were no signs that he’d been there. The blinds were all shut and the lights were off. We checked his mail box and it was full”

Tears started running down my cheek and Chip put his arm around me. Something was really wrong. I just listened as Marc shared what he discovered. I was grateful he was there and knew he wouldn’t let it drop.

“The good news is they have surveillance camera’s everywhere on the property. The property management company is pulling all the video from about an hour before he drove into the garage until now. My team will go through them and I promise to call as soon as I know ANYTHING else. Kev gave me your number; can I call you directly?” He asked

I was too stunned to answer “Yes! Absolutely. We’ll be waiting any time of day or night” Chip Responded for me.

I finally composed myself enough to ask “Marc, what do you think happened?” It was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment, then I heard Marc inhale deeply.

“Listen, Scotty. I’m not going to try to draw any conclusions based on such limited information. Let me view the video and poke around some more. I swear, once I have the facts I will give you my honest, straight forward opinion. The property manager said we should have everything within an hour or two and I’ll go over it immediately. Hold tight buddy. Meanwhile, we’re trying to track his phone, combing through his social media, checking the hospitals and airports to see if his name shows up anywhere. We’re leaving no stone unturned.”

“Hey Marc, this is Chip” Chip said “My boyfriend’s a TSA Agent, I know he has a lot of contacts who can help access travel records. I can put you in touch with him, maybe he can help you search.”

“Definitely! I have some contacts, but more eyes out there can’t hurt. Thank you, text his info to Kev ad I’ll reach out to him” Marc said gratefully.

“I will. I’ll also give him a heads-up that you may be calling” Chip responded doing his best to help.

“Thanks, Chip. I appreciate the help. Hey Scotty, Kev and Randy told me that Brad and his father have… well… a less than perfect relationship, and that Brad’s afraid of him. Can you tell me anything else about his dad and his family?” I told him what I knew; the names of his siblings, the occasional secret calls from his sisters and how he waits for them to contact him so his father won’t catch them. I told him what I knew about where his sisters went to school, etc. I also told him about his father and the guy from the church waiting for Brad in the dorms shortly after he was disowned a couple of years ago. That got Marc’s attention. He probed deeper, but unfortunately, I didn’t know much more about it. Brad hated to talk about his father.

“Anything else you can think of that might help us?” he asked. I couldn’t think of anything. It didn’t even occur to me to mention the strange calls from the unavailable numbers. “Scotty, I’m sorry you’re going through this, I promise I’m all over it and we’ll figure it out. Okay?” I squeaked out an “okay” in response and thanked him, then we hung up and waited.

Chip texted Alec’s info to Marc, then gave Alec a call. Alec asked to talk to me. “Hey Scotty, how are you doing?”

“I’m scared shitless and feel helpless as fuck, Alec” I said on the verge of breaking down.

“Can you text me Brad’s full name, address, anything else you know. His social security number would be super helpful if you’ve got it. I also want the full names of his father and mother if you know them. I’m gonna make some calls and put some alerts out to see if anything comes up in the database. If he gets on a flight we’ll know it” Alec said in a very take charge tone. “Hey, I’m getting a call from a 602 number, it’s probably your friend Marc. I gotta take this. Scotty… we’re going to find him... okay?”

I eked out another obligatory “okay, thanks” and hung up, then broke into tears. Chip tried to comfort me “Chip, what the fuck should I do? I’ve I never felt so fucking helpless in my entire life.” Brad was out there somewhere and I was sitting on my ass. What the fuck happened. I know his dad’s an asshole, but would he really do something to his own son? That’s fucking insane. But what other explanation was there? WHERE THE FUCK WAS BRAD?! My phone rang and I grabbed it and answered it without even looking. It was Mom and Pop. I regained my composure long enough to talk to them. Kev had filled them in on everything. They pledged their full support, they were there for whatever I needed from them. They had a way of making me feel safe and loved, just talking to them gave me hope. We talked for a few minutes more, then I promised to keep them posted, and hung up.

I was full of nervous energy. Chip tried to get me to eat, or take a nap but his efforts were useless. I just paced around the apartment conjuring up all kinds of hell for Brad in my head. I even prayed… honestly I hadn’t prayed in years, but I just didn’t know what else to do. Time was moving slow as hell, it felt like this had gone on for weeks already, but he had been missing just a little over a day. it was about midnight when Marc called again. I answered before the first ring was done and put him on speaker, Chip was still there with me.

Marc’s deep, calming voice came over the speaker “Hey Scotty, how are you holding out, buddy?”

“I’m a fucking mess, Marc. Did you find anything” There was a long pause.

“Yeah” Then another long pause “Scott I’m over at Kevin and Randy’s, I’m going to put you on speaker” the guys said hi in very low somber tones. “We viewed the videos. What I’m going to tell you is very straight forward and might be hard to hear” he said obviously prepping me for something bad.

I mustered an “I’m ready, be straight with me”

“The surveillance footage confirms that he entered the garage a little after 6PM. He popped his trunk and got out of his car when two men came from the shadows and grabbed him.”

“Came from the shadows and grabbed him? What do you mean grabbed him?!” I yelled into the phone.

“They were bigger men, one put his arm around his neck and the other tied his wrists together with a long zip tie. The video showed that they entered the garage about forty five minutes prior by stepping over the barricade to the vehicle entrance. They were waiting for him” I was paralyzed by his words. What? What the fuck was he saying? This couldn’t be real! “Um… It looks like they injected something into his neck and he kind of collapsed in their arms” He paused again “Are you still with me, Scott?”

“Yeah, I’m listening, I’m not sure I understand what you’re telling me, but I’m listening” I said now more alert and focused than I’d been in hours. Chip came up behind me and put his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder as we listened to Marc.

“The cameras in the front of the building show him being dragged into a white van, we were able to read the plates… It’s registered to a church in Brad’s hometown.”

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” I yelled “It’s his fucking father. That son of a bitch!!!.”

“Calm down, Scott, we’re all over it. We’ve got an APB out on the van and every police force from here to Texas is on alert. The Texas State Patrol has been brought in and have been dispatched to his parent’s home to talk to his father and also to the home of the church pastor, we’re waiting to hear what they find. I talked to Alec and he was able to help us flag his father’s name in the TSA database. So far it hasn’t showed up anywhere.”

“YOU SAID HE COLLAPSED! IS HE ALIVE? IS HE OKAY?” I couldn’t control the volume of my voice. Chip squeezed me a little tighter in an attempt to calm me down. He was wasting his energy.

“It was probably just a sedative so they could take him without resistance. He’ll be okay. I promised to be frank with you, so here’s what we think. Our theory at the moment is that they abducted him to take him back to Texas… probably for conversion therapy. From what we were able to learn about the church, they’ve got a reputation for this kind of stuff and are on the radar of the local PD and Texas State Trooper’s. The good news is that they’re sloppy. We got the plate number, we’ve got clear video of the men so we’ll be able to identify them when push comes to shove, we’re pretty sure we can pinpoint the route they’ll take back, and we know all the affiliated congregations along the way. They’re probably on the way back to their church with him. If they are, we’ll find them.” He paused again waiting for me to speak. I couldn’t. “That’s all I got, Scotty. I will call as soon as I have something new to share. We should be hearing something from the Texas State Patrol about their visits to his father and the church pastor soon. We’re on this Scotty, we’ll find him.”

Through my tears I said, “Thanks Marc, please let me know every minor detail” He promised to keep me posted.

“Kev are you there?” I said into the phone.

“I’m here Whoops. You okay?” he asked.

“Nope. I’m an emotional piece of shit, I need to be with you. I’m coming to Phoenix on the next flight I can get.” I said crying.

“Scotty, I think you should stay put” Marc said. Kevin and Randy agreed.

“I know, but no. I can’t. I’m coming. Keep me posted. Thank you guys” I said in response.

Kev yelled into the phone “I love you, Scotty, but I think you should stay…..” I hung up and cut him off before he could try to talk me out of coming. I instantly pulled out my laptop to find the next flight to Phoenix, I had to call to book it on such short notice. Chip tried to talk me out of it, then gave up and offered to come with me. I told him no. He had his own shit to deal with. I told him to stay here and get us out of our lease. “I’m taking the job and moving to Phoenix, when they find him I am never fucking letting him go.” Then I broke down completely. Chip packed my bag for me and drove me to the airport. I emailed my boss, Marylin, told her the situation and that I would be away for a few days. I promised to call in the morning. In just a few hours I was on my way to Phoenix. Chip hugged me tight when he dropped me off at the terminal, like we were saying goodbye forever. I promised to stay in close contact.

I checked with Marc one last time before I shut off my phone and boarded the flight. He tried to convince me to stay put one last time and again, I ignored him. The only update he had was that the State Troopers discovered that both his father and the church pastor were “on sabbatical” at an undisclosed location with a couple of other men from the church. They spoke with his mother and she claimed that she didn’t know anything other than that. They also spoke with some of his siblings, including both sisters, and two of his three brothers. I guess his sisters were home for Christmas. The older of his brothers, Brian, was supposedly on sabbatical with his father. No one knew anything more than that. I boarded the plane scared and clueless. I was so exhausted that I passed out as soon as I sat down on the plane and didn’t wake up until touch down. Kevin was waiting for me at the airport. He hugged me tighter than anyone had ever hugged me in my life and we both had tears in our eyes. “Take me to Brad’s condo, I have the key” I said in his ear as he hugged me.

“No, it’s technically a crime scene. Marc is going to meet us for breakfast at Jordy’s Café to bring us up to speed” he replied, doing his best to be strong for me. There’s no doubt he was as messed up inside as I was. He loved Brad too.

“Where’s Randy?” I asked as we walked to Kev’s SUV.

“He went into the office. He’s meeting with the management team to let them know what’s going on with Brad and figure out a plan for dealing with questions internally. At Marc’s advice we’re trying to keep it quiet until they can figure things out so no one triggers a media frenzy.”

A media frenzy?I thought to myself. Well, a man being abducted in the middle of downtown Phoenix in broad daylight might be big news. It just hadn’t occurred to me. Fuck, I did NOT want to deal with that shit. Interviews with the grieving boyfriend, people prying into our relationship, speculating that “the boyfriend did it.” What the fuck happened?! Two days ago we were together and happy as fuck planning our future together. But now… well, now… now I don’t know what the fuck to think. I zoned out, lost in my own thought, then snapped myself out if it long enough to call my boss. She listened in disbelief but knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t make this up. I almost gave my two-week notice over the phone but was trying to stay rational. She could not have been more understanding. ”Take all the time you need Scott, and PLEASE keep us posted. I’ll be praying for you all.” I thanked her and hung up. Then I texted Chip to let him know I got to Phoenix safely and was with Kev.

We pulled up to the café and got out of the SUV. Jordy greeted us at the door and hugged me tight, pulling my head to his chest “we’re all here for you guys, Scotty. It’s gonna be okay. Marc will find him… he’s the best” he whispered in my ear. Then let me go and led us to a table where Marc was waiting in full uniform with another man dressed in a gray suit. They both stood as we approached and Marc shook my hand.

“Scott this is Detective Morris, he’s leading the charge on the investigation.” Detective Morris was huge, about 6’5” tall and built like a brick wall, his presence made me feel safe. He was maybe 40 years old at most. He shook my hand with a vice-like grip and greeted me warmly. Before I could even respond, his phone rang and he excused himself from the table. Kev and I sat down with Marc who took us through everything they were doing. Although there was no new information about the case, the measures they took made me feel better. Apparently, Alec was a huge help in alerting airports and Border Patrol. Marc and his cop buddies had all the roadways covered, and there was no way that van was getting back to Texas undetected. I felt better after hearing everything but wanted so desperately for someone to tell me they found Brad.

Detective Morris came back to the table, he must’ve heard my thoughts “They found him” I jumped up and almost screamed with excitement, my heart was pounding so hard in my ears that I could hardly hear his voice. “They got them at a roadside Motel near Cotton City New Mexico, just over the border about a four hour drive from here. The clerk saw four men dragging two younger, unconscious men out of a van and into a room and called the local police.”

“Two men?” Marc asked.

“Brad and the son of one of the other men in the van. It looks like the church was on a mission to “save” a couple of lost souls and picked up someone else along the way. The good news is that it slowed them down a bit so we could catch up to them.”

“Where is Brad? Is he OK?” I yelled, I was no longer in control of my own voice or actions. Everyone in the café turned and looked at me when they heard my outburst. Kev put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me gently back down onto my chair.

“They transported him and the other boy to a local hospital, they were both unconscious… pretty drugged up, but they said they both seem to be in good health they just need to sleep it off. The local police have the four men, Brad’s father, the church pastor, the father of the other boy, and another member of the church in custody and are questioning them. When we get back to the station Marc can send you the specific location” The detective looked at Marc and said, “we got to go.” Marc promised to text us Brad’s exact location and call with updates. As they walked away Jordy showed up with coffee.

“Can we get those to go?” I said.

“Let’s just stay here for a minute and get our bearings Whoops. When was the last time you ate?” Kev asked with concern in his voice.

“Nope. You can drive me to New Mexico, or I can rent a car. Either way I’m going to Brad, and it’s not up for discussion.” I said with more conviction than I’d had mustered in two days. Kev was very leery about taking me to Brad. He called Randy to update him and then handed me the phone.

“Whoops go back to the house with Kev. I’ll come home and we can talk through our options and come up with a plan.” He said in a rational voice.

“No. I’m going. You’re all invited to join me, but I’m going. Period. Let’s stop wasting time.” I said handing the phone back to Kev and getting in the SUV. Kev jumped in the driver’s side and I looked him in the eye and said, “Are you driving me there, or to the car rental place?” Kevin just started the engine, he knew it was useless to try to argue or reason with me at that point.

“Let me stop home and grab an overnight bag. I need to call Bill and tell him I won’t be in the office for a couple of days.” We drove up to Kev’s house and he jumped out of the SUV “You wait here, let me pack a bag and some food and drinks for the road.” He said. I called Chip and updated him. He screamed when I told him they found Brad. I told him to thank Alec for me then hung up. I waited about fifteen minutes then went in. Kev was on the phone with Mom and Pop. Pop wanted to talk to me.

“I’m glad they found Brad, how are you holding up, son?” Dad asked.

“I’m a mess, Pop. I need to see him. Please don’t try to talk me out of it.”

“I won’t. Kevin will take you but be careful. His father will probably be released from custody. I have Marc’s number. I’m going to call him to get all the information about any charges that may be filed, etc. Then I’m going to reach out to a lawyer I know in New Mexico and get some help filing an emergency restraining order and anything else we can to keep his father away from him, and hopefully in police custody until we can get Brad home to Phoenix safely. I am going to e-mail you some paperwork. When you get to the hospital get it printed and get Brad to sign it, then scan it and send it back to me. I am going to represent Brad.” Pop said never taking a breath, “Do you understand, Scott?”

“Ok, Pop” I said quietly “Thank you for helping and thank you for not talking me out of this.”

“Be careful. There’s a good chance they’ll let his father and the others out of custody, and anyone who would kidnap his own son is dangerous and wouldn’t think twice about hurting two random homosexuals” Pop warned before he asked to speak with Kev again. After a few minutes they hung up. He was right, We needed to be careful.

“Are you sure I can’t talk you out of this?” Kev asked one last time. I shot him a look that could kill. He knew my mind was set. “Then let’s hit the road.” We got into the SUV and hit the road. Marc sent the name and address of the hospital and we put it into the GPS of the Rover and were on our way. It was just about four hours away. I zoned out, lost in my own thoughts and we drove in silence for the first hour or so. Kev was playing some 90’s alternative on the radio… it was like comfort food for my soul.

I finally broke the silence “I’m taking the job” I said with conviction “And I’m not going back to Denver, Chip can give my stuff the local thrift shop” I stared forward as I spoke.

Kevin didn’t answer right away, he was forming his thoughts carefully before he spoke “I’m glad that you’re going to take the job. But you need to wait until this is all over before you make any major decisions or moves. You need to approach all this with your head.”

“Whatever. I already made up my mind before Brad disappeared and the result is the same. I’m taking the job and never fucking ever letting Brad go.” I said then broke down “If that mother fucker hurt him, I swear to god, Kevin… I will fucking kill him with my bare hands” then I went off on a hateful tirade. I let it all out, I screamed and yelled and got every nasty thought out of my head as Kev continued to drive us closer to Brad. He sat in silence for at least forty five minutes as I let it out. When I finished my voice was hoarse, my face way flush, my shirt was soaked with my own tears. I was sniffling and sobbing quietly. Kev reached over and touched my arm. There was nothing more to say.

“I love you, Whoops” he said as he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. He moved his hand to my left thigh and kept it there the rest of the trip. When I looked over at him I saw tears rolling down his face. He really did love me and it was killing him to see me in such pain. We were both worried about Brad. After about fifteen or twenty minute of silence my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number or the area code.

“Hello?” I answered tentatively.

“Sco.., Scotty? It’s me…” said a raspy voice before letting out another cough.

“BRAD?! BRAD is that you?” Tears of joy filled my eyes. “Are you okay”

He laughed a little then coughed “Yeah, I’m good. Just a little drowsy and a lot confused. Sorry about my voice, my throat’s dry and I haven’t talked in a couple of days.” Oh my god, it was really Brad. His voice was fucking music to my ears, no matter how raspy. “I called Randy at the office to get your cell number, they still have my phone and I don’t know it by heart. I’m not sure where I am… where are you?”

I laughed from joy “I’m less than two hours away from you. Kev and I are on our way. I was so worried. I love you so much Brad.”

“I love you too Scotty. The nurse is taking the phone away from me now, I need to go for more tests. Get here soon. I love you.” Then he hung up before I could say it back.

“Hit the fucking gas you old lady. I can’t wait two hours! GET US THERE!” I said to Kev with a stern voice. He smiled and floored it.

“You feel better?” he asked.

“He sounds like shit, but he’s alive. Fuck Kev, I thought he was dead, I really did” I said and broke down again.

“Get it all out of your system now Whoops, you’re going to see him soon and he needs you to be strong.”

“You’re going to see him soon”those were the best words I had ever heard. My entire life was about to change.

To be continued…