Jail's Bait: Parole's Victim (Book 4)

Chapter 10

Danny, dressed in cotton boxers and a simple tee, was in the den juggling his bankbooks online. He actually needed to prepare for his appearance at Joe's press conference later today; the former prison warden turned politician would be declaring his run for state governor in the fall’s election. Joan and Malik would definitely have to be there, his wife and son as support; Lamar, however, was headed for Chicago on a day trip to finalize his book proceedings for Winifred Harpo’s life story. Danny knew that as a decorated Det. and celebrated attorney, his presence at Joe's side today would be a great look to his campaign; he owed Joe that much in public, even though they weren’t really speaking to one another in private these days. Danny sighed as he looked at the spreadsheet glowing before him on his personal desktop. He had access to the WolfRam & Hart accountants, of course, and he also could afford his own personal number-cruncher five times over- but he was always the type to never let anyone else tell him how much money he had in the bank- growing up poor had instilled this protectiveness within him. However today he couldn’t make heads or tails of his debits and/or credits- for today was also the day Potters was to call him with the results of the DNA test which would determine whether Ray was Trey’s long-lost identical twin, and another surprise Hill heir. At the moment Ray was out in the adjoining guest house that Danny had converted into a personal gym with all the accoutrements. The faint echo of clanging weights told him that Ray was still as into his weight training as he had ever been, which brought to Danny’s face a bittersweet smile; it seemed that weight training was the only constant in the poor man’s life, ever… but maybe that may change now, if the test finally re-united Ray with a family he never knew existed… and yet of all the Hill’s that would be happy to welcome him to the fold, the one he knew would have a serious objection to it was …Joe.

Danny sighed as he reflected on the fact that not only would Ray by features alone become a constant reminder to Joe of the man who stole Danny away from him, but it would also bring home the fact that J. Mayson Hill, Joe's father, was a philandering cheat, sleeping with the hired help and getting one of the live-in maids pregnant, for that was the untold story of how Trey (and possibly Ray) came to be. After Atreyu showed up Joe did some digging of his own. From J. Mayson’s personal journals, eyewitness accounts and Trey’s background paperwork trail on his own adoption, Joe was able to piece together the sad story. Over 50 years before a young housemaid, Maisie Jenkins, was seduced by a drunken J. Mayson one night during a quarrel with his wife Martha. She got pregnant, and in those days abortion was not an option. Maisie was pressured to give the baby (or babies) up, to keep the scandal from ruining J. Mayson’s marriage- yet Martha Hill found out anyway and divorced J. Mayson when little Joe was just 8 years old. She left both her husband and child behind, something Joe had never gotten over. Meanwhile, Maisie’s husband Juke Jenkins, the local drunk, already had a son from a prior marriage, but afterwards had fallen from a horse and rendered sterile… so when his wife showed up back home- out of a job, and pregnant- Juke violently beat Maisie until she ran frightened into the streets. With months of no pre-natal care and no roof over her head Maisie grew ill, and going into labor, found herself at the doors of an orphanage where she died during childbirth, naming her offspring with her last breath. That’s the way the story ended.

…BUT…

But- did Maisie name one child- or TWO..? Danny wondered. After all, Ray’s last name was Smith, just like Trey’s was… this was TOO much of a coincidence. And yet, Ray could have just chosen the name Smith as it was the generic surname for those who didn’t have one…

The phone rang just then, startling Danny out of his reverie. Quickly sitting up straight in his chair, he picked up the receiver. “Potters, is that you,” Danny asked with no preamble.

“You got it, sexy,” Potters’ voice rang clear. “I got those test results you wanted.”

Danny grabbed a nearby pencil to steady his hand, and unconsciously held his breath. Here it is, proof that Joe has another brother…

“Umm, I’ll send you over the hard copies, but it seems that there isn’t a match on these specimens,” Potters went on. “Whoever these two people are, they aren’t related in the slightest.”

The air whooshed out of Danny’s lungs in a great gush. “A-Are you sure..?” Danny asked, incredulous. This couldn’t be… They HAD to be twins, they HAD to be…

“Yeah, I ran the test three times as per our procedure here,” Potters said then. “I wanted to give you the proper results, sweetness.” He paused for a second. “I’ve got another call

“Umm thanks, I appreciate all you’ve done,” Danny murmured into the phone. “Just messenger the hard copies over to me.” And he hung up the phone, sitting back in his chair, stunned.

Of all the responses Danny thought he would hear, hearing that there was no match in the DNA samples wasn’t one of them. They looked alike, walked and talked the same, the same height and build, even down to the immensities of their dicks… not such a small part of him admitted to himself that part of Ray’s charm was the idea that he may be connected to Trey, that in some small part Trey was returned to him after so long- an identical twin was more than just a small part of Trey living on, after all. But if the DNA test was true- and DNA tests don’t lie- and if Trey and Ray weren’t identical twins, what the hell was going on here- what was the universe trying to do, laugh at him or something..? It was almost like losing Trey all over again… a tear welled in his eye, unbidden as Danny sat there immobile, trying to understand.

He just realized then that the palm of his hand felt wet. Looking down, the saw that he was holding the pencil so tightly it snapped, the shards had dug into his palm and he was now bleeding. Strange that it didn’t hurt, Danny remarked to himself.

“What the hell- what’d ya do to ya hand..?”

Danny looked up. Standing there in tank top and knee-length gym shorts, all perspiration and smelling of a mix of sweat and JOOP, stood Ray- concern etched on his face as he took Danny’s fist into his own, opening it up to reveal the ugly gash in the center of his palm. “Ya gotz splinters in there,” Ray said with a professional’s detachment. “Lemme get sum tweezers and alcohol.”

“In the bathroom over the vanity,” Danny replied absently, the lone tear finally breaking free and trickling down his face.

Ray started for a second- and then he silently left the room. Danny sat there, blood trickling down his palm, hearing Ray rummage through the bathroom cabinet and the water running. In seconds he reappeared, holding a whole triage unit in his hands. Ray set down the items he carried on the desk and knelt down next to Danny to take a closer look at the damage. Danny said nothing, just watched him work on removing the splinters, which he did by holding up the ends of the tweezers to a flick lighter, and then dipping them in alcohol as he pulled each miniscule piece of pencil out of the bloody wound.

“You should become a doctor,” Danny regarded him.

“Ya shouldn’t let things get ya so mad ya harm yourself,” Ray replied then as he continued to perform minor surgery on Danny’s hand. “What’s got ya so bummed out, eh..?”

Danny looked at him for a moment, then took a deep breath. “It’s like this,” he started, and then filled Ray in on his whole ideal that Ray might be Trey’s long lost twin, and also told him of the failed DNA test.

“And that’s why I was so bummed out,” Danny said then as Ray finished getting the last of the splinters and began to clean and dress the wound. “I had hoped that… I had hoped that I could give you… a family,” Danny said, a trace of a sob in his voice as fresh tears welled forth. “I don’t want you to be alone anymore,” he looked over at Ray, eyes shining.

Ray finished dressing Danny’s wound and stayed on the floor, kneeling at Danny’s feet. For a long time he said nothing, he just stayed where he was, staring. “Ya jus don’t understand,” Ray said then, a wan smile crossing his face. “I don’t feel alone, not anymore.” He reached out and touched Danny's face tenderly. “I gotcha right here.”

Danny was suddenly filled with emotion. “Are-Are you sure,” he asked seriously. “I mean, if you’d like, you could stick around and see if you like it here…”

Ray’s smile then was like the morning sun. “I would like ta stick around, like ya said,” he nodded, leaning forward towards Danny’s face. “As long as we could see where this takes us,” he whispered, licking his lips.

“I’m with that,” Danny smiled back, leaning in to meet Ray’s lips with his own. Unlike the last couple of times they kissed with lust as their goal, this time it was different. After ten years of loneliness, Danny finally felt, one more time, like he was being kissed by a lover- HIS lover.

And he was.

*******

The press conference for Joe Hill’s declaration to run for governor of WA state went like a charm. The Hill campaign rented out the ballroom at the Wallingford, the grandest hotel in Seattle. The media gushed over the Joe's strong, honest face and solid family support. Joe Hill at 62 was still a very handsome man, with very little grey in his hair and a solid frame, broad shouldered and built like a tank, impeccably dressed and enough silver in his moustache to look the part of a distinguished scholar. Malik and Joan stood with Joe, who faced the cameras with confidence and congeniality. Malik was dressed in ultra-conservatism wear, while Joan abandoned her garish fashions for something more ‘First-Wife’ in appearance, a dark navy skirt suit with a ruffled white collared blouse, her bleached blond tresses pulled back into a bun. Her smile was impressive and admiring; she had remembered to take out her gold fronts before the ceremony.

Standing behind Malik stood Danny- dressed in his lawyer best with his Detective badge hanging from a chain on his neck. He watched the whole scene play out as if he were in the audience. Danny’s presence, not only as a supporter of the Hill administration but also as a combined representative of the S.P.D. and WolfRam & Hart, truly helped to bolster Joe's political appearance- to the approval of a large chunk of Joe's constituents.

Malik, to his credit, also gave a firm show of support for his father. With HillTopp Productions making some major moves with the elite of hip-hop, to show their support for Malik all of his business partners made an appearance, coming from as far away as New York City, such as A-list music moguls Stan ‘Cuffy’ Hommes of Mad-Boy Records, Vinncy Stones from Pacific Productions, Irv Trotti of Murdalyzer Inc, and Merle ‘Muskatell’ Simmons of Def Clann Music. As media met paparazzi, the word spread that Joe Hill had the voice of ALL the people, from the hip-hop generation to lawmen on Capitol Hill. Danny nodded silently with appreciation; Joe's road to the Governor’s office seemed secure now.

*******

After the press conference the assembled throng stayed around for some time; it was all photo-ops and deal-making for several hours. Looking around, Danny saw that there were a lot of hand-shaking between heavy hitters in the music industry and politicians. He wondered how many of these verbal deals would actually last long enough to get typed up. Smiling to himself, he turned to see where the closest tray of drinks was being served, thinking that he had shaken enough hands and praised Joe in the firm’s name all he could; it was now time to get back home to… his new lover.

“Who’s got you smiling like that?”

Turning around, Danny saw Malik standing next to him, looking a bit worn yet proud. “Hey, Malik,” Danny smiled, taking his hand to shake it. “Your dad’s the man of the hour, isn’t he..?”

“I say he’s pulled it off,” Malik said, looking over to where his parents stood for yet one more picture. “He’s always had great ambitions.”

“No moreso than his son,” Danny said admiringly. “You really did fall right from that tree.”

“He didn’t see that the first time we met,” Malik reminded him with a laugh. “He thought I was the enemy then- the great wall between himself and YOU.”

Danny smiled back at the memory of that disastrous first dinner, where it was revealed to Joe and Malik that they were father and son. “Well, if I ever need to know who’s related to you, all I have to do is-”

“-Feed them Chicken Orange..?” Malik inserted mildly, a sly grin on his face.

“That’s Chicken L’Orange, sir,” Danny corrected him loftily. He regarded Malik then. “You’ve come a mighty long way since the days of ‘Joop’,” Danny said then. “There were a couple of times I thought I wouldn’t be able to get through that thick thug-head of yours.”

“Hey, that was a long time ago,” Malik defended himself. “But I will never forget that you stood by me, my PO, my good friend. I wouldn’t have been able to hold on if it wasn’t for you.”

“I think you owe that to Lamar,” Danny said, smiling gently. “You two were and are each other’s rocks of Gibraltar.”

“Yes, I’d say that my whole happiness is due to Lamar being in my life,” Malik agreed. “But if it wasn’t for you, there would BE no Lamar; I wouldn’t have had him as my best friend, and I would never have known what it was like to love someone like that- no one else would have caught my heart as strongly as Mar did; I know that for sure.”

“I agree; it does take the RIGHT one,” Danny looked away, his eyes sad.

“Still missing my uncle Atreyu, eh?” Malik asked shrewdly.

“Always,” Danny replied. “Yet something’s happened that has started helping me though that, finally. A new outlook on life, I would say.”

“And what’s that, exactly..? Is there finally someone else in your life..?” a voice said from behind Malik and Danny. Turning, they saw that Joe Hill had walked up behind them unawares.

“Joe,” Danny indicated, his smile faltering.

“Now, Dad, don’t start- not here with all the press still milling about,” Malik warned softly.

“Well you two were certainly chatting it up loud enough,” Joe said back in a low hiss. “Anyone walking past could overhear what you were saying.”

“Where’s Mom,” Malik asked then. “You didn’t leave her to the press wolves, did you..?”

“Actually, some style editor wanted her take on this year’s fashions or something,” Joe said absently, his eyes fixed sharply on Danny.

“Awwww dad, she’s worse than Cuffy Hommes’ mother in front of a camera,” Malik worried aloud. “Excuse me, I better go pry her loose,” and off he went though the crowded throng, leaving Danny and Joe alone.

Joe was still eyeing Danny with a hint of malice. “So , are you going to be honest this time and tell me that your new outlook is due to a new man in your bed..?” Joe fired under his breath at Danny, who stood unruffled.

“Joe, you’ve got to move on,” Danny sighed- it was the same fight every time they saw each other for the past decade. “I don’t love you, and you HAVE a wife anyway… losing Trey hurt me, yes, and I understand that being with him hurt you-”

“He was.. my GODDAMMED brother!!!” Joe spat, almost forgetting to keep his voice down. “You slept with him, for god’s sakes!!!”

“I didn’t know he was your brother then, and I keep saying this to you,” Danny said wearily. “I could care less know how you feel about that, it was ten years ago. Trey is DEAD. You lost your brother, I lost the love of my life- that would be Trey, NOT YOU,” Danny said with emphasis, making Joe blanch. “I don’t have any more remorse for you, you’re going to have to get over it.”

“Like you have?” Joe shot back. “Who’s the new guy..?”

“Are you stalking me..?” Danny asked, nonplussed. “How did you know that I had a new guy..?”

“I knew it!!!” Joe said, slamming his hand into his fist. “Who is it?”

“Well, I’ll tell you who he’s NOT,” Danny said, deflating. He knew he would have to be honest with Joe about the DNA test. So he told him. Point blank, not leaving anything pertinent out. “And Potters called me this morning and told me that he isn’t Trey’s identical twin after all,” Danny finished, looking over at Joe.

Joe said nothing for a few minutes, but he looked at Danny, who saw that the pain of being dumped was still as strong 10 years later like it was when it first happened. “Oh, my god… you would rather be with a HOMELESS man instead of me,” he finally said- in a defeated whisper. Turning, he walked away from Danny. “Thank you for coming,” he said, his voice a bit gruff.

Danny stared at him, the regret in his own heart just as fresh as ever- for a moment. He knew Joe would never get over being dumped for his own brother, whom he never got to know until the day he died. That kind of double twist of pain makes for a lonely heart, one that will never be allowed to heal- no matter who came into their lives afterward. Danny knew that Joan was only with Joe to present a united front to their son, and also because Joe was filthy rich- he didn’t think they were even having sex. With a horror he realized that he was also living the same rootless existence, hiding out from life. Well, no more of that..! he was going to have a good life, one that Trey would have wanted him to have, with or without him there.

I promise you Trey, from this point on, I WILL live my life to the fullest, and stop living with stupid regrets, Danny emoted in his heart to the part where Trey existed, alive and happy forevermore. I will never forget you, but I have a chance to be as happy as you always wanted me to be. I promise to remember to live-LIVE for the BOTH of us, and I will NEVER let go of that promise, either. Danny took a deep breath then, squared his shoulders and turned towards the exit, leaving any leftover regrets behind with Joe, heading home to Ray- his newfound reason to be happy again.

*******

It was not until the valet handed him his car back and he had started to drive away from the Wallingford that he realized something. Malik had unwittingly brought to mind that dinner over ten years before, the one where it was discovered that those in the Hill family are genetically allergic to Cayenne Pepper. He hadn’t really used the spice that much since then, cooking for Malik and Lamar and Joe back in the early days, but he knew he still had a liking for it, and kept some in the larder of his kitchen.

His heart suddenly beating fast, Danny gunned the motor, thinking that he might try the reckless experiment on his mind- failed DNA test or no. It would all boil down to a simple dinner with Ray tonight, introducing him to Chicken L’Orange… and if Ray would react the way he hoped, Danny might have found a way to finally solve the mystery of Ray’s ancestry- once and for all.