Valon: The Ghost of Cambria - Book Three

Chapter Seventeen

Penelope led them energetically down the driveway, eager to begin her favorite part of the day. Though the late afternoon breeze was mildly cool and perfect for a run, Tony wasn't in the mood to go anywhere.

It was a relief to confide the truth about his time loss with Kristen, and she seemed deeply concerned by the matter, prodding him to describe each event with as much detail as he could. Tony had revealed everything about his experience in the men's shower at Planet Fitness, short of the sexual activity or proposition he'd received from the stranger. Tony couldn't bring himself to discuss those details with Kristen, and he wanted to believe it wouldn't matter. He didn't believe for a second he harbored repressed homosexual attractions. And if he did, Tony could let whatever specialist Kristen found for him uncover them with a solid fight. He sure as shit wouldn't put them on blast for his girlfriend to scrutinize.

It might turn her on, a little voice whispered in his ear.

Too fucking bad, he answered the idea firmly.

Kristen sent Tony on a run with Penny, promising the cardio would help ensure he slept better at night. She also let him know that sleep anomalies were not uncommon, and that she leaned toward the opinion there was nothing wrong with him—that such memory loss was most likely a reaction to his work materials, or even something in his diet.

"You'll never convince me that stuff you eat for lunch is good for your brain," she had said humorously before kissing him sweetly and lavishing upon him a long and comforting hug.

Kristen's love meant everything to Tony, and he wanted nothing more than to remain by her side this evening.

"Good afternoon, sir," a portly man called from ten feet ahead of them.

Tony looked up with concern as the man pulled him from his thoughts.

"Hello?" he asked in response to the stranger, pulling Penny back by her leash when she naturally wanted to inspect the man.

"I'm Brandon Knight with Allstate Insurance," he said with a confident smile. "I'm looking for Kristen Cole. Do you know if this is her residence?"

"Yes, it is," Tony answered, offering a couple nods of his head. "I can take you up to see her."

"Oh, are you the young man..." Knight started, reaching to pull open the notebook in his hands. He fidgeted with a set of documents, scanning them with his fat fingers. "Let me see... De Luca? Are you Anthony?"

"Tony, yes," he answered, silently questioning how the man knew his given name.

"Oh, it's good to meet you, Tony," Knight responded warmly, and he extended his large hand. "Ms. Cole submitted a claim over a recent bit of trouble she had in the house, and she listed you as being on site during the incident."

From below them, Penny wiggled her tale in perfect excitement once she'd seen Tony welcome the man.

"Oh, hello there, fella," Knight said, looking down with a smile, and he reached to let the dog sniff his hand.

"This is Penelope. Come on, and I'll take you up to see Kristen," Tony repeated himself and turned to lead the man up the driveway hill.

"Oh, I see I've caught you in the middle of walking your dog," Knight said. "There's no need to let me interrupt you. I can see your friend here is ready to go. If you don't mind, I just have a couple quick questions you can answer in less than a minute. I just need to verify the answers, really, and then we can both be on our way."

Before Tony could agree, the Knight started to fire.

"Were you present on September seventeenth, the night Ryan Hoffman died?

Tony felt assaulted by the question and his heart began to race with embarrassment.

"Ah, no," he stuttered. "I mean, I was here on the seventeenth during the day, but I left about six o'clock. I wasn't here when the guy died."

"I see," Knight said. "Are you living in the house now?"

"I live in a bus conversion," Tony answered, turning his head up the driveway. "It's parked up there."

"And how long have you been living on site? You started after the accident?"

"Ah... I moved the van here a few days after. Kristen was feeling unsafe by herself."

Tony didn't feel well. The man's questions sat poorly with him, and he began to shake his head.

"Are you having a romantic relationship with Ms. Cole?" Knight asked quickly.

Tony couldn't prevent a scowl from seizing his face. He became incensed by the rude fucker's question. The adrenaline set Tony's heart to race again. He began to feel lightheaded and looked to any other direction to avoid the man. Tony felt sure he was about to give the son of a bitch a shot to the mouth.

"Were the two of you seeing each other while she was seeing Mr. Hoffman?" the man pressed.

Tony's looked back at the man with anger in his eyes. But then, as if by the press of a button, all his rage seemed to leave the young man, as if it were soap on his body, washing away under the warm, gentle rain from a shower head. His body relaxed completely, the tension subsiding from his heavy muscles. The anger even left Tony's expression, and a light smile stole over his face.

"Yes, we were," Maloc answered.

"Was... was Mr. Hoffman aware of that?" Knight asked, seemingly unprepared for the answer.

"Certainly, he was—the three of us were lovers."

Knight's eyes twitched as if he didn't understand what the young man had said.

"Kristen and Ryan spent the day on a date together, just the two of them. There was a bit of friction between them," Maloc lowered his voice, as if he were sharing some private tidbit. "That's why I gave them their space that night, so they could work things out."

At first, Knight stared in disbelief, but in moments he seemed to gather himself.

"So, you were in a sexual relationship with Mr. Hoffman, as well?"

"Yes," Maloc confirmed. "Between you and me, I think it was a little more than Kristen could handle. Straight girls are always so fucking possessive. Have you ever noticed? It's like, why the hell is it so hard for you to share?"
Maloc's smile widened, and he winked at the stone-faced man.
"She'll tell you it's because she's an only child and never learned to share, but I don't buy that bullshit for a second. I think she's just selfish and wants all the dick in the world for herself."

Knight shook his head, seemingly unable to respond, and he looked down at the paperwork in his hands.

Maloc ambled up to Knight, stopping only half a foot away. The intimacy seemed to freeze the man, and he looked up as if he were unsure of what to do.

"I can see you're not married," Maloc said, with his face relaxed to appear as serious as he could. "I like your eyes—I like their honesty. I'm always looking for another gimp to fill Ryan's mask if you're down for a master."

Maloc ran the side of his index finger down along Knight's heavy belly, grazing the white poly-blend fabric and pulling lightly on each button along the way.

Knight jerked Maloc's hand away and stumbled backward a couple steps. Without a word, he turned and walked back toward a grey Chevrolet Cruz. He sat down and slammed the door angrily before revving the older motor to pull away from the curb. The car made a U-turn, and as Knight passed by the house, he didn't look at the Tony who stared back with his hands stretched out at the sides in a look of mock confusion.

Maloc reached down to scratch Penny behind the ears, receiving an appreciative lick in return. He walked at least forty feet down Cambria Pines Road, well past the point where he could see Kristen's house around the bend behind him. Satisfied of their privacy, Maloc relinquished his control to the duty at hand.

With a start, Tony stopped walking to look around him. He did not remember what he was thinking about, but soon found the sun falling well behind the tops of the tall trees across the road. Penny pulled impatiently on her leash, and the urgency led the young man away from his hesitation. Tony stepped forward into a light jog, picking up speed only when Penny seemed comfortable with the pace.