The Disciple by Susan Laine

Author:Susan Laine [Laine, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-63477-662-2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2016-10-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

“I WAS a boy when I heard this.” Jacob Marlowe sat at the desk in the office, slumped in obvious defeat and misery, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Do you know this one?”

On top of the dresser was a CD player that was at least a decade old, judging from its size. A lovely melody that reminded Niall of a traditional ballad wove through the air. Niall nodded. “Yeah. It’s ‘Scarborough Fair’ by Simon and Garfunkel.”

Jacob smiled ruefully. “Yes. Listen to this part.” Niall focused on the lyrics where two men sang in counterpoint, the first about finding an acre of land and the second about a forested hillside. “This part right here, the words inspired me to purchase this land and build the sanctuary. My own little safe haven for men like me who defy conventional perceptions of masculinity.” He buried his face in his hands and started to shake. “And now it’s all going wrong. My friends are dying, and there’s nothing I can do to keep them safe. My Goddess, what has happened to my dream?”

Niall’s phone beeped. He read the text from Gus about Jacob and Alex doing the nasty in secret. Niall wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Was he glad that Alex had kept a secret and thus tarnished his stellar reputation? Or did Niall feel bad for Alex, a good guy who got caught by another man’s charms and was now a liar?

Much to his surprise, Niall felt neither.

He faced Jacob again. “Is it true you and Alex Kittridge have a sexual relationship?”

Jacob looked up, stunned. He wiped the wet streaks from his cheeks, frowning in clear dismay. “Is that really a priority right now? Unless you think one of us is the killer.”

Niall narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “This is a murder investigation, and you are not in any position to determine what’s important and what’s not. So stop deflecting and answer me.”

Jacob swallowed hard and nodded, a full-body tremble shaking him. “Yes, Alex and I slept together a couple of times. But we are not in a relationship. It was just… an affair. Short-lived and satisfying, but not the stuff of legends.”

Niall cringed inwardly. Gus’s text said that Alex was actually in love with Jacob. Niall guessed the feeling was unrequited. Sucked to be Alex, Niall thought, and to his surprise he empathized with the professor’s plight.

“Where exactly were you when Quentin was attacked?” Niall asked.

Jacob scoffed, but the sound seemed to be directed mostly at himself. “Why do you even bother asking me that? You saw me. I was at the fire pit. Too far away from the moon altar to have made it back there before you and the detective spilled out of the office. And, Mr. Valentine, I’m fifty-nine years old. I don’t have it in me to do cross-country sprints anymore.”

Niall had to give Jacob that one. A man almost in his sixties probably wouldn’t have made the distance in a timely fashion. Did that absolve Jacob from the inquiries? Maybe.

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