“You never were a romantic.”They all laughed at Gilman, and he did as well.“I’d say you’re right about being seen.I don’t date anymore, but I know how hard it was when I was out there.Women are strange.”
They were careful about talking about women and their oddities.Axel had a wife who was perfect, and he was happy to have her.But he’d been out on dates before where women would expect a great deal out of the date that he wasn’t willing to give up on.
As they were leaving the restaurant, he decided that he was really going to do this every week.It was fun getting together with family, and his brothers were the best family that anyone ever had.He might even ask his dad along the next time.
They’d have to temper their conversations with him around, but he didn’t think anyone would mind.It would be great to have Dad with them on some of their more adventurous talks.He’d not be able to tell Mom about them, but he was sure that Dad would tell her what a great time they’d all had together.
After leaving the restaurant, setting up a day next week for their next time getting together, he got in his car and drove home.He’d heard from each of them on the way home about how much funthey’d had, and he was glad that he’d thought of it.Next week was going to be even more fun as they had all week to get into things that they could talk about.
When he got home, it was later than he thought it had been, and Mac was in bed.Crawling in beside her, she wrapped her warm body around his.She asked him if he’d had a good time, and he told her it was the best.So much so that they’d already made plans to do it weekly.
“I think I’m going to start doing that sort of thing with Debra.Then, when the other women start showing up, we can already have it established that we go out weekly, too.What do you think?”He said he thought it was a wonderful idea.“Good.I was going to ask your mom to go with us, too.She’d probably enjoy herself, don’t you think?I mean, we might talk about her sons some, but she can handle that.”
“I’m sure, knowing my mom as well as I do, that if she had a problem with what you were saying, she’d tell you.”Mac laughed.“Laugh now, but if she brings up anything about my dad and her, I don’t want to know about it.I’d rather not know what they get up to when we’re not all around her.”
“Agreed.”She lay her head on his chest and looked up at him.“We’re going to be parents soon, you realize that?I can’t wait to see who he looks like.But that won’t help much as we both have the same dark hair and brown eyes.”
“My dad’s eyes are blue.The only one who got that was Stamos.He has the most icy blue I’ve ever seen.”She said that she noticed that about him.“I swear that’s what gets him laid so much.He just has that look about him that calls for sex.He’s told me before that he has no trouble getting laid.Not that I’d ask him about that, but that’s what he said.”
“You guys are very trusting of each other’s lives.I’d be so afraid of someone using it against me.But then I’ve been raised by the best kind of people.My parents are wonderful and very happy to share what they know about me.It’s why I never dated all that much growing up.”
Setting his alarm for tomorrow, he snuggled into the blankets with Mac.She was going to have his child in about six months, and he couldn’t have been happier.They wanted to be surprised when it came, so they wouldn’t know the sex of the baby until it was born.He thought that was much more fun than having known it from the start.He didn’t care what it was when they had it so long as it was healthy and happy.
Closing his eyes, he felt himself drifting off.His body was so relaxed from laughing so much tonight that he knew he was going to sleep well.He knew that it would mean only good dreams for him as he’d been in such a good mood.As he was falling into a deeper sleep, he remembered something that Penrod had told him.
“I’m not going to be looking for a wife.She’ll have to come to me.Dating is too difficult nowadays, and I’d rather just stay single than have to put up with all the drama of dating.”He told him he was sorry.“No need to be.It’s been a long time in coming.I just don’t need it anymore.”
“I hope you’re open to finding someone.”He said that he was just not dating.“I don’t know how that’s going to work, but I am sorry that it’s so bad out there.I don’t know what I’d do without Mac in my life.”
After going to sleep, those words came to him a couple of more times when he woke up to use the bathroom.Penrod saw so much with his job that he felt sorry for him.And if anyone deserved to find someone, it would be him.He hoped that she was just around the corner for him and he’d be happy as they came.
~*~
Penrod looked at the crime scene and decided that it wasn’t murder suicide like everyone else was saying.First of all, it was too perfect.Both the woman and the man were sitting across from one another like they were having dinner at the table.Neither of them had fallen off the chair, nor did they have their heads fall backwards from the shot.They both looked like they had just lain down on the table and decided to kill one another.Also, the gun wasn’t in either hand.It was lying on the table like the killer had forgotten to place the gun.It was obvious to him that whoever staged the scene had watched way too many crime shows, and that was where they got their information from.
“The medical examiner said that he can take the bodies when you’re finished.How do you want this written up?Murder suicide, like the chief said it was?”He said that he was calling it murder, a double homicide.“He’s not going to like that.It’ll mean more hours for us to go searching for the killer.”
“I think I know who the killer is already.”He did too.He thought it was the oldest son who had found the bodies.He’d been claiming that they’d been having marital problems from the moment that they walked through the door.Also, he claimed that the gun had never been in his parents’ possession.“I want you to say it’s unknown for now and say it around the kids.One of them did this, and I’m betting that it had to do with money.”
“People.”That’s all he needed to say to know what he meant.People were the ruination of the world, and he thought that everyone on the police force believed that.“I’ll tell them now.Do you want to know what their reactions are?”
“I can guess, but you let me know.I’ll have to talk to all of them.Don’t you think that the gun was placed?Then there is the fact that the mother was shot in the forehead from several feet away.There are no burns on her skin like there would be if the dad had done it.”He said that he did notice that the gun was out of place, too.“Good for you.I was hoping someone besides me noticed that.”
The two of them worked out the time he was going to tell the kids what they thought of the way the parents were killed.The son was going on about how they’d been having problems again when he walked into the living room where he was.
“I don’t remember our parents ever fighting.How long do you suppose this has been going on?”He told his sister that it had been going on since he moved in.“Could it be you who was causing the trouble?I mean, they didn’t want you to move back in in the first place.It might be all on you.Besides, Mom and Dad were planning their anniversary dinner for Friday night.Why would they do this before then?”
“I’m telling you that Dad killed Mom, then himself.That’s the only way to explain it.Did you see how they were sitting across from each other?I’m sure that he regretted it from the moment that he killed her.”His sister pointed out that you couldn’t tell who was shot first.The gun wasn’t in anyone’s hand.“It wasn’t?It must have slipped out of his hand.Mom would never be able to kill Dad first.She was tender-hearted.”
“Tender-hearted or not, you can’t tell unless you were here.Did you kill them, Patrick?I know for a fact that they were going to kick you out.”He was glad that he was looking at the man.He would have missed his flash of anger at his sister.He told her that they had worked something out.“I just talked to her this morning.You were going to be kicked out by the end of the day.I won’t believe that they killed one another unless you can prove to me that you didn’t kill them both.It would be something that you’d do.”
“Look, this is getting out of hand.”She looked at him, and he nodded at her.It wasn’t an acknowledgement or anything, but just a short hello.Patrick turned to look at them.“There’s the police now.When I called them, they said that they’d send over their best, and I’m betting right now that they’re going to tell us that it was just as I said.”
“I’m afraid that I can’t do that.We’re treating this as a double homicide.”Patrick asked if they were stupid.“No.We just know how to read a crime scene.I’d like to know where you were when you came home to find them in the dining room like they were.”
“I didn’t kill them.”He didn’t so much as blink at the other man.“They’ve been fighting with me since I moved in.Fighting with each other.And it wasn’t about me living here like some people are saying.”
“Still, I’d like to know where you were when you said you came home to find them like this.”He said he’d been out all morning.“Where?And can anyone vouch for you being with them?”
