---

It took almost an hour for Dillon to get Jamie calmed down. The minute he'd laid eyes on Mitchell Harding, Jamie had started hyperventilating. Dillon tried everything he could to convince Jamie that he wasn't staring into the face of a dead man, but Jamie's panicked brain couldn't absorb the information, not in the state he was in. In the end, Dillon had little choice but to let Jamie's panic attack run its course. Dillon let out a deep breath when Jamie's own breathing returned to normal.

Dillon took a second to study Mitchell, who was sitting in one of their living room chairs. His resemblance to Ben was uncanny, but now that the initial shock was over, even Dillon could see some differences. Whereas Ben's hair had been short and spiky, Mitchell's hair was longish, clasped with a leather cord at the back of his neck. Ben's face had been unmarked perfection, but Mitchell had a wicked scar running the length of his right cheek from the corner of his eye to his chin. And there were other differences as well, like the more muscular build of Mitchell's body and the deeper tone of his voice as he apologized, yet again, for sending Jamie over the edge.

Mitchell looked to Jamie, who was sitting on the couch next to Dillon, still wheezing slightly. "I am so, so sorry, man. I had no idea I was gonna trip you out like that. When my sister told me you wanted to see me and that it had something to do with Ben, I came straight to Reed. I didn't even think about calling first."

Dillon waved away the apology with one hand while the other moved in slow circles across Jamie's slightly turned back, trying to soothe and comfort him as best he could. "You don't have to apologize, Mitchell. This wasn't your fault."

"Please, call me Mitch." Dillon nodded and made formal introductions for himself and Jamie. Mitch pushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead, the leather of his jacket creaking as he moved. Crossing one faded, jean-clad leg over the other and picking at the heel of one black boot, Mitch inclined his head towards Jamie. "What caused him to freak?"

Was he kidding? Dillon tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Not to be insensitive or anything, but you have to admit that you and Ben could pass for twins."

Pain clouded Mitch's warm brown eyes. "Shit. I didn't even think about that." His whiskey-smooth voice lowered an octave. "I used to think Ben and I favored a lot, but then, after I got this scar--" His hand moved unconsciously to his cheek and Dillon had the feeling the memory was as vicious as the scar itself. "Well, anyway, I guess I just didn't think." He looked at Jamie again. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Jamie sat up, using Dillon for leverage and holding on to him like a lifeline. "I'm okay. Sorry about that, going all crazy on you, I mean. It's just, for a minute there . . ." Jamie's voice was so low, Dillon wondered if Mitch could hear it. "For a minute, I thought you were Ben."

"I understand. You and my brother, you were tight, then?"

"Yeah." Jamie stopped for a second, gathering himself together. "He was my best friend. I still can't believe he's gone."

Mitch shifted in his chair, his movements slow and measured. Even Dillon, a total stranger, could tell that the guy was grieving. But if he cared so much about his brother, why hadn't he seen him in over two years? Why the breach?

Before Dillon could pose the question, Mitch said, "How did my brother die? Lily told me something about a drunk driving accident, and that a couple of 'fags'--her words, not mine--wanted to see me because they thought I might know something about his death. She gave me your names and a cell phone number, told me you lived in the town of Reed, and nothing much else."

Jamie was about to say something, but Mitchell's last statement raised a question in Dillon's mind. "If all Lily gave you were our names and a cell number, how did you find us?"

Mitch sighed. "It wasn't easy, believe me. I've been trying to pin you down for almost two days now. I knew that Ben's foster mother was a woman named Slater, but when I found her house, some guy told me she'd moved. I finally tracked her down at the realtor's office where she works, but she refused to give me your address. Said she didn't want me hurting you the way I hurt Ben." His voice dropped again, and he lowered his eyes. "As if I could." He came back up to meet Jamie's gaze. "Anyway, when she wouldn't tell me anything, I tried looking you both up in the phone book." He smiled, but there was little humor in it. "I must have called every Walker in the book before giving up and trying to find you both under the name Carver. Wouldn't you know it? I had a hit the first time out. I guess I should have tried Carver first, anyway, since C comes before W." He grimaced. "Although, after talking to the lady who answered the phone, I almost wish I hadn't called at all." He looked at Dillon with more than a little pity. "Your mom is one angry lady."

Dillon wrinkled his nose. "That's one conversation I'm glad I didn't hear. I can just imagine what my mother told you. Needless to say, I'm not exactly the favorite son around the Carver house."

Mitch snorted. "Total understatement, dude. The minute I said your name, your mom went off on a ten minute tear about you and James Walker being shacked up in, what was it she called it? Oh yeah, 'that Lambert Lane Den of Sin'." Mitch shrugged. "At least I got your address out of it, even though I had to ask around town before I found the place. Not to mention the fact that it took me forever to spot this apartment behind that big ole house in front." Mitch gave a sheepish but sincere grin. "Then it took me another couple of hours just driving around town, trying to work up the courage to come knock on your door. I wasn't even sure I'd have the guts to climb the stairs."

Jamie spoke, and Dillon was relieved to hear some of the strength returning to his voice. "I understand. It was the same way for me when I knocked on your sister's door, looking for you."

Mitch put both feet on the floor, propping his elbows on his knees. "Don't think I'm not grateful that you came and told us about Ben, but why did you come looking for me? If you and Ben were as close as I think you were, you must have known that I haven't seen Ben in almost three years."

"That's just it, though. I didn't even know you existed. My best friend in the world had a whole family I didn't even know about. Why is that?"

Mitch sighed again, this time making the sound of a man torn apart inside. "You've met my sister, James. Would you brag about having a family like us? No, Ben did the right thing. He saw a chance to get out and he took it. Good for him."

As much sympathy as Dillon felt for Mitch and what he'd lost, there was too much riding on what he might know for Dillon to let it go at that. Jamie was too tenderhearted to grill him, but Dillon was determined to get to the truth. "There's more to it than that, and you know it. You need to tell us what really happened between you and Ben to cause such a split between two brothers who by all accounts cared so much about each other. We also need any information you can give us about Burke Carpenter's death."

Mitch went on the defensive. Dillon figured him for a man tired of taking orders. "Oh yeah? You think I drove here from Michigan just to spill my guts to two guys I don't know from Adam? If I wouldn't talk to the cops when they came nosing around, what makes you think I'll talk to you?"

Jamie's voice came through loud and clear. "Because as soon as we're done talking to you, we're going to see the sheriff here in Reed, a guy named Brandon Nash. We're taking with us evidence of blackmail and murder, and all hell is going to break loose. Which side of all this you're on when the smoke clears depends on what you tell us within the next five minutes."

Dillon stared at Jamie in slack-jawed astonishment. So much for underestimating his partner. He should have known better. Jamie might be tenderhearted, but when it came to Ben, he was single minded and determined to a fault.

Mitch was just as astonished but for different reasons. "Whoa. Back up a minute. Like I said before, Lily told me Ben was killed by a drunk driver. How does that tie in with blackmail and murder?"

Jamie spelled it out, going from Barry Sledge and the supposed accident that took Ben's life, to finding the money and both sets of pictures, to the slashed tire, and then ending with the mismatched jack handle. By the time Jamie was done outlining each point, there was no doubt in Dillon's mind that Mitch was a believer.

"And you're sure that this Barry Sledge guy couldn't have killed Ben?"

Jamie shook his head. "I can't be sure of anything in all this mess, but, like I said, Barry Sledge swears Ben was already dead when he hit him."

Mitch raked his hands through his hair, dislodging the leather cord, which fell unnoticed to the floor. He all but tied the silken black waves of his hair in knots as he tried to take it all in. "And the last set of photos you found, you're sure those are of Burke?"

"As sure as I can be. All I saw was that one photo of him in his folder at the police station."

More surprise came from Mitch, and Dillon could also see a hint of admiration. "You went through Burke's folder?"

Jamie blushed. "Um, yeah. That's how I got your name and number. I sorta swiped a paper listing all the known occupants of Burke's house at the time of his death."

Mitch whistled. "That took a whole lot of intestinal fortitude, kid. If the police catch you, you are so screwed."

"Maybe, but it was worth it. And who are you calling kid? According to your sister, you're only two years older than me."

Mitch's eyes took on a faraway, almost wistful gleam. "According to the calendar, I'm two years older than you. But the way I've lived, the things I've seen . . . it ages you." He cleared his throat and came back to the present. "What do you want from me?"

Dillon took that one. "We want the truth about all of it, from your split with Ben to the night Burke died, anything that might tell us whether or not Burke killed Ben in retaliation for the blackmail."

Mitch balked. "You think Burke killed Ben for blackmailing him? No way. Burke was a slime ball, sure, but he didn't have the balls to kill anybody."

"He could have hired someone to do it."

Mitch shook his head. "You're not getting my point, James. If Burke really was Ben's second blackmail victim, why pay Ben off in the first place if Burke was just going to kill him later? Why not do it at the get-go?" When Jamie started to argue, Mitch said, "Before we take this any further, do you think I could take a look at those pictures? It might not even be Burke. You said yourself you couldn't be sure." When Jamie hesitated, Mitch went on with, "If you expect me to spill my deepest and darkest secrets to you, you're gonna have to give me something in return. Trust works both ways."

Dillon had to admit, the guy had a point. Jamie gave him a small nod and Dillon stood up. "I'll get 'em. Jamie asked me to hide them for safekeeping."

He hated leaving Jamie alone with the guy, even if Mitch did seem sincere enough. Still, Dillon didn't waste any time retrieving the pictures he'd taped to the back of one of Jamie's framed sketches. Having a budding architect in the family had its advantages.

Dillon came back in, handing the pictures to Mitch and reclaiming his place beside Jamie. He watched the emotions swirling across Mitch's face as he flipped through the pictures, finally throwing them down on the coffee table in disgust. "That's Burke. No doubt about it. The fucker was doing those girls in his own damn bedroom."

Jamie said, "Are you sure you don't need to look again. Those pictures have got to be at least two-and-a-half to three years old."

"What are you talking about? Those pics were taken just a few months ago. Four, maybe. Five tops"

Jamie was on the edge of his seat, literally. "That's impossible. Ben left Burke years ago. How would he have gotten recent photos?"

Mitch picked up the top picture, wincing at the image on the paper. "There's no way these pics are two or three years old. See that scar right there?" Dillon and Jamie leaned in and looked to where Mitch's finger pointed towards a long, narrow gash trailing down the length of Burke's back. Even in the grainy photo, it was impossible to miss.

Dillon leaned back against the couch. "So he has a scar. So what? How does that prove when the pictures were taken?"

Mitch placed the photo back on top of the pile. "Seven months ago, Burke was in a car accident. Wrapped his Porsche around a tree. That scar came from a piece of jagged sheet metal slicing into his back. Took almost two hundred stitches to sew him up, and he was out of commission for another two months recovering from all his broken bones. That's why I say those pics had to be taken somewhere in the four to five month time frame."

Dillon rubbed his fingers over the back of his stiff neck. "Then that leaves us with two choices. Either Ben snuck back to Chicago, set up a camera, and photographed good old Burke in action, or he had someone do it for him."

Mitch held up two fingers. "I vote for the second scenario. After what happened the night Ben left, I don't think he would ever willingly have stepped foot in Burke's house again." Mitch shuddered. "God knows, I wish I'd had the same choice."

Jamie's voice was filled with compassion. "What happened that night, Mitch? It's obvious that you loved Ben, that you're nothing like your sister. What happened that pulled you and your brother apart?"

Mitch closed his eyes, but not before Dillon saw the tears. When he opened them again, the tears had been replaced with an iron resolve. Resolve to help bring his brother some justice.

Mitch cleared his throat. "Before I start this, do you think maybe I could have a glass of water?"

Jamie nodded. "I'll get it." When he came back in and handed Mitch the glass, Mitch said, "Thanks, man. Talking about this makes my mouth go dry." He wasn't kidding. While Jamie was sitting back down, Mitch drained half the glass in one long swallow. Placing it on the table near the pictures, Mitch said, "How much information did you get out of my sister?"

Dillon rolled his eyes. "Depends on what you call information. We know that she was in prison for dealing drugs, and that you and Ben were sent to more than one foster home. Oh, and we know that you aren't really 'bent,' as your sister so elegantly put it."

Mitch laughed. "Show's what she knows, huh?" Seeing Jamie's rounded eyes, he laughed again. "Yeah, I'm gay. I knew I was before I ever started working for Burke." He cringed. "Didn't make fucking guys for money any easier, but hey, you do what you gotta do, right?" He shrugged. "I guess Lily needs to believe that I'm not really gay so she can keep living in that fantasy world of hers. More power to her, but I'm through hiding. Is it hot in here to you?" He pulled off his leather jacket and hung it on the back of his chair, revealing a wide, well-developed chest hidden beneath a tight black t-shirt. "Is that all she told you?"

Jamie said, "No, she also mentioned something about Burke having a partner."

Again, Mitch did a full body shudder. "Yeah, I'll get to him in a minute. First I want to answer your question about the night Ben left Chicago. I believe you've been honest with me, and now it's my turn."

"When Lily went to prison, she blamed Ben for getting her busted." Mitch sniggered. "Personally, I always figured the little shit did it on purpose, and I was damn proud of him for it. Me and Ben, we were two of a kind. He hated living with Lily and selling that junk on the street corner as bad as I did. When we were busted and CPS moved us into foster care, Ben and I were relieved, especially since the social worker was trying to find a home that would take both of us so we could stay together." Mitch's expression turned dark. "If we'd only known what we were walking into, we'd have run away and never looked back." He shook himself. "Hindsight's a bitch. Anyway, the lady at CPS found several places that would take us, but each placement was only temporary. And Ben and I weren't exactly the easiest kids to deal with. Hell, we'd practically raised ourselves, and here were these perfect strangers harping at us to do our homework and go to bed at ten o'clock. We pitched up so much hell, it's no wonder they couldn't find a foster home to keep us. Enter good ole Burke."

Mitch paused, his hands shaking slightly. Dillon wondered how evil Burke had to have been so that just the mention of his name could cause such a reaction from Mitch. But Mitch went on with the story, in spite of the obvious distress he was feeling. "When I first met the guy, I thought he was the answer to all our prayers. Well-spoken, dressed to kill. I thought Burke was a regular Superman, ready to come in and save us. After two weeks in his house, I knew better." Mitch fidgeted, trying in vain to find a more comfortable position. "I'm not sure how long we were there before he started pimping us out, but I can tell you this, I believe the dirty bastard is roasting in a black pit for the things he made us do. And the hell of it is, no one could do a damn thing to stop him. He had so many freakin' cops and councilmen on his client list, I honestly think the guy could have screwed a goat on the mayor's front lawn and gotten away with it."

Jamie bit his lip. "You and Ben didn't have anybody you could turn to? No family besides Lily?"

Mitch shook his head. "We didn't have anybody but each other. And for a while, that was enough. As much as I hated whoring, we made decent money, even if Burke did take most of it. Ben and I saved what we could, hoping one day we'd have enough banked up to make a break for it." Mitch sighed. "We almost made it, too. And we would have, if it hadn't been for dear, sweet Uncle Jared."

Dillon and Jamie said, "Who," almost in unison.

"Burke's partner. Uncle Jared. That's what he called himself, anyway, though I doubt it was his real name. See, he and Burke had a sort of silent partnership. Jared would provide and screen new customers for Burke in exchange for a cut of the profits."

Dillon said, "If he helped out in the operation, why do you call him a silent partner?"

Mitch fiddled with the leather bracelet he wore on his left wrist--his only jewelry save for the tiny gold hoop in his ear. "Because even though Jared brought in guys, he had nothing to do with the day to day running of the business or the management of the boys. Nope, that was all Burke." He pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of the front pocket of his t-shirt. Tapping one out with less than steady fingers, Mitch started to light up, then stopped. "Sorry." He held the cigarette up to Dillon and Jamie. "Do you mind? It helps settle my nerves."

Normally Dillon would have said no, but the guy was doing them a favor by telling them this. Hearing no protest from Jamie, Dillon said, "Go ahead." He went in search of an ashtray, finding nothing better to use than an empty soft-drink can. He handed it to Mitch with an apology on his lips. "Sorry, man. It's all I could find."

"Works for me." Mitch set the can on the table next to his water glass and lit the cigarette, striking his Zippo lighter against the leg of his jeans in one fluid motion. He took a long, grateful drag before returning to his story. "Like I said, Jared's job was to bring in business and screen the customers. Burke was always solid on one thing, and that was no violent stuff. None of that bondage or S and M shit. Not that he was worried about our welfare. No, Burke didn't want anyone damaging the merchandise." Mitch took another drag, and Dillon noticed that the shaking had settled somewhat. "Jared must have done a pretty good job screening, because Ben and I were there for almost three years without incident. Then, just before Ben's sixteenth birthday, everything changed."

Dillon fought the urge to reach out and pat Mitch's arm, not sure how the gesture of comfort would be received. Instead, he said, "What happened?"

Mitch sighed. "Burke was out of town, one of the few times he actually left Jared in charge. Burke was pretty strict about no sex with clients in the house, which is why I was so shocked to see those pictures of him having sex with those girls in his own bedroom. He scheduled most of our encounters in out of the way motels, then slipped the motel managers extra cash to keep their mouths shut. But Burke was out of town, and Jared brought in this guy--Ralph, he called him--who was willing to pay extra if he could get it on with a matched set, twins. Burke didn't have a set of twins, but--"

Jamie broke in. "He had you and Ben, and the resemblance was good enough."

"Right. I told Jared there was no way I was going to have sex with my little brother, but Jared assured me that the guy didn't want that, just wanted us both there. There wasn't a whole lot we could do about it, so Ben and I just went along with it. Things started off normal. Well, as normal as can be expected when you're selling your ass, but then the guy went nuts on us."

Uh oh. Dillon was almost afraid to ask, but he had to. "Nuts, how?"

Another drag off the cigarette. "The guy got off on hearing other guys scream. The more pain he inflicted, the more he liked it. Ralph decided to do me first. His idea of foreplay was to knock me around, give me a bloody nose. I tried to fight back, and that's when he pulled out the knife." Mitch's fingers again found the scar on his cheek. "I backed away as soon as I saw it, but I didn't move fast enough. Bastard took a strip out of my cheek. That's when Ben knocked him over the head with a baseball bat one of the other boys had left within easy reach."

Jamie winced. "Ouch on both counts, but good for Ben. He did the right thing protecting you like that."

Mitch shook his head. "He thought he was doing the right thing, but we'd have both been better off if he'd just let the guy do his worst to me."

Dillon found that hard to believe, not unless . . . "Don't tell me Ben killed the guy?"

Mitch took in a deep breath. "That's exactly what happened. Well, what we thought happened, anyway. When Ralph didn't move, I called out for help. Jared came running in, and not long afterwards, Burke came home from his trip. They ordered Ben and me out of the room, said they'd take care of everything." Mitch sighed. "About an hour later, Burke came in and told us that Ralph was dead, that Ben had killed him. He also threw Ben out of the house, told him to pack his things and go."

"Wait. I thought Ben ran away."

"That's what he wanted people to think, James. Ben had been giving Burke fits for a while. He was smarter than Burke's other boys, myself included. Ben was always so headstrong, less inclined to follow orders than the others. I think Burke was relieved to have a good excuse to get rid of him, top money maker or not. I wanted to go with him, but Burke wouldn't allow it."

Since Ben had learned from the master, it didn't take Dillon long to figure out how Burke kept Mitch from leaving. "He blackmailed you, didn't he."

Mitch gave a weary nod. "Yeah, he did. Told me unless I broke off all ties with Ben, he'd have Ben arrested for murder. Claimed he had the whole thing on tape, and knowing Burke's penchant for taping his boys having sex, I believed him. From that point on, anytime I mentioned leaving, even after I turned eighteen, Burke would threaten to have Ben locked up if I left." He gave a sad smirk. "Guess I was too good at my job. Wanna know the funny part? The whole thing was one big lie. Ralph wasn't dead. The blow knocked him out, but except for one Louisville-Slugger sized headache, he was fine. Burke made the rest of it up to keep me right where he wanted me, and to get Ben out of his hair."

Damn. And Dillon thought he'd had it rough. "When did you find out?"

"Six months ago, not long after Burke's accident. I heard Burke and Jared arguing one afternoon. They didn't know I was anywhere around. Seems that Burke was trying to cut Jared out of the business. He'd decided he didn't need a partner, anymore, and he wasn't happy about the fact that Jared was having sex with some of his boys. Jared was going through a laundry list of things he'd done to help Burke out, including helping him get rid of Ben by staging Ralph's so-called murder. Jared threatened to tell me the truth if Burke dumped him, and he also threatened to expose Burke's own dirty little secret." Mitch's mouth twisted. "I didn't know what that secret was at the time, but I guess I do now, huh? God, I mean, I knew Burke was straight, but I thought he liked older women. Ones who at least qualified for a driver's license."

Jamie shivered, and Dillon pulled him in close without ever breaking eye contact with Mitch. "How did Burke respond to Jared's threats?"

"In typical Burke fashion. He shrugged them off, told Jared he didn't have any proof, and even if he got some, Burke was well connected enough to keep it from sticking." Mitch shook his head in amazement. "Even flat on his back recovering from a car crash, Burke had one hell of a nerve. He told Jared to go ahead and tell me the truth, that I would never leave him, and that Jared would never have the balls to expose their little operation. On that last part, he was right. Apparently, Ben was the one who got the dirt on Burke and started blackmailing him."

Dillon turned to look at Jamie. He could almost see the wheels in Jamie's brain going round. Jamie said, "I think they both did."

"Huh?"

"You said it yourself, Mitch. After what happened that night, why would Ben ever want to step foot inside that house again? Too much of a risk. To get the photos, he needed someone on the inside. Someone who could come and go when Burke wasn't around. Someone who knew the boys and the layout of the house."

Dillon said, "Someone like the mysterious Uncle Jared."

Mitch crushed his cigarette butt against the top of the Coke can and dropped it inside. "Son-of-a-bitch, you're right. Even with Burke trying to cut Jared out, he'd still have enough pull with the boys to get in and out of the place without Burke knowing. It's not like the boys cared enough about Burke's welfare to tell him that Jared was on the property. And Burke only had cameras set up in certain places. I should have thought of that the night Ralph was supposedly killed, but I was too damn scared to think rationally."

Dillon did reach out and pat him on the arm then, relieved when Mitch didn't flinch away. "Don't beat yourself up over it, man. You did the best you could under the circumstances. Out of curiosity, though, why didn't you leave when you found out that Burke and Jared had lied about Ralph?"

"I've asked myself that same question a thousand times. Scared, I guess. Where was I gonna go? I had a little bit of trick money saved up, but not enough to last any length of time, especially not after taking out the amount Lily guilted me into sending her each month. I was too old for foster care, and I'd burned all my bridges with Ben." Mitch picked at a tiny hole just above the knee of his jeans. "I only have one skill, and Lily didn't want me unless I 'earned my keep,' so it wasn't like I had a whole lot of options. All that changed when I came home from a night of tricking and found Burke's body shredded into hamburger on the front porch."

Jamie closed his eyes, and Dillon wondered if he was remembering the pictures he'd seen at the police station. Opening them again, he said, "You were the one who found him?"

Mitch nodded. "Yeah, and from the looks of it, the killer hadn't been gone long. If I'd gotten home about fifteen minutes sooner, there would have been two bodies lying on that porch."

Dillon was horrified. "What did you do?"

"The only thing I could do. I made a run for it. I more or less flew upstairs, grabbed what cash I'd saved, then made a break for it before the cops got there. At least Burke had no objections to us owning our own cars. In fact, he liked it because he didn't have to arrange a ride for us back and forth between jobs. All of the other boys were still out on their runs, so no one saw me. I hopped in my car, and I was outta there before I could get caught. When the police started their investigation, one of the guys who lived in the house gave them my name and told them I lived there, too. They traced me back to Lily, who was only too happy to help them since she figured she probably wouldn't be getting any more money out of me. She called me on my cell phone and told me the cops were looking for me. She even sounded happy about it, the witch. But I played it cool. I went down to the station on my own and gave them my statement--something to the affect of not having seen or heard anything. They must have bought it, because they let me go with the standard, 'If you think of anything that might help the case, please let us know.' That was it. They were done with me, and I hit the road."

That's when Dillon remembered. "You said something earlier about Michigan. Is that where you went?"

"Yeah. I met this john a few months ago, one of the only ones who's ever really been nice to me. He lives up there, but comes to Chicago every now and again on business. He's a decent enough guy, only picks up hustlers who are over the age of eighteen. Anyway, he told me once if I ever needed anything, I could call on him. I made it seem like I was up that way for a visit or something." Mitch pulled out another cigarette. "I'm sure he knew I was lying, but he's cool enough not to ask any questions. I hid out with him until I called Lily three days ago to see if the heat was off. I more or less had to promise to pick up a few tricks and send her some cash just to get her to tell me anything. That's when I found out you guys were looking for me. I drove straight here, and the rest, you know."

Dillon had no idea listening to someone else's story could be so emotionally draining. He ached deep inside for Mitch, and, as much as he hated to admit it, for Ben. He stood up and stretched. "So here's what we've got so far. We know that Burke had a partner, and that he's most likely the one who gave those pictures of Burke to Ben. Why do that though? Why use Ben to blackmail Burke?"

Mitch lit the second cigarette. "Because what Burke said was true. Jared wouldn't have the balls under normal circumstances to do his own dirty work. He'd want someone else to handle the negotiations. Who better than Ben, a guy who hated Burke with every fiber of his being? Hell, knowing my brother, he jumped at the chance to give Burke a little payback."

Jamie again moved to the edge of his seat. "Then it makes perfect sense that Burke would have turned all his anger on Ben. Maybe he thought Ben was acting alone. Maybe he thought killing Ben was the only way to get out from under the threat."

"I'm still not buying it, James. I do think Burke was bluffing with Jared when he told him he wasn't worried about having his secrets exposed. Otherwise, he never would have paid the blackmail in the first place. But the very fact that he did pay it rules out murder in my mind. If Burke was gonna kill Ben, he'd have done it right at the beginning, when Ben made his first demand. He wouldn't have waited." Mitch thought for a minute. "You said Ben was blackmailing another guy, some rich man whose son Ben was seeing. What about him? Could he have killed Ben?"

Jamie shook his head. "He was out of the country on a business trip. I checked. And even so, if your argument towards Burke being innocent is 'why pay if you're just gonna kill the guy,' then the same could be said for Mr. Barnes, He paid Ben almost as much as Burke did. If he was gonna kill Ben or hire someone else to do it, why pay?"

Mitch thumped his ashes into the can. "There goes that theory."

Dillon paced the living room. "I think you're both overlooking the obvious. If Ben was willing to double cross Ash the way he did, who's to say he didn't double cross this Jared guy? We're all reasonably sure that Jared and Ben had to be working together. Who's to say Burke didn't pay off Ben only to have Ben keep the whole thing, rather than giving said partner a cut?"

Jamie stood up then. "We could sit here all night talking this out and never know the truth. Until we find out who this Jared guy really is, and how he hooked back up with Ben after Ben left Burke's, there's no way to know whether we're dead on or grasping at straws." He started towards the kitchen, then stopped. "I've got a howling case of the munchies. You guys hungry?"

Dillon grinned. "You don't even have to ask. You know I'm always hungry." He looked down at Mitch. "How about you?"

Mitch rose to his feet and shook his head. "I should go. It's late, and I'm sure you guys will want to hit the sack soon."

Jamie said, "It's not that late, and besides, you came all this way just to talk to us. The least we owe you is a meal, even if it is just a bologna sandwich and a bag of chips."

Mitch plunked the remains of his cigarette into the can and carried it to the wastebasket at the edge of the kitchen. "You don't owe me anything. I'm the one who owes you for being there for Ben when I wasn't." He paused. "There is one thing I'd like to ask of you, though."

Dillon went on alert and stepped closer to Jamie. "Oh yeah, and what's that?"

Mitch smiled. "You're a regular guard dog where this boy's concerned, aren't you?" He smiled at Jamie. "You're one lucky guy to have someone who loves you that much." To both of them he said, "I was wondering if you had a picture of Ben I could have?"

Dillon was immediately ashamed. "Hey, man, I'm sorry. I had no idea you didn't have any."

"No harm, no foul. I have some old ones, a few from when we were kids, but nothing recent." Mitch's voice dropped and so did his eyes. "It's been close to three years since I last saw him. I don't even know exactly what he looked like when he died."

Right at that moment, Dillon wished the damn apartment was wallpapered with pictures of Lewis, anything to ease this guy's pain. But he didn't have so much as a snapshot of Ben, and judging from the look on Jamie's face, neither did he. Jamie said, "I don't have a single picture. Ben hated photos. They had to make him take his school pictures for the yearbook." The minute he said it, Jamie smacked himself on the forehead. "Of course. Ben's picture is in last year's yearbook. I'll go ahead and show it to you now, then see if I can get you a copy from somewhere. Sit back down while I get it."

Mitch smiled, the first real smile he'd given since walking in. "Thanks, man. That means a lot."

Mitch took a seat in the same chair as before and waited for Jamie. He didn't have to wait long. Jamie came in from the bedroom with last year's book and stood on one side of Mitch's chair, leaving Dillon to take the other. Flipping through the book, Jamie opened it to the page Ben was on and laid it in Mitch's lap. "There you go."

Mitch traced the face in the picture with one finger, so much hurt and longing in that one gesture that Dillon wanted to weep. Not surprisingly, the tears were flowing freely down Mitch's cheeks when he looked up and said, "He looks so grown up in this picture. God, I wish I could have been there, especially when . . . well, you know." He took a minute to clear his eyes, then said, "Are there any more pictures of him in here?"

Jamie grinned. "Knowing Ben, not if he could help it. But you can flip through and see. The yearbook staff always fills the extra pages with snapshots of the student body."

Mitch nodded. "That part of high school I do remember." He picked up the book and started flipping through. "I'm glad at least that Ben was sticking it out with school. I quit and never went back. I--" Mitch stopped and his entire face froze. He dropped the book face down and jumped to his feet. "What the hell kinda game are you trying to pull?"

Dillon rounded the chair and picked up the book. "What are you talking about?"

"You told me you didn't know anything about Burke's partner. I wanna know what's going on, and I wanna know now."

Dillon opened the book to the page it had fallen on and saw the full-page picture of Dan Morgan. "This? You mean Principal Morgan?"

"That's what he's calling himself?" Mitch searched first Dillon's and then Jamie's faces. "My God, you really didn't know. Your Principal Morgan is my Uncle Jared. We just found Burke's partner."

Dillon dropped the book like it was a live coal. "Jesus." He took one look at Jamie's horrified expression and said, "That's it. We're calling Brandon. Now. If he's not back from Chicago, the dispatcher's just gonna have to track him down." He looked at Mitch. "If you're not gonna back us up on this, then you can leave."

Mitch shook his head. "I'm with you all the way on this one."

Jamie reached for the phone, just as Dillon heard a loud pop and the living room window exploded inwards in a hail of glass and bullets.