Evolution (18 page)

Finally, he pushed himself away from the table.
“I’m sorry to be such a wet blanket, but I have to catch a plane for a business meeting in Denver tomorrow. My flight’s before the crack of dawn.”

He stood, and Richard followed suit.
“Don’t be a stranger,” he said. Jeff nodded, embarrassed, and Richard hugged him again. “I love you, kid,” he added.

Jeff pulled away, nodded a good night to Brenda, then headed across the restaurant, never looking back.

Richard watched him and didn’t take his seat until Jeff was gone.

Brenda studied her lover’s long face, knowing this evening would leave him feeling somber for weeks.
“Shall we have another drink?” she suggested.

Richard shrugged. “Why not.” He signaled the waiter and asked for refills.

They gazed out at the darkened scenery. Richard was lost in melancholy thoughts. He had a tendency to fall into depression over events he had no control over.

The waiter arrived, setting down new cocktail napkins and delivering the fresh drinks, taking the old glasses with him.

“Do you want to know what I think?” Brenda asked.

Richard looked up and managed a wan smile. “I always want to know what you think.”

Brenda gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile in return. “I have a feeling that one day you and Jeffy will be close friends; something you wanted for a long time.”

Richard raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Bullshit.”

“No, I’m serious. Have you ever known me to be wrong?” she asked.

He stared at her as though suddenly intrigued. “No.
Tell me more.”

Brenda shrugged. “I don’t know any more. I just have a gut feeling.”

Richard picked up his glass. “Then let’s drink to that.”

Brenda lifted her glass.
“To you and Jeffy.”

“To Jeff and me,” Richard repeated, and they clinked glasses and drank.

Of course, it wasn’t going to be an easy road. Something awful had to happen to force the brothers to come together, and it wasn’t the consequences of Shelley’s death. But ultimately they would be reunited. Brenda believed it, but had no inkling how—or when—that would happen.

She sipped her sherry and gazed into her lover’s eyes, and hoped with all her heart she was right.

WHAT HAPPENED IN BETWEEN?

The stories included in this collection don’t include everything I know about Jeff and Richard. There are many facts concerning their lives I know about but didn’t warrant separate stories.

Like the fact Richard has battled depression several times in his adult life. The first time was after Cat
hy left him and then soon after Jeff left, too. It took him several lonely years to get over that. His next battle with depression came after yet another woman left him. (Esca Borgstrom (
Bound By Suggestion
). It was then that Brenda, his assistant, became central to his life and, in essence, saved him. But then when he lost his job of eighteen years, depression hit again. The move back to Buffalo wasn’t working out, either (
Murder on the Mind
) until Jeff reentered his life, and even then they were still on rocky ground. But ultimately, Richard’s life has improved.

Meanwhile, as a consequence of the mugging, Jeff isn’t truly sure that the memories he has are true to the actual events. That’s why some of the “facts” in these short stories might be a tad off
from what transpired in the mysteries. Because of the brain damage Jeff received, he will never be sure that what he remembers actually happened in exactly the way or sequence of events. For the most part, his memories are true.

Jeff and Richard have not always been honest with each other.
In
Bound By Suggestion
, after Maggie has confessed her infidelity, Jeff states that Richard has never been dumped, and Richard does not deny it. That lie of omission haunts him later when he thinks about Esca. Richard had an opportunity to say, “Hey, I feel your pain,” but he didn’t. He was too proud to admit it.

Brenda and Maggie also have baggage, but the crux of the stories, for me, has always been the trust issues between Jeff and Richard. And they will continue to test that ground in the future.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my own life journey, it’s that sibling relationships are always in flux. And conflict, both internal (Jeff’s struggles within himself) and external (with Richard and the world at large) are the heart of the stories.

So will future stories reveal more of Jeff’s inner conflicts?

You’ll just have to keep reading to find out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorraine Bartlett’s pen name Lorna Barrett on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent—whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett—that keeps her there. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square Mystery series, and now the Tales of Telenia fantasy saga, and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s). Check out the links to all her works here: http://www.lorrainebartlett.com

You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

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Other Books by L.L. Bartlett

The Jeff Resnick Mysteries

Writing as L.L. Bartlett

The Jeff Resnick Mysteries