CHAPTER 19 (Song-song blue, Ian doesn’t have one)
IAN: “Come here, I missed you, oh god you reek, go shower, and I will wait for you. So what do you think of the house?”
“I love the house, I just wish people will leave us in peace.”
“They will, baby, give it time. I need your advice, should I open my practice again?”
He came out the shower, the water dripping onto the tiles. His body was perfection. Lean and strong, he was ageless. Despite. “Up to you Ian, I don’t care what you do, as long as you are happy.”
“Get into bed.” Ian kissed him, the kiss deepened, they always found the perfect rhythm. They were perfect together. They had been for most of their lives.
“Ian, Melo?” It was more a statement than an actual question.
“Baby, let’s have tonight, tomorrow may never come. You know we will deal with him, now kiss me, like you love me.”
MONTES: “Jose’, I need you to come with me to the Costa house, the ‘Canary’ strikes again.”
“Patra~o, I thought that was all in the past?”
“If I was in the past, we would be investigating another homicide, Jose’.” Jose’ nodded, Dick!
The ME called Montes one side. “Melo was with you, he tucked in the children, then came up here, and found her. She was strangled. I will have to do an autopsy.”
Montes asked Melo if he could talk to him.
“I thought she was asleep. Are you going to arrest Ian Alvesio?”
“On what charges, Melo?” Melo punched the detective in the face. “This is why the bodies keep piling up, you are all incompetent. All of you, fuck off out of my house.”
Montes told the ME, to remove the body, and for the other officers to leave, he knew they wouldn’t find shit, if they had to scrub the pan. “Can any of you tell me the where Ian Alvesio was the past hour?” Jose’ held up his hand. “At home, the cars are in the garage, he was tending to his dogs, the officer that had eyes on him, says he has photos to corroborate his story, and that Melo pulled a gun on Ian, he will be at the precinct.”
Montes drove to the precinct post-haste. It was true, the house didn’t have any drapes. Melo had a gun pointed at Ian, even though he was standing in his boxers and his socks, the other photos showed Ian tending to the dogs, cooking, and feeding the cat. Airtight. “Did anyone enter the house besides Melo?”
“No patra~o.”
“Then send your relief, and go home.” Montes was sitting in the middle of a shit storm. The Chief called him in, that was never a good conversation. Montes had no answers, he had nada. The Chief sent him home. “Bring me evidence, or don’t come to work.” Montes went home. He lived alone. His wife divorced him years ago. His son never talks to him, well he had chosen this life.
He switched on the lights throughout the house. Poured a drink and froze. “Do you want a drink?”
“Si, por favour, detective.” Montes knew it was over, it was always over when the ‘Canary” came knocking. He handed him the drink, and sat down. “You won, you truly won. I would never have suspected you, just tell me why?’
“That is what they all ask, why? In the name of love detective, we do strange and terrible things for the one we love.”
“Melo. Will you let him live?”
“I don’t know, I never know, once the switch goes on, I lose all control over my actions. I didn’t want to kill Mick, hell I didn’t want to be a killer.”
“What did you want to be, if I may ask?”
“Mm, I think a surgeon, that would have been my first choice, but life is like the ocean, it will send you in another direction, even if you were aiming for North.”
“Very poetic.” Montes knew he would not go down without a fight, he grabbed for his service revolver, and a bullet blew the back of his head clean off.
“Now, that was a shame, I liked him.”
MELO: He was packing, he needed to get the children to safety. He called his sister, she would take them in. He had the car packed. “Se apressa.” He drove away a little too fast. It was a two hour drive to his sisters.
Melo didn’t say too much, not in front of his sister, she was a spinster, the children would be safe with her. He had seen too it, and that they would never need for anything. He embraced the children, then his sister. “Take care of them, and no matter what you hear, don’t believe it, the truth will be revealed one day.”
Melo drove back to Alvorada. He drove straight to Ian’s house. The front door wasn’t locked. The cop on duty, watched him, and he saw the gun in his hand, he ran into the house. Ian came around the corner, he held his hands up. The cop told Melo to drop the weapon. Melo shook his head trough his tears. “No.”
“Senhor Costa put down the gun.” Melo aimed and pulled the trigger, Ian fell to the floor, the bullet hit him in his bicep. The cop fired, and the bullet went through Melo’s heart. He was dead before he hit the floor. The officer called in for back up. Montes never showed up. Ian refused to leave the animals, they assured him, they would take them to the Vet, the paramedics said he had to have surgery. Ian was carried out on a stretcher, and Melo on a gurney.
The operation was a success, Ian was released. He called a cab to take him home, and to fetch his animals.
“That was the last one, baby. Are we done now?”
“Yes, we are done now. I will drive for you tomorrow, get better, I love you.”
Ian went to bed, his wound throbbed, he took the pain medication, and thought about the past two years. So much death, so many people dead, and for what? Because he was different? The first time Marisa realised that he was ‘different’ she told him to see a shrink. “I am not ill Marisa, it’s not like my childhood was a bed of roses.”
“I don’t care, Ian, see someone, or you will see a divorce decree.” That really changed things in their marriage. Ian stayed away from temptation. And then Marisa died. He lived his double life, then Eloa came along, and Breno, and … and ….. and. Once Carolina was out of the way, he was free to be himself. Not that he wished any of them dead. Collateral damage.
Jesse and Jordo went for their first walk in the park. Ian’s arm was still in a sling, the dogs walked slow, so he could hold both leashes in one hand. He was healing, he missed running, he would have to be patient, time heals all wounds.
Life was good, better than good, Fuffy was expecting, the house was fully furnished, and it was an amazing place. Jesse and Jordo made a full recovery, and so did Ian. They played in the garden daily, he was happy. Three months later he was back to running, but he had to keep that arm tight to his chest. He drove again, and was still pondering if he should open his practice again. He ran, his pulse in his ears, the sweat dripped off his nose, the breeze cooled his hot body, he ran, the branches hitting him in the face. “Bastard, take off your clothes.” He only had one wish, and that was to put his past to rest, as he had so many friends, he wished he could bury his past.
Ian stopped, he nearly tripped over his own feet, he wiped the sweat from his eyes. “Roberto? Roberto, you are alive….” Ian noticed the gun.
“We need to talk. Walk to your house, and don’t try me Ian, I will kill you, and not blink an eye.”
Ian let Roberto into the house, the dogs were asleep in the back yard. “You can come with me, but I need to shower Roberto.” Roberto nodded, and closed the back door. He knew how protective those dogs where. Ian showered, and dressed they went down stairs, the gun still aimed at Ian.
ROBERTO: “I have watched you for years, even as a child, I knew you were not normal, but I thought it was all the abuse, then I thought you had a split personality, and I felt sorry for you, but when he tried to kill me, I knew you were the master mind behind it all, the problem was I couldn’t prove it. So I watched, took photos, and waited for this day. He slaughtered my family, where is he Ian? Where is Breno?’
IAN: “At work, he drives for me, he didn’t mean it, Roberto, you know what our lives were like. I love him, he is my brother, no matter what he did, or what he did to me, I will forgive him.”
ROBERTO: “Call your lover.”
IAN: “I will, but I need to explain. Breno and I knew that Carlos had another son, he cheated on Mama, not that we blamed him, so Breno and I looked for him, when I met him, I fell in love. Breno and I stayed in contact, but we were never close. The night Lorena died, was the first time he and I made love, I loved him, but not like a brother, I had Breno, I never knew how ill Breno was, that I swear to you, I killed Mama, not because she raped me, because she found us together, she beat him, and called him names, I hit her, she bumped her head, and she was dead. We called Breno, and he said he would take care of it, we should leave. I packed, and in my haste, I forgot the box with the photos in it. He and I stayed in a crappy Motel until I went to varsity, so we parted ways. I didn’t hear from him, neither did I hear from Breno. I married Marisa, because she told me she was pregnant. As it turned out we never had children. I don’t know when Breno, arrived back in my life, but he black mailed me, he would tell Marisa about my past, and that I was a murder. He would lock me up in the boathouse and pretend to be me. Marisa received a photo of me, and him, and it ended up as a terrible fight, that’s when she started her affair with Doc Sexy. I didn’t blame her. When I found her dead I knew Breno was back. I confided in him, and he helped me, after that we saw each other sporadically. We have tried to put Breno away, but he is always one step ahead.
When Breno locked me in that room, I knew he was too far gone, I tried to save them all, but he wouldn’t listen, and he imitated me so well, no one could tell the difference. Doc Melo, he put it all together, he thought I was Breno, that Ian was my split, he met him, but he wouldn’t believe me. Melo tried to kill me, but a cop got him. I don’t want to drag him into this, he is the love of my life, Roberto, right or wrong, we never killed anyone, we have a good life now. Get Breno, and let us live.”
ROBERTO: “Where is Breno?”
IAN: “Standing right behind you.”
BRENO: “Back from the dead, I see, and I take it my twin sang like a ‘Canary?’
ns 15.158.61.55da2
