Melting Ice 6 Read online

  “Let go of me.” Quincy met his gaze now. “What’s your problem?”

  The man stared at Quincy a few minutes, then released him. “You’re Quince Ulverton.”

  Quincy narrowed his eyes. “Do we know each other?”

  “No,” he smiled, “but I knew your brother.”

  Quincy froze. His brother was the last person he wanted to talk about. “Well,” he looked away, “Bruce is dead, so--”

  “Yeah, I know. You miss him?”

  Quince gave him a curious look.

  “Just askin’, ‘cause don’t worry, soon you’ll be reunited.” He lifted his hand and made his finger like he was pulling the trigger on a gun.

  Quincy blinked. “What…what are you saying? You threatening me? I’ll go to the police.”

  “No, you won’t,” he said, a glint in his eyes. “You involve the police, and just maybe your pretty little niece and sister-in-law will have a nasty accident one day.”

  Quincy swallowed hard. “You stay away from them! And what do you know about my brother’s death?”

  “Oh,” he shrugged, “quite a lot.” He met Quincy’s gaze. “See, I’m the one who killed him.”

  Quincy felt the words like a blow. The man kept walking, and Quincy stood there as if someone had suddenly pulled the bottom out from under him.

  Bruce had died a slow and torturous death in prison. It had happened shortly after Quincy had been released on probation, not that his presence would have made any difference. He hadn’t spoken to his brother since Bruce had gotten him involved in his stupid scam. Bruce had requested several meetings with him inside before he was murdered, but Quincy had ignored him.

  After it happened, Quincy was told there were no eyewitnesses, and no suspects. How in the hell did this creep know he was Bruce’s brother? And why would he threaten his life?

  Quincy suddenly sprinted around the corner to see where the guy had gone. When he saw him standing on the stoop of Marty’s, his heart sank. This had to be the new guy Marty was talking about, this Sidney Bengal.

  Quincy stood there watching for a moment then turned and walked back down the street. He had a bad feeling about this guy. This feeling followed him all morning as he did some paperwork at the office. The guy had admitted to murdering his brother, and acted like he was after him. He just couldn’t let it go, could he?

  When he got to his office, Quincy picked up the phone. He dialled emergency.

  The operator answered.

  Dare he ask to be connected to Detective Tyler Richmond? What could Tyler do about an idle threat? Would he do anything?

  The operator spoke again.

  Quincy hung up.

  How could he just call Tyler after all this time and ask for his help? Maybe it was just an excuse to see him again. But he hadn’t misinterpreted the guy.

  Quincy buried his head in his hands. He honestly didn’t know what to do. He’d hesitated once before in talking to Tyler about what was happening, and it had led to a prison term.

  “Why in the hell didn’t you tell me what was going on?” Tyler had asked him the day Quincy was arrested. The pain in his eyes, the absolute devastation on Tyler’s face still haunted him.

  It was the last time they’d ever been in the same room together. Quincy tried to tell him, but he didn’t know how. Everything he said sounded contrived. Tyler was so upset that he wasn’t listening, just kept asking Quincy why he’d done it. Quincy could hardly stand it. He couldn’t even look at the man he loved.

  Quincy picked up the phone again. He had to swallow his pride and call Tyler. Maybe he could pick this Sidney guy up for questioning or…something. He got the emergency operator. “Operator, I need to get in touch with a Detective Tyler Richmond of the NYPD.”

  “Is this an emergency, sir?”

  “Ah…no but I need to talk to him as soon as possible.”

  “Are you requesting any immediate service?”

  “No. I just need to talk to Tyler Richmond.”

  “Hold the line, please.”

  * * * * * * “So,” his little sister Nancy called out, flinging herself on Tyler’s unmade bed, “Kevin asked me about you again the other day.”

  Tyler finished putting his underwear in the top drawer of his bureau, then looked at her. His younger sister was a petite brunette with a personality far too bubbly for her size, and also a first class pest. “Will you get off my bed, please?”

  “I will when you acknowledge what I’m saying. Come on, Ty. Kevin is a nice guy, and cute. He’s damn near perfect.”

  “Well, if he’s so perfect, you go out with him,” Tyler muttered.

  “I’m lacking certain…ah…equipment.” Nancy

  jumped up and grabbed Tyler’s arm, pulling him over

  to the mirror. “Look at you!”

  “I know what I look like, twerp.”

  “Yes, but pay attention. You’re buff and gorgeous,

  but you’re twenty-nine years old!” She shook her head sadly. “You won’t always have that body, or that chiselled jaw.” She waved her finger at him. “In a few years, you’ll be old and decrepit. Everything will sag and you’ll go bald, maybe even lose your teeth. You’ll literally fall apart like those characters in horror movies. Who is going to want to have sex with you then, Tyler?” Nancy looked so serious standing

  there in her flowered sundress and strapless sandals. Tyler fought a smile. “Oh, I don’t know, how many

  years do I have left, you think?”

  Nancy ran her eyes over him. “Um, I’d say about

  five, six at the most.”

  He started to laugh. “Well, then,” he put his arm

  around her and hugged her tighter than normal, “that

  means soon I won’t be able to go out anymore, or

  even feed myself. You’re going to have to help me,

  you know…wash myself and wipe my…” He made

  the pretence of wiping his bum with his hand, then

  trying to press his hand to her face.

  “Oh Gawd…Gross!” She struggled away from him.

  “You are so sick, Tyler Richmond! Why couldn’t I

  have had a sister?”

  Tyler did his mad laugh and chased her around the

  room with his hand out in front of him. “Help me…

  I’m old. I’m old!”

  She finally reached out and punched him in the

  arm. “Get serious!” She checked her long, dark hair in

  the mirror. “I’m concerned about you, Ty. You think I

  should get highlights?”

  He shook his head. “Sure, get highlights and forget

  about me, the old and untouchable.”

  She laughed, watching him shove some clothes in a

  bag. “So how come I didn’t catch some strange hunk walking around your bedroom in his underwear this

  time?”

  “Bad timing for you? And speaking of that,” he

  turned and pointed at her, “I told you to call before

  you come over. Just because you have a place a few

  blocks down now doesn’t mean you can just bust in

  on me any time you feel like it.”

  “That’s no fun. It’s like a parade of the most

  gorgeous men in New York here, and I won’t be able

  to see any of them.”

  “Exactly my point!”

  She crossed her arms. “Tyler Richmond! You can

  not, and I repeat, can not play the field forever.” “And how many boyfriends do you have

  presently, young lady?” Tyler grinned.

  “Just one.” Her head shot up. “Paul.”

  “What about the guy you said showed up last

  weekend at Uncle Freddy’s birthday party?” “Oh…well…him, he’s just some guy from school.

  He’s not my boyfriend…exactly. We kind of hooked

  up once, but…” Nancy sat back down on the bed and

  was picking
at the blanket.

  “Hooked up? I see. And does Paul know about

  this…ah…hookup?”

  “No,” she snapped, looking up. “And don’t you

  say a word.”

  “I won’t, on one condition,” Tyler walked toward

  the bedroom door, “you get off my case about

  meeting this Kevin guy.”

  She followed him. “Why? He’s really nice.” “The last guy you tried to fix me up with believed

  his dead grandmother spoke to him through the

  walls.”

  “Well…I didn’t know he was a freak. He was really

  cute. I’m entitled to one act of misjudgement.

  Anyway, you can’t blackmail your own sister.” He shrugged. “Sure I can.”

  “You’re a cop.”

  “So what?”

  “It’s illegal and stuff.”

  “That won’t stop me.” Downstairs, Tyler pecked

  her on the cheek. “Now, can you please go away so I

  can get on the road?”

  “Glad you’re taking a week off, but why go out in

  the woods? Why not go to some exotic place where

  there are dancing boys, and--?”

  “I told you, pest.” He tweaked her nose. “I want to

  do some fishing, and relax with no cell phones or

  distractions for a while. Dancing boys would

  definitely qualify as a distraction, don’t you think?” He’d just finished a long and emotionally

  wrenching case where he and his team had finally

  nailed a serial rapist. It had been rough gathering the

  evidence that ensured he would be convicted. Tyler

  had lost a great deal of sleep over that one. He

  desperately needed some down time.

  “What if something happens out there with you all

  alone, miles from civilization?” Nancy asked. He laughed. “All of the guys on the force know

  this place. It’s used for law enforcement stuff from

  time to time. So I guess if no one hears from me after

  a month or so, someone would drive out and find

  me.”

  “A month, or so! Oh, and Kevin likes fishing, you

  know.”

  He gave her a look.

  “Is that hot cop you been shagging lately…ah,

  Billy? Is he going too?”

  “Never mind,” he muttered.

  “I don’t like him much. He’s too pretty. Anyway,

  you can’t just abandon me now that I’m in university.

  It’s a fragile time for me, and I do have mental health

  issues that need seeing to. It is your duty as my older

  and wiser brother to attend to these issues.” Tyler grinned. “What a head case you are. Okay,

  I’ll bite. What mental health issues do you have this

  time?”

  “Well, I don’t like my roommate.” She looked

  sulky. “She hogs the bathroom and is basically a slob.

  Don’t like the apartment either, carpet makes me

  sneeze. And no cute guys in the building. You live

  closer to campus, don’t have a carpet and this place is

  pretty boy heaven.”

  “No.” He shook his head. He put his hands on her

  back and pushed her toward the door. “We talked

  about that. I don’t have the room, and you only want

  to live with me so you don’t have to use the money

  Mom gives you to cover the rent. I’m not subsidizing

  your Spring Break vacation to Mexico this year,

  kiddo. Get a job!”

  “I wouldn’t be in the way,” she protested. “I could

  look after the cat and the boys.”

  “I don’t have a cat. And the boys, as you call them,

  can look after themselves.”

  “You could get a cat.”

  “No. Now, I love you, say goodbye.” He waved.

  “See you in a week.”

  “Love you too.” She pecked his cheek. “And I was

  kidding about you falling apart in six years. It will be

  at least ten until that happens.”

  Tyler rolled his eyes. “Get out!”

  Ever since he’d made detective, his life was like a

  whirlwind. Aside from his sister barging in whenever

  she spotted his car parked outside, he really didn’t get

  to see his family that much. He’d even missed his

  uncle’s birthday party. His mother only lived twenty

  minutes away by car, and he hadn’t been home in

  three months. He did try and call her once a week. His father had died six years after Nancy was born,

  and their mother worked most of the time in a dry

  cleaning store. She was retired now. He had been

  responsible for looking after his little sister, and they

  were close.

  There had always been the two of them, and he’d

  been rather protective of her as a teenager. He

  supposed now she was paying him back. She was

  always trying to find him a boyfriend, and that was

  the last thing he wanted.

  He’d had a boyfriend once, and he’d turned out to

  be the greatest disappointment of his life. He vowed

  never, ever to fall in love like that again.

  Quincy had been his first love, and his first lover

  too. They’d met in high school, and once they had,

  Tyler’s entire world revolved around him. Quincy

  was handsome, funny, sexy and smart, the guy he

  was going to spend the rest of his life with. Or so he

  thought, until Quincy broke the law.

  Their lives together seemed all planned out. Right

  out of high school, they moved in together. They had

  this tiny little place near the college. Tyler was in

  police tech, Quincy in computer science.

  Tyler had been accepted into the academy, and he became a cop. Quincy was sitting in the audience, crying tears of joy. He would graduate himself six months later and Tyler was there, near tears himself. They were even dreaming about their first house

  when everything went to shit.

  Tyler shook his head. He always gave himself a

  mental slap whenever Quincy came into his mind. He

  hated to admit it, but thoughts of Quincy were far

  more frequent than he would have preferred, even

  after all this time.

  If only he could forget the way Quincy kissed, the

  way it felt to be inside of him. His smile. They could

  talk about anything for hours, or not talk at all. He

  had been his best friend, his soul mate, and his one

  true love…and Quincy had thrown it all away for

  money.

  Anyway, to hell with it, to hell with love and work

  and everything else! He was going to get away from

  the city for a while, away from everything.

  Chapter Two

  It was great to spend the day with Allison, but Quincy found himself checking his cell phone often. He was stressed thinking about talking to Tyler on the phone, and more than frantic thinking that maybe Tyler wouldn’t call back at all. He’d left a message on Tyler’s voicemail. It was weird that Tyler hadn’t called him back, or at least had someone call in his place. Was Tyler still that angry? Did he hate him that much?

  Quincy took Allison to a film she wanted to see, but he couldn’t concentrate on the movie. He turned his phone back on the minute they came out of the theatre.

  “Uncle Quince,” Allison said, “are you waiting for an important phone call or something?”

  “Yeah,” he said. He had a message, but it was from one of his men telling him they’d finished a job. H
e sighed. “It’s okay.” He smiled at her and grabbed her hand. “Where we going for supper, kid?”

  Allison was running down her suggestions to him but Quincy was distracted by something. He spotted someone watching them from a distance. He narrowed his eyes, realising who it was. “Shit,” he said softly. Sidney Bengal.

  “Uncle Quince!” Allison chastised him.

  “Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand, “let’s go.” He pulled Allison in the other direction.

  “Where are we going?” she asked. “Why are we running?”

  Quincy pulled Allison into the nearest restaurant, a little greasy spoon diner where people sat at counters munching sandwiches and fries.

  “We’re eating here?” Allison looked around, discouraged.

  “No, just wait,” he said, standing by the door.

  “Sir.” A waiter came over. “Would you like a table?”

  “Ah…yes…no…” He shook his head, clutching Allison’s hand. Then he fell back, pushing Allison behind him as Sidney walked by the door.

  “Which is it, sir?” The waiter insisted.

  “Yes, fine,” he said, pulling Allison with him to a booth the waiter led them to. “You sit on this side,” he said. He wanted to be able to watch the door.

  “I’m not having fun anymore,” she muttered, sliding into the booth.

  “I’m sorry honey,” he said touching her hand. “I… let’s just get something here and I’ll take you home. Something’s come up. Look, they have fries, you like fries.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “Bring us a menu,” he told the waiter. When the menu came, Quincy told Allison to order anything she wanted. Thankfully there were milkshakes and hotdogs on the menu. Along with fries, she was quite happy. Quincy ordered coffee. He had no appetite. Why in the hell was that guy following him? Was Allison in danger? Damn it. Why didn’t Tyler return his call?

  As soon as Allison finished eating, Quincy hurried her back to the car. He didn’t begin to breathe easier until he’d kissed her goodbye and she was safely inside. Then he sat there outside the house watching for the next half hour.

  When he got to his street and turned into the driveway, he saw a man sitting on his front porch. He got out slowly and closed the door. The man stood. Quincy swallowed. “Okay, what do you want, Sidney?” he demanded. “Why in fuck are you following me?”

  Sidney Bengal walked down the steps to the pavement. “You can make this go away, Mr. Ulverton,” he said, “if you just tell me where it is.”