The House of Storms

By: Geron Kees
(© 2017 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

GKees@tickiestories.us

Chapter 5

 "Some detectives you two turned out to be," Tony said later, grinning at the Dane brothers. "Living in the same house together, both of you like boys instead of girls, and neither one knew about the other."
 
 Frank and Joe both laughed. "Well, it's not really the kind of thing you look for," Frank said, a little defensively. "I mean, it's not like we had a lot of clues."
 
 "Yeah," Joe said in agreement. "We were doing our best to hide it, not share it." He made a face then. "It's not like you knew and we didn't."
 
 Tony shrugged, but gave a small nod of agreement. "You're right. I would have never figured your brother was a homo like us."
 
 Frank's eyebrows shot up. "Well, first of all, I don't like that word. The new term for what we are is gay. I would much rather you call me that, okay?"
 
 Joe laughed. "Where'd you hear that? Gay just means happy and carefree."
 
 Frank leaned forward. "It also means guys that like guys. I heard it in New York City when dad and I went there last year to settle the Morgan Estate matter. The people in the city are right on the forefront of things Joe. They use the term gay, okay?"
 
 Joe and Tony looked at each other. Tony grinned and nodded, and Joe turned back to face his brother. "It's okay by us. I like that better than 'homo', anyway."
 
 The boys had traded stories of how they had come to be with their best friends, and they were strikingly similar. What was amazing to Frank and Joe both was that they had never suspected each other of being anything but girl-chasers. Sure, neither boy had settled on a full-time girl yet, but Joe was always flirting with Tony's sister, and Frank had had more than one outing with Chip's sister.
 
 Frank shook his head, smiling at Joe. "All those picnics down by the reservoir with the girls sitting on a blanket with us, and we were both thinking about the girl's brothers!"
 
 Tony made a small face. "I hope Debbie never finds out. She likes you, Joe. This would really hurt her."
 
 Joe looked stunned. "I don't want to do that. Well, I'll sure try not to. But...Tony, we've talked about this. You're the one I love, not her."
 
 "Yes, I know." The other boy frowned. "Gee, we'll really have to be careful with this one."
 
 "It's the same with Frank," Chip pointed out. He smiled at his boyfriend. "Ellie is a little crazy about you. But I sure can see why."
 
 Frank smiled, and nodded. "I do like her. But, Chipper...I love you!"
 
 Chip put his face in his hands, but he was smiling. "You Danes sure know how to complicate things!"
 
 Frank looked over at the clock on the desk. They needed a break from all of this to absorb the new situation. "Not even ten yet. I don't know about you fellas, but I'm kind of hungry. Want to run down to the dining room and see if we can grab a late bite to eat?"
 
 "Sure thing," Joe said, bouncing to his feet. "All this confessing my sins has roughed up my appetite!"
 
 The other boys laughed, and got to their feet. Frank looked at the door between rooms, and then at his brother. "Think dad would want to go? We should ask him."
 
 The opened the door and went into Joe's room, and rapped lightly at their father's door. They heard footsteps on the other side, and the door pushed inward.
 
 Mr. Dane was wearing a robe, had a book in one hand, and had his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He smiled when asked if he was hungry.
 
 "Actually, I could use something, but I am too engrossed in this novel just now to go." He held up his book, and the boys peered at the cover. The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler.
 
 "Is it good?" Joe asked, grinning at his dad's penchant for mystery novels. The man loved a good mystery in print almost as much as he loved to take on the real ones.
 
 "Is it! I can't believe I've had this book laying around the house since before the war, and never got around to reading it. It's terrific!" He sighed. "They made a movie of it a couple of years back, but your mother and I were busy and missed it when it came to the theater in town. I hope it comes back around for a re-show."
 
 "We could bring you a sandwich, if we can get one," Frank offered, smiling at his dad's enthusiasm for the mystery in his hands. "Since you don't want to leave the book."
 
 "Say, that would be great," his father said, his eyes smiling. "And a cold Coke, if you can find one."
 
 "We'll find one," Joe said, grinning. "That's what sleuths do!"
 
 They all laughed.
 
 Mr. Dane went back to his book, and the boys headed downstairs, taking the elevator now that the power was restored.
 
 The dining room itself was closed, but a sign said that the kitchen was open all night, and directed them to a counter set into the kitchen wall. A perky young man in a white cap was wiping down the stainless steel surface with a cloth, and grinned at them as they approached. Frank noted that the guy was only a few years older than they were, and was quite cute in the bargain.
 
 "Hi fellas," the boy called, as they came up to the counter. "What'll it be?"
 
 "Can we get some sandwiches?" Joe asked.
 
 "Sure thing," The boy grabbed up a small pad of paper, and tugged a pencil out from behind one ear. "What's your pleasure?"
 
 They decided on the sandwiches they wanted, and ordered sodas to go with them.
 
 "Just take me a few minutes, okay?"
 
 The boy was apparently on the counter by himself. He stepped back to another counter in back, carefully washed his hands, and then grabbed a loaf of bread and started applying mayonnaise to the slices.
 
 "You fellas just come up?"
 
 Frank nodded. "Just for a few days. We've heard a lot about this place, but we've never been here."
 
 "Oh, it's great," the other boy said, digging roast beef and ham out of the refrigerator. "Lettuce, tomato, onions?"
 
 Frank looked at the others, and everyone nodded. He turned back to the counterboy. "Yes, for four of them. Leave the onions off one of the roast beefs, though. My dad doesn't like them."
 
 "Gotcha." The boy turned and smiled at them. "Came up with your dad, huh?"
 
 "Yep," Joe said. "He said he didn't get to see enough of us."
 
 The other boy nodded. "I wish I got more time with my old man. He's in the navy, and only gets home every once in a while."
 
 Chip leaned forward on the counter, his interest in things naval plain on his face. "Really? What's he do?"
 
 "Oh, he's a radioman on a carrier. One of those big new ones. The Coral Sea."
 
 "Wow!" Chip said, grinning at Frank. "That's a real monster!"
 
 "Yep. What's your dad do?"
 
 Frank grinned. "We're not all brothers. Joe, there, with the blonde hair, is my brother. These other two miscreants are our friends, Chip and Tony."
 
 The counterboy laid some sliced roast beef on a slice of bread and then waved. "Hi miscreants, Chip and Tony."
 
 Tony laughed. "Say, this guy is funny!"
 
 The counterboy, grinned. "Sorry. I was just going along with your friend there. Uh --"
 
 "Frank, "Joe supplied. "He'd be the brains of our outfit, if he had any,"
 
 Frank grinned. "Don't listen to him. He's just jealous because I'm the older one and I got all the charm."
 
 The counterboy laughed. "You fellas are okay." He transferred a completed sandwich to a sheet of waxed paper and wrapped it up. "Been to the carnival yet?"
 
 "This evening," Frank said. "We saw the magic show. Jack Dark was just amazing."
 
 "Oh, I've seen the show a half dozen times. Still haven't figured out how he does the ship. Scared the pants off of me the first time I saw it." The boy tossed another cute grin at them. "I was up in the front row."
 
 Frank briefly imagined the lad with his pants scared off of him, and decided that it might be fun to see.
 
 "He lives up on the hill, you know," the counterboy said, starting on the ham sandwiches now.
 
 "Jack Dark?" Frank asked, interested. "What hill?"
 
 The counterboy turned to face them. "Did you notice the promontory above the beach?"
 
 The four visitors looked at each other. "I don't recall seeing it," Frank said.
 
 "Hmm. Well, the next time you fellas go out the beach door, walk to the left and look up. I guess you really do need to go around the end of the hotel building to see it. There's a big bluff there, and a house on top of it, facing the sea. Quite a place, too. Kind of a mansion, really."
 
 Joe made a surprised face. "Jack Dark lives in a mansion?"
 
 "Oh, it's not as swanky as it sounds. It's big, but it's an old place, built in the last century. Still pretty, in a kind of creepy sort of way. Got an old lighthouse next to it, and everything. Jack Dark just rents it while he's here doing the show. Used to belong to some big cannery owner, or something like that. I think the town owns it now."
 
 "Sounds interesting," Joe said. "We'll look for it next time we go out."
 
 The counterboy finished wrapping up the sandwiches, and went to the refrigerator and withdrew five Cokes in cans. "This do you?"
 
 "Sure," Frank said. "What do we owe you?"
 
 "Well, let's see. Um, five sandwiches, five sodas. That's three dollars and six cents."
 
 Frank grinned. "Wow. Hotel prices!" But he handed over a fiver, waited while the counterboy made change. The lad came back and pushed a dollar bill and some change at Frank. "Nice talking to you fellas. Stop back when you're hungry again."
 
 Frank pushed fifty cents back at the boy, smiled when his eyebrows went up. "Mind if I ask you something?"
 
 The boy looked at him. "Fire away."
 
 "Have you noticed anything going on around here lately that seems out of place? Anything that strikes you as abnormal?"
 
 The boy frowned. "Well...not really. Noticed that some of the rides at the carnival have broken down a lot lately." He scratched his chin. "There was a fire in the bumper car pavilion. It was seen and put out quickly, but no one knows how it got started. And I heard there have been thefts, both at the carnival and here at the hotel."
 
 Frank nodded. "Anything else?'
 
 The counterboy suddenly grinned. "Well, I did see that the lighthouse up at the House of Storms is working again. Hasn't worked in years, but it was on briefly the other night when I came into work."
 
 Frank and Joe looked at each other. "House of Storms?" Joe asked.
 
 "Sure. I just told you about it. The place where Jack Dark lives. That's what the mansion is called."
 
 Joe cocked his head to one side. "Why is that?"
 
 The counterboy shrugged. "Heck, I don't know. You saw the storm here tonight. They're pretty common around here. Maybe that's it."
 
 Frank nodded, started scooping up the thick sandwiches. Joe and the others helped, and grabbed up the drinks. "Thanks!" Frank said, turning away.
 
 "Hey, your change!"
 
 Frank looked over his shoulder, grinning. "It's yours. Thanks!"
 
 "Big tipper," Chip whispered, as they circled back to the elevators. "Wasn't that he was cute as the devil that inspired that, was it?"
 
 Frank laughed. "Well, in part. But I also wanted a local's view of anything odd going on here."
 
 Joe moved closer. "He pretty much confirmed the weird stuff going on with the carnival, didn't he? Rides breaking down, and things like that?"
 
 "Yes. This was the first we've heard of thefts at the hotel, though. That will interest dad, I'm sure."
 
 They made their way back to the rooms, and delivered a sandwich and a drink to Mr. Dane, and filled him in on what the counterboy had told them.
 
 The detective nodded. "I've heard about the thefts, too. I was talking to the hotel manager on the phone earlier, and he told me about them."
 
 Frank's eyebrows went up. "You called the hotel manager?'
 
 "No, he called me. Saw my name in the register and asked if I could be hired to investigate the thefts. I told him we were here on vacation, but I did agree to keep an eye out for anything odd, and to report any suspicions I might come up with."
 
 "What sort of stuff is being stolen?" Joe asked.
 
 Mr. Dane rolled a shoulder as he bit into his sandwich. "Oh, all sorts of stuff, apparently. There have been entries into the guest's rooms, and their property stolen. Hotel items have gone missing - even cars gone from the parking lot. No pattern to it - just stuff up and vanishing."
 
 "Entries?" Joe repeated. "You mean break-ins?"
 
 The detective shook his head. "No. There was no evidence of forced entry in any of the burglaries. The guests went out, came back, and found their belongings gone. The doors were locked when they left, and still locked when they returned." He frowned. "The manager suspects they are inside jobs, but swears that his staff is above reproach."
 
 The boys looked at each other. "That's pretty strange, isn't it? How many people have access to keys to the rooms?"
 
 "Not many, and all that do are older, trusted staff members. I don't suspect any of them, anyway. This sounds like the work of a pro with lock picks at his disposal."
 
 "Wow," Frank said, shaking his head. "That's not good for a place like this to have happen."
 
 "No, it's not. Mr. Crandon - the hotel manager - is quite worried. The hotel is normally full at this time of year, but just now almost a quarter the rooms are empty. Word has gotten around that the hotel is not safe, that the carnival is not safe - and people are staying away."
 
 Chip frowned. "That's pretty amazing, considering the show that Jack Dark puts on."
 
 "Yeah," Tony added. "People must be worried if they're passing up on that."
 
 Mr. Dane nodded. "People are very wary of places where they might be robbed, and of course if the rides seem unsafe, they don't want to use them. Mr. Crandon said that if it wasn't for the magic show, the resort would be in real trouble now."
 
 "This must have been going on for some time," Frank pointed out. "Word just doesn't travel that fast."
 
 "It started during the spring season, last year," Mr. Dane acknowledged. "There were incidents continuing into the fall, too. The carnival is closed during the winter, but strange things began happening again as soon as the place reopened this past spring. At the rate things are going, Mr. Crandon is worried about the hotel staying solvent through the fall season." The detective shrugged. "Word of the things happening here only made its way to Gulfport in the last month or so. John Lewis told me about it pretty much as soon as he learned of it."
 
 "Isn't that a little odd?" Joe asked. "I mean, you'd think the sheriff here would have called in the state boys sooner."
 
 Mr. Dane shook his head. "Sheriff Kingsley is an appointed official, son. Like other officials hired by the town council, he is responsible to town leaders. The mayor and the town elders here didn't want the negative publicity a big state investigation might bring. They've been trying to get these problems solved quietly."
 
 "That's understandable," Chip put in. "Like you said, people will stay away from the place if they hear a lot of commotion is going on."
 
 "Exactly." Mr. Dane smiled. "Good sandwich."
 
 They all nodded.
 
 "So, what's next, dad?" Frank asked.
 
 The man shook his head. "Just keep on as we are for the moment. I'm going into town to talk to Sheriff Kingsley in the morning, so I expect you boys to have a little fun while I'm gone."
 
 Frank tried not to grin at that, his imagination coughing up things that he and Chip liked to do together that were certainly fun. And now that Joe and Tony were on board, they didn't have nearly as much to worry about in the area of being discovered. With the elder Dane gone for the morning, all sorts of possibilities presented themselves.
 
 "Okay. I think we can manage that."
 
 Mr. Dane looked at his watch. "Thanks again for the sandwich. I need to think about bed, if I am to get up at a reasonable hour in the morning." He smiled. "Just time for one more chapter of my book. Good night, boys."
 
 They traded good nights, and the boys went back to Frank's room and shut the door. Frank immediately gave a gentle nudge to his brother with his elbow. "You and Tony are going right to sleep, right?"
 
 Joe grinned. "What gives you that idea?"
 
 Frank shrugged, going to stand behind Chip and gently encircling him with his arms. "Just a crazy thought."
 
 Tony grinned at Frank and Chip, and went to Joe and pulled him close. "I'm ready for bed, if you are."
 
 The tip of Joe's tongue popped out, and he waved a hand near his face. "Is it hot in here?"
 
 "Just where you're standing," Tony said, snuggling closer.
 
 Frank and Chip grinned. "I guess we should get ready for bed, too," Frank decided.
 
 Joe and Tony said goodnight, and headed for their room.
 
 "Hey!" Frank called, in a loud whisper. "Don't forget to lock the door to dad's room!"
 
 Joe nodded emphatically. "I'll be doing that right now."
 
 Chip followed the two boys to the connecting door, said goodnight again, and then closed the door and locked it. He turned and placed his back to the panel, and smiled at Frank. "I've finally got you alone."
 
 Frank spread his arms, grinning. "I'm waiting."
 
 They moved together, and held each other a moment, and traded a soft kiss. Frank laughed. "Oh, I know I just love you now."
 
 Chip grinned. "Those onions are potent, aren't they?"
 
 "Yes, indeed. Share the bathroom sink with me? You brush high, I'll brush low?"
 
 Chip nuzzled Frank with his nose. "I think there's room for us side-by-side."
 
 The went to the small bathroom and brushed their teeth, and washed their faces.
 
 "We could shower," Chip suggested then, his eyes alight.
 
 They did, undressing and climbing in together, and quickly lathering up and washing each other down with a wash cloth. Afterwards they took turns drying each other, and then wrapped themselves in towels and went back to the bedroom. They met at the bed, and fell together into it.
 
 "Shouldn't we take the towels off?" Chip asked, as Frank crawled atop him.
 
 "After I kiss you," Frank returned, dropping his face. They kissed for what seemed like a long time, before Frank reached up and turned off the bedside light. The room darkened, but not totally, as lights from outside cast a soft glow through the windows. The boys shed their towels, and crawled beneath the sheets.
 
 "Frank?"
 
 "Yes?"
 
 Chip pressed close. "Does it ever scare you enough - being found out - that you'd want to stop being my boyfriend?"
 
 Frank sighed. "I love you, Chipper. I don't think anything can ever break that."
 
 Chip smiled. "Gosh, I love you, too. It scares me to death to think there may come a day when you won't be around."
 
 Frank gently kissed the other boy. "Stop thinking about it, then, because I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
 
 "Okay."
 
 They kissed again, and Frank slid a hand slowly down his boyfriend's chest, and gently rubbed his fingers over what he found there.
 
 Chip made appreciative sounds, and then giggled. "Well, now that you have a hold of it, what are you going to do with it?"
 
 "Just this," Frank said softly, and then slipped beneath the covers.
 
 Chip closed his eyes, and sighed.

To be continued...

Posted: 03/08/19