Ghosts of Honor

EXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.
"My guardian angel, Daniel, wanted us to meet you. Jefferson, who is Goose's and this other kid's, we think, might want us to meet the kid."

"What kid, Patrick?"

"There was a kid on a bridge in Colorado," I told Tate. "Jefferson was there. That's when we first saw him as Micha. We'll link you to the news story."

Goose got right on that.

"And you want me to find him?" Tate asked.

"Yes. Him, Micha, both."

Rip and Shelby were staring, as if watching a presidential debate.

"I don't know what avenues are available, Patrick, that wouldn't cross some sort of line."

"Just think about," Goose pleaded. "Cross the line, if it's ... narrow."

"It's all connected, Tate. Goose and I believe that."

"Maybe there's something we can do for Micha and the teenage boy, something like what we did for you." Goose was working Tate's sympathies, now. "He's a minor. We have no idea how else to get in touch with him, but maybe you could. Subpoena the Colorado cops or the news station. They might know his name."

"You like that subpoena thing, huh?"

"If it works in our favor, yeah, Tater, I do."

"Well, cops don't do a lot of subpoenaing. That's more judiciary than law enforcement. We request search warrants and take missing persons reports."

"Can we file one of those?" Goose asked.

"Not if this kid isn't missing. I'm browsing the news story. If he's a minor, whatever happened that day might be sealed."

"Get an injunction. Unseal it."

Tate smiled. "Law and Order fan?"

"Maybe." Goose did, too. "Hey. And ya know what? Just because the kid was a minor in April, that doesn't mean he still is. It's August. He could have turned eighteen by now."

"True enough."

Rip and Shelby nodded, as if Goose might have scored a point or won his objection in front of Judge Wishum.

"Is there some less extreme way you could find Micha and the boy from the bridge for us?" I asked.

"Maybe if you just meet Micha," Goose said. "Maybe you'll like him."

"You don't want me to like him," Tate pointed out. "You want me to love him, don't you?"

"That would be nice." Goose smiled at the thought of it. "If Daniel and Jefferson are down here for a while, for a long while, you and Micha have to --"

"Goose, man, stop. I'm…I'm sorry, but it wouldn't do any good. I'm straight."

"Oh." More air escaped, literally, as Goose exhaled loudly.

"And I gotta get back to work. If any of my fellow cops heard me on that show, I'm toast."

"I hope we've been of some help." Goose sounded totally defeated.

"I feel a lot better. I mean that. Thank you." Tate's smile was sincere, this handsome man who looked like Daniel Porter Jr., at least to some of us. "If something else comes to me, I'll hit you up."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Is he gone?" Shelby asked, when the Facebook chat ended.

"Tate?"

"Daniel." She looked all around. "If he was a messenger for Garret, and now we know about Garret and Davis being in love ..."

"Oh. I don't know." Goose cast his gaze up into the tree. "Maybe."

"What are you looking for?" I aimed mine upward as well.

"You know."

"A cardinal."

Goose touched an oak leaf, one hanging low enough to reach.

"You do expect Daniel to return to Heaven now, don't you?"

"Not without Jefferson," Goose said. Still, he kept looking. Shelby and Rip did the same. I did, too.

"What if they have to stay down here, but they can't be together?"

I took Goose's hand. "I hope that doesn't happen." It was better to just keep staring into the branches.

"It is happening. It's been four months already."