Green Eyes Cry, You Die, page 1
part #2 of Layton Shayne Mystery Series
Praise for the author
Blue Light By Night, a Layton Shayne Mystery
“There is a lot of suspense and the reader will be doing some guessing. There is also eroticism here and I commend the author on how he managed to work the themes so that everything comes together. I could see that he spent time thinking this story out.”
Amos Lassen Reviews
“This is a thrilling, suspenseful mystery. His ability to spin a tale of mystery, comedy and romance is obviously a talent that I am really beginning to treasure. —fast becoming one of my favorites writers of mysteries and the paranormal.”
Multi-tasking Momma’s Book Reviews
For Love of: Tangi
“A very entertaining read. I was cracking up because it seriously was funny.”
On Top Down Under Book Reviews
Other Novels by Gerald Lopez
Dueling Divas
an Avondale Story
Dead Men Tell Tales
a New Eden Tale
Blue Light by Night
a Layton Shayne Mystery
For Love of: Tangi
Green Eyes Cry, You Die
a Layton Shayne Mystery
Gerald Lopez
Previously published
under the pseudonym Antonio
Copyright © 2014, 2016 by Gerald Lopez
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the publisher and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Art Copyright © 2014 by Gerald Lopez
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to my hard working editor Jim, and to John for all his help. I’m very appreciative of all the two of you have done to help me.
Dedication
To my brother Daniel, we’ve met some interesting characters in our lives. And to Melissa and all the crazy times we had creating funny characters and acting them out. To Diane, my good friend, for always being so excited about my work and wanting to hear more about my new stories. Last, but not least, all my thanks to my best friend J.C..
Table of Contents
Chapter 1—Green Eyes
Chapter 2—Meeting Miss Lucy
Chapter 3—Readings, Zombies, and Shit
Chapter 4—Old Friends Reunited
Chapter 5—Getting Down to Business
Chapter 6—Hot Times in Mt Ore
Chapter 7—The Power of Three
Chapter 8—Organized Thoughts
Chapter 9—Bare-Assed to the Wind
Chapter 10—Meeting Buck
Chapter 11—Sex Trail
Chapter 12—Spending Time Together—Just the Three of Us
Chapter 13—Taking Things in Hand
Chapter 14—Visitors Galore
Chapter 15—Let the Festivities Begin!
Chapter 16—Not so Surprise Guests
Chapter 17—The Cavalry Arrives
Chapter 18—Meeting a Lady
Chapter 19—Surprise! Surprise!
Chapter 20—Crazy Things
Chapter 21—Prudence
Chapter 22—Snooping Around
Chapter 23—Burning Off Calories
Chapter 24—Summing Things Up
Chapter 25—Tell Me About It
Chapter 26—Farts and Tarts
Chapter 27—Delivering the News
Chapter 28—Game Plan
Chapter 29—All Aboard
Chapter 30—Settling In
Chapter 31—Boogie Woogie Zombie Boy
Chapter 32—Madness Ensues
Chapter 33—Triumphant Trio
Chapter 34—Burn, Ladies, Burn
Chapter 35—All in Good Time
Chapter 36—Tea For Four
Contact the author
About the author
Other books by Gerald Lopez
Green Eyes Cry, You Die
A Layton Shayne Mystery
-1-
Green Eyes
“Is that all Leticia told you about this case, Layton?”
“That’s it,” I said, patting Alex’s knee and smiling. “Keep checking that map, navigator, I don’t want to get lost.”
I ran my right hand through the renaissance curls of his shoulder length, golden blond hair while steering with my left hand. Our boss Leticia Carter had wasted no time assigning us to a new case. The other leaders of her watchdog organization were happy to have a detective with an ex-military background like mine working for them. Leticia hadn’t felt the need to tell them that I was gay and had taken up with Alex, who’d been at the center of my last investigation.
“Take the next left, babe,” Alex said.
I did so, and he looked up from the map toward me and spoke. “It was nice having two nights and a day all to ourselves in the organization’s guest quarters on the convent’s grounds.”
“Yeah, it was,” I said, reaching over and holding his hand for a minute before raising it to my lips and kissing it.
“I still don’t see how you can be so calm after everything that happened in Shelby, Layton Shayne.”
“What do I have to be all upset about, Alex Shayne?”
He sighed and grinned widely. “God, I love the sound of that name.”
“What name? Alex? It’s a nice name… Alex… Alexander… Al. No… not Al. You definitely don’t look like an Al.”
“Stop teasing me. I was glad to be rid of the last name Kennedy. It didn’t really belong to me anyway, since I wasn’t actually a true blood relation of the original family. Thank you, Layton, for everything. For saving me from my sisters and that crazy cult they belonged to. And for offering me your last name. You didn’t have to do that… but I’m glad you did. It makes me feel like we’re really connected, bonded, and marr—”
“Don’t use that heterosexual institution to describe what we have, please,” I said. “I’m a gay man in love with another gay man, and I don’t need hetero words to describe what we have. I also don’t need a piece of paper to prove that I love you and want to stay with you forever. However, I am glad that we met with Leticia’s lawyer friend before leaving the convent’s guest quarters.”
“So am I. Still, it was strange doing all the medical powers of attorney stuff and the wills making each other beneficiaries to one another’s estates.”
Alex clasped my hand tightly. He’d just lost his two sisters, and there we were yesterday, dealing with wills and all sorts of ‘fun’ stuff.
class=WordSection3> “I know it upset you, Alex, but it was important to do all that, even if I wasn’t a detective. Besides, remember that Leticia said you’d have to be careful as my photographer too. You were right when you said the organization would assign us to cases involving cults or objects that had acquired supernatural or paranormal powers. Now that you’ll be gathering photographic evidence of the things we’re involved in, you may be placed in dangerous situations. Without the documents we executed and had notarized, if either one of us were hurt—or God forbid, hospitalized, we might not have any say in how the other one was treated. Hell, we might not even be allowed to see one another. That’s why it was important to deal with all of that. And this way, you’ll be the one who gets to pick out my nursing home when the time comes.” I laughed, hoping my last comment had cheered up my sweet lover. It had; and his silvery blue-gray eyes lit up when he smiled.
“You’re not that much older than me. You’re only thirty-five.”
“And you’re only twenty-seven. Who am I to talk? At your age, I was into older men too.”
“I wouldn’t say I was into older men per se. I’m just totally into you.”
Alex leaned over, brushed my straight, shoulder length, dirty blond hair to the side and began nibbling on my neck. It felt so damn good that my bare toes in flip-flops curled under.
“Don’t start something we can’t finish right now, please, Alex.”
“If I don’t look like an Al, then what do I look like?” he said, changing the subject.
“The first time I saw you with the light shining through your golden hair, I thought you looked like an angel.”
Alex was quiet for a minute before a look of pure love swept over his face as he turned to me. That look could melt a heart of stone. I needed to think of a change of subject in order to keep from shedding an involuntary tear. It felt good to be loved like Alex loved me. His love helped heal the wounds my ex-lover of ten years had caused when I’d caught him sleeping with my twenty-year-old nephew more than a year earlier. All that was in the past now, and I had plenty to look forward to—including our new case.
“So, my handsome, young stud, what do we know about our ne
“Not much,” Alex said. “We’re supposed to find a green-eyed lady statue that I’m assuming is worshiped by some sort of cult. I’m also guessing the statue must give them supernatural powers. We don’t have any details about the cult yet, but the organization does have someone who’s infiltrated the area where the statue is located, and will help us.”
“Not just a green-eyed lady statue, Alex, but a lady statue with eyes made of inset emeralds. That’s a key point.”
“That’s true. We’re also going to a small town in Florida founded by a new age cult and a bunch of hippies. That kind of freaks me out.”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry, just stick by me and I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know you will, my big, strong ex-soldier—partner in love, lust, and everything else.”
He laughed, put his head on my shoulder, and began kissing my neck again.
“OK, now you’ve gone and done it, babe.”
I unbuttoned and unzipped my shorts, then lowered them and my underwear. With that done, I brought Alex’s hand to just the right spot. He pulled his hand back.
“Hey! We’re supposed to be meeting Miss Lucy off the road somewhere.”
“Somewhere in Central Florida. That’s a few hours away from where we are right now.”
“What if someone sees?”
“We’re on the interstate, and there’s not much traffic. Besides, you started something—time to finish it now.”
Alex giggled, then put his hand back in my lap and got down to business.
“I can see life is gonna be full of surprises and new experiences with you, Layton.”
“Oh… yeahhh….” I said.
-2-
Meeting Miss Lucy
We decided to stop and have lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant right off the highway; and while we were walking up to the front of the rectangular shaped building, my cell phone rang.
“I’ll go give the hostess our names, and wait for a table while you’re on the phone,” Alex said, and went ahead into the restaurant. I watched him, and my gaze went downward to his beautiful feet in brown flip-flops.
As Miss Lucy’s name popped up on my cell, I opened it and found a comfortable rocking chair to sit on in front of the building. I smiled when I heard her greet me as ‘boy.’ The gentle rocking of the chair comforted me—rockers always had for as long as I could remember. The best thing about coming to Cracker Barrel was getting to sit in one of the many wooden rocking chairs they had outside on their porches. It was a chain restaurant and all the ones I’d ever seen had this same feature. I slipped off my flip-flops and stretched out my legs and feet feeling the sun’s warm rays on them. Miss Lucy had kept it short, as she was rushed; but I wasn’t ready to get up yet. I leaned back with my arms behind my head wanting to close my eyes, but not daring to. If I closed them, I might fall asleep; instead, I looked at the tan lines on my feet which had been left behind by the straps of the flip-flops that I loved to wear. Time to barefoot it a while in order to get rid of those lines, which I hate. Finally, after resting a few more seconds, I got up and walked inside.
Inside the front of the building was a gift shop featuring T-shirts, audio books for sale or rent, statues, videos, and even toys for the kids. I found Alex perusing the old-time candy section, and I quietly walked up behind him and softly poked him in the side.
“Funny seeing you here,” I said, then smiled.
“I recognized the sound of your footsteps, Layton, and if I hadn’t, I’d know your scent.”
“Is that a nice way of saying I stink?” I said in his ear, blowing in it a little.
Alex laughed before speaking. “No, you smell good… like a man.”
“That’s good, since I am a man.”
“Shayne, party of two, your table is ready,” the hostess said from her station at the entrance to the dining room.
Alex and I followed a short, young waitress with blonde hair, who was devoid of any personality, and was carrying our menus, along with utensils wrapped in napkins. We went into the rustic dining area, which was divided by walls made of solid wood on the lower part and wood lattice panels on the upper; a large stone fireplace took up space between two access doors to the kitchen. A variety of antique farm equipment, advertising posters, and knickknacks from long ago hung from hooks on the lattice as part of the decor. We were taken to a small and shiny wood table for two, where the young woman took our drink orders before she left us.
I squirmed a little in my seat trying to get comfortable in the hard wooden chair.
“It was so hard to leave the rocker outside and come in here. One day, I’d love to have a small house with a big deck and two rocking chairs out back by a creek. One chair for you, Alex, and one for me.”
“That’s a romantic thought,” Alex said, “and I know just the spot.”
“Care to share?” I said, putting my bare foot on top of his, making him grin.
“Are you always this frisky, Layton?”
“Sometimes, but I haven’t been for quite a while. Is that a problem? Because I have a feeling that being around you, I’ll be perpetually frisky.”
“It’d only be a problem if it stopped.”
“Perfect answer. Now tell me the spot you’re thinking of, or am I gonna have to pry it out of you.”
“Hmm… maybe I should make you wait for it.”
A tall, husky man wearing a waiter’s uniform walked up to our table. He had black hair streaked with gray, a mustache, and a dark tan. His shirt sleeves were pushed up, and he had a large tattoo on one of his arms.
“How ya guys doing? My name’s Rich, are you ready to order?”
“Hi, Rich,” I said. “I’ll have what I always have when I visit Cracker Barrel, and that’s Momma’s French Toast Breakfast. I would like the two eggs scrambled—firm, and all bacon—no sausage.”
“Alrighty. Would you like fruit on top of the French toast?”
“Nope, just syrup, thanks.”
He turned to Alex. “And you, Sir.”
“You know, I think I’ll have the same—thank you, Rich.”
“I’ll go ahead and put that order in, if you two need anything else, just holler.”
As soon as he was out of sight, Alex and I looked at each other and laughed.
“There’s one for ya,” I said.
“Ha, ha,” Alex said. “I’m happy with what I’ve got in front of me. Meanwhile, going back to the previous topic of a home. Have you ever been to Maggie Valley, North Carolina?”
“I’ve never even heard of the place. Is it nice?”
“It’s my favorite spot on this planet, like a little piece of ‘Heaven on Earth.’”
“We’ll have to make a point of going there when we get a break,” I said, seeing the girl from earlier coming with our drinks.
She placed two frosted glass mugs filled with lemonade in front of us; I took a long drink from mine before looking back up and seeing our waiter flirting with some women at a table across the room from us.
“So, who was on the phone, Layton?”
“Miss Lucy. We’re supposed to casually bump into her at a rest area a couple of hours down the road. Did you have much contact with her when you used to visit her cousin Mother Watkins back in Shelby?”
“Actually, none at all—until you came to town. She seems like a real character.”
“Oh, she is,” I said.
Rich stopped flirting long enough to bring us our food. Using my spoon, I carefully scooped up the pat of butter that was on top of my French toast and placed it on a section of the plate my bacon was on. That’s when I realized my every move was being carefully watched by my handsome companion.
“I know I have strange eating habits, but I hate butter on my French toast,” I said. “I forgot to tell our friend Rich that I didn’t want butter.”
