IslandAffair

going to be
embarrassing all around that the same car had now been involved in another,
more serious incident. John didn’t give a shit how embarrassing it was. Someone
just tried to fucking shoot him. What the hell?
    Night was falling by the time they finished asking him questions,
the farmer had long since climbed back on his tractor and left. John looked
anxiously at his watch while he waited for the deputy to drive him back to
town. He called Rob at the pool and told him the car had broken down. It took a
lot of convincing to persuade Rob to get a taxi home. There was no way he was
going to tell him what had happened over the phone. The other man had sounded
subdued and unhappy, work had obviously not gone well and John didn’t want to
upset him more.
    He sat in the back of the patrol car and watched while the
recovery vehicle hauled his SUV out of the ditch. The sheriff’s officers looked
on, talking in low voices while the familiar sound of radio chatter filled the
air around them. Every now and then one of them would glance at him
surreptitiously, leaving him in no doubt of the subject of their discussion.
They still believed that some homophobic arsehole was to blame for this but
John was beginning to get other ideas. He had phone calls of his own to make
when they got home. This was beyond threats and intimidation. Besides, he and
Robin had barely been in public together before the first attempt. There was
little time for someone to see them, get hold of stolen license plates and try
to run them down. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. He didn’t share his
theory with the sheriff though. There was no way he was going to draw that kind
of attention from them unless he had some solid proof. It would be bad enough
to have to call Dan.
    Eventually the SUV was loaded up and they were satisfied
that there was nothing else to learn from the scene of the accident. One of the
officers climbed into the car and drove John home. Neither one of them were
inclined to make conversation so after checking his address they fell into an
uncomfortable silence for the short drive. The lights of Robin’s apartment
glowed a warm welcome into the darkness and John stepped gratefully inside. Rob
was sitting on the sofa watching TV but he looked up when John entered and
smiled.
    “Hey.”
    John sat down beside him, taking him into his arms and
sighed as the other man relaxed against him. “Hey yourself.” He kissed the top
of Rob’s head. “How was work?”
    “It was okay. Only half the class turned up though. And
someone stuck condoms and HIV pamphlets all over my locker.”
    “Bastards.”
    “If that’s the worst they can do then I can live with it.
How’s the car?” He ran his fingers over a streak of dried mud on John’s face.
“And why are you covered in dirt?”
    When John hesitated Rob pulled out of his arms to face him.
“What happened?”
    By the time he finished explaining the evening’s events the
younger man was on his feet, anger and fear coming off him in waves.
    “Do you really think it’s related to the case?”
    John reached up and caught Rob’s hand as he passed, easing
him back onto the couch and into his embrace. “I don’t know. It seems likely.”
    “Then make your phone call.”
     
    “Sanders.” Dan answered brusquely on the first ring and just
the sound of his voice was enough to make John frown. The sound of a football
match was audible in the background and he realized he must have caught him at
home. John hated to ask this man for anything but it was the fastest and safest
way to get the information he needed. As the agent responsible for John’s
safety he would have the most up-to-date information on the Armstrong case.
    Reluctance colored his tone as he greeted the agent. “Dan.”
    “John. What’s wrong?”
    “We’ve had some problems here. I need to ask about the
case.”
    The other man was immediately alert and the background noise
disappeared. “What kind of problems?”
    John explained the events of the last few days, concluding
with the attempt on his life that evening. Dan listened intently, interrupting
occasionally to ask a question. There was no evidence of their altercation in
the agent’s calm voice as he reassured John there had been no movement among
the people involved in the Armstrong case. His concern was immediately evident
when John told him someone had taken shots at him.
    “As far as I know there’s no one left who cares about your
involvement