Witness

Part 2

Ben stared Brian down as long as he could, but the detective's "glare of death" was too much. He finally had to turn away.

"If you put Lindsay and Gus in danger just to settle some old score …"

"No Brian, I swear. I just wanted to see some files, just to be sure. Then I was going to turn it back over to the bureau, Lindsay's involvement would have been over. She assured me there would be no suspicion, that she brings files home all the time."

Brian pondered what Ben had told him. He knew that Ben was telling the truth. "Well, obviously it was the files that she took that aroused suspicion and Taylor didn't want to take any chances."

Ben nodded, "I think you're right, but if she had any files at the house, they're gone. I went back the next day and looked. There was nothing there. Who ever killed Lindsay must have taken whatever she had at the house."

Brian heaved a sigh, "So we're back at square one."

"With Lindsay's murder yes, but there's no statute of limitations on murder."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Maybe we can get him for the murders ten years ago."

"How can we do that?"

"If we can convince Justin Taylor to testify to what happened to his mother and sister we can put Craig Taylor away."

"Well, let's do it."

"Brian, it's not that simple. There is nothing in the terms of Justin's Witness Protection agreement that requires that he testify."

Brian couldn't believe the back pedaling the bureau did to protect this kid. "Isn't that a standard part of a deal for protection, that you testify against the people you need protection against?"

"Like I told you, this was a unique case. Justin was in a coma for six months, we didn't know if he was even going to survive. Once he regained consciousness, he was in rehab for a year. Vic felt the bureau had shirked its duty to the Taylor family and that's what resulted in the murders. Everything was handled under the table. Vic and I were the only ones who knew. When he died, I became the only one who knew and now you do."

"So what are you saying?"

"We need to talk to Justin, and see if he will be willing to help us."

"And if he refuses?"

"Then there's nothing we can do."

Brian held Gus as the little boy fell into a fitful sleep. He had been having nightmares every night since Lindsay died. He wouldn't go to sleep unless Brian laid down with him and he awoke several times in the middle of the night. In the hours that Gus slept, Brian kept a quiet vigil. He promised himself when Gus was born that his son would never experience the terror Brian himself had been subjected to as a child. Yet here his son lay, trapped in his own nightmares. Brian made a decision.

Brian asked Ben to come over one evening. Brian knew they had to try and convince Justin Taylor to testify against his father.

"Ben, we have to try and convince the Taylor boy to testify."

"Brian, he's not a boy, he's a man. A man with his own life. Asking him to relive this could be devastating."

"What about our family? What about Gus? He has nightmares every night. He screams for Lindsay. I owe it to my son to try and put his mother's killer behind bars. Even if he doesn't pay for what he did to Lindsay, knowing that he is rotting in jail will be enough."

Ben felt his friend's pain. "Ok, we can try. The first thing we have to do is talk to Justin. He's a good man Brian, but he's also a victim. I can't guarantee that he will agree to help us, and if he doesn't there's nothing we can do to make him. If we do this, you have to accept his decision."

Brian paused a moment before speaking. "How do you know?"

"Know what?"

"That he is a good man?"

"Vic and I kept up with him over the years. We did everything that we could to ensure he would have as good a life as possible. He's an artist. We made sure he got into art school and that he could live a life as close to the one he was planning to when all this happened."

"Are you this close with all your cases?"

"No, this one was special."

Brian nodded his understanding, "When can we go?"

"We'll leave tomorrow."

Brian arranged for Gus to stay with Debbie and Carl while they went to see Justin Taylor. He gave them no details about why he was leaving town. Brian knew that Carl would give him hell when he found out what was going on, but Brian vowed not to betray Ben's confidence.

Justin was living in Sedona, Arizona. Ben made arrangements for them to fly into Phoenix and drive up to Sedona. The two men made the ninety minute drive in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Ben was worried about what he was asking the young man to do. Justin had been promised that he would be able to live his life in peace. He would never have to face the horrors of the past, and Ben was about to try and cash in on that promise. Brian was hoping that the elusive Justin Taylor would agree to help them. His anger was boiling just underneath the surface, and he wasn't sure how he would react if the artist refused to help them.

Ben navigated the two lane highway into the artist colony nestled in the red rocks of northern Arizona. Ben booked them into a suite at Los Abrigados resort. The men checked into their room and unpacked their things before going to see Justin.

"Brian, maybe I should go see Justin alone."

"What the fuck? Why?"

"I've known you for five years. I can see your anger bubbling beneath your cool exterior. I don't want you losing it when we talk to Justin."

"Ben, I'm a big boy. I can keep myself under control."

"Brian, this is not some random perp. This is a man who watched his father execute his mother and his sister and then turn the gun on him. Your usual methods of interrogation are not going to work. You can't trick him and you can't coerce him. We're going to ask and then we are going to have to accept whatever his answer is."

"I can handle it Ben."

"Ok, but remember I am a federal agent with senior jurisdiction. You are only here as an observer and have no jurisdiction."

"I know."

Ben navigated their car out of town and into the hills of Sedona. They pulled up to a house nestled into the base of Cathedral Rock. Ben parked the car and the two men got out. They walked up the path towards the front door. Brian noticed the exquisite sculptures that populated the front yard. They reached the front door and Ben rang the bell. Brian was not prepared for the beautiful man that answered the door.

"Agent Bruckner? What are you doing here?"

"Hello Justin, may we come in?"

Justin looked at the man standing silently beside Ben. He felt a jolt go through his body that shot straight towards his groin. "Umm sure, please come in."

"Thank you. Justin, this is Detective Kinney."

"Hello, Detective." Justin held his hand out to the beautiful hazel-eyed man that stood before him.

Brian was stunned by the beautiful blonde, "Mr. Taylor."

Justin led the two men into his home. He led them to the living room that overlooked Cathedral Rock. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Ben spoke first, "No, thank you."

Justin gestured to the men to sit down. "Well, I'm going to assume you are not here on a social call, what's going on?"

"It's about your father."

Justin paled slightly, "What about him?"

"I came to ask you if you would consider testifying against him."

Justin was clearly confused, "I don't understand, I haven't seen my father in ten years. What could I possibly have to testify about?"

"You can testify about how he killed your mother and your sister."

"You and Agent Grassi told me that case was closed."

"I know. I want to reopen it."

"But why? That was ten years ago. How can you reopen it?"

"There is no statute of limitations on murder. He can still be prosecuted for it."

"You told me I wouldn't have to testify. You and Agent Grassi told me that you wanted me to get on with my life away from him. Why now?"

Brian's patience was wearing thin, "Because your fucking father has killed again!" He shoved a picture of Gus in Justin's face, "Because he took this little boy's mother away from him and we can't even fucking arrest him for it!"

"Brian!"

Brian ignored Ben's reprimand, "Because maybe we can't get that son of a bitch for this murder, but you can put him away for your mother, for your sister …"

"Brian … stop it!" Ben watched Justin shrink away and he knew that he had to rein Brian in.

Justin was trembling, "I can't …"

"Look, you son of a bitch …"

"BRIAN! Go wait in the car. That's an order." Brian knew he had lost his temper. He shot one last glare at the blonde and stormed out the front door.

Ben went to the shaken man on the couch, "Justin … you have no obligation to help us. Here is my cell phone number, we will be in town for a few days; if you change your mind, please call me."

The blonde silently nodded as Ben walked away.

"What the fuck were you thinking? I asked you, no, I begged you to keep your temper in check and at the first turn you let loose on him!"

"I know Ben, I'm sorry."

"Well, sorry is not going to cut it if he refuses to help us. He is the only chance we have to ever get Craig Taylor. Taylor doesn't leave witnesses. That's why he has eluded us for so long. Justin is the only one and I think your little display just fucked us!"

"I know, I just saw him there refusing to help us and I lost it."

"Brian, I appreciate how much you want to catch this fucker. So do I! I loved Lindsay too, but you may have sacked the only chance we have."

Brian slumped in his seat, knowing that Ben spoke the truth.

As soon as Ben and Brian left, Justin headed for his bar. He poured himself a generous shot of Jim Beam and swallowed it quickly. The liquor burned his throat and started to numb his senses. Memories started to flood his brain and he willed himself not to remember.

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Ten Years Earlier

Justin was in his room doing homework. He heard his parents shouting from their room.

"What the fuck have you been doing Jen?"

"Nothing Craig, I swear!"

"Bullshit, I have federal agents watching every move I make."

"Daddy, what are you doing?" When Justin heard Molly's voice he ran to his parents' bedroom.

He entered the room just in time to see his father place his gun at the back of his mother's head. He screamed as his father pulled the trigger. Craig pivoted slightly and fired again and shot Molly between the eyes. Justin felt his sister's blood splatter onto his face, then his father aimed the gun at him. That was the last thing he remembered.

Six months later he woke up in a hospital wing of the FBI headquarters in Quantico. Agent Grassi and Agent Bruckner had been there. They informed him that he would be under the protection of the FBI. Justin found it odd that there had been no conditions to the deal, like his testimony.

For a long time his memory of the events were sketchy. He saw Agent Bruckner a few times during the first couple of years, but the contact stopped after he graduated from college. By that time his memory had returned full force, but Ben never asked him about it.

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Ben and Brian returned to the resort in silence. Ben was furious with Brian, and although he knew the reason for Brian's outburst, he was still upset. Ben knew that Justin was upset about their request and Brian's tirade had all but shut the young artist down.

"Ben … we should talk."

"There's nothing to talk about Brian. I'm going to go see Justin tomorrow and see if I can salvage this case. You are going to stay here."

Brian waited until Ben had fallen asleep. He took the car keys and headed out. Brian felt terrible that he hadn't been able to control his temper earlier and he wanted to try and make things right. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to see the blonde artist again. The sparks that he felt when he met the blonde were unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Brian pulled up to Justin's house. He was very nervous, but he knew that he had to try and save the case. He owed it to Lindsay and to Gus. He knocked on the door and waited for Justin to answer. The blonde opened the door, swaying slightly. It was obvious to Brian that the young artist had been drinking.

"Did you come to yell some more Detective?"

"No, I actually wanted to apologize. May I come in?"

Justin stepped aside and gestured for Brian to come in. He made his way to the bar and refilled his glass.

"Don't you think you've had enough?"

"Enough? No, I don't think so. The only way I have any peace at night is if I'm passed out. It keeps the nightmares away."

"You have nightmares?"

"Every night. Whenever I close my eyes I'm back in that room."

"That has to be hard."

"I guess … it's all I know."

"Do you want to go outside? It's a beautiful night."

"Umm … sure."

Justin gave Brian a drink and led him out to the patio. Brian was amazed at the beauty of the sight. The sky was so clear that Brian could see millions of stars. He had never seen a sky so clear.

"I need to be honest with you about why I am here."

"I thought you and Agent Bruckner were pretty clear; you want me to come out of protection and testify against my father."

"This is a federal matter. I'm not a federal agent. I'm a homicide detective in Pittsburgh."

"So why are you here?"

Brian pulled out his picture of Gus and handed it to Justin. "This is my son. The woman who was killed was his mother."

"You mean she was your wife."

"No, we weren't married. Her lover was my partner. When they wanted to have a child they asked me to be the sperm donor. Lindsay was six months pregnant when Renee was killed. I never intended to be the baby's father, but when Renee died, that's what I became."

"They were gay?"

"Yeah, so am I. Gus witnessed his mother's murder. The evidence that we had took us nowhere. The DA would not even touch the case. That's when Ben told me about you. I was so focused on avenging my friend's death that I didn't even think about what we were asking of you. I didn't even know you. I never thought about you. Ben is going to come here tomorrow to try and talk to you again. What I wanted to tell you tonight is that the decision is yours. Whatever you decide I will respect it and I'm sure Ben will too."

Justin got up from his chair and stood facing the mountain, his back to Brian. "I've often wondered what my life would be like if I could live under my own name. To see paintings sold by Justin Taylor, not Nathan DuPres. What would my sister be doing today? She was such a precocious little girl, always driving me crazy. My mother always supported me and my art. She even accepted the fact that I'm gay. She never told my father. He would have gone ballistic. You know the strangest thing? I never think about my father. When I was growing up he was a good dad. He worked a lot, but he was always there for me. Sometimes, I pretend that he had an evil twin. The evil twin did this, not my father. The thought of going back terrifies me."

Brian walked up behind Justin silently. He rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder. Justin turned around to look at Brian; his blue eyes were filled with unshed tears. Against his better judgment, he leaned down and kissed the blonde.

What was meant to be a chaste kiss of support quickly turned into something else. Justin's tongue probed for entrance against Brian's lips. Brian opened his lips slightly to allow the other man's tongue entrance. He began to suckle on Justin's tongue, eliciting moans from the other man. Brian grabbed the globes of Justin's ass. Then he pulled the artist closer to him so their erections rubbed against each other through the cloth of their jeans. Justin slid his hands underneath the hem of Brian's shirt so he could feel the detective's warm skin.

Brian moaned into Justin's mouth as they continued their kiss. Justin led Brian to a chaise lounge and pulled the older man down on top of him. Brian unbuttoned Justin's jeans and pulled out his hard cock. He stroked it gently as they continued their kiss. Brian broke the kiss when the desire to taste Justin's cock became too much. He slid down the younger man's body until he was faced with the rock hard cock. Pre-cum dribbled from the slit. Brian's tongue snaked out and captured a glistening drop. He encircled the tip with his lips and started to suckle. Justin began to moan. Brian slid his lips down the shaft until he was deep throating Justin's cock. His nose nestled the soft golden pubes and he inhaled deeply, taking in the younger man's sweet scent.

He dragged his teeth softly along the hard shaft until just the tip remained in his mouth. He reached his hand up to Justin's mouth and slipped his fingers inside. Justin sucked on the pro-offered digits like he was sucking Brian's cock. When Brian felt his fingers were sufficiently lubed he withdrew his fingers and slid them along the crack of Justin's ass. His index finger found the tight bud and he started to work his finger inside. Justin moaned as the finger entered his tight channel. He started to buck his hips into Brian's while the detective massaged his prostate. When Brian's finger stroked the bundle of nerves inside his anus, Justin shot his load and Brian swallowed every drop.

Brian crawled up the younger man's body and captured his lips. Justin could taste himself on Brian's lips. He never knew how erotic it could be to taste himself on another man's lips.

Brian's cock was rock hard and he wanted to imbed himself in Justin's ass. However, he hadn't come prepared. He hadn't planned on partaking in any sexual activity with the artist. "Justin … do you have any condoms?"

The artist looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "No … I … I'm sorry …"

Brian panted heavily, "Fuck … I need to cum …"

Justin spat into his hand and lubed Brian's dick. He fashioned his hand into a channel for Brian's cock. The older man began to fuck the channel Justin's hand created while his lips sought Justin's. Justin's hand constricted and released around Brian's cock, mimicking the contractions his ass would have made if Brian was able to fuck him.

With a loud shout, Brian came all over Justin's hand. Justin released Brian's cock and licked the spunk off his hand. "Umm … you taste so good."

Brian could only stare into the blue eyes beneath. He slowly leaned down to kiss the younger man. Justin pulled back after a moment and looked deep into Brian's eyes.

"I'll do it … I'll testify against my father."

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