Foxe Hunt
High school English teacher Skyler Foxe finally hooks up with gorgeous assistant football coach Keith Fletcher.
But is the man what he seems to be? Skyler still has his doubts when he spies Keith in some shady circumstances.
And there are still some unanswered questions as to what exactly is going on at the high school. Who thought high school could be so sinister? Meanwhile, Skyler’s friends from college have their own problems. Lovers and partners, Evan and Jeff were kicked out of the Army for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and the depressed Evan is found dead. Suicide, says the police, but Skyler thinks otherwise. It’s Skyler Foxe on the hunt for a killer once more!
MLR PRess AuthoRs
Featuring a roll call of some of the best writers of gay erotica and mysteries today!
Derek Adams
Z. Allora
Maura Anderson
Victor J. Banis
Jeanne Barrack
Laura Baumbach
Ally Blue
J.P. Bowie
Barry Brennessel
Michael Breyette
Nowell Briscoe
P.A. Brown
Jade Buchanan
James Buchanan
Charlie Cochrane
Karenna Colcroft
Jamie Craig
Kirby Crow
Ethan Day
Diana DeRicci
Jason Edding
Theo Fenraven
Angela Fiddler
S.J. Frost
Kimberly Gardner
Michael Gouda
Roland Graeme
Storm Grant
Amber Green
LB Gregg
Kaje Harper
Jan Irving
David Juhren
Kiernan Kelly
M. King
Matthew Lang
J.L. Langley
Josh Lanyon
Anna Lee
Elizabeth Lister
Clare London
William Maltese
Z.A. Maxfield
Timothy McGivney
Lloyd A. Meeker
Patric Michael
AKM Miles
Reiko Morgan
Jet Mykles
William Neale
Cherie Noel
Willa Okati
Neil S. Plakcy
Jordan Castillo Price
Luisa Prieto
Rick R. Reed
A.M. Riley
Rob Rosen
George Seaton
Jardonn Smith
Caro Soles
JoAnne Soper-Cook
Richard Stevenson
Liz Strange
Marshall Thornton
Lex Valentine
Maggie Veness
Haley Walsh
Missy Welsh
Stevie Woods
Lance Zarimba
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Foxe hunt
A Skyler Foxe Mystery
hALey WALsh
mlr
press
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2011 by Haley Walsh
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Published by
MLR Press, LLC
3052 Gaines Waterport Rd.
Albion, NY 14411
Visit ManLoveRomance Press, LLC on the Internet:
www.mlrpress.com
Cover Art by Deana C. Jamroz
Editing by Neil Plakcy
Print format ISBN# 978-1-60820-423-6
ebook format ISBN#978-1-60820-424-3
Issued 2011
This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.
To L.S.H. You rock!
AcknoWLedgMents
A Big Thank You to my wonderful editor, Neil Plakcy, my publisher Laura Baumbach from MLR Press, and my cover artist Deana Jamroz, who listened to me change my mind over and over again. Another thank you goes to the kind people of Redlands, California, who let me poke around where I have no business doing so. I actually really love that town. I’ve got my eye on a couple of lovely Craftsman homes there, so watch out.
Lastly, the biggest thank you goes out to L.S.H., who puts up with it all, God knows. As you can see, it takes a village rather than just one author sitting alone in a room typing on a keyboard.
Thank you all.
Foxe hunt
1
“We’ll make you some sport with the fox ere we case him.”
—
All’s Well That Ends Well
, William Shakespeare
From the bathroom, Skyler Foxe heard his friend Sidney enter his apartment. He was used to it. He took a long time to shower and primp, though he wouldn’t admit that to her. But that was why he gave her a key. She could make herself at home while he finished his routine.
“Hi! I’ll be out in a minute!” he called to the shuffling in the living room. “You know it takes a
lot
longer for bottoms to get ready. I don’t know that tops truly appreciate that. There’s extra stuff to take care of. Know what I mean?” But when he trotted into the living room for his wallet, wearing only a towel and dripping wet from the shower, the last person he expected to see was— “
Mom!
”
Cynthia Foxe turned toward her son and seemed unruffled that he was half-naked and trying to cover himself.
Fifty years old and still trim, she was no taller than Skyler, who always said on a good day he was five foot five. The platinum blond hair had come from her side of the family, but hers was white-gray now and cut in a short though not quite chic style.
She wore a slightly outdated Donna Karan dress in a salmon color that complemented her blue eyes. Skyler’s eyes never quite made it to blue, but in the right light their gray was almost there.
A Marc Jacobs handbag was slung over one shoulder and she clutched her wad of keys in one hand. She still wore her wedding ring though she had been divorced since Skyler was twelve.
She jangled the keys. She and Sidney were the only other people to have a key to his apartment. He had willingly given Sidney her key. His mother had demanded hers.
“Did I come at a bad time?”
“Uh…” When was ever a good time? He realized he hadn’t called her in a while so that’s what he got. No calls; you get a visit,
4 Haley Walsh
usually unscheduled and at the worst possible time. He looked down at himself. “I just got out of the shower.”
“Going out?”
He pushed his wet bangs off his forehead. “Yeah.”
“With whom?”
He retreated into the bedroom and left the door ajar so he could be interrogated
and
get dressed at the same time. “Sidney.”
“She’s such a nice girl, even if she is a policeman.”
“Police
woman
. And anyway she’s a detective.”
“When are you going to marry her, anyway?”
“
Mom!
In the first place we’re just friends. And in the second place—”
She’s a woman
. But he couldn’t very well say that. With his mother, he was still firmly ensconced in the closet…and then he realized he was actually
standing
in his closet and repressed a laugh. “In the second place we aren’t attracted to each other.”
There. That was no lie.
“That’s not the vibe I get from her.”
He poked his head out of the door, being still only dressed in his briefs. “
What?
”
“I’ve seen the way she looks at you sometimes. That isn’t a just-a-friend look.”
He shook his head. “You’re nuts.”
“So when were you going to tell me about that whole murder thing?”
He was so flummoxed he almost grabbed a striped shirt to go with his pin-striped pants. “Uh…” Dammit! She probably called Sidney first. “
Skyler never calls me. Is he dead or alive?”
He knew the drill.
“I didn’t want to worry you.” He stared at his clothes. How was he supposed to dress to pick up guys with his mother standing in the next room? He chose a champagne-colored silk shirt and figured it would have to do.
Foxe hunt
5
“Oh I don’t worry,” she said in that way of hers that meant “move over, here comes the guilt.” “I know if something was truly important I’d hear it from you personally, instead of my having to call your friends.”
“You could have called me.”
“I don’t like talking to your voice mail. Makes me think you’re screening.”
I am
. “I’m sure Sidney told you it was nothing. I was perfectly okay.” Sort of. If it hadn’t been for the death threats and stuff.
“You find a dead person and a man beats up your car with a baseball bat. You call that nothing?”
“Well…it was. It’s okay now. The car is fixed and the guy’s my friend again.”
“He’s your
friend
?”
Oh shit! And he was coming over, too. “Yeah. Mom, I’m sort of on my way out. Was there something you wanted?” He came out of his room, tucking in his shirt.
“Does a mother need an excuse to see her son? I haven’t heard from you in a long time and I worried about you and the car. I know how important that car is to you.”
“It’s fine. It’s all fixed. The insurance covered it.” Twice, but no need to go into that.
She buttoned the top button of his shirt and flattened the collar. “I just wish I could have bought it for you. I wish I could have done a lot of things.”
Skyler recognized that strain in her voice. He undid the top button of his shirt again and hugged her. “You did quite a lot for me without buying me fancy cars. I was raised very well, in fact. I couldn’t have been the proper gentleman otherwise.” He smiled at her and then asked quietly, “Do you need any money?”
She blinked, turning her head to stare at the kitchen light.
“Well, maybe a little, just to tide me over till the end of the month.”
6 Haley Walsh
He reached into his wallet and took out a hundred. “This okay?”
She took it without looking and kissed his cheek again.
“You’re my sweetheart.”
The doorbell chimed. Super. That would be either Sidney or Rodolfo. He opened the door.
Oh goody. It was both.
Rodolfo—dressed in a tight pink midriff top made out of some shimmery material with his trademark tight leather pants— pushed his way in and flounced down on the sofa. He was the spitting image of Antonio Banderas, and with the accent, too.
“Skyler,
amante
, are you ready?” Then he spotted Mrs. Foxe and jumped to his feet. “Excuse me! We haven’t met.”
Skyler looked imploringly at Sidney but she wasn’t getting it.
“This is Rodolfo. Sidney’s
date
.”
Rodolfo laughed. “What?”
“Rodolfo, this is my
mother
.”
Rodolfo clicked into suave-Latin-gigolo mode. His Ecuadorian accent grew thicker. He took Mrs. Foxe’s hand and kissed it. “A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Foxe,” he purred.
Cynthia Foxe smiled. “Pleasure’s mine. Sidney, you didn’t tell me you were dating.”
“Well, I wasn’t at the time, Mrs. Foxe.” She glared at Skyler as she slid past him.
“Well, Mom, we’ve got to run. I’ll call you.”
“Come over for dinner Sunday night.”
“O-okay.”
“Sidney, you come, too. Oh yes. And bring your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. And he’s busy Sunday.”
“I am?” He looked from Sidney to Skyler and they each shot him murderous expressions. “I am,” he agreed sullenly.
“Okay. I won’t keep you young people, then. Don’t stay up Foxe hunt
7
too late, Skyler.” He escorted her to the door and she leaned into him, whispering confidentially. “I think you should tell Sidney to give up on this one. I think he’s gay.”
Skyler nearly choked. He looked back at Rodolfo, studying him judiciously, noticing how his ass conformed to the tight leather pants. “You think so?”
“Yes. I’m very good with that. I can always spot them.”
Skyler smiled weakly and kissed his mother’s cheek. “I love you, Mom.”
She kissed his cheek and wiped off the lipstick with her thumb. “I love you, too, sweetie.”