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“No, the misunderstandings between us were just too ugly

and complicated to sort out. It’s all just kind of sad and

pathetic, is what it all is.”

“Gary was especially disturbed to find out that the two men

who extorted two million dollars from him, Duane Hubbard

and Matthew Mertz, died in falls from a building half a dozen

blocks from here not long after we all got back from Thailand.

He thinks you and your husband had something to do with

their deaths.”

She sighed theatrically and slowly shook her head. “Here we

go again!”

“I guess it is far-fetched,” I said. “Unless, of course, the sex-movie DVD you showed Pugh and me in Bangkok wasn’t the proof-of-murder recording those guys claimed to possess, and

there was a second, very different CD somewhere that some of

us have never seen. And Hubbard and Mertz tried to blackmail

278 Richard Stevenson

you and Bill a second time. And you had had just about enough

of those two bozos, and you hired somebody else — is there a

Thai community here in Albany? — to get those two pests out

of your hair once and for all.”

She looked at me evenly and said, “You know, Strachey,

when I hired you, I have to admit I wasn’t sure what my own

motives were. I really did care what happened to Gary. I loved

him once — for his moral seriousness and for his truly good

heart. And I really did not want anything terrible to happen to

him or to his money. But I confess I was also worried at the

time about whether Duane and Matthew had turned up in

Bangkok and maybe planted some screwy ideas in Gary’s head.

Idiotic ideas like the one you have just outlined. And lo and

behold, it turned out that that’s precisely what happened. I

thought you might smoke all that out, and you did. So I guess I

must be some kind of soothsayer myself, wouldn’t you say?”

“I want you to know, Ellen,” I said, “that Timothy and I live

just over on Crow Street in a two-story townhouse. We don’t

plan on moving into a high-rise building in the foreseeable

future. Or maybe even visiting one for a while.”

She seemed to decide that I was joking, and let loose with a

good-natured snort.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RICHARD STEVENSON is the pseudonym of Richard Lipez,

the author of nine books, including the Don Strachey private

eye series. He also co-wrote Grand Scam with Peter Stein, and contributed to Crimes of the Scene: A Mystery Novel Guide for the International Traveler. He is a mystery columnist for the Washington Post and a former editorial writer at the Berkshire Eagle. His reporting, reviews, and fiction have appeared in Newsday, the Boston Globe, The Progressive, The Atlantic Monthly, Harpers, and several other publications. He grew up in

Pennsylvania, went to college there, and then served in the

Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1962 to 1964. The Don Strachey

books are being filmed by here!, the first gay television network.

The first in the series, Third Man Out, starring Chad Allen as Don Strachey, aired in September 2005, followed by A Shock to the System in 2006, and On the Other Hand, Death and Ice Blues in 2008. More film adaptations are planned.

THE TREVOR PROJECT

The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-theclock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Every day, The

Trevor Project saves lives though its free and confidential

helpline, its website and its educational services. If you or a

friend are feeling lost or alone call The Trevor Helpline. If you or a friend are feeling lost, alone, confused or in crisis, please call The Trevor Helpline. You’ll be able to speak confidentially with a trained counselor 24/7.

The Trevor Helpline: 866-488-7386

On the Web: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

THE GAY MEN’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT

Founded in 1994, The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project is

a grassroots, non-profit organization founded by a gay male

survivor of domestic violence and developed through the

strength, contributions and participation of the community. The

Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project supports victims and

survivors through education, advocacy and direct services.

Understanding that the serious public health issue of domestic

violence is not gender specific, we serve men in relationships

with men, regardless of how they identify, and stand ready to