The Last Handful of Clover - Book 1: The Hereafter

1.60 The Hearing

June 8, 3:00 pm

Big Bird arrived at the Matheson County Courthouse, carrying its three occupants, at exactly 3:00 pm.

If anybody had been watching—which they weren't—they would have likely remarked at the strange trio that emerged from the yellow monstrosity. A huge Hawaiian man with long curly hair, a round face, and tattoos got out of the back seat, and a petite blond woman in a conservative gray pantsuit got out of the driver's side. If the observer had stayed to watch, they would have seen the big man open the passenger door, and a short, round, chubby Asian man get out. Of the three, only the woman wore sunglasses. All three stopped at the side of the car for a moment, and the big man enfolded both the woman and the chubby man in his tattooed arms.

What an observer, or at least a living observer, would not have noticed was the older bearded man who climbed off the SUV's roof, and then slid on his butt down the Chevy's big yellow hood. He hurried after the trio toward the front entrance of the courthouse.

Richard had considered running behind the SUV, and he had even considered trying to sneak into the vehicle while a door was open. But the possibility that a door might get slammed on his leg and send him back to Go without collecting his $200 made him decide that his best option was just to climb up onto the roof rack, where Pil sometimes tied the big canoe they used when camping in the Uintahs. All in all, it was a good choice, and gave him a nice, safe, scenic ride to the courthouse.

So, this is where I'll finally see him face to face, Richard thought, as they approached the courthouse doors. This is where I'll finally see the guy who murdered me.

He wondered if it was at all possible he'd learn anything by looking into the man's face, and he was already seriously doubting that was likely.

If there is anything that living in 21st century America has taught us all, Richard thought, it is that sometimes people just shoot each other, for no fucking reason.

The waiting hadn't been easy. The hours since sunrise had crawled by, especially since Keith had done little except for write in his journal all morning and into the early afternoon. He recognized the behavior on Keith's part. Obsessive reading and writing was the primary way that Keith processed stress, and seeing him dive back into his journal was a good sign.

As for Richard's part, despite the boredom and anticipation, he felt absolutely amazing. As the time neared for Michelle and Pil to arrive and drive them to the courthouse, he had felt more alive and aware than ever. He was so eager to get to the hearing that he almost went early on his own. But he persevered, and finally Pil and Michelle had arrived.

But Michelle, Richard realized, looked much less ready. Less, even, than Keith, who had much more reason to be nervous about the hearing. Michelle had even briefly tried to talk the three of them out of going. But Keith was insistent. Richard could see that Keith's drive to understand what had happened was just as strong as his own. He did not know exactly what was going on in his lover's mind, but he had seldom seen him so clear and so certain about anything.

Eventually, they had all piled into the SUV. Richard had secured himself on the roof and endured a windy but exhilarating ride through downtown Salt Lake City.

In the lobby of the Matheson Court House, there were ghosts.

Not many, but he spotted two right off. He assumed that there were probably more, since he hadn't yet learned how to spot the ones that could easily pass for the living. Perhaps it would come eventually. Like his gaydar, he would just know. But that wasn't true yet.

Richard was proud of the way he was moving now, among the living. It was a skill he had picked up quickly. He could now dodge and weave to avoid painful impacts, and when he failed to slip through a quickly closing door, he just had to take a breath, clear his mind, and walk through. In some ways, the whole experience was giving him the same elation he would get when things first clicked in the learning of a new language. He loved that moment when suddenly the grammar rules all fit together, and the vocabulary reached a tipping point. The ability to suddenly speak and understand a new tongue was like very little else in life.