Free Toronto Tales 1 - Cop Out by KC Burn Page A

visiting Davy had been reduced to once about every ten days or so. Maybe Davy was already doing better. Last time they spoke, Davy was supposed to meet up with some of his old friends, including Jon. Kurt had been so pleased.
    “Whew. I think we can knock off for the night, eh?” Simon leaned back into his chair. “Want to grab a drink, unwind a bit? There’s bound to be a game on we can watch.”
    Kurt checked his watch. It was too late to visit Davy anyway. Also too late to take Simon by Finn’s. If they went in now, they’d be there all night, and Kurt needed a decent night’s sleep. But he wasn’t quite ready to go home to his empty, lifeless apartment. Tomorrow, though, there were two games on TV. If nothing came up, and it better not or he might commit homicide himself, he could go by Davy’s.
    A
RMED with an assortment of snacks from the local convenience store, Kurt was prepared for the double-header. It was the last weekend in August and the heat wave had finally broken, giving the police a bit of a breather.
    His brothers had been surprised he wasn’t going to watch it with them, which he usually would if he had the day off during one. Ian, especially, had been annoyed and tried to invite himself along with Kurt’s plans. Kurt managed to put him off, but lying about it bothered him. Revealing the secret Ben guarded so zealously seemed disloyal somehow. Davy wasn’t ready for his family anyway. They’d spoken a couple of times about family, and Davy was alternately wary and fascinated by how many people were in the O’Donnell family. Having spent years just himself and Ben, with Sandra and Mrs. Kaminski their only living relatives, Kurt didn’t blame him. Times like this, when one of his siblings harassed him, Kurt imagined it might not be as lonely as he usually assumed.
    Good. Davy’s car was in the drive, so Kurt wasn’t going to have to go back to the noisy pub. He loved the noise and the hubbub, but he was coming to appreciate the peace of Davy’s home. He should have called first, but his work so frequently interfered with plans, he liked that Davy didn’t mind his surprise visits.
    Knocking and pressing his finger on the doorbell availed him nothing. He was unpleasantly reminded of the first couple of times he visited Davy where his arrival had shaken Davy out of his depressed state. He dropped the bags of snacks and peered through the window, cupping his hands around his eyes to cut down on the late summer glare. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Davy could be in the shower. He patted his hip reflexively for his weapon, but he wasn’t on fucking duty. Still, there was no reason to assume the worst. There were no signs of forced entry. Hell, the man could have gone for a walk. The need to protect Davy had been strong from the very first day, over and above the expectation that came with his job. Something about protecting Davy made him feel a hundred feet tall and assuaged the frustration of his family treating him like a kid; he wasn’t going to stop unless he had to.
    Then there was the crushing disappointment he might not be able to spend the day in the cool comfort of Davy’s place, catching up with him and watching the game. Reminded him of the time in high school when his parents grounded him, making him miss out on the biggest party of the year. Why hanging out with Davy should make him feel that way, he didn’t know, but he hadn’t spent a lot of time cultivating friendships outside of work or family, which might explain it.
    Maybe Davy was out in the yard. He’d seen the overgrown jungle from the kitchen window, but never commented on it. Davy had other things to worry about besides the state of his backyard, but perhaps he was tackling it today.
    The tall privacy fencing didn’t surprise Kurt any, given Ben’s obvious paranoia, but he was surprised the door to the yard gaped wide open. The expanse of grass was a good bit bigger than he’d realized. It wasn’t