The next morning everything seemed pretty normal as Bryce and Damon arrived in the parking lot of St. Boniface Church, and met the Sandovals and Nate and Jason. There was nothing unusual about the Mass, with Miss Quincy at the organ, and Deacon Jeffers giving the sermon. Afterwards, they all made their way to the Olive Garden for their usual Sunday dinner, with Bryce as host. He had explained to his mother about who was included each week, but he wondered that his father had never questioned the charges on his credit card.
Shortly after they all ordered, and young Peter Charles was admired, Mike asked, “Have all you guys heard about Peter Boyington?”
“No, what about him?” Bryce asked, and others made similar comments.
“He was badly beaten last night. It was on the news this morning,” Mike replied.
After the initial burst of questions, Mike and Isobel were able to relate as much as they knew from the news story. For some unknown reason, Peter had been out by one of the athletic fields at one o’clock in the morning. He was found there about that time by a jogger who evidently had trouble sleeping. He had been badly beaten, although they did not know any details, and was in University Hospital. No news was available on who had carried out the assault, or the motive.
This evoked bad memories, of course, as Damon had been assaulted last fall. His assailants, Mack Campbell, Bick Lomax, and Ken Carlyle, had been convicted, but Campbell and Lomax, at least, were out and back in the University as they were appealing that decision. Damon was kept informed, and said he tried to understand all the manoeuvering, as he was a pre-Law student, but the grounds for appeal seemed to him so arcane he could make neither head nor tail of them.
After their meal, Bryce decided he had to visit Peter. He was the only one of the group who knew the man at all, although Damon and Mike kind of remembered seeing him at the LGBT meeting last month after Bryce gave them some description. Although he did not really know Peter, Damon decided to go along to offer sympathy from someone who had a similar experience. They arrived at the hospital just after two o’clock, when visiting hours began. They were directed by the receptionist to a room on the fourth floor. The floor proctor or whatever she was called told them to keep it short, as the patient did not need to be upset.
In the room, they found Peter and an older woman, who they soon learned was his mother. Peter was conscious, but encased in bandages, seemingly from head to toe. He seemed happy to see Bryce, and when he was introduced to Damon, and told about Damon’s attack a year ago, he appreciated the other guy’s presence, as well. Mrs. Boyington expressed her gratitude to the two for visiting.
From Peter and his mother, they got a more complete account of the incident. Peter had been visiting a friend who lived off campus, and was on his way back when he was attacked. The friend had been questioned, and confirmed that Peter left his apartment shortly after 12:30. Peter recounted that he had been attacked by three men. He did not recognize them, as they wore ski masks and did not mention any names. That sounded awfully familiar to Damon.
Peter asked his mother to get him a soft-drink, which she recognized as a request for a few minutes of privacy. Then Peter informed the other two that his genitals had been badly mauled. He was kicked in the balls, not once, but repeatedly, and might lose one or both. That greatly distressed him, more than his other injuries. In addition, his attackers threatened to carve the letter ‘Q’ on his forehead for ‘queer’ and cut off his balls. While he was being thus assaulted, the three used homophobic epithets of the crudest sort. He told Officer Zoeller some of this, but did not want to repeat it in front of his mother, as he was still in the closet as far as his family was concerned. Thus, in addition to everything else, this was being treated as a hate crime.
In addition to that private injury, Peter had a broken leg, a broken arm, and several broken ribs. He related that when his attackers saw the jogger approaching, they panicked, not wanting to be seen. It was then that one of the attackers had actually jumped on his leg, and he heard it crack. His cries at that pain brought the jogger to his assistance. He looked horrible, with swollen eyes, bruises and bandages everywhere, and IV tubes in his arm. Peter also had a mild concussion, but the attackers evidently did not target his head.
Asked whether there was anything at all about the attackers or anything they said which stood out, Peter studied for a moment, then said, “There is one thing I forgot to tell the police about, besides the threat to carve that ‘Q’ on my head and to castrate me. I don’t know whether it’s important. But one of the guys kept saying ‘Got it?’ when he punched me or kicked me in the balls. Things like, ‘we don’t appreciate queers around here, got it?’ or ‘if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of town and stay out, got it?’”
At that, Bryce and Damon looked at each other. Both remembered clearly that this had been an identifying characteristic of Mack Campbell when he beat up Damon last year. Could it be that simple? A repeat offender? Why not?
At that point, Mrs. Boyington returned with Peter’s coke. Bryce and Damon said they did not want to tire Peter, but would come back later that evening.
No sooner had they exited the hospital than they were on the phone to campus security. John Zoeller was the officer who had investigated the assault on Damon last year, and Peter had mentioned him as the one who had been around to see him that morning. It was actually he who answered the phone, as they were short-staffed because of campus cut-backs, and they did not keep a full contingent on Sundays. Hence, Bryce and Damon agreed to come directly to the campus security office themselves, as he could not leave.
Office Zoeller greeted them, knowing both guys. “What’s up?” he asked.
“It’s about Peter Boyington,” Bryce said.
“The boy who was beaten last night? Really bad. Worse than you, if I remember correctly,” Zoeller said to Damon.
“Yeah,” Damon replied. “They did a thorough job on Peter. I got off light by comparison.”
“Officer Zoeller, do you still have the records from when Damon was beaten last year?” Bryce enquired.
“They’re in the files. Why?”
“We were just in talking to Peter. He said while he was being beaten, one of his attackers kept using the phrase ‘got it?’ If I’m not mistaken, the same was true when Damon was attacked last year,” Bryce explained.
“You mean you think it could be this Campbell and Lomax pair who carried out this attack?” Zoeller asked with some excitement in his voice.
“It seems likely, especially as Peter was obviously attacked because he’s gay, and we know that was part of the motivation for the attack on Damon,” Bryce said.
“Hot dog! I’d love to get the goods on those two again. It really scalds me that they’re getting away with being here and being troublemakers because their daddies are rich,” Zoeller said.
“So far all we have is this similarity of words, and the fact that both were hate crimes against gays, but maybe that will be enough to get things started,” Damon said. “I get so frustrated with the reports from the courts about their appeals and delays. If we can prove it was them, it sure makes our court system look bad for letting them out on such flimsy evidence, and it makes our school Administration look even worse.”
“They’ve been a real pain in the ass,” Zoeller said. “I swear, half the time one of us is called because of a dispute on campus, one or both of those two or their little brother and his friend, are involved.”
“I don’t think I know about the friend,” Bryce said. “Who’s that?”
“Another freshman. Name of Ed Cuttlesworth. Evidently he and the younger Lomax boy are buddy-buddy,” the officer explained.
Bryce recognized the name as another prospect rejected by the admissions committee of Sigma Alpha Tau.
“Well, I’ll keep an eye out for anything about any of them,” Damon promised.
“Me, too,” Bryce added.
But they departed, having to call Bryce’s mother and then get ready for the soup kitchen.
When they picked up DeShawn and Malcolm, they found that the boys had heard the news, and asked whether Bryce or Damon knew the guy who was attacked. They were excited when they were told the two had spent some time with Peter in the hospital shortly before. Sort of fame one degree removed.
On a whim, Damon asked, “You guys are local. You know anything about families named Lomax or Cuttlesworth?”
“Eeewww,” DeShawn exclaimed. “Real bastards.”
“Yeah,” Malcolm backed him up. “Really snooty people. Think their shit doesn’t stink. The Cuttlesworths dumped my grandma out in the street when they wanted to tear down her house for some reason.”
But the boys knew no details.
At the soup kitchen, they asked Deacon Jeffers and the Sandovals the same question. The deacon never had anything bad to say about anyone, but did permit himself to assert that the two families were not friends of the black community or the soup kitchen.
Isobel Sandoval told them that Terry Lomax was a local real estate developer, and Ed Cuttlesworth was a lawyer. He was not known to be terribly successful at law, but put on great airs whenever encountered. She smiled, “I think Mr. Cuttlesworth would have a lot in common with Mr. Collins, Kathy’s father, when it comes to their assessment of the Hispanic community, or the black community, too, for that matter.” The Cuttlesworths were said to be the biggest slum lords in Clifton. They were evidently greatly proud of their ancestry, claiming descent from an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and from English gentry before that.
Damon turned to Bryce, “Would you please tell Mrs. Sandoval about your exalted ancestry, just so she’ll have something to compare the Cuttlesworth’s to?”
“Oh, come on,” Bryce objected.
“No, I’m serious,” Damon insisted. “I want everyone to know the kind of company I keep.”
“I would be interested,” Isobel said. “As Damon says, just for comparison’s sake,” she grinned, enjoying discomforting Bryce just a little.
“Oh, all right. But you have to promise not to bring it up again,” Bryce capitulated. “Well, as you know, I’m named Winslow. The first Winslow among my ancestors in this country was John Winslow, who arrived in Plymouth in 1623. He married Mary Chilton, daughter of James and Susannah Chilton, all three of whom were passengers on the Mayflower, and arrived in 1620. John’s brothers Edward and Gilbert were also on the Mayflower, and Edward became governor of Plymouth Colony. So, at my mother’s insistence, I’m a member of the Mayflower Society. On my father’s side, I have thirteen ancestors who fought in the American Revolution, including three officers of the Continental Army, so my grandfather Winslow is a member of the Order of the Cincinnati. If those Cuttlesworths are not member of the Cincinnati, I would be suspicious of their claim to be descended from an officer of the Continental Army. I also have a Winslow ancestor who was a general in the Civil War on the Union side.
“Now, I am actually named James Bryce Winslow. The Bryce part is my mother’s maiden name. The Bryces came from Virginia, and my grandmother was an Armistead, and my great-grandmother a Digges. All these families qualify for First Families of Virginia, and so I’m a member of that organization as well, again at my mother’s insistence.” He grinned at Isobel Sandoval. “Mothers have a lot of influence. To continue, I’ve got a slew of ancestors on the maternal side who were in the American Revolution, too, and my grandfather Bryce is also in the Order of the Cincinnati. Col. George Armistead defended Fort McHenry during the siege in 1814, when Francis Scott Key was writing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’. General Lewis Armistead died at Gettysburg on the Confederate side.
“Because I have ancestors who fought on our side in the Revolutionary War, Mom signed me up for the Children of the American Revolution when I was too young to protest, and when I turned 18 I transferred to the Sons of the American Revolution, or SAR. Mom would be upset if I didn’t, but, while she belongs to all these organizations, she is not snooty about it, as Malcolm put it, and she does not put down others who do not qualify. It’s more like a hobby with her.
“In addition, I’m descended from four governors of colonies during colonial times, and from three signers of the Declaration of Independence, as well as a slew of politicians like senators and governors since then.
“If you want to go further back, let’s see if I can remember what my mother keeps telling me. I’m descended from Saher de Quincy, one of the guarantors of the Magna Carta in 1215, and two other sureties. My mom belongs to the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne, tracing her ancestry back to around 800. Along the way, we have some English and Scottish kings, and Irish as well. I’ll have to remember to tell Nate about that.”
Nate’s voice came from somewhere to the left. “I want to see the proof.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m sure there are some other things, because my mom belongs to about fifty lineage societies, but that’s all I can think of right now,” Bryce concluded.
“I have a feeling that if you got into a match with any of the Cuttlesworths or Lomaxes, you’d come out ahead. I’m glad you’re on our side,” Isobel Sandoval said.
“Something you might want to check out if you’re interested in such things,” Bryce told her. “During the American Revolution Spain was our ally. King Juan Carlos of Spain is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. Don Bernardo de Galves was the Spanish governor of Louisiana at the time, and he led several expeditions against the British. I think most of his troops, or at least a good part of them, settled in Mexico. If you’re descended from any of them, you qualify for the DAR or SAR.”
“Really?” Isobel marveled. Bryce had the feeling she was going to be doing some genealogy before too long.
After spending time on that sideline, Isobel also remembered to tell Bryce and Damon about several incidents about the activities of the Lomax brothers which had made local news years before. It seems they had been involved in fights as far back as elementary school, and always with several guys ganging up on one person. There was definitely a pattern there, and the pattern continued, in that their family always used money and influence to bail them out, without leaving a court record. Isobel knew because her brother and her uncle were on the Clifton Police Force.
When they were finished at the soup kitchen, rather than adjourn to Pat’s, Bryce and Damon went back to the hospital to visit Peter. Once again they found his mother there. When Peter realized who they were, he said to his mother, “See, Mom, here are my friends from this afternoon. You can go get something to eat now.” To the guys, Peter said, “This stubborn woman won’t go have supper. She thinks I’m going to be assaulted again right here in the hospital.”
“Well, someone has to be around in case something unexpected comes up,” Mrs. Boyington insisted.
“We’ll be here for a while,” Bryce assured her. “You can find something in the cafeteria, I’m sure. You can’t let you own strength fail while you’re looking after Peter. We’ll stay until you get back, so there’s no need to hurry.”
Gratefully, Mrs. Boyington took her leave.
“Is Mom being a mom?” Bryce asked Peter when she was out of earshot.
“Oh, man, is she ever. I thought I would die when she insisted on helping me with this damn bottle I have to pee into,” Peter complained.
The other guys laughed.
Bryce and Damon proceeded to share with Peter what they had learned about Mack Campbell and the Lomax brothers. He responded that both the campus security and the city police had been in to question him about the ‘got it?’ business. As to the Lomaxes, he had no idea whether they were the other two who assaulted him or not. He did not know any of them, and as far as he knew, never met any of them. He was shown photographs, but could not identify anyone, as those who attacked him wore ski masks. There were two reasons for suspecting the Lomaxes. One, they were always together with Campbell, and two, Bick had been involved in the attack on Damon last year.
Peter looked like he was about to say something, so the other two remained quiet and let him work up to it. “The friend I went to see Saturday,” he finally said. “He’s not just a friend. I met him at that LGBT meeting. We kind of made out.”
“Kind of?” Bryce said with a grin.
“Well, you know ...,” Peter drifted off.
“You don’t suspect your friend, do you?” Damon asked.
“No. Not at all. I’d know his voice,” Peter insisted.
“That’s an idea,” Bryce said. “If we could arrange somehow for you to hear Mack and Bick and Buck talking, you might recognize those voices.”
“Maybe,” Peter said, but he did not seem very confident.
“Peter, have you talked to your mother at all about, you know, your orientation?” Bryce asked.
“No! No, I just can’t. It would kill her,” Peter insisted.
Bryce pondered that. “I sure don’t want to pressure you, but if you see any chance of acceptance, take it. It’ll take so much pressure off you.”
“I just can’t,” Peter repeated.
“Has the guy you were visiting been in to see you?” Damon asked.
“Yeah. Earlier today. Well, after your first visit. His name is Derek Martin, and he’s a sophomore Chemistry major,” Peter told them. “I met him at the LGBT meeting. After I left him last night, he went straight to bed, so he knew nothing until the police came today to question him about the time I left there. He was real concerned. I mean, we’ve only known each other a month, but he’s been real nice to me, and really worried about me when he was here.”
“That’s good. It’s always good to have as many people in your corner as possible,” Damon said.
“You haven’t been able to think of anything else that might help the police, have you?” Bryce asked.
“No. Well, not exactly,” Peter hedged.
“What? Come on, what is it?” Bryce encouraged him.
Peter was hesitant. “Well, I’m not real sure of this, and it’s kind of nebulous.” Seeing the looks of impatience on the faces of his friends, he plunged in. “Okay, I have a memory of a peculiar smell, kind of like cinnamon. I’m not even sure it came from one of my attackers. But you asked for anything, and that kind of lingers in my mind.”
Bryce and Damon looked at each other, not quite sure what to do about this. Damon shrugged, “I don’t remember anything like that, but it’s been a year since I was assaulted. I’m pretty sure Bick does not smell like cinnamon. I got a good whiff of him when he tried to rape me.”
“Mack was my mentor in SAT for a while,” Bryce said, “so I was fairly close to him from time to time. I don’t remember cinnamon either. But it’s something to keep in mind, just in case it proves important. And the next time one of the campus cops, or the city police, come by, mention it to them, so it’s on record just in case, again.”
“Okay,” Peter agreed.
“And if you haven’t already, you really ought to tell them about the threats. You know, the carving and the emasculation,” Bryce pushed a bit.
“If I do that, then my mom might start asking questions,” Peter objected.
At that time, a physician entered the room, so they could not continue with that line of discussion. Damon recognized him immediately. “Dr. Gianelli! Don’t tell me you’re Peter’s doctor, too.”
Dr. Gianelli studied Damon for a minute, then grinned, “Damon. I remember that name. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Never better. We’re here visiting our friend Peter,” Damon replied.
“It seems I get all the notorious cases,” the physician answered. “That comes of working the emergency room.”
“Dr. Gianelli was my doctor last year when I got beat up,” Damon informed Peter. “He got me all fixed up, so I’m sure he’ll do the same for you.”
“Well, Peter here is in considerably worse shape than you were, as I recall,” Gianelli said. “You were in and out pretty quickly. It won’t be that quick for our friend here. Broken bones take a while to mend. But in the long run, we’ll have Peter fixed up good as new.”
Mrs. Boyington returned at that time, and she and Dr. Gianelli got into a discussion of how soon Peter could me moved. She wanted to take him home, but the physician did not want him moved until he was stabilized. It would especially not be desirable for him to be cooped up in a car for several hours, perhaps with his leg in an awkward position. No final decision was made while the guys were present, but it seemed that Peter would be in the hospital for a good deal longer than Damon had been. His leg, where one of his attackers had jumped on it, was in very bad shape.
After that discussion, Dr. Gianelli left, and then Bryce and Damon also took their leave, but promised to call again tomorrow.