Chapter 24

The next day, the group gathered in Kevin's room to hear the latest from Agent Palmer. Tara was snuggled up with Nick, determined to do anything she could to help him work through the emotional torment still wracking his mind.

"Tara, I ran the names you gave me," Palmer turned to Tara, tapping her pen on her notepad. "Andy checks out, but, your friend Tommy?"

"Yeah?" Tara sat up straight, her eyes narrowing. "What about him?"

"He doesn't exist."

Tara laughed, and shook her head, "oh yes he does, I've known him for two years now, and he's very much a real person."

"Maybe a real person, but that's not his real name," Palmer replied evenly. "Got any more information for me on him?"

"Like what?" Tara looked at Palmer in confusion. "You don't think Tommy…"

"I think anyone is a suspect, as I've said before. Especially someone who clearly changed their name."

"Well, I think Tommy's his middle name," Tara said slowly, running a hand through her hair. "I remember him saying once how much he hated his given name."

"That's a start, what else?" Palmer asked. "College?"

"Yale."

"Previous employer?"

Tara shook her head, "nope, he came to us right from Yale."

"Sexual orientation?"

Tara glared at Palmer, and frowned. "What, if he's gay, he's a suspect?"

"Given Kevin's history? Yes. I should have asked you the same about your friend Andrew."

Tara bit her lip and shook her head. "No way, I'm not letting you accuse someone just because they're gay. Are you checking out their ex GIRLFRIENDS like this too?"

"We KNOW one of the perps is gay, Tara, that's a solid fact. We do not know one is female. We think. We don't know."

"Dammit," she muttered. "This is wrong."

"Gay or straight, Tara?"

"Why are you asking?" Nick interrupted, looking at Palmer closely. "What do you mean, you know one of the perps is gay? And what's Kevin's history?"

"One of the perps had sex with a roadie from the tour the night you were taken," Palmer replied. "As for Kevin's history…"

"I had, I guess you'd call it a fling, with a guy one summer," Kevin explained, sighing heavily. "If it's him doing this now, god, I will never forgive myself."

"So? So did I," Nick said slowly, looking at Palmer. "Just because it's a man, that makes him a suspect?"

Palmer's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Three years ago, for about two months," Nick nodded. "He lived in Florida. It was just a summer thing."

"Woah, Nicky!" AJ stared at him in surprise. "You did a guy? And never told us?"

Nick sighed. "You really think I'd tell you?"

"But, dude, a guy?" AJ repeated in disbelief.

"Shut up, Bone," Howie rolled his eyes at AJ's reaction. "Calm down."

"What was his name?" Palmer asked, ignoring AJ and Howie.

Nick frowned, and shook his head, "I don't remember, it was a long time ago. Something weird, I remember teasing him about it."

"Gayle?"

Nick gasped, and stared at Palmer. "That was his name."

"Tall, blonde hair, brown eyes, kinda built," Kevin said slowly, looking at Nick. "Really smart, always cracking jokes, pretty hyper. A lot like you, now that I think about it…"

Nick nodded, a strange expression crossing his face. "That's him."

"What's that mean?" Kevin turned to Palmer. "If Nick and I dated the same guy?"

"How did you leave things with him, Nick?" She asked him.

Nick frowned, and shook his head slowly. "Badly. He was pretty angry at me."

"Why?"

"He thought I was living a lie, with Backstreet and all, and that I was breaking up with him to protect my image. I wasn't, I just wasn't into HIM anymore, but…that's what he thought," Nick looked at Tara sadly. "I don't hide what I really feel, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she smiled at him, and hugged him.

"I'll tell anyone who listens that I'm in love with Tara, because I AM," Nick looked at Palmer, his eyes bright. "I wasn't gonna tell anyone I was in love with Gayle, because I wasn't. If I had been, then, well, I dunno, I would have crossed that bridge when I got to it."

"You would have come out publicly?" Brian asked, his mouth dropping open in surprise.

"Maybe?" Nick frowned. "I don't know. It wasn't an issue."

Kevin sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "So this Gayle, he's your suspect?"

Palmer nodded, "best one we've got so far, definitely. Do you remember a last name, Nick?"

Nick shook his head slowly, "no. I can look, I might have some old letters from him somewhere."

"Please do," Palmer turned to Tara, frowning slightly. "You didn't answer me."

"Answer what?" Tara asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Your friends Andy and Tommy. Are they gay?"

Tara sighed heavily, and ran a hand through her hair. "Goddammit…"

"Please answer the question, Tara."

"Andy is gay, YES," Tara said in exasperation. "But I swear to god he's not doing this," she groaned when she saw Palmer writing in her notepad. "Andy would never…"

"You have no way of knowing what someone is or isn't capable of doing," Palmer said slowly. "If I have learned anything in my time at the FBI, it is to never underestimate people."

"I'm not underestimating him!"

"Tommy?" She continued, holding her pen above her notepad expectantly.

Tara made a face. "Straight."

"Sure?"

"He had a girlfriend for a few months, I even met her once," Tara said, rolling her eyes. "Enough?"

Palmer nodded as she stood up, returning her notepad to her pocket. "I'm going to go check out some things, I'll talk to you all later."

"Thanks," Kevin waved to her as she left, before turning back to the group. "So…."

"So," AJ interrupted, his eyes still fixed on Nick. "You did a GUY?"

"Will you stop it!" Nick glared at AJ. "So what?"

"So, little Nicky, I'm just amazed," AJ snickered, and shook his head. "We never knew."

"I told you, I didn't want you to know."

"I guess," AJ grinned. "So tell us. What's it feel like, getting Kevin's leftovers?"

"AJ!!" Nick and Kevin both shouted, and AJ ducked.

"Just kidding, just kidding," AJ laughed. "Had to be asked."

"No, it didn't," Kevin rolled his eyes. "Can we move on to another subject?"

"I don't know, I'm still pretty interested in this one…"

"Drop it, AJ," Nick warned, his eyes narrowing.

"If I drop it, will you pick it up…" AJ got a pillow in the face for his comment, and sighed. "All right, all right."

"Can we talk about tonight's show?" Kevin looked at AJ for a pause, before taking a deep breath. "Thank you Bone. Now, on to real work…"

***********************************************************

Tara didn't find a chance to call Andy until backstage at the concert that night, when Nick finally left her side to go get dressed. Borrowing Nick's cellphone, she sat down and dialed, praying Andy was home. "Hey!" She said happily when she heard his voice on the other end.

"HEY!" Andy shouted back. "How's life on the Backstreet tour?"

"It's life," she replied with a small laugh. "You were right about the boys on stage, though, it's a good thing you warned me."

"Is AJ not the sexiest bad ass in the world? Did you want to blow right there on the spot? God, I love that man…"

"Nick, Andy, my eyes were on Nick.." She grinned as Nick walked back into the room, and watched him adjusting his clothes in the mirror.

"Aah, yeah, Puppy ain't bad either," Andy conceded with a giggle.

"Right. Puppy," Tara snickered. "Don't call him that to his face, ok?"

"Oh, trust me babe, I will."

"Andy…"

"I want to see his reaction to it!"

"You do, I'll tell AJ you sleep with his poster," Tara threatened.

"You would not."

"I wouldn't?"

Andy sighed heavily into the phone. "Fine, fine."

"So, question for you, Andy darlin."

"Yes, Tara my goddess?"

"When did you talk to Jessica yesterday?"

"Afternoon sometime? I don't quite remember when, but we were talking work stuff, that was when I let it slip that you were there. I am SO sorry about that, babe, did I mention that in my message?"

"Many, many times, and you are totally forgiven," Tara reassured him. "I saw Jess last night, it was just strange, she acted like she had no idea I was on tour."

"Jessica is a strange girl…"

"What do you mean?"

"Just, strange."

"Details, Andrew, details."

"I don't know," Andy said, the frustration apparent in his voice. "I just think, well, you promise you won't say anything to your loverboy there?"

"My loverboy?"

AJ was walking past Tara as she asked the question, and he looked at her with a laugh. "L…l…l…l….loverboy!" He sang, turning to the mirror mounted on the wall and primping his hair.

"Puppy. Promise you won't tell Puppy."

"Won't tell Puppy what?"

AJ turned back around at that, mouthing "puppy?" at her in confusion.

Tara waved him off, shaking her head when he pouted in response.

"Won't tell Puppy what I'm about to tell you."

"I won't tell Puppy," Tara sighed, watching Nick walk out of the room behind Kevin, Howie and Brian.

"Who the HELL is Puppy?" AJ asked loudly.

"Was that my Bone?" Andy squealed into the phone.

"Jesus christ," Tara nearly dropped the phone, not expecting the loud shrieks that followed. "Yes, Andy, that's AJ."

"I am not a fuckin' dog," AJ said firmly, glaring at the phone in Tara's hand. "Who are you talking to?"

"Nobody," Tara told him, before saying into the phone, "now what were you going to tell me, Andy?"

"Lemme talk to Bone."

"Andy…"

"AJ!"

Tara rolled her eyes, and looked at AJ, "AJ, my darling friend Andrew refuses to talk to me unless you'll say hello to him. Would you please?"

"I would, babe, but we gotta be on stage in a second," AJ said sadly, waving at the phone. "Hi, Andrew," he shouted, before leaving the room with a laugh.

"Oh, Andy, I gotta give Nick back his phone before he goes on stage," Tara said quickly, walking into the hallway and seeing the guys heading for the stage.

"Why, he brings it out with him?"

"No, Andy," she said in exasperation. "Just, I don't intend to hold it for the entire show, you know?"

"AJ said my name," Andy said sweetly.

"Yes, I heard."

"AJ said my name."

"You already said that."

"He said Andrew."

"Yes."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH," Andy screamed.

"Andy, I should go," Tara sighed, sensing that she was not going to get any additional information out of him tonight.

"Fine. Call me tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Go make sweet love to Puppy for me, would you?"

"Shut up, Andrew."

"Love me!"

"Love Puppy."

A loud sniff. "I've been replaced."

"Yup."

Another sniff. "By a doggie."

"Yup."

"Fine. AJ said my name!!" He laughed. "Talk to you tomorrow, babe."

"Night, Andy."

***

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