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    Green Eyes Cry, You Die a Layton Shayne Mystery
    Green Eyes Cry, You Die a Layton Shayne Mystery
    Green Eyes Cry, You Die a Layton Shayne Mystery
    Ebook315 pages4 hours

    Green Eyes Cry, You Die a Layton Shayne Mystery

    By Gerald Lopez

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    About this ebook

    Gay Detective Layton Shayne is on the case again, this time with his lover Alex working alongside him. If he thought his last case involving a cult and the supernatural had prepared him for everything—he couldn’t have been more wrong. This new case for Leticia Carter and her mysterious organization would take him and Alex from Louisiana to central Florida. They would be on the hunt for a mysterious green-eyed lady statue possessing supernatural powers and rumored to cry real emerald tears which bring death with them.

    The hunt for the statue would lead the duo to the small neighboring towns of Mt Ore where they would run into old friends from Shelby, and the town of Aurora founded by new age hippies. They’d also be working with a handsome and amorous new agent by the name of Buck Taggerty, who might just prove to be more troublesome than helpful. It wouldn’t make matters easier that they’d be meeting him at a gay nudist campground being visited by zombies. Resourceful Miss Lucy will be there to lend a helping hand if her roommate, the beautiful Charity, doesn’t do her in first. Sassafras Jones, an old nemesis of Miss Lucy’s also shows up to aid the detective and his partners. It would end up being a case that Layton would describe as anything but boring.

    Life is good for the detective who is feeling like a man in love on his honeymoon as the case starts out, but things soon take a crazy turn when he meets Miss Lucy for a briefing. The colorful Miss Lucy has infiltrated the hippie community of Aurora, but is being forced out of the area by her roommate Charity, who is more than a little suspicious of her. Layton also receives condolences from Miss Lucy about having to work alongside Buck Taggerty, an agent the organization has sent to assist him and Alex.

    Things are somewhat more pleasant when Layton visits old friends Jimmy and Francisco in Mt Ore, especially when there will be a chance for him and Alex to relax nude in a hot tub. But, just who is it that’s following the detective and what are their intentions? Before Layton can complete the case, a dangerous new enemy emerges who may have ties to an old case. Between fighting zombies and vanquishing foes, will the detective ever manage to locate the highly sought after green-eyed-lady statue and close the case? With guns galore, sickles, and poison in play, Layton is shocked by what finally brings him to his knees as helpless as a child. Without Alex or his other team members to help him, the detective finds aid from where he least expects it, but when he needs it most. A pastor and his wife can help provide clues to what’s going on in the area, if they can be trusted. The organizations top new researcher Noelle is back to help, but is forced to make a sudden departure while working on the case. And Layton wonders exactly what ties, a has-been local actress, sickle carrying senior citizen nudist, and local baker have to the green-eyed lady. All the while, investigating the Cult of the Green-Eyed Lady which just happens to be having their yearly festival at the gay campgrounds while he, Alex, and Buck are there. Will the cult’s orgy and festivities be ruined by unwelcome and deadly visitors?
    Zombies, gay nudists, statues with supernatural powers, and aggressive and unusual lovemaking are all just getting to be a regular part of the daily life of detective Layton Shayne and his loving partner Alex.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGerald Lopez
    Release dateAug 21, 2014
    ISBN9781311798626
    Green Eyes Cry, You Die a Layton Shayne Mystery
    Author

    Gerald Lopez

    Gerald was called to write at various times in his life. When he was young, the writing consisted of plays and short stories. Then he explored the fine arts and literature, earning a bachelor’s degree in the latter while minoring in art history. In his studies he was fascinated by and enjoyed analyzing characters, their personalities and motivations. To him it’s always been the characters who make a story special. Once again writing has taken hold of him. In the past it was just an amusement, but now—for Gerald—writing is a passion to live, eat, and breathe.

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      Green Eyes Cry, You Die a Layton Shayne Mystery - Gerald Lopez

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

      Wherever possible, the syntax and spelling in this book follows guidelines set forth in The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition, and in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

      Cover Art Copyright © 2014, 2016, 2019 by Gerald Lopez

      Acknowledgments

      Many thanks to my hard working editor Jim, and to John for all his help. I’m very appreciative of all the two of you have done to help me.

      Dedication

      To my brother Daniel, we’ve met some interesting characters in our lives. And to Melissa and all the crazy times we had creating funny characters and acting them out. To Diane, my good friend, for always being so excited about my work and wanting to hear more about my new stories. Last, but not least, all my thanks to my best friend J.C..

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1—Green Eyes

      Chapter 2—Meeting Miss Lucy

      Chapter 3—Readings, Zombies, and Shit

      Chapter 4—Old Friends Reunited

      Chapter 5—Getting Down to Business

      Chapter 6—Hot Times in Mt Ore

      Chapter 7—The Power of Three

      Chapter 8—Organized Thoughts

      Chapter 9—Bare-Assed to the Wind

      Chapter 10—Meeting Buck

      Chapter 11—Sex Trail

      Chapter 12—Spending Time Together—Just the Three of Us

      Chapter 13—Taking Things in Hand

      Chapter 14—Visitors Galore

      Chapter 15—Let the Festivities Begin!

      Chapter 16—Not so Surprise Guests

      Chapter 17—The Cavalry Arrives

      Chapter 18—Meeting a Lady

      Chapter 19—Surprise! Surprise!

      Chapter 20—Crazy Things

      Chapter 21—Prudence

      Chapter 22—Snooping Around

      Chapter 23—Burning Off Calories

      Chapter 24—Summing Things Up

      Chapter 25—Tell Me About It

      Chapter 26—Farts and Tarts

      Chapter 27—Delivering the News

      Chapter 28—Game Plan

      Chapter 29—All Aboard

      Chapter 30—Settling In

      Chapter 31—Boogie Woogie Zombie Boy

      Chapter 32—Madness Ensues

      Chapter 33—Triumphant Trio

      Chapter 34—Burn, Ladies, Burn

      Chapter 35—All in Good Time

      Chapter 36—Tea For Four

      About the author

      Contact the author

      Other books by Gerald Lopez

      Green Eyes Cry, You Die

      A Layton Shayne Mystery

      Gerald Lopez

      Chapter 1

      Green Eyes

      Is that all Leticia told you about this case, Layton?

      That’s it, I said, patting Alex’s knee and smiling. Keep checking that map, navigator, I don’t want to get lost.

      I ran my right hand through the renaissance curls of his shoulder length, golden blond hair while steering with my left hand. Our boss Leticia Carter had wasted no time assigning us to a new case. The other leaders of her watchdog organization were happy to have a detective with an ex-military background like mine working for them. Leticia hadn’t felt the need to tell them that I was gay and had taken up with Alex, who’d been at the center of my last investigation.

      Take the next left, babe, Alex said.

      I did so, and he looked up from the map toward me and spoke. It was nice having two nights and a day all to ourselves in the organization’s guest quarters on the convent’s grounds.

      Yeah, it was, I said, reaching over and holding his hand for a minute before raising it to my lips and kissing it.

      I still don’t see how you can be so calm after everything that happened in Shelby, Layton Shayne.

      What do I have to be all upset about, Alex Shayne?

      He sighed and grinned widely. God, I love the sound of that name.

      What name? Alex? It’s a nice name… Alex… Alexander… Al. No… not Al. You definitely don’t look like an Al.

      Stop teasing me. I was glad to be rid of the last name Kennedy. It didn’t really belong to me anyway, since I wasn’t actually a true blood relation of the original family. Thank you, Layton, for everything. For saving me from my sisters and that crazy cult they belonged to. And for offering me your last name. You didn’t have to do that… but I’m glad you did. It makes me feel like we’re really connected, bonded, and marr—

      Don’t use that heterosexual institution to describe what we have, please, I said. I’m a gay man in love with another gay man, and I don’t need hetero words to describe what we have. I also don’t need a piece of paper to prove that I love you and want to stay with you forever. However, I am glad that we met with Leticia’s lawyer friend before leaving the convent’s guest quarters.

      So am I. Still, it was strange doing all the medical powers of attorney stuff and the wills making each other beneficiaries to one another’s estates.

      Alex clasped my hand tightly. He’d just lost his two sisters, and there we were yesterday, dealing with wills and all sorts of ‘fun’ stuff.

      I know it upset you, Alex, but it was important to do all that, even if I wasn’t a detective. Besides, remember that Leticia said you’d have to be careful as my photographer too. You were right when you said the organization would assign us to cases involving cults or objects that had acquired supernatural or paranormal powers. Now that you’ll be gathering photographic evidence of the things we’re involved in, you may be placed in dangerous situations. Without the documents we executed and had notarized, if either one of us were hurt—or God forbid, hospitalized, we might not have any say in how the other one was treated. Hell, we might not even be allowed to see one another. That’s why it was important to deal with all of that. And this way, you’ll be the one who gets to pick out my nursing home when the time comes. I laughed, hoping my last comment had cheered up my sweet lover. It had; and his silvery blue-gray eyes lit up when he smiled.

      You’re not that much older than me. You’re only thirty-five.

      And you’re only twenty-seven. Who am I to talk? At your age, I was into older men too.

      I wouldn’t say I was into older men per se. I’m just totally into you.

      Alex leaned over, brushed my straight, shoulder length, dirty blond hair to the side and began nibbling on my neck. It felt so damn good that my bare toes in flip-flops curled under.

      Don’t start something we can’t finish right now, please, Alex.

      If I don’t look like an Al, then what do I look like? he said, changing the subject.

      The first time I saw you with the light shining through your golden hair, I thought you looked like an angel.

      Alex was quiet for a minute before a look of pure love swept over his face as he turned to me. That look could melt a heart of stone. I needed to think of a change of subject in order to keep from shedding an involuntary tear. It felt good to be loved like Alex loved me. His love helped heal the wounds my ex-lover of ten years had caused when I’d caught him sleeping with my twenty-year-old nephew more than a year earlier. All that was in the past now, and I had plenty to look forward to—including our new case.

      So, my handsome, young stud, what do we know about our new assignment so far? I said.

      Not much, Alex said. We’re supposed to find a green-eyed lady statue that I’m assuming is worshiped by some sort of cult. I’m also guessing the statue must give them supernatural powers. We don’t have any details about the cult yet, but the organization does have someone who’s infiltrated the area where the statue is located, and will help us.

      Not just a green-eyed lady statue, Alex, but a lady statue with eyes made of inset emeralds. That’s a key point.

      That’s true. We’re also going to a small town in Florida founded by a new age cult and a bunch of hippies. That kind of freaks me out.

      I gave his hand a squeeze. Don’t worry, just stick by me and I’ll keep you safe.

      I know you will, my big, strong ex-soldier—partner in love, lust, and everything else.

      He laughed, put his head on my shoulder, and began kissing my neck again.

      OK, now you’ve gone and done it, babe.

      I unbuttoned and unzipped my shorts, then lowered them and my underwear. With that done, I brought Alex’s hand to just the right spot. He pulled his hand back.

      Hey! We’re supposed to be meeting Miss Lucy off the road somewhere.

      Somewhere in Central Florida. That’s a few hours away from where we are right now.

      What if someone sees?

      We’re on the interstate, and there’s not much traffic. Besides, you started something—time to finish it now.

      Alex giggled, then put his hand back in my lap and got down to business.

      I can see life is gonna be full of surprises and new experiences with you, Layton.

      Oh… yeahhh…. I said.

      Chapter 2

      Meeting Miss Lucy

      We decided to stop and have lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant right off the highway; and while we were walking up to the front of the rectangular shaped building, my cell phone rang.

      I’ll go give the hostess our names, and wait for a table while you’re on the phone, Alex said, and went ahead into the restaurant. I watched him, and my gaze went downward to his beautiful feet in brown flip-flops.

      As Miss Lucy’s name popped up on my cell, I opened it and found a comfortable rocking chair to sit on in front of the building. I smiled when I heard her greet me as ‘boy.’ The gentle rocking of the chair comforted me—rockers always had for as long as I could remember. The best thing about coming to Cracker Barrel was getting to sit in one of the many wooden rocking chairs they had outside on their porches. It was a chain restaurant and all the ones I’d ever seen had this same feature. I slipped off my flip-flops and stretched out my legs and feet feeling the sun’s warm rays on them. Miss Lucy had kept it short, as she was rushed; but I wasn’t ready to get up yet. I leaned back with my arms behind my head wanting to close my eyes, but not daring to. If I closed them, I might fall asleep; instead, I looked at the tan lines on my feet which had been left behind by the straps of the flip-flops that I loved to wear. Time to barefoot it a while in order to get rid of those lines, which I hate. Finally, after resting a few more seconds, I got up and walked inside.

      Inside the front of the building was a gift shop featuring T-shirts, audio books for sale or rent, statues, videos, and even toys for the kids. I found Alex perusing the old-time candy section, and I quietly walked up behind him and softly poked him in the side.

      Funny seeing you here, I said, then smiled.

      I recognized the sound of your footsteps, Layton, and if I hadn’t, I’d know your scent.

      Is that a nice way of saying I stink? I said in his ear, blowing in it a little.

      Alex laughed before speaking. No, you smell good… like a man.

      That’s good, since I am a man.

      Shayne, party of two, your table is ready, the hostess said from her station at the entrance to the dining room.

      Alex and I followed a short, young waitress with blonde hair, who was devoid of any personality, and was carrying our menus, along with utensils wrapped in napkins. We went into the rustic dining area, which was divided by walls made of solid wood on the lower part and wood lattice panels on the upper; a large stone fireplace took up space between two access doors to the kitchen. A variety of antique farm equipment, advertising posters, and knickknacks from long ago hung from hooks on the lattice as part of the decor. We were taken to a small and shiny wood table for two, where the young woman took our drink orders before she left us.

      I squirmed a little in my seat trying to get comfortable in the hard wooden chair.

      It was so hard to leave the rocker outside and come in here. One day, I’d love to have a small house with a big deck and two rocking chairs out back by a creek. One chair for you, Alex, and one for me.

      That’s a romantic thought, Alex said, and I know just the spot.

      Care to share? I said, putting my bare foot on top of his, making him grin.

      Are you always this frisky, Layton?

      Sometimes, but I haven’t been for quite a while. Is that a problem? Because I have a feeling that being around you, I’ll be perpetually frisky.

      It’d only be a problem if it stopped.

      Perfect answer. Now tell me the spot you’re thinking of, or am I gonna have to pry it out of you.

      Hmm… maybe I should make you wait for it.

      A tall, husky man wearing a waiter’s uniform walked up to our table. He had black hair streaked with gray, a mustache, and a dark tan. His shirt sleeves were pushed up, and he had a large tattoo on one of his arms.

      How ya guys doing? My name’s Rich, are you ready to order?

      Hi, Rich, I said. I’ll have what I always have when I visit Cracker Barrel, and that’s Momma’s French Toast Breakfast. I would like the two eggs scrambled—firm, and all bacon—no sausage.

      Alrighty. Would you like fruit on top of the French toast?

      Nope, just syrup, thanks.

      He turned to Alex. And you, Sir.

      You know, I think I’ll have the same—thank you, Rich.

      I’ll go ahead and put that order in, if you two need anything else, just holler.

      As soon as he was out of sight, Alex and I looked at each other and laughed.

      There’s one for ya, I said.

      Ha, ha, Alex said. I’m happy with what I’ve got in front of me. Meanwhile, going back to the previous topic of a home. Have you ever been to Maggie Valley, North Carolina?

      I’ve never even heard of the place. Is it nice?

      It’s my favorite spot on this planet, like a little piece of ‘Heaven on Earth.’

      We’ll have to make a point of going there when we get a break, I said, seeing the girl from earlier coming with our drinks.

      She placed two frosted glass mugs filled with lemonade in front of us; I took a long drink from mine before looking back up and seeing our waiter flirting with some women at a table across the room from us.

      So, who was on the phone, Layton?

      Miss Lucy. We’re supposed to casually bump into her at a rest area a couple of hours down the road. Did you have much contact with her when you used to visit her cousin Mother Watkins back in Shelby?

      Actually, none at all—until you came to town. She seems like a real character.

      Oh, she is, I said.

      Rich stopped flirting long enough to bring us our food. Using my spoon, I carefully scooped up the pat of butter that was on top of my French toast and placed it on a section of the plate my bacon was on. That’s when I realized my every move was being carefully watched by my handsome companion.

      I know I have strange eating habits, but I hate butter on my French toast, I said. I forgot to tell our friend Rich that I didn’t want butter.

      Alex just looked at me and smiled, then he began playing footsie with me. I looked back at him and grinned.

      What’re you thinking, Alex Shayne? Have I told you how much I love the sound of that name?

      Several times today alone. You need to be careful, Layton Shayne, you’re beginning to sound a little like a man in love.

      I am a man in love on his honeymoon, I said, taking a large bite of the bacon. Why exactly, do you have such a big grin on your face?

      I’m on my honeymoon, too, you know, but I still don’t have a ring to show for it. I’m not for a wedding or anything like that, but a ring would be nice. That aside, I’m taking mental notes—no butter on Layton’s French toast. A good partner knows his loved one’s likes and dislikes. And we haven’t really spent much time together yet to know all those things.

      That’s the fun of it… getting to learn all those things about one another. But we’d better hurry up—someone’s expecting us.

      After we finished eating, we went back into the store section to pay at the register.

      Layton, what’s your favorite old-time candy? Alex said.

      The watermelon flavor candy sticks.

      While I waited in line, Alex ran to the candy display and came back with several of the watermelon flavored sticks. After paying, we both got back into the Jaguar, and I started her up; but before we left, I turned to Alex and gave him a big, wet kiss. The truth was I really did feel like I was on my honeymoon. I was madly in love with the man next to me, and all seemed right with the world. Of course, in all probability, the world was probably in danger from some green-eyed statue, or we wouldn’t be on the case.

      As we neared our destination, Alex asked me about Miss Lucy.

      How exactly did you meet Miss Lucy, Layton? You keep saying it was kind of crazy.

      Hell, what wasn’t crazy about that case? When I stopped right outside of Shelby at a ramshackle convenience store for some water, Miss Lucy was waiting. She showed me her magic cards, told my fortune, then warned me about that crazy cult your sisters were involved with. I looked at him and smiled.

      Why are you looking at me like that?

      Like what? Like I’ve never seen the sun till I looked at your face? I was remembering how Miss Lucy said I would meet a golden prince, and she couldn’t have been more right. I saw a tear roll down Alex’s cheek, and I scooped it up with my finger and put the finger in my mouth. It tasted salty. Now, there was only a hint of the loneliness I’d seen in his face when we’d first met. My biggest hope, Alex, is that eventually, I can fill the loneliness that I still see glimpses of in you.

      Oh, you fill it already, Layton. It’s just pieces of the past that haven’t lost their grip on me yet, but they will. My family might’ve had a lot financially, and I never lacked for anything; but it was a lonely life. I’m no saint—I had a couple of love affairs and a boyfriend or two, but I always felt so alone.

      I understand the part about feeling alone, and the past sometimes coming back to haunt you. Although, I must admit I can’t relate to the ‘lack for nothing’ part. I’m not a rich man, Alex, and I don’t really aspire to be—it’s just not that important to me. But everything I possess is yours. My soul belongs to God, but the rest of me—body and all, is yours completely.

      I know. Are you trying to make me cry before we meet with Miss Lucy?

      I held his hand tightly in mine. I love you with all my heart, Alex. Things were starting to get mushy—I was getting too mushy; but damn, if he didn’t bring it out in me. Time to change topics again. Sooo… I wonder what Miss Lucy will look like today.

      What do you mean?

      Well, she told me back in Shelby that her job was to infiltrate and fit in with the people or groups involved in the particular case she’s working on in order to gather information. She suggested that she was a chameleon of sorts, who could change to fit in anywhere. I just wonder what type of people she’s had to fit in with this time.

      * * * *

      We arrived at the rest area at our appointed time, and Alex and I got out of the Jag and headed toward the restrooms. Underneath a couple of large trees, on a small section of grass, two modern day hippies were holding flowers out to people. One of them was an attractive young blonde girl with long hair and a slim figure. She had on a slinky, gray, tank top with a large daisy flower painted on the front, tan short-shorts, and beaded flip-flops. Her face had very little make-up and looked fresh and pretty. Many men were throwing a look her way, as not only did she have a great body, but she was also clearly not wearing a bra. To the side of her was a small, skinny black woman wearing a tie-dye tank top, which stopped just above her knees, and some wide pants that dragged the ground over her brown leather and cork soled Birkenstock sandals. Her black hair was braided in corn rows that were so long they went down to her waist. As I walked in front of her, she shoved a flower into my chest.

      Take a flower, brother, she said.

      How could I not have recognized Miss Lucy sooner? She just looked so different with long braids and the crazy hippie get up. I looked down and gave her a sly wink.

      Brother, you have a powerful aura, she said and rubbed her hands up and down my chest.

      I grabbed Alex’s back pocket to make him stop. He gave me a ‘what’s going on?’ kind of look before catching on.

      Oh, I just have to read this boy’s aura, Miss Lucy said. And it’ll only be a nominal contribution, which will go toward supporting our loving community. Charity, come look at this man’s aura, isn’t it fantastic?

      The blonde girl came over and walked around me.

      Oh yes, Sister Lucy, this man’s aura is very powerful. He’s just glowing rainbow colors like he’s filled with an abundance of love.

      I couldn’t help looking over at Alex, who was smiling and seemed to be very much enjoying the scene.

      "Oh, Sister

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