A Change of Worlds

Book 5 of the Killian Kendall Mysteries

By Josh Aterovis
Copyright 2026

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Chapter 6

In my ongoing efforts to avoid Micah, I decided to work over the weekend. That didn't keep me from sleeping in Saturday morning. It was almost noon by the time I showered and got dressed.

Once I was settled, I placed a call to Sergeant Kaplan. He was on duty and invited me to head right over.

I don't like police stations. I don't guess many people do, perhaps because they always seem so cold and sterile. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait in the reception area long before Sgt. Kaplan called me back to his office.

Hank Kaplan was a tall, burly man with blond hair and a ruddy complexion. His office wasn't all that small, but he was big, he made it seem smaller, and the low ceilings made it feel claustrophobic. He seemed so out of place it was almost comical. I always thought he would look much more at home on a Viking ship. His surname was Eastern European, but there was undoubtedly some Norse ancestry somewhere in his lineage.

"Have a seat, Killian," he said, lowering his large frame into his desk chair. "What have you been up to? I haven't seen you in quite a while. You're staying out of trouble, I hope."

"More or less," I replied with a grin.

He laughed a deep, booming guffaw. "I'm betting less than more. I heard about your escapades with Black."

I was never going to live that down. "Most of it was probably exaggerated. You know how the media is."

"Actually, I heard through the grapevine that you did a damn fine job with that case. You impressed a lot of people. Then again, I wouldn't expect any less from Shane Novak's personally chosen protégé. How is the old fart?"

"He's as ornery as ever."

He laughed again. "I'd be worried if he wasn't. Tell him I said hello."

"I will."

"Hey, you didn't come here to chitchat with me. What's on your mind? My superior powers of deduction tell me it's a case."

"Right on the first guess," I confirmed. "I've been hired by the Pomocatan tribe to look into the disturbances down at the archaeological excavation."

He nodded. "Makes sense. I know they've been dissatisfied with our investigation. It's actually a smart move. You'll be able to do a lot more than we can. We don't have the time or manpower to devote to something like this."

"That's what I figured. Can you tell me anything about it?"

"Probably not much more than you already know. The first we became aware of the situation was when Mr. Snyder was assaulted...last Sunday night, I think it was?" I nodded. "He didn't see who hit him, and there was no physical evidence that we could link to the attack. The site itself was crisscrossed with footprints from the excavation crew, and the surrounding area is leaf covered. When we talked to the crew the next day, we discovered that wasn't the first time the site had been disturbed during the night. Again, there was no evidence or any way for us to really pursue the matter."

"You don't find it suspicious that they didn't report the disturbances?"

"After meeting everyone involved, and considering the circumstances, not really."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you met the professor in charge of the dig? Professor Healy?"

"Not yet."

"Oh. Well, you'll understand better when you do. He's a character. I can certainly see where there might be some tension between him and the Snyders, especially the daughter."

"Lily."

"Right. I suspect Professor Healy is one who does not take orders well. I got the impression he rather resented Ms. Snyder's involvement. Having the site looted would certainly place him in a bad light and quite possibly endanger his dig. I doubt he was willing to run that risk. Plus, since the looter had been digging during the night, they didn't know for certain what was taken, if anything."

"How can they not know what was taken? I thought archeologists kept really meticulous records."

"Apparently they do, but only of the artifacts they actually find. Since the looter was digging when no one was around, they don't know what he might have found and stolen. They just know that someone was digging. They'll be able to explain it better than I can."

"So basically, I'm starting from scratch."

"Afraid so. You've got quite a challenge ahead of you, but I have every confidence that you're up to the task." He paused and grinned. "Just watch yourself. I don't want to have to come visit you in the hospital again," he added, referring to a past case where I'd met the business end of a shovel...with my head.

"I think it's safe to say that neither of us wants that," I assured him with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help with this case."

"It's okay. I really didn't expect any more. I figured if there'd been any evidence, something would have been done by now."

"You need anything else from me?"

"I think that's it. I won't hold you up any more."

"Hold me up? Please. You're giving me an excuse not to work. We had a homicide last night. Drug related, most likely. Around here, most of them are. It gets worse every year. For such a small city, our crime rates are way out of proportion." He shook his head sadly, and I was glad I didn't have his job.

"I need to be going, anyway."

We both stood up and shook hands. The visit had gone much more quickly than I'd anticipated, and I still knew nothing more than I had before.

I was lingering in the parking lot, trying to decide what to do next, when my cell phone rang. It was Micah. For one panicked second I considered not answering it. Then I realized how cowardly that was and took the call.

"Hey. What's up?" he said.

"I just finished an interview with Sgt. Kaplan for my new case."

"You're working on a Saturday?"

"Yeah."

"I guess that means you were hired."

"Oh, yeah."

"I thought maybe you'd call me and let me know how the meeting went."

"I guess I forgot."

"Okay...so, how'd it go?"

"It was interesting. This one guy was very against their hiring me, but I got the impression he's against pretty much everything. There was a lot of discussion, then they took a vote, and I was hired four-to-two."

"So you decided to start the ball rolling today?"

"Yeah, there were some small things I could get out of the way so I can really jump in with both feet on Monday."

"I was hoping we could see each other this weekend sometime."

I was quiet for a moment too long.

"Killian, are you avoiding me because I asked you to move in with me?"

"I...it's just...maybe a little," I admitted.

"Kill, you can't put this off forever. Maybe we should sit down and talk about it. If it's making you that uncomfortable, I can take the request off the table."

"What about the job offer? You can't take that off the table."

"I can turn it down."

"But...it's such a great opportunity."

"So what are you saying? You want me to take the job?"

"No! I mean...I don't know what I'm saying. I don't know what I want yet."

"When will you know?"

"I don't know." I sighed and slumped against my car. "Trust me; you'll be the first to hear when I figure it out."

"And meanwhile I'm stuck in this limbo. You don't call me, you won't see me..."

"Micah, can we please not do this now?"

"Do what? Talk about our problems? Killian, you can't keep on avoiding this."

"I know. I know. Just...give me a few more days. Please?"

"Okay. I'll back off, but we need to talk."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Just don't forget that."

He hung up, and I stood next to my car for several minutes before climbing in. I wasn't in the mood to work anymore — not that I really had anything else to do anyway. Since I certainly didn't feel like being around people, either, I decided to drive to one of my favorite places to get away and think: the zoo.

I spent a couple of hours just walking around watching the animals. Unfortunately, when I left, I wasn't any closer to an answer than when I'd arrived. I stopped by the office and found it empty, so I devoted myself to reducing the size of the paperwork pile for a while then headed home.

By the time I pulled into the small parking lot at the bed and breakfast, all I wanted to do was curl up in bed with a good book. Ever since Micah's phone call, I had slowly been sinking into a funk. I hated being forced into a decision I didn't feel I was ready to make, and this definitely fit that bill.

I opened the front door and stepped into the foyer. Steve was behind the checkin desk. "Ah, uh, Killian! You're here," he stuttered a bit nervously.

Something in his voice made me stop. I got the impression he'd been standing there waiting for me.

"I'm here," I agreed.

"There's someone waiting to see you."

He was definitely acting strange. "Who?"

"It's—"

"Hi, Killian," Asher said, coming into the hall. "I thought I heard your voice."

"Asher." I tried my best to keep the frustration out of my voice. I really didn't feel like dealing with him at that moment.

"I hadn't heard from you, so I thought I'd just drop by the house to see you." He gave me a big smile. "Kane said you were staying here."

His face fell a little as I continued to stare at him in stony silence, but he forged ahead doggedly. "I was hoping maybe we could grab dinner together. If you haven't eaten already, I mean. Nothing fancy, just a diner or something." He paused again as if waiting for a response. When none came, he took a deep breath and tried one more time. "I'd really like to catch up. If this is a bad time, we could always set another night..."

I opened my mouth to tell him that it was a bad time and I didn't know when it would be a good one, but then I remembered what Micah had said. He'd encouraged me to go out with Asher. It had sounded ludicrous at the time, but at that moment, I was feeling reckless enough that it didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

I shrugged. "Why not?"

Asher gave me a lopsided smile. "That's not exactly the enthusiastic response I was hoping for, but I guess I'll take what I can get."

"I'll go change," I told him.

"Don't bother. Like I said, we're not going anywhere fancy, and besides, you look great."

I glanced down at my jeans and polo shirt. The outfit wasn't anything special, just my version of business casual, but if he was happy with it, then so was I. "My car or yours?"

"We can take mine," he offered.

I turned to Steve, who was staring at me with a look that clearly said, Do you know what you're doing? I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "I guess I'll be back later."

I followed Asher out to his car and climbed into the passenger seat. He slid behind the steering wheel and threw a nervous smile in my direction. "Thanks, Kill."

I tried the reassuring-smile thing once more, with equally shaky results.

We drove off in silence, neither of us seeming to know what to say. It was even more awkward than our first run-in. I was questioning my sanity for agreeing to this when Asher pulled into a small roadside mom-and-pop diner advertising daily specials and home-style cooking.

"Have you been here before?" he asked.

"No, I've driven past it plenty of times but never stopped."

"Is this okay?"

"It's fine."

"'Cause we can go somewhere else if you'd rather."

"Asher, really, this is fine. I've wanted to try it out."

"If you're sure..."

I glanced over at him, and the look in his eyes stopped the biting retort forming on my lips. "I'm sure."

We climbed out and walked inside, where a middle-aged waitress sat us in a dimly lit corner booth. She dropped laminated menus in front of us before wandering off to fill our drink orders.

The awkward silence returned as soon as we were alone. I pretended to be enthralled by the menu. After a minute, Asher set his aside and studied me.

I kept my eyes on my menu for as long as I could, until his stare became more than I could take. I met his eyes. "What?"

"Why did you agree to come to dinner with me?"

"Huh?" That wasn't the question I had expected.

"You're clearly uncomfortable. I get the feeling you'd rather be anywhere but here. You've been staring at the menu forever, and I bet you've not seen a thing on it. Do you even know what you're getting?"

"Chicken and dumplings," I shot back without hesitation. I was almost positive I'd seen it on the menu.

Asher blinked, then recovered. "Why are you here?"

I sighed. "I don't really know. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment kinds of things."

"And now you regret it?"

"I wouldn't exactly say regret."

"What would you say, then?"

"I don't know. I feel weird. I haven't seen you, haven't even spoken to you, in months, almost a year, and now suddenly you want to hang out. It's...I need a little time to get used to it. You know?"

Asher nodded. "I guess I can understand that, but relax. I'm not after anything. I just wanted to see you again. Catch up on your life." He paused. "I miss you."

The waitress returned at that moment with our drinks, sparing me from the need to respond. "Y'all ready to order?" she asked in a thick regional accent.

"Yeah, we'll both have the chicken and dumplings," Asher said.

I was seriously hoping I really had seen them on the menu and hadn't made them up. They must have been there, though, because she made a note on her order pad and left us again.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Asher laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"You weren't sure they were on the menu, were you."

I pretended to glare at him before giving up with a chuckle. "I was almost positive they were on there."

"You should have seen your face." He laughed even harder.

I started to laugh too, and soon we were both cracking up. It served to release the nervous tension and break the ice all at the same time. After that, I felt much more relaxed, allowing the conversation to flow. Our meals were served, and we continued to talk while we ate. The chicken and dumplings turned out to be pretty good.

I caught him up on my life, telling him about school, some of my more interesting cases, Steve and Adam opening up the bed and breakfast, and Adam taking in Tad. I shied away from mentioning Micah as much as possible. That still seemed like a delicate subject, and under the current circumstances, one I'd just as soon avoid.

Then Asher took his turn filling me in on his time away at college. "It wasn't what I expected," he remarked thoughtfully. "I don't know what I was expecting, really. Everyone always makes college out to be this big life-changing experience, but it wasn't for me. Maybe it's only like that if it's your first chance for self-discovery. You know, kids coming from controlling or repressive families, on their own for the first time. My family was totally open, and I did nearly all my self-discovery with you in high school. Mostly, I just missed everybody at home."

"Did you at least like your classes?"

"Yeah, they were okay. I did really well. I didn't have much of a social life, so I had lots of time for homework and studying."

"Why didn't you have a social life?" That didn't sound much like the Asher I remembered. He was never a loner.

He shrugged. "I just didn't click with anyone there. The few friends I have aren't that close. I tried attending the gay/straight alliance, but it turned out that most of the people involved used it as a personal dating service. I quit going after the first semester. I went out with a few guys, but nothing serious, and no one lasted very long."

His eyes caught mine and held them until I looked away, feeling slightly uncomfortable again.

Time to change the subject.

"Have you had any luck finding a job?"

"I've applied to a few places, but haven't heard anything back yet. If all else fails, I can always work with my dad again."

Asher's father was a successful optometrist. Asher had worked for him every summer during high school.

"Remember that time we almost got caught making out in one of the examination rooms?" he said with a giggle.

I laughed. "That wasn't as bad as the time in the boys' bathroom at school."

He guffawed loudly, causing several people to look our way. By now we were both laughing so hard we didn't care.

"I'd forgotten about that," he gasped.

We got caught up in reminiscing for several minutes, and when the next lull in the conversation came, it was the sort of comfortable silence that happens between two friends. I realized that I was completely comfortable with Asher for the first time that night.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked.

"I was just thinking that I'm glad we did this."

"Me too," he agreed, looking quite pleased.

Just then, a fast-paced song with a pounding dance beat came on the juke box. It stood out because there'd been a steady stream of country songs and light rock since we'd arrived.

"Man, I wish there was somewhere we could go dancing around here," Asher said suddenly.

"You like to dance?"

"That was one of the few things I did do at college. I went every weekend I could. In D.C., most places have college nights where it's eighteen and over."

"I know. Micah took me to Michelangelo's once."

"You've been to Michelangelo's?"

"Yeah."

"We could have been there at the same time."

"We would have never known it unless we tripped over each other," I pointed out. "That place is huge, and it was packed."

"It's always like that. But there's no place to go here, right? It's all twenty-one and over?"

"Ye-es…" I drew the word out.

Asher cocked his head to one side. "What does that mean?"

"Well, there's this place we go to sometimes where they know me and let me in."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if they'd let you in or not. I usually go with Micah."

"We could try. I mean, if you want to. If you'd rather not, I can just take you back to the B&B."

I thought for a minute, staring at my plate. I was having a great time, and it had been a while since I'd been dancing.

I looked up. "Let's go."

After we settled the bill, which Asher insisted on paying, I gave him directions to Inferno. From the outside, the club looked like a warehouse: a two-story, white, cinder-block building with almost no windows. The parking lot was filled to capacity, as it was most weekends. The only thing that identified the plain building as a club was the inconspicuous sign over the entrance.

A tall, platinum-blonde drag queen guarded the door, checking IDs with her omnipresent but oddly silent, bald sidekick. No one who knew Carmen wanted to mess with her. Those who didn't know her learned quickly and never messed with her again. Carmen could have easily handled the door by herself, but the bald guy, whose name no one seemed to know, was her enforcer. If someone got out of hand inside, he'd wade into the masses and physically remove them from the premises. Carmen always said she didn't want to break a nail.

That night, Carman was wearing a long, black velvet dress with rhinestones flashing here and there. Matching stones hung from her ears and at her throat. The outfit was topped off with a tiara perched atop her towering mountain of hair.

"You're looking particularly lovely tonight, Carmen," I complimented her as we approached. "Is it a special occasion?"

She patted her hair while looking Asher and me over suspiciously. "Sometimes a girl just needs to feel pretty. And speaking of pretty, where is that man of yours?"

"I'm on the town without him tonight," I said with as confident a smile as I could muster under her disapproving glare. "This is my friend Asher. We went to high school together. He's home for the summer."

She sniffed. "And I suppose if I was to ask for ID, he would fall somewhere below the legal limit?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask," I admitted.

"Yes, I'll bet you were." She rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, you must be this old to take this ride."

"Please, Carmen?" I batted my eyes and gave her my best puppy-dog look.

She sighed dramatically. "Go on, but if you get in trouble — inside or with Micah — I don't want anything to do with it."

"Thank you, Carmen!"

"Don't thank me. Just get out of here before I change my mind."

Asher and I ducked quickly through the door. The wall of music hit us as soon as we were inside. I could actually feel the beat vibrating through my body. Asher's face lit up as he looked around. This was a definite case of "you can't judge a club by its exterior."

The interior of Inferno was a kaleidoscope of visual imagery. Fog billowed from smoke machines, multicolored lights flashed, a strobe pulsated, and hundreds of male bodies in various stages of undress writhed on the dance floor. Columns were scattered around the room, each with faux-flames leaping from its top. A few raised platforms were set up with more of the faux-flames outlining their edges and go-go boys dancing their buns off on top.

"Nice job back there," Asher yelled over the noise. "This place is great."

I grinned and didn't even try to answer. I'd learned my lesson the first few times I'd been there. If I tried to talk too much, I wouldn't have a voice the next day.

We stood near the door for a few minutes while Asher took it all in. When the song changed, he grabbed my wrist with a yelp and pulled me towards the dance floor. "I love this song!" he screamed.

I fell into the rhythm of the music and soon lost myself to it. It was the first time I'd ever done this with Asher, and I quickly realized he was a great dancer. He was catching more than a few interested glances from those around us. I was getting my share of looks as well, but most of the regulars recognized me from all the times I'd been there with Micah.

We danced for a couple of hours before we both started to tire then made our way towards the door and into the cool air outside.

Asher wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Wow, now I know why they call that place Inferno."

I laughed. "I think I said something similar the first time I came here."

"If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that tired line, I'd be richer than Nazi Musk," Carmen grumbled.

"Cheer up, Carmen," I called over to her. "We had a great time, and no one got hurt."

She raised one carefully penciled eyebrow and pursed her bright-red lips. "Time will tell, Young One. Time will tell."

Her cryptic statement brought me crashing back down from my endorphin high. I wanted to ask her what she meant, but Asher caught my wrist and pulled me toward the car.

"Come on," he said. "We should get going. Besides, I don't think she likes me."

"She's friends with Micah." I climbed into the car and sank back into the seat with a sigh. I was suddenly very tired.

"I guess that explains it, then," Asher said as he started the car. "At least it isn't anything personal."

We drove back to the B&B in silence. I fought to keep my eyes open the whole trip. When we pulled into the parking lot, I turned to face him. "Are you as tired as I am?"

"It depends on how tired you are."

"If you're too tired to drive home, you could stay here tonight." He looked at me sharply, and I hurriedly added, "In your own room."

He gave me a small smile. "I'll be okay, but thanks for worrying. I'll walk you to the door."

"I'm fine—"

"I'll walk you to the door."

We slowly climbed the porch steps and stood awkwardly in front of the door. I decided to be the one to break the silence this time.

"I had a really nice time tonight. I was nervous at first, but I'm glad we did this."

"Me too. I know I've said it already, but I've really missed you, Killian."

"I've missed you too."

As I spoke the words, I realized that I really had. My vision blurred with sudden, unexpected tears.

I was still blinking to clear my eyes when Asher stepped quickly forward and pressed his lips against mine.

It was over before I even had time to react, which might have been for the best since I'm not sure what my reaction would have been.

He smiled again and walked back to his car. I stood watching him until he had driven out of sight.

With a sigh, I turned and let myself into the house.

"I hope you know what you're doing," a voice said from the darkness.

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