Race With a Heart
Chapter 61: Martin and James Indiana Harry Moore

Chapter 61: Martin and James Indiana Harry Moore

"Do you know what the relations between them are like?"

"I think they broke up," he announced. "I haven’t heard of them seeing each other recently. Steve has been very busy lately. "

"Too bad," she sighed. "It may sound like old people’s talk, but having a solid, stable relationship where you can lean on a partner really helps you regain and maintain your emotional balance. Having the support of a loved one makes it easier to maintain stability. Like returning to a familiar environment. That’s why I didn’t take Steve off the races. At least I haven’t taken him off yet. Karl, you must remember that your friend just lost a loved one and did not have time to mourn that person. At the same time, he gives up his addictions and bad behavior. While this change is commendable, it puts a lot of stress on him, which, combined with the dangerous situations on the track, can be very dangerous for Steve. Added to this is the pressure of increasing fame and media interest, not only in sports ... "

Larissa shook her head disapprovingly.

"Steve is only human," she added. "He has to find an outlet for his emotions. If he doesn’t ... "

She didn’t have to finish. Karl knew perfectly well. If Paxton finds no outlet for his emotions, the excess of them can flood him so much that he will drown.

In the late afternoon, Martin went to the police station to testify. The policemen were very nice to him, although the boy wasn’t very helpful at first. It wasn’t intentional, but for some reason Martin couldn’t describe the perpetrators well. When he was given several dozen photos from which he was to select the suspects, all the faces looked the same in his eyes. This only upset him because he was not going to hide anything and he wanted to work with the police to catch the perpetrators, but he couldn’t help that they look exactly the same.

It was the clothes, hairstyles and facial expressions that were exactly the same on everyone, he decided.

The policeman insisted and was frustrated and finally raised his voice, but Martin just looked down. He really didn’t recognize anyone.

Then a man about thirty entered the interrogation room - slim, slightly above average height, with brown, slightly longer hair, and he was wearing glasses. Behind the glasses were dark brown eyes that looked as though they were very sharp and thoughtful at the same time. They were very pretty eyes with an equally pretty face. The man was dressed in jeans, a light striped shirt, and a cream sports jacket.

"Sergeant, could I take a witness?" he asked in a warm but strong voice. There was a certain shyness in his manner, but also self-confidence. For Martin, this man was difficult to define in reception. "I feel like I can help."

"Of course, Professor Moore." The policeman breathed a sigh of relief and rose from his seat. "Please."

"Good morning," the newcomer greeted. "I’m Kevin Moore, I work for the police as a consultant ..."

"OH!" Martin exclaimed in surprise. "A criminal psychologist? Professor?"

"Sorry, I don’t recognize your face. Are you my student? "

Martin grunted and lowered his eyes shyly. He had no idea how secret the relationship between Kevin and Jack was so he wouldn’t say anything in front of the people (and in front of the cameras recording him), so he just muttered:

"I worked for Fergus."

There was silence for a moment, and finally the professor spoke first.

"So you are Martin. I feel like we’ve been friends for months now, so why don’t we leave this room and have a drink?"

"And ... an interrogation?" the worried boy asked.

"I think you need to relax a little. We’ll take a walk, talk, and then come back to the topic. What do you think?"

Martin agreed immediately, feeling a growing excitement and a little unease within him. He just met Jack Lambert’s boyfriend for the first time!

Jack did describe his partner well. Kevin Moore had the aura of a man as strong and tough as James Bond, but also a bit frivolous like Indiana Jones. As for Harry Potter ...

Martin blushed as he tried to contain his imagination at this point.

"Jack said you were working today, but I didn’t expect to meet you, Mr. Moore ..."

They were already out of the interrogation room and Moore led him to the soda machine.

"Kevin" smiled the professor. "I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that I’ve known you for months and consider you almost a friend. Jack is very talkative, especially in bed. I’ve heard only good things about you. "

"Really?" Martin was surprised.

The professor smiled. It was a very nice, warm smile.

"Fergus’s stable is like family. Jack has been there since the beginning of his career, so he’s like the eldest brother. In this way, you were the youngest brother. You are especially important to him for one more reason. Can you guess that reason? "

"I suppose so," admitted Martin shyly. "You mean you know that I ...?"

"Calmly. Neither I nor Jack are among the people who spread this kind of information. Half a year ago I was just like you, lost and inexperienced, overwhelmed by the changes in my life. "

"Half a year..."

Six months is not that long. Kevin Moore gave the impression that he was now accepting his relationship with Lambert, and from Jack’s story it looked as if he were really so.

Moore handed him the soda can and they walked outside the building, where they sat freely on the wall.

"One thing Jack didn’t tell me was you fell victim to an assault yesterday. Are you okay?"

Kevin asked him the question with a concern that might be strange for a stranger, but they had a mutual friend - maybe even more than a friend - so it was probably because of Jack that made their first contact easier. The professor was right, even Martin felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Yes, I’m fine," he nodded. "They surprised me a lot yesterday, but they didn’t hurt me. They didn’t make it," he blushed.

"I haven’t read the case file. You could say I was passing by and overheard policemen saying you didn’t want to identify the attackers. Thought I might help, so I walked in. Why didn’t they hurt you? "

"Because Steve... I mean Steve Paxton stopped them. He saved me. "

Kevin grinned, which made Martin intimidated. He had to admit that Moore was really handsome and attractive for a man. Together with Jacek, they certainly made a beautiful couple. Martin blushed so much that it was impossible to hide it.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because I suspect that something more important than that little gang incident happened that night, something that is more fresh and memorable in your memory."

"You could say that ..." Martin timidly admitted.

"Are you afraid that they will take revenge on you? For testifying against them? "

"No. They destroyed the boss’s property, so they should pay for it, only ... "

Martin sighed. He wasn’t really afraid of revenge, but the bandits fled Steve as if he were very important, as if he were one of their bosses. What if they ran away not out of respect for the driver but actually Paxton was somehow involved with them? Steve got into brawls a lot, so maybe he had some shady contacts with the criminal world? Of course he wasn’t a criminal, but ...

It wasn’t about that anyway. Martin really couldn’t tell them apart! He wasn’t lying at all.

"Only?" Moore encouraged him to continue.

"No, nothing."

"Fine. Let’s talk about something else. You know, I’ve never been interested in car racing. I was never interested in sports in general, but because of Jack, I had to learn a few things. He really is... too talkative sometimes. He loves to talk about his friends. Did you know Jack is an orphan? "

"No," admitted the surprised Martin. Judging by his cheerful disposition and beautiful smile, he would rather believe that Lambert grew up in a very happy family.

"That’s why the Fergus Stable is like one big family to him. That’s why he never thought about leaving her. You are to him like an innocent little brother who is just entering adulthood, Steve, like a troublesome brother who is in a turbulent period of adolescence. "

Martin did not like the fact that he was considered ’innocent’, but in light of the changes he was going through and the ignorance of the world of love between men in the eyes of experienced Jack, he could actually pass as innocent. But Steve’s description was very accurate.

"I’ve never met Steve in person ..."

"Really?" Martin was genuinely surprised.

Kevin laughed.

His laugh was really beautiful, and if Martin had any doubts as to why Jack fell in love with this guy, now they would all be gone. Kevin Moore was simply captivating.