Kevin walks down the street adjusting his black tie, a gift from his last ex girlfriend. Dressed in the normal attire of a business suit with a briefcase attached to his right hand, he moved dodged around the busy New York sidewalks with ease. His mind was tossing around ideas about his presentation he would have to do tomorrow in front of the board. He makes his way to a large gray building and walks inside the doors to a large lobby where a young woman at the desk says hello. His eyes were fixated on the elevators already as no attention is paid and he keeps walking getting in one and riding it up to a pent house.
The pent house was furnished with only the best furniture money could buy and it was all white and spotless. Sanitary. Everything in its place because according to Kevin everything had a place to be put in.
He throws his coat onto the couch along with his briefcase and walks into the kitchen hitting his answering machine to play the messages on it. He starts to make a martini as he listens to the messages, one from his mom, one from his brother, two from some girl whose name didn’t ring any bells and four from his ex girlfriend.
His house was completely empty except for himself. People told him he should at least get a fish or something, but a fish meant he would have to take care of it and he was trying to avoid taking care of anything. He was almost thirty and he didn’t have a girlfriend with no options of getting married close to him now. That upset his mother more then anything, but it was his life not hers.
He walks back over to the couch with his martini and sits down sipping it while looking over some papers from work. He takes off his shoes and untucks his white shirt from his pants taking off his tie as well. Reaches for his remote control he flips on the TV to the news glancing up at it occasionally.
“There is a severe thunderstorm warning for tomorrow for the New York city area, so remember to bring those umbrellas with you to work,” the weather personality says as Kevin looks up at the screen.
“Wonderful,” Kevin mutters to himself standing up and turning off the TV. He walks down the hallway to his bedroom stripping down to his boxers and then getting into bed.
That was the nightly routine for Kevin Scott Richardson.
Kevin gets up the next morning, takes a shower, shaves, brushes his teeth, gets dressed into a new suit and grabs a granola bar before running out of the penthouse with his briefcase and umbrella in hand. He walks outside his apartment building and opens the umbrella as the rain starts to pound down on him. The rain makes the familiar tap tap tap tap sound on the top of his umbrella simultaneously as it hits the street. He walks down the street scuffling along with everyone else a giant parade of black umbrellas.
Kevin finally reaches a bus stop and stands there along with everyone else holding up their umbrellas waiting for the bus. He gazes down the street frequently looking for the bus. ‘Where the hell is?’He should have taken the subway, but Kevin had never trusted the subway, too many weirdos for his liking. The distinct smell of urine didn’t help either. He looks up and gazes across the street at a construction crew working on cleaning out a building for remodeling.
“That’s depressing, it’s gonna become some kind of baby Gap or something,” a voice says from next to him.
Kevin turns his head and stares down at a skinny man dressed in baggy black pants, black boots, a vintage The Doors T-shirt, tattoos up and down his arms, a piercing in his chin along with earrings and hair with blond tips on the end. The things that caught Kevin’s eye the most was the man was completely soaked standing in the pouring rain without an umbrella. Water was making his shirt and pants cling to his small body and tiny rivers of water were running down his face. Kevin could only stare at him. He was obviously some kind of punk or something, probably on drugs at that. He looked like one of those emaciated hipsters he encountered more then once.
“Society is becoming a wreck now,” the man says to Kevin.
“Are you talking to me?” Kevin asks him.
“I guess. It doesn’t matter to me who I talk to,” he smiles showing a set of perfectly straight white teeth, ”I’m Alexander. You can call me AJ though if you want.”
“Kevin,” Kevin says stoicly.
“Nice to meet you Kevin,” he smiles again
“You’re soaking wet,” Kevin states pointing out the obvious.
“I know. I don’t see why people make such a big about rain. It’s only water I mean. You’re not gonna melt or anything. I mean so what I’m wet, big deal I don’t give a shit. I doubt anyone standing here with their umbrellas knows what rain tastes like.”
“What?”Yes, yes he was on drugs.
“I bet you don’t,” he reaffirms
“Know what rain tastes like?”
“Yeah.”
“Not exactly.” Kevin was thinking it probably resembled the toxic fumes that went into it.
“See it’s you type of people who don’t appreciate what God gives us. If it weren’t for rain we wouldn’t be here,” he says tilting his head up toward the sky and opening his mouth then turning it back down to face Kevin, “Not to sound like a religious nut or anything.”
“It’s ok,” Kevin was positive now that the kid was one drugs. The other people at the bus stop were staring at him now.
The bus pulls up to the stop with a screech and everyone rushes to get on. Along with the surge of people Kevin gets on and puts down his umbrella. The bus driver was staring at the road while AJ walks on without putting money in for fair and stands holding on to a bar even though there were empty seats.
“Let me guess you work at some kind of big law office?” AJ says staring down at Kevin.
“Yes, so?” Kevin says eyeing him.
“Nothing, just guessing.”
“And what do you do?”
“I help people.”
“What?”He was homeless. Yes, Kevin now believed he was homeless.
“You know like soup kitchens and stuff.”
“Oh, that’s a job?” Ok, so he was homeless helping other homeless.
“Not really I guess, but my girlfriend has a good job. Of course we’re kind of in a fight now, so I don’t know where I’m gonna go.”
“Women,” Kevin smirks. He knew that well enough.
“I know, but she’s great she really is. I’m gonna marry her one day.”
“How old are you,” Kevin asks staring at him guessing he was around twenty-five.
“Twenty three.”
“That’s all?”
“Yup, just a pup,” he smiles, “ Why how old are you?”
“Twenty nine turning thirty.”
“That’s not that bad,” he says drawing his face down, “You married?”
“No.” Where was this conversation going?
“Kids?”
“No.”
“I want kids. Three of them, two boys and a girl.”
“You go to college?” Well he might as well ask a question.
“No, I can’t afford it.”
“Oh.” Ah, yes homeless was now replaced with struggling artist.
“Where did you go?”
“Harvard Law.”
“Wow, seriously? That’s great, I would love to go there,” he states nodding his head, “but that means I would have to leave Leigh.”
“She your girlfriend?”
“Yeah. Hey, look it’s clearing up outside.”
Kevin looks out the window and sure enough the sky was clearing and the sun was coming through.
“It’s supposed to rain again later though,” AJ says staring out the window.
The bus comes to a stop and AJ starts walking down the aisle as Kevin follows him.
“You work at that one right?” AJ asks pointing to a building that was where Kevin worked, “Just a guess.”
“Yeah,” Kevin says walking off down the street as AJ walks behind him, “Are you following me?”
“No, don’t flatter yourself. I know some guys who work at a store down here. I was hoping I could get a job.”
“What kind of job?” To buy copious amounts of drugs with?
“I dunno anything if it gets me money in my pocket.”
“Oh,” Kevin says stopping at a crosswalk, so he can cross the street to get to his building.
“Nice to meet you,” AJ says walking down the street singing to himself as Kevin watches him dance around people. More like stylishly avoid hitting them though, “When you’re strange faces come out of the rain When you’re strange no one remembers your name. When you’re strange. When you’re strangeee. When you’re strange faces come out of the rain. When you’re strange no one remembers you’re name. When you’re strange. When you’re strange.”
Kevin walks into his work building and takes the elevator up to his floor walking out and down the hall to his office. His office was all black with leather chairs and a couch. The far wall was all glass and had a view of the street below that he was just walking on. It was a power office.
“Hey Kev, you ready for your presentation today?” a short man asks walking in smiling.
“No Brian, am I ever ready?”Kevin sighs.
“Nope,” Brian smiles.
“Brian what do you know about the Doors?”
“The Doors? Hmm I know they sang “Light my Fire”, but that’s all I know. Why?” he asks gazing at him.
“No reason just popped into my head,” Kevin responds picking up a pen.
“Oh ok. Well c’mon it’s presentation time,” Brian smiles rubbing his hands together.
“Alright,” Kevin sighs fixing his tie grabbing his briefcase and walking out of the room with Brian.
After the presentation Kevin walks out of the room and back to his office Brian following close behind. He walks over to the window and stares down at the street with his hands in his pockets.
“I’m gonna go out to eat lunch, Brian,” he says turning to face Brian.
“Ok, but I gotta finish a case file on some guy. I’ll see you after lunch ok?”Brian says holding a file up with his right hand.
“Ok.”
“Why don’t you buy a Door’s CD if you are wondering about them so much,” Brian says walking out of the room and down the hall. Kevin stares at Brian leaves and decided that sounded like a good enough idea.
Kevin walks down the street to a small mom and pop record store and starts looking through the D CDs. Now he had to decide which Door’s CD to get since there were about ten there. He picks up the Door’s Greatest Hits CD, which had twelve tracks and buys it walking out colliding with someone dropping his bag in the process.
“Oh geez I’m sorry,” the person says and as Kevin looks up he sees none other then AJ,” Oh hey it’s you again. Kevin right?”
“Yeah,” Kevin says standing up and dusting himself off. Now he had New York City on himself, ugh.
“I’m sorry,” AJ says handing Kevin his bag.
“It’s ok really,” Kevin says taking the bag
“Ok, so where are you going?”
“Lunch.”
“Perfect so am I,” he says clapping his hands together.
“Ok you wanna come with me?”
“Sure,” AJ smiles sticking his hands into his pockets and walking beside Kevin as they walk down the street.
Kevin decided that the best place to go with AJ looking the way he did was too a small restaurant or something, so they stopped at McDonalds. McDonalds = low key and fast. As soon as the two of them walk in and get in line a baby in a stroller starts crying in front of them. The mother picks him up and holds him over her shoulder trying to calm him down. AJ stares at him and smiles waving his hand at him. Kevin stares at AJ as he starts to make faces at the baby, who could have been no more then two. The baby lets out a goo sound along with a string of drool starting to calm down..
“What are you doing?” Kevin asks.
“You know it’s really amazing how sometimes kids can see so much more then adults. They walk around with their eyes wide open instead of half shut, adults need to learn to act like that.”
“I guess,” Kevin had missed the part where AJ had turned in Nietzsche, “What are you getting?”
“Nothing.”
“I thought you said you were getting lunch?”
“I was going to, but I feel kinda sick. I think I’m coming down with something.”
“Ok, whatever you say,” Kevin says and orders his food.
The two of them sit down at a table as AJ stares at Kevin’s bag.
“What you get?”
“You can look if you want,” Kevin says as AJ takes the bag and pulls out the CD.
“Oh I have this one. It’s a good CD. “Riders on the Strom” is the best song ever,” he says inspecting the cover art.
“What was that song you were singing earlier?”
“Huh?” he asks eyes looking up at Kevin.
“At the bus stop when you were walking away.”
“Oh, “People are Strange”, good song.”
“Why are you in a fight with you’re girlfriend?” Kevin asks pulling out his sandwich.
“I’m not really,” AJ frowns,” I just haven’t seen her in a long time and I miss her.”
“What’s her name?”Kevin was nosy. Always had been since college.
“Leigh Anderson, I just want her to be protected now you know what I mean.”
“Yeah. What’s your full name?”
“Alexander McLean.”
“Oh.”
“Yours?”
“Kevin Richardson.”
“Oh.”
“Shit,” Kevin mutters looking at his watch, “I gotta go back to work.”
“Have fun,” AJ says as Kevin gets up from the table grabbing what remained of his lunch and stuffing it into the bag.
“You get a job yet?” Kevin asks suddenly pausing.
“Nope.”
“Good luck,” he says walking away from the table.
“Thanks,” AJ smiles as Kevin leaves.
Kevin walks back into his office and sits down in his chair at his desk. Brian walks in with a portfolio and puts it on his desk.
“You got a new case,” Brian states.
“Wonderful.”
“Such is life,” Brian smiles,” So where did you go to eat?”
“McDonalds.”
“Not uh? You, Kevin Richardson, went to a McDonalds? I thought I would never see the day?”Brian fake gasps.
“Well I figured it was the best place since someone came with me who wouldn’t exactly fit into the places I go to usually.”
“Who?”
“This guy AJ. He’s some sort of punk or something.” Possibly avant garde. Kevin began to wonder if he put on a free show where he lit himself on fire danced to the Mamas and the Papas.
“You hanging out with a punk?”Brian smirks.
“I just met him today.”
“You actually trusted someone new?”
“It’s weird. I mean really weird,” Kevin pauses.
“What can ya do? Well you better get to work, I’ll leave you alone,” Brian says and walks out of the office.
Kevin sighs and starts looking through the portfolio. It was some socialite who was accused of murdering his wife and Kevin was defending him now. The usual for Kevin, he defended the scum of the earth, well the rich scum. The ones who could afford him. He looks up as AJ walks in and tosses him a CD.
“You forgot this,” AJ states.
“Oh,” Kevin says looking down at his CD then at AJ. He had to be stalking him. Maybe he was some prodigy private detective his ex hired. She would go crazy like that.
“So this is where you work?” AJ says looking around, “Wow man this is huge.”
“I guess,” Kevin shrugs.
“Oh I had one of these before,” AJ says walking over to one of Kevin knick-knacks that he had on his desk. He picked up a ball and let it fall creating a chain reaction between the four other balls hanging there as well.
“Um no offense or anything, but how did you get in here.”
“The lady at the desk let me in.”
“Oh,” Kevin says thinking that Leelee never let anyone in who didn’t have clearance. That or she needed to be fired. Possibly the latter.
“Well I better go. I’ll see you tomorrow I guess,” AJ says walking towards the door, “Didn’t mean to freak you out or anything,” he states before vanishing around the door frame.
Kevin stares outside the window as it starts to rain again. He was going to need his umbrella.
The next morning Kevin stands at the bus stop with his umbrella up holding his briefcase and wearing his usual black power suit attire.
“Told you it was going to be something depressing like a Baby Gap,” AJ says appearing next to him and pointing across to the street to the building, which now had a Baby Gap sign in the window.
AJ was soaked once again. He was wearing a Sex Pistols t-shirt along with baggy camouflage pants with black boots.
“I guess it is kinda depressing,” Kevin says staring at the store as the bus pulls up and the two of them get on AJ once again avoiding paying the fair. This time he sits down next to Kevin as Kevin takes out his new case portfolio.
“What’s that?” AJ asks.
“My new case.”
“Can I see?”
“Yeah, go ahead,” Kevin says handing him the portfolio not even worrying if it gets wet. Let alone the repercussions.
“He did it,” AJ says looking down at it, “I know he did it.”
“Well I have to defend him,” Kevin says taking it back and stuffing it into his briefcase.
“Don’t do it,” AJ states simply.
“I have to it’s my job.”
“If you’re so good then you can say you don’t want to do it. I wouldn’t want the knowledge that someone as guilty as sin for murder got off because of me.”
“I dunno,” Kevin sighs, “It’s the job.”
“I’m telling you turn it down.”
“I’ll think about it,” Kevin says trying to appease him.
“Ok, at least think about it.”
“Ok.”
“I can’t do it Brian,” Kevin says handing him the case file.
“What?” Brian stares at him.
“The guy is guilty as sin. I can’t defend him and sleep at night.”
“You never turned down a case before,” Brian stands flabbergasted at him.
“I just can’t do this one. You can do it,” Kevin holds out the file.
“Uh uh, I’m got covering up for this guy. They’ll have to get someone else,” Brian states holding up his hands in defense, “So where is your new friend?”
“AJ?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s around I guess.”
“Where does he live?”
“With his girlfriend.”
“I thought you said they were in a fight,” Brian asks.
“They are.”Kevin must have missed the part where Brian became an expert on his new avant garde protégée..
“But he can’t be living with her if they’re fighting. You sure he isn’t living on the street or something?” Brian looks at him.
“I dunno. I never thought of that.” Well...he had thought he was homeless at one point, maybe twice.
“You better get him off it. You know what happens when you live on the street to long,” Brian states calmly.
“You end being my client,” Kevin smirks. Brian had always pushed himself into other peoples lives. It wasn’t often Kevin had one worth asking about though.
“Bingo.”
“I’ll talk to him about it later.”If he could find him.
“Ok.”
But Kevin didn’t see AJ the next day or the next or the next or for the next week at all. Because of what Brian said it kept making Kevin thinking that AJ was lying dead in an alley somewhere. Maybe he had a freak accident at his performance. Maybe he fell and no one picked him up. Maybe a taxi hit him.
“Hey Brian, wanna go somewhere with me?” Kevin asks.
“Sure. Where?” Kevin swore his ears perked up a bit.
“I gotta find someone who might know where AJ is.”
“Kevin, let him go. He was probably just some vagrant or something.” Brian sighs. For the past week Brian had been trying to pry Kevin’s mind away from the kid, but he couldn’t.
“No, he wasn’t. You would know if you met him, he isn’t like that at all.” Kevin didn’t have many friends to worry about.
“Ok, whatever you say, Kev.”
“C’mon, lets go,” Kevin says getting up and walking out of the office with Brian close behind.
Kevin stops at a pay phone that has a phone book attached to it and looks up some names. He tears out the page and starts walking again.
“You know that you’re not supposed to take the page,” Brian says to him.
“I know,” he responds focusing on the names
“Who did you look up, his name?”
“No, there were none, so I looked up his girlfriend’s, Leigh Anderson. There are two, so it won’t be hard to look for them.” Two in Manhattan...very lucky.
“Ok. Where is the first?”
“Down the street here.”
“Ok.”
Kevin leads Brian down the street to a small apartment building and walks up the steps to room 23. Kevin stuffs the paper into his pocket and knocks on the door. The door opens a little and an eye looks at the two of them from inside the apartment.
“What do you want?” a female voice asks.
“Um I just want to ask you some things about your boyfriend AJ?” Kevin took a stab in the dark.
“Jesus,” she mumbles and opens the door for them, “Well come in.”
“Thank you,” Brian smiles at her as he walks in and she smiles at him. Brian always got people to smile.
The apartment was small to Kevin. It had a living room with a couch, a TV, a stereo system in the corner. There was a small kitchen and a hallway that leaded to a bedroom and a bathroom. Kevin stares around the apartment and sees some posters hanging on the walls, the Doors, the Who, the Sex Pistols, and a Sid and Nancy poster. This was defiantly where AJ lived. There were some pictures on a shelf hanging on the wall of AJ and Leigh sitting on the beach curled up under a towel, of them sitting on the board walk smiling and one of AJ alone staring out over a railing not even paying attention to the camera.
“What can I help you with?” Leigh stares at them.
Leigh was short around five feett five inches probably, well short to Kevin, but to Brian she was fine since Brian was only five foot seven. She had big brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. She was wearing baggy black parachute pants with a tight maroon the Who t-shirt.
“Oh I was just wondering about AJ,” Kevin says.
“What about AJ?” She asks crossing her arms.
“Well where he was? I kinda ran into him a few times and never saw him again after that.”
“What?” she asks staring at him oddly, “Are we talking about the same AJ?”
“Yeah, the one in the picture,” Kevin points to the pictures and Brian walks over to look at them.
“What do you mean where is he?” she stares.
“I haven’t seen him in a week and I was just wondering…”
“Who sent you, huh?”
“What? I just want to know where he is.” Her defenses went up and it took him by surprise.
“God,” she mutters staring at him as Brian turns to look at her.
“Listen we can leave if you want,” Kevin states, “I didn’t mean to...
“Listen AJ, Alexander James…”
“McLean,” Kevin finishes for her, “I met him about nine days ago at a bus stop during that thunderstorm we had.”
“That’s impossible,” she states shaking her head.
“Why?”
“Because AJ has been dead for over a year,” she stares at him.
“What?” Kevin stares as Brian stares at the two of them.
“AJ died in a bar fight a year ago. He was trying to stop one of his friends from fighting with another guy and the guy pulled out a gun. He shot AJ in the neck. He died within seconds. It was a fatal shot. They never charged the bastard either; all he got was unintentional manslaughter because he was some kind of rich socialite. He was always trying to help people and look at the good that did him,” she says as tears well up in her eyes.
“Kevin we should go,” Brian says calmly in the background.
“Here,” Kevin says handing her his card, “Call me later ok. I’ll…I’ll find the guy ok.”
“Ok,” she quietly and nods.
“C’mon Kevin,” Brian says pulling on his sleeve.
“Ok,” Kevin says turning around and walking out of the apartment with Brian close behind him. He could hear Brian say thank you and we’re sorry we bothered you to Leigh as he walked out and closed the door.
“It was him, I swear Brian. That was AJ.”
“Listen Kevin it’s ok,” Brian says,” Maybe you should go home for the rest of today. I’ll tell everyone you came down with something.
“Ok,” Kevin says quietly walking out of the apartment building and walking down the street as it starts to rain. He walks down the block his head hung as the rain hits him one drop at a time. Tap tap tap tap tap. Black umbrellas encircled him.
Once he gets home and turns on his stereo.
“Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm. Into this house we're born. Into this world we're thrown. Like a dog without a bone. An actor out alone. Riders on the storm. There's a killer on the road. His brain is squirmin' like a toad. Take a long holiday. Let your children play. If ya give this man a ride. Sweet memory will die. Killer on the road, yeah. Girl ya gotta love your man. Girl ya gotta love your man. Take him by the hand. Make him understand. The world on you depends. Our life will never end. Gotta love your man, yeah. Wow! Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm. Into this house we're born. Into this world we're thrown. Like a dog without a bone. An actor out alone. Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm.” – The Doors “Riders on the Storm.
Article from the New York Times:
How old can a case be before it is reopened? Lawyer Kevin Richardson has just finished a case that is over a year old today. The case was considering the death of twenty three year old Alexander James McLean who was shot in the neck during a bar fight in which he got caught in the middle of. John Patterson is going to be sentenced to twenty years on prison instead of his original ten on charges of first-degree murder instead of involuntary manslaughter. Kevin Richardson, who has opened a firm along with his best friend Brian Littrell to help less fortunate people with legal troubles, has won the case that he says was closest to his heart even though he did not know the victim personally. Both Richardson and Littrell came from the Clearbatt Firm, the firm that originally defended Patterson. Richardson will also be getting married next month to his girlfriend for six months now, Leigh Anderson.
