Chapter 13
AIDEN
A WEEK LATER
W e never did get around to that dinner the first night in Ko Samet.
Jared had received a frantic call from his production manager, and it was back to the ship so he could review changes to the schedule.
Since then, we’d all retreated to our separate corners.
Me at my makeshift office on the bridge deck aft, Jared and Alex on Ko Samet filming all week.
We’d see each other in passing on the ship, sometimes sharing an early morning breakfast together.
I was true to my vow. I didn’t flirt or tease.
That suited me fine. I was focused entirely on work.
Well, almost entirely.
When I lay in bed at night and tried to calm my overanalytical brain, I let my thoughts drift back to that day on the beach. To the sights and sounds and smells of the two men who haunted me.
Let’s just say it took me a while to fall asleep every night.
And when I did sleep, my dreams were full of Jared and Alex. Imaginings so vivid and heated that I woke up drenched in sweat and cum. Having wet dreams was something that hadn’t happened to me in a very long time.
And I was getting crankier with each passing day.
I needed to get off this ship.
I needed a hookup to relieve the ever-growing pressure. But I’d have to wait one more day.
Today was a busy one.
Lairin had tracked down the emergency room doctor that Jared had spoken to, and I was going to interview him.
Then I had a call with Kit Barnes, Jared’s former PA.
On top of that, Rafe Carter was coming aboard.
I’d represented his brother Rowan—who was also my mate—for years and considered Rafe a good friend too.
Rafe’s recent marriage to George had brought about such a change in him. I’d never seen anyone literally glow with happiness. It was nauseating and a little discomforting.
I remembered that feeling from when I had fallen in love with Lukas, my married coworker. But I also remembered the heartbreak that came after.
Not wanting to get out of bed, not wanting to work, not wanting to ever feel anything. Ever again.
No thanks.
My reminder alarm pinged, and all thoughts about my past passed.
I clicked on the conference call link and waited for my guest to join.
A man with curly gray hair, a weathered face, and glasses popped on screen.
“Good morning, Dr. Davidson. Thank you for taking the time in your schedule to talk to me.”
“Of course. How can I help you, Mr. Barstock?”
“As my assistant explained to you, this interview is part of an ongoing civil case, filed by my firm on behalf of my client Jared Elwood. The deposition is scheduled in three weeks. In short notice, you will receive a subpoena to testify at a time and date we deem appropriate.”
“I understand.”
I glanced at my notes. “Where do you currently work?”
“I have a family medicine practice in San Diego.”
“Family practice is a long way from emergency medicine at Hillside General.”
He nodded.
“I burned out five years ago. The emergency room isn’t for everyone. I had family obligations, and I needed a schedule that would align.”
“According to hospital records, you were the admitting doctor who examined my client on March 23, 2011, at approximately 6 a.m. Now I realize that this is a decade ago, but we sent you the record to refresh your memory. Do you recall this patient?”
The doctor adjusted his glasses and nodded.
“I do remember him. For two reasons. One, I recognized Mr. Elwood’s face and name; I’ve seen a lot of celebrities in my work. And two, it was rare that I saw a male patient admitted with a complaint of sexual assault. Probably one of a handful in my entire career.”
“Do you recall what you said to my client after he told you why he was at the hospital?”
Dr. Davidson grimaced.
“I’m afraid I acted unprofessionally. I asked him about his sexuality and dismissed his injuries as consensual. It was completely inappropriate, and for that I am truly sorry. At the time, I let my personal problems affect my judgement.”
“In your medical opinion, was the patient the victim of sexual assault?”
He nodded.
“If you’d asked me back then, I would have dismissed the evidence and let my prejudice say no.
But there was anal tearing and bleeding, as well as bruises on his hips.
He was anxious, upset, and dehydrated. His blood pressure was high, his body temperature as well.
I was fairly certain that he had ingested drugs of some kind.
He was dizzy and had issues retaining his balance. I logged all of these in his file.”
“Your memory is quite detailed, considering this was twelve years ago and just one patient out of the thousands you’ve treated over your career.”
“As I said, I remember because of Mr. Elwood’s celebrity and the rare nature of his complaint. Not that sexual assault is rare, but often men who are assaulted stay silent. There’s still a lot of stigma attached.”
“Do you know why there’s no mention of his sexual assault complaint in the hospital record? All that’s mentioned is that he ingested alcohol, and was dizzy and nauseous.”
“I don’t know, but that’s not right. I logged all of his symptoms, including the bleeding and the bruising.”
“Are you willing to testify to that effect?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Would it also surprise you to learn that the blood test you requisitioned is missing from his file?”
The doctor’s shock was evident as he squinted at the screen.
“Yes. That’s very odd. What exactly is going on?”
“That’s my problem to figure out, not yours. All I need to know is that you are willing to swear, under oath, as to what you just told me.”
“I am.”
“One more question. When blood tests are requisitioned, are they done on site or sent to a lab outside the hospital?”
“On site. Hillside General had a new lab at that time. To test regular things, like white blood cell count, it would take a couple of hours. More extensive testing, like drugs, probably days.”
“Do you remember receiving his results?”
“No, I don’t. I was on to the next patient, and the next. The emergency room gets chaotic. They should have left the results in the file and flagged it in my notes if there was a need for follow-up.”
“And you didn’t think it was your duty to report the allegation of assault to the police?”
“As I said, at the time I questioned the nature of his injuries. Still, I should have done the right thing and filed a report.”
“Thank you, Dr. Davidson, for your honesty. That’s all the questions I have for now, but my assistant will be in touch in the next few weeks. The deposition for this case is set for three weeks from today.”
“I’ll be ready to testify.”
I disconnected the call and sent a summary email to Lairin to get a move on the hospital lab. I would bet my legal career that someone made that test disappear.
Then I called Jared’s former PA, Kit Barnes.
Kit confirmed that Seuter would often visit Jared on set that year, but he couldn’t recall any expense request. It was twelve years ago, so I wasn’t surprised. I told Kit to contact me if he remembered anything else and prepared more briefing notes.
By the time 4 p.m. rolled around I was exhausted and dry-eyed. I was just about to take a break and grab a snack when my mobile rang.
It was Lairin again.
“What’s up?” I answered.
“You’re not going to believe who’s willing to testify against Seuter.”
“Go on.”
“His former assistant, Nita Donovan.”
I nearly dropped the phone.
“How the fuck did that happen?” I asked.
“She got the notice that we’d be calling her as a witness. And she went on a rant. Let’s just say Seuter made a big mistake. A critical error.”
“And that is?”
“Six months ago, he fired her. Three months after that, he retired. She’d been with him for twenty years, working seven days a week.
She knows all his habits, bad and worse, and she told me she has detailed records from every year she worked there.
Like, daily logs of everything and stuff that he would not want revealed.
Turns out she got zero severance. And she’s pissed. ”
“She’ll have to temper that, or his lawyers will make it out to be revenge testimony.”
“See what she has to say. She’s calling you in a few minutes.”
“Great work, Lairin, and thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I hung up and started creating a list of questions I wanted to pose to Ms. Donovan.
Five minutes later, I had her on speakerphone.
“Ms. Donovan, thank you for taking my call.”
“I want to nail that evil asshole’s shriveled old balls to the wall,” she replied, her voice hoarse.
I forced back a laugh.
“While I agree with the sentiment about Mr. Seuter, we’ll have to be satisfied by winning our lawsuit.”
“Ask me anything about him, and I’ll give you whatever you need. I always knew he was a dickhead, but I didn’t realize how vile and disgusting he was until recently.”
“Do you recall the evening of March 22, 2011? There was a promo party for Long Road Home held at the Lotus Room.”
“No, I’m sorry. I attended so many events over the years. But the good news is, I have my yearly planners, and I noted everything down. Names of people Seuter interacted with, meetings he wanted me to set up. Actors, directors, you name it. Hold on?—”
I heard rustling in the background and something slam.
“Okay I’m back. Let’s see, 2011. March. Yes, here it is. He wanted to sit down with Jared Elwood at the party and talk about a new directing opportunity. And Seuter also had me pick up his drugs that day.”
“You mean from a pharmacy?”
Nita chuckled.
“No, dear, I mean drugs—cocaine, ecstasy, uppers. You name it, Seuter snorted, smoked, or ingested it. No needles though, he’s deathly afraid of them.”
“And what? You would meet his drug dealer?”
“That’s right. I would drive to a high-end neighborhood, like Brentwood, we’d meet at a local restaurant. I’d pass along the cash to the dealer, he’d hand me the paper bag with drugs. Sometimes there would be several baggies of cocaine. Other times it was pills.”
“Do you remember what he received that day?”
“No, but I wrote it down. Hold on.”
There was more rustling in the background.
“You kept all that information?”
“It was my insurance policy. Showbiz is a cutthroat business, and I wasn’t going to be left in the lurch if he tried to fuck me over or I got caught by the police with his drugs.
I guess my hard work is finally paying off.
” She paused. “I picked up pills that day. Right. He was off cocaine for a while, he had a bad dose in late 2010 that made him violently ill.”
“Do you remember what the pills look like?”
“No, but they were the kind you could crush or chew.”
“Did he say anything about Jared before the meeting?”
“Just that he was excited. I knew that feverish look in his eyes. Whenever a new male actor came on board, Seuter was frothing at the mouth.”
“And yet he’s married to a woman.”
“That’s because her father owned the studio, and he liked keeping the business in the family. That’s the whole reason Seuter married her. Everyone knew Seuter was gay. I’d often find used condoms and lube packets in his office after his late-night meetings.”
“That doesn’t prove he was gay,” I replied.
“I caught him several times having sex in his office, is that clear enough? It was always young men in their twenties. Let’s just say the casting couch was busy in those days.”
“I’ll have more questions about that. But going back to the party, did you hand him the pills before or during?”
“Before. Always before an event. He needed the boost. And then I probably went to the bar and got the drinks for him and his guest. That was the routine.”
“We believe that Seuter spiked Jared’s drink with a drug, lured him to the bathroom, and assaulted him.”
The other end of the line was silent.
“Are you okay? I can call you back if you need a few moments.”
“No.” She paused and cleared her throat. “No, I want to get this over with. That rat bastard. Now I wonder?—”
I had a feeling Nita suspected about Seuter’s behavior but had been too afraid to speak out prior to now.
“You’re not to blame here. Did you notice any odd behavior in him the day after? The following week?”
“Let me double check. According to my notes, Seuter was out of the office the day after, for several days in fact. Hmm, that’s unusual. He rarely did that. I rescheduled some meetings and he had me set up one with our accounts receivable manager. Not sure why.”
“Could you scan and email your agenda and notes to my assistant?”
“Of course. Anything you need.”
“I’ll need to talk to you again. I’ll give you my email so we can stay in touch. If there’s anything else you can think of, please contact me.”
“I will, Mr. Barstock. Again, anything I can do.”
“We have a chance to bring Seuter to justice. But I have a horrible feeling Mr. Elwood may be the tip of the iceberg.”
“I think you may be right.”