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Death in the Honeymoon Hotel
A Kenneth Hall Mystery
Chapter One
When their sons, Tom and George, told them that they didn't want to come home for spring break, but wanted to sow some wild oats in South Beach instead, their parents, Joe and Ken, felt like empty nesters. Both of them went into a deep funk, so the boys invited them to come along with them. They discussed it over the dinner table.
"We could hardly mix with spring-breakers," Joe said.
"Nonsense!" Tom said. "You guys use our basement gym so much you could easily pass as college kids. That having been said, you don't have to fit in with `our crowd.' We've been researching gay resorts in South Beach, and most of them cater to men of all ages from twinkies to men near death. There are only four major resorts. The remaining gay places are small motels, and those are not strictly gay, but rather gay-friendly.
"The gay college kids mostly go to the small motels, even straight ones. It's all they can afford, but thanks to you two life-savers, we can afford better. The best part of it is that we can be in the same resort, but go our separate ways. There will be exceptions, of course, like when we want to sponge off you for a gourmet dinner."
"Very funny!," Joe said.
"You say that you've been doing research," Ken asked. "Have you made any decisions?"
"Yup," George said. "We've zeroed in on a hotel called The Honeymoon Hotel. The pictures on the internet look great. Best of all, there is parking on premises, and clothing is optional at the pool."
"The Honeymoon Hotel?" Joe asked. "None of us are exactly honeymooners."
"According to the online blurb about the history of the hotel, it used to be called The Rainbow Hotel, but in the last few years many gays have married and have begun to honeymoon there. They are also getting older couples celebrating anniversaries, so they decided to rename the hotel with a more romantic connotation. They attract a wide range of ages. I know we'll all love it there."
"Okay, book the damn place," Ken said. "Be sure to get us separate rooms and separate rental cars. Joe and I never had a proper honeymoon. We got married in haste, so we could adopt you two guys."
"For which we are forever grateful," George said with a tear in his eye. That got Tom emotional also, and he stifled a sob.
George had been in the foster care system, and Tom had been a homeless waif when Joe and Ken rescued them. They lamented that they failed to show their gratitude often enough. With the passage of time they had begun to take their wealth and good fortune for granted. This was the time to show how they felt. Tom embraced Joe and George embraced Ken. Then they switched and got their fathers crying also.
Tom and George ran off to make the reservations, and probably they would follow it up by making love, so Ken asked Joe, "Do you want to start the honeymoon early, in fact, at once?" Joe didn't answer. He just grabbed Ken's hand and dragged him to their bedroom.
They sucked and fucked each other far into the night, and finally fell asleep in a stupor. They got each other off twice, once in their asses and once in their mouths. They thought that was pretty good for two middle aged men.
"Best honeymoon ever," Ken said.
They left New York before dawn on a Saturday morning. Their flight was on time, and they checked into The Honeymoon Hotel just before noon. They had adjoining rooms and the bellboy took their luggage to their rooms on a cart.
"My name is Juan Lopez," he said. "I'm at your service for all your needs, and I do mean, all your needs." He winked at Tom and George, flirting with them without any shyness or shame.
Tom winked back, and said, "You know Juan, I think my brother and I will require a lot of service."
Joe and Ken liked Juan. They asked him to tell them about himself, and when he saw the tip Joe gave him, he opened up a lot.
"My mother is a Cuban immigrant," he began. "Thank God, I was born in Miami. She raised me as a single mom. I go to The University of Miami, but no way can we afford to send me and keep me there. This job pays the tuition, but I hardly have anything left for books and fees. It's a good thing I work so many hours. I sure don't have any money for entertainment either, but I don't complain. We have it good here compared to the life my mom describes in Cuba."
Joe was always a big sentimentalist. His heart went out to Juan. He was a decent, hard working kid. He made up his mind that before he went home, he would give Juan a big check to use toward his education. In his heart he knew that Juan would use the money for what it was intended, and not piss it away.
Ken asked Juan to recommend a nice restaurant for lunch, and a nicer one for dinner. He recommended a place right around the corner for lunch, and then told them how to get to the gay section of town, where they would find any number of gay owned restaurants to have dinner.
"The food is always good at any one of them," he promised.
Ken thanked him for being so helpful, and slipped him another tip.
The restaurant Juan had recommended for lunch was just fine. When they got back to the hotel, they stripped and went to the pool. They took four lounge chairs, and collapsed. They had gotten up very early to make their flight, and they were all very tired.
"The sun here is so strong that it can be deadly," Ken said. "I appoint myself the one to stay awake, and I'll wake you all before you get burnt to a crisp."
It was only an hour later when Ken woke up his family. The sun was brutal. Each couple went to their own room, and continued the `honeymoon'. Joe and Ken just lay in bed fondling and kissing each other. They assured each other that they would love each other forever, and fell fast asleep.
Not so Tom and George. Back in their room they fell into a sixty-nine position, and got themselves off three times. They had wanted to continue the love making by fucking each other, but so much oral sex did them in.
Although they had rented two cars, they decided to go to dinner in one car until they got the lay of the land. They parked in a public parking lot, and just strolled down a busy street. They literally fell into a likely looking restaurant, and it was a winner. The meal was five stars.
After dinner, they went to the bar and socialized. Tom and George met the other couple who were also spring-breakers. They made arrangements for the four of them to meet at this very restaurant the next evening, and then they all hung out at the bar.
Finally, they went back to the hotel. They were all so bushed, that Tom and George passed out in their room, and Ken and Joe did the same in their room. Neither couple was up for sex that night.
They met up the next morning close to 10 AM. They weren't sure if they were going to have a late breakfast or brunch. It really didn't matter.
As they left the hotel, they were greeted with a huge surprise. Swarming in front of the hotel were camera crews from all the TV stations, and more cops than you can count. One of the cops approached the foursome. "You'd better have IDs with you gentlemen," he said, "if you want to get back in the hotel."
"Why?" Ken asked. "What's going on?"
"They found the body of one of the bellboys in the laundry room this morning. He was all slashed up. I saw the bloody mess, and it turned my stomach. His remains were taken to the police morgue. Hopefully they will be able to recover the murderer's DNA.
"Do you know the victim's name?" Tom asked with concern.
"Yeah, the day manager identified the young man as Juan Lopez."
George shrieked out, "Oh no, oh God no."
Ken was stunned, but murder and death were in his everyday life. "Please," he said to the cop, "I need to speak to the lead detective on this case."
"Do you have any information for him? If you don't, I think it would be best if you didn't disturb him."
"I'm a cop, and I knew the boy personally. Please take me to him."
To be continued ...