Sam, Daryl and Elsa walked to the horse barn to secure treats for the horses. They loved carrots and apples. Some of Sam's helpers had the horses saddled and ready to go for their ride. It was a beautiful day, sun shining, a few fluffy clouds here and there and a very gentle breeze.
Each horse, Pixie, Sky and Stomper were excited to get their treats and gave thoughtful whinnies!! Each mounted their horse and they were off. Elsa asked where they were headed today and Sam said to another part of the ranch they had not seen. Up to a wooded area with a small lake and waterfall. It was a perfect day for it. Off they rode. It was a spectacular ride and everyone enjoyed it!!
It was a good 1 1/2 hr. ride to the destination but it was worth it. It view was stunning. There were wildflowers, everywhere in colors of pink, orange California Poppies, and bright yellow of wild mustard. The water looked clean and clear and on the far side there was a rise and a rock foundation. They saw was a small 6' waterfall that splashed on rocks below and fed into the lake.
Elsa asked about fish and Sam shook his head and replied, "I don't think so." No one had ever mentioned anything about fishing there. Sam spread out some blankets and led the horses over for a good drink of the cool water. He pulled a few snacks out of a saddle bag: just some chocolate cookies, a small pitcher of iced lemonade and some paper cups.
They sat and rested and enjoyed the cookies and the cold lemonade. Sam looked at Elsa and asked how long she had worked for Robbie and Tommy? She started to laugh and said "I have been with Robbie as his minder, housekeeper and sometime cook for about, well about 12 years. He was quite young, his very early 20's and was starting his own life with his first apartment. His parents engaged me to look after him. We hit it off right away. I saw him through a couple of ill-fated relationships, that was until he met dear Tommy. It was at a beach south of Pacifica, and it was love at first sight. They care for each other beyond time or reason. I have never seen two men happier or more in love. They take such good care of me.
My BFF is Daryl's real Grandmother, Alma. We have known each other since school and were each other's maid of honor at our weddings. I am like a second Grandma to Daryl and love him dearly! When we moved to our huge new house after Robbie and Tommy got married, I got Daryl to come and work with us and he does...well everything. And I couldn't run that house without him!!" Daryl blushed deeply and gave a sheepish smile. Sam started to laugh and smiled at his new love!!!
Daryl asked how he started to work at the ranch. Sam laughed again and smiled, "I started here about 6-7 yrs. ago as a stable hand. I love horses and always have. I grew up near here and went to AG school and studied horses, both training and caring for them. They are the one constant in my life. The original horse manager, Bert, wanted to retire He and I had worked closely together and he recommended me for the job and here I IS!!" Elsa laughed, almost choking on a sip of lemonade.
"From what I see, young man, you do an excellent job here and the ranch and the Blackford's totally depend on your hard work!! But if I can be frank here, and I am one for always speaking my mind, what are your thoughts and intentions with Daryl??"
Both men were taken off guard by that comment and were speechless for a minute or two. Sam was first to speak. "UMMMM I have been in a couple of short relationships but none worked out for me, thank goodness!! I keep my personal life on the quiet side, although as you know, a little over half of the men that work here are gay. Some are single and like it, many are long time partnered and some have just not found that right someone. I was one of those until I met your stunning Grandson, Daryl. He has captured my heart and I am totally falling for him and I hope he is falling for me too!!!. I know he lives and works with you all and travels a lot, and I know he doesn't want to leave SF for parts beyond. He told me that and he has also said he has a strict work code and ethic. I don't know if I can get a job that pays as well as here at the ranch and I don't know of any cowboys in SF, well except that I have heard of some South of Market in the gay section!!! I am NOT a player and want to settle down with the right man and start a solid relationship and a home.
Elsa smiled and simply said, " What is meant to be, WILL be!! You make a great couple and I for one, haven't seen my dear Daryl this happy in a long time. And now if you both will excuse me, I am going to take a short walk and do some exploring and see the water fall up close. I promise NOT to fall in!!" She laughed as she walked away leaving Sam and Daryl alone for a while.
Meanwhile, back down further South in Beverly Hills, both Tommy and Robbie showed up at the police station to sign a full complaint and press more charges, again mainly Ralph, but not letting Carl get away scot-free either. They were both now aware of the thieving that went on. Theft was something that Robbie, his family and Tommy would not abide in any form.
They arrived at the station and asked for Sgt. Ford. He was called while both men took a seat in the lobby and waited. Soon, a very handsome man came up to both men and introduced himself as Sgt. Tyler Ford and said he was handling the case and to please follow him to his office. Sgt Ford was about 6'1" with blond hair, no beard and wore a well-cut sport coat and slacks. He was very good looking with a slight tan. He seemed to be about 35 or so in age.
The men followed Sgt. Ford to his office which was a short walk down a long hallway filled with doors on each side. People were coming and going, some in uniform and some in plain clothes. They came to an open door and the Sgt. bade them enter and have a seat in front of his rather neat desk. "We are going to be working on this closely, so please call me Tyler."
In response both Robbie and Tommy re-introduced themselves and urged Tyler to use their first names as well. Tyler opened a folder on the desk and told the men that both criminals had been locked up separately. Ralph was screaming for a lawyer and said he had done nothing wrong, demanding to be released, while little Carl was being very quiet, sitting very still and silently crying into his hands.
Robbie explained exactly who they were and why they were there. He told Tyler that he owned and operated 10 restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area named Blackford's, and the two down South. The first, Blake's in Beverly Hills and "Blackford's at Belle de Paris" in Palm Desert. He also explained that he was Executive Chef for all the restaurants. My husband, Tommy, is my chief Legal Counsel for the chain and he is Senior Partner in Gilman and Son, Att. At Law in San Francisco. His father, Thom Sr., is Managing Director and CEO of the firm.
"How long ago did you employ Ralph?" Robbie was flabbergasted at the question and quietly said he hadn't hired him and knew nothing about him even being there.
"I had a manager there named Bradley but he called and said he had to take a leave for about a month, as he was going have some surgery and needed some time to recover. Since this morning I have not had time to reach him, although I did try early this afternoon and got no answer on his cell. I had said to take as much time as needed to get well, just let me know when you're going to come back to work. He said he would. That was about three weeks ago or so. I still don't know where this Ralph person came from and I know I will have to do some digging and will be talking to my employees very soon. When we finish here I will go back to the restaurant and make some calls to get this all straightened out. The place is in shambles, dirty and a large amount of my employees have quit. Some just walked out. My main Chef John is staying on as are some of the other kitchen staff. So is my bartender and some of the help that remains. I/we will get this straightened out!!!"
Tyler was taken aback by what he heard and was astounded to say the least. Tyler picked up the phone and was having Ralph moved to an interrogation room where Tommy, Robbie and Tayler were to question him and find what and why this happened.
Tyler's phone buzzed and said the prisoner was ready for questioning in Room 106. All three men walked down the hall to that room. When they walked in, they found Ralph sitting, chained to a metal bar on the table and sitting in a chair, still looking disheveled with a snarl on his face. When the men walked in, Ralph screamed he wanted a lawyer present and right now or he wasn't talking at all. Then he screamed to get the faggots away from him; they were disgusting!!
Tyler picked up a phone and spoke quietly into it. He hung up and smiled and said a public defender was on his way. Ralph snarled again and said it was about time! But still he was basically still screwed even with a lawyer. He continued to say nothing, just smiling to himself. The man was totally disgusting in both demeaner and appearance. 'Such a slob,' thought Robbie.
Soon there was a knock on the door and Tyler opened to find a some- what pleasant looking young man standing there and he introduced himself as Giles. He was a public defender assigned to the case. He was nicely dressed, with brown hair and eyes and appeared to be in his late '20s.
Everyone was introduced and he asked if he could have the room to discuss things with his client. Tyler nodded a yes and Tommy, Robbie and Tyler left the room. They stood outside and they heard screaming and yelling. It sounded like Ralph once again, trying to bully young man. Giles seemed to be handling his own when he told Ralph to sit down and just to shut it and let him talk, yelling would not get him anywhere.
A "Fuck you!" was heard and then more yelling. Soon the door opened and out came a very frustrated Giles. "This guy is a total screw up and not worth of my time as he is totally opposed to listening to anything but his own ranting voice. Let me call my boss and see what to do going forward. I will be back shortly! The Sgt., Tommy and Robbie were amused but saying it wouldn't matter, as they had him for theft, robbery, assault, attacking a police officer and most likely money laundering, using money stolen from customers with the false parking charge. That was totally illegal!
A few minutes later young Giles came back shaking his head, saying his boss asked him to give it another try and see what happens. Giles went back in the room and again was assaulted, with "FUCK YOU asshole. I'll get you too mutha fucker. Now get the fuck out and get me a real lawyer, not some young punk faggot. GET OUT!!" Giles just turned and said quietly as he opened the door. "Enjoy prison since you will get what's coming to you!" He then walked out and closed the door gently.
Giles looked sheepishly and said he is all yours. I will contact my boss when I get back to the office. That man is just plain NUTS!!! Thank you, gentlemen and he left the three men standing there with mouths open.
Robbie was first to speak to Tommy being not only his loving husband, but also the lead attorney for the restaurant corporation. Tommy smiled and said, "Let me call Dad and see what he has to say. Maybe he can give us some ideas of who to call and what to do, because I am stymied here. Tommy pulled out his cell and called his Dad's private line. Thom Sr. answered right away. "Hi Son, how are things? I hope you and Robbie are well."
Tommy quickly explained what happened with the restaurant and where they were now. He related the happenings with the young lawyer from the PD's office. Thom took a deep breath, said he would make a few phone calls and then get back ASAP.
"Not to worry boys, we can handle this. Go have a cup of coffee and I will call back shortly. Tommy said, "I love you Dad and Robbie sends his love too!!" The men hung up, sighed and told Tyler what was going on as they were walking back to Tyler's office. "We are going out for a bit and wait to hear from my Dad about all of this. We will be back shortly."
The men shook hands and left the police station. There was a nice- looking cafŽ across the street and then pair headed over there for maybe a piece of pie and some coffee. While eating their pie, Robbie says, "I can't understand how he just walked in and took over at the restaurant. I really think we need to go to the office and start going through paperwork and try to find out how much money he took. More importantly, he took over and NO ONE knew about this! There has to be a clue somewhere!!"
They finished at the cafŽ and went back to the police station. Tyler met them and said there was still nothing but a lot of yelling and screaming from the idiot!!
Robbie explained they were going back to the restaurant to start going over things, looking for clues and any hidden money that may be stashed.
"I want to look at bank statements and check with the bank as well to see if there was anything different going on. I think it's a great place to start so we can get a handle on things and will keep you informed. They bid goodbye to Tyler and promised they would keep in touch later in the afternoon.
Robbie and Tommy went back to the restaurant which was locked, and posted a sign saying they would be closed for a week for some minor remodeling and getting training new management. Thanks for your kind understanding!!
They let themselves in and went straight to the office. Before entering, Tommy grabbed Robbie, pulled him close and looked deep into his eyes. He moved his mouth close and in the softest voice said, "I love you with everything in me and will forever! We will get through this together." He kissed his husband so passionately that it took both their breaths away. Robbie looked deep into tommy's eyes, "I need another one of those please!!" so they kissed deeply once more.
They broke apart and Robbie regretfully stated they needed to get to work. Robbie opened the file cabinet and found it a total mess. Tommy started to look in odd places to see if there was money stashed. He started with a bookshelf and began moving books. He found a large box stashed in the back. He pulled it out, opened it and found a huge stash of cash. "Hey babe, look what I found," placing it on the cluttered desk. Robbie was amazed at what he saw. They started to count the money and there was just over $3,000 there. "I wonder if this was his only hiding place?"
Robbie opened the drawers of the desk and in the back of the bottom left drawer he found a metal box, fairly large and it just fit in the drawer. It was not locked so they pulled it out and put it on the desk. When they opened it, there were some letters and another large pile of money. They counted and found over $5,000 in that box. They opened the letters that were there. Robbie was amazed at what he saw, stood there dumbfounded and was totally pissed.
The most important letter was typed on Blackford Restaurant stationary. It said that Mr. Ralph was now the new manager of the restaurant and would be taking over right away. The long- time manager, Dean, was fired immediately and could collect unemployment. When shown the letter, Dean was pissed but there was nothing he could do and was flabbergasted that he was being let go since he had heard nothing from the corporate office. He just left and it also seemed he was he wasn't going to get a reference either. He had been there for years and remained manager after Robbie took over the restaurant. He thought he had done a fabulous job too!
Robbie was amazed that this letter appeared to be genuine. Where the hell did it come from? With this new information, and the money they found, Mr. Ralph was going away for a long time. Robbie needed to find out how letterhead stationery got into Ralph's hands and why Corporate was not notified about the changes.
They bagged up the money and after locking up, called the police station. They talked to Tyler, telling him what they had found and arranging to meet him at the station. Tyler was waiting for them when they arrived.
They carefully put the wooden box and metal box in a bag in order to preserve any fingerprints. They had a tabulation of the money they counted and turned it over to Tyler for evidence.
Then they showed him the letter from 'Corporate' saying he was taking over as manager effective immediately and that Dean was being let go without a reference!!
Tyler dusted the boxes and compared them to Ralph's prints they had taken earlier. They were an exact match. So, they had him dead to rights! An expert was brought in to examine the letter to find it was a great copy that had been forged and then reprinted. But how he had gotten the letterhead in the first place? The handwriting was checked and it was Ralph's handwriting. They were identical!!
They examined all the other letters from the metal box and found the answer. Somehow, Ralph had found an unopened informational letter from Corporate when casing the restaurant, stole it and did the forgery. Robbie insisted these charges had to be answered by Ralph immediately.
Ralph had still refused to speak to anyone and refused an assistant from the DA's office as his lawyer. Now he was on his own. Tyler had him brought to an interrogation room, handcuffed to the table except now he was wearing an orange jump suit. He did not look happy and scowled at them when they came in.
"What the fuck do you FAGGOTS WANY NOW? I have done nothing wrong! Let me the fuck out of here!! Damn fucking faggots, I wish you would all just die!!!"
Tyler looked at him and said "Shut it right now and listen carefully. First off, we found the stashed money you were stealing from the restaurant. All totaled there was close to $9,000 in cash. We are still looking for more. That is class A felony right there. Then the forged letter we found on Corporate stationary is an exact match to your handwriting. We got you again!! Also, the owners have added slander and libel charges. Dude, it looks like you're going on a little trip, after your trial of course, to the state penitentiary. We have you dead to rights."
Tyler said to take the slime ball thief back to his cell to think about what he almost got away with. He went screaming once again back to his cell. Several of the other inmates just yelled to shut the fuck up and right now! "We're tired of you screaming all the time!!"
This is the end of Chapter 17 and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Robbie will make it right with Tommy's help. They will get things open again, all for the better.
As always, be yourself, PLEASE be safe, wear your masks even if you have had your vaccines. Be kind, help others when you can and hang tough!!!
Thanks as always to my Allen for his hard work in keeping this saga going. I would love any comments or suggestions for the story. What will happen with Daryl and Sam, the restaurant, and what about Robert at home in SF? Stay tuned for more answers!!! Chapter 18 is coming soon!!
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Your Sexy Chef