Not So Model Home - By David James Page 0,64

idea of being controlled. Being treated like an animal. Doggie play is the same thing.”

“I thought doggie was where the one partner . . . never mind. Continue.”

“So David is into enforced feminization . . . where he’s forced to wear the clothes of a woman . . .”

“I know what enforced feminization is, Jerry. The point is whether having all these embarrassing sexual proclivities revealed to the world is enough to cause one of the guys to go ape shit and murder because of it.”

“I really don’t know, Amanda. This case has me stumped so far. The motive seems to keep moving around. Money, revenge, paternity, rage.”

“One thing is certain, though, Jerry.”

“What’s that?”

“Palm Springs is anything but dull.”

CHAPTER 27

Okay, You Can Open Your Eyes Now

I slept soundly that night. When I got up in the morning, I got my chance to do what I came to Alex’s house for in the first place: snoop through his things. I wanted to see if his tales of “not seeing anyone special” were really true. They were. There were no pictures of new boyfriends in his clothing drawers, in his office, or the bathroom. And my photograph in a silver frame was still there on his bedside table that had the look that it was probably never moved, even when he brought a date home for the evening. Every time I came to his house, I always had to use the restroom so I could pass his bedroom and take a peek inside. I guess I was just looking for proof that we were soul mates. We still were. I just knew it was going to be a good day.

At 6 A.M., I drove over to Ian’s house for another day of shooting. The plan was to start off with a quiet memorial service at Ian’s house since Aleksei’s parents had disowned him years ago for first being gay, then being a model, then getting hooked on crystal meth. I can see tough love with a son on crystal, but for being gay and a model? What can you expect from Christian fundamentalist parents living in Indiana? So much for forgiveness and acceptance.

The service was small and, of course, being taped for the show. The difference between Keith’s and Aleksei’s services was that this one was being held indoors, away from hawks. And to avoid tempting fate, there would be no releasing of doves this time. Ian did summon his guru Sai Baba Shu Baba again to collect another five thousand dollars and lead us in a prayer for Aleksei’s soul so that it would transmutate or something into a tree or cow or merge with Shiva. I couldn’t understand half the things the guru muttered.

We stood, holding hands in a circle in Ian’s living room with our heads down for what seemed like an eternity. I kept staring down, noticing everything from the guru’s shoes (this time, monk straps probably by Crockett & Jones or maybe Church’s—I have to admit, the con man had great taste in shoes) to the other shoes in the cast, Drake’s, David’s, Ian’s, Darryn’s, then Aurora’s. I didn’t dare look up or around the room since the cameras were rolling. God, my neck was getting sore, I thought. How long can this guy go on chanting?

And then it hit me. Or rather, I saw it. Something I had seen somewhere else. And why it all bothered me from the moment I saw it. It was in front of me all the time. Staring me in the face and I missed it! I almost shouted, I was so excited about the possibility, but we had a whole day of shooting ahead of us. I could, however, slip out at lunch break since what I was looking for was right here on Ian’s grounds.

We were supposed to be, in Jeremy’s words, reaching the peak of the story arc, with the members of the show moving from “weakness to a place of strength,” whatever that was. All I saw was bitchiness, territorial marking, tempers flaring, and Aurora keeping a scorecard at the end of each show. It was hard to tell who was winning, but the viewers’ favorite was Darryn. Everyone loved Darryn, despite the fact that Aurora reiterated her belief that the winner had to be able to stand up to Ian’s reprehensible qualities. But make no mistake about it, the show had shot into the stratosphere in the ratings category. And although the Q Channel cable network