"Seriously? That's a surprising number. Has it always been that way?"
"I think it's getting worse, but I'm not sure. Don't get me started on 'Big Pharma.' I tend to rant."
She could see that much. Constance continued her questions. "Nick claims that he was threatened by people from the vaccine company. What do you know about that?"
"Yes, he told me that, too. But I don't know anything more about it."
"What else can you tell me about Nick's case?"
"Only that it's ridiculous." He let out a derisive puff of air. "I grew up with Nick. We talked about girls when we were younger, and we still like to check out women when we go out drinking. We're always pointing out the ones who catch our eye. So let me tell you, Nick is not interested in young girls and certainly not boys. He likes 'em tall and grown up."
He leaned in close to her. "Hell, he even mentioned your good looks when I saw him last weekend. And I can see why-you're definitely his type. Trust me, he's not interested in kids that way."
I noticed. She allowed a sliver of excitement to run through her. Nick's attraction to her was definitely real-even Don vouched for it. Ten years of erotic dream moments played in her head.
She took a sip of water. "You two really get along?"
"Yeah, we've always been buddies. That's why my folks adopted him; he needed a home and I needed a brother."
For the next half hour, Don told her Nick's story. Their parents had taken pity on Nick and rescued him from a foster home. She found it interesting that Nick and Don still lived in the same place where their parents brought them up. When they were young, the entire building had been one unit. Now, Nick's garage was sealed off from the upper three floors to become a private apartment that he entered at street level.
Don mentioned their parents' deaths, which Constance already knew about. The house had been left to both boys, but Nick only wanted to live in the garage, his personal space since age seven. He let Don have the rest of the building-the garage was enough for him.
Both boys had grown up caring deeply about their community. Don had become a pediatrician and still worked in the neighborhood. Nick had a rougher start and some juvenile issues, but he straightened himself out. He became a school teacher, beloved by the community. Then, with some work and some study, he became principal.
Don had nothing but good things to say about Nick and argued that the charges against him couldn't be real. Sadly, he had no evidence to back up his claim.