Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler

About the Book

Gay, twenty-something school teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall is in trouble. The night’s date is missing, and the police think he has something to do with it. With help from new friends—Hollister, a what-you-see-is- what-you-got-a-problem? Black lesbian, and Burley, a stoner-baker giant—Hayden searches for the truth and the missing guy. But just staying alive is a tricky business when the enemy plays to kill.

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Excerpt

Half opening my good eye, I squinted up at the fluorescent tube dangling from the stained popcorn ceiling. The club’s manager had suggested the storeroom as a place for me to chill until my nose stopped bleeding. I appreciated the gesture. The idea was a win-win. It saved me from the pointing and whispers of the crowd, and getting me off the dance floor restored the party atmosphere typical of a weekend night at Hunters.

Despite the damage done to my face, the worst of the experience had been me being the center of attention for all the wrong reasons—embarrassing for most, excruciating for yours truly. Everyone who knew me would say I was quiet and reserved—perhaps to a fault. My latest ex had joked that my tolerance for thrill-seeking maxed out on the teacups ride at Disneyland. I’d brushed off the comment with a laugh, but in truth, the remark had stung. Being five foot four (rounding up) and weighing 125 (again, rounding up) makes one sensitive to such jabs. Add in the fact that I’m freckled and possess a shock of red-orange hair that that same ex had pegged as being the color of a Cheetos bag, and you understand why I might take offense.

“Damn, dude, you’re going to have a nasty shiner. Does it hurt?”

The voice startled me. I hadn’t heard anyone enter the storeroom.

“Yeah, a bit. Though it probably looks worse than it feels,” I replied, trying to come off as tougher than I was.

The guy stepped closer to my impromptu bed of liquor crates. It was the dancer. The dancer who had accidentally kicked me in the face. He leaned over me, momentarily blocking the harsh light, made a soft whistle.

“Ugly.”

“You really know how to flatter a guy,” I said, propping myself up on my elbows. He laughed, reached down a hand with the letters X.O.X.O. inked across the knuckles. “I’m Camilo.”

“Hayden. Good to meet you, Camilo.”

I had only ever seen Camilo up on stage. Now at ground level, he appeared to be taller than me by a good eight inches. I’d say he was about six feet.

“Be back in a minute,” he said. “Just need to tell Hank I’m headed out for the night.”

Camilo’s sneakers thumped across the concrete floor. Earlier, I’d noticed his shoes had no laces; the tongues of his shiny red high-tops had flapped wildly as he’d bounced across the plywood-covered pool table. Tonight wouldn’t be the first night I went home alone feeling sorry for myself. Though I had elevated my game considerably: I’d be returning to my apartment bruised and bloodied. Still, I could use the evening’s main event as material for a new post for Mates on Dates, where I took on topics related to the perplexing and often disheartening world of gay dating. I’d been toying with the notion of a humorous piece, and if I couldn’t squeeze a laugh out of this, then I should hang up my blog. Suddenly a moment of inspiration struck with the title “Go-go Boy Misfire."

About the Author

Rob Osler writes the Hayden & Friends contemporary mystery series featuring a rainbow of kick-ass characters. With DEVIL'S CHEW TOY, Rob coined the term, “Quozy Mystery,” giving a unique label to the colorful sub-genre of cozy mysteries featuring LGBTQ+ main characters.

His short story ANALOGUE published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, won the 2022 ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD for best short story by a debut author as part of the Annual Edgar Awards presented by Mystery Writers of America.

Coming next! MISS DIRECTION--the very amateur sleuthing of Perry Winkle--appearing 2023 in Ellery Queen. And in the works, MURDER AT THE NAT, the adventures of a fierce lady detective in the American west at the turn of the century.

After many years of living in Chicago, Seattle (the setting for the Hayden & Friends series), and San Francisco, Rob resides in California with his long-time partner and a tall, gray cat.

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