"Automatic" 3 of 3

Marcus had a terrible dream. In it he was pulling Angelo from underneath his car while Lonnie watched while holding hands with Officer Perez. They were drinking from huge glasses of wine. Whenever he pulled at Angelo he removed a body part. First his arms then his legs. Finally his head. Angelo's head smiled and winked at him. He woke up shouting. Looking around the room he noticed that Lonnie was not in bed. He wiped his face and rose from the bed.

He entered the bathroom and closed the door. Angelo stood in the shower writing all over the tiles. Marcus closed his eyes hard wishing him away. When he opened them the entire room was covered in bloody letters. Angelo was standing next to him smiling.

"What do you think, dad?' Angelo asked. "I got bored." Angelo walked around to the mirror and looked at his reflection. His lips had a blue tint to them. He was no longer bloody but looked as he had at the morgue. "I look weird, huh?"

"Why are you doing this, Angelo?" Marcus asked.

"Mom always said you were funny!" Angelo laughed. It was not Angelo's normal childlike life. This laugh was full of a hatred that was made through years of pain. "What else am I supposed to do? Just disappear? Nah, I think I'll stick around for a while and see what happens."

"I didn't mean to hurt you" Marcus whimpered.

"You didn't hurt me, dad" Angelo said as the color began to rush back into his face. "You killed me. Big difference, dad." As the color returned so did the original wounds and scars. "This looks way better! I wonder what mom'll do when she finds out what you did."

"She wont find out!" Marcus hissed. "I loved you, son. But I will not rot in prison for the rest of my life over an accident." Marcus used the restroom as Angelo smiled at him. After flushing Marcus walked into the kitchen. Angelo followed close behind. "Lonnie!" Marcus shouted. "Where are you?"

"Maybe she was so overcome with grief she killed herself" Angelo giggled.

"Shut up" Marcus said. "Lonnie!" Marcus walked around the house. He checked the living room, guest room, and even looked outside. He looked at Angelo who stood there smiling. Phantom blood dripped all over the floors.

"You know where she is, dad" Angelo said as he ran to his room. Marcus followed and swung the door open. Lonnie lay in Angelo's bed curled up with his favorite jacket.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Marcus asked.

"I miss him" Lonnie replied. "I always wished he would leave me alone when he was alive. Now that he's gone all I can do is think about how much I wish he'd run into the house looking for something to eat."

"I miss him, too" Marcus asked. Angelo jumped on his bed. His phantom limbs going through Lonnie. Marcus tried not to see Angelo who smiled gleefully as he stuck his thumbs in his ears and his tongue out of his mouth. "Let's go in the room. I can make breakfast."

"I'm not hungry" Lonnie said.

"Honey, you cant become one of those mothers that go crazy and just stop eating when something bad happens" Marcus said. Angelo's jumping around and laughing was making Marcus' patience run short.

"'Something bad happens'?" Lonnie asked. "Our son was murdered yesterday! His body is still warm!"

"No, it isn't!" Angelo shouted as he laughed and continued jumping around his bed.

"He wasn't murdered" Marcus said.

"What are you talking about?" Lonnie asked. "What would you call it?"

"Maybe it was an accident" Marcus muttered. Lonnie eyed him suspiciously.

"Marcus, what aren't you telling me?" Lonnie asked as she slowly sat up.

"You're gonna get it now, dad!" Angelo said. He jumped from the bed and stood next to Marcus.

"Nothing" Marcus said as he began licking his lips. "Its just that we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet."

"Sometimes I don't know about you, Marcus" Lonnie said. The phone rang from the hallway. Marcus walked over to it and answered.

"Hello?" he said.

"Good morning, Mr. Reynolds. This is Chief Riggs from the station." It was Chief Riggs covering for Perez. "I have some news that you may find very good."

"Okay…" Marcus said hesitantly.

"We believe we have found the man who killed your child" Riggs said proudly.

"Really?" Marcus asked. Panic and relief washed over him in equal waves.

"Yes" Riggs said. "If you wouldn't mind coming down to the station soon and checking the guy out we would appreciate it."

"Sure" Marcus said. "I'll be down."

"Thank you so much, sir" Riggs said. "And sorry for your loss." The line went dead.

"Who was it?" Lonnie asked.

"They found the guy that killed Angelo" Marcus said. Lonnie jumped from the bed and hugged Marcus as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Thank God!" Lonnie said. "I knew they would!"

"Yeah…" Marcus said as he watched Angelo standing on his bed and baring his teeth. "They found him."

Officer Perez sat at his kitchen table looking at a photo of his son that sat above the sink. His wife had already left for work. He wished he could do the same. Chief Riggs had suspended him with pay for a week after his outburst. As he turned on the radio his phone rang. He picked it up.

"Come to work" Riggs said.

"Are you serious?" Perez asked. "You miss me already?"

"Just your ass" Riggs said.

"I knew it!" Perez said. "But seriously, why so fast?"

"I spoke to the Reynolds this morning" Riggs said.

"And?" Perez asked.

"Like you said, there is something strange about that father" Riggs said. "He sounded more scared or relieved than happy."

"Happy about what?" Perez asked.

"Oh, damn it" Riggs said. "I forgot. I believe we found the asshole that hit the Reynolds kid."

"That fast?" Perez asked. He was genuinely surprised. "That's great! I guess that takes the father off the list of suspects."

"Hmph" Riggs grunted.

"No?" Perez asked.

"I don't know" Riggs said. "There is still something up with this Reynolds fella. I don't want to let him off the hook too fast."

"I understand" Perez said. "I'll be in about half an hour from now."

"Wear your civvies" Riggs said.

"Sure" Perez said. "And thank you, Chief."

"Not even a full day and already you're getting soft" Riggs said. "See ya soon."

Perez ran to his closet and threw on a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He could not find his boots so he put on a pair of black and white Converse All Stars. After grabbing his black sweater from the back of the front door he headed to the station.

Back at the station Riggs sat at his desk looking at the mug shot of the guy they arrested. A young Latino male named Ernesto Garcia. After an APB was sent out in regards to a hit and run an officer spotted a brown Monte Carlo with a large dent on the front bumper and partially on the hood. There was also some blood.

"I didn't hit anybody!" Garcia screamed as they finger printed him and placed him in a holding cell. It did not help his case that he had been arrested two previous times for driving under the influence. He had also been in and out of juvenile centers since he was 11. His last arrest was in 2005 for felony evading and drug possession. This would be his third strike.

Riggs felt bad for the guy for the fact that when he was convicted he would be in prison for the rest of his life without the possibility of parole. The he saw the photos of Angelo Reynolds and any remorse or pity he felt was replaced with anger. They used a little extra "force" when arresting Garcia. The story of Angelo's hit and run had spread quickly. The news had already run a story about it. They showed a picture of Angelo from his last class picture day. He was so full of life. Riggs placed the photos into a file and threw them in a drawer.

Another officer walked over and told him that the Reynolds has arrived. Riggs wiped his face with a napkin and went to meet with them. He was very curious to meet Mr. Reynolds in particular. At the end of the hallway he saw them. They both looked fine enough. He shook each of their hands and led them into another room. It was a small office with three chairs, two on one side and one on the other. He motioned for them to sit down.

Another door opened and two officers led Ernesto Garcia into the room. His hands and feet were shackled. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit. Just above his collar various tattoos were visible. He sat down and nodded to the Reynolds. Lonnie just stared at him. Marcus could not bring himself to look at him.

"Hey" Garcia said to them.

"You monster!" Lonnie shouted as she jumped up and dove over the table. She slapped Garcia across the face and scratched his eyes. He placed his head on the table to protect himself. The two officers pulled Lonnie away. Riggs watched as Marcus kept his eyes on the table. "I will fucking kill you!" Lonnie screamed as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I didn't do anything!" Garcia shouted. "I feel bad that your kid is dead but I didn't do it!"

"Look at you!" Lonnie hissed. "You look like a criminal. You disgust me" she said as she spit in his face.

"Get him outta here" Riggs said as the officers pulled Garcia to his feet and dragged him from the room.

"I didn't do anything!" Garcia continued to shout as he was pulled down the hallway. "Why wont anybody listen to me?!"

"I am sorry about that" Riggs said. "It usually gives family a sense of closure to confront the one who did them wrong." He sat in the chair that was previously occupied by Garcia.

"Are you okay, sir?" he asked Marcus.

"Yeah" Marcus lied as he licked his eyes and blinked so hard it hurt Riggs' eyes. "Just had a bad nights sleep."

"I understand" Riggs said. "I too have lost a child."

"Sorry" Marcus said.

"I can't wait until they get around to arresting you" Angelo said to Marcus. He sat in the middle of the table. "You're gonna let an innocent guy go to jail for you?" Marcus sighed and buried his hands in his face.

"Do you mind if I use the restroom?" Lonnie asked.

"Not at all" Riggs said. "Down the hall, third door on the left." Lonnie left and closed the door behind. "You like fables, Mr. Reynolds?"

"Sure" Marcus replied.

"There's this old Japanese story about some guys that get put in a cell together. Some farmer said that a guy stole one of his animals. The two guys keep saying that they're innocent, you know?" Riggs said. "So the guards put them in a cell together."

"Okay" Marcus said while licking his lips.

"But before they locked the guys up they covered the walls with charcoal. Then the night before they went to sleep they told the guys that this gargoyle statue in the middle of the room would find whoever had actually stole the farmer's animal." Riggs smiled at Marcus.

"That's crazy" Marcus said nervously.

"Yeah" Riggs said. "So the next morning they arrest one of the guys and kill him."

"Wait" Marcus said. "How'd they know which one of them did it?"

"The innocent guy wouldn't have anything to fear from the gargoyle so he slept peacefully in his innocence. The other guy, terrified by the gargoyle sat against the wall all night afraid. The next morning all the guards had to do was check for the one with the charcoal all over his back." Riggs scratched his chin and leaned forward.

"Crazy story" Marcus said. "I'm going to find my wife now. Thank you for everything" Marcus said as he exited the room quickly, almost tripping on his chair. Just as he left Perez arrived.

"How'd it go?" he asked Riggs.

"That guy's back is covered in charcoal" Riggs said.

Perez watched as Marcus grabbed his wife and ran out of the station. Perez had to fight his way through the front entrance on account of all the media that were stationed outside. Riggs motioned for him to have a seat. He sat down and slid a cup of coffee over.

"Thanks" Riggs said.

"So how'd it go?" Perez asked.

"Kinda how I was expecting it to" Riggs said a moment before taking a sip of the coffee. He sat back and rubbed the back of his neck.

"And?" Perez asked while raising his eyebrows.

"And exactly like I hoped it wouldn't" Riggs said. "That fucking guy knows something he isn't telling."

"Told you" Perez said. "So what do we do? We don't have any evidence against him other than strange behavior. And if we arrested people based off of that Hollywood Blvd. would be empty."

"I know, I know" Riggs said. "You shoulda seen the guy! He couldn't even look that Garcia fella in the eye! His wife, well, she was the one that did all the talking. She even attacked him!"

"No shit?" Perez asked. He did not take Mrs. Reynolds as they "attacking" type. "What did the husband do then?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Riggs said. "He just sat there with his head down. At one point he was staring at me, but not really staring at me, you know?"

"Actually, I do" Perez said. "He did it in the viewing room. He just stared off in the corner like he was looking at someone. Or listening to them."

"Every bone in my body is telling me to drag his ass back in here and beat a confession out of him!" Riggs said. "I want you to take a field trip."

"Where to?" Perez said.

"First I want you to head on over to forensics pathology. Find out how far along they are on the blood sample they got from Garcia's car. That could damn well be squirrel blood for all we know. In all the excitement of thinking we got the guy we all lost it, you know?"

"No, I understand you, Chief" Perez said. "If I were here I'm sure I would have been right there with you looking for needle for a lethal injection."

"That's another thing I am worried about" Riggs said. "The media is turning this into some sorta racial issue. 'Poor Latino gang member kills young Black child.' Makes me sick. The community will want to see blood. It being election time and all. We have to nip this in the bud before we have a damned riot on our hands."

"I didn't even look at it that way" Perez said. "Jesus."

"After you find out about the blood come back here" Riggs said. "I will get you a warrant to search the Reynolds' house. Especially their cars. I want to be 100% sure we do this right."

"Will do, sir" Perez said as he ran out of the room. Riggs finished the rest of the coffee in one long gulp. He went to the front entrance and watched as Perez fought his way through microphones, boom mics, and notepads.

"Disgusting" Riggs said as he noticed a few officers surrounding a television. He walked over and turned the volume up. "What are the vultures saying today?" On the screen he could see Perez trapped in between reporters. Two of them finally had him stuck with microphones in his face.

"Hello, officer!" a blond with horn rimmed glasses you don't see anymore except on chubby gothic girls or people who don't know better was practically shouting in Perez's face. "How long before Ernesto Garcia is arraigned in court?" More questions came from all around.

"How does it feel to be on such a potentially explosive case?"

"How is the family holding up?"

"Does this give you some form of closure seeing as how your son was killed by a reckless driver?"

"How does it feel to arrest one of your own people?"

"Is the Latino community supporting you?"

Perez fought his way through the horde and jumped into his car and sped off. He looked in his rear view and saw reporters chasing him with their microphones aimed at his car. He wiped sweat from his brow and as he phoned forensics. They answered on the third ring.

"Hey, this is Officer Perez" he said.

"Good news or bad news?" someone on the other end asked.

"Excuse me?" Perez asked.

"We were just about to call you and Chief Riggs when we saw you doing your best impersonation of Carl Lewis on the news!" the voice said.

"Bad news first" Perez said. He listened for a few moments. "Jesus." He stopped at a red light and switched the phone to his other ear. "And the good news?" He listened again and slammed his fist on the steering wheel. "Fucking shit!" he shouted as he made a u-turn in traffic almost hitting two cars.

On their way home Marcus and Lonnie sat in silence and holding hands. They passed a memorial that had been set up in honor of Angelo. Lonnie motioned for Marcus to slow down. As they passed more and more people were arriving and placing flowers on a small photo someone had gotten of Angelo. Lonnie began to climb out of the car when suddenly three reporters appeared in front of their car screaming questions at them.

"How do you feel?"

"What do you want to happen to the killer?"

"Can you sleep at night?"

"Do you miss young Angelo?"

"Does the Black community support you?"

Lonnie slammed the door as Marcus drove off leaving them behind. Lonnie turned in her seat and watched as the reporters became smaller and smaller. Marcus kept his eyes straight ahead and licked his lips until they were dry.

"I know what I want to happen to the killer" Angelo said from the backseat. "I want him to turn this car around and drive back to the police station. Then I want him to tell them that he killed his own son." Angelo began to climb into the front seat in between Marcus and Lonnie. "Then I want him to die." Angelo smiled as blood ran down his face and onto Marcus' lap.

"Slow down, honey" Lonnie said. Marcus drove through a stop sign and hit a dip in the road sending the car flying and crashing down hard. He screeched to a halt breathing hard. "What's wrong with you?" Lonnie asked. "You've been acting crazy since we left that police station.

"Oh, nothing" Angelo said. "He just killed me and is doing a bad job of covering it up is all." Marcus climbed out of the car and looked at the front bumper. "Bet you forgot about that" Angelo said as Marcus looked at the dent. "You hit me that hard."

"What is it?" Lonnie asked.

"I dented the car…" Marcus said. "When I hit…that dip."

"Oh, that's a good one!" Angelo said as he began to clap obnoxiously in Marcus' ear. "But what about the blood?"

"There's no blood" Marcus said aloud.

"No blood where?" Lonnie asked.

"On the bumper" Marcus said. "I thought I hit a cat or something."

"I didn't see anything" Lonnie said. "Lets get home. I think we both need to rest." Marcus nodded and climbed back into the car.

"Hey, dad" Angelo said. "Am I going to Heaven?" Angelo smiled as he slowly began to transform into his bluish self from the morgue. Suddenly he was in front of the car running and stopping just as they car passed through him. Next he was riding his bike next to Marcus' window and waving.

"Sleep sounds good" Marcus said as he rolled up his window.

Officer Perez sped through traffic as he headed back towards the police station. Since he was in his personal car he could not just blare the sirens and clear traffic. He weaved in and out of traffic barely missing cars. He quickly dialed the station.

"Put the chief on the phone!" Perez shouted. "Come on, come on" he repeated as he was on hold.

"Yeah" Chief Riggs said.

"This is Perez" he said as he honked his horn.

"What you got?" Riggs asked.

"Pathology just told me that the blood doesn't even belong to a human!" Perez said. "You gotta let the news people know!"

"Slow down, there" Riggs said. "They are on the other line" Riggs said as he put Perez on hold. Perez tapped the steering wheel as he waited at a stoplight. "Fuck."

"What?" Perez said.

"It's dog blood" Riggs said. "Fucking dogs blood. Where are you at?"

"Heading back to the station" Perez said.

"Don't" Riggs said. "I am gonna send a warrant to the midtown station. I'll fax it and I'll have them hand it to you in your car."

"Okay" Perez said. "I'm on my way."

"I want you to bring the two of them in" Riggs said. "Especially the father. Bring them in round the back to avoid the media out front. Also, some protesters are arriving."

"Already?" Perez said. "Jesus Christ."

"Yeah, this is getting really ugly really fast" Riggs said. "I'll send some backup for you when you let me know you've got the warrant."

"Thanks" Perez said as he closed his cell phone. "You son of a bitch!" Perez said as he headed towards the midtown station. "Your own son."

Lonnie sat in Angelo's bedroom holding his favorite jacket. The phone continued to ring in the living room. Marcus sat in the bedroom watching Angelo walking back and forth in front of him and laughing. Marcus gave up on closing his eyes and covering his ears to block out the laughter.

"When are you going to leave me alone?" Marcus asked.

"I'm not sure yet" Angelo said. "Not like I've been dead for that long."

"I'm not turning myself in" Marcus said. "I don't care what you say or do."

"Who are you talking to?" Lonnie asked. She was standing at the doorway still holding Angelo's jacket. "Turn yourself in? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing" Marcus said as he licked his lips.

"What are you hiding?" Lonnie asked. "You've been licking your lips ever since that cop showed up yesterday."

"I haven't been licking my lips" Marcus lied as he licked his lips once again.

"You just did!" Lonnie shouted. "What's going on?" Lonnie sat down next to Marcus and put her hand in his. "Talk to me." Marcus stood and leaned on the dresser. "Marcus?"

"Tell her, dad" Angelo said.

"Shut up" Marcus muttered.

"What?" Lonnie said.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Marcus shouted. Lonnie looked around the bedroom.

"Marcus, I am the only one here" Lonnie said.

"You're losing it, dad" Angelo taunted. Suddenly Marcus and Lonnie looked towards the living room as tires screeched to a halt in front of their house. "Uh-oh…"

"Marcus?" Lonnie asked. "What's going on?"

There was pounding at the door that made Marcus jump. He ran into the living room and peaked through the curtain. More pounding at the door made him jump again. Lonnie was watching him from the hallways.

"This is the LAPD! Open the door!" Officer Perez shouted through the door. As Riggs had promised the warrant was ready by the time he reached the midtown station. He did not even have to stop his car to receive it. His backup waited near Marcus' house well before Perez had arrived at the station.

"Marcus, what the hell is going on?" Lonnie asked as she headed towards the door to open it. Marcus stepped in front of her.

"Open the door!" Perez shouted.

"Don't believe anything they say!" Marcus said to Lonnie as he held her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. Lonnie's eyes began to fill with tears.

"You…" Lonnie said as she broke free from Marcus' grip. "I knew something was wrong" she said as she backed away from Marcus. "Tell me you didn't do…"

"No!" Marcus said. "You don't think I…" he said as he licked his lips. "Lonnie." Marcus took a step towards her and she took one back. Lonnie held her hands up.

"Don't come near me" Lonnie said just as the door exploded. A dozen officers rushed into the house and tackled Marcus to the ground. He smashed his head against the coffee table as he went down. Two other officers handcuffed Lonnie as they read her rights. Lonnie continued to stare at Marcus as he began to struggle.

Neighbors watched in the street as Marcus and Lonnie were lead out of their house and shoved into police cruisers. Media began to trickle in as the cars pulled off. Marcus sat in the back of a cruiser with Perez sitting in the back with him. Marcus sobbed silently.

"I didn't do it" Marcus said. "You have to believe me."

"You have the right to remain silent" Perez said while looking out of the window. "I suggest you use it."

"You've gotta believe me!" Marcus said as he licked his lips.

"Your own son" Perez said. "How did you even sleep last night?" Perez asked.

"You are so screwed" Angelo said. He was sitting in the front passenger seat with his fingers laced between the steel grids that separated the driver from the arrested.

"What are you looking at?" Perez asked.

"Nothing" Marcus said.

"Liar" Perez spat. "Its your son, isn't? Its Angelo." Marcus bowed his head and began to cry again. "The same thing happened to me after my son was killed. I saw him everywhere I looked. When I heard a kid laughing down the street I would run towards him thinking he was my boy." Perez pulled out his wallet and held a photo of his son up for Marcus to see.

"He looks like you" Marcus said between sniffles.

"He looked like me" Perez said. "After he was killed, he didn't look human." Perez placed the photo back into his pocket. "Does your wife know?"

"I didn't do it" Marcus said.

"Deny it till the end, huh?" Perez said. "It doesn't matter, Reynolds. Turns out the blood on your car will be more than enough evidence."

"There's no blood on my car" Marcus said.

"That's not what pathology says" Perez said as he smiled at Marcus.

"Impossible" Marcus said. "I washed it afterwards…" Marcus said as he quickly shut his mouth.

"Oops!" Angelo said as he began to laugh.

"I can't wait to see you go down" Perez said. "I know I'm not supposed to take this personally, but I can't help it. I wanna see you go down hard. Have you been watching the news? This case was gonna damn near start a riot? You were gonna let the city possibly burn just to keep out of jail? You were gonna let an innocent man die just to keep out of prison?"

"No" Marcus whispered.

"You make me sick" Perez said as the cruiser neared the station. The cruiser with Lonnie had already arrived and was having trouble getting through the crowd of protesters and media gathered. They beat the cruiser and shouted at Lonnie. Marcus closed his eyes as the cruiser rocked with the amount of people hitting it. The back window shattered as a brick flew through sending shards, hitting Perez in the back of the head. Officers were on the man who threw it immediately.

"Hurry the fuck up!" Perez said as he ducked pulling Marcus down with him. "Drive, drive, drive!" The cruiser sped up and pulled into the back entrance. Perez pulled Marcus from the cruiser and dragged him into the station. Riggs was waiting for them and slammed the door shut.

"Shit!" Riggs said as he saw the blood running down Perez's neck. "What the hell happened?"

"Someone threw a damned brick at me!" Perez said. "Get this asshole in a cell!" Two officers led Marcus away. In the holding area someone spit in Marcus' face as he passed. He looked up and saw whom it was.

"You son of a bitch" Lonnie hissed at Marcus. "You killed Angelo."

"No, I didn't" Marcus did.

"Marcus…" Lonnie said as she sat back down in her cell. "You're going to rot in Hell."

"I didn't do it" Marcus said. He was thrown into a cell and landed hard on his back. He looked up and saw Angelo sitting in a corner.

"I think I'll stick around for a while" Angelo said as he walked over to Marcus and placed his hand on his shoulder. Marcus shivered. Perez stood in front of the cell shaking his head.

"Tell Angelo I said hello" Perez said.

"Automatic" 2 of 3

Marcus looked at Lonnie for a long time before putting his arms around her. She cringed a bit when he touched her and he noticed. He let go and sank into the couch. He did not know what to say to Lonnie. He felt as if he should cry but he got most of that out of his system when he dropped Angelo's body in the street.

"Is there something I should say?" Marcus asked. "Something we should do?"

"I'll call my mother and my sisters" Lonnie said as she slowly got up. "You should do the same." Lonnie went into the bedroom and closed the door. Marcus could hear her sobbing softly behind the door. Marcus did not know what he was supposed to do. He felt as if he should go and comfort her for their loss. But he was the cause of their loss. He felt as if he should hug her; kiss her, do anything to make her feel better. But just less than half an hour ago he planned on leaving her. Instead he picked up the phone and called his mother.

Lonnie sat on the bed with her head buried in her hands. "This is what guilt really feels like" she thought to herself. The last time her son tried to speak to her she pretended to be asleep so she would not have to deal with him. She just a while ago planned on announcing her divorce to Marcus. She picked up the phone and heard Marcus crying with his mother. She listened for a moment longer and then softly hung the phone up.

She did not know what she should do. She wanted to be comforted but not by Marcus. She actually did not want her husband to make her feel better. There was a knock on the door. Lonnie stood and opened it. Marcus was standing there with tears rolling down his cheek. He threw his arms around Lonnie.

"I am so sorry!" Marcus screamed as he buried his face in Lonnie's shoulder. "I don't know what happened to us but I still love you!"

"Marcus, I think we should…" Lonnie began.

"Our baby is gone!" Marcus shouted. He moved away from Lonnie and stormed into the bedroom. He flipped the mattress over. He grabbed the nightstand and threw it across the room. Lonnie flinched as bit of wood flew near her face. Marcus looked at her and fell to his knees. "I am so sorry…"

"It's going to be okay, honey" she said as she sat down on the floor next to him. "The police will find who ever did this and send them to rot in Hell where they belong." She kissed Marcus on his head.

"I know they will, baby" Marcus said. "But it still doesn't make me feel any better." Marcus stood and helped Lonnie to her feet. They held each other for minutes until the phone rang. Marcus kissed Lonnie on the lips and picked up the phone.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Hello, Mr. Reynolds" Officer Perez said. "Sorry to disturb you right now but there is the matter of you or your wife identifying the body." Officer Perez sat at his desk looking over a bag of Angelo's possessions. "There is no rush but it would be best if best if we handled this as soon as possible. To help with the grieving process, you understand?"

"Yes" Marcus said. "I'll be there in about half an hour."

"Thank you, sir" Officer Perez said as they both hung up.

"Who was it?" Lonnie asked.

"Officer Perez" Marcus replied. "He needs me to go identify…Angelo's body."

"Oh, God" Lonnie said as she sat on the overturned mattress. "I'll get dressed."

"No, honey" Marcus said. "You don't have to do this."

"He's my son, too!" Lonnie said as she began crying. "I have to do this! I have to!"

"Okay" Marcus said. "I'll wait for you."

About twenty minutes later Lonnie was ready to leave. They both walked to the car and headed towards the hospital. They rode silently but held hands as each of their hearts beat faster and faster for completely different reasons.

At the hospitals morgue Officer Perez stood just outside the door. He hated morgues. He hated the smell of the dead. A smell that once you knew it you could never forget it. He thought about his visit with the Reynolds'. Something about the way they reacted to the news of their sons' death didn't sit right with him. One of the morgue technicians walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. His name was William Nagata. He and Perez had been friends for over ten years. Nagata was the one who had to sit with Officer Perez while he cried over the body of his son who was killed by a drunk driver. After that experience Perez and Nagata became very close friends.

"You okay?" Nagata asked.

"It's been over ten years now and it doesn't get any easier, man" Officer Perez said to Nagata. "This kid was just probably walking around enjoying the fact that he had the summer off, you know?"

"I know" Nagata said. "You sure you wanna do this?" he asked.

"It's my job" Officer Perez said while tapping his gun. "I'll be good, Will. Thanks for asking though."

"You meet the parents?" Nagata asked.

"Yeah" Officer Perez said. "Something about them is strange. I have seen tons of reactions to the news of a child's death. Tons. But these people, I don't know."

"You're looking into it too much" Nagata said. "Just do your job and go home. Get some rest."

"I will" Officer Perez said. "Whoever hit that kid is going down. I don't care how long it takes, I am gonna find the person that did this and drag them into prison. I will be there for the trial. I will be there for the sentencing. I will be there when they strap him into the chair and fry his ass straight to Hell!" Officer Perez was breathing hard and had to lean against the cool steel door to settle down.

"Don't turn this into a vendetta, Raul" Nagata said.

"I wont. Don't worry" Officer Perez said. "And the name is Officer Perez when I am on the clock. I don't become Raul until after 11pm."

"Sorry 'Officer'" Nagata said as he smacked Officer Perez on the shoulder.

"That's assault of an officer" he said as Nagata pretended to run out of the room. Officer Perez loved that Nagata could make him feel better. In his line of work you take laughter no matter where you can get it. Same for Nagata's job. He dealt with death all day. At least with Perez's job he could save a life. With Nagata's it was far too late to do anything. There was a light rap on the door. Officer Perez walked out of the room and opened another steel door. It was the Reynolds'. Nagata was standing close behind them.

"Sorry for your loss" he said as he closed the door behind him.

Officer Perez watched Marcus and Lonnie enter the room as Nagata left. He smiled at them and bowed his head. He still felt like they were hiding something. Marcus was holding Lonnie's hand as they walked over and shook Officer Perez's hand.

"I am so sorry about all of this" he said. "This is never an easy thing to do." Marcus nodded. Lonnie stared at the floor. Officer Perez could smell liquor on the both of them. "Would you like to be left alone?"

"No!" Marcus said. "I mean, I would prefer if you were in there with us."

"I want to be alone with him" Lonnie said.

"No, baby" Marcus said.

"I would prefer the two of you go together" Officer Perez said, speaking to Lonnie. "I mean, your son looks…" he said before stopping himself. "It would just be better for both of you if you did this together." Lonnie sighed as Officer Perez motioned towards the door.

He opened the steel door and the smell of dead wafted out. Marcus held his nose and Lonnie covered her mouth. They walked over to a large table with Angelo's body. A white sheet covered him. The only thing visible was a tag attached to his large right toe. Marcus no longer walked forward but Lonnie walked right to the body and threw the sheet off. Officer Perez braced himself to grab her if need be. He had seen people faint, scream, and even attack the bodies of loved ones. The way these two behaved he was not sure of what to expect.

Lonnie looked at Angelo's face. He had been cleaned as best as they could. But there were large scars visible all over his face and chest. His legs and arms were bent at awkward angles. Marcus covered his eyes and wept silently. When he removed his hands Angelo was standing over his own body. Marcus mouthed
"Not now" to himself. Officer Perez noticed.

"You really did a number on me, dad" Angelo said. "Did you know that I wanted to be a football player like you in high school?" Angelo walked over to his mother and placed his hand on her shoulder. Of course she could not feel it. "She isn't even crying, dad" Angelo said. "Look at her." Marcus wanted to cover his ears even though he knew that he would not be able to block out the sound of Angelo's words. "I look bad, huh?"

"Cover him back up, honey" Marcus said to Lonnie.

"I am not done" Lonnie replied. "This is the last time I will see him before they pump him full of chemicals and he doesn't even look like my son anymore" she mumbled.

"Cover him up" Marcus said while wiping his brow. Officer Perez looked at Marcus. He could see that he was ready to blow any second.

"Maybe you should at least cover his body" Officer Perez said as he began to place the sheet back on before Lonnie grabbed his hand.

"I said I am not done" she said as she pulled the blanket back down completely uncovering Angelo. "Now let me…"

"Cover him the fuck up!" Marcus shouted. Officer Perez instinctively reached for his gun. "This is just fucking sick, Lonnie! Sick!" Marcus rushed over and threw the sheet back onto Angelo. In the corner Angelo was doubled over with laughter. "And you shut up!" Marcus shouted at Angelo. Officer Perez raised his eyebrows as Marcus shouted at what appeared to be an empty corner.

"Perhaps we should leave" Officer Perez said as he motioned towards the door. "I will have you sign some release forms and have you speak to someone to make arrangements."

They all left the room. As the door closed Marcus took one last glance at his son. Angelo was standing behind the door as it closed waving excitedly. His face had blood all over it once again. Marcus waved as Lonnie placed her hand on his shoulder. Officer Perez locked the door and picked up a nearby phone letting Nagata know that they were done.

As they drove back home Marcus kept looking in his rear view mirror. He was waiting for another performance by the phantom Angelo. Lonnie sat quietly humming to herself. This usually drove Marcus crazy but considering the circumstances he let her hum to her hearts content.

"Do you miss him?" Lonnie asked.

"What do you mean?" Marcus replied.

"Do you feel different?" she asked. "I mean, I was his mother so I feel a strange kind of loss that I only read about or saw in movies. But as his father how do you feel?"

"I had a part in his birth, you know?" Marcus said defensively. "It's not like he just magically appeared out of thin air!"

"I know that" Lonnie said calmly. "I just want to know how you feel."

"I feel like shit, okay?" Marcus said. "I feel guilty as fuck, alright?!"

"Guilty?" Lonnie asked. "Why guilty?" Marcus began licking his lips.

"Because I wasn't there to protect him" Marcus said. "That's the one thing I am supposed to do as his father and I couldn't do that." Marcus became aware of his lips and stopped. "I haven't given you the life you wanted. I couldn't provide for my family the way I wanted. I couldn't protect my son the way I was supposed to." Marcus pulled over to the side of the road. "I have failed the two of you in every way possible. I have failed myself."

"No, you haven't" Lonnie lied. She had always thought these things to herself but hearing Marcus say them aloud made her feel terrible. "Look at me, Marcus" Lonnie said while taking hold of his chin and forcing him to look her in the eye. "We're going to get through this, okay? It may take some time but we'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah" Lonnie said trying to convince herself as much as Marcus. "We'll be fine." Marcus began driving again. He looked in the rear view and Angelo was sitting in the back seat holding one of Marcus' whiskey bottles and smiling as he dumped the last few drops into his bloody mouth.

"Hey, dad" Angelo said as Marcus squinted his eyes. He wanted to close them but he was driving. "Do you know where I'll be later tonight?" he asked. "In the morgue." He stuck his finger in the bottle and licked it dry. "Know where I'll be tomorrow? The morgue. Hey, dad" Angelo said as he leaned forward placing his cheek against Marcus'. "Do you know where I'll be next week? Next month? How about next year? Do you know, dad?"

"Dead" Marcus said softly.

"What was that?" Lonnie asked.

"Nothing" Marcus replied. "Nothing."

The next morning Officer Perez sat at his desk going over the reports for the hit and run case involving Angelo Reynolds. Something about it made him uneasy. It was not just the strange reactions from Angelo's parents. It was the way the body laid on the ground. He had seen countless hit and run victims, including his own son. But this one seemed odd.

The way the arms and legs were placed appeared to be maneuvered. His arms lay at his side. His legs were straightforward. His head lay facing up. Officer Perez mulled over pictures of other hit and run victims and compared the positions. Most were contorted. Legs bent behind themselves. Arms outwards. Heads spun sideways or completely around.

Angelo looked like he had been hit but not hit and then ran over. There was no trail of blood on the ground near his body. It looked like he had been dropped where he lay. The way Angelo's body was positioned he would have had to have jumped a few feet in the air and then hit. His legs had the trauma of a bike rider. Knees destroyed. Trauma mostly on one side of the body where it would have hit the hood of a car before falling underneath it. In the picture Angelo was on his back.

Officer Perez placed all of the photos on his desk and sighed heavily. His chief, Riggs, walked over and placed a cup of coffee on his desk. Officer Perez looked up and nodded to him. After taking a few sips he wiped his chin with the back of his hand.

"You look like shit" Riggs said.

"I feel like shit" Officer Perez replied.

"Have you been here all night?" Riggs asked.

"Yeah" Officer Perez said. "This case is really bugging me."

"I don't need to state the obvious, do I, Perez?" Riggs asked.

"No" Perez said while neatly stacking the photos leaving the picture of Angelo on top. "When I met the parents yesterday they acted strange, you know?"

"You of all people know that everyone reacts differently to traumatic situation" Riggs stated matter of factly. "You can't fault them."

"I think I can with this one" Perez said. "I was with them when they saw this kids body" Perez said while holding the photo for Riggs to see. "Something about the father wasn't right."

"Like what?" Riggs asked.

"He was talking to himself" Perez said. "And the two of them reeked of alcohol."

"They probably were very upset about what happened" Riggs said. "What are you going to do? Write them a ticket for a DUI?"

"No" Perez said. He was beginning to lose his patience with Riggs. He knew his chief meant well and was trying to help. But he felt as if the longer he waited the harder it would be to solve this case. He knew that he would not be able to rest until the person responsible for Angelo's death was behind bars.

"So let it go" Riggs said. "I can hand this over to someone else if this bothers you this much. I have plenty of other crimes for you to solve." Riggs took a sip of his own coffee. "You're a beat cop, Perez. I hate seeing you behind a desk." He took another sip and grimaced. "This tastes like crap."

"Yeah, it does" Perez said. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Go home and get some sleep" Riggs said while pulling Perez's chair back. Perez placed his hands on his desk causing the stacks of photos to slide to the ground. One of them landed image side up near his feet. Riggs picked it up and sighed. "Raul…"

"I know" Perez said as he took the photo from Riggs.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Riggs asked.

"Drop it, chief" Perez said while stacking the photos once again.

"Go home now" Riggs said.

"No" Perez muttered. "I'm not done."

"Well, I say you're done" Riggs said while placing his coffee on the desk. "Now get your ass home."

"I said that I am not done!" Perez shouted causing many of the other officers and visitors to look. "I'm not done, okay?"

"Looking at pictures of your sons mangled corpse has nothing to do with finding the guy that hit this other kid" Riggs whispered to Perez. He leaned closer and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You're beating yourself to death. I understand you're still upset. My son Louis died a few years back, remember? So I get…"

"No, you don't!" Perez screamed. He stood and placed his finger in Riggs' chest. "Your kid died from a drug overdose in college! My son was hit and drug over one hundred yards before being scrapped from underneath a car when it hit a curb! There are pieces of my son that were never recovered! Do you know what it was like to explain to my wife that there wasn't enough of him left to merit a casket funeral? Do you know what it was like to tell my mother, his grandmother that he died playing with a new basketball she had just bought him for his 8th birthday? You 'get it'? Fuck you. You don't 'get it'."

"Get the fuck out of here" Riggs said in a low voice. "Get your shit and go home. Go and take care of your wife. Take care of yourself." Riggs walked away and turned back and faced Perez. "I loved my son, okay? Yeah, he died doing drugs. He died knowing he was a disappointment to his mother and me. But he was my son. My only son. So I get it. Any parent that loses a child gets it. And the next time you ever question me or my personal life I swear the next form you fill out will be an unemployment form."

"Sorry, sir" Perez said. "I got a little carried away. I didn't mean to…"

"Go home" Riggs said. "Just…go home."

"Automatic" 1 of 3

Marcus stood in the kitchen with his wife Lonnie as she poured herself some coffee. He had his lunch already packed before she had even awoken. He just stared at her as she added more cream to her coffee and took another sip. He sighed as he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. He stopped just before closing the door.

"Did you say something?" he asked Lonnie.

"No" she replied as she took another sip of her coffee and twisted her face. She walked over to the sink and poured it down the drain. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Nothing" Marcus said as he closed the door.

As he fished for his car keys he thought about the way his marriage had been for the past ten years. It started off fine. After dating for more than four years he and Lonnie thought that the next logical step was marriage. Their families actually loved each other and their friends were mutual. When they got married the wedding was big, loud, and beautiful.

A few years later they were blessed with the birth of their son Angelo. He has grown into a smart, kind, and athletic child. Marcus looked back at the kitchen window and saw as his wife poured the entire pot of coffee down the drain. "Little things like this is what kills people" Marcus thought to himself. When a wife doesn't kiss her husband goodnight. When a wife tells her husband that he's "stupid" in front of friends. When a wife sleeps with him only on birthdays, holidays, and every fifth Wednesday because she has nothing to watch. When she pours an entire pot of coffee down the drain that he spent hard earned money buying just so she could sit at home and drink Crystal Light and watch daytime talk shows.

Marcus climbed into his car and began reversing when suddenly a bike flies behind his car. He slammed on the breaks and gasped. He looked and saw that it was his son Angelo. He sighed and continued backing up. As he headed towards work he slowed when he neared his son.

"Be careful out here, Angelo!" he shouted.

"I will!" he shouted back. "What we having for dinner?" he asked.

"Whatever your mama cooks for us!" Marcus replied as he waved and continued driving to work. What he wanted to say was "Let's hope she can peal her ass off the couch long enough to throw something in the stove that we can pretend to enjoy later!" He drove and the thought of his life without Lonnie played in his head. The problem was that they had all the same friends. Their families talked to each other independently.
They were closer than he was with his own wife.

Marcus pulled into his parking spot at the car dealership. It took him fifteen years just to be able to park on the same block as his job. Lonnie always told him to quit this job. "As if she could give anyone advice about work!" Marcus laughed to himself. He sat in his car for a few minutes because he always got to work early. Really early. He sat and reached underneath the seat until he found a small brown paper bag. He removed a small bottle of whiskey and took a long, slow swig. He looked in his rearview mirror and shook his head. He checked his hair and saw a few gray hairs. Marcus took another quick drink before popping a stick of gum into his mouth.

Lonnie walked around the house and searched the closet for evidence. She was sure that Marcus was cheating on her. She checked his collars for lipstick or the smell of perfume. She looked for condom wrappers. She looked for love notes. She checked his computer for messages from women. She found nothing. This seemed to make her more upset. She placed everything as it was and went into the living room to watch television for the day.

At some point in the afternoon Angelo came inside asking what was for lunch. Lonnie pretended to sleep and not hear him. She listened as he sighed and went looking through the cabinets for something to eat. "Just like his father" she thought. Always wanting more. More toys. More clothes. More bikes. The bikes bothered her more than anything because he was always wrecking them. His last three were run over by Marcus while he was backing out of the driveway. She heard Angelo find something he liked because he actually said "Ooh!" as he ran back outside. Lonnie would be very happy once summer was over and she had the house to herself once again.

"When did this happen?" Lonnie thought to herself as he flipped through the channels. I used to party every weekend with Marcus. We used to have friends over. We used to make love every night, sometimes multiple times. Was it when Angelo was born? Was it when the wrinkles started to appear around her eyes and it took her half an hour to apply make up and not ten minutes? She knows what kills a marriage. When a husband stops telling his wife she's beautiful. When a husband dances with her friends more than his own wife. When a husband doesn't even try to have sex with his wife. When he leaves for work without trying to kiss her goodbye.

These are the things that kill people, love, and marriage.

Marcus' job was to lie. "This is the car for you." "This is the last car you will ever buy." "You can drive out of this lot today if you sign on the dotted line!" Sometimes it was hard for him to turn it off. He would take longer to answer simple questions Lonnie asked him. He knew it sounded suspicious when she would ask him why he was getting home so late smelling like he just put cologne on and he took a moment to answer.

He couldn't tell her it was because he was at the bar at the other end of town getting drunk enough to face his wife after spending the day making money that he never saw. And that spraying cologne all over himself covered the smell of smoke and liquor.

He left work and drove towards the bar. It was over half an hour out of the way of the nearest bar to his home but he did not want to bump into anyone he knew. He was halfway there and changed his mind. "Not tonight" he thought to himself as he turned and headed towards home. Marcus was so tired of running from his wife.

He wanted to go home. He didn't have to talk to her. He could enjoy an adult beverage at home. When did he go from angry with his wife to scared of her? He had been drinking all day. At first it started with having a sip before punching in. Then it became during his lunch breaks. Then it became after work. Then it became right before he went to sleep.

Marcus drove slowly.

He was trying his best to enjoy every free moment he had before he got home and had to listen to all the reasons why he was a loser. He remembered the time Lonnie made a joke about how he lasted only a few moments in bed in front of his friends. He kept his mouth shut but inside he was boiling. They road home talking and laughing but every giggle she made and every smirk she showed made him remember that day. He sped up. He thought of that time she knocked a glass of wine on his shirt that she told him she hated right before they left for a very important meeting at his job.

He drove even faster.

As he rounded the corner towards his house he was driving well past 70mph. His eyes were slits of anger. He was going to tell Lonnie how he really felt. He was going to ask for a divorce. No. He was going to demand a divorce. He would get Angelo seeing as how she never spent anytime with him anyway.

He pictured her sitting on the couch right now. A drink in one hand and the TV Guide in the other. He turned into his driveway and felt the car jump twice. He knew that he had just destroyed another one of Angelo's bikes. He jumped out of his car full of fire. He shouted for Angelo to come and get his bike. He looked under the car and jumped back. He landed on his rear and crawled towards the underside and saw the bike. But on the bike was Angelo.

"Oh, Jesus, no…" Marcus muttered while he tried to pull Angelo from underneath the vehicle. He pulled hard enough to make something in Angelo's leg crack. He dropped him and wiped his mouth. He did not see the blinds moving in his home. He looked down the street and saw no neighbors out and about.

Scrambling back into his car he rolled back, two bumps making his car jump and his heart drop. He climbed back out and threw Angelo into the back seat. He pulled out of his driveway and sped away.

"You'll be okay, son!" Marcus shouted. Angelo lay in the back seat in a very unnatural position. As he drove he started screaming. His screams quickly became cries of pain. "We're going to get you to a hospital and get you taken care of, alright?" He looked into his passenger seat and a bloody Angelo sat there. Marcus screamed. "You aren't real!"

"Where are you taking me?" a horribly bruised Angelo asked. "You can't take me to the doctor. You can't call the police either. They'll ask how this all happened. Man, pop. You smell like a bar" Angelo said as he wiped the blood from his face and stared at it. "I'm just a kid, you know? How did this happen?"

"Shut up, Angelo!" Marcus shouted. "I'll take care of you!"

"Great job so far, dad" Angelo said as he rubbed the back of his head. When he looked at his hand blood dripped from it. "Mom was right about you, you know?"

Marcus closed his eyes and made a u-turn. He pulled onto a street not too far from his own. Angelo watched him from the passenger seat and smiled. Marcus swung the back door open and grabbed Angelo's body and threw it into the street. He looked around quickly and then jumped into his car and sped away. He looked in his rear view and saw Angelo standing over his own body and waving to him. Marcus ducked his head and made his way back home.

"Your mother wasn't right about me, son" Marcus said to himself. "I love you, Angelo."

Lonnie looked out the window just as Marcus drove away. She thought she heard a crash and saw Angelo's bike laying on the ground mangled. She laughed to herself and headed back to the kitchen. While pouring another glass of wine she stared at her wedding ring. It felt like it weighed a ton. She tried to pull it off but had gained weight since it was first placed on. She took a long gulp from the wine bottle before placing it back into the refrigerator. Walking back into the living room she stopped at the couch and sat down hard.

She wondered how she would tell Marcus that she wanted a divorce. She imagined that he would pretend to be upset about it. Deep down she knew that he wanted one but was just too afraid to ask for one. She smiled to herself as she imagined him asking for one and telling him "No!" just to spite him.

She imagined sitting in court fighting for custody and watching Marcus squirm as his public defender attempted to explain why Marcus was still working as a car salesman after all these years. She pictured Marcus arriving every weekend to pick Angelo up and having her new boyfriend answering the door.
Lonnie smiled as she looked at her wine glass in confusing. She did not remember drinking it.

Marcus sped back towards his home. There was no Angelo sitting next to him. There was no Angelo laying in the back seat. He checked his rear view and did not see his son waving at him with a blood soaked hand. He stopped at a corner and looked at the back seat. There was blood all over the seats and floor. He turned his car around and headed towards a car wash. He fumbled with his change as he placed quarters into the shampoo machine. He shot a pink fluid into his car as a few customers watched him in confusion. He opened his trunk and pulled a hard scrub brush out.

"A skunk got into my car" Marcus said as a woman stared at him. "Smells terrible" he mumbled as he scrubbed furiously. The blood came out easily and he used a towel to wipe up the excess suds away. He even checked the passenger seat in case the Angelo phantom had left some blood. While using an air dryer on the seats he tried to figure out what to do. He could not just go home and pretend nothing happened. He could not tell Lonnie what had happened. He threw the dryer on the ground and sped away.

"Good job" Angelo said. He was back in the passenger seat staring at his father. "I wonder what mama is going to say about this" he said while staring at the backseat. "I don't think she will be too upset because she didn't seem to like me all that much." Angelo smiled at his father as a trickle of blood ran down his eye.

"Of course she is going to miss you!" Marcus shouted. "She's your mother!"

"Whatever, dad" Angelo said. He began climbing into the backseat and rolling around.

"What are you doing?!" Marcus asked.

"Having some fun" Angelo giggled as he smeared the back of his blood-covered head on the windows. "Are you going to jail?"

"No" Marcus said. He licked his lips and blinked very hard which was his "tell." Whenever Marcus was lying or feeling guilty he would lick his lips so much you would think he were dying of thirst. He blinked so hard that he would get headaches. Co-workers called him "Blinks" and "Smacks" because of his behavior while selling cars. "I'll never go to jail because I did not do anything wrong."

"Uh, hello?" Angelo said as he waved his bloody hand in his fathers face. Angelo was back in the passenger seat and trying to turn the radio on.

"Stop that, Angelo" Marcus said. He turned onto his street and pulled into the front of his house. He saw Angelo's bike sitting in the driveway and dragged it into the backyard. As he passed the kitchen window he could look into the living room and see Lonnie passed out on the couch with an empty wine glass hanging from her hand. He threw Angelo's bike on the ground. He opened the back entrance and quietly came into the house. He looked at his hands and saw blood under his nails and on his sleeves. He tore his shirt off and threw it in the washing machine.

He went into the bathroom and turned the shower on. He stared into the mirror and wiped his brow. It was not the steam from the shower that was causing him to perspire. As he stared at himself the mirror began to fog. As his face became a blur of his former self he wondered how long it would be until he would be checking his reflection from inside a prison cell.

After showering he toweled off and put on a pair of sweat pants and a shirt. He went into the living room and Lonnie was sitting up and watching television. He sat down next to her and she moved away from him. Just slightly, but just enough to let him know that she would rather not sit next to him.

"You're home early" Lonnie said as she eyed her empty wine bottle.

"Yeah" Marcus said. "What you do today?" Marcus asked.

"That" Lonnie said while pointing at the wine bottle. "Have you seen Angelo?" she asked.

"No" Marcus said. "I was at work all day."

"Is that what you call it?" Lonnie asked as she turned towards Marcus.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marcus replied. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Marcus looked at the door and back at Lonnie. She shrugged. Marcus walked over to the door and opened it slowly. There was a police officer at the door.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir" the officer said. "But are you Mr. Marcus Reynolds?"

"Yes" Marcus said. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry to inform you but we have found your son, an Angelo Reynolds, dead" the officer said. Marcus slammed the door shut. The officer knocked again. Marcus opened the door again and the officer held his hand up before Marcus could speak. "It's okay, Mr. Reynolds. I have seen all kinds of reactions to this kind of news. May I come inside?"

"Yes, of course" Marcus said. "This is my wife, Lonnie" Marcus said. Lonnie sat with a blank expression on her face. Marcus motioned for the officer to sit down. "How did this happen?" Marcus asked as he licked his lips.

"It appears it was a hit and run" the officer said. "By the way, my name is Officer Jorge Perez" he said as he shook Marcus' hand. He reached towards Lonnie but she only looked at him. "We found his…body a few blocks away."

"What kind of monster would do this?" Marcus asked.

"There are a lot of bad people out there, Mr. Reynolds" Officer Perez said. "But I want to assure you that we will find the person or persons that did this. I will leave you two alone now. Here's my card. Be sure to call me whenever you need to" Perez said as he handed his card to Marcus. They shook hands as Officer Perez stood and exited.

"Are you okay, honey?" Marcus asked Lonnie.

"I need a drink" she replied.