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Chapter Eight: No Walk in the Park

Reis had managed to get lunch at noon so that he could have it with Marcus. The two decided to eat in Genesco Park, which was only a short walk from the DA's office and police station. They stopped at a hot dog stand that was set up in the park and went over to eat on one of wooden benches near the pond. Marcus could not remember there being any kind of food stands in the park, and from the looks of it, the park had undergone quite a few renewals since the last time he had been there. For one, the benches were no longer large planks of wood that someone had crudely painted green. Now they were comfortable arrangements of sanded oak held together by iron sides. The park's grass was no longer shabby, but well cut, trimmed, and weeded. The asphalt paths looked darker, straighter, and neater. The pond seemed much cleaner than he had remembered, with so much more life. The basketball court that was just beyond the other side of the pond was filled with little kids shooting hoops and trying to dribbled and run at the same time. The court was almost unrecognizable as it was no longer a cracked blacktop with rusted fences and hoops; the hoops and the fence were replaced with shiny new metal. Even the trees looked as if they were being trimmed on a consistent basis, appropriating them to the new atmosphere. Plus, Marcus could not remember the park being so filled with people. He always remembered it as a cold place where kids in junior high or high school would venture during recess to escape the watchful eye of monitors and the like. Kids including Marcus and Reis. That was until Marcus came out of the closet, and most of the other boys didn't want him hanging around, except for Reis of course. Still, this did not stop Marcus from using park in other ways that suited its perceived purpose: hiding. A purpose that seemed so alien for the park before them now.

"What did they do with this place?" asked Marcus. Reis smiled. "This was the first place they upgraded when the refineries came in. With many of the workers having to move their families here, demands poured in to fix this place up. Along with other parts of Mayfield and across the county too."

Reis noticed Marcus's retracted look. "Why? You don't like it?"

"Huh? Oh...it's not that it's just that...yawn...I'm just a little tired."

Reis put his hand on Marcus's shoulder. "I know I'm going to be after I'm done today. I guess that means we can rest together when we get back to the house."

Marcus smiled. "My parents want us to come over for dinner. Five-thirty."

Reis's smile suddenly turned to that of a sorrowful look.

"Is that a problem, Reis?"

"Actually Marcus, I forgot to tell you. Patrol is going on until eight."

"Eight? What could he possibly have you out for that long for?"

Reis frowned, "I volunteered. Joji needs some help. He's worried about what happened the other night and..." Reis stopped in his tracks with an expression of a guilty recollection coming over his face; another expression Marcus knew too well.

"And what, Reis?"

"I forgot to tell you. The kid who was shot last night...was Tobias."

Marcus's jaw dropped and his eyes widened, "No..."

Reis nodded, "Someone snipped him from the top of a building."

"God. I can't believe he's gone. And like that. It's..."

Reis leaned forward"...relieving?" Marcus flared, "Absolutely not. He may have been an asshole, but nobody deserves to die like that."

Reis kept his blank complexion. "You sure?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Marcus puzzled.

Reis stared at the pond.

"Remember when we used to come here as kids. How we would always like it when my mom would let us play out here for hours and hours. And..." Reis put his hands up to his face as he sniffled up a tear.

"Reis, don't..."

"And how it would turn late and it became our game to find her?" It was useless. Two giant tears came running out each of Reis's eyes. Marcus quickly wrapped his arms around the sides of Reis's neck, placing his hands on his ears. "Shhhhh."

"He did something so unforgivable..." was what Reis was able to make out past his sobs.

As Marcus rested his head on top of Reis's, he opened his eyes. He could see that people were looking at the two of them. Slowing down get glimpses of the two guys holding on to each other on the bench. Some parents began to hold their children's heads away as they increased their speed away from the site.

"What the hell are you looking at?" yelled Marcus at the pedestrians. This startled Reis who immediately looked up to the site of particular bypassing onlookers: two teenagers siting on their bikes giving ghastly grins.

"We're looking at the two faggots..." said one of them looking right at Marcus. Before Marcus could respond, he could feel Reis get up. When Marcus looked back, he could see a burning glare in Reis's eyes, locking in the two teenagers. Marcus tried to hold onto Reis's clothes but he felt helpless. Reis's was so overpowering that trying to stop him from charging at someone was like trying to make a train stop by placing both hands out dead in front of the oncoming freight.

Surprisingly, the two teens did not budge. Nor did they even change the expressions on their faces. They didn't even seem the least bit intimidated by Reis's uniform. In fact, their snickering faces only taunted the big wolf in front of them further. Finally, most damningly, one of the teens yelled out to Reis "You won't be able to chase us far with your panties in a bunch." That was it. Reis was finished. The whole scenario played over in Marcus's head like a projected movie. Reis would cripple these kids. Go to jail or at least get thrown out of the academy. Then the relapse and...

Suddenly, before Reis could take another step forward, his path was obstructed by a big, grey gray dog whose back was to Reis and facing the two teens.

"Beat it you two!" commanded Joji.

The teens were finally taken aback; their grins sinking into shock. They must have recognized Joji somehow. Still, one of them, the one who blurted out both insults, tried to stand his ground.

"Why? We wasn't doing nothing?"

Joji grinned, slamming his hands together and taking a couple of steps forward. "Oh, a little tough guy, huh? You wanna go, just try me."

The teens began to move their bikes backward, "You can't do that for..."

"-you a lawyer or something? Don't tell me what I can and can't do. And eat this kid, I can haul your little ass in for anything and no court will tell me otherwise, and you know why? 'Cause it'll be the word of a two snot-noised brats against the county Sheriff." With a firm wave of his arm, as if he were to strike the teen right off his bike, he yelled out "Now Get!" With that, the two teens speed off on their bikes. Joji then turned to Reis, still glaring.

"Don't you ever do that again."

Reis lowered his head, like a child being scolded by his parent. "I'm sorry."

"Reis, the last thing I need...the last thing _you_need are civil, possibly criminal actions against you. What if I got here five minutes later? Then where would you be? I will not see you ruin yourself like that. Got me?"

Reis nodded. Joji looked over to Marcus and then beck to Reis. "I don't want either of you taking justice into your own hands. If you have a problem, you come tell me. I'll take care of it. Is that understood?"

Again, Reis nodded his head.

"Good. Now come on, Reis. I think we got our mystery man."

Reis's ears perked up. "Where?" "Over at the barber shop on Hickel Street. He just went in about a minute ago. We gotta hurry."

Reis looked at Marcus. "I gotta go."

"Go get em, baby."

Reis smiled, his eyes glistening with the remnants of his tears. Then he took off with Joji.

Joji took a look at Reis's teary eyes and smiled. "Come on. With those crocodile tears, how are you gonna be able to take anyone on?" said Joji as he gave a playful and light punch to Reis's mouth. This made Reis snicker.

Marcus watched as the two walked into Joji's police car parked in the park's parking lot located just beyond the entrance and take off; giving a light wave as the car passed. He still had a half hour before he had to be back at the office, so he thought that he would go for a quick stroll to the store to pick up some things for his parents that night. Just as he was about to leave, he looked up to see Alex, the Dalmatian he had met at Joji's place a couple of days ago, right across the pond. On both sides of Alex stood two brutes, one a Rottweiler and the other a Pit-Bull, both of their arms encompassing the small Dalmatian who did not look at all intimidated but instead sporting a condescending smile. Marcus knew he had no right to poke his nose in the business of this young kid, but instinct pulled Marcus across the side of the pond and toward the basketball court that the three were passing. Marcus hovered in the shade of the weeping willows that were located on the pond's side in order to keep out of sight. Still, in a park like this, he thought that his suit made him standout like pink in a sea of blue. Marcus also could not help but look behind him a few times. The last thing he wanted was to get involved in some retaliation from those teen pricks. He was clear.

When Marcus looked back to the basketball court he could see a basketball rolling out of the court and toward the trio. Apparently, one of the little cubs in the court had lost control of it. These little kids appeared to be part of a daycare or something as there were being supervised by a teen otter, wearing a red shirt that said "Counselor" under a purple jacket that read "Mayfield High Basketball". Sitting on a metal court bench, the otter was dribbling a ball in place with his left hand as he watched the kids play around. "Heads up!" shouted Alex as he tossed the ball back to the cub who was standing next to the otter. The toss, however, was not good and missed the arms of the little cub. But the otter managed to grab a hold of it with his right hand. The otter looked towards were the ball had come from: towards Alex. There was an instant pause as the otter looked to Alex and then back to the cub, holding the two basketballs in both hands. The pause was finally broken when the otter tossed the ball in his left hand, the one he had been dribbling, to the cub. As the cub ran off, the otter took the other ball, threw it to is left hand, and started dribbling that one instead, smiling at Alex. Alex smiled back.