"I wish I could remember more."
"You will," Reed said. "Sometimes people leave pieces of themselves behind. You just have to recognize them."
Outside, several neighbors had begun watching.
Richard Whitmore stood across the street.
His eyes remained fixed on the Johnson house.
He saw the two unfamiliar men.
He saw Malik talking with them.
He saw Angela smiling.
And something about it bothered him.
He couldn't explain exactly why.
Or perhaps he could.
Richard had spent years believing that he understood every person in Brier View Court.
He knew who belonged.
He knew who didn't.
He knew who followed the rules.
He knew who needed to be reminded.
And suddenly, there were two men standing inside the Johnson home whom he had never seen before.
At 8:10, David and Reed finally left.
Angela stood at the doorway.
"Thank you."
David smiled.
"We should have come sooner."
After they drove away, Malik returned to the driveway.
He held the coin in his hand.
Richard was still watching.
Malik looked across the street.
Their eyes met.
Richard gave him a cold smile.
Malik said nothing.
He walked inside.
The next afternoon, the trouble began.
Malik had just returned from school when Richard approached the driveway.
"You need to move that basketball hoop."
Malik frowned.
"Why?"
"It's too close to the sidewalk."
"It's been here for years."
"I've already told your mother."
"She said it was okay."
Richard stepped closer.
"Your mother doesn't make the rules."
Malik felt his jaw tighten.
"Neither do you."
Richard's expression hardened.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Richard walked away.
Malik watched him go.
He didn't know that Richard had already decided what he would do next.
At 5:43 p.m., Richard picked up his phone.
He dialed 911.
"Yes," he said when the dispatcher answered. "There's a young man in our neighborhood who appears to be trespassing."
The dispatcher asked for a description.
Richard looked directly toward Malik.
"Sixteen, maybe seventeen. Black male. Tall. Wearing a gray shirt."
He paused.
"He doesn't look like he belongs here."
That sentence would matter later.
Very much.
Within minutes, police cruisers entered Brier View Court.
Malik was still holding the basketball when the first officer stepped out.
Officer Briggs.
He walked toward Malik.
"Stop right there."
Malik froze.
"What's going on?"
"Put the ball down."
Malik slowly lowered it.
"This is my house."
Briggs looked toward the Johnson residence.
"Identification."
"It's inside."
"Then go get it."
Malik took one step.
Briggs grabbed his wrist.
"Don't move."
Malik's face tightened.
"Sir, I live here."
Across the street, Richard Whitmore watched.
His arms were folded.
His expression was calm.
Almost satisfied.
Angela heard shouting.
She ran outside.
"Malik!"
She saw her son standing beside the police cruiser.
Then she saw Briggs holding his arm.
"What are you doing?"
"Ma'am, stay back."
"He's my son."
Briggs looked at Malik.
"Then prove he lives here."
Angela's voice shook.
"This is our home."
Neighbors began coming outside.
Phones appeared.
Curtains moved.
The entire street seemed to stop breathing.
And then the front door of the Johnson house opened again.
Two men stepped outside.
David Cole.
Marcus Reed.
They had returned because Angela had forgotten to give David an old photograph.
Neither man hurried.
Neither raised his voice.
They simply walked toward the scene.
Officer Briggs looked at them.
Richard Whitmore's expression changed.
And Malik, still standing beside the police cruiser, suddenly realized that the two men who had come to honor his father might be about to change the entire course of the evening.
David Cole stopped several feet away from Officer Briggs.
"Officer," he said calmly, "what's happening?"
Briggs looked him over.
"Step back."
David didn't move.
"That's a reasonable request if you explain why."
Briggs's jaw tightened.
"I said step back."
Marcus Reed remained beside David.
His eyes moved from Briggs to Malik, then to Angela.
He noticed the boy's wrist.
Red marks were already beginning to appear.
Reed's expression hardened.
But his voice remained quiet.
"Malik, are you hurt?"
Malik shook his head.
"Not badly."
Angela looked at Reed.
"They said he was trespassing."
Reed looked toward the house.
Then toward Richard.
Then back to Briggs.
"He's sixteen."
Briggs answered, "That doesn't make him immune from investigation."
"No," Reed said. "It doesn't."
Richard suddenly walked closer.
"I called because he was acting suspiciously."
David turned.
"You called the police on the homeowner's son?"
Richard lifted his chin.
"I called because I didn't know who he was."
Malik stared at him.
"You've known me for years."
Richard ignored him.
David's eyes narrowed.
"Then why describe him as someone who didn't belong?"
Richard's face reddened.
"I never said that."
"You did," Angela said.
The second officer looked at Briggs.
"Maybe we should verify the address."
Angela immediately pointed toward the front door.
"His driver's permit, school ID, everything is inside."
Briggs released Malik.
"Go get it."
Malik walked into the house.
Angela followed.
Reed watched Briggs.
"Is there a reason your first assumption was that he was trespassing?"
Briggs looked at him.
"Sir, you weren't here when we arrived."