I close the car door behind me and take a couple steps toward school. I turn to wave bye to Ahrion, who enjoys calling my name until the car moves out of sight like I’m some gladiator heading into an arena. Rather than enter the school through the car drop-off door, I walk around to the side entrance. Key-card entry is required for all the entrances except during the morning arrival. Otherwise, people have to be buzzed in to report to the office. The way Persons Crossing is laid out, only one side has bushes. It has the added advantage of having little traffic over there since it isn’t by the main, playground, or parking lot entrances, so there aren’t any security cameras. But it does face Northwestway Park. If someone was going to stash a gun in the park, they’d need to be able to retrieve it with as little notice as possible. The bushes create a natural barricade to hide shenanigans. I made a mental note of that for future reference.

Though the police are going to take any found gun seriously, it’s not like they are going to go full-on crime scene investigation over it. Moms had her car broken into once and called the police. When they came to take the report, she showed them the broken window and told them she didn’t disturb the crime scene in case they needed to dust for prints or run all kinds of tests we can’t pronounce (Moms really loves those shows). The cops were like “ma’am, we don’t do all that unless there’s a body involved.”

I’m not sure what I even hope to find. Maybe start here and trace my way back to the park along a likely route, see if I turn up anything. Perhaps scrounge around to see if anything is out of place. Lots of footprints have tromped back here. The early-morning light glints from something half buried in the dirt. A twisted bit of metal. I brush it off.

“What do you have there?” Marcel’s voice scrapes my ears like manicured fingernails clawing my brain.

“Nothing. Just tying my shoe.” I palm the twisted piece of metal, pocketing it when I stand up. On my tiptoes I can barely see over the row of hedges.

“Behind the bushes?” She saunters closer, just enough to not be overheard but still far enough away to not be associated with me.

“I’m a man who likes privacy.”

“You a man now, huh?” She smirks. “You look like you’re trying to pee back there.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d inspect the bushes, see if I can find some new friends.”

“You all about making friends, huh?”

She doesn’t fool me. She wants to throw me off my game. Either she wants to know what I know or she had the same idea I had about seeing what evidence was left. Her eyes don’t flinch, and she studies me like a hawk about to swoop in. “Unlike you. I hear RaShawn’s sister can get heated quick.”