A guilty conscience is a hidden enemy

Wednesday 24th May 18:40

"I hope Corrine takes your advice " Steve mused as his father pulled away from the Simmons house.

"About getting some professional help for Luis?"

"Yeah" Steve nodded. "He's been through a heck of a lot, and he's got plenty of self esteem issues"

"And that's just for starters" Mark agreed, pausing as he pulled onto the road. "I think she's being a little premature expecting Luis to return to school tomorrow."

"He seemed so distant, so…..what's the word" Steve drummed the dashboard "so apathetic"

An image of Luis standing in his bedroom flashed through Steve's mind

"do you feel ready to go back to school yet?"

"it makes no difference either way"

"I wondered if he's on medication, anti depressants or sleeping pills" Mark agreed "he did seem rather indifferent."

"Make a left here, it's quicker" Steve instructed and Mark complied.

"You still think he saw or heard something?" Mark asked.

Steve shrugged, "Could be. You've seen that the timing of his movements doesn't tally and he was insistent about calling the paramedics straight away."

Mark cast his mind back to the young boy standing by his father's study door.

"Did you make the call straight away?"

"Of course….as soon as it happened, I wanted them to get here as soon as possible, to help him, to make it alright."

"Maybe too insistent?" Mark hypothesised casually. "Maybe he did panic, worries he wasted valuable time".

"I called straight away, why wouldn't I? I didn't want him to die"

"But if he is protecting someone, then who?" Mark continued. "Corrine and Matthew Green are the only two without alibis," he added "and he'd have no reason to protect Green."

"Unless he's frightened of him, all that talk of being a coward."

"But Luis thinks Green is still in custody, right?" Mark shrugged "so he knows he can't touch him. That only leaves Corrine, if Luis is protecting anybody then I hate to say it but it must be his mother."

There was a few moment's silence as both men sat and thought.

"Dad!" Steve exclaimed suddenly "go back, go back!"

"What is it?" Mark asked anxiously, turning the car "isn't this the right way…."

"To the house, we've got to go back."

"What's wrong?" Mark asked frantically as Steve began dialling on his cell phone "you don't think Corrine is going to do something do you?"

"Damn, engaged" Steve cursed, immediately dialling another number. Realising his father hadn't made the link Steve began explaining, "We've had it all wrong dad, it's what…" he held up a finger as his call was connected. Mark listened as he ordered a paramedic unit to be dispatched to the Simmons house, then hanging up he frantically continued, "remember when Luis was talking about his dad never wanting to make waves?" Mark nodded "he said 'Even what Lexie did he brushed under the carpet'"

"Even what Lexie did" Mark repeated the words to himself.

"What did Lexie do dad?" Steve prompted, seeing the flicker of recognition on his fathers face.

"Lexie gave the combination to Green" he replied, working through the events as they formed in his mind. "Luis used it as an example, as a time when his father should have been upset but wasn't." They screeched around the corner onto East Marine Road.

"The only way Luis could have seen his father's reaction to that information, is if he was alive when Luis got home" Steve concluded.

"That accounts for the missing time" Mark added "So Luis was in the house when Corrine killed…"

"No!" Steve barked as the Simmons house came into view "not Corrine" he shook his head "Luis."

Wednesday 24th May 18:47

Mark braked furiously at the steps to the house, words and images flashing through his mind; neatly labelled boxes, vacant staring eyes,

"I hear you are going back to school tomorrow"

"So they say"

Steve bounded up the steps, tried the door but found it locked, hammered on the glass with his fist.

"Everybody at school thinks I'm a dork; I'm useless at sports and I look like I should be in kindergarten" "Do you know what he used to tell me about the bullies at school?"

"Mrs Simmons, open up!" Steve yelled

"people can't make you feel weak if you know you are strong"

"he was strong wasn't he?"

"And I'm not like that, I'm a coward"

"Mrs Simmons!"

The door opened and Steve barged past Alyson without explanation. Mark followed behind him as quickly as he could but Steve was taking the stairs two at a time.

"He deserved to be happy, this wasn't supposed to happen"

Mark heard Steve throw open the door to Luis's room "hurry dad!" he yelled as Mark heard the wail of sirens in the distance.

Reaching the bedroom door a final memory engulfed him;

"It may not seem like it now, but it will be OK."

"how can it be? He's dead when it should be me?"