Mom was worried sick, walked around the house like her behind was on fire. That didn't help Dad the least, but he said nothing and kept waiting. They had done nothing but wait...

"There he is!" Mom suddenly exclaimed, looking through the window. She then turned to Jonathan, clasping her hands. "Please, Jonathan, please-"

"Calm down, Muriel, will you?" He protested, darting towards the door.

"Please promise me you won't let our child go to jail!"

Dad opened the door right when Lawrence was about to lay a hand on the doorknob. He went completely still and a bit pale too.

"Where have you been?" Dad asked him.

"...Just taking a walk." Lawrence replied in low voice.

"With the gun?!" Dad pointed at what the boy was so desperately trying to hide behind his back. "You think we are stupid, don't you? You thought you could sneak away without us noticing."

"We heard a shot. Please tell me you didn't do it." Mom grabbed Lawrence's hand and he couldn't look at her to the face.

He didn't reply. That proved he was guilty!

"Your mother is talking to you. Answer her." Dad grunted. Silence from Lawrence. "So you actually did it, didn't you?"

"What choice did I have?" Lawrence asked.

"You had a choice! You had so many choices!"

At that moment, he couldn't think of one.

"You know what it's like in here: you can hear everything the neighbors do..."

"You didn't have enough with one murder, you had to go for two!" Dad kept shouting.

"No one saw me! ...This time for real!" Lawrence tried to excuse himself.

"Yes. Sure. And do you think that will be enough for Chilton to keep his big mouth shut? Didn't you think for a second that now he's got you and can do whatever he wants with you?"

"And you may remember that my brother Manfred and I don't get along...Always stealing my property...I can scratch your back if you scratch mine..."

"Maybe he won't say a word about this!" Lawrence replied.

"How can you be sure?" Dad asked.

"Because I shot him too."

Mom gasped, and it almost seemed like he had shot Dad too—for a second, before his face turned red with rage.

"You...WHAT?!"

"In case you didn't get the metaphor: help me get rid of my stupid brother or I'll tell the police what I saw..."

Lawrence pressed his lips, not sure if the argument he had used to convince himself would be effective with his parents.

"You said it: I couldn't trust him. So I...got rid of him too..."

"Fantastic...Simply fantastic!" Dad exclaimed, and kicked the drawer.

"Oh, Lawrence, baby roo, why did you do that?" Mom embraced him tightly, and immediately started to kiss him and caress him. "It's alright. It's alright. Don't panic. Nobody saw you, right? You didn't leave any traces, did you? We will...act like this never happened...Everybody knows the Chiltons were an unstable pair...They killed each other...Yes...Did you hear me, Jonathan? They-killed-each-other."

"Don't lie, Muriel! Face the facts: your son is a murderer! He likes to kill people!"

"I don't like to kill people!" Lawrence replied to that.

"You've killed three men in twenty-four hours: I'd say that is enthusiastic." Dad frowned.

"I killed Old Jensen because of what he was doing to his daughter! You said you would have done the same; you said it! And the other two..."

"Don't try to excuse yourself!"

"Look, Dad, I don't like it, but good at it, that's for sure. Chilton didn't have the time to move. I obviously know how to shoot. Perhaps...This is what I'm meant to do."

"Oh!" Mom exclaimed, covering her mouth.

"You'd better not be serious." That seemed like a threat to Lawrence.

"I am serious. I know how to kill people. And I think I can make money out of it."

"Don't you realize what you have done? You have ruined your life right when it was starting!"

"What life?" Lawrence frowned. "Going to college to rot in an office from 9 to 5? Being a farmer like you?"

"I worked like a mule all of my life so you could have a peaceful life rotting in an office or taking care of this farm! And this is how you pay me! You ingrate! You monster!"

"Please, Jonathan, he's not talking seriously." Mom used her own body as a shield for Lawrence. "He's just tired and shocked. He doesn't mean a word he's said, right, honey? I'll tell you what you will do: you'll have dinner, and go to bed, and tomorrow-"

"Tomorrow I won't be here. Don't worry: you won't have to be scared that the police comes to your house." Lawrence glared at his father and walked to his room.

"I really hope so! If you want to go around killing people, go ahead, but out of my sight!" Dad shouted.

"Lawrence! Love!" When Lawrence finally walked out of his room with just a backpack, she turned to her husband. "Jonathan! Please!"

"No! He's old enough to make his own decisions, right? So go ahead! Be a murderer! Throw the education we have given you with sweat and tears to the dogs! Bah!" Dad sat in his armchair and opened the newspaper, hiding his face behind it.

"I will! You should be happy, Dad: you won't have to be ashamed of your freaky son any longer!" Lawrence replied, and turned his back on him to open the door.

"We are not...You father didn't mean that...Oh, come on, Lawrence, come back! Where are you going?" Mom tried to stop him, but Lawrence was too angry to turn back. He didn't want to give his father victory.

So did he.

"Good riddance! See you when they catch you and hang you! Because that's how it always ends up for you murderers! You get caught and you get HANGED!"

Mom tried to stop him, but it was useless. Jonathan only said goodbye to her before getting on his van and driving away. He didn't respond to her pleas and promises.

"He's gone..." Mom sighed pathetically from the doorframe.

"That's what we get for taking space babies in..." Dad just mumbled.

It seemed like he was focused on the sports' section, but he just didn't want his wife to see his face. That was what Mom told him some time later. That was why he had to be understanding too, and make an effort to see things from his perspective. Yes, Dad always called him a madman whenever he called home, but Lawrence just didn't know, how children made their parents suffer. But Dad regretted everything he said, she assured. Of course he did. And she was sure he didn't mean the things he said to his father.

Right? Right, honey?