football is America’s passion.”
“It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Two entirely different things and two entirely different experiences.”
“Oh?” Jeremiah asked politely.
“Sure, football is how tough and gritty the fighting gets. You ever go to a baseball game though?”
“I haven’t,” Jeremiah said.
“Whole different feel. It’s like going to a backyard barbeque. Everyone’s just there soaking up the sun, enjoying the company, and watching some guys play. Doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, everyone’s welcome.”
“Is that so?” Jeremiah asked.
“Yeah. In June every year Paul and I would go catch a game. For a couple of hours there was no work, no bad guys to catch, just a couple of guys hanging out. I looked forward to that game every year.”
“And this year?”
Mark’s face clouded over. “Got the tickets a while back, but I don’t have anyone to go with. It’s a shame, too. We always had a good time.”
“And now you can’t because he’s dead.”
“Yeah. And part of me is pissed at him for that,” Mark said.
“He bailed on one of the most special events of the year for you. It’s understandable that you’re angry.”
“Yeah. Imagine that. I’m furious with him for getting himself killed.”
There was a moment of silence as Jeremiah allowed Mark to process what he’d just said.
“Stupid, huh?” Mark said after a minute.
“The death of someone we care about often feels like a betrayal even though our rational mind knows they didn’t want to leave.”
Mark nodded. “Yeah, but Paul really mucked it up good. He didn’t just die. I mean, a hundred times one or both of us could have gotten killed while we work ed cases, arresting killers. He couldn’t just take a bullet that way and make it easier on everyone. No, he got himself killed after he stuck me with a mess. He knew what I’d do to that guy in the interrogation room. He made sure I would, pushed my buttons right before he left. And, then, on top of all of that, I find out he was lying to me every day. I had to find out from the coroner that I didn’t know the first thing about who my partner, my best friend, really was.”
Jeremiah could see the pain and the anger burning inside Mark. They had touched on some of the core problems he needed to deal with. They had gotten there even faster than he would have imagined.
“What was he lying about?” Jeremiah asked.
Mark hunched his shoulders and locked his jaw as he averted his eyes. “He was lying about who he was. Turns out the real Paul got killed as a kid and the one I knew took that kid’s place.”
“A changeling?” Jeremiah asked, trying to mask the sudden interest he felt.
“I guess. The family won’t talk to me about it. They found bones in that mass grave up at the camp that belong to the real Paul. You’d think his family would want answers just as much as I do.”
“Maybe not. Any way you look at it, their son and brother is dead. Figuring out whether he died as a kid or a couple of months ago won’t bring either the real Paul or the imposter back and will just complicate their lives and the grieving process needlessly.”
“Sometimes you make a lot of sense,” Mark said.
Jeremiah
“It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Two entirely different things and two entirely different experiences.”
“Oh?” Jeremiah asked politely.
“Sure, football is how tough and gritty the fighting gets. You ever go to a baseball game though?”
“I haven’t,” Jeremiah said.
“Whole different feel. It’s like going to a backyard barbeque. Everyone’s just there soaking up the sun, enjoying the company, and watching some guys play. Doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, everyone’s welcome.”
“Is that so?” Jeremiah asked.
“Yeah. In June every year Paul and I would go catch a game. For a couple of hours there was no work, no bad guys to catch, just a couple of guys hanging out. I looked forward to that game every year.”
“And this year?”
Mark’s face clouded over. “Got the tickets a while back, but I don’t have anyone to go with. It’s a shame, too. We always had a good time.”
“And now you can’t because he’s dead.”
“Yeah. And part of me is pissed at him for that,” Mark said.
“He bailed on one of the most special events of the year for you. It’s understandable that you’re angry.”
“Yeah. Imagine that. I’m furious with him for getting himself killed.”
There was a moment of silence as Jeremiah allowed Mark to process what he’d just said.
“Stupid, huh?” Mark said after a minute.
“The death of someone we care about often feels like a betrayal even though our rational mind knows they didn’t want to leave.”
Mark nodded. “Yeah, but Paul really mucked it up good. He didn’t just die. I mean, a hundred times one or both of us could have gotten killed while we work ed cases, arresting killers. He couldn’t just take a bullet that way and make it easier on everyone. No, he got himself killed after he stuck me with a mess. He knew what I’d do to that guy in the interrogation room. He made sure I would, pushed my buttons right before he left. And, then, on top of all of that, I find out he was lying to me every day. I had to find out from the coroner that I didn’t know the first thing about who my partner, my best friend, really was.”
Jeremiah could see the pain and the anger burning inside Mark. They had touched on some of the core problems he needed to deal with. They had gotten there even faster than he would have imagined.
“What was he lying about?” Jeremiah asked.
Mark hunched his shoulders and locked his jaw as he averted his eyes. “He was lying about who he was. Turns out the real Paul got killed as a kid and the one I knew took that kid’s place.”
“A changeling?” Jeremiah asked, trying to mask the sudden interest he felt.
“I guess. The family won’t talk to me about it. They found bones in that mass grave up at the camp that belong to the real Paul. You’d think his family would want answers just as much as I do.”
“Maybe not. Any way you look at it, their son and brother is dead. Figuring out whether he died as a kid or a couple of months ago won’t bring either the real Paul or the imposter back and will just complicate their lives and the grieving process needlessly.”
“Sometimes you make a lot of sense,” Mark said.
Jeremiah
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