I couldn't believe those weirdos asked me to run an errand for them. I hope it doesn't blow up in my face. Honestly, why would they use blackmail to do something that they probably do daily. I think this deal's gonna go stale real quick.

I put Cooper to bed a little early and headed out. I walked all the way downtown with that little box in my jacket pocket. I got to the bridge at 9:59 pm and now I'm waiting.

-:-

A guy walked up. He was wearing a hoodie and took the package he looked inside.

"Is this precisely what I asked for?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know, sir."

"Of course you wouldn't." He whistled and pulled a badge and a gun from his pocket.

Someone behind me yelled, "Police! Put your hands where I can see 'em!"

"God damn it! They set me up!" I yelled. I raised my hands.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah tell it to the judge kid!"

"No, really!"

"Uh-huh. That's a new one. Get in the car!"

They read me the Miranda rights as they pushed me to and into the car. The ride to the police station was awkward but the holding cell was worse. I really had to pee but I wasn't about to use that toilet. Eventually, they brought me out to an interrogation room.

A man in a suit came in.

I swore under my breath. "Who do you work for?"

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation." He flicked his wallet open revealing a badge. "More commonly known as-"

"The FBI," Birch interrupted. "I pay attention." He said in response to the man's raised eyebrows.

"What's your name?"

"Birch Booker Jones, sir."

"How old are you?"

"Nearly seventeen now."

"Listen. We could cut you a deal. You seem like a smart kid. If you tell us the names of some of the people in your little gang, we'll put in a good word to the judge."

There was a knock on the door. He opened it and someone whispered in his ear. He closed the door and sat down.

"When did this all start?"

"These guys named Alex, Ramon, and Tomas pulled me off the football field this morning and told me to deliver this package to the overpass in the east side on the edge of town at 10 tonight or they'd hurt my family and/or friends. So I took the package there and waited until a cop showed up and arrested me."

"Did anyone see the conversation between you and the three boys?"

"I know that Cooper saw part of it."

"Cooper?"

"My brother."

"Who'd they threaten specifically?"

"My brother and this girl I hang out with named Sage."

"And you didn't know what was in the box?"

"If I did I wouldn't have stuck around waiting to get caught now would I?"

"So, no?"

"No."

"What do you think's in there?"

"My guess? Drugs."

"Well, there were drugs but upon further examination of the contents of the box we also found a human finger."

"A finger?"

"Yes. A finger belonging to Jessica Stone. Know her?"

"No, sir."

"Did you murder anyone?"

"What?! No, sir!"

"How long have you been dealing?"

"Until tonight all I've dealt is cards for poker! We played for pretzels! I didn't even know I was dealing I didn't look in the box."

"There was also an eye."

"An eye?!"

"This belonged to Carlie Sue. Know her?"

"No, sir!"

"Her eyes were hazel."

"I didn't know her, sir!"

"I know. That was a test. You expressed genuine shock about the eye. If you had looked in the box you would have expressed confusion."

"Why?"

"There wasn't an eye in the box. I made that up. Your brother should be able to prove the rest."

He stood from the chair and left me in shock. This was the first time I didn't mind being played.

-:-

The man adjusted his jacket as he walked. He dreaded this part. Why did it always have to be kids who made stupid decisions? He got to the desk.

"Evening, ma'am."

"My ass! Where's that boy of mine?"

"You are his mother?"

"Yes. I'm Carol Jones."

"And I'm Cooper!" a little boy's face poked up from the other side of the desk.

"Can I talk to Cooper please?"

"No! He's not guilty of anything!"

"I didn't say he was ma'am but I think he might help get... Birch out of here."

"I'll talk to him!" the little boy said.

"No!"

"Would you like to sit in ma'am?"

"Fine," she grumbled.

They walked down the hallway and into a room next to the room Birch was in. The investigator shut the door.

"Is this that special glass? Birch told me about this stuff. When there is similar lighting or it's darker on one side of the glass you can't see into the room behind it because it reflects the light back at you but when it's brighter on the other side you can see into the room," Cooper said at about a thousand words a minute.

"That's right."

"What's your name, sir? Mine's Cooper!"

"I'm Agent Washington."

"Did you know that your skin has more melanin in your skin so you're less likely to get sunburnt. I wish I had that!"

"I have more what?"

"Melanin in your skin. You're black and black people tend to have more melanin in your skin which makes you less likely to get sunburnt."

"I didn't know that."

"Also, lightening is three times hotter than the sun."

"Cooper, when you were at the football field this morning, did you notice anything strange about your brother? Did anything weird happen to him?"

"Yeah. He missed a pass I threw to him. That never happens."

"No, I mean did he talk with three people?"

"Yeah. They said they were his friends. He said their names were Alex, Tomas, and... and... Ramon!"

"Who said their names?"

"Alex. I didn't like them very much and I don't think Birch did either. They asked him to talk to them off the field and I saw Alex shove Birch into a wall real hard. His head got hit bad."

"Did you hear what they said?"

"Nope. But Alex did throw a weird small box at him."

"Was this it?" Agent Washington held up a picture of the box.

"Yeah, that looks like it."

"Let me just file this paperwork and Birch can go home."