Fathers and Sons

by Lisa Wilcox

The moon had already moved below the horizon and the stars were brilliant. Starlight was enough to allow him to make out shapes skittering about the ground and fly overhead. There was a stiff breeze picking up from the east and the night grew cooler. The owls flew from treetop to treetop in theirrelentless search for food. Crickets sounded timid with their sparse numbersin the desert but there was more than enough food for the life that lived insuch a desolate place. Not far away he heard the bark of coyotes planning anattack. Shortly after that he heard them chase their prey and then there wassilence. It was just another night in the desert.

"Valenti, Valenti, are you there?" A tired voice came over the radio andjarred Sheriff Valenti back to reality.

"Where else would I be?"

"Are you sleeping out there?"

"Sure, I always work with my eyes closed." He was happy to talk to someone.It broke the monotony of sitting in the car waiting for something to happen.He wasn't used to working so late but he really didn't have a choice thatnight. "My brain seems to be misfiring out here with nothing to do. It'sjust too quiet. No kids, no cars, not even a lost tourist. You'd better comeup with something for me to do pretty soon or I'll ...." The muted ring of adistant telephone was barley audible.

"You won't have to wait Valenti. I have a report here about a scuffle overby Shadow Rock near the old library. See old lady Spence for details. Shesaid something about someone being attacked."

"I'm on my way." He quickly turned his car onto the road and drove towardthe end of town. Attack? People weren't often attacked in Roswell. It was asmall town and violent crime tended to happen in the larger cities. He puthis siren and lights on and he sped to Spence house.

When he got there the lights were out inside the large two-story home. Hegot out of his car and walked up the stairs leading to the front room of theold house. As he approached he noticed the curtain in the front window moveslightly apart. He could barely make out the face of the ancient widowcomplete with the muzzle of her shotgun used to part the drapes so she couldhave a clear look at him. He walked up next to the window so she could seehim and knocked on the door. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Mabel, are you okay? I'm here to answer your call. Are you all right?

Mabel Spence used to be the librarian at the huge old building she livednext to. This part of town used to be the main hub of activity but when thehighway was built several miles down the road, all the businesses movedthere to take advantage of the more profitable location. That's where thenew library and all the schools were now. When the new building was built tohouse all the books the old building was abandoned. Since it was one of theCarnegie Foundation libraries, it was declared a historical monument.

Mabel lived alone after her husband died. She and Tom built their housetogether next to the library. Valenti was only about six at the time but heremembered watching them work right along side the construction teams whotoiled an entire summer just to make sure it was finished before the librarywas opened. Tom was a lawyer and very good one too. He left Mabel well offwhen he died but when everyone moved away from Old Town, she stayed. Perhapsshe felt closer to him in the spacious home that they shared for so long. Itmust have been filled with wonderful memories that she just couldn't faceleaving behind. Now she lived alone at the very edge of civilization. Shewas closer to the caverns than town so she kept a shotgun in the house forprotection.

Valenti stood beside the front door while she opened it and allowed him toenter into the living room. The fireplace was in use casting an eerie glowabout the room. The shadows of the antique furniture onto the walls andfloor made the room look smaller than it was. It seemed close and warm andinviting.

"Junior, you have changed so much, but I'd know you anywhere." Junior wasthe nickname that she had given him when he and his dad frequented herlibrary. They didn't even share the same first name but she thought he wasobviously his father's son. He and his dad loved the library and they spenthours searching the many stacks for books about other places. They sharedthe love of travel and talked about adventures they might share in othercountries, other cultures. They never left the county but they loved tospeculate.

"Mabel how are doing tonight," he asked amiably? He searched the roomcarefully, with his eyes, for shadows of a person that might be hiding inone of the adjacent rooms watching them.

"Don't worry Junior. There's no one in here. I already checked and all thedoors and windows are locked. The ruckus was out by Shadow Rock. I heard aman yell and then there was a scuffle and then there was silence."

Valenti opened his notebook and wrote down her account of the event. "Youcould hear them fight?"

"Yes, but only for a short time. I saw their shadows against the face of therock while the moon was still up. The moon's reflection against the rocksout here some nights is so bright that it almost seems like daylight. Thisis still the prettiest  part of town, you know."

"Yeah, I have to agree with you there Mabel but I worry about you out hereall alone."

"I know, Junior. I see your squad cars drive past this house at least fourtimes a night."

"And, I'll make sure they keep coming out here too, but I need to see whathappened outside." He walked toward the door.

"Do you need Betsy," she asked indicating here shotgun? He had to smile. Nomatter how large the weapon, she could not look threatening, she nevercould.

"Thanks, but I have everything I need in the car. Now, you stay inside outof site. Lock the door behind me. If you hear anything strange or if I'm notback in ten minutes call back to the station for someone to help me. " Shenodded and locked the door after him.

Valenti took his own rifle and a flashlight out of the trunk and headedtowards the trees. Something was missing but he couldn't imagine what itwas. He skirted the tree line until he could see Shadow Rock. He wished theground weren't so dry. The dry grass crackled loudly under his boots. Thebreeze had picked up again and his hair bristled in the coolness of thewind. He saw lightning in the distance and clouds rushed over the mountainpeaks. He could smell rain in the air. A storm was moving in quickly. Hemade more noise than he wanted to but there was no other way to get to thecrime scene. He could see something lying on the ground near the far side ofthe rock but it was mostly in the shadows. He stood there silent for alittle while but the wind muffled anything that might have been moving outthere. The only sound he heard was crickets from the nearby lake. He movedcloser under cover of the trees but he saw no one.

He walked behind the rock and came out next to the object on the ground. Itwas a man. He checked the man for a pulse but there was none. The man's skinwas cold so he had been dead for a while, probably since Mabel heard thefight. Valenti checked him for wounds the best he could but there was nomoon to help light the area and the batteries in his flashlight were low.

Something caught his eye under the man's torn shirt. There on the man'schest was a glowing handprint. Valenti ran his hand lightly over thediscolored area but nothing came off onto his fingers. There were no wounds,just the strange handprint. He couldn't see well enough to find evidence ofthe attacker. It was beginning to rain. Any evidence would be destroyed.

Valenti walked back to the car and the rain came down harder. He looked overat the house and saw Mabel in the window again and waved at her as he puthis gun and light back into the trunk. He called for the coroner and a backup. He sat and waited in his car for the investigators to arrive. Somethingstill didn't seem right. He rolled up the window to keep the wind out. Hishat was on the seat next to him and his hair was wet. That was kind ofstrange, wasn't it? Time passed and Valenti felt increasingly nervous. Heglanced into the side mirror to see if they were coming but saw only hisface.

It was HIS face!

********************

Jim Valenti woke up violently sitting bolt upright in bed. It was HIS facein the side mirror. He sat silently staring straight ahead. His heart waspounding and his sheets were soaked. He went over the dream in his mindagain and again, but it was exactly the same as the three previous nights.It was exactly as his father told him it happened forty years before exceptthat he was now sure that his father was telling the truth. Not even hisfamily believed him then.

The library was still there and Jim remembered Mabel. When he was little heand his dad would visit her and she would bake him cookies. He would spendthe afternoon climbing among the rocks while she and his dad talked. She wasthe only one that believed him. His dad was very sad when she died. It wasthe only time Jim saw his dad cry openly. Shortly after that the houseburned down.

He heard his father tell the story of the body many times trying to convincepeople that what he saw was real but people just patronized him and wentabout their business. Soon Jim began to feel shame for his father. He beganto walk to school rather than ride with his father. He would find somewhereelse to eat if his mother wasn't home at night. A friend's house, anywhere.He even pretended to be tired and go to bed when his father wanted to talkto him. He just didn't want the shame he felt for his father rubbing offhim. An uncomfortable distance grew between them and their lives changedforever.

A soft breeze came from the partially open window in his bedroom. Jim walkedover and slammed it shut. He got fresh sheet and a blanket and lay back downin bed. It would be hours before his alarm rang. He tried to sleep but hecouldn't. He just remained in bed trying not to think. That didn't workeither.

********************

The alarm sounded loudly at it's appointed time and Jim got up, showered,and got dressed to go to work. He came into the kitchen and Kyle was eatingbreakfast, Frosted Flakes. Kyle's mom used to let him eat them when he waslittle and Jim allowed it because it was one of the few connections his sonhad left with her. They both missed her more than they could say.

"Morning Dad. You look tired." Kyle would notice. He was sensitive towardthings like that. He was happy that his son could read other people so well.Jim smiled and tried to act a little more chipper.

"I didn't sleep well last night." Jim sat down next to his son and pouredhimself some cereal too.

"I didn't sleep too well either. Something woke me up and I just couldn'tget back to sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I got up to close the window and it kind of slammed shut."

"That's okay. I'm fine. I had a lot to think about anyway. Well, I have toget going. My car's being fixed and I have to walk today."

"That's right, it's being tuned up today. Kyle, if you don't mind gettingthere a little early I can drop you off at school." Somehow he just wantedconfirmation that his own son would not shun him. Instead his son smiledback at him and nodded.

They finished breakfast and headed toward the door. As they left Jim grabbedhis hat and realized what seemed so out of place in the dream. It was thehat. He remembered that his father hated wearing it and would do almostanything to avoid doing so. One day he asked his father why he didn't wearit. His dad said that it was the part of the uniform that stayed in the carand left it at that. As a child it was something that Jim Valenti justaccepted without question. As an adult Jim Valenti wore his hat everywhere.Anywhere, but inside the station. In there you just don't wear a cover whenthere's a roof over your head. Perhaps wearing the hat everywhere he couldwas out of subconscious need to be the opposite of his father. He wasn'tashamed any more.

He unlocked the car door and they got in but Jim just couldn't seem to putthe hat on so he placed it in the back seat. As they drove down the streetKyle just stared out the window. How would he feel if his son wouldn't talkto him anymore?

"You're kind of quiet Kyle." Jim's throat felt a little tight all of asudden.

"I'm sorry Dad, I'm just worried."

"Worried about what?" He could feel his left eyelid vibrate slightly fromtension.

"Liz Parker." Valenti began to breathe easier. This wasn't about him at all."Ever since that incident at the Crash down she's just acting different. Shewas never late before and she'd never tell me one thing and do another. Ijust don't understand. She seems to hang around Max a lot more lately. Imean, I'm not jealous. I'm not in love with her or anything but I'mconcerned." He was silent again.

They stopped at the school drop off area and Kyle unlatched the door. "Kyle,don't try to tell Liz not to hang around with Max. That will only want tomake her do it more." Kyle nodded and looked out the window.

 "I learned that from you, Son." Jim punched Kyle playfully on the shoulderand smiled. Kyle smiled and punched him back. "You know I'm really proud ofyou, don't you Kyle?"

"Yeah, me too Dad. Thanks for the ride."

Kyle got out of the car and glanced back at his dad smiling one more time.He jogged across the lawn and caught up with some of his friends from thefootball team. Jim Valenti drove to work determined to find the truth andthat day his hat resided in the car. That night the dreams stopped.