I see my son, Arturo, running across Lake Seneca, a toy car in hand. The air is warm and the sun shining, glistening on the water and making it shine like a huge diamond. “Mamí!” he yells out with his sweet voice accompanied with his charming and bubbly laughter. He runs towards me and I smile, opening my arms out for him. I close my eyes and wait for his small and cuddly body to fall into my arms, but I don’t feel him. I open my eyes and he disappears in mid-air and the lake turns into a dark forest. I look behind me and a dark shadow is chasing me. I wake up in a pool of sweat. Another nightmare. The clock reads 3:12; the same exact time I have been waking up at for the past 2 months. Arturo has been gone for 5 years and it still feels like just a bad nightmare. I turn on my phone and have 15 missed calls: 6 from my boss and 9 from my partner, Sebastian.

Pick up it’s an emergency!!

SOS 911

Oh my goodness if you don’t answer me right now

What do you even want a phone for if you don’t pick up

Get up right now we need you at the office pero AHORITTAAA!!

Stop ignoring me. You know I hate it when you do that!

I call back my boss first and it starts ringing.“Goddamn Ramirez pick up your damn phone!”

“I'm sorry Lorenzo I must have slept through the ringing but I’m on my way to the office right now.”

“Alright then hurry up! This is an important case and you might wanna get down here as soon as possible,” he yelled out in his thick Brooklyn accent. I hang up and put my phone in the pocket of my jacket as I put it on. I slip on my pants and shoes. I quickly pour myself a cup of leftover coffee from yesterday and rush out the door. The air feels sharp and cuts into my whole body. I arrive at the office in about 15 minutes. The traffic here really does make Brooklyn, Brooklyn. I park in my spot and quickly walk inside the office. “Okay, what do we have here?” I ask impatiently.

Lorenzo takes in a deep breath and begins to speak. “We just got called and was informed that a young boy, probably in his preteen years, was found at the bottom of Seneca Lake. A couple passing by the lake noticed a shoe with a sock and a toe floating atop of the water. Now, we have not gone to the crime scene yet because we wanted to inform you first and to prepare you if it Arturo. We didn’t want you to get surprised by anything.”

The news hit me like a right jab to my gut. “I will be fine. You never have to worry about me. I’ll always be okay,” I said as calmly as I could. My whole body started sweating and my heart began racing as if it was about to jump out of my chest. “Alright then,” Lorenzo proceeded, “let’s go.” As we started walking out of the office, Sebastian grabbed my arm and looked me in the eyes. “You want to ride with me? I don’t think you should be driving right now. I know how great of a shock this is.”

“I’ll be fine,” I replied back.

“No, you’re leaving your car here at the station. We can come to pick it up tomorrow. I’ll drop you off at your house or you can spend the night.” He grabbed his coat and walked out of the office. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to process what just happened and what might or might not happen, and I trailed after him. I got in the front seat and laid the seat back as far as I could. Everything started spinning and I felt a blow of nausea come upon me. Sebastian looked over at me and stopped at the side of the street. I jolted the door open and I puked on the floor. He grabbed my hair back and rubbed my back. I wanted to cry so bad, wanted to yell at the thought of that little boy being mine. After about 2 minutes of me just vomiting, I sat back on my seat and shut the door. Sebastian put his hand on top of mine and held it the entire ride. Sometimes I forget why we didn’t work out. His soft hand feels so comforting on my shaking and cold one. At last, we arrived at the scene. Cop cars, the forensics unit, and some other people fill up the scene like small ants surrounding a piece of candy on the floor. The lake is so calm and serene. Trees surround it on all sides. Across the lake, there are rows of nice looking house. I take another deep breath and step out the door, following Lorenzo. Suspense and memories fill up the air. Being here again brings me back to a few years ago. I look at the lake and I suddenly see Arturo run across the lake, me sitting against a tree reading a book. I hear laughter coming from both of us. I blink and the image disappears. I take a big deep breath and continue on. “Alright what do we got?” Lorenzo asks one of the forensics people.

“We have a 12-year-old unidentified male. The whole body looks severely beaten, burned, and then was thrown into this lake. It looks like he has been dead for a while now and was not anything recent.”

My whole body shivers at the thought of that. The forensics lady picks up the white sheet from the body. The face is completely destroyed. There are deep cuts from cheek to cheek, the majority of the jaw is completely exposed, his eyes are swollen and bruised. Crimson colored blood and bone exposure make up his face. He doesn’t even look like a human being; just a beat up object. I stared at him for a good minute and then I turn around and wince, stopping my eyes from tearing up. I turn back around and Lorenzo is staring at me.

“I am going to be assigning you and Sebastian this case. If at any point you feel like you can’t handle it let me know and I’ll have someone else look into it,” Lorenzo said caringly.

“No, I got this case,” I said reassuring him as well as myself. “I got this.”

Sebastian rubs my back and I look back at him. “Let’s get to work,” I say as I walk closer to the lake.

“Vicky! Go home and get some rest. Come back in a few hours to the station. Sebastian and I will start the investigation and will fill you in when you get back,” Lorenzo called out.

I rolled my eyes as I turned to face him. “I’m fine I’m not tired at all. Alright, so I will go inform the neighbors and ask for any sightings or anything they’ve seen around this area.

Scene 2: Just another bad nightmare.

I arrived at the station, earlier than usual. This case was a major one and I needed to have some leads come up. It has already been a week since the case was introduced Sebastian and I have no suspects yet. But today was different. I just had this weird feeling in my gut, sensing that something was not right; it was as if my 6th sense was alerting me of something. Nonetheless, I brushed it off and got to my office. On my way, Sebastian hugged me and gave me a small Starbucks bag. “Blueberry muffin, your favorite,” his eyes glistening under the lights of the office. I smile as I take the bag and give him a kiss on the cheek. I set my purse, my second cup of coffee, and my files along with my briefcase on top of my desk. Then, the feeling in my gut became more apparent. I’ve always gotten feelings like this; the day Arturo went missing, the day my boyfriend and father of my child was killed, the day my mother died from cancer. This feeling was not like the other ones I have gotten. I felt a sick empty hole in my chest, along with a feeling of relief and afraidness. I sat in silence. Me trying to decipher this hunch was like trying to put a puzzle piece together with different pieces from other puzzles. Lorenzo tapped on my office door and then entered. “Good morning. How you feeling?” he asked caringly.

“Stressed but ready to tackle this,” I replied back as I sighed.

“You got this. I chose you and Sebastian for a reason because you’re the best one in this field and you two paired together are phenomenal. Y’all got this.” He walked towards my desk and pull out a silver flask from his pocket inside his coat. He unscrewed my cup of coffee and poured some in. “Tequila Patrón,” he said as he smirked.

“Ahhggg you are a lifesaver. Thank you, si lo necesito”

“De nada,” he replied in the worst but his personal best Spanish and walked out the door, shutting it behind him. I took a hard and long sip from my coffee. The bitter taste of the alcohol slaps my taste buds while the coffee hugs them. All of a sudden, my cell phone starts ringing from my purse. I dig through spare change, gum wrappers, and hair ties until at last, I feel the home button of my iPhone. There’s no caller ID and instead, it just says “Unknown”. “Hello?” I answer perplexed.

“Are you Detective López?” The voice sounds feminine.

“This is she, who is speaking?”

“My name is Laura Arroyo and I have some info that is going to help you with your case….and about your son.”

My heart dropped and I felt an instant wave of fear. “....My son? How-”

“I can let you know everything once we talk in person.”

“Are you free right now?”

“Yes, I am. Meet me at Silver Lake Park. I have black, short hair.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in a little bit.” I replied and I hung up. I grabbed my purse and chugged the last drops of my coffee. “Sebastian, search up Laura Arroyo and see what you can find. She has short, black hair and sounds young, about late twenties.”

“What’s going on?”

“A lady called me saying she has info about our case….and Arturo.” His face rapidly changed emotions and looked in shock.

“I'm going with you.”

“It’s fine I can do it.”

“You don’t know who this lady is. I’ll drive and stay in the car just in case she tries any shit with you.” The overprotectiveness Sebastian has over me irritates my soul but I love it at the same time.

“Fine then. But I’m choosing the radio station,” I say as I tap on Lorenzo’s office door.

“I just got a call from a lady telling me she has information about the case and my son. Sebastian and I are going to go meet her now. Name is Laura Arroyo if you wanna see if you can find out who she is. We’ll be back in a bit.”

“Alright then make sure you and Sebastian stay safe. I don’t need another murder case on my hands.” I chuckled and walked out to Sebastian’s car outside. Twenty-five minutes later, we arrived at the park. Laura stood out from everyone at the park and it was easy to spot her. Sebastian parked right behind the bench Laura was sitting on and turned the car off. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned towards me. “Stay safe okay? If you need me at any point just turn around,” he said and held my hand. I got lost en sus ojos claros; the mixture of green and grey pulled me in. “I got this,” I replied and let go of his hand, stepping out of the car with my purse. The air was filled with kids running around and yelling with joy. I approached Laura and sat down next to her. I sensed her fear as soon as I looked in her eyes. She seemed extremely anxious: her leg wouldn’t stop shaking and her face was pale. She was a slim and tall woman, dressed in a red blazer, black blouse, dark blue jeans, and white Louboutins. Her skin was caramel colored and flawless. She had a red Louis Vuitton purse in hand. “You must be Laura. My name is Detective Victoria Lopez but you can just call me Vicky,” I said politely as I put my hand out to shake hers. She shook my hand back; her hands were freezing cold and felt like stone.

“Nice to finally meet you in person,” she replied back.

“Okay so let’s get straight to business.” I pulled out my phone and opened up the voice memo app. “You don’t mind if I record this right?”

“Go ahead.”

“Alright then,” and I pushed record. “This is Detective Lopez gathering information from a witness. Please state your name and age.”

“Laura Arroyo. 29.

“Are you aware of this interview getting recorded and do you give me permission to do so?”

“Yes, and yes I do.”

“Alright then...let us begin. Please tell me everything that you know of.”

“Okay then.” She took a deep long breath. “Your son…..Arturo...well is now known as Pedro...he is a part of one of the most dangerous gangs in Brooklyn, Los Inquietos 14.” The sound of that name burns deep into my chest. It is the name of the gang who took away the love of my life, Alejandro. “The case of the little boy found in Lake Seneca? Arturo was the one that killed him, along with other kids in the gang.” As she finished talking, she began looking around mysteriously. “I’ve said too much. I have to go now,” and she took of. My vision began blurring and everything was going in slow motion. I stood up and felt the ground moving. All of sudden my vision went dark and I lost control of my body. Darkness.