"Right. Right. Well, it's a rubber mask I need it tested for fingerprints and DNA." Mike says to the investigator on the phone.

The doorbells rings as he continues to explain further.

When Mike opened the door there stood a truant officer from Mitch's school.

"Mr. Grassi, my name is Jim Gordon. I'm a truant officer for LAUSD."

Mike shocked and confused invited him in and directed him to the living room.

"Right, well, no, I don't need to...I-I don't need to be transferred, I just want to know which department I need to talk to." Mike says on the phone.

As the truant officer was standing in the living room he noticed a bunch of flies all around the house.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. That was a urgent matter." Mike says walking back into the living room.

"You have blow-flies." Jim says pointing at them on the coffee table.

Mike sighs.

"Oh, God. We shouldn't have left food out. I guess I better call the exterminator then. So, I assume you're here for Mitch. I know he's missed a few days off school." Mike says.

"Yes. Sixteen consecutive days." Jim says.

"Sixteen?" Mike asks confused beyond belief.

"Yeah. We've made numerous attempts to contact your wife, Mr. Grassi. It's the only contact information we have. Any more absences and we're going to be seeing you in juvenile court." Jim explains.

Mike then becomes angry but keeps his composure in from of Jim.

He walks him to the front door and thanks him for bringing the situation to his attention and then walks upstairs to Mitch's room.

Mitch sits on his floor with all his pens and pencils drawing in his notebook listening to music on his computer.

Mike knocks on his door asking him to open up.

"Mitch. I need to talk to you."

Mitch turns off his music and stands up and starts walking to the door.

"I don't feel well." Mitch says.

"Can I come in, please?" Mike says.

Mitch sighs and walks to open up the door.

Mike just stands there and gives him a small smile.

"Is this about school?" Mitch asks.

"Yes. It's about school."

"If you want to give me the parent drill, 'cause it's going to make you feel better."

"Why would it make me feel better?" Mike says as he sits down at the foot of Mitch's bed.

"Because...I know how it's really important to you to be a good father."

"Only if I've been a good father. And I've been a lousy father lately. I owe you an apology."

There's a pause between the two for a moment before Mitch speaks up.

"Is this some headshrinker trick to make me feel sorry for you?" Mitch asks.

"I can't imagine what this year's been like for you; moving and starting a new school and all the craziness that happened to us here." Mike says almost in tears.

He then quickly changed to something else.

"Hey, remember last year when you announced you were going to Harvard?" Mike asks.

"I probably said that to make you happy." Mitch says.

"I knew that. I also knew that you were smart and you can go anywhere you want for college." Mike says.

Mike moves closer to Mitch and puts his hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing? This isn't like you. We'll find you another school."

"No, they're all the same!" Mitch cries.

"Son, you have to meet me halfway. We'll find you a new school, but you have to start going tomorrow. Otherwise, we'll end up in juvenile court." Mike explains.

Mitch wipes his eyes with his sleeve and looks back at Mike.

"Deal?"

"Deal."

**

Rick was having a normal day in his tiny apartment making himself some food when there was a knock on his door.

He opens it up to find Connie standing there with red puffy eyes.

"Connie." He says.

"Hello, Richard. Am I interrupting anything?

"No. Uh...come in." Rick says as he waves her in.

Connie slowly walks past him and into his tiny living room and kitchen area.

She looks around and is kind of disgusted by how Rick's apartment looks and smells.

"I was so sorry to intrude I just, I didn't know where else to turn. I needed some human...contact, I suppose." Connie says as she brushes the burnt side of Rick's face with her hand.

"I'm so bereft. I mean, how much tragedy, how much loss, can one woman endure?" Connie continues.

Rick just stares at her with a weird smile.

"Darrien is dead. Murdered." Connie says.

"Wow. Wow. That's awful." Rick says emotionless.

"Yes. So young. So beautiful. Not like you!"

Connie then quickly grabs a knife from off the counter and shoves Rick into the wall with the knife at his throat.

She knew he killed Darrien to get back at her for divorcing him all those years ago and she was going to get revenge.

Rick put his hands up and tries to explain everything to her.

"Connie! Connie!"

"That's why you killed him, isn't it?"

"No!"

"Because you knew I desire him like I could never desire you-"

"No, no, no, no, you got it wrong."

"Now, likely I won't have the upper body strength to saw you in half the way you did my poor Darrien, but I certainly could cut off some of the smaller parts." Connie says as she puts the knife to his only good ear.

Rick gasps at her sudden movement and hides in the corner.

"No, no, no, no, no! I just moved the body! I didn't kill him, I swear!" Rick says.

Connie lowers the knife to her side and finally decides to let Rick talk about what he knows.

"He must've pissed someone off in the house! I  don't know which one! It could even have been your son, for all I know. He's got quite a temper on him." Rick explains.

Connie backs up and puts a hand over her mouth as she realizes something horrible.

Darrien might have died in the Grassi's home.

"In the house?" Connie asks.

Rick nods.

"Darrien died in the house!?" Connie asks louder.

Rick shrugs. "I didn't ask any questions. I just moved the, you know, parts."

Connie wipes her eyes and quickly runs out of the apartment to go to the house to try and talk with  Darrien if the other spirits in the house will let her.

"I've got to go to him!"

"Connie, please! Please, baby, he's dead and I'm here. And I'm alive and I still love you." Rick says grabbing Connie's arm as she goes to run out.

Connie tries pulling away but he keeps pulling her arm back towards him.

"That's your problem." Connie says.

"No, you love me, too, I know it!"

Connie pushes Rick into the wall and slaps him.

All Rick could do was look at the floor and think of how foolish he was just being thinking that Connie would come running back to him after founding out Darrien was dead.

"You fool! I never loved you. I endured you...for the sake of my family. That is all."

"So you're going back to your boy? Your dead boy."

"Even dead...even a boy... he's twice the man you are."

With that Connie was gone.