Chapter 4 - THE INCOMPATIBLE PIGMENT
The man leaned forward, bringing his face inches from the car door.
The reflection of his beard distorted in the curved silver metal.
He raised the yellow dump truck.
He aligned the plastic edge with the beginning of the scratch.
He didn't touch the paint.
He merely held it there, letting the sunlight illuminate the space between toy and car.
Yellow plastic.
Blue paint transfer.
He tilted his head.
His eyes flicked from the bright canary yellow of the toy to the deep cobalt blue smeared on the door.
He rubbed his thumb over the yellow plastic again.
Nothing came off.
No blue residue.
No silver paint flecks.
The plastic was perfectly clean.
He lowered the toy slowly, letting his arm hang by his side.
He looked at the boy.
The toddler was chewing on his lower lip, his dark curls plastered to his sweaty forehead.
The man looked at the woman.
Her arms were crossed tightly over her light blue shirt.
She was waiting for his verdict.
She was waiting for him to validate the crime scene.
The man didn't nod.
He didn't speak.
His jaw tightened under his beard.
He turned his back on them both.
He walked past the silver SUV, heading deeper into the shadowed mouth of the garage.
The crunch of his boots on the concrete echoed loudly.
The woman shifted her weight, a frown pulling at her lips.
She tapped her foot against the asphalt.
The boy watched the dark entrance of the garage, his small hands still clasped behind his back.
He knew what lived in the dark.
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Only big things lived in the dark.
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