Thin Ice 5 - Checkmate (35 page)

The world as he knew it however came to a screeching halt when he arrived home early that fateful Friday evening from shooting hoops with a few friends. Carlo walked into the house to find his mother hanging from a makeshift noose, on an exposed beam in their home, eyes bulging, tongue protruding grotesquely from her mouth, face darkened in death. The pained whimper caught his attention and Carlo turned to see his father struggling to maintain the precarious tip toe stance he held on the wooden kitchen chair beneath his feet. Walking over to him he saw the pleading in his eyes that Carlo push the chair back under his feet, giving him solid footing once again. Surmising that his father killed his mother, and had intended to kill himself, Carlo continued to watch him, unmoved as the man continued to plead with his eyes, the fatigue beginning to show on his face. He wouldn’t be able to hold himself up much longer.

“
Why did you kill her,” Carlo asked softly still regarding his father.

He felt nothing as he watched the man suffer. His emotion had left the room and all that remained was the shell still questioning his mother’s murderer.

“
She didn’t deserve that, she always stood by you,” he continued calmly, inching closer to the chair.

As Carlo’s eyes connected with Antonio’s the defeat was apparent. The older man saw the malice in his son’s eyes and knew no help would come from this source. Without warning, Carlo kicked the chair away, his father’s body dropping, and his neck snapping with an audible pop. Carlo watched fascinated as Antonio’s body twitched and jerked, finally becoming still as his bodily functions released and the pungent smell of death permeated the air. Still watching the slightly swinging corpse now, Carlo felt nothing but rage, anger, and hate. Hope walked in at the moment and saw her parents, the hysterical screams escaping her mouth. Carlo turned without a word and walked over to her slapping her hard, knocking her to the floor.

“
Get yourself to-fucking-gether and call the police,” he growled, stepping over her and walking out of the door without another word.

*****

“
Cisneros”, the jailer called out gruffly, mercifully bringing Carlo back to the present.

“
Yes,” Carlo replied calmly.

“
Visitor,” he returned as Carlo grunted and rose to his feet, allowing himself to be led to the visitor’s area, taking a seat and looking at the man sitting across from him.

“
Hello Carlo,” Roderick greeted him.

Carlo nodded slightly but said nothing.

“
I came to appeal to you as one man to another, let Hope have custody of Lauren,” Roderick told him getting immediately to the point.

“
No one is taking my daughter from me,” Carlo replied coldly.

Roderick sighed deeply, realizing the man was still completely delusional about his trial and his fate.

“
Hope is your sister Carlo,” Roderick tried to reason. “She would never take Lauren from you,” he added as Carlo’s eyes narrowed.

“
Have you been looking at my Lauren, you want to touch her, taste her maybe,” he accused as Roderick reeled in his anger.

If there was one person on earth he wanted to beat the hell out of at that moment, it was Carlo Cisneros.

“
No, Carlo, Lauren is a child,” he iterated as Carlo sucked his teeth softly.

“
Lauren is all woman,” he replied lewdly as Roderick flexed his fist under the table.

The man was complete scum in his book. He was only here out of his love for Hope.

“
Carlo, the state will place her in some foster home or other if you don’t sign,” Roderick began again, praying somewhere in the man’s demented mind he could latch onto some reasoning and common sense.

Carlo sat up, leaning close to the glass that separated them and spoke again.

“
No one is taking my daughter, or putting her in any fuckin’ home,” he hissed angrily.

Sighing deeply, realizing he was wasting his time, Roderick rose to leave.

“
Have you fucked Hope yet,” Carlo asked simply, his tone cold and ominous.

“
That’s none of your business,” Roderick replied looking into the emotionless eyes of the man staring at him.

“
She can’t have children,” he spat as if it were a disease he was explaining. “I can’t really understand why she’s with you, considering she really doesn’t like to fuck much anyway,” Carlo taunted.

Roderick maintained his composure walking away as Carlo began to laugh aloud. He stopped laughing as soon as the man left his sight, the hardened hate filled glaze returning to his eyes.
Why are you playing with Lauren’s life like this,
his sanity pleaded.
Stop punishing Hope for something that wasn’t her fault.
Pushing the thought aside, he walked ahead of the jailer back to his cell, his mind still spinning, plans still being made.