The World in Reverse Read Online Free Page A

four now?”
    Johnson threw up his hands. “Hey, I’m not arguing or complaining. I’ve pulled one fucking out of an abandoned car trunk and another out of a hole in the ground and all in the last month. If you know some way to make it stop, I’ll give you a fucking medal, not a hard time. I just don’t see why some group would do this here and risk getting caught. A serial killer I can understand…the other just doesn’t make sense. If you come up with something, you let me know. Plus, I got the word from Amway just like you. I’m not stepping on his fucking feet.”
    “I plan to figure this out,” Nicola said, wi ping more water off his face. “And I plan on putting the bastards responsible for this under the jail.”
    Johnson looked down at Nicola and bit his lip. “I was thinking more about putting them under the fucking dirt, but that’s me . Hey, you need an umbrella or something? You’re getting soaked out here, and you can’t be much help to me with pneumonia,” Johnson said, snapping his fingers at one of the uniform officers standing close by. “Give the lieutenant…my bad, give the sergeant a fucking umbrella,” he shouted.
    Nicola ignored the slick joke. “Have the parents been notified?” he asked, walking over to look at the boys’ faces before the cor oner zipped up the little black bags. He wanted to remember their faces, remember their torture for the days to come when he’d be forced to work his ass off and risk pissing his wife off further. It would keep things in perspective. 
    Johnson passed Nicola an umbrella. “We’re getting in touch with them now.”
    “Mind if I’m in on it?” Nicola asked, tilting his head as he looked at the boys’ faded eyes. He felt a sorrow that words could not describe for the children. They had to be his sons’ ages. Such a waste.
    Johnson felt his lunch coming up as he looked at the kids. Popping a cigarette into his mouth, he stood holding his umbrella over his head and puffing on a Kool. After a long drag, he exhaled. “No. I don’t mind at all. I could use the support. These kinds of personal notific ations fuck me up,” he said, looking at the black bags as they were loaded into the back of the coroner’s truck. “No matter what kind of day you were having before this, you can’t tell me that this doesn’t put things into perspective.”
    Nicola didn’t respond. He was too far away now, thinking about his own sons and what he would do if something like this ever happened to them.
    A uniformed officer walked over to Johnson and passed him a folded up piece of paper. “Here is the address, phone number and names of the parents,” the woman said, eyes red from tears.
    Johnson took the paper and stuck it inside of his pants pockets. “Thanks. First time seeing a dead body?” he asked the young woman.
    She nodded quickly. “First time seeing dead kids ,” she reiterated, looking over at the coroner’s van. “I hope to never see another.”
    “We’re in Memphis, the leading city for i nfant mortality. You may want to get into another profession if you don’t want to see another dead kid.” Just then Johnson realized how cold he sounded and instantly hated himself for it. Patting the woman on the back, he tried to give her a smile. “Why don’t you go and do something that will make you feel better. Get with Officer Masterson over there and secure the area. We don’t want those fucking reporters to get too close to the crime scene.”
    Still shaking her head, she walked away obediently.
    Nicola watched the woman as she went to the police line and began to chorale the onlookers. “You got someone in the crowd in plain clothes?” he asked, scanning the large group of spectators.
    “Two. They are both looking for someone who might be revisiting the crime scene one last time,” Johnson said, pulling out his keys. “You ready to go and visit some very unfortunate parents?”
    “No,” Nicola answered, rolling his eyes. “But