Oxnard

  Friday

  Markus Wright's Home- Det. Octavia Patterson's "Younger" brother

  Dave parks their rental car at the far end of the Wright's driveway. Two tiny children appear at the porch screen and begin bouncing up and down, waving excitedly. One of the children disappears into the interior of the beautiful home, presumably to alert one of their parents to the presence of visitors. Octavia turns to Dave in the passenger seat. She wraps both arms around his neck and draws him close. Pressing their foreheads together, Octavia whispers a playful warning.

  "Time to meet the tiny terrors you've heard so much about. You ready, Dave?"

  "I'm ready...If you are," Dave jokes, altering his position so that he can kiss Octavia's lips.

  "Okay, then. Let's go," Octavia whispers, withdrawing and gripping the car door handle.

  -

  -

  Dave grins from ear to ear as he climbs the porch steps. The same two tiny children from before stand with their noses pressed to the screen door. A third child, slightly older and female, runs up behind the other two. She giggles before running away. Octavia waves at the children, a warm smile covering her entire face.

  "Oh my gosh! Devon is that you? You've gotten so big!" Octavia gushes, approaching the screen door.

  The male child, whose name is indeed Devon, also smiles warmly. He returns Octavia's happy wave.

  "This is my sister," Devon practically yells. "Her name is Lani. We're twins."

  At that moment, Markus Wright steps behind his excited son. He looks down at Devon and Lani, politely motioning for them to move aside so he can open the screen door.

  "I think Aunty Octavia is aware of that, Devon," Markus says between a soft laugh. "Hey, Sis. Long time no see."

  The children move out of the way and Markus opens the front screen for Octavia and Dave to enter. Markus extends his right hand to Dave, who shakes it firmly.

  "You must be Dave?" Markus inquires, taking in Deputy Newsome's entire appearance.

  "Yes. Dave Newsome. Octavia has told me a lot about you, Markus. She wouldn't stop talking about you the whole trip here. I'll say one thing, Octavia loves her older brother."

  Dave purposely slides in the part about Markus being an older brother. In truth, the deputy is aware that Octavia was maybe lying about that little detail. However, he wants to hear it from Markus' own mouth. Brothers and sisters can be weird like that. As he suspected, Markus immediately takes playful offense to the statement.

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  "Older brother?" Markus exclaims. "Oh, I see how it is. Is that what Octavia has been telling everyone? I'm her older brother? Yeah right. She's a good six years older than me. Older brother, my foot! You wish!"

  "Okay, Markus!" Octavia chuckles.

  The third child, who had disappeared into the interior of the home, reappears and hugs Octavia around the waist. Octavia gently hugs her older niece, giggling softly.

  "Fine. My kid brother," Octavia continues. "My only brother. You happy now?"

  "Oh, too late now," Markus kids. "You've done showed your hand. Telling people I'm older than you? You oughta be ashamed. Thing is...You shoulda known I was gonna tell him. That's what younger brothers are for. We put all your business on blast. What kind of brothers would we be, if we didn't?"

  "Aunt Octavia? Aunty? Guess what?" Lani says in a high-pitch voice, tugging on a corner of Octavia's blouse.

  Octavia and Dave peer down at the tiny urchin attempting to get her attention. Dave offers Markus a knowing smile. Markus simply shakes his head and grins at his diminutive daughter without saying a word. Lani opens her mouth and points to an empty space where a tiny tooth once was.

  "I lost my first tooth today," Lani excitedly explains. "Mom says that makes me a big girl. The first tooth is special. The tooth fairy is gonna visit me tonight. But I have to be really good. Or I might not get anything. So I'm going to be good."

  "I got ten dollars for my first tooth," Patricia informs everyone proudly, pointing to where her adult tooth now sits in her mouth. "My other teeth...I only got a dollar. Sometimes, two. So the first tooth is extra special. You might get ten dollars too, Lani. If you're extra good."

  "Maybe even twenty," Dave intercedes. "The tooth fairy has been known to reward little children who are especially good. Little children who clean up after themselves and don't fight with their brothers. I think I received twenty dollars when I lost my first tooth. But I was always a really good boy. I never made trouble."

  Octavia tries to contain her laughter, at Dave's bold assertions and blatant lies. She fails miserably, using a hand to cover her mouth. Markus glares at Dave like he has lost his damn mind. Twenty dollars for a tooth?

  Dave winks at Markus, informing the frustrated father that the tab for Lani's first tooth is his responsibility. Markus visibly relaxes a bit. Not that he is opposed to paying his daughter twenty dollars for a baby tooth. But damn, did Dave have to make a big deal like that?

  Lani wanders over to Dave and stares up at his beaming face. She offers him her left hand, which Dave takes in his much larger one.

  "You really think the tooth fairy will leave me twenty dollars, Mr...Uh," Lani falters, her brow creasing with confusion.

  "Dave. My name is Dave," Deputy Newsome informs the child.

  Lani's wide grin returns and she continues to stare up at Dave.

  "Do you really think so, Dave?" Lani finishes her statement, a tiny giggle at the end of her words.

  "Sure. Why not? If you're really good," Dave reassures Lani in a soft voice.

  "That's not fair!" Patricia pouts, placing both hands on her small waist. "I was good. I did all of my chores and everything. I didn't have a brother to fight with. Devon and Lani hadn't even been born yet. I don't think. It's not fair."

  Dave turns to peer at Patricia, struggling to keep a straight face. The tiny girl's anger is palpable and understandable. Twenty dollars is a lot for a tooth.

  "It's due to inflation, Patricia," Dave smoothly explains. "Ten dollars doesn't buy what it used to anymore. Even tooth fairies now have to step up their game. We don't make the rules, Honey. You'll understand when you're older. Who knows, by then a first tooth may be worth fifty dollars."

  "Fifty dollars?! Dad!!??!!" Patricia squeals, tears pooling in her eyes.

  Octavia and Markus turn to Dave with equally narrowed eyes. Dave shrugs and draws his mouth into a firm line. Pretending to be repentant, Dave desperately tries not to laugh.