Ishmael has actually been looking forward to seeing Officer Willows. He shouldn’t but he can’t help it. There is a glint in her eye, a concerned sweetness in her voice and what he wonders is actualy chemistry. This would be a dangerous thing to overestimate. The moment he breaks character and flirts she would recoil, likely reassigning him. Still in the back of his head he feels like there is an unmistakable vibe there. She keeps him waiting and when the called in her demeanor is off. She isn’t friendly, doesn’t make eye contact and seems like she is operating in auto pilot. He doesn’t feel comfortable making small talk just yet. Second guessing him self as she asks the required questions about living environment, work prospects and restitution schedule. Passing him a card for her next meeting he notices scribbled note to meet her around the block in 20 minutes. He notices she has tears in her eyes and is wringing a tissue in her hands. He starts to say something and she shushes him and points to the camera and a sign, “all meetings recorded.”
Leaving he feels kind of inspired. He doesn’t know what awaits him but he things being invited to a secret meeting was promising. Still something felt off. Ishmael knows there could be something really wrong. It begins raining and he tries to stay out of the path of raindrops under a small tree. Hearing thunder and seeing a white flash in the sky unnerves him. He forgets the rule about lightning. Are you supposed to avoid trees or hide under them? While he ponders this, Office Willows pulls up and gestures him to get in. She drives for a while not saying any thing. Ishmael doesn’t want to break the ice. Pulling into a coffee shop outside the range of where her fellow Officers would be likely to pop in for lunch. She orders them both a coffee while he is in the restroom. Coming back to a table she is crying. He is hesitant to comfort her as any physical contact could be misconstrued by onlookers as violence.
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Ishmael tries to take a sip of coffee but its way too hot and he drops it on the floor, slashing hot coffee all over his shirt. He goes and gets some napkins and instead of cleaning him self up. Offers it to Officer Willows to dry her tears. She gasps and catches her self. Trying to not break down. She explains her best friend was on his fathers legal team and was certain he was about to be exonerated but she was killed in police custody. Ishmael hasn’t thought about his dad in a while. Almost feels like a curse he has been trying to get out from under. News reports about the case were so vicious. Made his dad sound like heartless monster. He always knew his dad was capable of of killing in mutual combat but not cold blooded murder. Ishmael remembers all the times his mother attacked his father. Never once did he batter her. She had stabbed him, shot guns at him and punched him in the face and he always laughed at her feeble attempts at violence, breaking the tension.
Officer Willows has more bad news. His father had requested to die at the hands of the state and an execution date was set for 90 days away. This hit Ishmael like a ton of bricks. He knew someday it would happen but usually the executions were nearly 30 years after the case. This was less than 20, way less. Suddenly feelings he had buried for decades came flooding back. He remembered his dad taking him fishing at Big Bear, pushing him on swings at playgrounds, teaching him to read and write with graffiti on the freeway. Buying him action figures and the day he didn’t come home. Arrested for a murder robbery that was the talk of all his school mates and teachers. It ripped his soul out as a small kid but he started to harden his heart. Not letting his parents evil deeds put a stain on his life. He had his own problems but he felt like goes up to the prison was a walk of shame he would have to endure. They make a plan to drive up there with the new evidence Susanna Dominguez had died trying to bring to light.