What Slipped Away

Frank Wallace, retired cop, sits on a park bench, watching people. He notices a young girl, Antoinette, and a house across from the park. He reminisces about his son, Alex, but when we flashback we see a strained relationship with his boy, torn apart by divorce and absence. He still tells his son he loves him, musing about how the baby he was is gone, and one day Alex the boy will be gone too. Back in the present, Frank watches a man who goes by Diesel prey upon Antoinette. She's rescued from his aggressive push by Xander, a charming fellow. He's friendly, compliments her looks, asks her to come back to his car to listen to his new rap record. But when he buys her an ice cream cone, he puts something in it... Before she gets in Xander's car, they are interrupted by Frank, who's been watching everything. He warns her she's been drugged, she runs away. Xander tries to make a break for it, but Frank pulls a pistol on him. Xander calls Frank what he is: DAD. Frank explains he's been watching Alexander's whole routine for a while. Alexander swears he's never done it before, but Frank names another, Hailey, who disappeared. "How many!?" he asks, fruitlessly. Alexander tells Frank what a lousy dad he was and tries to walk away. Frank says, "But you don't get to do this," and guns down Alex. He sets his pistol on the car hood and waits for the police.