American Son

Jamal.

God damn it. Where are you?

I've sent you four texts, no, five.

You can't text me back?

Call me.

It's me again. Honey, I'm sorry. I...

I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to get angry.

Call me, please.

- Hello. Hey, it's Jeffrey. - Hi, this is...

- Shit. - Leave a message,

and I'll get back to you.

Jeffrey, this is Jamal's mother.

It's, uh... Tuesday...

No, Wednesday night... m-morning. Um...

I'm looking for Jamal.

He hasn't come home, and I...

I thought he might be with you.

I-I'm sorry to bother you, or, you know, call so early, but...

If you get this message and he's with you, can you please have him call me?

My number is 305...

Well, it's on your... Oh, God, okay, hold on.

Just in case, no, um, 305-468-5900.

Okay.

- Sorry. - So I checked,

like you asked, and the car does show up.

- Yeah. - It shows up in the system.

- Shows... - That's all we really know right now.

- Show... Shows up how? - It just shows up, as, you know.

What's... How does it end up coming to the attention of, you know...

Oh, it just was logged in, you know, from an incident.

It could've been ticketed, could've been towed...

But Jamal, my son, he was driving it, and he...

I thought you told me you weren't sure whether or not he was...

Well, yeah. Yes. Okay,

yeah, I didn't see him drive away in it.

I did not actually see him get in the car. Correct.

But the car's not in our driveway.

He's been gone since eight o'clock last night.

Going on eight... I mean, nine hours.

- He's usually home at midnight. - Right.

He never came home.

And when I called the police,

they said something happened to the car and...

I thought you told me they said it was...

Hold on. I wrote it down.

Okay, um, "An incident." I, um...

That's what she said, an incident. "Identified in an incident."

Yes. I understand. And, listen, I'm really very sorr...

I'm sure that he's gonna turn up.

And you've already told me that you're not the registered owner of the vehicle.

So, I-I mean...

I told you I would verify the vehicle information anyway.

And I did that, okay?

He has work.

- Sorry? - Well, an internship.

Jamal, he has a very prestigious...

He has some place to be this morning.

- Sure. - This isn't like him.

- Ma'am... - Look,

can't you do a missing persons report or something?

Not for 48 hours, no.

- Or if there's evidence of, you know... - Foul play.

We don't really use that term. That's the movies.

Okay. Something bad. Whatever.

- Right. - He hasn't come home.

He's a responsible kid.

- His car could have been stolen. - We don't know that.

- He's missing! - Okay.

Isn't that enough?

Look, he's... He's 16, 17.

Just turned 18.

Oh! Oh, so he's just about to graduate high school?

- Yeah. - So...

- So, what? - So he's probably...

out on South Beach

or, you know, well, I know you probably don't want to hear this,

but hanging out with some girl.

You know? Doing what teenage boys do.

Yeah.

I mean, that's what I was doing at that age.

Uh-huh.

Listen, I'd still appreciate it if you all would...

Ma'am, we will.

But you said that before, and you're leaving.

And I would really like to know what is going on.

Look, I told you, as soon as the AM liaison officer gets here...

- No, I mean now. - Sorry?

I want to know now.

Well, I will be happy to walk you back out to reception.

- You could check again to see... - I was just at reception for half an hour.

- There's not much more I can... - And the lady there,

- she was no help at all. - I... I understand.

Look, she sent me to you. This can't be that hard.

- I'm very sorry, ma'am, I... - Either he's in the system or he isn't.

Ma'am, no disrespect, but we have a protocol.

Listen, I may seem paranoid, but he's not home.

His car is showing up on your radar.

- Humor me. - Ma'am,

as soon as the AM liaison officer gets here.

Officer, please.

- I don't know what you expect me to do. - Well, don't you all have computers?

I don't know, a database with names and DOBs you can...

Yes, but I am not authorized to just go running down the rabbit hole.

- What if somebody walks in, and they...? - Please.

Fine.

Thank you.

But I'm gonna need some additional information.

- Sure. - All right.

Just let me... Let me get something.

Hmm.

First name again?

Jamal, J-A-M-A-L.

Last name, Connor.

Yes.

- Is that E-R? - No, O-R.

C-O-N-N-O-R.

DOB?

5/1/2001.

Any priors?

Sorry?

Priors. Has he ever been arrested before?

Oh. No.

- Are you sure? - Yes.

- Even juvie. - Juvie?

- Does he have a juvenile record? - No.

- Nothing? - Nothing.

Not even a trespassing or resisting without, petty theft?

He's never so much as torn the tag off a new mattress, okay?

- Excuse me? - Nothing.

No... No arrest record at all.

Hmm. Uh, does he go by any other names?

Like a nickname?

I mean, his father calls him J.

No. Uh, AKAs?

- I'm sorry? - AKAs.

You know, "also known as." Like, street names.

Street names?

Yeah. Well, if he was taken into custody under a different alias, right?

He gave a different... Well, different from some other time

- is all I'm saying. - I just told you he's never been arrested.

But just in case he might have been printed for,

I don't know, whatever. Or had a warning issued, or...

- A street name? - Right.

- Like Peanut? Or Black? - Exactly.

Or Pookie.

Yes, ma'am.

Well, there's June Bug.

- June Bug. - Yup.

- That's his street name? - Jesus Christ.

- Is it? - No.

It's not an alias. It's not a street name.

You sure?

It's what I used to call him when he was little.

It's what I call him now when I want to knock the cool out of him

in front of his friends. He doesn't have a street name.

Can you please just run all this through your computer...

- Ma'am! I am going to. - ...and find out what is going on?

I just need to make sure that we have all the correct information here,

so we aren't just spinning our wheels.

Fine.

Height?

Six-two.

Maybe a little taller since last time we measured him.

- He really shot up this year... - Uh-huh. Weight?

Uh, 180... 185, thereabouts.

Glasses.

Hmm.

Cornrows.

Light green eyes.

Okay, good.

Uh, do you remember what he was wearing when he left last night?

I-I don't know. Probably jeans and a T-shirt.

All right. Does he have any distinguishing, you know...

Like a birthmark?

Yeah. Scars, tattoos, gold teeth. That kind of stuff.

No. No tattoos. No golds.

His only scar is on his stomach, right here.

Great. And that's from?

- The scar? - Yeah, where did he get it?

You mean, how did he get it?

Well, both, I guess, yeah.

- Does this matter? - Ma'am...

- It's not from a gang fight. - Okay.

- Lady, listen... - Officer.

Respectfully, are there that many 6'2" black boys

involved in incidents tonight,

you need to know if they might just have

scars on their tummies?

Not unless you want to find him. I mean...

Okay, Jamal's sign is Taurus with Virgo rising.

He's bashful, looks away when he smiles.

- Really, I am just looking for... - He plays the guitar.

- Especially likes blues and rock. - Ma'am.

- Old '70s and '80s bands. - Ma'am...

I tried to turn him on to Funkadelic

- and DeBarge... - Ma'am, I...

...but he's strictly mainstream classic stuff.

- Clapton. Van Halen. - Okay.

He throws a mean breaking ball, whatever that means.

- All right. Listen... - He's vegetarian,