Said he didn’t kill him. They all say that. Stood over him with the gun in his hand. Said he’d been drinking. Couldn’t remember. But, he was sure he didn’t kill him. On purpose that is.

The kid said it might have been an accident. The gun just went off. He never thought there was a live one in the barrel. Could we talk about this? he asked.

They’d been drinking all day long. Tequila, he said. We were doing shots of Tequila chased back with Busch beer, his hands were shaking. It was his idea to get out the gun, his voice raised. Wanted to play Russian roulette, he mumbled.

So, the cop said. That’s how you wound up with the gun? You just picked it up after he’d shot himself and decided to stand over him? he asked. The boy nodded his head.

It all happened so fast, he said. We were drinking and switching back and forth with the gun. I thought we were just fooling around. Didn’t know. I didn’t know.

You sure you were playing Russian roulette? Sure you didn’t accidentally shoot him? Sometimes it takes awhile for us to process things, the cop told him. Sometimes things don’t happen like we thought they did. Savvy? the boy nodded. Sure you didn’t kill him? He might have pissed you off today? Or, upset you leading up to this? the boy nodded again.

Think I better call a lawyer.

Yeah. I’d say you might wanna do that.