by ARKOPAUL DAS
‘Everything is down man’
Luke pulled him up. ‘Come on lets go’
‘What, where?’
‘Maybe we can relax over a cup of coffee’
‘Got a lotta to do. No time for coffee’
‘Screw your work’
He took Trevor with him no matter how much he protested and headed to the elevator.
‘So let’s go. We got to take an interview of our suspect’ said Alicia and stood up.
Kevin did the same and they both went to the lift and waited for it to come back to them.
‘You coming Mr. Smith?’ asked Ryan.
‘It’s Alan’
‘Okay Alan you coming with us?’
‘Why do you even need to ask’ said Alan and joined them in the elevator. Alicia cursed herself for not taking the stairs as now she was trapped with the tall man for the next few seconds.
SEVENTEEN
They soon came down and found themselves outside the interrogation room. They could see Henry Roberts sitting inside behind the table and wondering how to get out of there. There were two more chairs in the front for the detectives to sit.
Other than that, there was naturally a lot of camera’s capturing the suspect from every angle and noticing his every move. There was a microphone on the table but the detectives normally remove it before starting a conversion .The room was soundproof except that some speakers were linked to the computer outside. So people outside could see through the one way mirror inside and hear anything, but the people inside couldn’t do so unless you step real close to the blinds.
Henry once looked down to maybe see if his bandage was all right or not. Then he looked straight at them, although he couldn’t see them.
Ryan asked Alan if he would like to start questioning the man but Alan simply shook his head and ‘No, as I’m new to this , you continue questioning, I’ll watch and try to get a better sense of everything that is going on’
Alicia and Kevin agreed to start the interview first as they went inside while Ryan and Alan remained outside and watched as well as they could hear.
Alicia took a file with her inside and took the left chair; Kevin sank on the other one. Henry looked at both of them with an always-surprised face.
First thing that Alicia asked was ‘How’s the leg?’
Henry didn’t reply immediately, he took time to form his answer, no matter how short it might be .He always believed that one should think first before talking to the police .As they have the ability twist any normal words and form what they had in mind.
‘Okay’ he said in one word.
‘Good, then’ said Alicia with a smile on her face. ‘So Henry...should I call you Henry?’
‘If you wish to’ said Roberts.
‘So a yes. Okay Henry’ Alicia’s voice became more formal ‘Now to the main questions’
‘One minute’ interjected Roberts ‘Tell me why am I here. You have bought me here, injured me, held me, now you’re talking nicely to me; tell me what is this all about?’
Henry repeated the same lines for two more times after which Alicia started.
‘I know my rights, Henry’ she said ‘You need not worry about that. And we have enough reasons to keep you here. Anyway first of all I’d like to know, what do you do?’
‘I don’t do anything’ he said not trying to understand what Alicia means.
‘What do you mean you don’t do anything’ Alicia didn’t look at all surprised ‘you must be working somewhere’
‘No’
‘What?’
‘I don’t work’
‘You don’t work or are you not gonna say where you work?’
‘Take the one which is more probable’
Alicia leaned back understanding instantly that it would be hard to break through him, so she looked at the other side and thought about the next question.
Alicia stared at Kevin and Kevin knew that Alicia wanted him to continue.
Kevin moved closer to Henry this time and said softly ‘Are you goin’ to cooperate with us?’
‘No, why should I? I am not guilty about anything, so better not talk to the cops’
‘We’re not cops Henry, we’re just some detectives in the middle of a murder investigation’
‘What murder, what investigation? I ain’t done anything’
‘Yes you have!’ this time Alicia stood up and nearly yelled which took everyone aback. Even Henry looked scared.
‘Wha...What do you mean?’ he said with a croaking voice.
Alicia didn’t care to answer his question but she asked another one ‘What is your relationship with Jade Carter?’
‘Jade Carter?’ asked Henry Roberts ‘Who the hell is Jade Carter?’
‘Are you saying you don’t know who Jade Carter is?’ said Kevin.
‘Yes, I have no idea who this man is and what’re you talking about’
‘Drop the act Henry’ said Alicia ‘Now you better talk before we take any actions against you’
Henry tried to protest again but Alicia quickly took out the Jade Carter’s picture and tossed it on the table. He took the picture and studied it.
‘Know him, eh?’ Kevin was trying to keep his fury in check.
‘No no, not at all’ Henry kept the picture back on the table. ‘I don’t know this man’
‘You’re sure about that?’
‘Yes yes, why not, and I also have a good memory, I don’t forget easily’ he tried to lighten the mood inside.
‘Not only a good memory Henry’ said Alicia ‘You also have some good methods of lying’
‘Lying?’ Henry looked more helpless now. ‘You think I’m lying .Man, I ain’t lying about no one here. You got to trust me on this, I never saw this man in my whole life’
‘Do you kill random people without knowing who he or she is? Are you some sort of psychopath or perhaps even a sociopath, huh?’ said Alicia sitting back on the chair and resting both her hands on the table.
‘Kill, did I kill someone?’ he was getting more surprised with every minute that passed.
‘You have a good memory .Say it yourself’
‘No I didn’t kill anyone’ he understood that his voice didn’t sound at all convincing ‘Why is this man killed?’
‘Yes he was murdered Monday, at dawn’
‘Murder?’
‘Strangled’ Kevin continued ‘And we have enough reasons to believe the murderer is you’
‘You guys are crazy’ said Henry laughing at himself ‘This is absolute craziness’
‘You can’t deny killing Jade Carter, Henry’ said Alicia, took out another photo from the plastic bag, and threw it on the table. ‘You see this car? The black SUV. This is Jade Carter’s car. And we have your fingerprints that suggests that you were in it’
This time, only for a second his face contracted and made a terrified look, then he became normal and looked straight overhead at the mirror, he could see his own face and he could tell himself that he was losing this battle of the questions. But that couldn’t be it .He couldn’t just give away everything. He would have to find some new way to survive.
As he was quiet, Alicia thought he didn’t understand the actual question ‘Perhaps you can at least explain what were you doing in our victim’s car?’
He remained silent.
‘Talk!’
‘What should I say? I don’t know this man, neither do I know his car. I don’t know how my fingerprints that could land on his car. Maybe you’re mistaken about something’
‘Nope, we got the right man, that is you. And you are hiding something, no you’re hiding everything’
‘I will still say I didn’t kill anyone’
‘Then if you are not guilty about anything, please describe why did you run when you saw us?’
He was not ready for this question. Several minutes passed, still he didn’t know any satisfactory answer.
‘I hope you can say that at least’ Alicia persisted.
Henry looked down at the table, cursing himself for running. He was here anyway, so running wasn’t of any use save increasing the suspicion on him. He thought this was about another thing, he never knew this was a murder case, and they needed him just for some simple cross-questioning.
‘Suspect don’t usually run away unless he’s a murderer Henry, you should have thought of that before’ said Kevin politely as Alicia was quite hard on him.
‘Answer, will you?’
‘I don’t know...’ Henry spoke failing to make up his mind ‘Man! I panicked. I don’t always see cops lurking behind me. So I simply panicked and ran. That’s it. That’s what happened’
Alicia felt more disgusted and fell back on her chair.
‘You know what Henry, it would have been better for you, if you didn’t tried escape. Even your leg would have been okay’
‘And’ said Kevin ‘Your story is good, but the only flaw is that it doesn’t sound at all convincing’
‘But that’s the truth. That’s why I ran. I never had to deal with cops before, so I tried escaping from one...not sure what to do’
‘Why do you avoid cops?’ asked Alicia. ‘Why do you panic when you see a cop, unless you’re a criminal or something...?’
‘No I’m not a criminal. I’m a common man’ shrugged Henry ‘I never have touched anyone’
‘Okay, I’m changing the topic just to give you another chance’ said Kevin ‘Tell me where you live?’
‘I can’t say that really’ he replied ‘And why do you need to know this, what’s it got to do with this anyway?’
‘We want to make sure we have every data about you’
‘Okay, but I don’t have a particular home’
‘You don’t have a home?’
‘No’
‘Then where do you live?’
‘Hotels’
‘Which hotel?’
‘I didn’t say one hotel’ he pointed out their mistake ‘I change hotels, I hop from one place to another’
‘So you don’t live in one hotel, you change?’
‘Exactly’
‘Isn’t that too expensive, only living in hotels and changing them from time to time?’
‘Nope, because sometimes I even consider living in cheap motels’
‘Where does this money come from?’
‘I have money’ he said not willing to find another answer.
‘That’s what I’m asking’ Alicia stared at him ‘If you don’t work anywhere, then where is this money coming from?’
‘That I can’t answer .It’s personal’ he said and looked at the floor.
‘Why not?’
‘I told you, it’s personal’
‘Look man’ Kevin talked ‘this is no joke .We’re in the middle of a murder investigation and you’re one of our primary suspects. So we ask you a question and you answer it truth fully not thinking about anything else. That’s how it should be’
‘And that’s how it’s goin’ on isn’t it?’ he said jokingly. ‘You’re questioning me and I’m answering though I should not .But if you don’t believe me, your problem’
‘But you still haven’t said how your fingerprints landed on our victim’s car?’
He made a worried face. ‘I don’t know .I told you that before’
‘Look Henry’ Alicia this time became softer, as the direct rude approach wasn’t working at all. ‘we don’t have much time to waste .We have another suspect to search for. So you talk, as you don’t know what lies after this’
‘I am talking’ he yelled out this time. There was a sudden change in his voice.
Kevin calmed his nerves and said ‘Shouting ain’t gonna take you nowhere’
‘I know, that’s the reason I was talking’ he smiled.
Ryan and Alan was listening and watching everything from outside.
Alan’s eye was fixed at the mirror inside and he stood tall and rigid. There was no worry in his face; neither did it show any emotion.
Ryan looked up at him and said ‘He’s not going to say anything is he?’
Alan kept his eyes fixed, only one time he folded his hand and glanced at Ryan and said ‘He is saying everything .He is giving at least a answer to everything they ask , except that they are not true’
‘Yeah, and he’s tough. Even Alicia can’t break him’
‘Yeah. She seems like a total badass detective’
‘Yeah, you don’t know her. How hard she can be on anyone. Otherwise she’s good ’
‘But you know what, sometimes this badass attitude doesn’t work.’
‘Oh, then what will work?’
‘I can’t say what will work. But in this situation without pushing him hard, or saying ‘We don’t have much time to waste’ she should give him more time to calm his nerves and also you yourself have to remain cool .Then he will feel like it’s his priority to give us the answers and not ours to get it’
‘Wow, seems like a nice idea’ Ryan exclaimed.
‘Anyway, tell me one thing’ Alan turned to him. ‘Alicia has some problems about me in your squad isn’t it?’
‘Oh man, it isn’t my squad.’ Ryan corrected him ‘Alicia was leading the squad, then you came along, and now you’re in charge of it’
‘Oh, right right ’ Alan said smiling in a unique style. ‘Tell me, does she have any problems about me?’
‘I don’t know really’ Ryan scratched his head trying to find an answer that would not make Alan feel offended. ‘Alicia thought maybe changing the leader of the squad might affect the balance or the flow of the ongoing case .Well you don’t have to worry about that’
‘Nothing to worry about’ he said not at all offended. ‘Anyone in her place would have thought the same’
Kevin again shouted at Henry saying something and Ryan and Alan turned their attention to the interrogation.
‘How many lies are you gonna tell us?’ Kevin said
‘Uh...’ Alan said this more to himself hearing everything. ‘That’s not going to work’
‘Right’ said Ryan and stared inside.
Alicia tried changing the topic in a formal tone. ‘Okay tell us Henry where were you between 3 to 4 am Monday morning?’
‘I was in my house, I think. Where else should I be in that time?’
‘But that’s unnatural’
‘What?’
‘You just said you don’t own a house.’
‘Right right right...’ he smiled at his own stupidity. ‘Of course I don’t own one. I mean in a hotel. Oh...I have such a bad memory...I keep forgetting things’
‘That’s funny’ said Alicia ‘I thought you had a good memory’
‘Did I say that? I don’t remember’
‘So where were you Monday morning at that time?’ Kevin understood they were drifting away from the main question.
‘In a hotel’
‘Are you sure about it?’
‘No....maybe yes?’
Ryan after hearing the conversation for a few more minutes asked Alan. ‘Either he’s mad or he’s the killer. Or else whatever he’s saying is true’
‘I don’t think he’s mad’ said Alan. ‘Killer? Probably not. He’s saying everything true....nah I will not buy that’
‘Then?’
‘There is something else going on here....maybe...he doesn’t wanna expose himself. That’s why he’s lying about everything’
‘Expose himself?’
‘I don’t know. Just look at him .He’s all okay and good; only thing is that he’s lying. There is definitely something going on’
‘Then?’
‘He’s hiding something beneath his black face. He fears...fears that something bigger might come out and that might end his life, perhaps’
‘Like killing someone?’
‘Maybe’
‘I see...’
‘But he doesn’t look like a guy who is capable of killing someone.’
‘Yeah...his character is a little too cartoonish.’ Ryan shook
his head. ‘I can’t imagine him killing someone’
‘And I don’t think they will be able to get anything out of him’
‘Too tough he is’
‘Just remember, they both are also tough on him’
‘They should be a little soft right?’
‘Maybe .But I’m not sure if that’s gonna work either’
‘Hmm’ Ryan looked down at his watch. It showed 2:40.
He felt a little impatient. ‘A lot of time is getting wasted like this’
‘Yes and without any positive results’
‘That’s our main problem’
‘But I can tell that he is not a clean man.’
‘You think so?’
‘Yes’
They resumed their gaze inside. More questions followed, but it was of no use. Henry dodged everything that came in his way .Alicia and Kevin tried new ways, counter attacked him , still getting the same results. But they could not make Henry speak out the truth. He stuck with the same kind of answers. ‘I don’t know’, ‘I don’t remember’ he said these things over and over again.
He sometimes smiled or laughed, which they knew were all forced .While the other times he remained serious and cautious about what he says and worried...but at the end, he was actually enjoying the interview.
He cracked jokes making Alicia, Kevin more irritated, and when they understood that their suspect was just playing with them and was not going to say anything at all, they stood up, gave cold stare at him for the last time and went out.
‘Now what?’ asked Ryan as they both came out and sat on the chairs staring at their suspect who was just lazily scanning around the room.
‘He ain’t gonna talk’ Kevin said, tired.
‘But he knows something, maybe everything’ Alicia said this more to herself.
Alicia was trying to think of new ways about how to make him say the truth.
‘I’m telling you he’s the killer. Or else he would have said what he knows by now’ Kevin snapped.
‘You’re right’ said Alicia ‘He must have done something wrong. That’s why he is not willing to talk to us about it as it might come out’
‘What is it?’
‘We don’t know that’
‘And you heard what he said when we asked him why he ran, he said he panicked. Now that isn’t very convincing is it?’
