by ARKOPAUL DAS
‘Look’ now Alan spoke. ‘We have to make him talk in any way possible or else we will have to carry on with our case without his help. Because we can’t keep him here forever .We will have to leave him after twenty four hours no matter if he talks or not. We have nothing to hold him here’
Alicia kept quiet; she was just too pissed off to talk about leaving him.
‘And he is not even saying how can his fingerprints be on our victim’s car’ said Kevin.
‘Are you sure he was in the car?’ asked Ryan. ‘What if we are wrong about some—’
‘No no...that is not possible, we’re right about it. The CSU and the fingerprint expert will not fail with their results of course’
‘He was in that car and the owner of the car turns up dead next day .It’s all too puzzled’
‘There got to be a simple explanation behind this’
Kevin asked Alan at last. ‘Mr. Smith, you are leading the case, so what do you think about all this?’
‘I don’t think anything. At the moment we have to make him talk’ said Alan ‘Or else we will never know what was he doing in our Vic’s car. And that’s a important point so we can’t skip it completely .Okay...do we know about his families?’
‘No we don’t know where he lives or who he lives with .And the hotel thing is just total crap’ said Kevin.
‘Yeah, everything he told us is shit’ Alicia added.
‘Yes, he’s telling a lie here .He doesn’t even look all that affluent’
‘Right’
‘We should try again’ said Ryan ‘We just can’t let go of him like this. If we leave him now he will think that he won this battle, so we will keep asking him questions and make him impatient .So eventually he is going to talk’
‘It will cost us too much time’ said Kevin ‘And we can’t even give the whole 24 hours now’
‘Yeah, that too is right’ Ryan hesitated.
‘What do you think is it going to work?’ said Alicia. ‘What if it doesn’t work, any plan about what you’re going to do next?’
‘No idea’
‘Then...’
‘Okay I know there is a lot of problem here and there’ said Alan. ‘But it’s still worth a shot’
EIGHTEEN
‘So you are the good cops, huh?’ said Henry as Ryan and Alan both of them entered the room .Ryan had a gloomy face while Alan looked determined and expressionless.
‘You’re right’ said Alan and took the chair leaning back in a comfortable position resting his palm on the table .Ryan kept the bunch of files on the table ,the same one that Alicia bought just some minutes ago.
‘So it’s your turn now?’ smiled Henry, he was certainly enjoying this thing even though he was injured.
‘Sure.’ Alan returned the smile ‘I hope you don’t let us down this time’
Henry looked away as if he hadn’t heard anything and he was alone in the room.
Alan turned to Ryan and signalled him to start the interview. He liked to listen and observe ones reaction. Then he would later maybe take up the questions himself.
‘Are you a rapper?’ Ryan tried to set up a funny mood first as instructed by Alan.
‘Oh, do I look like one?’ he spread the smile to his whole face.
‘Of course you do. I tell you, you will have a great career in your life if you take up rapping as your profession’
‘Really?’ Henry raised his eyebrows. ‘Okay thanks for the suggestion, I’ll surely think about it’
‘Yes, that’ll be great’ said Alan now. ‘What is your profession anyway?’
‘I’m just a--.’ Henry held the last word in his mouth but didn’t say it.
‘Yes?’
‘I’m just a common man’ Henry looked relieved.
‘Well but you do look like someone special who can afford to stay at some of the most expensive hotels’
‘Yes, I can. Do you have any problems with that?’
‘Certainly not’ said Ryan. ‘But we need to ask you some serious questions, Henry’
‘I will only say what I know .I’m not gonna say anything that ya’ll want me to say’
‘We want you to say the truth’
‘And that’s what I said all this time. I don’t think there is anything more left for me to say’
‘If nothing is left to say, then lets revise the previous questions again’ said Ryan. ‘Let’s start with your source of income first’
‘I don’t have a source of income’
‘Then how can you live your whole life in hotels, you must be paying something to them .That’s what a common man would do’ said Alan ‘Or perhaps you have your own home, own income , but you’re not willing to talk about it for some reason’
‘That’s not true .I’m willin’ to talk about it’
‘Okay?’
‘My brother works somewhere and he wires me money. That’s it’
‘So you have a brother?’
‘Yep’
‘Where does your brother live?’
‘I don’t know’
‘You don’t know where your brother lives yet you’re receiving money from him?’
‘I am, is that a problem?’
‘It is’ snapped Alan.
‘He doesn’t live here’
‘That’s what we’re asking about. Where does he live?
‘UK’
‘Britain?’
‘Yes, now please don’t ask for the exact place, that I can’t say’
‘Ok’ said Ryan ‘But what we’ll ask about is your exact place at the moment’
‘What do’ya mean?’
‘The hotel you’re living in now?’
‘The name of it?’
‘Yes, give us the hotel name’
‘I don’t remember it. I told ya’ I don’t have a great memory’
‘Well then try to remember it’
‘Is is important?’
‘Yes'
‘There is also something else that is important’ said Alan.
‘What is it?’
‘How your fingerprints came to be in our Vic’s car’
Ryan kept the picture of the black SUV back on the table. ‘In case you don’t remember what type of car it was’ Ryan said in a quirky attitude.
Henry stared down and studied his leg wound.
‘Look Henry’ Alan now moved forward on the table keeping both his elbows on it and clasping his hands together. It was an old manner or better say a trick. When he was young the detectives used to do this when interviewing the suspect. It signals that ‘Just answer whatever we’re asking, it’s damn important. And you deny anything; we kick your ass and send you to a shitty prison’. He used to wonder is it really going to work? But when he first tried this method with Alex by his side, it helped him to reason with the opposition and make him say everything that they wanted to hear. He used this method after a long time, although he wasn’t very sure if this was going to work, as this particular suspect was really a jackass. Alan went on ‘You don’t have to hurry with your answers , just take your time, think about it, maybe we can also arrange for some cigars ,beverages or pizzas if you want. But the main thing is that when you talk, you say the truth. And we’ve all the time in the world to wait for it’.
Alan fell back instantly as if he just finished giving a political lecture in the white house. Henry glared at him trying to make out the exact meaning of his words. Then he moved forward and said ‘What sort of shit am I in?’
‘Serious shit’ said Alan ‘If you decide not to talk’
He looked down at the table for the third time now.
Ryan was becoming more impatient, he was not sure if Alan’s method was going to work or not. He never tried this himself, and probably never will in future.
Alan sat back and looked ahead at the walls as if he was enjoying terrific natural scenery. He didn’t bother to ask Henry any further questions, he totally sat back and waited.
Then Henry said at last, ‘I c
an’t say how you got my fingerprints on the car you’re showin’ ’
‘You can’t say?’ asked Ryan suspiciously.
‘I mean I don’t know, then how can I say?’
Alan nodded as if he understood what Henry actually meant.
Ryan raised his voice a little ‘Just admit it that you were in the car’
‘How did you find me?’ Henry asked back to him.
‘Nice tattoo Henry’ admired Ryan.
‘Oh really?’
‘Yep, that’s how we found you’
Henry frowned and thought about why on earth did he make this tattoo in the first place.
‘We are waiting Henry’ said Alan. He was aware that time was passing away.
‘Does your brother have a contact number?’ said Ryan.
‘Maybe’
‘You don’t know it, right?’
‘Nope’
‘You have became quite predictable, I see’
‘I like being predictable, it makes it easy for others to understand me’
‘I hope so’ said Alan.
‘What’s his name?’ asked Ryan.
‘Whose?’
‘Your brother, the one in UK’
‘Ronald’
‘Ronald Roberts?’
‘Yes’
‘Thank you for the least information you gave us’ said Alan ‘We’ll see’
Alicia was ready, as soon as she heard the name she strolled towards the nearest servers and started connecting the servers to the computers in order to get an ID on this man Ronald Roberts, if this man ever existed.
She entered the name and browsed the whole database while the remaining portion at the end was still loading. She checked all the names starting with an ‘R’ and scrolled it down looking at the pictures and faces. At the end, she narrowed it down to two persons.
Kevin was there too, behind her, checking the pictures and the names in their database.
‘Okay so I got two Ronald Roberts here’ said Alicia after making sure she wasn’t missing out anything.
‘Well...’
‘I don’t know if anyone of these dudes might be his brother’
‘I would prefer the black one as he is himself black’
‘Good idea, still we’ve to be certain about it’
‘One minute’ Kevin asked Alicia to wait and he went inside the interrogation.
‘So you’re back, eh?’ Henry laughed seeing him.
Kevin ignored him and said to Ryan softly. ‘Outside, for a minute’
Ryan and nodded and followed him out.
‘Found something?’ asked Ryan.
‘We did’ said Alicia ‘More than one actually’
Ryan stood behind Alicia and looked at the screen.
‘Ronald Roberts’ Ryan repeated.
‘Yeah, we got two Ronald Roberts here, so which one do you think is our guy?’
‘Not sure’ said Ryan. ‘We got to check on them both. Do we have an ID on them?’
‘Trying to get one’
‘Okay just inform us when you get a hit’ said Ryan and went back to the interrogation.
‘You look quite confident detective’ said Henry as Ryan took his seat.
Ryan stared away promising to himself that his attitude or behaviour would not irritate him.
Ryan poked behind Alan and made a sign with his hand by which Alan understood something .He stood up and very silently said ‘What?’
‘We got something’ he said softly just like Alan did.
Alan nodded.
‘You might wanna come out first’
‘Yes?’ Alan spoke more freely as they came out of the room as the suspect could not see them or hear them.
‘We got two hits’ Ryan informed him.
‘About what?’
‘Ronald Roberts’
‘Is this name valid?’
‘Perhaps’
‘Okay let’s see’ Alan moved towards Alicia, which made her a little uneasy.
Alicia showed him both the names and the pictures as he looked at them and the information available .He could not make out if it was the right man or not.
‘Only two?’ said Alan. ‘Good’
‘So which one do you think is the one?’ asked Ryan.
‘We should check on both of them, I guess’
‘Is he willing to say anything more?’
‘Not really. And what’s the use? He will probably make a story even if he says something. We’re not getting the truth anyway’
‘Do we have a location of the man?’ asked Ryan.
‘No, but I’m trying to track the remaining bio-data and other details, it’s still in process’ replied Alicia.
‘And I don’t think there’s any need to question him again as of now, because I’m sure he’ll not answer anything more. So we better not waste our energy on him’ said Alan.
‘Yeah that douche is just playin’ with us’ said Kevin.
‘That’s what I’m saying’ said Alan in a much calmer tone. ‘He is just playing with us. So if we need any more information about anything, we'd have to find it ourselves, so we should not expect any help from him’
‘But what if both the names are fake?’ asked Ryan. ‘If the name he gave us is not a real name? Then what? More time will get wasted’
‘Yeah it’ll be’ said Alan ‘But we don’t have a choice. We will just have to pursue the leads we have at present, unless we hit a dead end. Anyway, I also noticed something else’
‘What is it?’ Ryan’s voice was eager.
‘I noticed some dark patch in his pants.’
‘Dark patch?’
‘Yeah, looked like some sort of lubricant....’ said Alan and thought for other options. ‘Petrol is also considerable. But I’m sure it got to be some car lubricant’
‘Then maybe he works in a car manufacturing factory?’
‘Or even a garage’
‘But what if’ Alicia started showing other reasons ‘he visited a garage for some reasons and from there somehow he got the stain?’
‘Tell me something’ Alan said softly. ‘But first apply your brains. Why would he visit a car manufacturing company or a garage if he doesn’t have a car himself?’
‘Unless he works there itself’ completed Ryan as Alicia was quiet.
‘True, but how about a bike?’ Kevin said.
‘Bike maybe. But you can get a bike from anywhere’ said Ryan. ‘But we can consider that’
‘Okay, do you wanna wait or take another shot at him?’ asked Kevin.
‘I don’t think it’s worth it’ said Alan. ‘He promised himself for some reason that he’s not gonna say anything true and that’s what he will do anyway.’
‘There must be something going on with him’ said Ryan staring at the computer.
‘With him?’ asked Alicia.
‘Yeah, something is wrong’ he said ‘If you look at the proceedings carefully then you’ll see that there are thousands of things involving Henry which are suspicious’
‘Like what?’ asked Kevin.
‘Like what?’ Ryan repeated making a face as if ‘How can you even say that?’
‘Why did he run away the first time we talked to him’ said Ryan ‘When he understood we’re cops, he tried to escape, and panic? Not a great reason. And you see he’ll not say why or when he was in our Vic’s car’
‘Yes they are some quite suspicious points’ Alan agreed.
‘He must be guilty about something’ said Kevin ‘Maybe murder, maybe something else. We just have to find that out’
‘Whatever it is, we will surely find that out’ said Alan and sat across the computer screen so that he could see from there. The screen showed a buffer sign, it means its loading and the loading was only thirty percent complete.
‘How much more time is needed?’ he asked Alicia.
Alicia kept one of the hands on the mouse moving it sideways. ‘It will not take more than twenty minutes, Mr. Smith’
Kevin gl
anced inside and said ‘Just look at his face.’ He growled. ‘I could just punch him and smack his head against the wall’
‘Anybody would have wanted to do that’ approved Ryan.
‘Be careful, he’s quite strong and he might even be our killer. So you don’t wanna hurt him just like that. We should keep him in one piece.’ Alan declared.
‘Who the fuck cares’ said Kevin and turned his back from to room.
Ryan looked at his watch again and saw it was already 3 pm. ‘Guys anybody hungry here? ‘cause I’m starving’
They soon realised they haven’t ate anything till the bed tea, or a cup of coffee maybe. No breakfast, nothing. Now even the lunch time was over.
‘Who’s up for some food?’ asked Ryan.
‘Uh...I’m in’ said Kevin.
‘All right. I’m famished’ said Alan.
‘Alicia, what about you?’ asked Ryan. ‘You wanna join us?’
‘No, I will pass. I have some food with me’
‘Okay then, just give me a message when you get the location’ said Ryan.
Alicia nodded.
‘Let’s go’ said Kevin and reached for the half open elevator door.
NINETEEN
As they stepped outside some dry winds and an unimaginable heat greeted them. People walking in the streets had handkerchief over their mouths to save themselves from the dusty hot winds and the germs that were in it.
They quickly wore their shades, which helped to reflect the light and protect their eyes.
‘Terrible heat’ said Kevin.
Ryan took his car and drove it to the East 20th street. The road was clear and it was near the department so it didn’t take much time.
‘Gramercy Tavern? It’s a luxurious restaurant’ said Alan. ‘You could have chosen something less specious’
‘There’s not much restaurant near here’ said Ryan.
They entered the restaurant and the first thing that they felt relieved about was that the AC was on and it was cool. They even considered at that moment, not coming out ever again.
There were also delicious dishes all around with smells that were enchanting.
They took the corner table near the window and sat down. They chose it because it was near to the door and they could certainly rush outside if they need to. The other people stared at them awkwardly as they were in their suits and normal people thought they must be some agents.
