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Authors: Paul Neilan
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withered and seasoned and tenderized the next morning.
Detective Sikes must have given some hand signal that I missed, because the lights had gotten noticeably brighter and the room was fucking roasting. I didn’t say anything though. I was nonchalant as always. But I could feel the sweat on my neck.
“How well did you know Marlene Burton?”
“I told you. I talked to her a few times in the office during my appointments. That was it.”
“What kind of relationship did you have with her?”
“We were friends, I guess.”
“So you’re admitting you had a relationship with her.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Did you see her last night?”
“No.”
“Where were you last night?”
“I told you. At a bar.”
“What bar?”
“This bar by my house. They have happy hour from seven to ten in the morning.”
“I’m talking about last night, not yesterday morning.”
“I know. I was just telling you.”
“Why don’t you stick to answering the questions I ask you.”
“Okay.”
“What’s the name of the bar?”
“Sooj,” I said.
“The bar is called Sooj?”
“No, Sooj is the owner.”
“I’m going to ask you one more time,” and he folded his hands on the table, clenching his fingers so the blood rushed to the tips. “What is the name of the bar?”
“I’m not sure,” I said.
“You’re not sure,” he repeated, then opened his manila folder and wrote something down. “So you allegedly spent all night in this bar while a girl you had an intimate relationship with died, and you don’t even know the name of the place?”
I had to admit, it did seem a bit suspicious.
“We weren’t intimate. I just knew her.”
He opened the folder again and wrote something else. Then he flipped through some papers and pretended to read them. I knew he was doing it just to rattle me, and it was kind of working.
“How long have you lived around here?”
“About four months.”
“Where were you before that?”
“Moving around mostly.”
“Moving around mostly,” he repeated. “You have proof of residence from these other places you lived?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I ride the bus.”
“You ride the bus,” he repeated. It was pissing me off. “You ever have one of your other girlfriends disappear on you right before you left town?”
And there it was. “Pin it on a drifter,” Brooks mouthed beneath his mustache, fogging the tinted window. The Chief was already picking out his tie for the press conference. By the time they were finished they’d have me convicted of every unsolved murder in the country since 1994. The victims’ families would finally find closure. Sikes and Brooks would get promotions. The Chief would be governor. The sacrifice of one man for the salvation of so many would be justified. It would be right. I was like Jesus after all.
“She wasn’t my girlfriend,” I said, whining like I was in fourth grade. “Why are you asking me all these questions? You should be talking to her husband. He’s probably the one who did it.”
“Did what?” Sikes said innocently, enjoying himself.
“He hits her,” I said, and that made me feel like a coward all over again only worse, because I was running to tell the teacher about a bully instead of taking care of it myself.
“What makes you say that?”
“She had a black eye last weekend. She called me and said she needed help. I met her on the waterfront.”
“I thought you hadn’t seen her since your last dentist appointment?” He looked down at his notes. “ ‘A month ago, maybe longer,’ you said.”
Fuck.
Chapter 4
In a lifetime full of humiliations, great and small, getting to that insurance company every morning was by far the most wounding.
I couldn’t ride with Gwen because she said it wouldn’t look professional. I think she was ashamed of me being just a temp. It was better this way. I couldn’t stomach talking to her sober anyway, especially not in the morning. Riding the bus was
Detective Sikes must have given some hand signal that I missed, because the lights had gotten noticeably brighter and the room was fucking roasting. I didn’t say anything though. I was nonchalant as always. But I could feel the sweat on my neck.
“How well did you know Marlene Burton?”
“I told you. I talked to her a few times in the office during my appointments. That was it.”
“What kind of relationship did you have with her?”
“We were friends, I guess.”
“So you’re admitting you had a relationship with her.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Did you see her last night?”
“No.”
“Where were you last night?”
“I told you. At a bar.”
“What bar?”
“This bar by my house. They have happy hour from seven to ten in the morning.”
“I’m talking about last night, not yesterday morning.”
“I know. I was just telling you.”
“Why don’t you stick to answering the questions I ask you.”
“Okay.”
“What’s the name of the bar?”
“Sooj,” I said.
“The bar is called Sooj?”
“No, Sooj is the owner.”
“I’m going to ask you one more time,” and he folded his hands on the table, clenching his fingers so the blood rushed to the tips. “What is the name of the bar?”
“I’m not sure,” I said.
“You’re not sure,” he repeated, then opened his manila folder and wrote something down. “So you allegedly spent all night in this bar while a girl you had an intimate relationship with died, and you don’t even know the name of the place?”
I had to admit, it did seem a bit suspicious.
“We weren’t intimate. I just knew her.”
He opened the folder again and wrote something else. Then he flipped through some papers and pretended to read them. I knew he was doing it just to rattle me, and it was kind of working.
“How long have you lived around here?”
“About four months.”
“Where were you before that?”
“Moving around mostly.”
“Moving around mostly,” he repeated. “You have proof of residence from these other places you lived?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I ride the bus.”
“You ride the bus,” he repeated. It was pissing me off. “You ever have one of your other girlfriends disappear on you right before you left town?”
And there it was. “Pin it on a drifter,” Brooks mouthed beneath his mustache, fogging the tinted window. The Chief was already picking out his tie for the press conference. By the time they were finished they’d have me convicted of every unsolved murder in the country since 1994. The victims’ families would finally find closure. Sikes and Brooks would get promotions. The Chief would be governor. The sacrifice of one man for the salvation of so many would be justified. It would be right. I was like Jesus after all.
“She wasn’t my girlfriend,” I said, whining like I was in fourth grade. “Why are you asking me all these questions? You should be talking to her husband. He’s probably the one who did it.”
“Did what?” Sikes said innocently, enjoying himself.
“He hits her,” I said, and that made me feel like a coward all over again only worse, because I was running to tell the teacher about a bully instead of taking care of it myself.
“What makes you say that?”
“She had a black eye last weekend. She called me and said she needed help. I met her on the waterfront.”
“I thought you hadn’t seen her since your last dentist appointment?” He looked down at his notes. “ ‘A month ago, maybe longer,’ you said.”
Fuck.
Chapter 4
In a lifetime full of humiliations, great and small, getting to that insurance company every morning was by far the most wounding.
I couldn’t ride with Gwen because she said it wouldn’t look professional. I think she was ashamed of me being just a temp. It was better this way. I couldn’t stomach talking to her sober anyway, especially not in the morning. Riding the bus was
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