As far as crimes go, it wasn’t one for the ages. Although it ended up on Detective Ages’ desk… so I guess it was. Soon, he was seated across from a young female in the interrogation room. He’d wanted the room with the two-way mirror but that one was already occupied. Nobody would be on the other side of the mirror either way, but he felt just the fact there could be someone watching made the suspects more uneasy.
He liked them uneasy. That’s why he called it an interrogation room and not an interview room. He wasn’t looking to hire her.
The girl was in her late teens. Blonde, slim, probably quite popular at her high school. She was accused of attempting to steal a body from the morgue. Another teenager from a few counties away. Drowned in a boating accident. Tragic stuff.
Why she would want to steal this body was what he needed to find out.
He straightened his tie and slowly, dramatically opened the folder in front of him.
It worked. She began to tell him everything. “Just imagine how fast she would have spilled the beans if we were in the interview room. I probably wouldn’t have had to straighten my tie,” he thought to himself.
“It’s my parents’ fault. They wouldn’t let me have a pool party,” she said as if it were an open and closed case. Before he went and arrested them, Detective Ages thought he’d ask a follow up question.
“Why?”
Clearly, she was not prepared for such a grilling. It took her a moment to compose herself. “Because for three years, they wouldn’t let me invite my friends over to swim. They were scared of the liability. They were worried someone would drown. They’re so stupid.”
The detective gave his best “I see” face and prodded her to continue.
“So they finally agreed to let me have a pool party.”
“I thought you said they didn’t allow you to have a pool party,” he countered.
“No, they did now. Just for the past three years they didn’t.”
Once again the “I see” face made an appearance. She continued without prodding.
“So I was mad and wanted to get back at them. I was going to make it look like someone drowned at my party.”
The “I see” face was nowhere to be found. I’m guessing not even on your face. Detective Ages made a face very similar to the one you no doubt just made.
“How would that… why... would you….” was all he could get out.
“Duh,” she said. Said like it explained everything and only a dolt of the highest magnitude would have any further questions.
Detective Ages closed the folder. Slowly but with significantly less drama. Bingo. She kept talking.
“I didn’t want to steal a corpse. I didn’t, I swear!” She broke down and started crying. “It’s just the kid next door, the one I’d planned on drowning at the party, wasn’t going to be home. He was going to be away this weekend. I needed a body! Can’t you see that?” She then proceeded to drop her head on the table with a dull thud. Spent.
Detective Ages reached down to once again open the folder. Dramatically. Very dramatically.
So very dramatically.
It was really a shame they weren’t in the other interrogation room and a double damn shame that someone else from the department wasn’t behind the glass to see it.
It was easily the most dramatic opening of a folder that had ever taken place in the station.
And not a single eye would see it.
Wasted.
Lost forever.