The Interrogation room

2009-05-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

"I'm telling you, man, I didn't do it, I didn't do it!" He was desperately trying to hide the fear in his voice, but to no avail. His hands were trembling. His body was sweating. Pepe Nicco was on the verge of breaking down. He was innocent, and
yet he felt so guilty.

Can you really blame him? Who wouldn't be? Sitting there in the cold steel room was one thing, but he could deal with that. The bright lights? Those he could deal with too. Truth be told, Pepe probably could have dealt with the fact that he was staring at a lifetime in prison, and maybe even facing the death penalty, what put chills down his spine, was Inspector Garlson.

He couldn't make him out in the bright lights, but the voice was scary enough. It sounded like Anthony Perkins, with a slight touch of psychosis.
"We have the knife with your prints. We have witnesses placing you in the house with her at the time of death. In short Mr. Nicco, we have everything we need,"

Outside, the storm became stronger. Water began to drip from the old station's ceilings. Pepe gazed up at the dark figure, looming over him like a hawk stalking it's prey. Garlson was something of a notorious figure in their small town. He handled his suspects coldly and without mercy. Something Pepe wouldn't normally have a problem with, but Garlson was clearly insane. Far too many men had walked out of this very interrogation room with serious, occasionally life threatening injuries. It was clearly impossible that all of them had "Fallen", or "Tripped".
"Are you gonna answer me? Or just stare off like some damn retard?"

Pepe couldn't think of anything else to say. As if Garlson wasn't bad enough, the dripping water from the ceiling was starting to get to him.
"Look, I told you," He was nearly gagging on the words, "The husband came home, found us in bed, and he started beating her, I swear he must've killed her,"

"Right, and he left you alive so he could frame you," He paused a moment, "I don't suppose you could tell me what this guy looked like?"
"He was big, tall...I don't know, it was dark,"
"Oh, of course, it was dark," Garlson's massive figure leaned across the table, and met him eye to eye, "Do you know what I did to the last guy that used that line on me?"
'He could kill me now and say I attacked him,' He thought, 'And he would too, he's that crazy,'

The sweat poured down Pepe's face, and that dripping, For gods sake the dripping was driving him mad. Garlson moved in closer on him, so close Pepe could feel his breath. He had reached his breaking point. He couldn't take it anymore.
"FOR CHRIST SAKE I SWEAR I DIDN'T KILL HER!!!" He screamed. Within seconds the deputy burst through the door.

"Is everything okay?"

Garlson broke eye contact with Pepe for the first time since he walked into the interrogation room.

"It's fine...everything's fine,"
The deputy let out a sigh of relief.

"Is this the guy who killed your wife?" He asked.
"Yea, this is the guy," Pepe glared from across the table in astonishment.
"It was you," He whispered.

An evil smile came across Garlson's face.
"Take him away, will ya?"

(rewrite of clay's original)

Scifi sunday with the Hipriestess

The Interrogation room