Silent Talk

Detective: Near silence, all I can here in the interview room is the clock ticking and the soft breathing of the two of us. She won’t talk, I try and coax anything out of her but, there’s nothing, not even a nod or a sign she can hear me.

Suspect: He’s just sitting there, staring, waiting for me to acknowledge his existence, waiting for me to talk. I know that I won’t, not because I’m guilty of a crime or scared, but because my memories blank, I can’t remember anything from that night. I can’t tell him that, he’ll think I’m lying, dad always said that it’s better for everyone if you keep your mouth shut.

Detective: I know she wants to tell me something, maybe she just doesn’t know how to start. Maybe I should just recite the facts of what went down last night; I know that most of the evidence is circumstantial. If she could just talk, Murphy’s alibi would crumble and the case would pretty much be closed. Ok here it goes.................

Suspect: The detective clears his throat, he looks nervous, like his whole career is riding on what I’m supposed to know. The detective begins to talk in a low firm voice “Now” he says “We know that you were at Crawford Plaza, during the hours of three and six AM. As seen on the CCTV of a corner shop. During the same time you were at Crawford Plaza, a robbery at the Abbey National Bank was taking place. The robbers got away with $25.3 million dollars. We already know that one of the robbers is Stewart Murphy”.

Detective: She looked up at me genuinely shocked at the crime and the amount that had been stolen. Maybe she really has nothing to do with the robbery, but she has to know something. After all her father was a friend of Murphy’s and after his death she and Murphy were spending a lot of time together.

Suspect: $25.3 million dollars, stolen from the Abbey, I can’t believe it. Suddenly all the memories are coming back. That night; I remember everything! Murphy had told me to keep away from the city area. That’s when I knew that Murph was up to something. After dad died he promised me that he would stop doing ‘side jobs’ because he felt responsible for me. I followed him; he spotted me and started yelling at me to leave. I told him that I wouldn’t, he knew how stubborn I am so he put his hand over my mouth and nose and that’s all I can remember, well that and waking up in a cell.

Detective: Three hours in and she’s still not talking, what if I put forward a deal. “Ok Miss Aberdeen, I’ll cut you a deal. We will overlook any of your involvement in the robbery if you give us the hiding place of your man, Murphy”.

Suspect: I knew it! He still thinks that I’m a suspect, and now he puts the deal forward. Perhaps I should tell him everything I remember.

Detective: Finally, it speaks! She starts talking, and for the first time I here her voice. It’s sweet and filled with honesty. She tells me that at first she actually couldn’t remember anything, but something I said triggered a memory. She says that she doesn’t need the “deal” and that the only way she’ll tell us where Murphy’s hiding is if he goes down for 2 years on good behaviour bond. The deal sounds fair. So I take it, and she tells me where Murphy’s hiding.

Suspect: Surprisingly he listens to me and takes the deal.............................
A happy ending.