INSOMNIAC: ALAN SMITH #2 (Alan Smith series) (16 page)

‘Oh, right right ’ Alan said smiling in a unique style. ‘Tell me, does she have any problems about me?’

‘I don’t know really’ Ryan scratched his head trying to find an answer that would not make Alan feel offended. ‘Alicia thought maybe changing the leader of the squad might affect the balance or the flow of the ongoing case .Well you don’t have to worry about that’

‘Nothing to worry about’ he said not at all offended. ‘Anyone in her place would have thought the same’

Kevin again shouted at Henry saying something and Ryan and Alan turned their attention to the interrogation.

‘How many lies are you gonna tell us?’ Kevin said

‘Uh...’ Alan said this more to himself hearing everything. ‘That’s not going to work’

‘Right’ said Ryan and stared inside.

Alicia tried changing the topic in a formal tone. ‘Okay tell us Henry where were you between 3 to 4 am Monday morning?’

‘I was in my house, I think. Where else should I be in that time?’

‘But that’s unnatural’

‘What?’

‘You just said you don’t own a house.’

‘Right right right...’ he smiled at his own stupidity. ‘Of course I don’t own one. I mean in a hotel. Oh...I have such a bad memory...I keep forgetting things’

‘That’s funny’ said Alicia ‘I thought you had a good memory’

‘Did I say that? I don’t remember’

‘So where were you Monday morning at that time?’ Kevin understood they were drifting away from the main question.

‘In a hotel’

‘Are you sure about it?’

‘No....maybe yes?’

Ryan after hearing the conversation for a few more minutes asked Alan. ‘Either he’s mad or he’s the killer. Or else whatever he’s saying is true’

‘I don’t think he’s mad’ said Alan. ‘Killer? Probably not. He’s saying everything true....nah I will not buy that’

‘Then?’

‘There is something else going on here....maybe...he doesn’t wanna expose himself. That’s why he’s lying about everything’

‘Expose himself?’

‘I don’t know. Just look at him .He’s all okay and good; only thing is that he’s lying. There is definitely something going on’

‘Then?’

‘He’s hiding something beneath his black face. He fears...fears that something bigger might come out and that might end his life, perhaps’

‘Like killing someone?’

‘Maybe’

‘I see...’

‘But he doesn’t look like a guy who is capable of killing someone.’

‘Yeah...his character is a little too cartoonish.’ Ryan shook his head. ‘I can’t imagine him killing someone’

‘And I don’t think they will be able to get anything out of him’

‘Too tough he is’

‘Just remember, they both are also tough on him’

‘They should be a little soft right?’

‘Maybe .But I’m not sure if that’s gonna work either’

‘Hmm’ Ryan looked down at his watch. It showed 2:40.

He felt a little impatient. ‘A lot of time is getting wasted like this’

‘Yes and without any positive results’

‘That’s our main problem’

‘But I can tell that he is not a clean man.’

‘You think so?’

‘Yes’

They resumed their gaze inside. More questions followed, but it was of no use. Henry dodged everything that came in his way .Alicia and Kevin tried new ways, counter attacked him , still getting the same results. But they could not make Henry speak out the truth. He stuck with the same kind of answers. ‘I don’t know’, ‘I don’t remember’ he said these things over and over again.

He sometimes smiled or laughed, which they knew were all forced .While the other times he remained serious and cautious about what he says and worried...but at the end, he was actually enjoying the interview.

He cracked jokes making Alicia, Kevin more irritated, and when they understood that their suspect was just playing with them and was not going to say anything at all, they stood up, gave cold stare at him for the last time and went out.

‘Now what?’ asked Ryan as they both came out and sat on the chairs staring at their suspect who was just lazily scanning around the room.

‘He ain’t gonna talk’ Kevin said, tired.

‘But he knows something, maybe everything’ Alicia said this more to herself.

Alicia was trying to think of new ways about how to make him say the truth.

‘I’m telling you he’s the killer. Or else he would have said what he knows by now’ Kevin snapped.

‘You’re right’ said Alicia ‘He must have done something wrong. That’s why he is not willing to talk to us about it as it might come out’

‘What is it?’

‘We don’t know that’

‘And you heard what he said when we asked him why he ran, he said he panicked. Now that isn’t very convincing is it?’

‘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 can’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.