The Statement
“I never said she took my money.”
Detective Harvey gently closed the door behind him as he entered the cramped, dimly lit room. He placed a manila folder and a notepad on the polished steel table and flipped a switch on the lamp that sat to the left. The bulb flickered to life and illuminated the uninterested expression of the woman sitting on the opposite side of the table. She winced and raised her arm to shield her eyes.
“Oh, sorry about that,” he mumbled as he adjusted the lamp and sat down. “This is not an interrogation, Miss Caldwell. We brought you here to get your statement about the events this past weekend as you remember them. With your cooperation we should be able to clear up some things and move forward with the investigation.”
“I never said she took my money.”
“Yes, I heard you the first time, Miss Caldwell, but we’re going to need more information than that I’m afraid. Now, if you could simply walk us through what happened; starting at the beginning.”
He retrieved a fountain pen from the breast pocket of his coat and removed the cap. Flipping his notepad to a clean page, he made a note of the date and time and waited for her to begin.
“I never said she took my money.”
“Miss Caldwell, you are not on trial. As I said before, all we want is a statement. A timeline from your perspective. No one is accusing you of anything here. We are just trying to get the story from all angles. Each witness is giving an account to help us bring the guilty party to justice.”
“I never said she took my money.”
Detective Harvey looked up from the notepad.
“Are you implying that there was an accomplice? The case so far has been progressing on the assumption that she was working alone. If there was someone else involved we’ll have to rethink our entire strategy. There are prints to analyze and eyewitness accounts to revisit. Was the person in question male or female?”
“I never said she took my money.”
The detective scowled and crossed his arms, leaning back against the chair.
“So, now no theft? Do you mean to say that she was given the money? That we’re wasting our time making a case when there isn’t one? What was it then? Payment? A gift? A loan? If that is the case, what are we doing here, Miss Caldwell?”
“I never said she took my money.”
Detective Harvey sighed heavily and massaged his temples with the thumb and middle finger of his left hand. His right hand closed into a tight fist around his fountain pen with such intensity that it caused the muscles in his arm to spasm.
“So it was her and it was theft but the stolen money was not yours? Were you holding it for someone? A relative? A friend? An employer? A baboon? Did she even take money from you or were you just a witness to everyone else being robbed? Were you in on the whole scenario? What exactly is the story here?!”
“I never said she took my money.”
The fountain pen hit the wall with a resounding crack and ink exploded from the reservoir in a dark surge that looked like liquid obsidian. The detective leapt to his feet, knocking his chair across the floor with a screech. He leaned across the table, gripping the edges white-knuckled to refrain from physical violence. Veins bulged in his neck and forehead and his skin turned crimson. Spittle flew from his lips, making Miss Caldwell flinch and turn away as he yelled mere inches from her face.
“I NEVER SAID SHE TOOK MY MONEY! I NEVER SAID SHE TOOK MY MONEY! I NEVER SAID SHE TOOK MY MONEY! I NEVER SAID SHE TOOK MY MONEY! I NEVER SAID SHE TOOK MY MONEY! I NEVER SAID SHE TOOK MY MONEY! I NEVER SAID SHE TOOK MY MONEY!”
Detective Harvey swatted at the folder and the notepad on the table, sending papers and photographs fluttering about the room. He threw the lamp into the corner, shattering the bulb, then trudged over to the door and flung it open with a bang against the wall and marched out still screaming Miss Caldwell’s statement.
Miss Caldwell remained in her seat in a flurry of papers and evidence as the ink dripped down the wall and the light socket popped and fizzed with electric current.
“I never said she took my money.”
