Chapter 9

Sitting in the interrogation room, Terry Jennings remains calm, his eyes distant behind his glasses. Jim sits opposite, quietly studying him, thinking about how to get the principle, whom has a reputation for being strict and stubborn, to talk.

"Shall we begin detective?" Jennings asks, tiredly.

"Where were you the night before last?"

"Let's just cut the crap," Terry heavily sighs, "yes, I killed Matthew Davies."

"What about Jenny Dawson? Are you going to come clean about that too?"

"Look, I can explain," Jennings leans forward, almost pleading to Jim.

"I'm listening," Jim replies casually.

"A few weeks ago, my wife left me for some rich banker. I turned to alcohol for comfort; I know I shouldn't have, but I did. Anyway, one night I got pretty legless at this place on the beach, and well, I wasn't thinking straight nor could I see straight. On the way home, I ran into Jenny, we got talking and she knew how drunk I was… she tried to get away, but I was drunk and so…so stupid."

"You tried to rape her?" Jim asks him.

He nods and begins to weep.

"I was stupid, I would never have done it I swear," he sobs, "if I could go back and stop myself, I would. She kicked me and I let go."

"And Matthew found out?"

"I was driving past the theatre, just checking what was on, and I saw him. He marched up to my car and confronted me, but I drove away, hoping that that would be the last of it. After that, I had a drink and went for a walk on the beach, it was deserted that at that time of night. He'd followed me and confronted me again, telling me what I'd done was evil and that I would pay for what he had done. Then, he took a swing at me, the stick…I didn't mean to hit him so hard with it. I just meant to scare him off."

"The blow was accidental?"

"Yeah, I know, you probably hear that a lot in here," Terry almost smiles, "I'm not proud of what I did, and I never meant to hurt him or Jenny. I was so ashamed that I would have come forward to claim responsibility for Matthew's death."

I was so angry after Jenny told me, I just wanted to kill that man. He'd abused her, just like my dad did to my mum. I'm glad that I tried to punch him, he's gonna get everything that's coming to him! In a way, I guess, I didn't die in vain; Jenny's now getting help for what happened. In a way, my death helped her.

Jim looks at the man, seeing the remorse in his eyes and his hands shaking.

"What happens now?"

"I need to take you down to booking," Jim replies, "stand up, hands behind your back."

Obediently, he stands and puts his hands behind him. Quickly, he is handcuffed and Jim leads him down to booking. One of the six cells has already been prepared, now all Jim has to do is fill out paperwork.

"How long?" Jennings asks from behind the wire wall.

"Huh?"

"How long will I be inside?"

"That's not for me to decide," Jim tells him honestly.

"From previous experience then, I just need to know."

"Life," Jim says, "you'll probably be in for life."

Terry reverses and sits on the creaky camping bed in the corner of the cell, "Oh."

The detective didn't want to say it, but at least it would give him some piece of mind.

"Nine years I was head of the school, nine years," Jennings reminisces, "I was all set to retire in a few more years, enjoy walks on the beach with my wife, golf maybe. Now look at me," he begins to pick at his fingernails, "and one mistake got me hear. If I hadn't have gone out that night, I wouldn't have seen Jenny, and everything would be okay. A boy is dead because of me."

Unable to take much more, Jim quickly signs the last form and leaves the inmate alone in the holding cells. Just one night for him in there, then he would be going off into one of the countless jails Florida has to offer. Besides, he cannot linger on that now, he has a memorial to get to.

There's a light now, it's drawing me towards it. Ha, it sounds like that 'Rocky Horror' song… I guess it's finally time to leave. I'll see mum one day and everyone else who I have loved and lost. I can leave…