Chapter Fifty

Come see a living, breathing spectacle

Only seen right here.

It's your last chance in this life time

The line forms at the rear

You will not believe your eyes

Your eyes will not believe your ears.

Bon Jovi – Last Man Standing

The woman in front of us was jittery; her eyes darted to either side of the interview room, before settling on me. Her clothes were mismatched; she had the distinct look of someone with problems.

"Tell Detective Devine, what you told me Sheila." Don said standing against the wall behind me. Her eyes were on me, wide, unblinking, staring. I fought the urge to step back. I had a short resistance when it came to crazy people.

"I saw him; he had the towers, yea the towers. He went to the wolf and walked right past. I couldn't do that…" she shook her head, her eyes pleading.

"I wouldn't walk past the wolf…he walked down the rainbow road. The towers, he took them. The tiger chased him and the apples they were all over the floor rolling. Then the pixies…they grabbed him, hurled him in their chariot. He didn't want to go…Na Huh." I stared at her uneasy. I closed my eyes for a brief second, feeling a head ache coming on. I felt up a hand to Sheila to stop her ramble.

"Sheila can you excuse me and Detective Flack for a second?" I asked politely. Sheila nodded before her eyes darted around the room. She seemed partially interested in the mirror.

Once outside I rounded on Don, seething I turned to him hands on my hips, I was raging.

"Did you just pull a random crazy person off the street?" I bellowed at him.

"She came to us." Flack said bringing himself up to his full height. I may have found this intimidating if I was less angry.

"Have you got her file?" I questioned. Flack crossed his arms over his chest. The look on his face was like that of an adult trying to sooth a child.

"I sent for it, it's probably on my desk."

"Go get it." I seethed. Don held his hands up.

"Whoa princess, this isn't the end of the world, you still have the evidence." I ground my teeth as he said this, knowing he wasn't getting the whole extent of Danny being in the wind.

"The evidence could be compromised because Danny has pissed off to who knows where. A jury could throw that back in our faces. They'll say the chain of evidence has been compromised." Don grabbed my arms gently in his hands and met my furious gaze head on. His eyes were patient and firm, dampening my anger a little bit. He knew I was overloading.

"Calm down, deal with one thing at a time. Lindsey's got Danny's evidence, she's processing it as we speak, I will go get the file, and then we'll figure out what to do." His words were calm, I nodded wearily. With that he retreated down the corridor giving me five minutes to cool off and pull myself together.

-----

I flicked through the file with interest, while Flack went to get Sheila a cup of tea. She was looking at a few mug shots in the room next door. I put the file down watching her through the one way glass with vague interest. After Flack gave Sheila the tea, he returned to me on the other side of the glass, striding right up to the window focusing on her.

"So what are we going to do?" he asked eyes on Sheila. I bowed my head knowing that he wasn't going to like my suggestion.

"Take her statement." He turned towards me, face in a look of disbelief. I didn't look at him. I pushed the file towards him.

"You're kidding me? The woman's six sandwiches short of a picnic basket. She can't help with the investigation." He argued.

I raised my eyes to his, fighting his scepticism with reason.

"She has a mental illness, she can't decipher fiction from reality, but she knows what she sees. She's more respondent to images than words." Flack watched me silently as I tried to explain. I pulled out my evidence.

"Lieutenant Horatio Caine had a case similar to this one in Miami. A man with the same illness called Eugene Roberts, witnessed a murder, at the time he kept saying Cobalt did it, they searched everywhere for evidence of this man named Cobalt, it actually turned out, that Cobalt was the make of shoes that the killer was wearing. Eugene had been at eye level with the killer's shoes. She's the same Flack. It's all about interpreting the evidence." I explained. Flack looked at me with an expression I couldn't read.

"If this comes to nothing your not gonna freak out or anything?" he asked me. I shook my head giving him a salute.

"Scout's honour." He eyed me seriously. I bit my lip.

"We'll give it a shot. If nothing comes of it you owe me princess." He told me. I let out a deep breath I'd been holding.

"Right now it's our best shot, I'm gonna go check on Lindsey, see if we can piece anymore of the puzzle together. Trace where the drugs came from." Flack studied me for a minute.

"Promise me you're not going to go running off on your own with this heroin thing, dealers are ruthless Carmen, they won't think twice before icing a cop." He warned me. I rolled my eyes.

"You act like I've never been a cop before."

"I know you." He said pointedly. I bowed my head at the remark, he knew me a little too well.

"Come get me when you get the statement and we'll go on a treasure hunt." I said changing the subject. Acknowledging this Flack nodded before returning to the mirrored room.