CHAPTER FIVE (R)
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Jim stepped into the room, greeting Gil with a nod. "Okay, so Jenna Micheals is in there now with her lawyer." Jim stepped up to the one-way mirror and peered in. "Looks scared." His voice was monotonous, but his evil smirk won a small smile from the supervisor. "Ah, there's Catherine." He said, heading for the door. He glanced back at Gil and a questioning look washed over his face. "You okay?"
Gil glanced at Jim briefly and then back at Catherine who was sitting in front of the suspect. His eyes travelled her form, and he winced inwardly, remembering the feel of her heated hand against his cheek. He gave Jim a look, which prompted the Captain to leave the interrogation for the suspect.
Jim stepped in and took a seat beside Catherine. "Miss Micheals, your bank activity seems rather busy lately - care to explain?"
Jenna glanced at her lawyer then back at Jim. "It was a present, from Zach." She stated plainly.
Catherine's eyes travelled down to the woman's hands. She cocked her head to the side, observing the way she clutched her leather purse that was resting on the table.
"A two hundred thousand dollar present?" Jim asked sarcastically. He paused, opting for a new tactic. "Now Miss Micheals, are you familiar with aphrodisiacs?"
Jenna looked at her lawyer who only shrugged. "A few, yes. Zachary and I never had problems in bed." She stated, lips drawn tightly into a tense smile.
"Have you ever shopped at Bad Attitude Boutique?" Jim asked, knowing her answer beforehand.
"Of course not!" Jenna's grip on her purse tightened, and Catherine's eyes still stayed locked.
Jim raised his eyebrows, dangling a photocopied receipt in front of her. He smiled when the lawyer snatched it out of his hands. "That is your credit card number and signature, is it not?" Jim smiled when silence filled the interrogation room. "Now that's the kind of answer I like to hear."
"So, she bought almond oil - so what!" Her lawyer butted in. He leaned on the table. "Last time I checked, wanting to spice up your sex life wasn't a crime."
"Well now, that depends whether murder gets you off, now doesn't it?" Catherine muttered. "Miss Micheals, can I see your ring?"
Jenna glanced at Catherine uneasily. "Okay." She held out her left hand, wiggling her fingers slightly. "My engagement ring - Zach gave it to me." There was no emotion in her voice.
"What happened to your fingers?" Catherine asked, gently turning over the suspect's hand.
"It's just a rash." Jenna retracted her hand close to her body.
"What do you think, Jim?" Catherine asked sweetly.
"Oh, I think that it's very easy to purchase cyanide over the internet, mix it with some almond oil and then somehow get your future fiancé to ingest it." Jim shrugged. "But that's just me."
Jenna's lawyer shook his head with a laugh. "Compelling story, Captain Brass. The only hard evidence you have is almond oil, and even at that it's not very incriminating. Half the population can buy almond oil for one reason or the other."
"Yes, but it's -this-," he pointed at Jenna, "population that used it for murder."
"You see, Miss Micheals thought things out very well. She took into consideration of the low percentage of people who can actually smell cyanide. So by mixing the poison, which I'm guessing to have been in powder form - easily soluble and the almond oil, she was able to guarantee that if Zachary had been able to detect cyanide, he would mistaken it for the bitter aroma of almonds." Catherine got up and walked to the mirror. Turning, she leaned against it, folding her arms across her chest.
"So, what was your relation to Sasha Lover?" Jim asked, now taking Catherine's seat.
***
Gil stood in the room, his eyes glued to her back. He pressed his hand against the cool surface, letting his finger tips dance against the glass where her hair fell to her shoulders. His fingers still tingled from feeling her curls and he longed to hold her body against his. His hand streaked down the glass, stopping at the small of her back, where he kept it there, trying to draw energy through the surface.
***
Catherine straightened slightly, shivers running down her spine. Her breathing quickened and the noise in the room dulled, as she turned around slightly, staring into the mirror. Her eyes seemed to search her face, but her mind saw behind the glass - she knew he was there, she could feel his aura clash with hers. Catherine blinked a couple of times, and took a couple of steps backwards. She turned around, catching the suspect's last statement.
" . . . he thought he was so clever, getting away with having an affair. But I knew." She let out a chuckle. "I could smell her on him . . ."
"And what? You liked what you smelt?" Jim looked her in the eye.
Jenna leaned back in her chair, surprised at the captain's observation. "I met her and . . . we hit it off."
"And then you put out a hit for Zachary - to get him out of the way?"
"We loved each other - Zach was always meddling." Jenna shook her head. "The money was just an added bonus - lucky bastard didn't believe in the bank system."
"So, you and Sasha conspire to kill your fiance and then what, run off together?" Jim's sarcasm melted off his tongue. "Whatever twisted fairy tale suits your fancy."
Jenna sighed. "If only she had applied the oil properly, she wouldn't have had a rash."
Catherine motioned to her fingers. "And neither would you." She looked at the suspect. "You were there, watching him as he convulsed, as the cyanide infiltrated his system." She let out a sadden breath of air. "You even taped it."
"We pulled your fingerprint off the lens." Jim muttered, before signalling the guard. "Oh, and put out an APB for Sasha Lover," he turned to Jenna, "maybe you two can get neighbouring cells."
Catherine and Jim watched the officer escort Jenna Micheals out of the interrogation room, followed by her lawyer who merely shook his head. Catherine sat down on the chair and fiddled with her fingers. "The things people do for love." She glanced back at the window and rushed towards the door. Opening it, she glanced inside - only to be greeted by a silent, void space. She sighed, letting it close behind her. Walking up to the glass, she looked into the interrogation room, knowing that he had been here moments before. She placed her hand against the surface, feeling a slight warmth in certain areas. She pressed her palms together, allowing her forehead to lean against the cool glass.
She opened the door and stood in the hall, contemplating her next move.
–TBC–
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Jim stepped into the room, greeting Gil with a nod. "Okay, so Jenna Micheals is in there now with her lawyer." Jim stepped up to the one-way mirror and peered in. "Looks scared." His voice was monotonous, but his evil smirk won a small smile from the supervisor. "Ah, there's Catherine." He said, heading for the door. He glanced back at Gil and a questioning look washed over his face. "You okay?"
Gil glanced at Jim briefly and then back at Catherine who was sitting in front of the suspect. His eyes travelled her form, and he winced inwardly, remembering the feel of her heated hand against his cheek. He gave Jim a look, which prompted the Captain to leave the interrogation for the suspect.
Jim stepped in and took a seat beside Catherine. "Miss Micheals, your bank activity seems rather busy lately - care to explain?"
Jenna glanced at her lawyer then back at Jim. "It was a present, from Zach." She stated plainly.
Catherine's eyes travelled down to the woman's hands. She cocked her head to the side, observing the way she clutched her leather purse that was resting on the table.
"A two hundred thousand dollar present?" Jim asked sarcastically. He paused, opting for a new tactic. "Now Miss Micheals, are you familiar with aphrodisiacs?"
Jenna looked at her lawyer who only shrugged. "A few, yes. Zachary and I never had problems in bed." She stated, lips drawn tightly into a tense smile.
"Have you ever shopped at Bad Attitude Boutique?" Jim asked, knowing her answer beforehand.
"Of course not!" Jenna's grip on her purse tightened, and Catherine's eyes still stayed locked.
Jim raised his eyebrows, dangling a photocopied receipt in front of her. He smiled when the lawyer snatched it out of his hands. "That is your credit card number and signature, is it not?" Jim smiled when silence filled the interrogation room. "Now that's the kind of answer I like to hear."
"So, she bought almond oil - so what!" Her lawyer butted in. He leaned on the table. "Last time I checked, wanting to spice up your sex life wasn't a crime."
"Well now, that depends whether murder gets you off, now doesn't it?" Catherine muttered. "Miss Micheals, can I see your ring?"
Jenna glanced at Catherine uneasily. "Okay." She held out her left hand, wiggling her fingers slightly. "My engagement ring - Zach gave it to me." There was no emotion in her voice.
"What happened to your fingers?" Catherine asked, gently turning over the suspect's hand.
"It's just a rash." Jenna retracted her hand close to her body.
"What do you think, Jim?" Catherine asked sweetly.
"Oh, I think that it's very easy to purchase cyanide over the internet, mix it with some almond oil and then somehow get your future fiancé to ingest it." Jim shrugged. "But that's just me."
Jenna's lawyer shook his head with a laugh. "Compelling story, Captain Brass. The only hard evidence you have is almond oil, and even at that it's not very incriminating. Half the population can buy almond oil for one reason or the other."
"Yes, but it's -this-," he pointed at Jenna, "population that used it for murder."
"You see, Miss Micheals thought things out very well. She took into consideration of the low percentage of people who can actually smell cyanide. So by mixing the poison, which I'm guessing to have been in powder form - easily soluble and the almond oil, she was able to guarantee that if Zachary had been able to detect cyanide, he would mistaken it for the bitter aroma of almonds." Catherine got up and walked to the mirror. Turning, she leaned against it, folding her arms across her chest.
"So, what was your relation to Sasha Lover?" Jim asked, now taking Catherine's seat.
***
Gil stood in the room, his eyes glued to her back. He pressed his hand against the cool surface, letting his finger tips dance against the glass where her hair fell to her shoulders. His fingers still tingled from feeling her curls and he longed to hold her body against his. His hand streaked down the glass, stopping at the small of her back, where he kept it there, trying to draw energy through the surface.
***
Catherine straightened slightly, shivers running down her spine. Her breathing quickened and the noise in the room dulled, as she turned around slightly, staring into the mirror. Her eyes seemed to search her face, but her mind saw behind the glass - she knew he was there, she could feel his aura clash with hers. Catherine blinked a couple of times, and took a couple of steps backwards. She turned around, catching the suspect's last statement.
" . . . he thought he was so clever, getting away with having an affair. But I knew." She let out a chuckle. "I could smell her on him . . ."
"And what? You liked what you smelt?" Jim looked her in the eye.
Jenna leaned back in her chair, surprised at the captain's observation. "I met her and . . . we hit it off."
"And then you put out a hit for Zachary - to get him out of the way?"
"We loved each other - Zach was always meddling." Jenna shook her head. "The money was just an added bonus - lucky bastard didn't believe in the bank system."
"So, you and Sasha conspire to kill your fiance and then what, run off together?" Jim's sarcasm melted off his tongue. "Whatever twisted fairy tale suits your fancy."
Jenna sighed. "If only she had applied the oil properly, she wouldn't have had a rash."
Catherine motioned to her fingers. "And neither would you." She looked at the suspect. "You were there, watching him as he convulsed, as the cyanide infiltrated his system." She let out a sadden breath of air. "You even taped it."
"We pulled your fingerprint off the lens." Jim muttered, before signalling the guard. "Oh, and put out an APB for Sasha Lover," he turned to Jenna, "maybe you two can get neighbouring cells."
Catherine and Jim watched the officer escort Jenna Micheals out of the interrogation room, followed by her lawyer who merely shook his head. Catherine sat down on the chair and fiddled with her fingers. "The things people do for love." She glanced back at the window and rushed towards the door. Opening it, she glanced inside - only to be greeted by a silent, void space. She sighed, letting it close behind her. Walking up to the glass, she looked into the interrogation room, knowing that he had been here moments before. She placed her hand against the surface, feeling a slight warmth in certain areas. She pressed her palms together, allowing her forehead to lean against the cool glass.
She opened the door and stood in the hall, contemplating her next move.
–TBC–