"Ric, I'm sorry, but I don't remember anything about that night." Zander replied without wanting to go back to that night.
"Look, I know you a small boy, and I know that the night has probably haunted you years afterward but Zander, I need you to remember. You are the only one who can put Sonny at the crime scene."
"I can't go back there, Ric. It took me a very long time to rid myself of those nightmares, and you're right, I had been haunted by the memories, and I finally got rid of them, Ric. I don't want them back!"
Ric sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Zander, I need you to go back there. You don't get this do you? If we don't have you as a witness, we don't have Sonny on murder charges. It's that simple."
Zander dreaded even the thought of remembering that night, but he knew he had to if he wanted to send his father's killer to prison.
"Alright! I have to. What now?" Zander replied.
"Now? Well, now we should get a statement of what you remember from that night."
"Which isn't much. I told you Ric, I don't remember all of it. I was 8 .... how much do you expect me to remember after 15 years?"
"I expect you to remember enough to send Sonny Corinthos to prison, Zander. If we need to, we can make an appointment with someone who can help you remember."
"What, like shrink? You're kidding, right?"
"No I'm not kidding. A professional can help you remember what you selectively forget."
"So who's on tonight to take my statement. Let's get this over with." Zander sighed, he certainly wasn't ready for this but wanted to get this ordeal over with as soon as he could.
Ric picked up the phone and dialed down to the clerks office for a transcriber, he had no luck at this hour. He pulled out a tape recorder from his desk and set it on top near Zander and turned it on.
"Whenever you're ready." Ric said as he leaned back in his chair and waited for Zander to begin telling his story.
Zander breathed in deeply, he concerned with reliving the past, but he had to if he wanted a conviction of his father's killer. "It was late, after midnight I think. I had gotten up and had gone downstairs to the kitchen. Mom always kept a special jug of milk in the refrigerator for me, she said it to help me go back to sleep, she called it the magic milk. Anyway, I went down to the kitchen and I passed by the study and I noticed a light was on, nothing unusual in my house, dad always worked late. It was the topic of my parent's fights most of the time. I didn't hear anything, so I walked into the kitchen for the milk and then returned to my room. On my way back from the kitchen I heard voices. There were at least 2 voices arguing, so I pushed open the door just a little to see what was going on. I don't think any of the men saw me peeking in because the arguing continued. I don't know what they were talking about, but it was loud and my father was upset with them. It all happened so fast ...."
Zander stopped. Ric sat up in his chair and reached for the tape recorder to turn it off. Zander's hand came up and stopped him. Ric backed off the recorder and Zander continued.
"I remember hearing the shot and my father falling back in the chair, the men grabbed what they could from the room, they knew he kept lots of money in drawers of his desk. When they were done stuffing their pockets they came towards the door, and I hid. I didn't make a sound as I hid in the shadows and I watched them leave the study and walk out the front door of the house."
"Who was the person you saw shoot your father, Zander? Who killed Frank Smith?"
Zander sat in the chair and became agitated. He tried so hard to forget that night, his mind and body not wanting to remember, he tried to shake off the feelings that had all rushed back and overwhelmed him. The fear, the sadness, the sense of loss, he sat in the chair and began to feel the sweat beads form on his forehead and he became uncomfortable in the chair.
Ric asked him again .. "Zander, who was the man you saw shoot your father? Who killed Frank Smith?"
The answer Ric was asking was something that Zander never remembered, in his nightmares, he never saw the faces of the two men who were in the office that night with his father. He could of met the person on the street and never knew it. Images of that night flashed in Zander's head as he sat in his brother's office, but nothing that made sense to him enough to piece that night all together. The faces were blurry, he couldn't get the pictures to focus enough to see who they were.
"I'm sorry, Ric. I don't know. I can't remember." Ric sighed and turned off the tape recorder.
"It's okay, Zander. We'll try again another time."
Ric got up from his desk and thanked Zander for trying. He had Sonny on other charges to keep him at least 36 hours, he'd give Zander a little time, if he pushed him too much, he may not be able to remember at all.
Zander stared down Sonny as he walked back into the squad room, Sonny cuffed to a desk chair. Ric encouraged Zander to keep walking passed, that he didn't want any more problems with the case. Ric walked Zander out and then came back in to finish up the paperwork on Sonny's arrest.
Zander walked down to the limo, Marcus was waiting for him. "Let's go, Emily I'm sure is waiting for me back at the cabin." he said to Marcus as he opened the back door for his boss. "Yes, sir." Marcus replied and then shut the door.
Zander arrived at the cabin and he noticed a flicker of light in the living room. Marcus stopped the car and got out. He walked to the back of the car and left Zander out of the back seat. "Thanks Marcus, you can go back to town now." Zander instructed before walking up to the front door of the cabin.
He peered in the window and saw Emily lounged on the couch in front of the fireplace. He unlocked the door and entered the cabin quietly trying not to wake her up. As he approached her, she awoke and saw him standing over her. "Zander, oh my God, I was so worried about you!" she said as she jumped up from the couch and latched onto him. "I'm sorry I had to rush off like that. I think there is something we need to talk about."