Jesse stood outside the interview room and took a deep breath before he entered. It was time to talk to JR.

JR Chandler was sat back in his chair, totally relaxed, a smug smile on his face.

Jesse took a seat opposite and leaned forward.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Jesse asked.

JR just smiled back.

"I'm not saying a word until my lawyer arrives!"

JR was trying to act all confident, but Jesse could see the tension around his eyes.

"Oh I was just asking out of courtesy." said Jesse, with a confident smile of his own. "You don't need to say anything. We have more than enough evidence to bury you."

There was a flicker of something on JR's face, but he remained tight lipped, his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't going to let Jesse draw him out that easily.

"Your quite a piece of work." continued Jesse, "Beating up an innocent woman. What was it, jealousy? Did it humiliate you that Bianca could give your ex-wife all the things you couldn't?"

JR gave a dismissive snort, still saying nothing. But that was enough to tell Jesse he'd found the chink in JR's armour. All he had to do was to keep prodding; he'd get the truth out of JR somehow. Chief Hubbard liked doing interviews like this; he liked the challenge. It was like starting a ball of string, you kept tugging at threads until you found the one that unravelled.

"I think it was jealousy." said Jesse, now acting the part of an understanding pal, "After everything you had done for Marissa, it must have hurt that she rejected you again. You tried to save her all those months ago from that crazed gunwoman. You were a hero! It should have been you not Bianca."

JR just stared back at him.

"I remember it like it was yesterday." continued Jesse, "You came to the rescue, saving us all, saving Marissa." Jesse's empathetic grin turned into a frown. "Only you didn't save her, did you? You shot her instead... You shot her point blank in the head!"

JR's face went white.

"You could have killed her." continued Jesse, "Mind you if she had died, she couldn't have come between you and your son..."

"I know what you are trying to do." warned JR.

"What am I doing?" asked Jesse holding up his hands in a mocking display of submission. "I'm only talking. Don't go blaming me if you're haunted by a guilty conscious."

As Jesse said the words 'guilty conscious', JR looked suddenly startled and his eyes flicked to the right as if he was expecting to find someone there. Jesse froze, why on earth did he do that?

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

JR gathered himself together again and turned back to Jesse with a smirk, the moment of weakness forgotten.

"I will be when my lawyer gets here." He said curtly, with no intension of saying another word.

Thanks to JR's unusual behaviour Jesse had lost his flow. JR had used the pause to gather his defences. Before the Chief could try a new tack there was a knock at the door.

Brot peered in,

"Sorry to disturb you. The governor's on the phone, he wants to speak to you."

Jesse looked at his watch.

"Interview suspended at 23:26." He announced.

JR's conceited grin grew even wider.

"That'll be my dad greasing a few wheels." JR said, oozing self-confidence.

Jesse wanted nothing more than to punch him.

"Take him back to his cell." ordered Jesse as he spun on his heel and marched angrily out of the room.

…

When Jesse got off the phone with the governor, he was the one wearing a grin. The call was about JR, but not in the way the young Chandler had expected. The governor, it seemed, was sick of the privileged breaking the law and thinking they can get away with it. He wanted a conviction. JR was to be made an example of.

Chief Hubbard couldn't wait to pass that little titbit on to the prisoner. Jesse checked the time, it was just after midnight. He had time to stop by the cells and pass on the governors regards before going home. The news was surely going to wipe the arrogant smile from JR's face.

…